Unquenchable Fire

Chapters

Prologue: A Meeting
The First Letters
The Curtain Rises
The Smallest Actions...
The Evacuation of Manehatten
Long Night
Commitment
Infiltration
Manusar

Prologue: A Meeting

Prologue

I won’t try to pretend this story has a good ending. To this day, I’m not sure anypony knows exactly how to classify its end. All I know is what happened, who was involved, and where I am right now. This is where we begin. This is the starting line. Perhaps there is a finish, a point where all of these memories will finally pass, but if there is, then I cannot see it. I choose instead to believe that some part of this story will live on forever. Somehow, I feel that’s how it should be.

I walk through the streets of Ponyville, treading softly, trying to avoid the pieces of broken glass, smoldering wood, and cracked cobblestones. Everywhere I look is a mess. Houses are damaged, or gone altogether, small fires still burn, ignored by the fire brigade, and I even see an overturned fruit cart, its produce spilled over the street, rotting by now. I remember coming here once, before this all started, for the Summer Sun Festival. I can still remember the sights and sounds of that day- throngs of ponies in the streets, vendors selling their wares, and of course the festival’s events. I saw Princess Celestia that day, as beautiful as the rising sun. When she looked at the crowd, I felt she was staring right at me, and in those eyes was a warm, yet wise sort of happiness. There was no trace of despair in them yet, no look of longing for an Equestria that had once been whole and peaceful. There were simply those two purple eyes, telling me everything was fine, that Equestria would never change, that we would always live together in peace and harmony.

But those eyes lied. Unknowingly, perhaps, but they still lied.

I turn at the clock tower, looking up at it. Its face is scarred, and the hands are bent, but it still faithfully keeps the time. It reminds me of my purpose here. Everything I’ve seen, everything I’ve been through has left an impression on me, for better or worse. I was a war correspondent, out there with Equestria’s best and brightest, documenting for the world. Now the magic has stopped flying through the air, the clamor of steel upon steel has died away, and the shouts- the shouts of the living and dying- they are gone as well.

But I am not finished yet.

My duties are far from over, for there is one more story left to tell. That is why I’m here, instead of in bustling Vanhoover, where my tired family waits. I see the sign- “Cookie’s Eatery” it says- hanging from a pole attached to a small building beneath an apartment. That’s my destination- where this story can truly begin. It’s a small, family-owned establishment- one of the few to escape the war relatively unscathed. This place now has a history behind it that will make it a legend. Those I’ve spoken to said it was used as a makeshift hospital during the conflict. Slowly, I open the door and step in. Nopony else is inside, save for the owners- a charming couple of Earth Ponies. One of them- green and brown with a frying pan cutie mark- acknowledges my presence with a nod. She’s busy sweeping up debris into a modest dustpan in the corner. Meanwhile, her husband- blue and gold, with the same cutie mark- steps over to me and asks me if I’d like anything to eat. I order a small basket of crisped Alfalfa and take my seat in a booth by the window, looking out into the street. The entire restaurant is dimly-lit, with the exception of the kitchen in the back. As I understand, this is due to the event that occurred here only a few days ago. As I wasn’t witness to it, I decide not to speculate on it. I’ve heard rumors, but nothing for a journalist to really rely on. I’m hoping tonight will finally change that. As I use my magic to pull a notebook and quill out of my saddlebag, I hear the door open and close. I don’t turn around. Instead I just wait. Sure enough, the purple Unicorn notices me and sits down at my table, across from me.

“Mr. Quillworth?” she asks, politely.

I nod. “And you are the honorable Mrs. Twilight Sparkle, am I correct?”

“Please,” she says quietly, “just call me Twilight. Being addressed like that… it just brings back so many memories.”

“I understand,” I say, laying my notebook on the table and magically picking up my quill. My food arrives, and I offer her some. She initially shakes her head, but I end up working out a split. We divide up the snack on napkins, and I lean back.

“Are you ready to begin?” I ask.

“In a moment,” she says, “I need to collect my thoughts. So much has happened.”

“If I may,” I say, “why did you agree to this interview? You certainly didn’t have to, and it probably isn’t going to be the most pleasant experience you’ve had.”

“I didn’t initially want to go through with it,” she sighs, “but then I realized that this is a story that has to be told. Not a story about the war itself- everyone knows about that- but about how that war was experienced. Do you see what I’m saying?”

I nod.

“Good. Then let’s start this,” she says, pulling her saddlebag onto the table and emptying its contents. I see a mound of correspondence, mingling with journals and diaries, and I even spy a few pictures with simple writing on them.

“I know you have questions for me,” she says, sifting through the pile, “but I figured this might be the best way to really allow you to see what happened- through the eyes of those who were there. I’ll still answer your questions, but if you have the time, I really think you should read some of this.”

I turn over a few of the notes and journals, recognizing a few names that I’ve heard since arriving in town: Captain Nimbus, Sergeant Mecha, Fluttershy, Princess Luna… the list goes on. I glance at the wall clock. It reads 9:34 p.m. Then I notice the owners observing me.

“You can stay for as long as you need to,” the green pony says. I turn back to Twilight.

“I’ll be here for as long as I need to be,” I say.

“Then you should start with this,” Twilight Sparkle says, pushing a single letter, stamped with the royal seal of Celestia, across the table. I unroll it slowly, making sure not to damage it, then begin to read.

“Dear Princess Celestia…”

The First Letters

The First Letters

Dear Princess Celestia,

I’m writing to you today with the best of news! My brother, Shining Armor, just sent me a letter saying that he and Princess Cadance of the Crystal Empire will be coming back to Canterlot to visit! It’s been so long since they’ve been in the area, and I’m sure Canterlot is ready to give them a warm and deserving welcome. If it’s at all possible, I’d like to meet with you soon to discuss plans for their arrival. I just know they’ll be pleased to see everypony again!

Your Faithful Student,

Twilight Sparkle

Twilight woke early, stumbling out of bed and down the stairs before even Spike was awake. Normally, she would never have considered getting up this early, but today was not a “normal” day. Just yesterday, Princess Celestia had sent a letter in reply to the one she’d sent her earlier about her brother’s visit. She was expected at the Canterlot Palace at noon, and she had a fair distance to travel. Grabbing her saddlebag full of essentials she’d meticulously packed the night before, Twilight hastily scrawled a note to Spike, left it on the kitchen table, and scurried out the door.

As Twilight looked into the morning sky, she couldn’t help but feel at peace with herself. Birds chirped, greeting the warm sun as it began to show itself over the horizon. Twilight slowed down to take in Ponyville’s waking beauty. Her train wasn’t due for another half an hour, anyway. It wasn’t often she had a chance like this to just enjoy life. Usually, she was busy with something. She turned a corner onto Ponyville’s Main Street. The clock tower rang out, announcing to all of Ponyville that it was 6:30 in the morning. Derpy Hooves soared over, beginning her rounds as Mailmare. Twilight smiled. Everything was perfect. Her brother and Princess Cadance couldn’t have picked a better time to come visit.

Twilight made her way to the train station, where she eagerly gave up her ticket and boarded the express morning train to Canterlot. As she settled down into a velvet chair, she looked back out the window at Ponyville. With any luck, she’d be back by late afternoon. Already the town was starting to come to life, and Twilight was looking forward to being back in time to attend Mecha’s cookout. Apparently he and Applejack had some new recipes to try, and Nimbus’s Jalapeno Hayburgers were legendary, as well as extremely spicy. Twilight remembered the first time she’d tried one. Nimbus hadn’t initially told her that he’d added the spicy peppers to the Hayburger, and she’d blissfully eaten it, unaware of the spicy punch that was about to hit her. It hadn’t been long, though, before the peppers did their work. Twilight smiled as she remembered jumping and nearly hitting the ceiling out of surprise. The Jalapenos had succeeded, and from then on, Nimbus’s recipe was legendary.

Twilight closed her eyes and lay back. The train ride to Canterlot was a long one, and she decided she might as well sleep. After all, she had a busy day ahead.

...

(Excerpt from the personal diary of Dr. Bone, Archeologist)

Today, we’ve finally reached Equestria’s Northern Coast. Very few ponies have been fortunate enough to come this far north, as the weather is… decidedly unpleasant. Nonetheless, I feel that this land can provide us with some significant archeological discoveries, and provide us with a clue as to what this part of Equestria might have looked like many thousands of years ago. Our guide seems on edge. I’m not entirely sure why, as I cannot speak his language, but our interpreter said he’s been babbling about being followed. I think the entire thing is nonsense. None of Equestria’s resident predators would dare show themselves up here. The climate is simply much too cold. Perhaps when we set up camp, our anxiety will be put to rest…

Nimbus arrived in Cloudsdale shortly after he received the radio call. Not much had been said over the airwaves, except that he was being called in on alert, which, Nimbus knew, was a serious deal. The last time the EAF had been put on alert was during Eclipse’s attack on Canterlot. Since then, Equestria had been quiet. Granted, this time he was the only one on alert, but still… one could never be too careful.

As he touched down on the soft clouds of the floating city, he recalled his morning. Nothing unusual had happened, of course, besides having to wake up two hours before his normal time. Still, he’d have to get a message down to Octavia, telling her he’d miss his jazz lesson today.

Nimbus straightened up his flight suit and trotted into Cloudsdale’s EAF headquarters. At the door, he was greeted by two Pegasi, armed with longswords.

Nimbus arched an eyebrow. “Extra security measures?”

“Yes sir,” one of the Pegasi said, checking Nimbus’s rank and identification, “just a precautionary measure.”

“I understand,” Nimbus said, not questioning any further.

The Pegasi escorted him down a long hallway into a room where three other Pegasi were seated. Nimbus instantly noticed Sunshine, his old commander, on the right of the other two Pegasi. He had Lieutenant Colonel ranks on his flight suit, and when he saw Nimbus, he gave the Pegasus a warm smile.

“Hey, Nimbus,” he said, “long time no see, eh?”

“Yeah,” Nimbus said, “last time I saw you, you’d just gotten over being a frog.”

“Ooh, don’t remind me,” Sunshine shuddered as Nimbus took a seat next to him. Suddenly, a tan Pegasus bearing an arrow cutie mark entered the room. He was dressed in the Equestrian Air Force Service Dress, and Nimbus saw two stars on each of his shoulders. He immediately snapped to attention.

“Room, tench- hut!” Nimbus called. The other Pegasi followed him and snapped to attention as well.

“At ease,” the tan Pegasus said. “I’m General Skyray, as many of you know, and I’ve called you all here to discuss a potential matter of national security.” The Pegasus made his way to the front of the room. “This morning, we received a radio transmission from a group of Archaeologists working up north. I’ll play the transmission now.”

General Skyray set a small, black radio down on the conference table and switched it on. Instantly, a distorted voice came through, accompanied by crashing sounds and yelling.

“Come in, please! This is Dr. Bone, from the Northern Equestrian Archaeological Expedition. We’ve come under attack! I don’t know what our aggressors are- it’s too dark to see- but they seem to be able to-“

The voice stopped abruptly, but the background sounds continued for a while.“The transmission ends there,” the general said, switching off the radio. “We’ve had no word from them since, so the logical conclusion is that they were either killed or separated. I want you to find out what happened here. Until we know what happened, we must assume that this is a threat against Equestria. I’ve already briefed Princesses Celestia and Luna, so they’re aware we’re taking action.”

The Pegasi nodded as the general said his last words. “Now, I’ve called the four of you here to organize a task force. I want two of you to leave for Northern Equestria immediately. The others will stay behind and report to me.”

“I’ll go,” Nimbus volunteered. At the same time, another Pegasus raised his hoof. He was a dark blue in color, with a cutie mark in the shape of a storm cloud.

“I’ll go as well,” the Pegasus said.

“Then it’s settled,” said Sunshine, “Nimbus and Stormchaser will leave for Northern Equestria immediately.” He turned to the two Pegasi, who were already standing up. “I want you both in constant contact with us. We need to know what happened.”

“Understood, sir,” Stormchaser said. He turned to Nimbus. “Let’s suit up and head out, then.”

Nimbus nodded, and the two departed from the room to grab helmets and sheathes. Nimbus didn’t break a sweat worrying. Many of these missions turned out be simple wild animal attacks. It was more than possible that this one would turn out the same.

He had no idea how wrong he was.

…

Twilight Sparkle stepped off the train and was immediately ushered into a carriage bound for Canterlot. She was surprised at the haste. She didn’t recall entering Canterlot this way last time, but she didn’t mind, she simply assumed Celestia wanted her urgently.

As she arrived at the palace, Twilight left the carriage and tipped the driver. She then trotted to the palace gate and knocked once, firmly. Slowly, the massive gates opened and Twilight started through the courtyard, under the watchful eyes of dozens of guards. She made her way up into the palace, crossing through the massive ballroom. At the top of the ballroom’s staircase, she noticed Princess Luna speaking with a uniformed Pegasus.

“Princess Luna, hello!” Twilight called.

Luna turned her head to see Twilight, then nodded to the Pegasus, who whispered something and walked away.

“Greetings, Twilight Sparkle,” Princess Luna said, “thou hast arrived punctually.”

“Well, I couldn’t wait,” Twilight said, “is Princess Celestia around?”

“She is,” Luna said. “If you’ll follow me, please…”

Twilight Sparkle followed Princess Luna up the stairs and into the throne room. “She is in here,” Luna said, opening the door, “it was good to see thou again.”

“And you, too, Princess Luna,” Twilight said. She walked towards the throne, where Celestia was sitting, composing a letter. As her student approached, Celestia looked up, acknowledging her presence.

“Good morning, Twilight Sparkle,” Celestia said, using her magic to send the letter away.

“Good morning, Princess Celestia,” Twilight said, “I understand you received my letter?”

“I did,” Celestia said, stepping down from her throne and walking up to Twilight, “and that’s why I called you here. Before I sent my letter to you, I spent countless hours trying to find a good advisor to plan events for Shining Armor’s and Princess Cadance’s arrival. Then I realized that the solution was right under my nose. After all, who would be better to advise me on something like this than Shining Armor’s sister?”

“I see your point,” Twilight said, “should we get started, then?”

“Absolutely,” Celestia said. “I was thinking of opening the day’s events with a procession, but I’m not sure where to go from there.”

“Well, a procession’s a good idea,” Twilight said, racking her brain. “I think we should follow that up with a sort of festival.”

“Why, that’s a wonderful idea,” Celestia said, “a festival here in Canterlot would be magnificent.”

“I’m glad you like it,” Twilight said.

“Now, Princess Cadance and Shining Armor are set to arrive in three days, and-“

“Three days?” Twilight asked, “he never told me that!”

“I just found out about it myself, actually,” Celestia confided. “Three days won’t give us long to prepare. I’d like you to see if you can bring your friends up from Ponyville to help with preparations. They did such a wonderful job with the wedding…”

“Of course,” Twilight said, “I’ll ask them when I get back. Would you like me to return with them to Canterlot tomorrow?”

“Well, the sooner the better, so if it’s not much trouble,” Celestia said, “then yes.”

“That’s fine with me, Princess,” Twilight Sparkle said.

“Then head back to Ponyville and gather up your friends. We’ll be in for a busy day tomorrow.”

Twilight looked into Celestia’s eyes briefly. Something about her seemed… different. She couldn’t tell for sure, but it seemed like Princess Celestia was hiding something from her.

“Is there anything else you wanted to talk to me about, Your Highness?” Twilight asked before turning to leave. Celestia opened her mouth, as if to go on, then shut it.

“Nothing important, my faithful student. It’s nothing to worry about. Now go, and have a wonderful day!”

“You too,” Twilight said, leaving the throne room. On her way out, Princess Luna passed her and headed for the throne. She didn’t speak, but Twilight could see a glimmer of concern in her eyes. There was definitely something else going on around here. She didn’t know what it was yet, but then and there, Twilight Sparkle made it a point to find out.

…

It was almost noon when Nimbus and Stormchaser flew over Manehatten- their last point of civilization before reaching Equestria’s Frozen North. Both Pegasi were in matching olive-green flightsuits, and each had a helmet with a comm system and heads-up display. As they left the city behind, Nimbus spoke.

“So Stormchaser, who do you think’s behind this?”

Stormchaser shook his head. “You want my professional opinion? I honestly think it’s just another wild Manticore chase. Ponies going to explore the North go missing all the time.”

“Yeah,” Nimbus said, “that’s what I figured, too. Still, those background noises in the radio transmission- have you ever heard an animal like that before?”

“Can’t say I have,” said Stormchaser. “I guess it’s possible they got attacked by some creature we haven’t seen yet. But you wanna know my take on this?”

“Sure,” said Nimbus.

“I think this creature isn’t going to be half as menacing when I shish-kebab it.” To prove his point, Stormchaser extended the blade of one of his sheathes.

Nimbus laughed. “Too right. Let’s just finish this thing up and go home. I’ve got Hayburgers to grill.”

“You lucky son of a Manticore,” Stormchaser grinned, “Hayburgers?”

“Darn right” Nimbus said, “I’ve got my own recipe for ‘em.”

“I’ll have to stop by sometime,” Stormchaser said. “Where do you live?”

“Ponyville,” Nimbus replied.

“Oh, that’s right- you’re the nut who decided to choose Ponyville over pretty much any station in Equestria, am I right?”

“Correct,” said Nimbus, “it’s really not as bad as everypony says it is- really.”

“Hm,” said Stormchaser, “then maybe I will come by.”

“Okay,” said Nimbus, “we’re diverting now.” He banked hard to the left, descending slightly. Stormchaser was right behind him.

“Keep your eyes peeled,” Nimbus reminded his partner, “it’s getting colder, and I’m seeing snow on the ground. We’re getting close.”

“Roger,” Stormcloud replied. Both of their helmets were displaying the approximate location of the radio call, but the tracker had a tendency to be inaccurate. Once they got close enough, they’d have to rely on eyes alone.

“Tally ho,” Nimbus said, “the coordinates are almost right below us. Visors up.”

Both ponies lifted their visors and immediately were greeted by a shockingly cold blast of howling wind. The North was truly an inhospitable environment, and Nimbus wondered to himself why anypony would consider going there in the first place. He scanned the scattered groves of trees, taking into consideration that any self-respecting expedition would use them as a natural windbreak.

“I see something!” Stormchaser called to Nimbus over the screeching wind.

“Roger,” Nimbus replied, following Stormchaser down into a small clearing in the midst of some trees. The Pegasi swiveled their wings, preparing to land, when a massive gust of wind caught them both and flung them into the trees. Nimbus tumbled end over end, and the sound of snapping branches told him that Stormchaser hadn’t fared any better. When he finally came to a halt, he picked himself up and brushed the dirt and snow off of his flight suit. As he was finishing, Stormchaser approached.

“That was some crazy wind back there,” he said, rather unnecessarily.

“Yes it was,” Nimbus said, peering through the trees and into the clearing. Standing in the middle of the clearing was a single tent, eerily alone.

“I think we’ve found it,” Nimbus said, “come on.”

The ponies crunched through the snow until they stood in the clearing. Once their eyes were adjusted to the snow glare, they suddenly became aware of the horror surrounding them. There were craters everywhere, and when they brushed away the snow, the ground beneath their hooves was charred. Nimbus examined the tent. Strangely, everything inside looked as if nothing had ever happened.

“By Celestia…” Nimbus heard Stormchaser exclaim softly behind him. Afraid of what he would find, Nimbus trotted over. Initially, he saw nothing wrong. Then he realized that Stormchaser was staring into the trees. When he saw what his partner saw, Nimbus froze. An Earth Pony, clad in cold weather gear, was nailed to the tree, stretched out from front hooves to back hooves. The blood had long dried and frozen, but it still stood out vibrantly against the snow, as well as the pony’s blue winter jacket. Nimbus slowly approached, and reached into one of the jacket’s pockets, pulling out a business card and a diary.

“Dr. Bone,” he said aloud, reading the name on the card. “This is the guy who sent the call.” He pocketed the card and looked up at the pony.

“Well, he’s dead now,” Stormchaser said.

“It wasn’t some wild animal that did this,” Nimbus said. “Look at the craters, the scorch marks… Dr. Bone… something intelligent was behind this attack.”

“I agree,” said Stormchaser. “The blasts look like they were caused by magic, so we can rule out Pegasi and Earth Ponies.”

“Do you suppose it could have been a rogue group of Unicorns?” Nimbus asked.

“Definitely possible,” said Stormchaser. Suddenly, the wind picked up again, dropping something large and unmoving from a tree almost on top of the Pegasus. Stormchaser cried out and backed up as soon as he saw what had almost hit him. It was another Earth Pony, but this one was black, and had what appeared to be a Cutie Mark in the shape of a map on his flank. His body seemed sagged, almost prematurely aged, and he was clearly dead.

“That must have been the guide,” Nimbus whispered, thumbing through the diary he’d found. “In Dr. Bone’s diary, he said there were two others with him- a guide and an interpreter.”

“Well if the guide’s here,” said Stormchaser, “then where’s the interpreter?”

Over the howling wind, the two suddenly heard a sound that chilled them both to the bone. It was a low moan, the sound of a hurt pony.

“It’s him!” Nimbus said, “the interpreter! He must be alive!”

They rushed towards the sound of the moaning. It was coming from the trees behind the tent. They charged through the underbrush, now following what appeared to be a long, bloody drag trail through the forest. When they came to the trail’s end, they finally met the pony they’d been looking for. He was a white Earth Pony, and his entire flank was covered in blood from a gash. He looked weakly up at the approaching Pegasi.

Stormchaser was the first to speak. “Were you the interpreter for Dr. Bone’s expedition?”

The pony nodded, not speaking. Nimbus looked to his partner.

“He doesn’t look too good,” he said, “we need to get him medical attention in Canterlot.”

“Thank you,” the pony whispered hoarsely.

“Try not to talk,” Stormchaser said, nudging his muzzle under the pony’s stomach. “I need your help. We’re going to strap you to my friend and get you some medical attention.”

The pony nodded and shakily stood with Stormchaser’s support, leaning over Nimbus’s back.

“Secure him,” Nimbus said. Stormchaser tied the pony securely to Nimbus’s back as Nimbus pocketed the diary and business card. When his partner was ready, Nimbus spoke.

“Let’s get back to Canterlot,” he said, “I want you to make contact with the ponies on the other end of the comm back in Cloudsdale. They need to know what’s going on.”

“Roger,” Stormchaser said, taking off with Nimbus. As they rose into the sky, Nimbus looked back at the unmoving pony on his back. He could only hope they’d make it back in time.

What Nimbus did not notice, however, was the pony’s face. As the Pegasi lifted into the air, the pony looked back at the camp, eyes wide with excitement. Slowly, a grin split across his face, and his eyes…

His eyes flashed green.

The Curtain Rises

The Curtain Rises

Medical Facility: Caring Hooves Hospital, Canterlot

Physician: Dr. Petrie

Patient Description: Patient is a male Earth Pony. Bears several wounds along right flank, possible claw marks. Also appears to be under severe psychological stress. Patient does not respond to questions, and demonstrates nervous eye twitch.

Treatment: Close wounds and treat for infection. Additionally, patient will be on bed rest for at least one week. Will conduct full psychological evaluation at the week’s end.

Notes: X-Ray scans show patient has unusual bone structure, most likely a birth defect. Skeleton seems lighter than normal Pony skeleton, and displays small nubs behind front shoulders, similar to Pegasus wing roots. No recommendation for treatment. Mutations seem benign.

The door to the hospital room swung open and a white Unicorn with a medical coat walked out.

“How is he?” Nimbus asked the pony. He and Stormchaser had stuck around after dropping off the sole survivor of the expedition to the North, in the hope of questioning him.

“Well, it’s hard to say right now,” the doctor replied. “He’s definitely conscious, but mentally, he’s really messed up.”

“How so?” Nimbus asked.

“Well, he doesn’t even remember his own name, for starters. Add that to his constant nervous twitches, and you’ve got a mental basket case.”

“Will he be available for questioning?” Stormchaser asked.

“Depends.”

“On what?”

“Depends on if you’re willing to wait for a week,” the Unicorn replied. “So far, it doesn’t look like he’ll make a recovery for a while.”

“I see,” Nimbus said, turning to Stormchaser. “Should we call it in?”

“I’ll do it,” Stormchaser said, heading down the hall with his helmet and radioing his superiors.

“There’s something else…” the doctor said.

“What?” Nimbus asked.

“His bone structure is quite unusual for an Earth Pony. I think it’s just a birth defect, but it’s very odd…”

“Odd? How so?”

“Well, his skeleton is considerably thinner than normal. All of the bones seem lightweight, and behind his shoulders are two growths, which if I didn’t know better, would say were vestigial wings.”

“Well, I frankly wouldn’t be surprised,” Nimbus said, “judging by the other two ponies we found, I can’t imagine it would be too outlandish to assume this was part of some sort of sick experiment. Of the three ponies we found, one was nailed to a tree, and the other looked like he aged rapidly, and prematurely.”

“Hm, do you suppose spells were at work here?”

“That’s what my partner and I believe. This was more than likely caused by a group of rogue Unicorns.”

“What makes you say that?” the doctor asked.

“Well, Unicorns are the only species in the area that can use magic.”

“What about Changelings?”

Nimbus frowned. “They were defeated years ago. There’s been no sign of them for a while, now.”

“I suppose so,” the doctor said, “I’ll fill you in if anything new happens with the patient.”

“Thanks,” Nimbus said as Stormchaser walked up to him.

“Just got off the radio with command post,” he said, “they’ve decided that this isn’t an immediate threat to Equestria. We’re off alert now.”

Nimbus checked the time on a wall clock. It was now almost four in the afternoon. He still had two hours to set up for the cookout.

“Hey,” he said to Stormchaser, “wanna wrap up this day over some cider and Hayburgers?”

“Huh?”

“The Ponyville Cookout’s going on in about two hours. We can get there in fifteen minutes by air. You interested?”

Stormchaser shrugged. “Sure, I don’t see why not. Those burgers better be as good as you’ve been claiming this whole time.”

“Trust me,” Nimbus said, heading for the exit, “you will not be disappointed.”

…

(Town flyer, from the personal collection of Twilight Sparkle)

Attention Ponies!

Ponyville is holding a cookout in the town square this Friday! There will be food, there will be games, but most of all, there will be fun!

Prepare for:

Food by Mecha, Applejack, and Nimbus!

Music by DJ PON-3, aka Vinyl Scratch!

A Wonderbolts flyover!

Games and prizes!

The cookout will be held at 6:00 p.m.! Don’t miss out on one of the year’s most fun events!

Mecha placed another sizzling apple half on the grill, smelling the fruit’s sweet scent as it wafted towards his nose. He turned to Applejack, who was beside him, doing the same. “Grilled apples…” he said, “you know, I’m really surprised I never thought up something as crazy as this.”

“Well,” Applejack said, “ya may be one for experimentation, but when it comes ta apples, ah’m the one who does the experimentin’.”

“Yeah,” Mecha said, “I guess so.” He turned at the sound of approaching hoofsteps to face Twilight Sparkle, coming from the train station.

“Hey, Twilight,” Mecha said, “how was your meeting with Princess Celestia?”

“Oh, fine,” Twilight said, standing next to the grill. She decided not to mention her suspicions of other activities going on under her nose at the palace. “Princess Celestia and I decided on setting up a procession followed by a festival in Canterlot.”

“Pretty lofty goal there,” Applejack said, “can ya pull it off?”

“Well actually, that’s why I stopped here. We’ve got three days before Princess Cadance and Shining Armor arrive. It’s a lot of work, managing setup for this, and I was wondering if you two would like to help out. I’ll be asking the rest of my friends as well.”

Mecha thought it over. “So Celestia actually trusts me to do this? Eh, why not? I’ve got nothing going on tomorrow. I’ll help”

“Ya can always count me in,” Applejack added.

“Great,” Twilight said, “well good luck with the food. I can’t wait. I’m going to go find everypony else.”

“Later, Twilight!” Applejack said. When she turned back around, she was face-to-face with Nimbus and another Pegasus.

“Con-sarn it!” she swore, jumping into the air. Nimbus positively cracked up. Mecha simply remained calm as ever.

“You’re getting pretty good at that sneaking up bit, Nimbus,” he said, “and it looks like you’re right on time. Who’s your friend?”

“Stormchaser,” the blue Pegasus said before Nimbus could speak, walking forward and extending his hoof. Mecha shook it with his mechanical leg, and Stormcloud raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. He’d never seen anything like it before, but he wasn’t about to be rude.

“We were out on a mission today,” Nimbus explained, “and I figured the best way to end the day was to invite my flight partner out here to experience some Ponyville hospitality.”

“Well, you picked the right time to do it.”

Nimbus turned around and saw Octavia approaching.

“Hey, Octavia!” he said, “I sent a letter to you back from Cloudsdale about today. Did you get it?”

“I did,” Octavia said, “and I understood. It’s not a bad idea to take a break from lessons every once in a while anyway. You’ve been working on that saxophone tirelessly for the past few days.”

“Yeah,” said Nimbus, “I guess I have. Is Vinyl Scratch ready for tonight?”

Octavia sighed. “Yes she is. She hasn’t failed to remind me. She’s practically destroyed the house with all of her bass-blasting.”

Mecha laughed. “Yeah, that figures. Did I tell any of you about the time when I was dating Vinyl? She really wasn’t happy when we split…”

Nimbus made his way out into the street with Octavia. “I have to get back to my house,” he said, “I left my ingredients for the Jalapeno Hayburgers there.”

“Mind if I tag along?” Octavia asked.

“Well sure,” Nimbus replied, “safety in numbers, I guess.”

“You plan on getting attacked on the way back?”

“Hardly,” Nimbus said, chuckling. Inside, however, it felt as if a lead ball had dropped in his stomach. Octavia’s words reminded him of his encounter earlier that day. Had it really just been a freak occurrence? Or would today’s encounter come back to haunt him?

“Nimbus, you okay?”

Nimbus shook himself from his daze. “Huh? Oh… yeah, I’m fine.”

Octavia looked worried. “You look like you could use some sleep,” she said.

“Don’t worry about it,” Nimbus said, “I’ll be fine. Besides, how could I sleep through the cookout?!”

Octavia smiled at Nimbus, but from the moment she’d looked into his eyes, she knew something else was going on. She didn’t know what it was yet, but it had obviously been serious enough to shake Nimbus.

…

Medical Facility: Caring Hooves Hospital, Canterlot

Physician: Dr. Petrie

Discrepancy Report: During routine nightly check-in, patient was discovered to be missing. Hospital gown found on bed, and bed sheets found strewn about room, but otherwise no damage. Investigations proved that the patient left at approximately seven p.m. Though law enforcement is currently searching for the patient, no trace has been found. This event is more than likely due to the patient’s mental distress.

A light pink pony walked up to the new patient’s door and knocked softly.

“Sir,” she said, “routine check-in.”

She waited for the patient’s response, but none came. The pony smiled to herself. The patient was more than likely getting rest, and after what he’d been through, she couldn’t blame him in the least. Still, it was her duty to check up on him. She opened the door as silently as she could… and then froze.

No one was there.

The room was empty. Sheets were scattered on the floor, as if somepony had left in a hurry, and the patient’s hospital gown was lying on the bed.

“By Celestia-“ the pony whispered, then ran out the door. Somepony had to know what had happened, and quickly.

…

In Ponyville, the cookout was well underway. At the grill, Nimbus was showing Stormchaser some of the finer points of his Jalapeno Hayburgers. Mecha and Applejack, on the other hand, were working on adding a few new ingredients to the grilled apples.

Rainbow Dash was hanging around Vinyl Scratch’s DJ station, head-banging with the best, when she heard the telltale sound of a flight of Pegasi approaching. Immediately her ears perked up.

“Hey everypony!” she yelled, “it’s the Wonderbolts!”

The crowd turned their heads skyward, as the formation came into view. Slowly they drew closer, mesmerizing Rainbow Dash until they were almost right over Ponyville.

“Fillies and Gentlecolts!” the Mayor announced, “I give you- the Wonderbolts!”

The formation of Pegasi flew over at top speed, trailing black stormclouds. As they reached the cookout, they pulled up and broke into an amazing burst pattern.

“Aw yeah!” Rainbow Dash whooped, “that’s what I’m talking about!”

“Hooah!” Nimbus and Stormchaser yelled, high-hoofing each other. Nimbus was unaware that he was holding a spatula with a Hayburger on it, and flung the morsel sky-high in the excitement. The burger arced gracefully over the crowd, landing squarely on Rainbow Dash.

“Oops,” Nimbus said, eyes wide.

Rainbow Dash growled, then licked the remnants of the burger off of her face.

“Say,” she said, “this isn’t too bad!” Positively beaming, Dash wandered over to Nimbus.

“Spare any of those burgers?”

“I believe I could,” Nimbus said, flipping a patty onto a bun and handing it to Rainbow Dash. “Eat up!”

Dash walked away contentedly with the burger towards the Wonderbolts, who had just landed. Evidently, they wanted to enjoy the cookout as well.

“Well,” Nimbus said to Mecha, stretching, “I guess that’s my first customer. Looks like it’s time to start serving!”

Mecha nodded and stepped up to a massive gong. “Dinner!” he yelled, smacking the gong as hard as possible. Nimbus winced at the noise- he imagined Ponies in Manehatten would have been able to hear Mecha’s dinner call.

Nimbus began dishing out plates left and right, serving his burgers as fast as he could, while Mecha and Applejack complimented his food with grilled apples. Nimbus was amazed at how smoothly everything was running so far. Finally, when the line died down, Nimbus was left with only one more customer to go.

“Hey, Twilight,” he said to the purple Unicorn, “you want something?”

“As a matter of fact, yes,” Twilight replied, “you may recall what happened when I tried one of your burgers last year.”

“I do,” Nimbus said, laughing, “let me guess- this is the rematch?”

“It is,” Twilight said with a grim look of determination on her face, “Nimbus- serve the burger.”

With great aplomb, Nimbus constructed a perfect Hayburger for Twilight, which he then placed on his most flawless plate. He did not fail to notice that Mecha and Applejack were watching with interest.

“This is it!” Nimbus cried suddenly, “it’s Twilight Sparkle vs. the Nimbus Special! Who will win? The Nimbus Special is a returning contender from last time, having trounced Twilight early on in the playoffs, but Ms. Sparkle is back for revenge! Fillies and Gentlecolts, this will be a fight to remember!”

Twilight rolled her eyes and lifted the hayburger to her mouth slowly.

“Go on, Twilight,” Applejack said, “ya got this!”

Squinting her eyes shut, Twilight bit off a chunk of the hayburger and began to chew. Initially, nothing happened. It actually looked like Twilight might prove victorious. Then the jalapenos kicked in.

Twilight jumped high into the air, gasping. “Hot, hot, hot!” she yelled, diving for a glass of water which Spike was there to provide.

“Twilight,” Nimbus said, shaking his head as his friend downed her water, “spicy things really don’t agree with you, do they?”

“No,” Twilight said, panting, “they don’t. Not. At. All.”

Nimbus laughed. “Well get out there and enjoy yourself, and I congratulate you for going up against my Jalapeno Hayburger. Not many have the courage to try.”

“Thanks,” Twilight said, giving Nimbus a weak smile and mingling with the crowd. Nimbus smiled, but his smile was short-lived as he remembered once again the terrible discovery he and Stormchaser had made in the North earlier that day. Somepony had to know. Nimbus turned to Mecha.

“Mecha,” he said, “you wanna step away for a moment? There’s something Stormchaser and I need to tell you.”

“We do?” Stormchaser asked.

“Yes,” said Nimbus, “we do.”

“Well sure,” Mecha said, “ as long as I’m back here in five minutes. AJ can’t get all those apples done herself.”

“We won’t be long,” Nimbus said, “come on.”

The Pegasus walked over to a shady tree and sat down. Mecha and Stormchaser followed him and did the same.

“So what’s up?” Mecha asked.

Nimbus sighed. “This morning, as I mentioned before, Stormchaser and I were called out on a mission… to the Frozen North.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Stormchaser said, “that’s classified, isn’t it? This guy’s a civil-“

“Oh trust me,” Nimbus said, “Mecha’s got the clearance. And then some. The guy’s an ex-scout. He can be trusted with this information.”

“So you were saying?” Mecha said, “something about the Frozen North?”

“Yeah,” Nimbus said, “we were sent up there to check on an emergency radio call from an Archaeological team, but when we arrived, we found we were too late.”

“You say ‘too late’,” Mecha said, “why?”

“Because when we arrived at the camp, everything was a mess,” Stormchaser said.

“And on top of that,” Nimbus added, “there were casualties.”

“Casualties?” Mecha asked, “how many?’

“Two,” Nimbus said. “Only one of the expeditionary team survived, and he was in pretty bad shape. Do you know of anything up North that could have done something like this?”

“Describe the wounds,” Mecha said.

“Well, the first Pony we found was nailed to a tree,” Stormchaser said, “and the second one looked prematurely aged.”

“That’s definitely not an animal attack. Too intelligent.”

“That’s what we figured, too,” Nimbus said, “our guess was a rogue group of Unicorns. What do you think?”

Mecha considered this. “Well, it would explain the premature aging. That sounds like something that could have been caused by magic. Still, there are other magical creatures out there. Did you consider Changelings?”

“We did,” Nimbus said, “but they’ve been gone for a long time. We can pretty much rule out Alicorns, too. Celestia, Luna, and Cadance are the only ones I’ve seen.”

“Well, there are plenty of possibilities related to Unicorns,” Mecha said. “There are several small groups out there that would do something like this.”

“Such as?”

“Well, I could compile a list if you want,” Mecha said, “I’ve run into a few of them.”

“That would be great,” Stormchaser said. “Could you?”

“I’ll give the list to Nimbus tomorrow,” Mecha replied, “when we head off to Canterlot.”

“Thanks,” Nimbus said, “that’s going to help a lot. So far, we have no clue who did this.”

Mecha nodded and walked away, leaving Nimbus and Stormchaser staring at the setting sun. Neither knew what to expect in the coming days, but they hoped with Mecha’s help, the mystery of the Archaeological team would be solved.

…

The pink pony nurse sat down in the lobby, crying, as Doctor Petrie approached her.

“Come on, now,” the Unicorn said, sitting next to the distraught pony, “it’s not your fault. He escaped without any of us noticing.”

“B- but he was my responsibility!”

“You did nothing wrong. It could have happened to anypony.”

“Nurse Bubblegum,” a tan pony said, stepping into the lobby, “I have some- Dr. Petrie? What are you doing here?”

The Unicorn doctor looked up. “What are you talking about? I’ve been here all day?”

“Not according to the sign-out desk,” the pony said, “they claim they saw you leave the building about four hours ago.”

“Odd,” said the doctor. “Well, at any rate, I’m here.” He stood. “Nurse Bubblegum, I’ll be here if you need me, alright?”

The nurse nodded, but as Dr. Petrie walked away, she felt a shiver roll down her spine. According to the sign-out desk, Dr. Petrie had left the building four hours ago…

Which was exactly when her patient had allegedly disappeared.

The Smallest Actions...

The Smallest Actions…

(Announcement bill for Shining Armor’s and Princess Cadance’s procession, from the private collection of Twilight Sparkle)

Attention, ponies!

Princess Cadance and Prince Shining Armor from the Crystal Empire have chosen to come back to Canterlot for a visit. The palace will host a procession at noon in two days. Don’t miss this event! The procession will close with a festival, which will last until midnight. We hope to see you there!

After Ponyville’s cookout, the Mane 6, as well as Nimbus and Mecha, all set out for Canterlot to begin preparations for the big day. They expected hard work, and were not let down. On the first day of preparations, Mecha and Nimbus ended up staying up all night to place decorations. By the time the ponies were finished, Canterlot was covered in streamers and banners of all sorts. Rarity had even enlisted the help of a road repair crew to stud the main road to the palace with sapphires, which she’d collected with the help of Spike. The second day turned out to be even more work, with Twilight managing the order of festivities for the following day and holding meetings with every event supervisor… one-on-one. Everypony was busy, and by the time night fell on the second day, they were all exhausted. Their work had paid off, however. Canterlot was glistening, and was without a doubt ready for the next day’s celebration. Content with their work, the six mares headed off for a spa Rarity had been meaning to try for a while. The two stallions, on the other hand, each took quick showers and wandered off to find a good game of poker. Everypony knew that even though the physically exhausting part of preparation was over, tomorrow, when Shining Armor and Princess Cadance arrived, they would be put to the ultimate mental test. They’d never been responsible for running a procession before, and they could only hope this would turn out well.

Finally, the day arrived. Twilight stirred from her bed, groggily getting up and trotting over to the mirror, to comb her hair.

She sighed as she saw her sagging eyes and stretched her sore muscles. The last two days had taken a lot out of her and her friends. In all honesty, she’d felt better during that little time travel incident a while back.

“At least there’s no future Twilight nagging me about what I should do next,” Twilight said to her reflection. “Then again, I suppose I shouldn’t say anything yet…”

She strapped on her saddlebag and pushed open the door to her quarters. Princess Celestia had set them all up with the best rooms in the palace, but that meant that getting to the dining hall involved going down three separate staircases- not something she particularly enjoyed. Her legs nearly cramped up several times on the way down, and the strain from the previous days’ activities was quite obvious.

On the last flight of stairs, Twilight heard a crash and a yelp. She hurried forward, surging down the stairs and almost running into Pinkie Pie, who was tangled up amongst a pile of balloons, streamers, and other party supplies.

“Pinkie, what happened?” Twilight asked.

“Oh, nothing really,” Pinkie replied. “I just got a bit tangled up coming down the stairs, that’s all.”

Using her magic, Twilight untangled Pinkie and her supplies. “Mind if I help you carry some of this? I assume you’re going to breakfast?”

“That’s right!” Pinkie said, “and I decided that today’s breakfast should be more like a party! As for helping me-” Pinkie began to stagger around with all of the supplies, “-I could probably use some help. Breakfast is waiting!”

Twilight shrugged. It was pointless to debate the subject of parties with Pinkie Pie. She’d learned that a long time ago. As they both reached the bottom of the stairs and turned the corner, they could see that the only ponies awake were Nimbus and Mecha, and neither looked to be in good condition. Nimbus was sitting slumped forward, absently drumming his hoof on the table. His eyes were bleary, and his body was covered with scratches. Mecha had a black and swollen eye, and appeared to be picking splinters out of his flank.

“What happened to you two?” Twilight asked.

Nimbus looked up. “Oh, hey Twilight. Yeah, that’s kind of a long story…”

“I’ve got time.”

“Well,” Mecha said, joining Nimbus in the conversation, “it all started last night when Nimbus and I found the perfect poker joint.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Go on.”

“It seems Mecha’s pretty good at Appaloosa Hold ‘Em,” Nimbus said, “in fact, he’s kind of an ace at the game.”

“And Nimbus here’s pretty much got Blackjack down to a science,” Mecha added.

“Yeah,” said Nimbus. “Long story short, there were a few cheating accusations lobbed our way. There was a fight, things got broken, ponies lost consciousness…”

Mecha chuckled, “like that guy I hit over the head with a chair…”

“Oh, that was brilliant!” Nimbus said, high-hoofing Mecha. “Anyway, we eventually got thrown out of the place. And that really wasn’t fun. Ever been thrown through a closed door?”

Twilight shook her head.

“Well, Mecha went first,” Nimbus said, gesturing to Mecha who was still dealing with the splinters, “as you can see. Let’s just say it’s an experience I’d rather not repeat.”

Twilight nodded. “I see.” She and Pinkie took seats at the table, and Pinkie strung up a few balloons.

“Well,” Pinkie Pie said, “we can all be happy today! Because Shining Armor and Princess Cadance are coming!”

“Oh yeah,” said Mecha, “I almost forgot- that’s another thing. Nimbus and I both got assigned to security by Luna. I tried pulling the ‘she owes me one’ card, but she used her ‘begging’ eyes. Those eyes… I just can’t say no to them.”

Twilight laughed. “Well, that means you’ll probably get to meet the procession before any of us. You’re lucky.”

“You know how exhausting it is to work a security detail?” Nimbus asked. “Imagine… trying to sort books in your library while skateboarding through hoops of fire with a blindfold on.”

Twilight scratched her chin thoughtfully. “You know, that might be a good way to improve my organizational skills…”

Mecha facehoofed himself. “That’s not really what we meant. It’s just-“

“Howdy, y’all!”

Applejack entered the dining hall and sat down next to Twilight. “Looks like it’s gonna be a good day!”

Nimbus and Mecha shared a look of dejectedness. Applejack noticed immediately.

“What’s up with them?”

Twilight shook her head. “Nothing. Just ignore it.”

Mecha and Nimbus stood. “Well,” Nimbus said, “we need to go meet our details. We’ll see you later!”

“Bah, y’all!” Applejack said as the rest of the mares came down into the dining hall.

“Did we just miss Nimbus and Mecha?” Rarity asked.

“Yep,” Pinkie said.

“Aw shoot,” Rainbow Dash said. “I was going to ask Nimbus if he wanted to go buzz a few Canterlot houses with me today.”

Twilight shot Rainbow Dash a withering glare and Rainbow Dash grinned sheepishly.

“Er… or not?”

“We have to be on our best behavior for Princess Celestia,” Twilight explained. “The last thing we want her to see is us breaking flight altitude restrictions.”

“How’d you know about those?” Dash asked.

“Simple,” Twilight said, “I made them.”

Rainbow Dash swore under her breath and took a seat.

“I really don’t mind restrictions,” Fluttershy said quietly, “I just really hope I don’t make Princess Celestia mad.”

“You’ll be fine,” Twilight reassured her. “Just relax and have some fun today. Leave the worrying to me.”

…

As the royal chariot bearing Princess Cadance and Prince Shining Armor arrived, a brown earth pony wearing a royal guardspony’s uniform stepped up and opened the door.

“A pleasure to see you both,” he said, “the Princesses have been expecting you.”

“It’s good to be back,” Shining Armor said, grinning and stepping down from the chariot. He then proceeded to offer his hoof to Cadance, who accepted his assistance in escorting her to the ground.

“Please,” the guard said, “follow me.”

He led the two down the red carpet and into Canterlot palace, stopping at the doors to the throne room.

“Have a wonderful stay in Canterlot.”

Princess Cadance smiled. “And you have a wonderful day.”

The guard smiled, standing back as the two ponies opened the door and stepped inside. When they were out of sight, he sighed. It wasn’t every day that one had the privilege of escorting royalty. He stepped away to move back to his post, but as he walked into one of the many shadowy passages leading to the guard post, something hit him from behind. He let out a cry as he fell to the ground. He rolled onto his back, attempting to catch a glimpse of his assailant, but before he could do anything, a hoof was clamped over his mouth. All he could see in the darkness was a pair of green eyes. He struggled, but the mysterious… thing held him down. Then it spoke.

“I’d like to thank you in advance for the use of this armor,” it said. As the guard watched, the figure leaned closer, coming into full view. He could see features shifting, and by the time he could actually see his assailant, he was horrified. Staring back down at him was an exact replica of himself.

His eyes widened and he shook his head. There was no doubt in his mind now that he had been attacked by a Changeling.

“It’s a pity, really. Your Princess will die shortly… and there’s nothing you can do about it!”

The Changeling/guard stabbed down into the guard’s neck with his horn, severing an artery. The guard’s struggles became weaker as he lost blood, until finally he grew still, lying in a pool of his own lifeblood.

The Changeling chuckled wickedly, removing the guard’s armor and placing it on himself.

“Now I just need to dispose of you. Then my real task can begin."

He shivered with excitement as he looked at the town of Canterlot behind him.

"And for the glory of the Hive, I shall not fail.”

…

“Twily!”

Twilight Sparkle looked up from her checklist just in time to see her big brother in front of her, resplendent in his royal attire, with Princess Cadance beside him.

“Hey, Shining Armor!” Twilight cried, running up to her brother and hugging him. “How’ve you been?”

Shining Armor chuckled. “I’ve been just fine. Yourself?”

“Never better,” Twilight replied, “and with you two here, today’s going to be just wonderful!”

“I really hope you didn’t strain yourself too much preparing for our arrival,” Princess Cadance said, looking worried.

“Oh, we’re all fine,” said Twilight. “Did you already meet with Nimbus and Mecha?”

“Yeah,” Shining Armor said, “glad to see Mecha’s finally got an airborne friend. Maybe Nimbus’ll help with his fear of heights.”

Twilight laughed. “I doubt it. Mecha’s pretty adamant about not flying.”

A clock in the palace sounded and Twilight checked the time. “Oh my, we have to get moving!” she said to Shining Armor and Cadance, “the procession’s going to start in an hour, and you two are supposed to meet Rarity, along with Princesses Celestia and Luna!”

“Calm down now, Twilight,” Shining Armor said, “where can we find Rarity?”

“She’s at the procession’s starting spot, which is…” Twilight checked her clipboard hurriedly, “in the courtyard.”

“Thank you so much, Twilight,” said Princess Cadance, “you’re doing wonderfully. Good luck!”

“See you after the procession!” Shining Armor added. “Maybe I’ll be able to beat you at apple-bobbing.”

“You’re on!” Twilight said with a wink.

Shining Armor turned away with Cadance, and headed for the courtyard. He turned to his wife. “You know, I wonder if Celestia’s got plans for Twilight… seems like she’s been getting more responsibility every time I see her.”

Cadance shrugged. “Perhaps she does have plans for her. I, for one, have faith in Twilight Sparkle. If there’s anypony here who has the potential for great things someday, it’s her and her friends.”

“Definitely,” Shining Armor agreed, pushing open the door to the courtyard. Standing in front of him was Rarity.

“Well there you are, dears!” said Rarity, gushing with happiness, “I’m so honored to meet you again!”

Rarity began looking up and down the ponies’ garments, touching up spots here and there and talking all the while.

“I take it things are going well in the Crystal Empire? That place is simply beautiful, you know.”

“Oh yes,” Cadance said as Rarity took a polishing cloth to her hooves, “everything’s just fine.”

“Fantastic,” said Rarity, moving on to Shining Armor’s suit with a lint roller. When she was finished, she took a few steps back and glanced at the two. “Hmm… yes. Perfect!” her eyes snapped to the right as she caught a movement in her peripheral vision. One of the guards had noticed her and was backing away quickly, to avoid his inspection. Rarity bolted after him.

“Stop! Wait! Going out into Canterlot without letting me check you over is a crime against fashion! Punishable by model-training!”

Shining Armor and Cadance shared a smile as Princess Luna and Celestia entered the courtyard.

“We are so pleased to see thou,” Luna said.

“The pleasure is ours,” Shining Armor replied. “Are we ready to begin the procession?”

“Follow my sister and I,” Celestia said in response, heading for the palace gate. When the guards opened it, Shining Armor was slack-jawed. The streets of Canterlot were much different than they’d been earlier. Throngs of ponies flooded the streets, making way for the royal procession that was about to begin.

Shining Armor turned to Cadance. “You know, I’d hate to admit it, but this is probably the most terrifying thing I’ve ever done!”

Cadance giggled. “Crowds scare you?”

“Yes! I mean- there are so many ways this could go wrong! All of these unguarded alleys, not to mention the crowds…”

“That’s your former guard’s side talking, isn’t it?” Cadance asked.

“I guess so,” said Shining Armor.

“Well try to relax. This is going to be fun! And believe me- there’s nothing to worry about. Nothing at all.”

The sound of blaring trumpets snapped Shining Armor’s attention back to the procession as they began to move, walking down the streets.

“Nothing to worry about,” Shining Armor thought to himself, “I sure hope so.”

…

The Changeling guard slowly and silently trotted up the stairs to the top floor of one of Canterlot’s tallest towers. He knew the location would be the ideal place for a guard, and therefore the best place to perform his work without being stopped. As he reached the top of the stairs and rounded a corner, he drew in a sharp breath and ducked back. A guard was posted no more than five feet from him.

Calmly, he walked up behind the guard. The pony turned around to see what looked like another guard standing behind him.

“Noble Sword, what are you doing up here? I thought you were on duty with the parade security detail today.”

“Uh… plans changed,” the Changeling said, thinking quickly. “I’m relieving you.”

The guard raised an eyebrow. “Really, now? You mind if I check that with Nimbus and Mecha?”

He began reaching for a radio when a blast of green magic vaporized it in front of his hooves.

“Nopony’s going to tell anypony anything,” the Changeling said, advancing on the guard.

“N- Noble? You alright?”

“Noble Sword is dead,” the Changeling said, reverting to his original form, “perhaps you can give him my regards in a few moments.”

The guard barely had time to draw his sword before a magical projectile was fired into his chest, piercing his heart. The pony died seconds later.

“Too easy,” the Changeling said, switching to the form of the guard he’d just killed and taking his place at the tower’s balcony. The procession was coming into view right before his eyes. Quickly, he lowered his horn and took aim…

…

Twilight Sparkle watched from the sidelines as the parade wound into Canterlot’s town square. This part of the route had been her idea. The procession would walk right under one of Canterlot’s tallest towers- truly a majestic sight. She couldn’t wait to see them with the town as a backdrop. Nothing would be able to capture the beauty of the image.

Out of the corner of her eye, Twilight saw a flash of green.

“Huh?” she said, turning towards the source.

…

Shining Armor had calmed considerably since starting the parade. Walking next to Princess Cadance, watching the crowd enthralled by her beauty, he realized how lucky he was to have such a mare as his wife. He recalled how close he’d come to never marrying the real Cadance at all, at the hooves of the Changelings, and shivered. The Changelings had been truly evil creatures, and simply remembering them was enough to raise his mane.

They were in Canterlot’s town square now, and Shining Armor could see his little sister standing on the side of the road, waving. Shining Armor waved back, grinning. Then, in the same manner as Twilight, Shining Armor caught a green flash out of the corner of his eye. In a split second, then, several things happened. Shining Armor raised his head towards the source, identified the flash as a spell, and further identified said spell as a magical projectile. Watching the flight path, he also knew who the spell was aimed for.

“Get down!” Shining Armor yelled, pushing Princess Celestia, who had been trotting on his right side, to the ground quickly, eliciting gasps from the ground. He hadn’t been fast enough, however. The magical bolt impacted Celestia’s left flank, and she cried out as green sparks danced across her hide. Shining Armor swiveled around and fired a magical bolt of his own back at the source. Moments later, a small, black form fell out of Canterlot’s tallest tower, hitting the ground with a sickening thud. Shining Armor turned back towards the Princess, who was gritting her teeth and convulsing as the sparks sank into her body. Luna hurried to her sister’s side.

“Tia,” she breathed, “Tia, please… stay with us.”

Twilight Sparkle was the next to arrive, racing to Shining Armor’s side. “Princess Celestia,” she said, “Princess, can you hear me?”

Celestia cracked her eyes open. “Twilight… Sparkle…” she said weakly. Then her eyes closed and she lay still. Shining Armor put a hoof to her neck, checking her pulse.

“She’s alive,” he said, “just unconscious. We need to get her help.”

As if on cue, three paramedics arrived, and with Shining Armor’s and Cadance’s help, loaded Princess Celestia onto a stretcher, which they then placed into the back of a white carriage and rushed away.

“That carriage is from the Caring Hooves Emergency Outreach Center,” Twilight said to Shining Armor. “I’m going there now!”

Shining Armor nodded. “I understand. I’ll be with you later.”

Shining Armor turned back to Cadance. “I want to get a closer look at the body that fell into the square. I need to know who did this.”

Cadance nodded. “We’ll do this together.”

A crowd had already formed around the body, but they quickly stepped aside when Shining Armor and Cadance arrived. Before their eyes was a monstrosity- something both had hoped they would never see again.

“By the Crystal Heart,” Cadance whispered, “I thought they were gone forever…”

Broken and twisted, and laying in a pool of its own green blood, was a Changeling.

Shining Armor looked up with concern at his wife. “What does this mean?”

“I don’t know,” Cadance replied, “but with Changelings, nothing is clear.” Cadance glanced around at the crowd.

“Come, Shining Armor, let’s calm these ponies before things get even farther out of hoof.”

…

Medical Facility: Caring Hooves Emergency Outreach Center

Physician: Dr. Gentle Hoof

Patient Description: Patient is Princess Celestia. Appears to have suffered deep wound in left flank, with extensive neurological damage throughout body. Excessive pain forced patient into unconsciousness upon receiving wound. Wound most likely due to magical bolt, infused with a spell designed to attack the nervous system.

Treatment: Life support and magical infusions. If necessary, surgery.

In the Outreach center, Twilight hurried to keep up with Celestia. The stretcher was wheeled into a small, bright white room, where nurses and doctors immediately began powering up machines and checking medical tools. An IV was inserted into Celestia’s front right leg, and Twilight winced. She’d never been fond of needles. As the fluid began to move into her system, Celestia began to stir slightly. Behind Twilight, her friends entered the room, Nimbus with his flight suit and helmet.

“We came as soon as we heard,” Applejack said to Twilight. The purple Unicorn didn’t respond. Instead, her eyes welled up with tears as she turned back to her mentor, lying still.

“According to Shining Armor, the Changelings are responsible,” Mecha said. “If we’d just… I don’t know. I just feel like there was something we could’ve done.”

“There was nothing thou couldst have done,” Princess Luna said, entering the room with Shining Armor and Cadance behind her.

“Why now?” Fluttershy asked.

“I don’t know,” Cadance said, shaking her head, “it’s altogether possible this was the work of a rogue, acting under his own agenda.”

The ponies stood still, watching Celestia for any sign of life, when Nimbus’s helmet crackled to life. Nimbus immediately placed the helmet on his head and switched on his comm.

“This is Nimbus,” he said as the others watched him, “go ahead.”

He stood still, evidently listening to orders on the other end. Finally, he nodded. “Understood. I’ll rendezvous with Stormchaser en route. Nimbus out.”

Nimbus looked to the others. “It’s Manehatten,” he explained, “somepony at the early warning station in the Crystal Empire spotted a large flight of what he said were ‘pitch-black Pegasi’ headed on a direct course for Manehatten. I’m supposed to meet up with my squadron and partner on the way. I probably won’t be back for a while.”

“Arm yourself for the worst,” said Mecha.

“And take care of yourself,” Rainbow Dash added. “We’ve still got some rooftop-buzzing to do.”

Nimbus smiled. “I’ll do my best.” He turned to Luna as he walked out. “I hope your sister recovers quickly.”

Luna smiled weakly. “Our sister is strong, and we are confident she will recover. Thou must think of thine own safety for the moment.”

Nimbus nodded. “Thank you.”

Then without another word, he was out the door, headed for the unknown.

…

Caramel Swirl stopped her piano playing and trotted to her window on the fifth floor of the Smiling Mare apartment suite. Her parents had sworn that Manehatten would be the best place to learn the piano, but for the life of her, she couldn’t see how. Distractions were everywhere. First the sounds of activity outside, and now this… droning sound.

Caramel turned towards where the sound was coming from, and instantly noticed what appeared to be a large, black cloud headed for the city.

“Weird,” she said, “nopony said anything about storms today…”

Caramel sat back down at her piano and began to play again, trying to block out the noise, which was growing increasingly louder.

Then the screams began.

The Evacuation of Manehatten

The Evacuation of Manehatten

(Radio transcript, provided courtesy of the Equestrian Air Force)

Observation Post: Command, this is Crystal Post, over.

Command: Command, go ahead Crystal Post, over.

Observation: Command, we’ve picked up unidentified bogeys approaching from the North. Our Unicorns detected them about two minutes ago. The reports we received were of a massive squadron of black Pegasi inbound from the North. Were any mass sorties launched recently? Over.

Command (after brief pause): Negative, Crystal Post, no such sorties were launched. We’re scrambling a squadron of Pegasi to intercept, over.

Observation: Roger, tell them to intercept near Manehatten. That looks like where the Pegasi are headed. Crystal Post out.

Command: Roger. Command out.

“You should have visual contact on Cockatrice Squadron by now.”

Nimbus swept his gaze to the right, listening to command and locking his eyes on the approaching squadron of roughly thirty Pegasi.

“Roger,” he said into his com, “I have a visual. I’m rendezvousing now.”

“Roger. Switch your com channel to 34.”

Nimbus did as he was told, adjusting his channel with his hoof. The radio chatter of his squadmates was loud and clear now.”

“Cockatrice Squadron, this is Cockatrice four checking in,” Nimbus said.

After a few moments, a familiar dark blue Pegasus rolled out of formation and formed up by Nimbus’s side.

“Howdy, Nimbus!” Stormchaser said, raising his visor.

Nimbus grinned. “Stormchaser, what’s up?”

“Oh, you know- same old, same old. I was just minding my own business when they sent for me. Looks like the EAF’s out to save Equestria, eh?”

“I sure hope it hasn’t come to that,” Nimbus said, “but if Equestria’s really in peril… Did you hear what happened in Canterlot today?”

“I didn’t,” Stormchaser replied, “I missed the briefing. Care to fill me in?”

“Yeah,” Nimbus said, grimly, “I was there. An attempt was made on Princess Celestia’s life.”

“What?!” said Stormchaser, all traces of humor gone, “but that’s- that means…”

Nimbus nodded. “It means that if this event we’re responding to isn’t some kind of freak coincidence, Equestria may be in some hot water.”

“No kidding,” said Stormchaser. “Let’s wrap this up quickly, then. Suddenly, I really want to head home.”

“You’ve got nothing but agreement from me,” Nimbus replied, flipping down his visor as a call from the lead Pegasus came through.

“Cockatrice Squadron, I have a visual on Manehatten. ETA is five minutes. Visors down and blades out. Prepare to enter the city.”

Nimbus followed his orders and watched as all of the other Pegasi did the same, extending the blades from their leg-mounted sheathes. In five minutes, he’d see the first real squadron combat he’d been in in his life. He turned to Stormchaser again.

“We stick together,” he said, “and we’ll pull out of this just fine. You with me?”

Stormchaser nodded and Nimbus turned back to his flight path, steeling himself for what was to come.

…

After Nimbus left, Princess Luna turned to Twilight Sparkle, who was still at her teacher’s side.

“Twilight Sparkle,” she said softly, “thou must follow us.”

Twilight looked up at Princess Luna with bloodshot, tear-stained eyes, almost pleading. “Please, can I stay just a little longer?”

Luna felt a pang of hurt in her heart. It was hard enough that her own sister was injured, but for Twilight, seeing Celestia like this must be like losing a parent. She’d looked up to Celestia all of her life, and now to see her like this… Still, ‘Tia had arranged protocol to deal with a situation such as this, and it had to be enacted as soon as possible.

“We are sorry, Twilight Sparkle,” Luna said finally, “but this is a matter most urgent. Thou must accompany us.”

Slowly, Twilight stood and followed Luna out the door. The rest of her friends watched her go, none daring to say a word.

When they were in the hallway, Luna began to speak.

“In the wake of the Changeling attack during the wedding of Princess Cadance and Shining Armor, our sister realized that the possibility of her defeat was very real. With this in mind, she created a plan to deal with such an occurrence.”

“Celestia knew this might happen?” Twilight asked as they walked down the stairs and into the hospital’s lobby.

“Correct,” Luna said, “and her plan involves you. As such, I must take you back to Canterlot Palace to fulfill your role.”

“What’s my role?” Twilight asked, following Luna out the door and into the Princess of the Night’s waiting carriage.

“We do not know,” Luna said, settling into her seat as the guards took off. “Celestia wanted this only to be revealed if it became necessary.”

“I see,” Twilight muttered as the carriage left for the palace. Whatever Celestia had planned for her, she knew she would do her best to fulfill, but she couldn’t help but feel apprehensive about what was to come. If she knew Celestia, then her task would not be an easy one, and she could only hope that she’d be able to carry out her mentor’s orders with success.

…

Cockatrice Squadron was now only a minute away from Manehatten, and all ponies were making their final preparations for attack.

“Listen up, Cockatrice,” the lead Pegasus said over the radio, “our rules of engagement are to avoid using lethal force unless our targets are identified as hostile. That means unless there’s property damage or they attack us, you are not to attack. Am I understood?”

“Roger,” Nimbus responded, along with the rest of the squadron. He turned to Stormchaser.

“Remember the plan. Neither of us lets the other out of his sight. We clear?”

“You bet,” said Stormchaser, “I’ve got some leftover Jalapeno Hayburgers at home with my name on ‘em.”

Nimbus nodded as the lead’s voice came through again.

“Prepare to intercept in five, four, three, tw-“

A searing blast of green magic ripped through the air from between the buildings of Manehatten, shearing one of the lead Pegasus’s wings clean off. Without so much as a cry, he instantly dropped out of formation and hurtled towards the ground, trailing blood.

“This is Cockatrice 2! Cockatrice 1 is down! Targets are now declared hostile- prepare to take evasive action!”

“This is Cockatrice 5!” said Stormchaser, “I have a visual on the bogeys!”

Nimbus followed his partner’s gaze and sure enough saw several dark shapes flying out from the buildings to greet them, flinging green magical projectiles like a deadly hail. Instantly, he and Stormchaser rolled and dove for the ground to avoid the threat.

“Cockatrice, engage!” Cockatrice two screamed.

Nimbus’s helmet’s targeting system was going crazy, locking on to target after target. There were simply too many aggressors, and they were all moving too quickly to get a good ID. He and Stormchaser dove into the buildings in attempt to thin out their pursuers. Here, their training took over as they weaved in and out of structures. Then, rounding a corner, Nimbus finally got a good look at the enemy. Hovering about one hundred feet above an intersection was a flight of four Changelings. Nimbus felt his heart sink. Changelings had been responsible for the attack on Celestia, too. This was not a coincidence.

Upon seeing the approaching Pegasi, the Changelings immediately gave chase, and that was when Nimbus saw what distinguished this group of four from their kin. Instead of bearing their natural, translucent wings, these Changelings had painted their wings a vibrant shade of green.

“Hey Nimbus,” Stormchaser’s voice crackled over the com, “looks like we got us some showboaters here. Ever heard of individualistic Changelings?”

“Can’t say I have,” Nimbus replied, following Stormchaser, “and that means these ones must be special for some reason.” Suddenly, an ordinary Changeling swooped in front of Nimbus and headed for Stormchaser’s tail, trying to get the right angle for a magical blast.

“You’ve got a bogey on your tail,” Nimbus said to Stormchaser, “I’ll brush him off.”

Nimbus surged forward and cleanly impaled the Changeling, who slid lifelessly off his blade and tumbled into the streets below, where masses of panicked civilians were already scrambling for cover.

“Thanks,” said Stormchaser, “that was a bit close for my liking.”

“Don’t mention it,” Nimbus said as something below caught his eye. It was a small group of Changelings, firing into the crowds.

“Dear Celestia,” Nimbus breathed, “they’re attacking indiscriminately.”

He swerved towards the aggressors with Stormchaser behind. Seeing the Pegasi, the Changelings broke formation, scrambling in every direction.

“One on your tail,” Stormchaser said.

Nimbus looked back and saw the creature flying right behind him.

“Can you take him?” Nimbus asked Stormchaser.

“Negative. I’ve got two of the insects on my own back to deal with. He’s all yours.”

“Roger,” Nimbus said. “I suppose I could use some maneuvering practice anyway,” he thought. Without warning, he opened his wings and performed an extremely tight kulbit maneuver. Nimbus’s skidding loop put him right over the Changeling, and halfway through the maneuver, he stuck his blades downward, severing the Changeling’s spine. The creature went limp and fell instantly. Nimbus resumed his normal flight just in time to see Stormchaser perform a quick roll, confusing the Changelings behind him into colliding.

“Nice kill,” Nimbus said, watching the rest of the EAF fliers sweeping through the streets in pursuit of the other Changelings. “Looks like we’re just about done.”

“I don’t think so,” Stormchaser replied. “Look up.”

Nimbus did as he was told and gasped. Above were the four Changelings with the green wings from before, and approaching from behind them was a massive, cloud-like formation of countless other Changelings. The shadow from the approaching force was already falling over Manehatten.

“Horse apples,” Nimbus swore. At the moment, it was all he could say.

…

At the palace, Twilight and Luna had just entered Celestia’s room, and Luna was hurriedly digging through her sister’s belongings.

“There!” she said triumphantly, lifting a scroll framed with gold leaf from one of Celestia’s drawers. “This is what we must read. I’m afraid we don’t have time to bring it to the throne room, so we may as well open it here.”

Luna opened the scroll, causing a cascade of cake crumbs to fall from it. Luna sniffed and blinked away a tear. “Oh ‘Tia, always so fond of thine cake, weren’t thou?”

Luna began to read aloud.

“I, Princess Celestia, hereby proclaim that upon my death or incapacitation, my student, Twilight Sparkle, is to succeed me on the throne-“

Twilight immediately froze. She’d been expecting something with considerably less… influence. Running Equestria? What was her mentor thinking?

“-Twilight has many friends capable of aiding her, and I expect my sister, Princess Luna, to help her adjust to her new role any way she can. If Equestria is in a state of conflict at this time, then chief war powers fall under the jurisdiction of Princess Luna and the Honorable Twilight Sparkle. May the hearts and minds of Equestria be with them.”

Luna glanced up from the scroll. “Then our suspicions are confirmed. Celestia has appointed thou as her successor.”

“There must be a mistake,” Twilight said, “there’s no way she could have wanted me to have the throne.”

“On the contrary,” said Luna, “she would have had it no other way.” Luna paused and glanced back down towards the throne room.

“We must hurry,” she said, “as thou already knows, Manehatten is under attack. We are aware that thine friend, Nimbus, is among the city’s defenders. Thou must speak to him and decide whether an evacuation is necessary or not. We will assist thou as much as we can.”

“I… okay,” Twilight said. “If this is what Celestia wanted, then I’ll try my best.”

“That’s the spirit,” said Luna, ushering down the stairs. “Now let us get to work. The ponies of Manehatten are counting on us.”

…

Nimbus swerved around a lamppost, flying only a few feet above the ground. Since the swarm had hit in full, he and Stormchaser had had their hooves full trying to deal with the attackers. Radio chatter had already confirmed that fifteen Pegasi were down. Only half the force remained. Nimbus dispatched the Changeling following him with a swift kick and stab, then continued following Stormchaser. Suddenly, his com crackled to life with a very familiar pony on the other end.

“Nimbus, can you hear me? This is Twilight Sparkle.”

“Twilight?” Nimbus asked, puzzled, “I’m a little busy right now. How’d you get this frequency?”

“I don’t have much time to explain. I’ve been placed temporarily in Celestia’s position, and I need to know if an evacuation of Manehatten is necessary.”

“Necessary?” Nimbus asked, flying through streets as buildings around crumbled from unrelenting Changeling magic attacks. “Yeah, it’s definitely necessary. We’re not going to be able to fight off all of these Changelings with the forces we have now.”

“Alright,” Twilight said, “I’ll notify the Mayor and send for a reinforcement squadron. Once the evacuation sirens go off, you should have about twenty minutes before the reinforcements arrive. Can you manage?”

Nimbus ducked under a falling sign, which crushed a nearby Changeling.

“Yeah, I think I can do that. Hurry, though.”

“I’ll do my best.”

Nimbus sensed someone next to him and turned just in time to see Stormchaser form up beside him. He didn’t look good. He had a long gash down his side, and his flight was unsteady.

“You okay?” Nimbus asked Stormchaser.

“Yeah,” Stormchaser said over the radio, “I’m good. I’ve gotta get home and have my hayburgers after this, remember?”

“Hang in there,” Nimbus said, patting his partner on the back, “reinforcements are coming in twenty minutes.”

Stormchaser nodded. “Sounds good to me. Let’s take down as many as we can before that happens.”

Suddenly, several loud horns began to blare, emanating from rooftops and startling the Changelings- the signal to begin evacuation. Nimbus silently thanked Twilight. With civilians out of the area, the EAF could operate without fear of collateral damage. The scales would finally tip in favor of the Pegasi. At that moment, a sharp, chattering screech sounded, and all Changelings in the vicinity of Nimbus and Stormchaser cleared out.

“What was that?” Nimbus asked, “are we really that scary?”

Stormchaser never had time to answer, because when the two ponies glanced back, they saw the green-wings, back again. This time, however, the Changelings attacked.

“Not good,” Nimbus said, diving and rolling to avoid the Changelings’ initial bursts of magic.

“Tell me about it,” Stormchaser replied, pulling into a loop. “Those reinforcements better get here quick, or these guys are going to turn us into swiss cheese!”

…

Below, Caramel Swirl had just left her apartment with her parents. They’d come running up to her as soon as the Changelings attacked. She’d left her piano upstairs; there was simply no way to move it. Now the top floor of her apartment was burning. She’d never see the instrument again. She looked left and right as her parents ushered her through the crowds. Thick smoke was everywhere, and all around, Changelings and Pegasi flew, locked in combat.

“Come on!” her father said, pushing her towards an alley. “We’ll be safe here. Crowds can be just as dangerous as an attack like this!”

Caramel Swirl didn’t argue with her father. It seemed a few other ponies shared their idea, and were heading for the alley as well. Suddenly, several ponies began to scream. Caramel Swirl looked back to see a Changeling heading straight for her. She froze and covered her face just as an orange Pegasus swooped down from above, slicing the Changeling almost in half. The Pegasus was being pursued by two other Changelings with green wings, but he found the time to snap a salute to her, which Caramel Swirl gratefully returned.

“Move!” a pony in front of her called. Caramel Swirl sidestepped right into a running pony and fell to the ground.

“Mom, dad!” she called. Faintly, she heard her parents reply, but she couldn’t tell where. She decided to make her way back towards the alley where her parents had been headed. Then the crowd began to press harder, and she found herself shoved forward, no longer moving under her own power. When she turned back to see what was causing the sudden surge, she screamed.

No less than twenty Changelings were approaching.

And all of their horns were glowing green.

“Get down, Caramel!”

Caramel Swirl looked up just in time to see her father push her to the ground. She hit the pavement hard, and her vision began to grow dark. Slowly she faded into unconsciousness…

But not before she saw the flashes and explosions of green magic impacting all around as everypony around her was mercilessly struck down.

…

“Ten minutes,” Twilight said over Nimbus’s radio.

“Ten?” Nimbus said, “Oh, thank goodness. We’re barely holding up here.”

“Listen, I have an idea that might buy you some time.”

“I’m all ears,” Nimbus said.

“Good. Is Stormchaser there with you? You’ll need his help.”

“Roger that,” Nimbus replied, grinning. Stormchaser’s wound hadn’t slowed him down in the slightest.

“Outstanding,” said Twilight, “then listen carefully. I’ll patch this conversation through to Stormchaser as well. At the city’s center, there’s an electrical plant. I need you and Stormchaser to get to that plant and cause an overload. I’ll talk you through the procedure when you get there.”

“Okay,” Nimbus said, inverting and pulling into a Split S to chase down a target, which he dispatched quickly, “but what good will this do us?”

“If Changelings are anything like insects, they’ll be drawn to the light of the displaced electricity. We can turn the plant into a giant bug zapper, essentially.”

Nimbus grinned. “You know what? That just might work.” He turned to Stormchaser. “Follow me. We’ve got some royal orders to carry out.”

The ponies streaked through the sky, scanning the ground for their target.

“There’s the plant,” Nimbus said, spotting a blue building with a lightning bolt on the side, “let’s go.”

He and Stormchaser headed straight for an upstairs window, curled up, and crashed through into a dark room.

“We’re in,” Nimbus said, “second floor. We’re in a dimly-lit room with some red emergency lighting.”

“Alright," said Twilight. That means you must be in the control room. Perfect. Now I want you to go over to the big panel with all the buttons on it.”

Nimbus glanced around the room. “You’ll have to be more specific than that.”

“Yeah,” Stormchaser said, “there are a lot of buttons in here.”

“Specifically, then, I want you to find a big, red and white-striped handle. That’s the generator control lever. It should be set for about fifty percent. That’s a safe level. I want you to crank it all the way up. When you’re done, throw the fire alarm. When that water dumps, you won’t have a ton of time, so get out as fast as you can.”

Nimbus hurried over to the lever Twilight had described. “Okay, I’m throwing the lever now.” He shoved the lever to its uppermost position, and instantly, crackling sounds could be heard below, in the generator room. Stormchaser then hit the fire alarm on the wall.

“Done,” Nimbus said amidst the blaring of emergency buzzers, “now we’re getting out of here!”

The two Pegasi flew out through the window and glanced back as the building turned into a mass of dancing blue sparks. Instantly, Changelings began to flock towards it.

“Here they come,” Stormchaser said.

Like moths to a flame, the Changelings attached themselves to the side of the building and instantly fell away, convulsing.

“It’s working,” Nimbus said, “we’re buying the citizens time.”

Then he looked behind him and realized that not all of the Changelings had fallen for the trap. The green-wings were back again.

“You’ve gotta be kidding me,” Stormchaser said, “how many times are we gonna run into these guys?”

“Two minutes until reinforcements,” Twilight said.

“Let’s not tussle with them,” Nimbus said, “we need to focus on defending the evacuees.

The Pegasi dove towards the streets below, clearing Changelings left and right. Ponies were exiting the city rapidly now, and it seemed that once they were past the city’s borders, they were safe. Others were escaping on boats, and Nimbus could see multitudes of watercraft leaving at top speed. Gazing at the ocean, he saw the setting sun and almost forgot where he was for the moment. He’d never seen a Manehatten sunset like this before, and it made him realize just how ordinary everything had been before now.

Then a bolt of magic ripped by Nimbus, singeing his flight suit.

“Contact!” he yelled to Stormchaser. The dark blue Pegasi heard him and banked upwards as Nimbus braked and dove to pursue one of the green-wings. The Changelings simply wouldn’t let him be today, it seemed.

“Oh, this is not good,” Nimbus heard Stormchaser say, “three of ‘em are on my tail, and they’re just lobbing magic like crazy. Can I get some assistance?”

Nimbus’s heart skipped a beat. In the time it had taken him to pursue the green-wing, he’d taken his eyes off of Stormchaser for just a few seconds- long enough, it seemed, for the Changelings to take advantage of his absence. Nimbus realized too late what had happened as he sped towards the lone blue Pegasus, trying to shake his pursuers. The green-wing he’d chased had been a distraction. Nothing more.

“One minute,” Twilight Sparkle said.

“Hurry those reinforcements up!” Nimbus yelled, desperately. He was closing now, but so were the Changelings.

“Hang in there, Stormchaser,” he said.

“I’m- ngh- doing my best, but these guys are good!”

“Dammit,” Nimbus swore, pushing his wings to the limit. Then the unthinkable happened. A single magical projectile from one of the green-wings impacted Stormchaser squarely in the chest. Nimbus was close enough to see the expression of shock and surprise on his friend’s face before Stormchaser’s eyes rolled closed forever. The blue Pegasus gracefully plummeted down, to the ground, where his body was instantly swarmed by Changelings.

“No!” Nimbus yelled, diving into the multitudes of the enemy, hacking and stabbing wildly.

“Reinforcements have arrived, Nimbus,” Twilight said, “what’s your situation?”

“Stormchaser is down,” Nimbus said shakily between tears, “and these bastards are going to pay for him!”

“Nimbus, you need to fall back now.”

“Not now,” Nimbus said grimly, slicing through two Changelings.

“I wasn’t asking you,” Twilight replied. “That’s an order.”

With a scream of rage, Nimbus pulled up out of the tumult, rolled level, and turned to head home as his EAF comrades renewed the fight. The remainder of Cockatrice squadron- six ponies- formed up by Nimbus and followed him. As he left the battle, Nimbus spared one more glance back at the once-proud city of Manehatten, now crumbling and burning- its citizens scrambling for refuge.

“I could have done more,” he said over the radio to Twilight, sobbing softly, “you should have let me stay in. Damn you, Twilight Sparkle.”

He thought of his friend, lying lifelessly on the streets of Manehatten.

“Damn you.”

…

“Come home safely, Nimbus,” Twilight said quietly, shutting off her radio and terminating her link to Nimbus. She looked up at Luna with wide eyes.

“Did I do the right thing?” she asked, “or have I just caused countless needless deaths?”

Luna looked at her new student with a new kind of wisdom. “Yes,” she said finally, “thou did the right thing.”

“But if I could have scrambled those Pegasi earlier-“

“Thou alerted them as soon as possible. They could not have been informed any earlier.”

Twilight hung her head and began to walk away.

“Where art thou going?” Luna asked.

“I don’t know,” Twilight said, “anywhere but here. I need to rest.”

“Twilight,” Luna said, “listen to us. Leadership is never easy. Thou will always have to make hard decisions. Thou must remember that thine best interests should be for the good of the majority. Stormchaser knew what he faced when he entered that battle, and he died honorably.”

“Thank you, Princess Luna,” Twilight said, “I… I feel better now.”

“Please,” Luna said, “just call us ‘Luna.’ Now rest. The night is our domain. We will handle everything from here. Thou hast had a trying day.”

Twilight nodded and silently left the throne room, heading for her room. When she reached it, she looked out towards the east, in the direction of Manehatten. The day, she knew, was over, but in the back of her mind, she knew that something much bigger had just begun.

Long Night

Long Night

(Clothing repair receipt from the Carousel Boutique, from the private collection of Rarity)

Customer Name: Nimbus.

Clothing item(s): EAF Flight Suit.

Damage: some magical burns and bloodstains. A few small rips.

Total: 45 bits.

Rarity sighed as she set down her saddlebag in the door of the Carousel Boutique. She’d taken the late train back with Mecha, and had just arrived, exhausted. She didn’t know just what to make of everything that had happened today, but like Nimbus had suspected, she, too, felt that the attempt on Celestia’s life and the still-unknown event which Nimbus had been called out to deal with were related in some way.

Rarity was about to turn the sign on her door from “open” to “closed,” but realized that she still had ten minutes until closing time. Instead, she turned on the lights and trotted over to her sewing machine. She reached for a dress she’d been working on when she noticed a small piece of paper on her machine. She picked it up and read it.

“Rarity, I’ve gone to bed. Nopony stopped by the shop today, but I cleaned up a few things for you. Hope your trip back was safe. Love, Sweetie Belle.”

Rarity smiled. Sweetie Belle could be a handful at times, but she was nothing if not responsible. Sometimes she wondered how she’d ever get her work done on time without her little sister’s organizational skills. She was still musing when her door opened.

“I’ll be with you in just a-“ Rarity looked up at the battered pony standing in front of her.

“Nimbus!” she exclaimed, looking at his scorched and cut body, “what happened? Are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” Nimbus said in a low monotone, brushing Rarity’s comments off, “I just need something washed.” He set down his flight suit on a nearby table. Rarity trotted over and had a look, gasping at the sight.

“Oh my,” she said, examining the suit. It was ripped in several places and covered in blood- both Nimbus’s and some other sort of green variety.

“Can you fix it?” Nimbus asked, emotion still absent from his voice.

“I can,” Rarity said, “and I’ll have it by tomorrow if you need it by then.”

“No rush,” Nimbus said, turning to leave.

“Wait,” Rarity said to him, “Nimbus… what’s going on?”

“It’s nothing you need to worry about,” Nimbus said, shaking his head.

“Don’t tell me that,” Rarity said, “it’s practically written all over you. It’s about the Changelings, isn’t it?”

Nimbus whipped around, his voice suddenly taking on a menacing tone. “Rarity, I’m going to warn you now. You don’t want to know about what happened today.”

“I need to know,” Rarity replied. “If this concerns a friend of mine, then it concerns me.”

Nimbus was silent for a few moments before speaking softly, a slight tremor in his voice. “They attacked Manehatten- the Changelings. They sent thirty of us to deal with what we thought would be a small, contained threat, but it wasn’t that at all. What we responded to was only the first wave. When I left, Manehatten was falling and Twilight had given the evacuation order. I take it you already know that she’s taken over for Celestia?”

Rarity nodded. “She told us before we returned to Ponyville.”

“I expect the city’s been completely overrun by now,” Nimbus continued. “This isn’t some little random occurrence anymore. This is an invasion.”

Rarity’s eyes were wide. “What were the Changelings after?”

“I don’t know,” Nimbus said, “they were just destroying everything when I saw them.”

“But there must be a motive of some-“

“I said I don’t know!” Nimbus yelled, startling Rarity. Nimbus hung his head. “I’m sorry. I just… need some time to think about this.”

“Of course,” Rarity said, “I’ll have your uniform ready in the morning.”

“Thanks,” Nimbus said, walking out the door.

Rarity picked up the uniform and took it over to her work table, where she laid it out flat and began to draw the bloodstains out of the fabric with her magic.

“Rarity?”

Rarity turned and saw Sweetie Belle standing at the entrance to her workroom.

“Sweetie Belle, I thought you were in bed.”

“I was,” Sweetie Belle admitted, “but then I heard shouting. Is everything alright?”

“Yes,” Rarity said, “everything’s fine.”

“What’s that?” Sweetie Belle asked, pointing at the flight suit behind Rarity.

“Oh nothing,” Rarity said hurriedly, trying to block Sweetie Belle’s view of the suit as best she could.

“You’re good at a lot of things, sis, but you’re a bad liar,” Sweetie Belle said, “I’m scared.”

“Oh, Sweetie Belle,” Rarity said, embracing her sister and finally losing her composure. Tears fell from her eyes onto her confused little sister. “Nimbus just came back from Manehatten… there’s been an attack.”

“What do you mean?” Sweetie Belle asked, beginning to shake.

“The Changelings attacked Equestria,” Rarity said, “and I just don’t know… I don’t know what’s going to happen. I don’t even know what to do.”

“Sis,” Sweetie Belle said, “are we going to be okay? Do you think Mom and Dad are alright?”

Rarity sniffed once and wiped her eyes. “Of course, Sweetie Belle. I swear I won’t let anything happen to you, and our parents are strong. I’m sure they’re fine.” She stood, patted Sweetie Belle on the head, and trotted into the kitchen.

“And now it’s time for you to be going back to bed. Would you like a glass of water?”

“That’d be nice,” Sweetie Belle said. Rarity returned from the kitchen with Sweetie Belle’s water, which the little filly drank gratefully.

“Now up to bed with you,” Rarity said. Sweetie Belle obeyed, but at the top of the stairs, she turned back.

“Rarity, could you…” Sweetie Belle bit her lip and looked down, “could you possibly sleep in my room tonight?”

Rarity smiled. “Of course I could, darling. I’ll just finish up down here and be up in a few moments.”

“Thank you,” Sweetie Belle said, heading back to her room. Rarity turned back to her work and sighed. Everything was happening too quickly for her. First Celestia, now Manehatten… she couldn’t even fathom what might be next. She made up her mind then and there to visit her friends to talk about it in the morning.

Rarity finished removing the stains from the uniform. There were still a few areas that needed sewing, but she decided to save it for the morning. Right now, she felt very tired. Rarity turned off the lights, locked the shop’s doors, and turned the sign to “closed.” Then she walked up the stairs to Sweetie Belle’s room and climbed into bed next to her little sister. Sweetie Belle stirred and smiled at Rarity.

“Good night, big sister.”

“Good night, Sweetie Belle,” Rarity whispered, “and don’t worry. Everything is going to be alright.” The two sisters drifted off into sleep, each wondering what kind of Equestria they might wake up to in the morning.

…

(Excerpt from the Ponyville Gazette, from the private collection of Twilight Sparkle)

Yesterday, two events shook Equestria to its very foundation, and have left many ponies wondering what is now in store for this country. The first was the attempted assassination and wounding of Princess Celestia by a Changeling, and the second was the invasion and occupation of Manehatten by a large, hostile, Changeling force. In the wake of these attacks, Princess Celestia’s protégé, Twilight Sparkle, has assumed Celestia’s position alongside Princess Luna per royal decree. At precisely 3:42 a.m. this morning, Equestrian Air Forces were ordered to withdraw fully from Manehatten after a prolonged air battle, after which Twilight Sparkle formally declared war on the Changeling force. Able-bodied ponies are advised to visit their local recruiting stations, which will be set up at each town’s town hall today, in order to preserve Equestria’s military strength against these invaders…

Mecha rubbed his eyes and rested his forehooves on the bar counter. He’d originally intended to close his bar, Poker Night Potshots, down for the night upon returning to Ponyville, but he’d thought better of it in the end. He had a feeling company would be stopping by, and when the door to the bar slammed open and Nimbus shuffled in, still looking much worse for wear, Mecha turned and began setting out a few different bottles of alcohol.

“You read my mind,” Nimbus said hoarsely, as Mecha set the last bottle down. “Done this before, have you?”

Mecha nodded. “I have.”

“Well save the comforting words,” Nimbus said, “I need to forget what happened in Manehatten tonight.”

Seeing Nimbus’s condition, Mecha turned to his assistants, Snips and Snails, who were in the back room, cleaning up.

“You two,” he whispered, “go get Octavia, and give her one of the bar’s first aid kits when she arrives.”

Puzzled, but deciding not to question their employer, the two colts galloped out into the night.

“It was my partner,” Nimbus said as Mecha returned, “in case you’re wondering. I lost him…” he paused for a moment, absently spinning a brochure around on his table. “Dammit,” he said at last, “I lost him, and Twilight pulled me out before I could avenge him.”

“Stormchaser, right?” Mecha asked, sitting down at the table opposite Nimbus and pouring some dark brandy into two glasses. He offered Nimbus the drink, and the Pegasus immediately downed half of it. “He was a good guy, from what I saw when we met. You’re blaming yourself, aren’t you?”

“I have to,” Nimbus replied, “I took my eyes off of him for three seconds, and I lost him.” He sighed. “I don’t care what command says, I’m not taking another partner into combat. I’m operating alone from here on out.”

“Nimbus,” Mecha said, “this wasn’t your fault. This was a conflict. Ponies die. These things happen, but you have to remember that Stormchaser understood the sacrifice he was making.”

“Mr. Mecha!” Snails said, bursting through the door with Snips and Octavia in tow, “you have to turn on the radio now!”

Mecha stood and switched on his radio, causing the voice of none other than Twilight Sparkle to fill the room.

“Ponies of Equestria, it gives me great sorrow to announce that Princess Celestia is unable to rule for the time being. For the moment, I will fill her position as co-ruler with Princess Luna. As my first duty, I regret to inform you all that our great city of Manehatten has fallen to an unexpected and underhoofed attack by the Changelings. We do not know why they’ve committed this act of aggression, but we do know that their intentions were purely evil. For this reason, after careful consideration, both Princess Luna and I have agreed that henceforth, Equestria declares war on the Changeling invaders. May Celestia’s love and wisdom help us through these difficult times…”

Nimbus slammed his hoof down on the table. “So it begins,” he said. “How many more are going to die before this is over, I wonder?”

“Nimbus,” Octavia said, rushing to his side, “I came as soon as I could. What’s wrong?”

“This whole day,” Nimbus said. “I can’t keep up with everything that’s been thrown at me.” He looked at Octavia, his eyes almost pleading. “I just want to go back to the way things were.”

“Well you can start by letting me fix you up,” Octavia said, as Snips set down a first aid kit on the table next to Nimbus.

“I don’t need it,” Nimbus said, “I’ll be fine.”

“Like hay you will be,” Mecha said, “you look like you’ve been through a thicket of six inch brambles.”

Reluctantly, Nimbus let Octavia start cleaning his wounds with an antiseptic cloth, wincing occasionally.

“You need to put what’s happened behind you,” Octavia said, “Equestria’s going to need you, among many others, in the next few weeks, I feel.”

“I know,” said Nimbus, starting to come out of his shell of depression. “But if Equestria’s going to get me back, then it’s going to get me and me alone. I’m not bringing another partner into harm’s way.”

“That’s just foolish,” Octavia said, “that’s just asking to get yourself killed, which does neither you nor me any good.”

As Nimbus and Octavia discussed the war, Mecha headed into the storeroom. Snips and Snails followed him. As Mecha brought down a bottle of one of his best wines, he noticed the two colts standing before him.

“Need anything else done?” Snips asked.

“Eenope,” said Mecha, “you’re free to go. Actually, hold on a moment. There’s something you need to know.”

Snips and Snails leaned closer to Mecha, listening intently.

“I don’t want either of you two to even think about sneaking off to battle with the armed forces. You are nowhere near old enough, and I need you to look after the forge here anyway. I suspect we’ll be rather busy soon. But seriously- if I find out that either one of you so much as tried to go off and fight the Changelings, I will personally skin you alive!”

Snips and Snails backed down nervously. “Of course,” Snails said, shaking, “whatever you say.”

“Listen,” Mecha said, bending down to their level. “My intent isn’t to scare you. You two have become like family to Sugary Spice and me. If I lost you two…” he let the sentence hang.

“We understand,” Snips said.

“Good,” Mecha said, getting back to his hooves, “then go back home and get some sleep.”

The two colts headed out the door and into the night. Mecha closed the door behind them and brought the bottle of wine over to the table with Nimbus and Octavia. Nimbus was looking considerably better now.

“-I understand,” Nimbus said, nodding to Octavia. “Here’s the best I can do for now: I’ll work training here in Ponyville until I can find a suitable Pegasus to fly with me. Until then, I’ll leave on sorties with other squadrons when I’m needed. I won’t be striking out on my own that way, and I’ll still have a partner at some point.”

“That’s more like the Nimbus I know,” Octavia said.

“Hate to break up the discussion,” Mecha said, setting his bottle down, “but would either of you care for a drink?”

Both ponies nodded appreciatively and Mecha poured them each a glass of the dark red wine, not hesitating to pour some for himself as well. As the ponies drank, Mecha made an announcement.

“What the hay… I can’t believe I’m saying this. Nimbus?”

Nimbus looked up at Mecha, raising an eyebrow questioningly. “What is it?”

“I’m reenlisting,” Mecha said, “I’m cancelling my retirement until further notice, meaning until this Pride-forsaken war is over, I’m back in the military.”

Nimbus smiled. “It’ll be good to fight alongside a friend. Don’t feel like you’ve got to do this on my account, though.”

“I’m not,” Mecha said. “I just can’t bear to think of Equestria being taken over by a bunch of bugs. I’m informing Twilight of my decision tomorrow.”

Mecha stepped behind the bar, pulling out his old Corporal ranks from a hidden drawer and looking closely at them. The bar’s light glinted off their metallic finish in a way that still thrilled some part of him, even after he’d been away for so long. Now Mecha knew the truth behind the phrase “once a soldier, always a soldier.”

And he was eager to prove that he was more than ready to get back in the fight.

Commitment

Commitment

Granny Smith,

After thinking this over all night, I feel it is my duty to inform you that I am enlisting in the Equestrian Infantry. After hearing Twilight’s broadcast and what happened to Manehatten, I know that I cannot sit and watch as Equestria burns. I have a duty to this country, and that duty is to fight, and if necessary, die. I hope you will respect my decision. I’ll be back as soon as I can to talk this over with you. In the meantime, I give you all my love. Don’t worry about me. I will be fine.

Love,

Applejack

Applejack set the note she’d written on her kitchen table. With luck, Granny Smith and the rest of the family would see it when they woke up for breakfast. It wasn’t much- just a short letter explaining where she’d gone. Applejack poured herself a glass of apple juice and began devouring a cold pancake. She’d need something in her stomach today.

“Mornin’ little sis, you’re up early.”

Applejack looked up to see Big Macintosh standing at the head of the table. She’d never heard him coming. For such a big pony, he could be surprisingly quiet.

“Mornin’ Macintosh,” she said curtly. “Ah’d say the same to you.”

Big Mac saw the note on the table and scooped it up, silently reading it to himself. Applejack felt a chill course through her body. Big Mac was never supposed to read the note, and now here he was reading it right in front of her! She watched nervously as his eyes narrowed. Finally, he set the note back down and silently glared off into space. Desperately, Applejack tried to break the silence.

“You know ah have to-“

“Eenope.”

“Ah wanna do what’s right for mah country!”

Big Mac sighed. “Applejack,” he began, and his sister immediately listened. He didn’t use her full name often, and when he did, he had something important to say. “This is war. This ain’t like buckin’ apples in the fields. Ponies die, and if you go, you could easily be one of ‘em.”

“Ah know that, Macintosh,” Applejack said, “but dangnabbit, can’t you see that this is mah decision? Ah know the risks, but if ah don’t do anythin’ ah won’t be able to live with mahself.”

“And what about the family, huh?” Big Mac continued. “What happens if we both go to war and die? You’ll leave Granny Smith with Applebloom, and ah can guarantee that neither will be able to cope.”

“So you’re volunteerin’ too?” Applejack said to her brother, raising an eyebrow.

“Eeyup.”

“Then how dare you question mah decision,” Applejack growled. “Ah have just as much a right as you do to sign up. Truth be told, ah don’t care what you say. I’m joinin’ today, and that’s final.”

Big Mac cast his eyes down and was silent. Finally, after a long pause, he spoke softly. “Sis, ah can’t make your decisions for you, but if you do this, you need to promise me something.”

“Anything,” Applejack said, “you know ah’d do that for you.”

Big Mac stepped towards his sister and extended his front two hooves two her, standing on his back legs. “Take mah hooves,” he said to his sister. Confused, Applejack stood and did so. “Sis, this is a solemn promise from me to you, and you to me that we will watch out fer each other in the days ta come. If one of us should… if one of us should fall, the other must not hesitate ta come right back here and bring the news. Understood?”

“Ah understand,” Applejack said. “I would have done no less either way.”

Big Macintosh released his sister’s hooves and dropped back to the floor, looking at his sister. It was apparent to him now just how much she’d grown up. He could still remember the day when she was a little filly. A part of him laughed inside as he fondly remembered teaching her to buck apples. He’d set her up with a sapling that had gone bad, and was of no further use to the family, believing the little tree to be a suitable challenge for her. Applejack had surprised him by not only kicking it over, but snapping the small trunk cleanly in half. She’d bawled for nearly an hour after, worried that somepony would be mad at her for destroying the tree. She couldn’t have been more wrong. The entire family had been proud of her, Big Mac most of all. Now when he looked at her, he could still see the filly she had been, but something more was present as well. That filly was grown-up now, and ready to take on the world, and he knew then that he had no right to stop her.

“Come on, sis,” Macintosh said, grabbing a saddlebag for each of them, “the recruiting stations open in an hour, and we don’t want ta be late.”

Applejack smiled as she secured her bag. “Now that’s the Big Macintosh ah always knew!”

…

Fluttershy cringed as ponies brushed past her. She’d never been one to like large gatherings, and this was easily the mother of all crowds. When she’d heard Twilight Sparkle’s radio announcement, part of her had instantly been filled with the desire to help- to do anything she could to preserve harmony in Equestria. That small voice, however, was almost completely stifled by her age-old fear of… nearly everything. She’d had a rather heartfelt (and considerably one-sided- at least, grammatically) conversation with Angel Bunny about joining the military, which she knew immediately her friends would try. She didn’t want any part of killing- she simply wasn’t capable of the task. It was this realization that led her to her final conclusion. She would serve in the medical corps. As a medic, she could help to ease suffering and heal others, relieving pain instead of causing it. Happy with her decision, she’d set out early in the morning to sign up. Fear, however, was a formidable foe, and it had taken Fluttershy almost three hours to walk to town, and another fifteen minutes just to work up the courage to get in line. As it was, she was still having her doubts.

Ahead of her, Fluttershy could see Applejack and Big Macintosh. She considered calling out to them, but decided against it. Yelling, she felt, would bring too much attention to herself. Instead, she decided to see how many of her other friends she could spot in line. Squinting, she saw Rainbow Dash approaching, and Mecha as well. She turned her head to check behind her… and was immediately confronted with Pinkie Pie.

“Hiya!” the pink Earth Pony said cheerfully, “isn’t is a great day to have a battle?”

“Pinkie,” Fluttershy said softly, “there won’t be a battle today. We’re just signing up. And I’m not even planning on fighting. I’m going to sign up with the medical corps. What are you here for?”

“Well the Navy, duh,” Pinke said, leaping up into the air. “It’s gonna be awesome! I’ll sail the seven seas, swashbuckling all the way!”

“Pinkie, I’m not sure that’s what-“

“And we can all wear eyepatches and say ‘arr, matey’ and hey look! It’s Nimbus!”

Fluttershy looked up just in time to see her orange Pegasus friend swoop overhead, headed for the town hall. He seemed preoccupied, so she didn’t bother saying hello.

“Anyway, where was I?” Pinkie continued. “Oh yes. I’ll be living the life out on the ocean! Maybe I’ll even see a whale!”

Fluttershy settled in as Pinke continued her ramblings. The line to the town hall would be long, but at least she wouldn’t be bored…

…

Twilight Sparkle stepped into the Canterlot throne room, where Princess Luna was sitting on the throne. The regal guardian of the night looked up as Twilight entered.

“Twilight Sparkle… we told thou to sleep today, for thou had a very long night last night. Why art thou awake?”

“Just something I realized, I guess,” Twilight said, yawning. Luna said nothing. Instead, she simply looked at Twilight, urging her to go on.

“I’ve been here in Canterlot for a while now,” the purple Unicorn said, “and I think I need to make an appearance in Ponyville today, to boost morale.”

Luna looked up at the ceiling, deep in thought. “Thou have a good point. Today is the day of recruitment, and seeing one of Equestria’s leaders present at the town hall, especially one who was a resident of said town, may prove effective in lifting everypony’s spirits. When we searched the dreams of ponies across Equestria last night, we found nothing but fear and despair. We must have a foundation for hope. Thou are that foundation, Twilight Sparkle.”

“I hope so,” Twilight said, “I’ll do everything in my power to encourage those I see.” She turned to leave, then stopped. “Princess?”

“Yes?”

Twilight cast her eyes down, suddenly realizing what she was about to do. Luna hadn’t slept at all the previous day, and if she left for Ponyville, the Princess would be forced to go another day without slumber. “Are you sure I can leave for the day? You haven’t slept much at all, and you need to be as well-rested as me.”

Luna waved Twilight away. “Now now, ‘tis nothing to be concerned about, Twilight Sparkle. Go forth and inspire thine companions. We must all do our part!”

Twilight nodded graciously, then ducked out the throne room doors, bolting for the train. If she was quick enough, she would be able to arrive on the noon train. She dashed through the palace and raced through the streets, bolting for the station. As she rounded the final corner, she could hear the train’s whistle. She was too late! As she watched, the train began to shudder out of the station. Twilight was about to give up hope, when she found herself standing back up.

“You can catch this train, Twilight,” she said through gritted teeth. “Let’s do this!”

Twilight set off, running at breakneck pace to catch the train. As the locomotive began to pick up speed, Twilight found it progressively harder to keep up. Nevertheless, she soon found herself alongside the train. In front of her, a door opened.

“Ma’am?” a conductor said, poking his head out of the door, “may I help you with something?”

“Yes,” Twilight gasped, running at full speed now. “I need to get on this train! I’m Twilight Sparkle, and I have to-“

“Say no more!” the conductor said, grinning and extending a hoof to Twilight, “anything for Equestrian Royalty!”

Twilight grabbed his hoof, and the pony pulled her inside the train, closing the door behind her. Twilight stood, panting slowly.

“Equestrian Royalty?” she said to the conductor, “what did you mean by that?”

The conductor looked surprised. “You are the honorable Ms. Twilight Sparkle, right? The one who succeeded Princess Celestia?”

“Oh, right…” Twilight said, taking a seat. “I suppose I forgot about that. Thank you for pulling me in.”

“No trouble at all, ma’am. Just let me know if there’s ever anything else you need me to do.”

As the conductor walked away, Twilight felt strange, almost uneasy. It was odd to be treated with such… courtesy. She was used to ponies being polite to her, of course, but this was something else entirely. She’d never met this pony in her life, and already he’d seemed indebted to her. Twilight sighed. Royalty was going to take a lot of getting used to.

…

Applejack stepped out of the town hall, completely exhausted. Physical labor had never been a problem for her, but paperwork… that was something else entirely. She’d never expected to have to sign so many forms just to join the military. Sighing, she put the forms into her saddlebag, with one exception. She kept out a small manila envelope- her orders. She’d decided to wait until her brother arrived to read them. Behind her, she saw Rainbow Dash exit the hall.

“Hey, Dash,” Applejack said, nodding.

“What’s up, Applejack?” Rainbow Dash said excitedly. “I just signed up to compete for a slot in Ponyville’s EAF squadron! It’s supposed to be made up of the best!”

“That so?” Applejack said. “Well, ah hope ya make it. Ah’m waitin’ on mah brother to come out before ah check mah orders.”

Rainbow nodded. “Sounds like a good plan. Did you hear about Pinkie?”

Applejack shook her head, prompting Rainbow Dash to go on.

“Apparently she joined up with the Equestrian Navy. She’s already on the fast track- something about her Pinkie Sense and how valuable it might be- anyway, she might go to war captaining a ship! Wouldn’t that be crazy?”

Applejack nodded, “yeah, ah guess it would.” She looked down at the envelope in her hooves again, anxious to open it.

“Well anyway,” Dash said, “I’m supposed to report to a training site north of town in about three hours. I’ll see ya later!”

Applejack waved as her friend took off, arcing over town and heading north. She was glad to see that Rainbow Dash was happy. Going off to war was hard enough already. To kill time, Applejack wandered over to the front of the town hall again to check out the line. It was even longer now, stretching through the center of town like a massive snake. The sight filled Applejack with pride. If so many ponies were willing to risk everything for this land, she’d made the right choice.

“Hey, AJ!”

Applejack turned around just in time to see her brother trotting up to her, holding an envelope like hers between his teeth.

“Mac, how’d it go?”

Big Mac grinned sheepishly. “Well, ah may have busted the buck strength scale…”

Applejack laughed, recalling her own experiences. She’d broken the scale too, which was essentially a measure of strength. The examiner had never seen anything like it before.

“Yeah, ah’d have to confess ah did the same,” Applejack said when her laughter died down. Brandishing her envelope, she said “ready ta find out what happens to us?”

“Eeyup,” Big Mac said, tearing open the top of his envelope and lifting out his orders. The two ponies read in silence for a few moments, then stopped and looked at each other.

“Well,” Applejack said, “you first.”

Big Mac sighed. “Ah’ve been assigned to the 225th Infantry Battalion.”

Applejack’s eyes went wide and she began to stammer. “Y- y- you said the 225th, right?” Big Mac nodded and Applejack jumped into the air, whooping. “Ah’m headed into the 225th, too! We’ll be stationed together! Yeehaw!”

Big Macintosh smiled as his little sister jumped onto him, latching on in a big hug. Though he remained calm outwardly, he praised whatever benevolent twist of fate had just affected them. He couldn’t have asked for things to turn out any better.

“It says we have to report to the Ponyville sports field later today,” Big Macintosh said when his sister finally released him. “What say we go get some food before headin’ over?”

“Fine by me,” Applejack said as the two walked away, heading into the center of town. “But you know now we’ll have to see which of us gets promoted first. Sibling competition and all…”

…

Rainbow Dash streaked across the sky. Ahead, she could see a large, flat, squared-off patch of land with what looked like several wooden obstacles set up around it. Nopony else was there, so she dipped her wings and descended, coming in for a smooth landing in the middle of the field.

“I’m in the right place, right?” she mumbled to herself. The place was utterly deserted. Deciding to go ahead and wait, Dash trotted over to one of the obstacles- a large, wooden, inverted “v.” There appeared to be log steps on each leg of the “v,” and Dash could only assume the steps were meant to be climbed.

“Please,” she scoffed, looking around at the course, “any self-respecting Pegasus could complete this course in half a minute without touching the ground.”

“Recruit!”

A sharp voice startled Rainbow Dash out of her thoughts and she whipped around. A gold Pegasus was standing behind her, glaring. Rainbow Dash instantly recognized her as Spitfire, co-leader of the Wonderbolts. Spitfire was quite surprised to see Dash, but didn’t let her thoughts show.

“Recruit,” she said again, “why are you here early? Why are you not with your fellow recruits?”

“Ma’am, I… I…”

“That is not the proper response!” Spitfire yelled, “if you do not have a satisfactory answer for me, then your response will always be ‘no excuse, ma’am,’ is that understood?!”

“Yes, ma’am!” Rainbow Dash said, snapping to attention. When she’d attended the Wonderbolt Academy, which had been a week-long program, she’d seen firsthoof what Spitfire was capable of. But here, it seemed she’d taken her intensity up a few extra notches. Spitfire trotted over to her and began pacing in front of her.

“If you think for a moment that this is anything like the Wonderbolt Academy, you will not survive the rest of today or tomorrow. This is nothing like anything you’ve ever experienced. You will always obey your commanding officer when he arrives, and you will never accept the standard as your limit. That is exactly how not to land yourself a spot on this team.”

Spitfire sighed and dropped her voice down from a yell, looking Dash in the eyes. “Between you and me, I know you’re capable of performing here, but you need to prove that to your commander. Don’t think for a moment that your natural talents will make this easy. He’s going to be looking for teamwork, not individualism. If somepony’s struggling, I’m going to expect you to help him or her out, got it?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Dash said, relaxing somewhat.

“Good,” Spitfire said, “may I see your orders?”

Rainbow Dash handed her orders slip to Spitfire, who looked them over. “Everything seems to be in order here, but I’d suggest you leave and wait for the rest of your fellow recruits to arrive. You don’t want to be the only one here when… he… shows up.”

“Understood, ma’am,” Rainbow Dash said, turning smartly on her rear hooves and taking off. As she looked back at the fields, she realized that for the first time in a while, she was actually nervous. She didn’t know who her commander was going to be, but from the sound of things, he was going to be one tough cookie.

“Cookies…” Dash said to herself, “now I’m hungry!” And with that, she turned and headed for town, ready to indulge in some lunch.

…

Twilight Sparkle stepped off the train, taking in the sights of her hometown. She’d only been gone for a few days, but it felt like it’d been years since she’d set hoof in Ponyville. She thanked her courteous conductor and headed for the town hall, where she knew the latest recruits would be gathering. As she made her way out of the train station, she noticed Rarity finishing up a conversation with another, blue Unicorn. When Rarity saw Twilight, she nodded to her companion who smiled, nodded back, and left. Rarity then sauntered over to Twilight.

“Twilight, dearest, I’m so glad you could come today!”

Twilight smiled as she kept on her course, trotting alongside Rarity. “Me too. I hope me being here helps lift spirits a little. Princess Luna told me that morale across Equestria’s pretty low right now.”

Rarity nodded, waving to a few passersby. “Well you’ll be pleased to note that I recently wrapped up a business agreement to turn textile and uniform production in Ponyville over to me. I’m expecting to double output speed and quality.”

Twilight laughed, “just don’t get too carried away. These are uniforms, not fashion statements.”

Rarity stopped, much to Twilight’s surprise, looked around, and lowered her voice. “Twilight,” she said, “I spoke to Nimbus last night. Have you given any thought about what you’ll say if you meet him?”

Twilight frowned. “I honestly don’t know. I guess I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it.” The two turned up the street, in the direction of Sugarcube corner.

“Hey!” Twilight said, pointing towards the large, pink building, “there’s Applejack, Big Macintosh, and Rainbow Dash heading into Sugarcube corner! Let’s see if we can catch up to them for lunch!”

“That sounds marvelous,” Rarity said, nodding. “Let’s go!”

Applejack looked up to the sound of approaching hooves. She and her brother had been about to step inside with Rainbow Dash to enjoy some lunch. She hadn’t been expecting Twilight, of all ponies, to turn up here with Rarity.

“Twilight, what’re ya doin’ here?” she asked as the purple Unicorn approached.

“I’m trying to raise morale a bit by making an appearance,” Twilight replied, stopping in front of Applejack, “and I was wondering if Rarity and I could join you for some lunch.”

“Sure!” Rainbow Dash said, swooping down and patting Twilight on the back. “We all figured you’d get fed up with Canterlot soon anyway!”

As they trotted inside, Twilight could smell the delicious, warm scent of a freshly-baked pie. Unable to help herself, she headed over to the counter, where Mrs. Cake emerged from the kitchen.

“I should’ve known that pie would draw customers,” Mrs. Cake chuckled. “How may I help you today?”

“Ah think we’ll all split a lunch platter,” Applejack said, coming up behind Twilight. “What do y’all think? Would that be fine?”

“Sounds good to me,” Twilight said. “I’m starving.”

Mrs. Cake smiled and trotted off into the kitchen. “Then I’ll make sure to bring it out on the double!”

Twilight turned and took a seat at a nearby table. Her friends filled in the other chairs next to her. It all felt surreal. Just hours ago, she was in Canterlot, trying to stabilize the nation. Now here she was, talking to her friends like nothing had happened.

It wasn’t long before Applejack took note of her friend’s bleary eyes and sagging shoulders. She was clearly sleep-deprived, and Applejack knew that a sleep-deprived Twilight Sparkle could be a dangerous thing.

“You alright, sugarcube?” Applejack asked Twilight suddenly. The purple Unicorn was gazing off into space, resting her face on her hoof. When she didn’t respond, Applejack raised her voice. “Twi, are you okay?”

“Huh?” Twilight said, sitting up and shaking her head. She blushed. The last thing everypony needed to see was her falling apart from fatigue.

“Ah asked if you were okay,” Applejack repeated. Twilight rubbed her eyes and sighed.

“Yeah, I’m fine, I guess. Just really tired. I spent all of last night modifying our military to deal with this new threat.”

“How so?” Big Macintosh asked.

“Long story,” Twilight said, “but here’s the quick version. Our military is made up of guard units, and a few scattered Army and Air Force units. Our Navy is made up of three ships, for Celestia’s sake! The point is- we’ve never needed a large military before. Now that we suddenly need one, I’ve found myself doing a lot of reorganizing and budget-shifting. We need to grow, and we need to do it fast. Most importantly, we need to get units out to the areas surrounding Manehatten, to keep the Changelings from spreading.”

“Well, it seems there are a lot of ponies ready to step up and join,” Applejack said.

“That’s good to know,” Twilight replied. “I-“ she was cut off as the lunch platter arrived. Twilight set to work passing out plates as Mrs. Cake placed the food on the table. When she was done, Mrs. Cake turned to Twilight.

“Anything else you want?”

Twilight smiled and shook her head. “I think that’s all we need. Thanks.” As she turned back to the food, none other than Mecha strode through the door. Upon spotting Twilight, he hurried over to her.

“Twilight! Just the mare I wanted to see. I’d like to talk to you about reenlisting.”

“Reenlisting?” Twilight said, “that’s great! Scouts, I assume?”

Mecha simply looked at Twilight with a deadpan expression, which more than answered her question.

“Scouts it is, then,” Twilight said. “Let’s see… “ she took a notepad out of her saddlebag and began jotting down something. “Okay, we’re forming up a scouting unit right now, actually, and it needs a Non-Commissioned Officer. Are you interested?”

Mecha raised an eyebrow. “Interested? You bet I am.”

“Alright…” Twilight kept her quill moving over the pad. “So that’ll be the 13th Scouting Division, Army Special Forces…”

“Excuse me?” Mecha said, poking his head over Twilight’s shoulder, “I requested the scouts, not the Army.”

Twilight stared blankly at Mecha. “The scouts are no longer their own division. Since they’ve always been a relatively small group, I’ve incorporated them into our Army Special Operations branch.”

The look Mecha was shooting Twilight could have easily roasted a marshmallow, but the mare stood her ground. “Look, I know things aren’t the same as how they were when you were in, but trust me- this is for the better.”

Mecha shook his head. “Fine,” he said grudgingly, “we do it your way. Where am I reporting to?”

“Well, we need to bring the scouts in your unit to Ponyville, but until then, we need a drill sergeant to run some of the training here in Ponyville for the Infantry.”

“And you want me to do this?” Mecha laughed. “You know what, Sparkle? You may have just made my day.” He winked at Applejack and Big Macintosh. “I suppose I’ll see you two later!”

Applejack gulped. Big Mac remained silent, but he knew what Mecha was capable of. Things were about to get much more difficult around here. Twilight tore off the sheet she’d been writing on and gave it to Mecha.

“Those are your orders,” she said. “If all goes well, I may need you tomorrow night.”

“Fair enough,” Mecha said, stepping back towards the door. “I’ll go get ready for later, then. Goodbye!”

Twilight waved as Mecha exited the door, then she looked at her friends. “Well, Applejack, Big Mac, and Rainbow Dash, I guess I can’t keep you from your training. Good luck today and hold out. Equestria needs you. I’m going to go try to find Spike. I’ll be taking him back to Canterlot with me.”

“Alright,” Applejack said, looking at a wall clock. Twilight was right. Her reporting time was approaching. The ponies stood and exited the building, each going their separate ways, and each wondering what was in store for them in the next few hours.

…

Rainbow Dash returned to the large field right on time, joining the small group of Pegasi already there and landing in front of Spitfire, who was waiting silently. The Pegasus had changed into an olive green flight suit, and was wearing dark aviator glasses. She had a deadly air about her, like a snake about to strike. Dash tried her best to ignore this, and stood, waiting for something to happen. Beside her, a pony standing at rigid attention twitched slightly, and Spitfire’s head turned slightly, staring him straight in the eyes. She said nothing, but her actions immediately locked the pony up, and as far as Dash could see, he didn’t dare move again.

“Squadron, tench-hut!” Spitfire barked. Rainbow Dash, already at attention, stiffened her body even more as a shadow passed overhead. She didn’t dare move her eyes, and therefore didn’t see who had just arrived until he touched down in front of Spitfire. Needless to say, when she finally noticed who it was, she almost broke attention in surprise.

The Squadron Commander was none other than Nimbus.

Like Spitfire, he was in a flight suit and wore dark aviator glasses. He trotted up to the gold Pegasus and saluted sharply.

“Ma’am, Captain Nimbus requests permission to take command of the squadron.”

Spitfire saluted back. “Permission granted.” She dropped her salute and Nimbus followed suit, taking her place in front of the recruits. He sized them up silently, and Dash could almost feel his icy gaze. Finally, he spoke.

“You’ve already failed,” he growled. “I count eleven of you, and there are supposed to be twelve. Where is your twelfth member?!”

A few ponies looked around. This was their first mistake.

“Stop moving!” Nimbus yelled. “You are at the position of attention! Everyone down in the wing-up* position! You will wait there until your teammate arrives.”

Dash placed her wingtips on the ground and lifted her front hooves clear, supporting her body weight with her wings. Who was the late recruit? Why was she late? Already she was gritting her teeth in pain and frustration. Fortunately, she didn’t have long before Nimbus acted again.

“You!” she heard him yell, “get over here! Move! Faster! Your teammates are suffering because of you! Get in the wing-up position now!”

Dash heard somepony hit the ground beside her and she risked moving her head slightly to see who it was. When she did, she got her second shock of the day. The recruit next to her was none other than Lightning Dust, her old wingpony from the Wonderbolt Academy. Today was shaping up to be full of surprises, it seemed.

“Everypony on your hooves!” Nimbus called out. Rainbow Dash straightened up, wings numb. She instantly froze. Nimbus was making a beeline straight for her. The orange Pegasus stopped just a few inches shy of her nose.

“Are you prepared for this? Because I don’t see preparedness in front of me.”

“Yes sir!” Dash replied.

“We’ll see,” Nimbus said as he turned and headed back to the front of the formation.

“Arrogant prick,” Lightning Dust whispered. Dash cringed as Nimbus froze and slowly turned back around.

“What did you call me?” he said to Lightning Dust, “and don’t try lying. I’ll know.”

“I called you an arrogant prick, sir,” Lightning Dust said boldly. Rainbow Dash almost fainted then and there.

“That so?” Nimbus mused. “Well I guess I should always heed the advice of a graduate from the Wonderbolt Academy…” he cocked an eyebrow at the Pegasus in front of him. “Actually, now that I think about it, you never even made it through that, did you? Your paperwork says you were forced out.”

Without even looking, Rainbow Dash could practically feel Lightning Dust’s resolve slipping away.

“Let me share a little fun fact with you,” Nimbus continued, “Lieutenant Colonel Spitfire, my overseer for today, actually graduated from the Equestrian Air Force Academy before she became a Wonderbolt. She and I both know that the Wonderbolt Academy turns out some of Equestria’s most talented fliers, but we’ll also be the first to tell you that fancy tricks mean nothing when you’ve lost a wing and are plummeting to the ground. You all signed up to fight, and if I haven’t made that clear enough yet, I’m about to.”

Nimbus trotted up to Rainbow Dash and eyed her. “You’ve been uncharacteristically quiet,” he said. “Good thing, too. You know what you’ve just done, Rainbow Dash?”

Rainbow Dash shook her head, eyes wide. “No, sir.”

“You’ve just become a volunteer,” Nimbus stated. He pointed a hoof towards the start of the obstacle course. “Get over there, everypony! I’ll explain what happens next after you give me fifty wing-ups!”

…

Applejack and Big Macintosh stood in a rough formation of around thirty ponies. Everypony was wearing woodland camouflage fatigues, and was visibly nervous. They’d been chewed out for the past half hour by a burly tan Earth Pony as they inprocessed. Now they were waiting for their Drill Sergeant to arrive. Only Applejack and Big Macintosh had any inkling of what was to come.

They almost didn’t see him at first. He arrived in Applejack’s peripheral vision as silently as a whisper, causing her to jump slightly. He took note of this and continued inspecting the ranks until he reached the front of the formation. The pony in question was Mecha, resplendent in the same fatigues as everypony else. After a few more moments, he spoke up, yelling sharply.

“Pathetic! Clearly you never learned anything about straight lines! This entire formation is crooked. Add that to the fact that half of you are slouching and all I see in front of me is a pile of manure! This couldn’t possibly be a battalion. This couldn’t possibly be the mighty 225th, could it? Such ponies would carry themselves with pride, unlike this sad sight in front of me.” Mecha turned to a pony in front of him, petrified with fear. “You there! What battalion is this?”

“Th-th- the 225th, sir,” the pony stammered.

“You’re kidding me!” Mecha yelled in his face. “You must be lying to me. Do I look like a pony that takes lies well?”

“N- no sir!”

“Then answer my question. What battalion is this?!”

“The 225th, sir!” the pony yelled back.

“I see,” Mecha said quietly. “Clearly I set my standards for you too high, but guess what? Those standards are not going to change anytime soon! If you really are the 225th, then get down in the push-up position and prove it to me!”

Applejack and Big Macintosh readied themselves.

“My cadence!” Mecha yelled, “Down, up, down, up…!”

Beads of sweat broke out on Applejack’s forehead as Mecha kept going. They were at twenty, thirty, forty… the world began to blur and Applejack’s breath came in short, painful bursts. Finally, as she felt her lungs were about to give in, Mecha stood up again.

“Terrible effort, everypony on your hooves!”

Applejack stood shakily as Mecha glared at her and the rest of the battalion. He didn’t say anything for a moment, just stood and stared. “Right,” Mecha said finally, “it’s time to prepare your fundamental battle skills.”

Applejack’s heart skipped a beat. Were they about to begin weapons training? She listened intently for what Mecha would say next.

“Your core fundamental skill in this unit is strength,” Mecha said, “weak ponies die early, and are incapable of inducing fear in the hearts and minds of the enemy. None of you is strong now, even if you may think otherwise. Therefore, I am going to condition you. You’re nowhere near perfect now, but by the time we’re through, you will be the roughest, toughest, meanest sons of Manticores this side of anywhere! Now form up in two columns behind me!”

The ponies snapped to their task, creating two lines more out of fear than anything else. Mecha narrowed his eyes. “We’re going for a run,” he said, “five miles, so as not to tire any of you out too much.”

It wasn’t hard for Applejack to pick up the mocking tone in Mecha’s voice, and even though she felt he was simply putting on a face, his words stung. She wanted desperately to prove him wrong, to show him she was the best… Then Mecha was off, running at full gallop. The ponies weren’t ready, and were struggling to catch up after Mecha’s surprise start. Applejack poured her energy into keeping her place in the middle of the line. Up ahead, she could see Mecha steering them towards a small wooded area. He wasn’t even breaking a sweat.

“Everything you expected and more?” a voice spoke up next to Applejack. The voice’s owner was a stocky, green Unicorn with a paint roller cutie mark.

“Pardon?” Applejack said, unable to believe that somepony had just spoken in Mecha’s formation.

“Join the Army!” the pony said, “travel the world, see the sights… kill stuff. Is this everything you thought it would be?”

Applejack was caught off guard by this question. “Uh, well… ah guess so.”

The Unicorn grinned. “Well, good for you. None of us is going to get through the next few days with an attitude of cynicism. I’m just glad the first pony here I spoke to has the right attitude. Name’s Color Spash, former interior designer and now warrior of Equestria. I’d shake your hoof, but…” he looked down at his galloping hooves, “I’m kind of using mine right now.”

Applejack chuckled a little, through the ache of running. This pony seemed to have a good outlook on things. “Ah’m Applejack,” she said, “mah family runs Sweet Apple Acres in Ponyville. Ah joined up this morning.”

“No kidding?” Color Splash said, “my family gets a jar of your jam delivered monthly! Glad to have finally met the one who makes the stuff! It is dee-lish! I actually signed up last night. I’d heard rumors about, you know, Manehatten, and figured I’d join up early. They sent me here for training, and, well, here I am!”

“Pipe down back there!” Mecha yelled from up front, “you’ve earned some extra exercise when this run is over, as well as my utmost attention! And trust me- you don’t want my utmost attention.”

Color Splash ducked his head down and snickered. Applejack was amazed at how easily he let adversity just roll off his shoulders. Here was a pony who truly lived for the moment without a care.

“Well hey,” Color Splash said, “I guess I’d better shut up now, but come talk to me sometime, alright? Looks like you’d make a good friend.”

Applejack nodded. “Ya know, that sounds like a great idea. I’ll stay in touch.”

Applejack turned her head forward again, watching where she was going. The days ahead would be hard, for sure, but it seemed she’d finally found somepony- a friend- to make everything just a little more bearable.

…

Rainbow Dash groaned as she got back to her hooves. Nimbus’s wing-ups had been relentless, and she was short on breath. Now Nimbus was standing in front of the first obstacle in the course- a set of low-lying beams hanging over what appeared to be the course path.

“I’m guessing most of you think this is going to be easy,” Nimbus said, “and I understand. We’re Pegasi, right? This should be a piece of cake. Well, not so much.”

Before she could react, Rainbow Dash felt her wings suddenly lashed to her body. Spitfire had come up behind her with a rope and had tied them down. She could see others going through the same treatment.

“In the next two hours,” Nimbus continued, “you’re going to show me how you work as a team. I’ve restricted your flight. You will be forced to experience this as any other pony would. Finish my course in under two hours, and I guarantee you that I’ll be impressed. Might even make up for our little setbacks earlier. Fail to do so, and you will sorely regret it. Now, where’s my volunteer?”

Rainbow Dash raised a hoof and Nimbus nodded. “Recruit Rainbow Dash, front and center!”

Rainbow Dash stepped up to Nimbus. The orange Pegasus waited expectantly, confusing Dash.

“Well?” Nimbus said finally.

Rainbow Dash cocked an eyebrow. “Sir…?”

“Recruit Rainbow Dash, why did you not report in?!”

Rainbow Dash stood her ground. She couldn’t demonstrate fear. Not here. “Sir, you did not inform me about reporting procedures,” she replied. At this, Nimbus seemed to twitch slightly. Clearly he hadn’t been expecting such confidence.

“Recruit, when you report in, you will salute and make your statement as follows: ‘sir, Recruit so and so reports as ordered.’ I will then inform you of your next task. Clear?”

“Yes, sir,” Dash replied, then began again, saluting. “Sir, Recruit Rainbow Dash reports as ordered.”

Nimbus returned the salute. “Recruit, you will lead your fellow recruits through my obstacle course. Ensure that every last one of them reaches the end in two hours. If I see anypony get left behind, there will be severe repercussions, is that understood?”

“Yes, sir!” Rainbow Dash responded.

“Good, your time starts now,” Nimbus said.

Dash stood still, not sure what to do. “Move it!” Nimbus yelled. Dash turned to face her comrades.

“Alright, let’s go! If you need help, holler! I expect every one of us to help the pony next to us if he or she can’t make it!” Dash took off running for the first obstacle, a set of low-lying beams criss-crossing the trail. She dove to the ground, inhaling a fine cloud of sand. Behind her, she could hear the thudding sounds of the others following her. Dash began to crawl, feeling the sand digging into her forelegs. It was painful, but she didn’t dare stop. When she reached the end, she pulled herself back to her hooves and glanced back. Lightning Dust was right on her tail and the others weren’t far behind.

“Come on!” Lightning Dust yelled to the others as she finished, “you can do this! Push yourselves!”

Rainbow Dash took an affront to this. She was supposed to be leading, wasn’t she? And now her former flying partner was messing everything up.

“Yeah, let’s go!” Dash said, not to be outdone. “Come on!” As they moved on, she shot a scathing glance back at Lightning Dust. She knew what was going on here, and she wasn’t about to be overtaken by Lightning’s ambition again.

…

Applejack collapsed wearily onto her cot in her brigade’s makeshift barracks. After the run, Mecha had taken her and Color Splash aside and put the two of them through the most intense ten-minute exercise session they’d ever experienced. Training was over for the day, but its effects were still very much present.

“This is a load of manure,” Color Splash growled suddenly, clearly much more peeved than he’d been earlier.

“How’s that?” Big Macintosh asked, rolling off his bunk where he’d been reading quietly.

“You could say I’m well-connected,” Color Splash said, “and even if I wasn’t, it’s no secret that we’re all being hustled through this process to get us ready for battle.”

“So what’s yer point?” Applejack asked, absently twirling her hoof at the ceiling.

“My point,” Color continued, “is that we’re here doing this exercise crap while every other brigade out there is already going through weapons training.” Big Mac opened his mouth to speak, but Color Splash went on, oblivious. “And furthermore, our dear friend Corporal Mecha is a complete tool! I mean look at him! I bet he never did training like this in his life! I bet he’s all talk and-“

“Whoa there,” Macintosh said, cutting Color Splash off, “ah think ya need a little lesson about Mecha before ya jump to conclusions. Y’see, ah knew him before this war started, and ah know what he’s like. He may not show it, but he’s impressed with us. Mecha’s goin’ ta do everything he can to make us prove that we’re the best, and that the limits we set for ourselves are much lower than what we can actually achieve.”

Color Splash picked out a cot and fell into it. “Maybe you’re right, maybe not… who knows. I’m just tired, sore, and angry from today.” Applejack continued twirling her hoof, her concentration only slightly affected when Color Splash spoke up a few moments later.

“I need a sandwich. Bad.”

Without warning, the barracks burst with laughter. Even Applejack joined in. She didn’t know why Color Splash’s remark had been funny. It more than likely hadn’t been at all, but it felt good to laugh with her comrades, and in doing so she could also feel a true team forming. Color Splash had been right in what he’d said earlier that day. Things really were going to get better.

…

Rainbow Dash heaved herself over the final obstacle, pushing one of her comrades over with her. It was a simple log vault, but the course had sapped her of her energy. She’d actually finished at the front of the pack, but had gone back to assist the stragglers, something she’d noticed (without surprise) that Lightning Dust wasn’t doing. The moment Dash cleared the log, she took a faceful of mud, but it was worth it. She was done. Nimbus appeared in front of her suddenly, landing and kicking up a fair amount of debris into her already dirty face from his wingwash.

“Congratulations,” he said, “all of you made it through the course in the time I provided for you. Retire early tonight, but don’t consider this a regular occurrence. Keep putting out, and I’ll treat you accordingly. Fail to meet my expectations even once…” he let the threat hang in the air. As the ponies retreated towards the barracks, Nimbus spoke up. “Recruit Rainbow Dash, stay.”

Rainbow Dash narrowed her eyes and gritted her teeth before turning around to face her superior officer. She snapped a salute. “Recruit Rainbow Dash reports as ordered, sir.”

Nimbus returned the salute. What came next surprised Rainbow Dash more than anything she’d experienced that day. “At ease, recruit,” Nimbus said. Rainbow Dash hesitantly unlocked herself from attention and stood comfortably, ready to hear what was next.

“Lieutenant Colonel Spitfire and I have been observing you all day, believe it or not. The decision to place you in charge was not accidental. Your records from the Wonderbolt Academy are outstanding, and indicated that you have potential to be an excellent leader. Today you proved this to us. Therefore, you are officially promoted to Flight Chief of the 16th Pegasus Squadron recruit division. You will report to me when required and you will represent your teammates well. I expect nothing but perfection. Will I have perfection from you?”

“Yes sir,” Rainbow Dash said confidently.

“Good.” Rainbow Dash wasn’t sure, but she thought she could see a faint smile on Nimbus’s face, and perhaps even a glimmer of pride in his eyes. The two stood, looking at each other for a few more brief moments before Nimbus spoke again.

“Recruit Rainbow Dash, you are dismissed.”

“Goodnight, sir,” Dash said, saluting. Nimbus returned the gesture and Dash dropped her salute, spinning sharply 180 degrees and heading back to the barracks. She was positively brimming with excitement. Nimbus had just proven that he trusted her, and she was determined to do everything she could to keep his trust. The training would get harder, but she was prepared to tackle it, as she’d done with everything else in her life. Tomorrow was a new day with new challenges, and come what may, it would be her time to shine.

*Wing-ups are essentially push-ups using the wings instead of the forelegs. Fluttershy can be seen performing them in "Hurricane Fluttershy"

Infiltration

Infiltration

By the Decree of the Honorable Miss Twilight Sparkle,

Corporal Mecha, you are hereby summoned to Ponyville’s Town Hall, room 2B for a briefing regarding your first deployment. The briefing, as well as the contents of this letter, are considered classified, and the information contained therein shall not be disclosed to anypony regardless of rank. Your reporting time is 0930 hours, and you are required to bring a basic scout loadout. You are also removed from training duty as of now. Your replacement is already on the way. Once again, please ensure that the contents of this message remain known only to you.

Mecha rolled out of his cot, hit the ground, and cranked out forty push-ups before getting to his hooves and stretching. He’d only had about three hours of sleep, and it was still ridiculously early, but he preferred it that way. He’d been planning on giving the new recruits an early wake-up followed by a run. Mecha stepped outside of his small tent and breathed in the fresh, dew-laden morning air, and was only vaguely surprised when a brilliant flash of scarlet and gold alighted on the ground next to him.

“Hello, Philomena,” Mecha said, addressing the royal phoenix perched on the ground in front of him. The regal bird was grasping a sealed envelope. “I assume you have something for me?” Mecha took the envelope and the phoenix rose into the air, soaring towards Canterlot. Mecha took a few moments to stamp out a small brush fire the bird had caused, then opened his note. As he pored over its contents, his eyebrows rose, but he said nothing. Finally, he closed the note.

“Seems like I’ve got my first set of orders. Seriously, though, couldn’t they have just been a bit more subtle?” Mecha wandered back into his tent to grab his scouting equipment, pausing only to stuff the letter in his mouth. Paper had almost no nutritional value, of course, but the mouth was infinitely better than any paper shredder for destroying evidence.

“And besides,” he thought to himself, “eating notes just seems… more official.”

…

Mecha set out briefly, carrying all of his required items in a considerably oversized saddle bag. As he was on his way out of his tent, he bumped into a bumbling Earth Pony wearing Second Lieutenant ranks. The surprised pony almost dropped the stack of field equipment he was carrying precariously on his back. As Mecha bent down to help him pick up his things, the pony addressed him.

“You’re Corporal Mecha, right?”

“Eeyup.”

The pony wasn’t quite sure what to say. He outranked this Corporal, but he’d never been spoken to so nonchalantly by a subordinate before.

“I’m Lieutenant Morning Ray,” he said, clearing his throat and trying to make his ranks somewhat more visible. Something about the pony he was speaking to intimidated him, and he didn’t like it.

“Then you’re my replacement,” Mecha said, straightening up and stacking a canteen on top of Morning Ray’s stack. “And in that case I have a few words for you.”

Morning Ray was surprised to find that he was listening intently to Corporal Mecha.

“First thing’s first- you’re accepting command of the best damn platoon there is in the Equestrian Military right now, and they know it. They’re expecting confidence and perfection from you, and you need to show it, otherwise they’ll eat you alive. Second- do not hesitate to push them to their extremes. I know this isn’t Special Operations, but you should train like you fight. A sloppy army in training is going to be just as sloppy when the arrows start flying. Finally…” Mecha looked sideways at Morning Ray, squinting for a moment, “you’ve got a grease stain on one of your ranks. Might want to take care of that.” And without further ado, Mecha was off, leaving a stunned superior officer in his wake.

“Another one down,” Mecha said to himself as he left earshot, “how many more officers am I going to embarrass before my career’s over?” He turned onto Ponyville’s Main Street and began heading toward the city hall when he altered direction and headed for the school. He knew Cheerilee would be there as always, and Sugary Spice, his daughter, would more than likely be with her. He’d left the little filly a note explaining why he wouldn’t be home much for a while, and he knew she was smart enough to figure out why. Still, explaining things face-to-face always helped. Besides, a little morning stroll never hurt anypony. Mecha took in his surroundings. Truth be told, although he was experienced in many areas, he’d never been through a war before, and even he had to admit it felt surreal. Hundreds of miles away, Manehatten was crawling with the enemy and ponies were still more than likely fighting for their lives. Here, though, the sun was rising and the birds’ chirps were waking up the town just as they had done every day. Definitely strange. As the schoolhouse came into sight, Mecha saw that his earlier suspicions that Cheerilee might be awake were correct. The small building’s lights were on and the front door was slightly ajar.

“Morning, Cheerilee!” Mecha said, poking his head through the front door.

“Mecha!” From around the corner, Cheerilee galloped towards her stallionfriend, embracing him. “Sugary Spice gave me the note. I have no problems with looking after her for as long as it… as it… Oh, Mecha, promise me you’ll come back.”

Mecha smiled as Cheerilee released him. “You know me- It’ll take more than a war to wipe me off the face of Equestria, but I promise you- I’ll make it back in one p-“ he stopped for a moment, looking thoughtfully at his mechanical leg, “well, I’ll make it back alive, anyway.”

“Hello Dad!” Sugary Spice said, practically leaping onto her father as she ran out from behind Cheerilee’s desk. “Are you going to go take the fight to the Changelings? Kick some flank for me, okay?”

“Whoa, slow down, slow down,” Mecha said, lowering his adopted daughter to the ground. “Yeah, I’ll be out there soon enough, but believe it or not, you’ve to some wartime duties to attend to as well, little mare.”

Sugary Spice’s eyes widened with excitement. “Really? Do I get to go fight Changelings with you?”

“Hardly!” Mecha chuckled, “your job is much more important than that, and probably even more of a challenge. Your job is to stay focused on your schoolwork and learn all that you can from Miss Cheerilee, okay?”

“Okay,” Sugary Spice said, sounding somewhat disappointed.

“Good, you can go back to helping out Miss Cheerilee, now.” Mecha looked back to his marefriend. “You two keep yourselves safe and don’t worry about me. If all goes well, I’ll be able to stop by every other week or so. I’ve got a pretty good inkling of where they’re sending me tonight, and if I’m right, it should be a total cakewalk. Just keep being the best role model you can be for your students while I do my part and this will all be over before you know it. Trust me.”

“I trust you,” Cheerilee said, kissing Mecha on the cheek. From behind Cheerilee’s desk, Sugary Spice giggled.

“I heard that, young mare!” Mecha said jokingly, “and you’d better watch out, because I’m liable to kiss you as well!”

“Eek!” Sugary Spice yelped as Mecha dove for the desk. Cheerilee laughed as the two ran around the room. Finally Mecha caught up to Sugary Spice and kissed her on the forehead.

“Behave as you would for me. Make me proud. I’ll try to see you again later tonight if I get the chance.”

Mecha backed towards the door as Cheerilee and Sugary Spice waved. He popped the two of them a quick salute in response, and left, closing the door behind him. He glanced at the clock tower- 7:30. He still had two hours to kill. He ran through his options and finally decided to head back to his forge. He had a few new weapon ideas that he was desperate to field test. If he was lucky, tonight would be the night to finally see them in action. If not, well, then he’d have some cool weapons anyway.

…

Twilight Sparkle glanced at the small wall clock in room 2B of Ponyville’s Town Hall. It read 9:28, meaning that Mecha had only two minutes before he was late. Twilight was frankly surprised. Mecha usually made it a point to be early. It was uncharacteristic of him to wait this long. Mecha’s two teammates for the mission were being briefed in the next room over, but they would arrive in here as soon as she’d had the chance to speak to Mecha herself.

“Where is he?” she asked herself aloud. Twilight was struggling now to keep her anxiety in check. Ever since her meltdown at not being able to find a friendship lesson for Princess Celestia, she’d focused on suppressing her meltdowns, but they still happened from time to time. Right now, she couldn’t afford to melt down. Too much was on the line.

“Keep it together, Twilight,” she whispered, taking deep breaths and feeling her heart rate go down, “he’ll be here. He always shows up.”

“Well done, Twilight,” Mecha said, dropping down from the ceiling where he’d been perched for the past twenty minutes.

“How did- what?” Twilight spluttered. “Never mind. I’m assuming there was a reason for keeping me waiting?”

“Actually, yes,” Mecha said, taking a seat and kicking up his rear hooves on the table. “I wanted to see how well you handled staying sane in the face of pressure. So far… I’m impressed. You’re a different pony than you were two years ago.”

“Not too different, I hope,” Twilight said, placing a manila envelope on the table with “classified” stamped in big red letters across it. Mecha took note of this.

“Ah,” he said, straightening himself up in his chair slightly (though his hooves remained on the table), “I’m assuming this is the official written statement which details how I am to infiltrate Manehatten tonight via train and then hoof, assess the Changeling situation, and return with as much valuable loot- er, info, as I can. Correct?”

Twilight was momentarily stunned, then she realized who she was dealing with and relaxed somewhat. “I’m not even going to ask how you know that,” she said, opening the envelope and handing its contents to Mecha, “but yes, that’s correct… except for one small detail.”

“Oh?” Mecha said, poring over his mission brief, “and what might that be?”

“You’re not hoofing it into Manehatten. It’s going to be an aerial delivery.”

Mecha cocked an eyebrow. “Aerial? Well, I have a cannon that just might-“

“Not one of your aerial deliveries,” Twilight said, shaking her head, “this one’s professional. And it’s where your two mission partners come into play.”

“Partners?” Mecha said warily as Twilight used her magic to open the door to the adjacent room. Two ponies walked in, and the moment Mecha recognized one of them, his eyes went wide.

“No!” he said to Twilight, almost pleading, “please, no! I’ll shoot myself out of a cannon first! Like I said, I have a cannon!”

The pony he’d recognized was none other than Nimbus. His accomplice was a grey Pegasus- and therein was the problem.

“They’re both Pegasi!” Mecha spluttered. “I’ll do a lot of things, but you know I despise winged flight!”

“I realize that,” Twilight said, “but you’re going to have to trust them. They’re your ticket into and out of Manehatten.”

“And how exactly is that going to happen?” Mecha asked skeptically. The grey Pegasus stepped forward.

“Pleased to meet you, Corporal Mecha. I am First Lieutenant Sharp Eye of the 13th Scouting Division. I will be-“

“Hang on-“ Mecha said, “You’re from the 13th?”

Sharp Eye nodded. “I am under your command, and I will be briefing you on your method of entrance to Manehatten.”

Mecha sighed and leaned back, crossing one of his hooves on the desk over the other in a gesture of complete indifference. “Okay, I’m listening.”

Sharp Eye paused for a moment, not sure how to take Mecha’s unassuming air. Then he reminded himself that despite his higher rank, he was under this pony’s command. He knew Mecha had a considerable amount of experience behind him, and chose to follow along. Doubtless Mecha’s casual acting was a mask for his true nature. “We will be using a new method which will involve airborne delivery via EAF aviator.” He turned to Nimbus, then added drily “Captain Nimbus of the EAF will be your transport to Manehatten. He’ll be using a new device- an airdrop harness. I’ll let Miss Sparkle fill you in on the details.”

“Thank you,” Twilight said, pulling a large, saddle-like contraption out from underneath the table. “This,” she said, levitating it with her magic and rotating it, “is the airdrop harness. Simply put, it’s a ‘buddy pack’ that allows a Pegasus to carry another pony. It was never deemed very useful, so the project was mothballed… until we came up with a way to add a dash of practicality to it.”

Twilight brought out another device. This one was a large, billowing object with several strings hanging from it. “This is a parachute,” Twilight said, “and it-“

“I’ve heard of these,” Mecha interrupted. “The idea’s quite sound really. Just pull the ripcord when falling and the chute should open up before you end up as street pizza. And you intend to do what with this?”

“We intend to field test it,” Twilight answered. “Basically, you will airdrop into Manehatten from high altitude using the parachute to slow your fall as you enter the city. From there you will conduct your intelligence-gathering and general scouting before you arrange for pick-up. Nimbus will use the harness to bring you back once you’ve arranged a safe pick-up zone.”

Mecha growled inwardly. He desperately wanted to give the new gear a try, but trusting in Pegasi, even Nimbus, was a stretch for him. Certainly it was the safest way to get into Manehatten…

“Alright,” he said, “I’ll do it.”

“Good,” Twilight said, “then report to the train station in thirty minutes. You’ll be sent to a remote training area where I will observe. You’ll want to get in a few practice jumps before tonight.”

Mecha stood and nodded, turning around and leaving the room. “Easier said than done,” he thought as he left the building and headed for the train station. “Trusting two Pegasi with my life? What is this world coming to?”

…

Mecha pulled the ripcord as the ground hurtled up to meet him. The parachute opened with a jerk, the straps tightening around his body.

“Lucifer’s Lakebed!” he swore, “still too high. I can make the opening closer next time.”

As he drifted down, controlling the canopy with two guiding lines, he recalled the train ride to this location- a dry lakebed just south of Dodge City. The ride had been pleasant enough, he supposed, but he’d spent most of the time trying to get a read on the first member of the 13th he’d met- Sharp Eye. The stallion was a total enigma. The scouting division didn’t get many Pegasi, and most of them were grounded for some reason. This guy was capable of flight, and yet here he was. To top it all off, he didn’t seem to be on the best of terms with Nimbus either. Mecha understood friendly service rivalry, but this was beyond such trifles. Sharp Eye’s personality was going to be a tough nut to crack, but Mecha still felt confident he’d figure him out… someday.

Mecha flared his canopy just before touching down, coming to a smooth stop. Then he signaled for Nimbus. A few seconds later, the orange Pegasus stopped next to him, wearing a black flight suit which was clearly intended to conceal his orange coat under the cover of night.

“Taxi service!” Nimbus said jokingly, “what can I do for you?”

Mecha couldn’t help but crack a slight smile at his friend’s antics. Nimbus had been quiet on the train, obviously still thinking over the death of his wingpony, Stormchaser, but now he seemed his old self again. Training was really an excellent distraction for him, and despite the fact that Mecha still believed he could get to Manehatten via cannon just fine, it felt good to know that Nimbus was enjoying himself once more.

“I didn’t quite make that last jump the way I wanted to,” Mecha answered, packing his parachute. “The opening was too high. The tallest building in Manehatten- the Starswirl Tower- is around 1700 feet, and I want to be able to open the chute once I’m inside the skyline. One more jump, if you please.”

“You got it,” Nimbus said, hovering over Mecha. Mecha hooked himself into the harness, rechecking all of his lines and straps. Once he was confident that all was secure, he gave Nimbus a nod and the two accelerated upwards. Nimbus rolled level just above the cloud layer and Mecha switched to his headset comm.

“Okay,” he said to Nimbus over the radio, “I’m good to go.”

“Roger,” Nimbus replied, “ready for disengage.”

“Disengaging.”

Mecha popped the clasps holding him to the harness and felt a rush of air hit him in the face as he accelerated back towards the ground.

“Disengage confirmed,” he heard Nimbus say, “have a nice trip.”

Mecha wove from side to side, using his front and back legs as control surfaces to steer himself as he fell. He punched through the last of the cloud layer and checked his foreleg-mounted altimeter- 16,037 feet to go before he would come to a sudden stop. He couldn’t open early. As he hurtled downwards, Mecha forced himself to avoid pulling the ripcord. Downward he soared, blazing past his previous opening point. He stole a quick glance at the altimeter again. It now read 2,172 feet and was descending rapidly. He couldn’t pull the cord, though… not yet. He was at 1,900 feet, 1,600 feet…

Mecha pulled the ripcord and the chute opened at an altitude of 1,096 feet above the ground- easily low enough to fit below the skyscrapers of Manehatten.

“That’ll have to do,” he said gruffly. Once more he floated down, though this time he decided to show off a bit, pulling the chute to a stop a few scant feet away from Twilight and Sharp Eye.

“I like this thing!” Mecha said, “can I keep it?”

“We’ll see,” Twilight laughed, “try getting back in one piece first, okay?”

“Sheesh,” Mecha said as Nimbus coasted to a landing behind him, “you are the second pony to tell me that today. I’ll be fine!”

“Then suit up,” Twilight said, tossing Mecha the few pieces of gear he hadn’t taken up with him, “if you leave now, you’ll hit Manehatten just after nightfall.”

“My pleasure,” Mecha said, adjusting his earpiece and slinging his grenade belt over his shoulder, “can’t wait to get back in the flank-kicking business again.”

…

From the Starswirl Tower, a pair of luminous green eyes surveyed the once bustling city that lay spread below, its streets, now devoid of any movement, intertwining like the nest of some great insect. Manehatten- the gem of Equestria. The name had been a source of pride for the ponies. Once so out of reach, and yet it had fallen so easily.

“Queen Chrysalis…” a Changeling bearing brilliant green wings stepped onto the balcony cautiously.

“What is it?”

The Changeling gazed up in fear and respect at the being whose reflection he’d interrupted. Like him, she was a Changeling, but she was tall, slender, and bore a long, jagged horn. When she moved, she displayed a terrifying sort of grace about her, like a snake sizing up its prey. Forcing back a stammer, the Changeling continued.

“I have news from the West. The ponies have a new leader, who has replaced Princess Celestia.”

The tall Changeling made a low, humming noise as she dipped her head down close to the speaker.

“And who might that be, Sentinel Sath?”

“I do not know her,” the green-winged Changeling replied, “but her name is Twilight Sparkle.”

At the Sentinel’s words, the Changeling’s eyes burned with a silent fire and she gazed thoughtfully westward. Finally she turned back.

“I understand, Sentinel. You have benefitted your Hive. Is that all?”

Sentinel Sath seemed to flinch slightly as he spoke his next words. “My queen, King Chitin is due to arrive tonight.”

Chrysalis’s eyes widened. She hadn’t expected Chitin this early. If he was on his way, then it truly meant that the invasion was in full swing now. She waved a hoof nonchalantly at Sentinel Sath.

“You are dismissed, Sentinel. Return to your post.”

The clicking of the Changeling’s pony-like hooves confirmed to Chrysalis that her subordinate had made a hasty exit. She smiled to herself. Fear was easily the most effective form of respect. It enforced discipline and created soldiers devoted to their duty. For what was death compared to the fury of the Hive-Mother? As the sun continued downwards, Chrysalis continued her reflections. Chitin was on his way, and with him- a second chance to finish the task they’d set out to perform so many years ago. As Chrysalis watched the sun, a piercing shriek sounded from the streets below, suddenly cut off- a straggler, more than likely. There were almost certainly enough bodies around to complete the next phase of the operation. When she finally faced off against Twilight Sparkle and Luna, the two would be facing an entirely new Changeling force.

“This is why you will fall, Twilight Sparkle,” Chrysalis murmured, turning towards Canterlot. “We are perfection, we are evolution, and most of all, we are inevitable.”

…

Mecha rotated his front shoulders slightly. The air-drop harness clearly hadn’t been designed with ergonomics in mind, and though he barely spared a thought to discomfort, even he had to admit that the coreweave* straps dug in a bit more than necessary. Mecha checked his hoof altimeter once more. Jumping into a city would provide a considerably smaller margin for error than in the desert. Above him, Nimbus was quiet. In fact, aside from standard radio chatter, the Pegasus had been completely silent for the entire trip. Up ahead, the few lights that remained in Manehatten were coming into view, casting a faint glow on the clouds above. They still had a few minutes before arrival, and Mecha was itching for a conversation. Finally he turned his head up to Nimbus.

“So… Octavia.”

“What about her?” Nimbus answered flatly over the comm.

“I think we both know,” Mecha replied. “When’s the lucky day? When are you finally gonna ask her out?” The other end of the line was static for a few moments, until Nimbus finally answered.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Mecha started guffawing, almost choking. “Like hay you don’t know what I’m talking about! Half of Ponyville’s wondering when you’re finally going to realize that you two are a great couple!”

“Please use this radio channel for professional interactions only,” Sharp Eye’s voice came in, sounding rather annoyed.

“Oh please,” Mecha said, “Sharp Eye, if you’re going to work with me there’s one thing you’re going to have to know. In my unit, we tend not to take things too seriously. If you were expecting a strict military regimen, I hate to disappoint, but… you’re stuck with me. Better just get used to it.”

“Right,” Sharp Eye replied, uncertainly. He pulled up in formation next to Nimbus. “So… you really have a marefriend?”

“No!” Nimbus said, “and thanks a lot for that, Mecha,” he added, glaring down at the occupant of his harness.

“Heads up, flyponies,” Mecha said, “we’re approaching the drop zone.” He heard Nimbus growl something unintelligible and suppressed a chuckle. Nimbus was a good friend, but easy to mess with. And Sharp Eye… well, he seemed to possess potential to be his kind of partner. A little too attached to the rules now, perhaps, but that could change with the proper amount of exposure.

“Drop unit climbing,” Nimbus said, and Mecha felt his stomach seem to lurch away as they ascended.

“Recon breaking off,” Sharp Eye replied, banking into a wide right turn towards the city’s outskirts, “good luck, Corporal.”

“Thanks,” Mecha said, performing one final check on his parachute and release clasps. He felt Nimbus roll left and level out as the buildings below came into view. “Good to go,” Mecha said, tapping Nimbus’s right hoof in the event of a communication failure.

“Roger,” Nimbus said, just as he’d done during practice, “ready to disengage.”

“Disengaging,” Mecha said, releasing his clasps and feeling the rush of air accompanying the drop.”

“Disengage confirmed.”

Mecha began to guide himself through the air, using his hooves to change direction. He’d have to be precise, since a few degrees of hoof deflection could mean the difference between missing a skyscraper or becoming a shish-kebab on a radio antenna.

“Aim for the gap,” he hissed through clenched teeth. “Come on, come on…” he stole a glance at his altimeter. Still too high. He was passing below the roofline of the Starswirl Tower now, but Mecha knew he could push for a few hundred more feet. Finally, with no less than 500 feet to go, he pulled the cord, guiding the parachute down an unlit street. Now came the landing- arguably more challenging than the fall itself. Mecha waited until he was only a few feet above the ground, then flared his chute, coming to a soft landing. He stood up, removing the chute, and touched his hoof to a seal on the parachute rig, completely disintegrating the contraption. The seal was enchanted to completely destroy the chute, leaving no trace. With his tracks covered, Mecha radioed Sharp Eye.

“Condor, this is Thorn, over,” he whispered into his headset, using his and Sharp Eye’s predetermined callsigns.

“Condor here, over.”

Mecha did a 360 degree visual sweep. “I’m clear, Condor. Ready to begin.”

“Roger, I’ll provide updates. Condor out.”

Mecha skirted a pile of debris and set off down the road, keeping to the sidewalk. So far, he hadn’t seen any signs of life, but Changelings were tricky, not to mention extremely active at night. As he moved, he began to plot his destination. A few lights were still on a few blocks to the East, so it stood to reason that the area might be of interest. Mecha took a cautionary glance across the street and sprinted, diving into a dark alleyway on the other side. The lights were dead ahead.

“Any movement?” he said into his comm.

“Roger,” Sharp Eye replied, “I see a few patrols Northeast of your position. They’re still pretty far away though, so I’d say you’re safe.”

“Roger,” Mecha said, “Thank you.” He poked his head around the corner of a crumbling brick wall and ducked back just as a magical green beam of light illuminated the spot where his head had just been.

“I thought you said there were a few scattered patrols!” Mecha hissed.

“Umm… yes, as I said there are- wait a moment.” Sharp Eye was silent for a moment. When he returned, his voice was slow and steady. “Thorn, do not move a muscle. This is, yeah, this is bad. Luna preserve us…”

“What? What is it?” Mecha heard a crackling sound and looked up. Something dark was unfolding from the wall above.

“Uh, nothing. Just- let’s see… there’s a hole that appears to lead to the sewers a few feet away on the other side of your wall. Can you reach it?”

“Yeah,” Mecha said, “but-“ he cut himself off as the dark shape detached itself completely from the wall and landed nearby, trotting into the street. Mecha stared in disbelief. It was a Changeling, and it had almost landed on him. As he looked around, he could see hundreds of the shapes beginning to leave their perches.

“That hole’s a few feet away, you say?” Mecha said, “sounds like a good idea to me.”

Mecha ducked low, crawling over the hard cement street as he once again peeked around the corner. The sentries were gone, and he didn’t know if he’d get another opportunity. Quickly, he rolled around the corner and slid down into the hole, landing face-first in some foul-smelling water.

“Yep, it’s the sewers alright,” Mecha groaned. He picked himself up out of the sludge and kept to the wall, avoiding the liquid. A splash in the wrong place at the wrong time could be disastrous. He’d only gone a few more steps when Sharp Eye’s voice sounded in his ear.

“Thorn, this is Condor. I have an update for you.”

“This is Thorn, go ahead.”

“I’m in contact with Athena at base, and she’s provided me the schematics for the sewer system. Looks like your little side trip may have just hit the jackpot.”

Athena? That was Twilight’s code name. Things were getting interesting indeed. “How so?” Mecha asked, “please enlighten me.”

“There’s an access tunnel a few yards ahead that leads right to Starswirl Plaza. And that’s-“

“The location of Starswirl Tower,” Mecha finished, “the only fully-lit building remaining in the city, and my best bet for intel. Nice work, Condor. How do I get there?”

“It’ll be your first tunnel on the right,” Sharp Eye replied.

“Excellent,” Mecha said, bolting ahead and veering into the tunnel. Strangely, he had yet to see a Changeling patrol down here. Still, Manehatten hadn’t been occupied for long. The Changelings were probably still getting organized.

Inside, the tunnel was considerably nicer than the sewer. As he began to move away, the smell improved dramatically, and the walls and floor became drier and drier. Up ahead, he could see the dim light of an exit. And where there was an exit, there’d be- Mecha froze as a small scuffle sounded behind him. He stood stock still, barely breathing, and converted his mechanical leg into its sword form. Slowly he began to edge forward. He could feel his own heart beating rapidly, pushing blood faster through his veins, and he could feel the onset of an adrenaline rush, prepared to give his body the energy it would need for a potential fight. He brought his sword leg back slowly, readying for a quick stab, but before he could react, the intruder made itself known. A small mouse scurried out of the shadows and down into the sewer. Mecha let out a sigh of relief and silently cursed the mouse. He was about to turn around when he noticed something in the darkness- a shape, vaguely similar to a pony. Changeling, Mecha’s reflexes said instantly. Mecha crept towards it, when the figure suddenly turned around, brandishing a sharp piece of wood.

“Stay back!” the figure cried. Mecha looked down in surprise. The figure in front of him was a filly, probably no more than ten years old. She was dirty, but streaks in the dirt below her eyes indicated that she’d been crying. Mecha retracted his sword as a gesture of friendliness.

“I’m not here to hurt you,” he said simply. “Who are you?”

The little filly stared up at him with big, round eyes, before she dropped the piece of wood and broke down, sobbing gently. “I- I’m Caramel Swirl,” she said. “Have you seen my parents?”

“Your parents?” Mecha said. He thought about making something comforting up, then decided to go with the truth. “No,” he said, “and to be honest, they’re probably no longer in the city.”

“What?” Caramel asked, “but they wouldn’t leave me- even with the evacuation.”

“How did you get down here?” Mecha asked, straying from the subject.

Caramel Swirl sat down and picked up the wood again, fiddling with it nervously. “I came down here yesterday. It was getting to be too dangerous to live up in the city. I-“

“But before that,” Mecha cut in, “right after the attack- why didn’t you escape with the others?”

“I was unconscious,” Caramel said, “I don’t remember much about what happened. Just images, really- there was a large crowd, an orange Pegasus-“

“Nimbus,” Mecha thought.

“-my parents pushed me down. I was so scared. The last thing I remember before I lost consciousness was the screams and the light. A green light. I think they fired on us. I don’t know how many of us survived. When I came to, There was- there was a body lying on top of me. I was so scared, I couldn’t move. Then I heard this dragging sound. I didn’t know what it was until the body on top of me moved. It was the Changelings- they were dragging the bodies away, towards Starswirl Plaza.”

“Why?” Mecha asked, “that makes no sense.”

“I don’t know. I just want to go home. I want to see my parents. Is that why you’re here? To get me out of this place?”

“Hold that thought,” Mecha said, putting a hoof to his comm. “Condor, you there?”

“Roger, Thorn. You outside yet?”

“Negative, Condor. There’s a bit of a complication.”

“I’m listening.”

Mecha looked at the thin, shaking filly in front of him with pity. “I’ve run into a filly here. She says her name is Caramel Swirl. As far as I can see, her parents aren’t around. I want to take her back with us.” There was a long pause on the other end. Finally, Sharp Eye spoke.

“Negative, Thorn. The harness will only carry one, and she may jeapordize the rest of your mission. You cannot bring the civilian with you.”

Mecha opened his mouth for a retort, but he stopped. Sharp Eye was right. He hadn’t prepped for a rescue mission, and trying to free this filly could be more dangerous than leaving her. He drew in a long breath and looked hard at Swirl.

“Listen,” he said, “I- I talked to my partner just now, and I’m afraid that what he told me was absolutely correct. I can’t take you with me without endangering you. Believe me, if there was a way, I’d do it.”

The filly’s eyes widened in disbelief. Here was her salvation, staring her in the eyes, and there was nothing either of them could do. “You mean I have to stay here?”

“Yes,” Mecha said, “I’m afraid that’s the only way.” He was about to turn to leave when he realized something- the filly reminded him of his own Sugary Spice. It was her eyes. Even now, faced with disappointment, he could see a fire burning in them- a fire that told him that she would fight to survive here to her last breath. Hesitantly, he drew a hoof to his neck where he carried his most prized possession: a necklace bearing a hammer pendant. Slowly he unclasped it and lowered it to Caramel Swirl’s eye level.

“This necklace,” he began, “is very dear to me. It has never left my neck since the day of its creation until now. I want to give it to you, as a promise- a promise that I will return for you as soon as I can. Can you keep this for me? Can you fight for the chance to be there when I return?”

Caramel Swirl sniffed, gently taking the necklace. It was a bit large on her, but she wore it proudly. “I can,” she said softly, “and mister…”

“Mecha.”

“Mister Mecha, thank you.”

“Goodbye, Caramel Swirl,” Mecha said, turning around so she couldn’t see that even he was beginning to get choked up, “I’ll see you soon.” Mecha headed for the access ladder without looking back. Doing so would have almost certainly have forced him then and there to rescue her, and to Tartarus with the mission. He checked over his gear once more, feeling incomplete now without his necklace, then proceeded to climb the ladder back to the surface. The ladder came up under a grate, which popped upward with ease. Slowly and silently, Mecha set the grate down beside the exit and heaved himself out. Across the street, he could see a sentry, directing its magical beam down the street. The Changeling hadn’t noticed him.

“It isn’t fair,” Mecha thought to himself as he moved along, “that a child like that is going to have to stick it out here for Luna knows how long. If there was just some way…”

Another patrol appeared and Mecha immediately moved to a nearby wall. The wall was, in fact, the only piece remaining over what had once been a souvenir store. Behind it, perhaps only ten yards away, was Starswirl Tower. He poked his head around the corner to survey the area. Evidently what he’d seen earlier was nothing compared to the amount of security Starswirl Plaza had. There were Changelings everywhere. Suddenly, a movement forced him back behind the wall. He didn’t need a second glance to know what it was- a Changeling. Mecha took a step back, scarcely daring to breathe. The Changeling was on the other side of the wall, totally oblivious to his presence. He covered his mouth with his hoof and spoke into his comm.

"Condor, I'm pinned. I need some info on my surroundings."

A few seconds later, Sharp Eye's voice replied "Roger, in position. You are in close proximity to the enemy."

Mecha rolled his eyes. "No kidding. He's on the other side of this wall, and I'm going to have to take him down to get through this. Just tell me- what are my chances of being caught?"

After another brief pause, Sharp Eye replied "moderate. There's a patrol on the other side of the street, but the guard's moving in a predictable loop, only coming into your line of sight every ten seconds. If you can drop the hostile quickly, you can get by."

Mecha breathed in and out slowly. He'd been through worse, but this was certainly going to be close. "Okay then," he said, sliding the blade silently out of his mechanical leg, "just say when..."

“Roger,” Sharp Eye replied, “attack on my mark. 3, 2, 1, mark!”

Quickly, Mecha whipped around the wall. He took in every aspect of the situation in mere fractions of a second. The Changeling’s back was turned, so he had the element of surprise on his side. He could see the next patrol coming down the street, but he’d be out of visual range for another eight seconds or so. Finally, there was a large dumpster only a few feet away, near a wrecked magazine stand- perfect cover. All of these observations combined in Mecha’s mind, formulating an attack plan. In a mere five seconds, he stabbed the Changeling quickly through the side of the head, disabling the brain instantly. The millisecond he withdrew his blade, he tackled the Changeling by the midsection, diving behind the magazine stand and out of sight. Mecha lay back, breathing heavily. That had been close even by his standards.

“Thanks, Condor,” he said over the comm.

“Anytime, Thorn. The next bit’s all up to you. I can’t see inside buildings from up here.”

“Roger that,” Mecha said, grinning now, “enjoy some sightseeing then.”

Mecha grabbed a stack of magazines and spread them over the Changeling, hiding him from any potential observers. Then he sprinted the last few feet to the Starswirl building. What he saw in front of him stopped him dead in his tracks. Changelings were dragging bodies into a massive hole in the ground in front of the great tower. Out of the hole, massive black tendrils composed of what seemed to be an organic substance, twisted and wound through the plaza, as if anchoring something inside the hole in place. He’d never seen anything like it.

“Condor,” he said, “I need you to pull some recon above Starswirl Plaza. There’s something weird going on here.”

“Roger,” Sharp Eye responded, “it’s not like I was planning on doing any other sightseeing anyway.”

Mecha grinned at his friend’s retort, then turned back to the task at hand. The only entrance to Starswirl Tower was through the main lobby, and the only things passing through the doors were Changelings. Mecha did a quick self-assessment. He certainly didn’t look the Changeling part. His coat was black, but his mane would never pass. Not to mention the obvious fact that he had no wings. Still, he had magic. Perhaps if he could cast an illusion…

A few minutes later, a considerably normal-looking Changeling passed through the front doors of the lobby without arousing suspicion. This character then proceeded to the lobby elevator’s maintenance door and closed it, just as its disguise faded. Mecha shook his head in amazement. That was the second close call he’d had tonight. He really had to get back into the swing of things. The maintenance area he was standing in was right next to the elevator, which was currently situated with him on the ground floor. The Changelings clearly had no use for it, which suited the scout just fine. Mecha clambered up onto the top of the elevator and had a quick look around. The maintenance panel for the elevator was easy to find, as it was situated in a large yellow and black box. Finding it was perhaps the first easy thing he’d had to do tonight. Looking down the list of floors, Mecha selected the top floor, which held the penthouse suites and conference rooms. The top was as good as any place to start. As the elevator began to move, Mecha channeled magical energy into his sword leg, heating it to metal-melting temperatures, and cut through the elevator’s roof.

“Nicely done,” he said to himself, standing back and admiring the perfect, glowing circle that was now part of the top of the elevator. He then kicked the circle in and dropped down into the elevator. It was then that Mecha realized that the Changelings hadn’t regarded the elevator as entirely useless. The entire elevator was filled with formerly hibernating Changelings… and they hadn’t enjoyed being woken up. Mecha sighed, raised his sword leg, and turned to the wall, talking to no one in particular.

“Why do I get the feeling I should have expected this?”

The Changelings launched into frenzied battle, sending bolts of magic searing through the elevator and hitting mostly themselves. Mecha was everywhere, spinning and jumping with his sword as if partaking in some deadly dance. The elevator shook as the battle raged on, testing the integrity of the small compartment. Mecha was about to punch a Changeling’s face in when the elevator dinged once, indicating that his floor was coming up.

“I’d love to stay and chat,” Mecha said to the few Changelings around him that were still alive, “but I have a previous engagement.” He pulled one of the five grenades he was carrying off of his belt, armed it, and dropped it into the midst of the Changelings, pulling himself up through the hole in the elevator’s roof. He knelt by the hole, waiting.

“Three, two, one…”

The elevator rocked on its supports and a fair amount of smoke and debris blew out of the hole, but Mecha remained unphased. A lot of work had gone into Starswirl Tower, and he doubted a grenade would be enough to destroy its main elevator. When the noises below subsided, Mecha ducked back down into the elevator. As expected, the Changelings were completely gone. The walls were covered with black soot. His grenade had done its work, and had vaporized everything in the elevator. As he felt his ascent slow, Mecha straightened himself up and dusted himself off. Best to be presentable when entering hostile territory. The doors opened and Mecha stepped out. He knew right away that he was in the right place when he took note of the two Changeling guards pacing up the corridor with their backs turned to him not twenty feet away. Mecha ducked into an alcove and rummaged through his gear. It was time to field test some equipment of his own. He took four blades attached to a coreweave harness out and slipped into the apparatus, tightening it across his back. When the device was fully in place, the blades pointed downwards, digging into the floor. Mecha placed a hoof on the wall, and the blade slid in and stuck. Perfect. He continued the action until all of his hooves were attached to the wall, and began to scale the wall’s surface, stopping only when he was upside down on the ceiling. He then altered course and proceeded forward, silently following the two guards below. They were heading for a large, metal door- the building’s top floor safe. The sight disgusted Mecha. Evidently some nobles just couldn’t bear the thought of leaving their wealth behind when staying in Starswirl Tower. Still, it was definitely possible that the safe had another purpose now- one that might be useful to him.

The two guards stopped in front of two more guards who were posted on either side of the safe. The guards switched positions, and to Mecha’s chagrin, the first two left immediately, heading down the hall and out of sight. That left only the two he’d been following to deal with, and they would be a cakewalk. Slowly he began to descend until he was clinging to the wall right above the safe. He unhooked his sword leg, positioned it right behind the guard on the right, and extended the blade. The Changeling was dead before he hit the floor. The guard on the left only had time to turn and face Mecha before the scout forced him against the wall and rammed one of his climbing hooks through his skull. Mecha wiped green Changeling blood off his blade, sheathed it, and opened the heavy metal door, taking care to drag the two bodies inside with him. When he turned around, Mecha was awestruck. The safe was clearly no longer a safe. It had been turned into a veritable war room. On the opposite wall hung a massive map of Equestria, with lines and notes scribbled on it in some odd language, presumably Changeling. A single desk lay in the middle of the room, with what appeared to be blueprints on it. Mecha turned one of the blueprints over. It showed what appeared to be a large, semi-organic construct buried mostly underground, but what purpose it served eluded him. The second page he turned over, however, looked very familiar. It was an exact copy of what he’d seen upon entering Starswirl Plaza- tendrils of organic matter anchoring something huge in place underground. It occurred to Mecha that the two prints were almost certainly related, and he folded them up, placing them inside a compartment in his mechanical leg. Next he grabbed a notebook. Again, most of the writing inside was gibberish, but there was one thing that made the hair of his mane rise.

“Dear Luna, no,” he whispered. On one page, somepony had drawn a crude sketch of a hexagonal gem, bearing three symbols: a wing, a horn, and a hoof. He knew exactly what it was- the Unifier. Nimbus couldn’t know about this, Mecha realized. If his friend were to get the suspicion that he might be related to part of this war’s cause, he might lose him. Mecha stuffed the notebook in with the prints. He then took a sheet of paper off of the desk and began hastily scribbling down a copy of the map. It appeared to be attack plans, with targeted cities circled in black. What worried him, however, were the cities of Baltimare, Vanhoover, and Canterlot. All three were marked with an “x” instead of the customary circle. He wasn’t sure what to make of this, but the symbols spooked him. He was about to turn and go when he noticed one final thing- an itinerary, from the looks of it- sitting on the edge of the desk. He scanned it quickly. Nothing on it seemed of importance, since most of the events on it had already occurred. There was, however, one event that stopped Mecha dead when he noticed it. The subject simply said “King Chitin Arrival,” but it was the date and time that worried him the most. The date was today, and if he was correct, then this Chitin character should have arrived five minutes ago. Mecha stood up quickly and gathered his things. The last thing he wanted to do was tangle with the newcomer right now. He bolted for the safe entrance, slamming it shut as he exited, and was about to leap for the wall when he heard hoofsteps.

“No time,” he thought, “I’ll have to try an illusion again.”

Using all the magic he could muster, Mecha altered his appearance just enough to appear mostly like a Changeling. Once the task was complete, he headed out into the hall, just as the hoofsteps’ owners came into view. He recognized one of them right away: Queen Chrysalis, the ruler of the Changelings. She certainly looked no worse for wear despite the trouncing she’d received at Shining Armor’s wedding. Beside her, though, was a Changeling he’d never seen. Like Chrysalis, he was tall, but this was a male, and he was stockier than the Queen.

“King Chitin,” Mecha said, coming to a stop and snapping to attention in what he hoped was a Changeling gesture of respect. He hoped his disguise would be adequate. The large Changeling turned to him, but said nothing. Instead, Chrysalis spoke.

“You dare speak to royalty without being spoken to first?”

“I meant no disrespect, my queen,” Mecha said, thinking quickly, “I only wanted to convey to King Chitin that all has proceeded according to schedule thus far.”

Chrysalis said nothing, shaking her head instead. Chitin merely grunted, and the two set off down the hall again. Mecha didn’t move until they were gone completely. This Chitin character seemed to be a pretty creepy addition to the mix. Twilight would need to know about him ASAP. He started running down the hall, looking for the first available elevator. There were none. Then all hell broke loose. It started with a scream of rage, almost certainly from Chrysalis. She’d discovered his handiwork back at the safe, no doubt. It was time to go. Mecha approached two guards at a full sprint, shifting from his disguise and taking both Changelings out with swift strikes. His cover was blown, as he’d predicted it would be. It was now time for the final step: extraction.

“Drop unit, this is Thorn,” Mecha said into his comm as he threw himself into a stairwell, “I have the intel and am ready for extraction.”

“Roger, Thorn,” Nimbus’s voice came through loud and clear, “state your location.”

“At the top of the-“ Mecha stopped to stab a Changeling coming up the stairs, then turned and began to gallop back up the stairs as Changelings began to swarm up from the lower levels. “I’m at the top of Starswirl Tower, and I’m probably not going to be on ground level any time soon.”

“Roger, Thorn. I’ll meet you at the tower.”

Mecha headed for the final level- the roof- and smashed the door open, bolting across the balcony. There was a guard ahead, but Mecha continued his sprint.

“This is drop unit requesting visual confirmation of extraction point,” Nimbus said.

“Roger,” Mecha said as he stabbed the guard, whipping him around. He pulled a grenade, armed it, and shoved it into the guard’s hooves before kicking him over the edge, “confirmation in two seconds.”

Two seconds later, the grenade exploded. Anyone who had otherwise ignored the drama playing out on the roof of Starswirl Tower was aware of it now. Mecha estimated perhaps twenty seconds before he was surrounded. He backed towards the roof’s ledge.

“Confirmation received, extraction ETA is fifteen seconds.”

Mecha swiveled his head to face the rooftop exit just in time to see Changelings pouring out the door, heading straight for him. They’d responded quicker than he’d expected. Above, he could see Nimbus diving towards him, but he knew the Pegasus wouldn’t make it in time. “Hey drop unit,” he said into his comm, “can you hold a pretty steady dive?”

“Roger, why?”

“Just follow me,” Mecha said, gritting his teeth and tumbling over the edge of the building just out of reach of his pursuers. He straightened himself out and waited. Within milliseconds, Nimbus was holding in a dive only a few inches away. Mecha grabbed his harness and clipped it into Nimbus’s, patting him on the right front leg as soon as he was clear. With only about forty feet to spare, Nimbus pulled out of the dive sharply, cutting vapor trails into the night air. Mecha felt the blood rush from his head and fought to maintain consciousness. Sharp Eye arrived, forming up off Nimbus’s left wing. They were soaring below rooftop level, heading out of the city. Mecha glanced back and was greeted by a squadron of Changelings, bearing down on them from above.

“Gentlecolts, we appear to have company,” he said.

“Dammit, we’re unarmed,” Sharp Eye cursed.

“You may be, but I’m not,” Mecha replied, taking out his third grenade and arming it. With a casual flick he threw it back towards the Changelings. The resulting explosion took out several of the pursuers, but the squadron kept coming. Nimbus and Sharp Eye pushed their flight lower, barely clearing hills and trees as they left the city with the enemy in hot pursuit. Mecha was about to arm another grenade when his comm sputtered to life again with a new voice.

“Drop unit, this is Wonderbolt Flight. Inbound to your position, over.”

“Roger, Wonderbolt,” Nimbus said from above Mecha, “you’re cleared hot. Target is directly behind us. We are at an altitude of 320 feet ASL.”

“Roger, confirm 320 feet ASL. Drop twenty feet and proceed.”

Mecha felt Nimbus descend just as two Pegasi ripped by overhead, scattering the remaining Changelings and engaging them. The fight wasn’t even close, and in moments, the Pegasi were formed up nearby. Leaving Changelings falling out of the sky behind them.

“So,” Mecha said over the comm, “I see the Wonderbolts have been activated as an operational squadron**. You under that aviator’s bucket there, Spitfire?”

“Roger that,” one of the Pegasi replied.

“How were the recruits today?” Nimbus pressed.

“Developing damn well if I say so myself,” Spitfire responded proudly. “Rainbow Dash is going to be an excellent leader.”

The Pegasi’s conversation reminded Mecha of his own recruits. Technically, of course, they weren’t his, but he’d enjoyed the brief time they’d spent together. They had potential, he knew, and he was looking forward to seeing them in the field. There was one other thought which was pressing him, though- Caramel Swirl. He’d made up his mind that as soon as he landed he’d speak to Twilight about organizing a rescue operation. Something had to be done.

…

“No,” Twilight said firmly.

“You weren’t there,” Mecha countered, “you have no concept of what I saw in that city!”

The team had landed ten minutes ago, and Mecha had posed his rescue question to Twilight. Now they were standing face to face in their briefing room in the town hall, tension high.

“I know what will happen if we send a rescue team back,” Twilight retorted. “The Changelings aren’t stupid, especially now, and if this map indicates possible attacks, that’s where our focus needs to be. I’m sorry, Mecha, but I don’t have time to go chase down one lost filly.”

“Send me, then,” Mecha said. “I can get in and out easily.”

“Again, negative,” Twilight said, “you need to meet your unit and prepare for deployment. We’ll have need for you soon.” Twilight turned around and opened the door. “I’d like to help you, Mecha, but this is war. Sacrifices need to be made.”

“You know I’ll go after her anyway,” Mecha countered, “whether it’s legal or not.”

“You do that,” Twilight replied, “and you’ll face treason charges. We need you elsewhere. Good night.” Twilight was about to step out when she turned. “One more thing. You won’t be needing those ranks. I’ve seen fit to permit you to Major. You can’t remain a Corporal while in charge of the 13th.” Twilight walked out the door before Mecha could respond. The black pony was furious.

“You think promoting me is going to make a difference?!” he yelled at the door, “I have an obligation. I made a promise! Does that mean nothing to you?!” He slammed his hoof down on the table. “I don’t even want to be an officer, but you couldn’t even give me that satisfaction, could you?”

He grabbed his debrief folder, upon which a large red “success” had been marked. Mecha gritted his teeth and took a deep breath. Perhaps in the eyes of the bureaucrats, this mission would be considered successful, but he knew the real truth. As long as Caramel Swirl remained trapped within Equestria’s largest city, he’d consider the mission incomplete: a failure.

And to him, failure was not an option.

*Coreweave is the Equestrian equivalent of leather, and is created using fibers from the Core plant.

**This is not unheard of. In fact, the United States Air Force Thunderbirds are their own squadron and may be called upon in a time of war in a manner very similar to this.

Manusar

Manusar

I lean back in my seat, already overwhelmed by what I’ve read. There is much I still cannot comprehend, and perhaps never will. Twilight Sparkle sits across from me, having just finished telling me all she could of the daring actions of Corporal Mecha. It’s shaken her too, I can tell, and while I want to know more, I can see that these memories are hurting her.

“Perhaps we can return here tomorrow?” I ask, setting down Twilight’s copy of Corporal Mecha’s orders. “I think both of us need a rest before we can continue.”

Twilight nods solemnly, staring off into space. “Forgive me for seeming so distant,” she finally whispers, “it’s just that this is a lot to relive. I’d be happy to meet you here tomorrow.”

Using her magic, she begins sorting her papers, carefully placing them back in her saddlebag. She is about to close the bag when she pauses, and pulls out two items: a government document, most likely a report, and a small scrap of what appears to be a flag- the Equestrian flag.

“Before you retire for the night,” she says, placing the scrap and the report in front of me, “I’d ask you to consider reading these. First the scrap, then the report. It’s not related to the general war effort, but there’s a story behind that scrap of our flag that needs to be told.”

I turn the scrap over and immediately recoil. There is a word written on the scrap in what can only be dried blood. I almost drop the scrap in surprise, but I stop myself, focusing on the word scrawled there.

Manusar

“I’m unfamiliar with this language,” I say, “where did this come from?”

Twilight smiles. “I wouldn’t expect you to be familiar with the language. It’s written in Alicorn, an old and largely forgotten tongue. A ‘dead language,’ as many have been fond of saying. Its meaning is simple- roughly translated, it means ‘dawn.’ It’s hard to understand now, but when you read the report, I think things will clear up somewhat.”

I nod. “Thank you. Tomorrow morning, then? The same booth?”

“Yes,” Twilight agrees, “I look forward to seeing you then.”

I pay for the dinner and escort Twilight out. In the street, we bid each other a good night, and go our separate ways. I return to my rented room, sloshing through the soggy streets. When I finally close my door to the outside world, I’m tired, muddy, and cold. I grab my saddlebag and sit down at my small desk, flipping the switch to turn on my lamp. Nothing happens. The power is still out. Sighing, I light a few small candles and bend over the report, squinting in the dim light at the small print. I must know the story behind “Manusar.”

I must.

…

It was just past two in the afternoon when the first of them arrived over the hills of Phillydelphia’s fertile farmland. There were only a few at first- dark specks in the distance like ants on an anthill. Then more came. Soon the hills were swarming with droves of them. Refugees. Every last one. From her bakery near the main road into Phillydelphia, an Earth Pony named Cinnamon Twist watched with concern. There were so many… Last night she’d dreamed of the very sight before her, and her dream had quickly turned into a nightmare as faceless shadows pursued her while her city burned. She was not ignorant. Like most of her friends, Cinnamon Twist was well aware of what had happened to Manehatten. She turned to her husband, Baker’s Dozen. The Earth Pony was busy laying out loaves of bread for display.

“So this is it. It’s really begun.”

Dozen poked his head up from behind the display counter. “Sorry dear, what was that?”

Cinnamon Twist shook her head. “I’m sorry. It’s nothing. I was just saying that this war- it’s finally knocking on our doorstep.”

Baker’s Dozen noticed his wife glancing intently out the door and decided to investigate. Peering outside at the stream of exhausted ponies walking towards them, he whistled.

“By Celestia, that is quite a sight,” he said, not sounding overly worried. His wife turned to him.

“You don’t sound upset about this in any way,” she said, “I wish I could share your optimism.”

“Oh come on,” Dozen said, smiling as he returned to his work, “it’s not like they’re scum or anything. They just need a place to live for a while.” Lowering his voice, he added “and besides, those ponies out there have been through hell and back. We should consider ourselves lucky we aren’t among them right now.”

Baker’s Dozen wasn’t far from the truth, Twist realized. She remembered when she'd met him in Phillydelphia six years ago as if it had been yesterday. He’d been preparing to leave for Manehatten to continue his studies in archaeology and ancient languages when they’d first begun to date. It wasn’t long before Baker’s Dozen proposed, and Cinnamon Twist gladly accepted. They’d been preparing to start anew in Manehatten when life, as it often does, threw a wrench in the works. Cinnamon Twist’s father, who owned a bakery in town, had fallen ill, and was not expected to recover. Death came for him shortly thereafter. As next of kin, it was Twist’s responsibility to keep the business alive, which would require that she stay in Phillydelphia. Suddenly a dreadful choice was thrust upon Dozen: he could continue to pursue his career or give it up to stay with his beloved. Cinnamon Twist had told him again and again that she would understand whatever his choice might be, and despite what she’d predicted, Dozen stayed, helping her to run her shop. Both of them had never regretted their decision, but now, seeing the refugees pouring in, Cinnamon Twist couldn’t help but wonder what might have happened if things had turned out differently, and they’d both moved on to Manehatten.

Cinnamon Twist finally closed the front door and turned the store sign from “closed” to “open.” She then returned to her husband’s side, ready to greet the day’s incoming customers.

“You know,” she whispered to Dozen, “there are other things to consider here. Manehatten was a hub for violent crime. You can’t believe that all of these refugees are just going to stay and leave us be.”

Baker’s Dozen turned to his wife. “I know, but it’s a risk we have to take. Besides, we’re adaptable. You know that more than most.”

Twist smiled and kissed her husband on the cheek. “I know. I guess it’s just the stress talking.” She pulled a small bottle of wine out from under the cash register and uncorked it, filling two small glasses. “Here’s to a prosperous day,” she said, and the couple toasted each other, downing their drinks as the first customer opened the door.

…

EM Form A-25 After-Action Report

Reporting Officer: Capt. Snow Breeze, Equestrian Army, 35th Platoon.

Subject: Phillydelphia.

Report: At approximately 1443 hours, the first refugees from Manehatten entered the city of Phillydelphia, accompanied by a small Army detachment. Overwatch for the journey was provided by the Equestrian Air Force and select Army Scouts. No enemy action was witnessed en route. In compliance with the Mayor’s emergency policy, families from Manehatten were either sent to unfilled lodging or assigned “sponsor families” to live with until they could be relocated…

…

“Time to close up,” Baker’s Dozen called out, emerging from the storage room and tossing the door keys to Cinnamon Twist, “would you like to have the honor?”

“It would be my pleasure,” Twist replied, catching the keys and trotting to the front door. Sales had been good today, and she had to admit guiltily that war, as the saying went, was good for business. She stuck the key in the lock and was about to turn it when a stallion in an Army uniform trotted up to the front door. Behind him were two Earth ponies- a husband and wife, by the looks of it. Cinnamon Twist opened the door.

“Can I help you?” she asked the Army pony. In reply, he nodded.

“Phillydelphia’s Mayor has enacted a new refugee sponsor program to provide shelter to families who are unable to find room in the city’s lodging areas. With your consent, we wish to assign these kind folks to you for a few days.”

Twist opened her mouth to speak. “Well, I-“

“Of course,” Baker’s Dozen finished for her, coming to the door, “we’d be happy to sponsor them.” He turned to the family. “May I ask your names?”

The mare spoke first. “I’m Crystal Shine and this is my husband, Fair Trade.” Her voice was soft but unwavering, as if she’d been touched by tragedy but refused to give in. “Thank you so much for your hospitality.”

“Please,” Cinnamon Twist said, sounding somewhat defeated now, “come in and make yourselves comfortable.” The two strangers looked at each other in relief as Baker’s Dozen ushered them inside. Cinnamon Twist, meanwhile, was handed a clipboard by the Army stallion.

“I just need a signature,” he said, offering her a pen. Cinnamon Twist signed the form. Then, hoping a gesture of goodwill might set her back on course, rushed inside and offered a loaf of freshly-baked rye to the soldier.

“For me, ma’am?” the soldier said, confused.

“Yes,” Cinnamon replied, “for all you’ve done today. It was nice meeting you. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, ma’am,” the soldier said, then paused before turning away. “I can see you’re a bit hesitant about this. It won’t be for long, you have my word. The refugees will be moved farther inland.”

“Inland?”

The soldier nodded. “That’s right. The farther away from the enemy they are, the better. You might want to start thinking about packing up yourself. War might come this way.”

“Thank you,” Cinnamon Twist said as a chill ran down her spine, “I’ll keep that in mind. Goodnight.”

She heard the soldier’s “goodnight” as she closed the door. Once inside, Cinnamon sank to the ground in shock. First, two complete strangers had just invaded her house, and now she was told that the war was heading this way. It wasn’t fair at all. She rubbed her eyes and stood as Baker’s Dozen trotted down into the shop from the upstairs bedroom loft.

“Those folks were pretty tired, so I set them up in our bed,” he explained.

“You did what?!” Cinnamon hissed. Baker’s Dozen was completely taken aback by the severity of his wife’s response.

“Honey?” he stammered. “What’s wrong? I- I didn’t think-“

“That’s right, you didn’t think!” Cinnamon Twist sputtered with rage, advancing on her husband, “You didn’t think at all! You let two complete strangers into our house without my consent, and now they’re sharing our damn bedroom! So you’re right! You didn’t think!”

“Twist, what’s the matter?” Dozen said, standing his ground, “we’re supposed to help these ponies, not keep them out on the streets! You’ve always been generous before. What’s gotten into you?”

“What’s gotten into me? They’re from Manehatten! Nothing good comes out of there! They could be thieves, or murderers, or-“

“Or ordinary citizens like us,” Dozen said, cutting her off. “Just scared, ordinary citizens trying to make sense of this whole mess. I refuse to believe that’s all that’s troubling you. Just speak your mind and-“ Baker’s Dozen was interrupted by hoofsteps on the loft stairs. He looked back just in time to see Crystal Shine and Fair Trade paused on the steps, frozen.

“I’m sorry,” Crystal Shine said, “we didn’t mean to intrude.”

“We heard yelling,” Fair Trade explained, “and we just- we just wanted to know if everything’s alright.”

“It’s fine,” Cinnamon Twist said, waving them off, “just fine. You can go back to bed.”

“Please, Mrs. Cinnamon Twist,” Fair Trade persisted, “we don’t want to be any trouble. If our presence here disturbs you, we can leave. We can find another home.”

Cinnamon Twist said nothing, just stared at the ponies on the staircase. They looked tired and sad, and they most certainly did not look like scum. She realized the gravity of what she’d said to Baker’s Dozen and how rash her actions had been. She took one look at her husband and broke down, sobbing into his neck.

“I’m sorry about this,” Baker’s Dozen said, running a hoof down his wife’s mane in a comforting gesture and speaking simultaneously to the new guests, “we’re just a little stressed. Please, come down and join us. I’ll draw up some chairs and a table and get some coffee going. I believe there is much we need to discuss.”

“I’ll get the coffee,” Cinnamon Twist said, lifting her head back up and sniffing. She dried her eyes and said with a smile, “you and I both know you never get it quite right.”

Baker’s Dozen smiled. “Now that’s more like the Cinnamon Twist I know.”

…

After a few minutes, the four ponies were seated around a small table, with fresh, hot coffee for all. Fair Trade grabbed his mug and had a quick sip.

“I believe introductions are in order,” he said quietly. “I’m Fair Trade. I worked as a sales representative in Manehatten.”

“And as you already know, I’m Crystal Shine,” his wife added, “I work jewelry.”

“I’m Baker’s Dozen,” Dozen said, waiting for his wife to introduce herself. When she didn’t, he spoke for her. “This is my wife, Cinnamon Twist. We own this bakery.”

“I see,” Crystal Shine said, “does this bakery run in the family?”

“It does,” Cinnamon Twist said, speaking for the first time. “My father passed it down to me, and now it’s co-owned by my husband.”

“If you don’t mind me asking,” Baker’s Dozen said hesitantly, “how did you come to escape from Manehatten? I’ll understand if it’s too early for you to speak about it.”

Fair Trade glanced at his wife anxiously. She nodded and he took a swig of coffee before speaking. “We evacuated our apartment as soon as the attacks started,” he explained. “We pushed our way through the crowds and fled to safety. That was about it.”

He glanced to the side nervously, and Baker’s Dozen could tell that there was more to the story. Still, he didn’t bother pressing the issue.

“I’m sorry,” he said, “it must be hard to think about your time in that city.” He glanced over at his wife. She was clutching her coffee mug with a death grip and was paling. “Cinnamon Twist?” he said, “are you alright?”

Twist looked down at her hooves and released the mug, almost recoiling. Baker’s Dozen persisted. “Twist, it’ll do you good to say what’s on your mind.”

“You’re among friends here,” Fair Trade added, trying to be helpful.

Cinnamon Twist picked up her coffee mug with a shaking hoof and downed the rest of the warm beverage. “It’s this war,” she said finally. “If it moves here, I just don’t know what we’re going to do.”

“That’s what was bothering you?” Baker’s Dozen asked with concern. “Oh Twist, if you’d just told me… Listen, remember what I said earlier? We’re adaptable. We can survive if we have to leave. We’ll-“

“It’s not about us!” Twist sniffed, blinking back tears and trying to hide the turmoil she felt, “it’s everything. We’d lose the shop! We’d lose our old lives! I couldn’t face it!”

“We’d still have us,” Dozen said, running his hoof down her mane. Across the table, he saw the family from Manehatten shift uncomfortably.

“It’s not important,” Cinnamon Twist said, wiping her eyes. “Let me- let me grab something sweet for us.” She glanced up at Fair Trade and Crystal Shine. “You two must be hungry.”

As his wife exited the table, Baker’s Dozen turned his attention back to the two ponies opposite. Both appeared to be fighting back emotion. Finally Crystal Shine spoke up.

“There’s something else you should know. It doesn’t feel right keeping secrets from you… Maybe now’s not the best time, though. I don’t know.”

“Don’t feel forced to say anything,” Baker’s Dozen said. “Especially not something you don’t want to.”

Cinnamon Twist returned with a plate of warm cinnamon crumb cakes. Perhaps it was the smell, perhaps it was the sight. Whatever the case, when Cinnamon entered with the cakes, a single tear rolled down Crystal Shine’s face. It was the first drop of the deluge. After that, the tears streamed down without end. Baker’s Dozen and Cinnamon Twist didn’t know what to make of it.

“These were her favorites,” Crystal Shine choked.

Baker’s Dozen was confused. “Her favorites? I don’t underst-“ his eyes suddenly widened with realization. “Oh.”

Cinnamon Twist was equally stunned. She’d never expected this. Suddenly her own problems and worries seemed pitifully insignificant. “There was another in your family, wasn’t there?” she whispered. “I’m so sorry.”

“Please,” Fair Trade said, “don’t worry about us. It’s not worth troubling yourselves over.”

“Oh, but that’s where you’re wrong,” Cinnamon Twist said, simultaneously cursing herself for her earlier reluctance to let these poor ponies in and trying her best to help. “If you feel up to it, tell us whatever you think you need to. Put your minds at ease.”

Nopony spoke for a few moments; the only sound breaking the silence was the occasional sobbing of Crystal Shine. Finally, she composed herself and spoke.

“We had a daughter in Manehatten. I can’t- I can’t even bring myself to say her name. I’ll just lose myself again if I do. We were attacked in the street when we were trying to evacuate. Our daughter…” Crystal Shine broke off, looking down at the table.

“Our daughter was lost in the crowds,” Fair Trade finished for her. “Nopony’s been back in the city for days now. If she was alive after the attack, her chances aren’t good now.”

“Like we said, both of us-“ Baker’s Dozen gestured to his wife and himself, “-will do anything we can to help you.”

“Taking us in was enough,” Crystal Shine whispered. “We’re grateful beyond gratitude for what you’ve done. We just ask that you allow us the chance to embrace the one thing we have left.”

“Of course,” Dozen said, “anything. What is it?”

Crystal Shine looked up, her face wet with the streams of her tears. “Revenge,” she said, trembling. “There is nothing left to live for now.”

Baker’s Dozen and Cinnamon Twist looked at each other with concern. “I’m afraid I don’t understand,” Cinnamon said. “You know we can’t let you run away to Manehatten. That won’t do anypony any good.”

Fair Trade shook his head. “That was never the plan. What we had in mind is much simpler… for the both of us.”

“It’s no secret that the Changeling advance is pointed this way,” Crystal Shine said. “Phillydelphia is the next major city in their path.”

“So it’s true, then,” Cinnamon Twist sighed. She should have felt scared, she knew. It had been her response earlier. Now, though, all she could feel was rage. These two newcomers had put a face on the war. She couldn’t just sit in the corner and cower anymore. Not with a lost filly struggling to survive without her parents only a little more than a hundred miles away- assuming she was still alive.

“When they arrive,” Crystal Shine continued, “we’ll be waiting for them. Even if it’s just the two of us. We’ll wipe out as many as we can.”

“That’s suicide!” Dozen said, nearly choking on his crumb cake.

“It was never meant to be a survivable plan,” Fair Trade countered quietly. “All I ask is that you two refrain from trying to stop us in any way. This is our fight, not yours. You must escape.”

Cinnamon Twist was completely stunned, as was her husband. Here were two ponies who had experienced more than their share of hardship, and now they wanted nothing less than to give their lives fighting the enemy. It was a bolt from the blue- completely unexpected. When Cinnamon Twist spoke next, her voice was unwavering and clear with determination.

“You want to fight? So do I. This bakery’s been in my family for generations. I won’t see it crumble with the rest of my city.”

“I feel the same way,” said Baker’s Dozen, “but I don’t think it’ll have to come to death. We Phillydelphians are nothing if not loyal to our city. We can organize a resistance, acquire weapons, build barricades-“

“You would do this for us?” Fair Trade said, eyes wide with surprise. “You would do this for our cause?”

Baker’s Dozen downed his food and narrowed his eyes. “We would. And besides- I think I could do with a break from baking for a while.”

“What do you mean?” Cinnamon said, cocking an eyebrow. “Trying to get out of the daily duties?”

“Not at all,” Baker’s Dozen winked, trotting over to a bookshelf and pulling down an old, large volume which he set down on the table, “but every resistance needs a slogan- something to stand for.” He cracked the book open, flipping through a few pages of a language nopony at the table but him had seen before and finally settling on one page in particular. “And I think I know where to begin.”

…

…surveillance reports indicated that Changelings were massing forces for a simultaneous Southern and Western expansion from Manehatten. Phillydelphia, therefore, could not be a permanent home for the refugees, as it was predicted to be in the path of the Changeling advance. Military plans called for a preemptive evacuation of all refugees and citizens. Prince Shining Armor and Princess Cadance arrived five days after the refugees, to speak with the citizens about the impending evacuation. It was at this time that a small group of citizens declared its intention to resist the Changeling advance…

…

Baker’s Dozen set down his newspaper and trotted over to the bakery’s storage room, where Cinnamon Twist was busily working away on an Equestrian Flag with her sewing machine. They’d found the old flag in storage the day after they’d first spoken with Crystal Shine and Fair Trade, and Cinnamon had been working all week to repair it. It was close to completion now, if not there already, and Dozen was impressed- there wasn’t a hole or any indication of wear in sight. Cinnamon Twist looked up as he entered.

“Newspaper,” Dozen said simply, “you should give the front page a read if you have the time.”

Cinnamon Twist stood and headed over to the bakery counter, where the newspaper had been set down, and started reading the front page. Her eyes pored busily over the paper for a few moments, gradually widening. Finally she looked up at her husband.

“No mistake?” she said, in awe, “they’re really coming here?”

“That’s what the paper said,” Baker’s Dozen replied. “Prince Shining Armor and Princess Cadance… I can scarcely believe it myself.”

Fair Trade trotted down from the upstairs loft, his wife following just behind him. “What’s going on?” he asked, yawning.

“Prince Shining Armor and Princess Cadance will address the citizens of Phillydelphia today!” Baker’s Dozen said, waving the newspaper excitedly.

“May I see that?” Fair Trade said, rushing down the stairs and accepting the paper from Baker’s Dozen. He and his wife glanced over it anxiously.

“This is perfect!” Fair Trade said, pumping a hoof in the air. “This is how we get our message across!”

“How?” Cinnamon Twist asked.

“The Prince and Princess will be giving their speech at the train station,” Fair Trade explained, “most of Phillydelphia will either be there or listening in on the radio.”

“I get it!” Cinnamon Twist said, “that will be our best chance for exposure.”

“Then I think it’s time for our cry to be heard,” Baker’s Dozen said, and everypony thought back to the night when the decision had been made. Deep within Dozen’s book, they’d found what they wanted- a word from times of old.

“Manusar,” Baker’s Dozen said, “we will bring the dawn to Equestria.”

“Manusar,” the others echoed. “For the dawn.”

…

The train ride to Phillydelphia had been long and difficult for Shining Armor and Cadance. They’d traveled from the Crystal Empire, which was now safely protected by the mysterious power of the Crystal Heart, to Phillydelphia in two days. In that time they’d been able to see fully the effects that the opening days of the war were having on the population. The train plowed on past groups of ponies heading West, away from the enemy. Stores closed down right in front of them in almost every town they passed through. In one particular case, a mare had tried to climb the train in a station and pass her two year old filly to Shining Armor through the window. All he could do was stare. Sorrow was not a deep enough emotion to describe what he was going through now. Equestria had been rocked to its core by the Changelings’ surprise invasion, and both Shining Armor and his wife, Cadance, were relieved when the Phillydelphia station came into view. Both were also, however, somewhat apprehensive. There was no telling what they might find in the city. The place was now the home of thousands of refugees, who would either look on the two royal figures with kindness or with loathing. It was too early to say which. As the train slowed to a stop, Shining Armor stood, offering his hoof to Cadance and helping her up.

“I’ve never been more nervous,” Shining Armor confessed as they prepared to leave the train.

“I know,” Cadance replied, “neither have I.”

The two prepared to make their entrance, but stopped when they noticed a pony standing on their podium. Standard procedure would have been to escort the mare away, but something in her words intrigued Shining Armor, and he held off his security detail.

“-this menace we face today is evil incarnate! They have no feelings. They massacred thousands! Can we leave the memories of our fallen brothers and sisters unavenged? The military has shed more than their share of blood. It is time for the citizens of Equestria to do their part! This great shadow that threatens to overtake this mighty city will not have its prize so easily! The Changelings will look upon us, the defenders of Phillydelphia, but they will not see fear in our eyes! They will see the flame of vengeance- the flame that kindles a thousand fires! They will see the light of a new dawn, and on that day, they will understand what it means to fear. They will fear us, and under our cries of ‘Manusar!’ they will cower…”

“Manusar?” Shining Armor said, puzzled. “What does that mean?”

“It means ‘dawn,’ I believe,” Cadance said, “though I’m not as fluent in Ancient Alicorn as either Celestia or Luna is.”

“-a new day is dawning, my friends,” the mare continued, “and it is our responsibility to ensure it dawns on an Equestria without fear. Who will have the courage to stand with me in the face of adversity when that day comes?”

Cries of “Manusar” answered her. The mare looked back towards the train station and noticed Shining Armor and Cadance standing and watching her in awe.

“Forgive me,” the mare said, “I did not mean to take up your time.”

“No, not at all,” Cadance replied. “Please- tell us your name.”

“Cinnamon Twist,” the mare replied.

“Well, Miss Cinnamon Twist,” Shining Armor said, offering her his hoof, which she shook firmly, “it seems you’ve done our job for us.”

“Only if that job is riling up the citizens,” Cinnamon Twist said sheepishly. Shining Armor shook his head.

“You’ve inspired them,” he said. “You’ve given them a reason to fight. I could never have done that. I simply bring news from Canterlot- orders, actually.”

“Please take the podium,” Cinnamon twist said, stepping out of the way, “they need to see you at a time like this.”

Shining Armor and Cadance stepped forward into full view. Immediately the roars of the crowd faded to a whisper. Cinnamon Twist was impressed with the stallion’s presence. He had, in one glance, silenced the population of Phillydelphia. It then occurred to her that during her speech, she too had done the same.

“Citizens of Phillydelphia,” Shining Armor began, “you are all aware of the darkness that has enshrouded this land. The Changeling invaders are here, and they have no intention of leaving on their own. We do not know their motives, but we do know that they are an evil- and an evil to be reckoned with. As you already know, thanks to the brave Cinnamon Twist whom I had the pleasure of speaking to a few moments ago, the Changelings will come here next. My official instructions-“ he paused, taking out a note card with the details of Phillydelphia’s evacuation on it. He stared hard at the paper, steeling himself for what he was going to do next. He ripped the card in two, then scattered the paper to the wind. “My official instructions are no longer important. I know better than to convince you not to fight for this beautiful and wondrous city. Some of you still wish to leave. Perhaps many of you do, in fact, and it is to those ponies that I wish to speak now. The evacuation of Phillydelphia begins today. Those who do not wish to fight, and those with children are free to leave now. I am assigning all of you to the care of 35th platoon and its subsequent reinforcements. The first wave of evacuation will begin at dusk. To the officers and enlisted of 35th platoon, I also have special instructions. You are to turn over your weapons to the defenders of Phillydelphia. I suspect they will be quite grateful for them. No Changeling threat has been able to reach the roads south of here, so there will be no need for weapons.” He turned back to Cinnamon Twist and Cadance as the crowd began to murmur. “Will you two please come forward?” he asked. Cadance stepped up to his side, but Cinnamon Twist was caught completely off guard. Prince Shining Armor had asked for her? Hesitantly she took her place on Cadance’s left as Shining Armor addressed the crowd once more.

“Soldiers, bring your weapons forward to the podium, then proceed to Sunset Stadium. Evacuees, you will follow them to the stadium and begin leaving the city at dusk. Any items you cannot carry should be brought to the train station and tagged. They will be sent to Canterlot. Once all personal items are clear, we will start using the train to evacuate those remaining to Canterlot. You may now go to your homes and begin collecting your belongings. Soldiers, I trust that you will do what is right. Now, I wish to finally address those who have proclaimed themselves defenders of this city. I ask that you remain here after the others have gone. I would speak with you.”

“May the Sun and Moon watch over your journey,” Cadance said to the departing evacuees. Cinnamon Twist looked up in awe at Shining Armor.

“Your Highness,” she said, nearly speechless, “you had orders, and you just- you just…”

“They were my orders,” Shining Armor said. “They were mine to do with as I pleased. When I saw how different things were in Phillydelphia, so completely opposite from what I’d expected, I couldn’t leave them as they were.” He turned to Cadance. “Shall we?” he asked, nodding towards the group of ponies congregating near the soldiers’ discarded weapons.

“Of course,” Cadance replied. Shining Armor turned to Cinnamon Twist.

“And will you join me as well?”

Cinnamon Twist bowed her head. “Sir, I am a civilian, no different than those who wait for you. I didn’t even want Manehatten’s refugees in this city a week ago.”

Cadance shook her head with a smile. “You’ve done much more than the average citizen, Cinnamon Twist. You discredit yourself without cause. Your followers have established you as a leader. Come with us and take the last few steps to becoming one.”

Cinnamon Twist’s knees went weak, and her stomach seemed to plummet. Leader? She’d never intended to be a leader, nor did she trust herself to care for all of the ponies now looking upon her with anxious eyes. She was about to shake her head in refusal when she caught two faces in the crowd- Fair Trade and Crystal Shine. Without so much as a word, Crystal Shine nodded, and in that nod, Cinnamon accepted what she had to do next.

“Alright,” she said to Shining Armor, “I’ll accompany you.”

The three ponies descended into the small crowd below, and Cinnamon Twist was instantly swarmed by her friends and neighbors, shouting words of appreciation with cries of “Manusar!” interspersed. Cinnamon Twist stuck by Cadance’s side, and was amazed by the Princess’s grace and caring. She whispered words of encouragement to all she met, and at one point even agreed to marry two citizens who wished to be wed before the fighting started. Their ceremony was planned, executed, and confirmed within the course of just ten minutes, with a little magical assistance, of course. They made their way to the pile of weapons where they finally stopped. Cadance turned to Cinnamon Twist.

“I think it’s time for you to address those who would follow you now,” she whispered with a smile. Cinnamon Twist gulped nervously, but stood tall.

“Everypony? Everypony, may I have your attention?” she shouted. The crowd fell silent. Cinnamon Twist was amazed. She’d never expected to be here, and to be here as a leader… that was unprecedented.

“I am not a leader, nor am I a warrior,” Cinnamon continued. “I wish I could tell you that you’ll all be able to come out of this safely, but I think you know that I cannot. Each and every one of us must be prepared to die in the defense of this country. It’s a lot to ask, I know, but someday our country will look back on our actions, and see just what Phillydelphians and Manehattenites are made of. This is our chance to show everypony that this country’s citizens have the will to resist. We will not falter, and we will not fall back.” Cinnamon reached into the weapons pile and removed a white crossbow from it, lifting it high. “With the taking of this weapon,” she said, steadily raising her voice to a shout, “our fight begins!”

Princess Cadance looked on at the display of pure bravery before her, and a tear came to her eye. Nothing could have prepared her for such a demonstration of heart as this. To know that somepony such as this was about to put her very life on the line was almost too much. She turned to Shining Armor, and in her eyes, he could see exactly what she felt. He simply nodded. He felt the same.

“Cinnamon!”

Cinnamon Twist looked through the crowd just in time to see Baker’s Dozen leap towards her and catch her in his embrace. Behind him, Fair Trade and Crystal Shine followed. “Cinnamon, I’m so proud of you,” Baker’s Dozen said as they released each other. “We’ve done it. We have enough ponies to defend the city now.”

A small smile played about Cinnamon Twist’s mouth and she turned to Fair Trade and Crystal Shine. “You were the ones who kindled this flame,” she said simply, “and you should be the first of the defenders to choose a weapon.”

Without a word, but with faces displaying pure gratitude, the couple hurried past her to the weapons pile. The rest followed, forming several lines around the pile.

“Equestria will know of this,” Shining Armor said to Cinnamon Twist, “Princess Cadance and I will ensure it. I wish we could remain with you longer, but we must be back in Canterlot tonight.”

“It’s fine,” Cinnamon Twist said. “You are needed elsewhere. I’m just so glad you could be here today. Seeing you… it’s beyond inspiration.”

“Thank you,” Shining Armor said.

“If there’s anything else we can do-“ Cadance added.

Cinnamon Twist shook her head. “You’re both doing your part right now. Coming out to speak to those who look up to you shows Equestria that you care,” she looked out over the crowd of ponies now arming themselves, “I just hope we’re enough to make a difference.”

“You already have,” Cadance said. “Numbers alone do not win a battle. You have heart. In the days ahead, I think we’ll all be able to take example from your actions here.”

Cinnamon Twist saw the sun descending. The evacuation would begin soon. Within a few hours, the city would belong to the defenders, and they would be the only ones standing between the Changelings and Manehatten.

…

… the defenders took up the term “Manusar” as their war cry, which roughly translates to “dawn” in the Alicorn tongue. They armed themselves following the Prince’s speech, and evacuations began shortly thereafter. The evacuations continued throughout the night, and through most of the following day. By noon, Phillydelphia was deserted. The rest of this report is based on the accounts of observations made outside of the city, as there was no military presence in Phillydelphia during the following two days…

…

“Thicker, higher! That barricade wouldn’t stand up to a snowball fight let alone a magical attack!” Cinnamon Twist yelled as she threw a dinner chair onto a steadily accumulating pile of debris in the middle of the street near her bakery. She turned at the sound of hoofsteps in time to see Baker’s Dozen approaching.

“Hey Cinnamon,” he said, eyeing the barricade. He whistled. “Not bad so far.”

“Well, it’s going to have to get better fast,” Cinnamon Twist said, watching as the sun began to dip below the horizon, “the Changelings aren’t going to wait for us to prepare.”

“That’s actually what I meant to talk to you about- preparations,” Baker’s Dozen said, “would you mind following me inside for a moment?”

“Of course,” Cinnamon Twist agreed, turning and walking beside her husband towards the bakery. They stepped inside and were immediately engulfed in a sea of ponies rushing about, all tending to important, time-critical tasks. The bakery had been chosen as the resistance’s base of operations, and Baker’s Dozen had been chosen as a military planner, along with an Army Unicorn who’d volunteered to stay behind. Dozen led Cinnamon upstairs and into the loft bedroom, where a massive map of the city had been laid out on top of a board on the bed.

“We’ve got a plan, I think,” Baker’s Dozen said, nodding to his assistant planner. The Unicorn took over, directing Cinnamon’s attention to the map.

“The Changelings have a significant advantage in numbers,” he explained, “so we had to devise a method of ensuring that we don’t fight their whole force at once. We can accomplish that,” he said, moving his hoof in a circle around the city, “by placing skilled Unicorns capable of generating magical shields at all of the city’s entrances save for this one,” he pointed at the location where the barricade outside was being set up. “This is where we’ll conduct our defense. The Changelings will want to take the path of least resistance, and since this will be the only opening into the city, they’ll be forced to try and fight through this location. Now obviously we have the barricade. That’s where we’ll concentrate the majority of our force. We can also hide sharpshooters in the buildings beside the barricade as well.”

Cinnamon Twist studied the map carefully, nodding. “It’s a well-thought plan. Good job. How soon can we have this set up?”

“Just say the word and we’ll have the Unicorns at their posts within the hour,” the Unicorn answered. Cinnamon rose and looked him in the eye.

“Excellent, then let’s get it done.”

Cinnamon Twist turned on her hooves and headed back downstairs with Baker’s Dozen right behind her. Together they walked back out into the street as the last light of day disappeared. It was strange, Cinnamon marveled, to stand out here in the empty street. Normally this part of town was filled with the smell of fresh food. Most of the ponies who made the food, however, were long gone by now. Cinnamon Twist and Baker’s Dozen were the only two who remained. Cinnamon Twist shook her head, clearing her thoughts. It was time to focus on the task at hoof: defending the city. Behind her she heard the telltale wingwash of a Pegasus landing. She turned around and saw a white Pegasus with a blue mane standing behind her. The tip of one of her wings was singed, and she was panting hard.

“The Changelings are approaching, and they’re much closer than we anticipated. They took a few shots at me when I approached. Funny thing, though- none of them could fly. They’re only about ten hours away from the city at a marching pace, so they’ll be here tomorrow. Early.”

“Thank you,” Cinnamon Twist said, patting the Pegasus on the shoulder, “get inside and have that wing looked at. Then get some rest. I think tomorrow’s going to be a rough day for all of us.”

As the Pegasus left, Cinnamon turned to Baker’s Dozen, concerned. “They’re early,” she said, “we weren’t expecting them tomorrow. Maybe in two or three days, but-“

“Don’t worry,” Baker’s Dozen reassured his wife. “From the looks of things, we’ll be done fortifying the city by morning. Sounds like we’ll only be facing a land force, too. Grounded Changelings… never heard of that before, but it puts a load off my mind.”

“If you say so,” Cinnamon Twist said as Crystal Shine and Fair Trade approached from the barricade. They’d been put in charge of overseeing the construction of the massive fortification, and they’d leapt to the task like timberwolves to a kill.

“We’re nearly there,” Fair Trade said excitedly, “I don’t think something even as strong as a cannon could penetrate that barricade.”

“That’s good to hear,” Cinnamon Twist said, “get yourself something to eat when that barricade’s finished.”

“Will do!” Crystal Shine said as she and her husband raced back to the heap of discarded objects and appliances. Watching everypony at work, Cinnamon Twist felt a sense of pride. She’d always known how hard-working and resourceful her fellow citizens were, but to see them in action was purely inspiring. Cinnamon Twist turned as she heard a low humming noise, and was just in time to see waves of blue magic engulfing the city, covering it in a protective layer with the exception of the barricade. It wouldn’t be long now.

…

Reports indicate that first contact with the Changeling forces occurred around 0730 hours the morning following the evacuation…

…

Cinnamon Twist cracked her eyes open slowly. The first rays of dawn were spilling through the windows of her shop. She stood slowly, still waking up. Her husband was still asleep on the bedroll they’d been using for the past week. Outside, Cinnamon could see the bleary-eyed ponies who had accepted the night watch staring intently outside the city. She pushed the front door open and trotted out to check on them, trying her best to look alert. Clambering over rubble, she slowly worked her way to the top of the barricade and tapped one of the lookouts on the shoulder.

“Anything?” she whispered. The lookout nodded.

“North, about six or so miles away. Give your eyes some time to adjust.”

Cinnamon stared ahead, in the direction the lookout indicated. Her eyes were still slow to focus, but she squinted, forcing them to do so regardless. There was certainly something out on the horizon, but it was too far to… Cinnamon Twist drew in a sharp intake of breath. There they were- the enemy- in force. Getting a numerical estimate was out of the question. A mass of black was spreading over the hills like a shadow. Just as the scout had said, none of them were airborne, but that didn’t make them any less intimidating.

Cinnamon Twist stood. “All of you get some rest,” she said to the lookouts, “go wake everypony else up. We’ll need replacements, and lots of them.”

The lookouts nodded appreciatively and scrambled down the barricade, heading for the bakery and the surrounding buildings. Cinnamon Twist, meanwhile, returned to her observations. She hadn’t expected so many Changelings. Then again, perhaps she had. She just hadn’t prepared herself for how massive such a force would actually be. The sound of hoofsteps signaled the arrival of reinforcements. Cinnamon Twist turned as a brown stallion arrived behind her. She recognized him as one of the occupants of the pizzeria just down the road- the resistance’s sole fletcher’s current residence.

“You there,” she said to the stallion, “I need you to go back to our fletcher. See if he can double his efforts with some help. We don’t have enough arrows to supply those of us without magic as a weapon.”

The stallion nodded. “I’ll do what I can.” He turned and ran back to the pizzeria, disappearing inside. Cinnamon turned her attention back to the approaching aggressors. They were clearly closer now. She shook her head and hopped down from her spot on the barricade. When she reached the street, she turned and headed for the bakery. She wasn’t sure why, but at least it gave her something to do. Anything beat just sitting around here.

…

Cinnamon Twist and Baker’s Dozen were both huddled over their flag. They’d found a pole for it and were prepared to finally show the colors over the barricade, but something didn’t seem right. Cinnamon wasn’t sure what it was, but she had no intention of displaying the flag until whatever mystery problem she had was corrected. They’d been puzzling over it for the past two hours when Cinnamon finally had it.

“Ha,” she said, “I’ve got it!”

Baker’s Dozen sighed with relief. “Good to hear, honey. What’s wrong?”

“Here’s what’s wrong,” Cinnamon said, mentally kicking herself for not seeing it all along, “we’re bearing the standard of Equestria- the same flag the military uses.”

Dozen stared blankly at her. “Yes… and what does that have to do with anything?”

“We’re not the military!” Cinnamon said, “we’re doing this to show the citizens of Ponyville that they have an obligation to rise against the Changelings, too! We need our own personal touch, something like-“ Cinnamon’s eyes drifted over to a knife lying next to the flag. It was Dozen’s sidearm. Dozen followed her gaze.

“A knife?” he asked.

“Not quite,” Cinnamon said, grabbing the blade. Before Dozen could react, she made a small cut across her left front leg. Baker’s Dozen was too shocked to speak. Cinnamon dabbed her right hoof in the blood and began writing, using the blood as ink to write letters on the flag. When she was finished, she stood back and looked on with pride at the flag. “Manusar” was written just under the top border of the flag, right above the figures of Celestia and Luna.

“It’s our flag now,” Cinnamon said, wiping her leg off on Dozen, “glad to have your support.”

Dozen looked at his now bloody side. “Always happy to help, Twist,” he replied, heading to the bathroom to wash himself off. Cinnamon repressed a chuckle as he left and grabbed a towel, wrapping it over her cut. As she tied off the towel, a pony burst inside.

“They’re coming!” he yelled. Cinnamon felt adrenaline surge through her body like a tidal wave.

“Everypony, to your weapons! The fight begins now! Follow me!” Cinnamon Twist grabbed her crossbow and bolts and ran to the barricade, scrambling up it and peering over. The Changelings were on the verge of entering the city. She could hear them marching in perfect cadence, their hoofsteps echoing through the buildings like thunder.

“Halt!” the lead Changeling called. The army halted and the Changeling stepped forward. To Cinnamon’s amazement, he bore no wings, but was covered in a black and green shell-like armor. “Who goes there?” he yelled to the ponies on the barricade.

“The defenders of Phillydelphia!” Cinnamon Twist yelled back.

The Changeling blinked once, with a look of incredulous surprise on his face. He hadn’t expected this in the least.

“Are you the leader of this resistance?” he asked finally.

“Yes!”

“Then I would speak with you regarding your terms of surrender.”

Cinnamon Twist growled to herself. The Changelings were proving to be quite full of themselves. She ran her hoof down the length of her crossbow. She wanted nothing more right now than to take out the leader, but it wouldn’t be right. She cursed quietly and replied.

“Surrender? Mister, I think you have the wrong city. We don’t surrender here.”

The Changeling looked back at his forces, then back to Cinnamon before speaking again. “Does it really have to come to this? If you fight, you will all die for nothing. If you surrender, we take you alive! Look at us! We have an advantage in strength!”

“Yes,” Cinnamon said, looking over as three ponies took their places by her side- Baker’s Dozen, Fair Trade, and Crystal Shine- “but what we lose in strength we more than make up for with heart.” Cinnamon Twist rose to her hooves and planted the resistance’s flag in the center of the barricade. “Manusar!” she yelled, “we will bring dawn to Equestria!”

“Manusar!” the cry issued from the mouth of everypony on or near the barricade, “dawn to Equestria!”

The Changeling commander shook his head and frowned in disgust, turning back to his forces. “Cut them down,” he said with venom in his tone, “fire!”

The Changelings in the front of the formation pointed their glowing horns towards the figures on the barricade. “Everypony down!” Cinnamon cried out, dropping behind cover just as the magical bolts cut through the air above her head. “Fire!” Cinnamon called once she had her bearings. She poked her head over the barricade after she was sure the first volley was done, raised her crossbow, selected a target, and fired. A Changeling dropped from the ranks, a bolt protruding from its forehead. He was the first, as more bolts and arrows rained down on the Changelings from all sides. The leader was nowhere to be seen, but Cinnamon could hear him.

“Return fire!” he yelled as more of his soldiers were cut down. Cinnamon Twist squinted as chunks of a wooden table supporting the barricade flew up towards her face. It was utter chaos. The air was thick with debris of all sorts. As she let off another shot, she glanced up at the city skyline. The magical shields were still in place. Good. Thus far, there were no casualties either. Another magical bolt impacted in front of her, throwing up sawdust into Cinnamon’s face. She coughed and spat, looking for the one who had fired at her. It was impossible, of course. All of the Changelings looked the same. Cursing, she selected an enemy targeting one of the archers on the barricade’s left side. One pull of the trigger later, the Changeling was down. A few daring Changelings attempted to climb the barricade, but they were cut down by the sharpshooters in the buildings on either side of the street. Scanning the enemy’s ranks down the length of her crossbow, Cinnamon searched for the leader who’d proposed surrender. After a few minutes of ducking and scanning, she found him in the middle of the formation- safe, or so he believed.

Cinnamon raised her weapon and took aim. She slowed her breath, and began putting pressure on the trigger. Slowly she squeezed, and without keeping her sights off the leader, fired. The recoil upset her aim, but the bolt flew true, striking the Changeling leader in the shoulder. He immediately sank to the ground, obviously still alive. “Fall back!” he yelled, “fall back!”

The Changelings pulled back from the streets, leaving dead and dying comrades where they were. “Cease fire!” Cinnamon Twist ordered. When she was absolutely sure that the Changelings were retreating and out of range, she relaxed her hold on her crossbow.

“Stand down,” she said, “take care of yourselves. We need to be ready to fight at a moment’s notice.”

As Cinnamon Twist hit the ground, she realized why she’d never seen a casualty on the barricade. All of the injured were here, at street level. They’d been hustled off the barricade as soon as they’d been hit. Cinnamon stepped gingerly between the wounded fighters, congratulating those who were conscious. There were a variety of wounds, ranging from small scrapes to large, gaping magical impact wounds. Cinnamon passed a young stallion who had suffered a hit from a magical bolt to his side. The wound was fatal, but he was fighting for consciousness regardless. When Cinnamon saw him, a sinking feeling rushed over her; she knew this one had no chance of making it. She knelt by his side as makeshift medics began issuing him painkillers. The stallion gritted his teeth and groaned, lifting his head to stare Cinnamon in the eyes.

“Have they retreated?” he asked.

Cinnamon dipped her head. The stallion’s gaze was hard to bear. Finally her tearful eyes met his determined ones. “Yes, we’ve beaten them back.”

The stallion let out a long sigh and stopped his struggles, leaning his head back. “I knew we could do it,” he whispered, “it’s all thanks to… thanks to you.”

As the stallion closed his eyes, Cinnamon clasped one of his hooves in hers. She felt his pulse grow fainter and fainter until it was gone completely. Still, Cinnamon held on, hoping there was some chance he might return.

“He’s gone,” the stallion’s healer whispered, “there’s nothing more we can do.”

Cinnamon Twist drew back slowly, finally releasing the stallion’s hoof. Had she done this? Had she caused the death of this pony? She knew he’d volunteered to fight, but she still couldn’t shake the feeling that she was responsible. She remained there, staring at the lifeless pony until a hoof tapped her on the shoulder. She turned around. It was Baker’s Dozen. He was dirty, but apart from a small cut above his left eye, he was unharmed. Cinnamon said nothing- just hugged him.

“We did it, Cinnamon,” Dozen whispered, “we beat them back.”

“For now, maybe,” Cinnamon replied, “but they’ll return.”

When the two released each other, Dozen spoke. “Cinnamon, there are a few ponies who wish to speak with you. I don’t know what it’s about, but they said it was urgent.”

“Alright,” Cinnamon said, following her husband to a group of about twenty ponies. All looked severely shell-shocked.

“Miss Cinnamon Twist?” one of the ponies said, looking at the ground and avoiding eye contact, “we wish to speak with you.”

“I’m here,” Cinnamon said hesitantly, realizing with a sinking feeling where this conversation was probably headed, “speak away.”

The pony cleared his throat. “After experiencing battle with the Changelings, we wish to leave. None of us expected this. We simply ask that you consider our statement. We lack the courage you have.”

Cinnamon Twist had heard exactly what she’d expected, but the statement still hit her like a punch to the gut. The resistance was spread thin as it was. To lose some soldiers could be disastrous. “You want to leave? After a ten minute engagement, you just want to desert us? If you had any sense of-“ Cinnamon stopped herself, looking back at the dead and wounded lying in the street. She shook her head. She had no right to retain these ponies.

“Very well,” she said, “you may go. Speak to one of the Unicorns on the far side of the city. Say that you have my permission to leave.”

The pony who had spoken nodded silently, then turned to leave.

“Wait,” Cinnamon said. The pony turned around hesitantly. “Thank you for your service here. Spread the news of this resistance. Consider this your final order from me.”

“Of course,” the pony said, and his companions nodded agreement. Then they began walking. To Cinnamon, it felt like betrayal, but there was nothing she could do.

“We’ll make up for their loss,” Baker’s Dozen said quietly. “We can still fight, and we will until not one of us remains alive.”

“I know you will,” Cinnamon said, “and so will I…” she paused for a moment, then turned fully to Dozen. “Do you think- do you really think- that we can survive this?”

Baker’s Dozen looked at his wife with an expression of the utmost seriousness. “I don’t know,” he said, “I really don’t know. But I’m going to stay here until the end.”

…

…after the first major engagement, no shots were fired from either side for the rest of the day. The Changelings, according to other reports, were regrouping and preparing for another attack. The next major offensive action occurred that night, during which Equestria was finally introduced to the Changelings’ newest weapon. The attack was visible from as far inland as Canterlot…

…

Night had fallen. Cinnamon Twist’s muscles ached from lying prone upon the barricade throughout the day. She’d felt sure that the Changelings were planning a second attack, but she had no idea when such an attack might come. To that end, she’d spent the entire day looking out towards the Changelings. They barely moved. Without much else to do, Cinnamon had then begun thinking about things. Chief among her thoughts was the fact that she could very well die soon- a humbling thought, but not entirely frightening. If things came to death, Cinnamon felt she could accept letting go of her grasp on this world. She’d also considered how the whole resistance had begun, with Crystal Shine’s and Fair Trade’s story about their daughter. They’d said they weren’t positive if she was alive. Why, then, were they up here, ready to sacrifice their lives? They had something to live for, as long as a chance remained that their daughter was still out there. Cinnamon groaned as the thought once again began to circulate through her mind. Realizing that it wasn’t going to go away any time soon, and that the Changelings weren’t going anywhere either, she decided to confront Fair Trade and Crystal Shine. They weren’t hard to find. Both were near the bottom of the barricade, checking and cleaning their weapons. As soon as Cinnamon approached, they both looked up.

“Are the Changelings making another attack?” Fair Trade asked.

Cinnamon sighed. “No, and I don’t think they intend to. I actually came down here to ask you a question.”

“Well ask away,” Crystal Shine said. “We owe you answers.”

“Very well,” Cinnamon said, “now this may sound simple, but I want you to answer honestly: why are you here?”

The couple simply stared at Cinnamon Twist, then looked to each other, confused. Both believed they’d already adequately answered Cinnamon’s question before. Finally, Fair Trade spoke.

“Revenge,” he said, “I thought we’d already made that clear.”

“You did,” Cinnamon answered, “because of your daughter. But I still don’t get it- why do you insist on putting yourselves in this position when there’s a chance your daughter’s still alive?”

“That’s impossible,” Crystal said, “the chances are so slim… Manehatten’s crawling with Changelings.”

“Yes,” Cinnamon said, “yes, that may be. But even if the chances of her survival were one in a million, I think you owe it to your daughter to carry on.”

“What are you saying?” Fair Trade asked.

Cinnamon dipped her head. She’d already dismissed several fighters today, and losing some of the cause’s most dedicated warriors would be difficult. Still, it had to be done. “I’m saying that I give you permission- and my recommendation- to leave this place now, before the fighting gets any worse. There will be no shame in it.” Cinnamon struggled to find something else to say, but she could not. Fair Trade and Crystal Shine were awestruck.

“But this is our fight,” Crystal Shine said, “we can’t just leave you.”

“Yes you can,” Cinnamon said, “because this was your fight once. Now the battle has fallen to us-“ Cinnamon gestured with her hoof to the ponies around her, “-the citizens of Phillydelphia. Everything I have to live for is here in this city. You have something to live for elsewhere. Your fight has only begun.”

“And what is our fight, then, if not against the Changelings?” Fair Trade asked.

“Your fight,” Cinnamon replied, “is to stay alive, confident that your daughter will see you again when this all ends. I fear that, for the rest of us, our time left in this fight is short. It’s up to you two to keep the hope of a free Equestria alive. If you die, so does the dream.”

The couple from Manehatten was speechless. They hadn’t expected Cinnamon to willingly dismiss two warriors, but now they understood, and began to realize that she was right.

“I understand,” Fair Trade said, “but you can’t afford to-“ he stopped as a flash of brilliant green light in the distance lit up his face. Cinnamon Twist turned towards the source. Far away, in the direction of Manehatten, a burning green orb trailing magical fire arced up through the night sky. Everypony who gazed upon it was completely overcome by the beauty of the object, which was now reaching its apogee. It looked for all the world like a shooting star, slowly lumbering across the sky. Once the object began its descent, however, Cinnamon began feeling uneasy. It was headed for Phillydelphia. A second orb rose from Manehatten, following the path of the first, and Cinnamon Twist turned to Fair Trade and Crystal Shine.

“You need to leave,” she urged them, glancing anxiously back at the orbs, which were coming closer and closer, “now. Please, just go!”

The first orb smashed into the magical shield around Phillydelphia with a deafening roar and a burst of blinding light. Inside the shield, the defenders were protected from everything but the brightness of the blast; they were secure. As Cinnamon watched, however, the second orb smashed into the same spot as the first, and sparks began to dance across the shield. “It’s failing,” she realized.

“Go!” she said aloud to Fair Trade and Crystal Shine, “I’m not going to tell you twice! Get out of here!”

The ponies got to their feet and started galloping away as more orbs fell onto the shield. They stopped at an intersection, however, and looked back. A falling orb illuminated the barricade in a bright flash, and in that moment they could see Cinnamon Twist and Baker’s Dozen, silhouetted against the light and standing atop the barricade. They were directing the others to cover, but they stopped when they noticed that they were being watched. Slowly, Cinnamon Twist nodded once, and her husband followed suit. Crystal Shine felt a tear run down her cheek as she and her husband nodded back. Then they turned and continued their escape.

And they never once looked back.

…

The magical barrage continued through the night, and Cinnamon Twist, the only pony out on the barricade, was bearing the full brunt of the attack’s visual and audial assault. The shield was flickering, weakening with each successive pounding, making the Changelings’ intent all too clear to Cinnamon now: they fully intended on finding another way into the city. Cinnamon wondered to herself just how long a Unicorn could hold out against this constant bombardment. If the shield Unicorns could just keep this up until morning, they could still have a chance.

Another orb hit the shield and it flickered dramatically, almost faltering completely before it reassembled. Cinnamon gritted her teeth and closed her eyes as the thundering impacts shook her very bones. Her world was nothing now but the crash of magic against magic and flashing lights. She hunkered down and took a deep breath; tomorrow would come regardless of the Changelings’ attacks, and when it did, she was prepared to pour everything she had into showing the invaders just how little she’d been shaken. Blood would be spilled, more than likely her own, but Cinnamon had no fear. “After all,” she thought to herself, watching the city’s shield slowly fading in and out of existence, “everypony’s got to die sometime.”

…

…the shield around Phillydelphia failed at approximately 0600 hours the next morning, and once it did, the few Unicorns that had survived the magical barrage from the Changelings’ new long range weapon were slaughtered by the Changeling army. Over the next four hours, the Changelings divided with the intention of attacking the resistance from all sides…

…

Cinnamon and Dozen stood atop the barricade, looking down at the group of ponies below them. They’d started with nearly four hundred volunteers. Of them, almost a hundred fled the previous night, and two hundred were either dead or in critical condition. There were less than one hundred ponies between the Changelings and full occupation of the city now. Cinnamon knew better than to expect that the shield Unicorns were still alive. She’d watched as the magical shield had been dealt its death blow earlier in the morning. It had flickered once, then faded out forever. The sight confirmed Cinnamon’s realization that the next attack, one way or the other, would be the last. Even now, she knew, they were probably being encircled by the enemy. She had to make her words to her soldiers count.

“Citizens and fellow Equestrians,“ she began, “our shields have fallen, and even now our enemy is among us. They creep through our city like a plague, and they have only one goal: to wipe us out. Will they achieve that goal? I tell you with my most sincere honesty that I cannot say for certain what will happen in the next few hours. We are outnumbered and surrounded; our chances are not good. But even if we die here today, our message will live on. Our cries have not fallen upon deaf ears, I assure you. I want each and every one of you to stare down the foe without fear, as you’ve done since this war began. Bring the dawn!”

“Manusar!” the ponies roared back, and Cinnamon felt a surge of excitement. She turned to Baker’s Dozen and ran her hoof down his face.

“Dozen, I could never have asked for a better husband. You’ve sacrificed your dreams for me, and I can never fully repay you.”

“You won’t have to,” Baker’s Dozen replied, kissing his wife, “and I promise you that I’ll have your back. I will never leave your side.”

“Thank you,” Cinnamon Twist whispered. Down the road, she could see a few Changelings gathering. The attack would begin soon. The others noticed as well, and the quiet, nervous murmurings that had been going on for a while now suddenly stopped.

“You! Earth Pony! Face me!”

Cinnamon Twist turned around to face the voice that had called her. She’d almost forgotten that Changelings were on both sides of the barricade now. Standing below her, in the middle of the street, was the Changeling leader she’d shot the previous day. A patch of discolored armor had grown over the wound she’d inflicted with her crossbow.

“What is it now?” Cinnamon asked, glaring defiantly down at the aggressor.

“This is your final chance for surrender. You are surrounded, and escape is impossible. Why waste your lives preventing the inevitable? The city will be ours regardless of what you do. Spare yourselves and submit!”

“Never,” Cinnamon growled, and she spat down at the Changeling. She raised her crossbow in the leader’s direction as he stormed off to his troops. She wanted to fire with every fiber of her being, but she couldn’t. Even now, when every shred of common sense she had told her otherwise, Cinnamon could not bring herself to take a defenseless life. She lowered the weapon and turned to the citizens.

“To your weapons!” she yelled, “prepare for attack!”

Cinnamon Twist and Baker’s Dozen scrambled back up to the top of the barricade with a few fighters while others turned around to engage the forces from the rear. “Down!” Cinnamon hissed to the others on the barricade. The Changelings were forming up for an attack now, but none had actually fired yet. Something, Cinnamon felt, was going to be different about this particular attack.

“Ravagers forward!” the Changeling commander called. From the midst of the Changelings, two large, black shapes appeared. They looked like large, armored Changelings with two horns, converging at the tips, atop their heads, which appeared more similar to those of beetles than the horse-like faces of their comrades. Their legs, however, looked almost comically weak and unarmored. The two figures stopped in front of the barricade and lowered their heads, charging their horns with magic, and Cinnamon understood their purpose now. They were heavy weaponry, meant to take down the barricade piece by piece.

“Fire!” Cinnamon yelled, getting off the first shot in a volley of arrows, bolts, and magic. The Changelings scattered, but the Ravagers held their ground, still charging their horns. “Aim for the legs!” Cinnamon ordered, pointing to the Ravagers, “and… fire!” The next volley struck the Ravagers in the legs, impacting joints. The creatures went down quickly and were silenced for good with shots to the back of their necks. Cinnamon Twist switched her aim towards a few Changelings farther back, and was about to fire when a magical blast impacted next to her, throwing sparks up towards her eyes. She blinked once and looked back. The shot had come from behind her. Evidently the fighters defending the rear had engaged their Changeling force. She looked back at the enemy ahead, and was startled to find that two more Ravagers were already moving forward to take their fallen comrades’ places. They had to act fast. Cinnamon stood, raising her weapon, and the others did the same…

Then the Changeling commander made his move.

“Fire!” he yelled, and magical projectiles from the Changelings hurtled towards the defenders on the barricade, cutting down those not fast enough to duck and wounding others. Cinnamon saw a green projectile bearing down on her, and ducked, hoping to avoid it. As she pressed herself into the barricade, she felt a white hot pain rip across her left shoulder; the Changeling hadn’t entirely missed her. Hesitantly she glanced back. Her shoulder bore a raw, open wound. Thankfully, the magic had cauterized it, but it felt as if somepony was pressing her shoulder up against a hot baking sheet.

“You okay?” Baker’s Dozen asked as they both got back to their hooves.

“It’s nothing,” Cinnamon said, shaking his concern off, “focus on the battle, not me.”

As Cinnamon turned her eyes back on the Changelings, she ducked back down immediately. The Ravagers were about to fire, and she had no time to get a shot. “Cover!” she yelled. From the other side of the barricade, she heard the commander.

“Ravagers ready… fire!”

The barricade seemed to lift upwards, as if pushed by an unseen force as the magical bombardment tore into its foundations. Entire sections crumbled away, and splinters of debris flew through the air like tiny knives. Then the second round hit the barricade, and Cinnamon was sent flying by the force of its impact. She hit the ground, hard, her ears ringing from the sound of the exploding magic. She stood shakily, getting her bearings; her world was like a nightmare now. As her vision swam in and out of focus, she saw ponies bleeding in the street, dying. More rounds slammed into the barricade, blowing it apart. One mare wandered past, weeping hysterically. A six inch piece of wood was protruding from her eye.

“Cinnamon!”

Cinnamon Twist snapped herself out of her daze and focused on the voice that had called her. She turned around. Baker’s Dozen was there, his skin torn in several places. His right front leg bore a deep gash, and Cinnamon could see the glint of bone, but somehow, he was still standing. He held her crossbow in his left hoof, offering it to her.

“Let’s finish this,” he said, and coughed, forcing a small trickle of blood down his chin. He grimaced with pain, but forced his face into a smile as he looked at his wife. Cinnamon wanted nothing more than to rush him inside and treat his wounds, but she knew it wasn’t possible. Nodding, she took the crossbow back and forced a smile of her own.

“To the end,” she whispered, turning back to the barricade’s remains. Changelings were already swarming over the pile of rubble, slaughtering those who couldn’t resist. Other ponies were fighting back with close-quarters weapons. Cinnamon raised her crossbow and began picking off targets with a speed she’d never displayed before. Aim, fire, reload. Aim, fire, reload… fatigue did not affect her. She’d worked killing down to a pattern now. With every pull of the crossbow’s trigger, another enemy fell, and still they kept coming. Beside her, Baker’s Dozen was on his hind legs. He’d lost his bow, but had picked up another and was now loosing arrows like a madpony. Cinnamon heard a hiss and turned around, raising her crossbow just in time to block an attack from a Changeling behind her. The rear defense line had been broken; now, it was a two-front battle. The attacker’s weapon appeared to be a bladed, black growth from his right hoof. Cinnamon barely registered this as she pushed him back, firing a bolt into the Changeling’s skull. “Dozen!” she groaned, as the pain in her shoulder slowed her movements, “they’re attacking from both sides now!” Cinnamon heard no reply and turned to make sure her husband had acknowledged her words.

Baker’s Dozen lay on the ground, eyes fixated on the clear, blue sky. In the center of his chest, a small, still-smoking hole clearly showed the entry wound of a magical projectile. “Dozen!” Cinnamon Twist screamed, collapsing to the ground and shaking him. This wasn’t how he had been supposed to die. She hadn’t held him in her hooves, there had been no last words. He was simply alive one moment and dead the next. Cinnamon shook with rage at the unfairness of it all, biting her lip until she could taste blood. She forced her eyes shut and buried her face in her husband’s neck. There was nothing more that she could do for him- nothing but…

Cinnamon raised her head and focused on the barricade. Amazingly, the flag was still flying. There was still one thing left for her to live for. She forced herself to her hooves, grabbing a short sword lying within hooves’ reach, and began fighting her way through the Changelings, hacking and stabbing all the way. When the few remaining defenders saw her, they perceived nothing short of a saint, parting the ranks of the attackers as she moved determinedly towards her goal. It was nothing short of inspiring, and those who witnessed Cinnamon Twist’s march were spurred on, to keep fighting just a little longer. Cinnamon dug her hooves into the barricade, forcing herself to keep moving. The pain was almost immobilizing now, but the flag was dead ahead. She bashed a Changeling out of the way, pushing him onto several sharp splinters of wood below, and set her hooves on the flag at the exact same time somepony else did. Cinnamon Twist looked up and found herself face-to-face with the Changeling commander. When their eyes met, Cinnamon saw nothing but fear in her adversary’s gaze. With a cry of rage, she wrenched the flag out of his grip and brought it down on his head, sending him tumbling down amidst his own forces. Then, the forward momentum Cinnamon had seemed to carry failed at once, and she felt herself being pushed rapidly back, using the flag’s pole to deflect some blows, and her body to absorb others. She rejoined the small defensive line, which was now only a few feet away from the bakery, and bore the flag like a polearm, impaling enemies and beating others back until the flag and pole were covered in Changeling blood. Cinnamon’s body was now so racked with pain that she refused to even care anymore. Every ounce of strength in her went towards keeping the enemy at bay. Cinnamon shoved the pole into the midsection of a Changeling who had come too close, then swung him towards another approaching group, scattering them everywhere. Then she saw an all-too-familiar hulking, black shape rise over the barricades.

It was a Ravager, and its horn was glowing and pointing straight at the defenders.

Cinnamon had no time to move, and more than likely would have been unable to move anyway as the magical blast from the Ravager smashed into the ground less than ten feet away, scattering ponies and Changelings alike. Cinnamon was thrown clear through the door of the bakery, forcing herself to hold onto the flag even when she hit a table and stopped. She lay among broken glass, forcing herself to stand and get her bearings through eyes swollen shut with burns. Blood ran down her from wounds which covered her entire body, and she felt pressure on her abdomen. When she looked down, she saw a piece of wood firmly lodged in her stomach. She removed it, covering the wound with a hoof while she stumbled back, catching herself on what she now recognized as the case she and Dozen had so often used to display their prized baked goods. She rubbed her hoof fondly down its smooth surface, letting the memories wash over her. She was finally at peace. Even when Changelings burst through the door and aimed their deadly horns at her, Cinnamon felt no fear. Then the Changelings parted, and the commander walked through the door. The side of his face was a mess of spiderwebbing patterns of drying green blood, and he was panting. He looked at Cinnamon with contempt; she, in turn, stared him down coolly.

“Surrender,” he gasped, “and it ends.”

Slowly, a smile spread across Cinnamon Twist’s burned face.

“No.”

The Changelings with their horns pointed towards Cinnamon opened fire, and Cinnamon Twist hurtled through the air, impacting the wall behind the counter. Every shot had found its mark, and as Cinnamon Twist lay on the floor, breathing in the sweet smell of polished wooden floorboards, she began to feel her senses slipping away.

The commander was about to turn and leave when a hoof appeared on the bakery counter. Cinnamon Twist had dragged herself up from the floor, and was holding the flag high.

“Manusar,” Cinnamon Twist said with a rattling breath.

“Destroy her,” the commander said in disgust. Then he turned and opened the bakery door, stepping out into the street.

Cinnamon Twist watched him leave and stared into the glowing horns of the enemy. The green light seemed to beckon to her. She’d done her part, and it was finally time to rest. When the magical bolts flew towards her, Cinnamon mentally welcomed their embrace. Then she was once again slammed into the wall. Cinnamon held her flag in a death grip as she sank back to the floor. Her head drooped over to her shoulder and saw the flag up close. She didn’t bother turning her head. Instead she focused on the figures of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. There they were, almost dancing around a split sun and moon on a backdrop of blue sky, twinkling with stars. Cinnamon’s gaze never left that flag, even as her vision slowly faded to black, and she knew no more.

…

…the Changelings attacked the rest of the resistance, killing everypony without the intent of keeping prisoners. The final casualty count for the engagement is as follows:

Changelings: 1,230 dead (estimated), almost 2,000 wounded (estimated).

Resistance: 340 dead, no traceable survivors.

While the Changelings’ attack had been predicted, their actions following the battle were completely unexpected by any military planners…

…

Queen Chrysalis gazed at the carnage through the eyes of her field commander. She’d seen everything- including Cinnamon Twist’s final moments- and she burned with rage.

“Stand by for orders,” she thought, transmitting her statement telepathically to the commander. Such was the glory of the hive mind which she controlled. Chrysalis turned to her mate, Chitin, who was standing beside her.

“We’ve created over three hundred martyrs in that city,” she hissed to the male Changeling ruler, “and this severely hampers our plan to crush the spirits of the Equestrians.”

“Burn the city to the ground,” Chitin suggested, “send a message of our own.”

“Destroy a resource?” Chrysalis growled, “are you out of your mind?”

“Phillydelphia holds no strategic value,” Chitin countered, “it does us more good to simply level it.”

Chrysalis nodded as she mulled over her mate’s words. The message that the resistance had sent to Equestria- that anypony could defy her- was strong, and Chitin’s idea, as radical as it was, could very well be the only way to counter it. Chrysalis nodded. “Very well, the city will be destroyed. Let us hope our message carries as strong a tone as the resistance’s.”

“Commander, remove your troops from Phillydelphia and wait for additional reinforcements to arrive before continuing your advance. Any troops remaining in the city will cease to exist in one hour,” Chrysalis thought, projecting her orders to the commander in Phillydelphia. In her mind, her view shifted to that of the commander, and she watched, satisfied, as he carried out her orders, telling the troops to withdraw from the city. Chrysalis smiled.

“Chitin, come with me. I think it’s only fitting we have the honor of activating Sharur for this task.”

“Of course,” Chitin said, smiling grimly, “the pleasure is mine.”

…

Fair Trade watched, speechless, as the Changelings withdrew from Phillydelphia under the watchful eyes of a squadron of reconnaissance Pegasi. He and Crystal Shine had seen the entire battle, and they knew now that any hope that some of the only friends they’d met since the war began were still alive was now gone. They simply stared at the silent city from their perch atop a hill nearly two miles away, hearing nothing but the cold, mournfully howling breeze that indicated winter’s impending arrival. Finally, Crystal Shine approached her husband.

“We should leave now,” she said softly. Fair Trade said nothing, but nodded. As they turned to leave, a glint of green caught Fair Trade’s eye. He turned. It was another orb from Manehatten, though this one was larger than those used in the previous night’s attack. It followed the same path as the barrage that had destroyed Phillydelphia’s shield, arcing towards the city below. Fair Trade was drawn to the sight with a terrible fixation. He didn’t want to see what was coming next, but some small part of him had to know. The orb hit, falling amidst a cluster of skyscrapers, and Fair Trade shielded his eyes as blinding white light filled his vision. Next, a thundering roar sounded as he and his wife were swept off their hooves by a blast of hot air. The sound seemed to shake the atmosphere, and the wind persisted while Fair Trade struggled to maintain his hold on the hill. Then as suddenly as it started, the sound, wind, and light died down. Fair Trade pushed himself to his hooves and gazed back out towards the city.

There was nothing left. The few structures that hadn’t been turned to ash were rapidly crumbling. Nothing more remained of the city that had welcomed him and his wife back to civilization. He stared, completely frozen by the sight, until he felt a nudge on his shoulder. It was Crystal Shine.

“Please,” she urged, “let’s go now.”

The ponies turned, heading south towards the city of Baltimare. From there, they intended to take a train to Canterlot or Ponyville. It would be hard to start again, but they both knew that without Cinnamon Twist, they would never have had the chance to be here, alive. She had given them the ultimate gift: the chance to restart their lives with new hope, and they had no intention of wasting that chance. They’d hold out for as long as it might take- to the war’s end if necessary- determined that they might once again see their little Caramel Swirl.

…

…the Changelings completely destroyed Phillydelphia through the use of their new long-range magic-based weapon. Their motives were obvious- Phillydelphia was not a strategically advantageous location, and they felt that leveling it might imply to Equestria that resistance was foolish and pointless. As such, the Changelings never set hoof in the ruins of the city again, allowing a chance for EAF Pegasi to conduct a brief search of the site. As expected, most of the city was ash and crumbled buildings. However, a scrap of the Equestrian flag with the word “Manusar” written on it was recovered from a collapsed building outside of the blast’s incineration zone. It was found near the body of a female Earth Pony, who appeared to have shielded most of the flag from the blast. It is possible that this body was that of Cinnamon Twist, the pony responsible for organizing the resistance against the Changelings, but the recovery team was unable to confirm this, as the body was unrecognizable. Unfortunately, the rest of the flag was destroyed by one of the small fires created in the wake of the Changelings’ final strike on the city. I have attached the scrap in an envelope on the reverse side of this form. While it has no military or intelligence-related use, I feel it is necessary for us to preserve this scrap, as it reminds us of how the valiant efforts of a few forced our enemy to realize that we are capable of fighting back.

Very Respectfully,

Capt. Snow Breeze

…

I set down the report, a knot in my throat. This was the first I’d heard about the ponies of Phillydelphia. Most of us had assumed that the Changelings had simply destroyed an abandoned city. Now I knew that there was more to the story. Twilight was right- I needed to hear this account, even if it wasn’t a part of the military’s campaign against the invaders. I set the paper down and look at the scrap one more time. “Manusar,” I whisper, “you brought dawn to Equestria.”

I set the scrap down, blow out the candle, and retire for the night.