Shadow and Flame

Applejack screamed in rage and desperation, slamming her steel clad hind hooves into a Nightmare's face creating a satisfying crunch of bone shattering.

The Nightmare assault had been expected and prepared for but a few less than small problems had crawled under the high command's radar along with a few internal issues.

A mobile weapons platform (better described as a massive glowing cannon on four spidery legs) had escorted the Nightmare battalions to the stronghold and had taken up a position to pummel the structure to dust.

At first the stronghold's magical shield generator that had been installed by Aeon engineers had absorbed most of the barrage but for some reason the generator had malfunctioned and exploded spectacularly, killing dozens of ponies and shattering a large portion of the masonry, no doubt due to sabotage.

Now as the stronghold was being reduced to rubble the garrison was fleeing the marauding Nightmare herd to little good effect as they were outnumbered and outflanked.

Big Mac, calm and stoic as always, lashed out at any Nightmare folly enough to approach as he stood by Applejack's side. Applejack herself lacked her usual stetson which would have surprised most people but after a few cautionary words from veteran Aeon she had decided it best to leave all the way back at Ponyville with her little sister so it wouldn't get destroyed in the chaotic insanity of the battlefield.

The pair were trapped in a group of maybe fifty other Equestrians who had been cut off from the rest of the garrison, surrounded by almost triple their number while the rest of the Nightmare's pursued the other Equestrians.

A mare in black and red armour charged forwards, snarling intimidatingly, only to be tripped up by a faint teal glow and face-plant in front of Applejack where she pummeled the Nightmare's head to a pulp with her fore-hooves.

The muscular, orange mare ignored the gore smearing her legs and armour and glanced over towards the teal unicorn with a white and teal mane and tail who had tripped Applejack's assailant.

Applejack recognised her as a fellow Ponyvilleian, Lyra, if she remembered right, Bon Bon's partner.

Lyra had been assigned as a weapons maintenance specialist as she had displayed an impressively precise control over her kinesis and an uncanny comprehension of Aeonic machinery.

Not that Applejack fully understood all that hoo-haa but she did know that Lyra was an engineer not a soldier and the look of disgust and fear plastered on her face showed this clearly.

Applejack was brought back to reality by the bone shattering sound of her brothers hind hooves colliding with a Nightmare.

The blond maned earth pony reared up, flailing her fore hooves in the face of an advancing Nightmare stallion as Big Mac's hooves came back to earth with a heavy thud.

One of her hooves struck the stallion in the side of the head, denting his helmet and forcing him back momentarily.

"Sis?" Big Mac grunted.

"What?" Applejack replied without taking her eyes off of the enemies around her.

"There's barely any of us left."

"So?"

"Just thought you should know."

Applejack glanced around, confirming her elder sibling's statement as she saw that the previous fifty had been reduced to less than twenty, bodies of Equestrians tangled messily in piles with the bodies of Nightmares being trampled by the crazed dark mass of hateful ponies.

Applejack's apple green eyes went wide as a large heavy weight collided with her, sending sharp pains through her side and she cursed herself for not paying attention.

As Applejack hit the ground with a loud clatter of metal colliding with metal she flailed her limbs attempting to strike her attacker.

A hoof hit her face causing her vision to explode with stars and twisting her head around as it hit the ground hard, giving her a brief view of her brother, the massive red stallion bucking violently with several new open wounds, attempting to dislodge several ponies and magical auras clinging to him.

Applejack felt a pair of hooves on her chest and she returned to her senses, continuing to struggle and lash out.

One of her hooves connected with something solid and the stallion atop her cried out in agony and fell backwards off of her.

Applejack rolled over quickly and began to stand but froze in shock as she saw Lyra.

The teal unicorn was beaten and bruised, bleeding heavily in several places, a stallion was positioned behind her, a few other Nightmares both mares and stallions, laughed and shouted and as Applejack's eyes fell on him her vision turned red with rage.

Before she could leap forwards and gut the wretch she had in her sights a pair of hooves came down on her back hard, knocking the wind out of her lungs.

"You'll pay for that you apple flanked bitch." An eerily familiar voice said and a familiar green face came into view causing Applejack's rage to sky rocket.

Although his name escaped her she recognised him as a citizen of Ponyville and a frequenter of her apple stall before the war.

"You... Ya pathetic horse-apple eating piece of filth!" She screamed at him. "Ya should know better ya damn traitorous fu-"

An earsplitting screech followed by a blinding flash and deafening boom cut her off and made her ears ring painfully.

Applejack twisted her head around just enough to see that where once the mobile weapons platform had been in the distance there was now a rising plume of fire and smoke and twisted metal flying in every direction.

A loud murmur of surprise ran through the surviving Equestrians and Nightmares which escalated into sheer panic among the Nightmares as dozens of blue flashes announced the arrival of just as many Aeon clad in dark blue full plate armour wielding massive scythes with blades shaped like the crescent moon.

The stallion above Applejack was sent flying with a loud crack as a metal clad fist collided with his face and the owner of the fist leaped over her, the Aeon swinging it's weapon at the ponies near Lyra sending them into retreat.

Applejack scrambled forwards towards the abused mare who was soaked in blood and other bodily fluids cringing in slight disgust but not hesitating to go to her friend’s aid.

"Lyra?" Applejack said when she reached her side. "Lyra can ya hear me?"

Lyra half opened one eye and looked at the orange earth pony.

"Applejack? That you?" Her voice was hoarse and her body was quaking in pain and exhaustion.

"Yeah it's me sugarcube. Ya'll gotta hang in there Lyra. Helps comin' ya gonna be just fine." Applejack said lowering herself to Lyra's level, unsure whether it was the unicorn or herself she was trying to comfort.

Lyra gave a weak chuckle which turned into a violent wet cough, blood leaking from her nose and mouth.

"You're awful at lying." Lyra smiled grimly and Applejack looked away for a moment spotting a large flying structure above the dark mass of the Nightmare battalions in the distance tearing up the landscape with beams and bolts of light, no doubt the Sky Fort that had brought the Aeon reinforcements to their rescue.

A faint glow and a pained grunt brought Applejack's attention back to her wounded friend.

Lyra's horn was glowing faintly but nothing was happening. The glow ceased and Lyra sighed sadly then spoke again.

"Applejack, my magic isn't working... Can you help me out here?"

"Of course I can sugarcube," Applejack replied trying to smile but just managing a grimace, "What do ya need?"

"Under my armour, on the right side, there's a small brown bag made of felt, can you get it?"

Applejack nodded and stood to walk around to Lyra's side.

Using her teeth she undid the straps made of a leather-like bark tasting the sickening iron flavour of blood and removed the dented half plates revealing a multitude of hideous bruises on the unicorn's side.

Applejack cringed at the bruises and looked at the pouch which was miraculously undamaged.

She gently undid the knot holding it in place and carried back to Lyra's face showing her the bag.

Lyra sighed gratefully and an honest smile crossed her face, her eye closing.

"Oh thank Celestia it isn't damaged." She coughed weakly and her breathing slowed. "Bon Bon's in the seventeenth battalion." Lyra chuckled quietly. "You two made the most amazing apple chocolate." Applejack's memory wandered back to better times. Bon Bon and her had been good friends, especially when it came to making sweets and it was through Bon Bon that Applejack had met Lyra.

Lyra continued speaking. "I want you to give her the bag and tell her I'm sorry I won't be able make it."

Applejack lay down by Lyra's side again and placed the bag gently on her forelegs to keep it off the ground.

"Don't say that sugarcube. Healers are comin' soon, ya'll make it." She said almost too quiet to hear.

"Thanks." Lyra said just as quietly, "The optimism is nice, but you should hold onto the bag just in case."

Applejack bit her lip and nodded even though Lyra couldn't see her.

"Did Bonnie ever tell you how we met?"

Applejack couldn't bring herself to speak.

"I didn't think so. She's always so, so embarrassed by it." Lyra took a deep shaky breath. "It was about three- no four years ago. I was moving into Ponyville, I'd just finished at college and well it's not easy finding a place to stay without a job..."

Applejack wasn't sure when she had started crying, sobbing and shivering but never ceasing to cling to every word and staying close to the dying unicorn.

She wasn't sure when Big Mac lay down next to her, draping a comforting foreleg over her shoulder quietly, without interrupting her as she chuckled at a bad joke Lyra had made.

She wasn't sure when the unicorn had ceased to breathe, peacefully sighing away her terminal breath, without leaving her side, Lyra's tired head resting against her shoulder.

She wasn't sure when a set of heavy boots and two sets of hooves had come galloping and running towards them, the owner of the boots dropping to their knees quickly, hands extended over Lyra's prone form, a green glow enveloping them momentarily.

Applejack only regained her grasp on reality when the Aeon cleric finally spoke, the young androgynous face looking downcast, as the aeon stood using its odd weapon for support.

"I'm sorry. She's-"

"I know." Applejack interrupted. "I know." She repeated in a whisper.

The survivors of the sixteenth battalion, along with the numerous dead, had been escorted to the adjacent stronghold where the seventeenth was stationed while the Aeon reinforcements moved up the bottleneck of mountains to confront the second wave that was due after the Nightmares.

It hadn't taken long for Applejack and Big Mac to find Bon Bon as the other pony had been searching amongst the survivors herself.

"Applejack!" The curly haired mare galloped towards the duo. "I’ve been looking all over the place! Have you seen Lyra? I'm really worried."

Applejack reluctantly met Bon Bon's gaze and a deeper shade of fear replaced Bon Bon's concern.

"Wh-what happened?"

Applejack detached the small brown bag from her armour and offered it to her friend.

Bon Bon's eyes widened and she snatched the bag away by it's bottom shaking it a few times until it's contents clattered to the ground.

It was a gold anklet with a small diamond embedded in it.

An anklet identical to one Bon Bon owned.

An engagement anklet.

Bon Bon stared at the ring of gold with horrified eyes.

"She... Lyra... Said she was sorry she won't be able to make it." Applejack said in a whisper her voice cracking painfully.

Tears welled up in Bon Bon's eyes and she collapsed into a sitting position, her fore hooves covering her mouth, eyes clenched as a choked sob escaped her.

"Oh Celestia no." She said keeling over, tears pouring down her face, "No, no, not my Heartstrings, not her."

"I'm sorry." Applejack said reaching out with a hoof.

Bon Bon recoiled at Applejack's touch, staring at her for a moment with wide almost accusing eyes before bolting away, disappearing through the crowded courtyard followed by a few yells and shouts as she shoved her way past everyone in her path.

Applejack stood stunned for a moment, eyes hovering over Bon Bon's path of escape.

Then she silently and quickly scooped the anklet into the brown bag and trotted away.

Macintosh watched his sister go for a moment, his face emotionless but his eyes full of worry, glancing the way Bon Bon had fled, then followed his younger sibling.