Reforging a Broken Blade

by ElkinFencer10

Rating: teen
Tags: Romance, Original Character, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Adventure, Twilight Sparkle, Gore, Main 6
Length: 70642

A new pony moves to Ponyville, but he seems plagued by a ghost from his past.

A new stallion moves to Ponyville, but it's clear from his interactions with the townsfolk that something is constantly bothering him. Twilight Sparkle decides to befriend the new pony and try to help him forget the pain of his past in whatever way she can, but the specter of war can add unexpected complications to any plan.

This story is on its second major revision, and there are a few things I want to clarify about it. First, the OC is NOT supposed to be based solely on me, and none of the events in the story ever actually occurred. Events in my life have influenced the story, and the story and characters represent my emotions, but it is not my intention to "ponify" myself in this story nor am I attempting to chronicle any part of my life. I went into a bit more detail about my changing focus and such in a blog that I encourage everyone who knows me IRL or who has followed this story for a while now to skim quickly so as to minimize confusion.

My thanks to thedarkprep for encouraging me to start writing this instead of just talking about doing it!

Published 2013-02-23 18:20:02 UTC
Last updated 2014-06-29 02:30:28 UTC

Chapter 2 - Dinner at Twilight's

As he pulled his now empty cart from Canterlot back towards Ponyville, Razor Blade thought to himself, I'll never understand how the Royal Guard manages to break so many solid steel swords just training....Gods forbid they actually have to fight a battle... He looked down at the ground as he walked along the path, kicking the occasional pebble that happened to be in his way, and sighed. At least they keep me busy with my work. I can't spend too much time thinking if I'm busy working, right?

As he approached Ponyville, he looked up to the sky. Razor Blade had always found himself easily lost in the vast openness of the sky. It always made his problems and his sorrows feel so much less significant. The swirling mix of the beautiful, vibrant blue with the puffy white clouds always left him in admiration of the gods' handiwork. Hehe...Or, as most ponies would say, Celestia's handiwork. Either way, it's beautiful. Unlike most ponies in Equestria today, Razor Blade did not follow the dominant religion of the day that held Luna and Celestia to be deities. Instead, Razor was one of the few remaining followers of the pagan religion that worshiped the three gods. These gods were Erez, the god of justice and virtue; Concordia, the goddess of balance and harmony; and Dysmondis, the god of wickedness and strife. Hardly anypony still held onto this ancient beliefs, but Razor firmly believed in the old ways. The princesses - the goddesses of the newer religion - have never commented publicly on their religious views. Luna has remained completely silent, and all Celestia has said is that "as long as harmony is preserved and fighting does not arise between the two religions, it is the right of everypony in Equestria to believe what he or she wishes."

Before he knew it, Razor Blade had arrived back at Ponyville. His religious beliefs had grown much stronger in the past year, so losing himself in spiritual and philosophical trains of thought was not uncommon for him. Well, I guess my prayer to be saved from the typical boredom of that walk was answered, at least. As he made his way back towards his shop, Razor stopped at the piazza and looked at the fountain memorializing the Element Bearers, the town's six heroines who bore the legendary Elements of Harmony. The engraving on a plate affixed to the front of the fountain read "In Memory of Pinkie Pie, the Element of Laughter." The fillies and colts in town had taken to throwing bits into the fountain and making wishes. Maybe this is where I'll find happiness the pegasus thought as he flipped a bit into the fountain and continued on his way back to his shop. Once his delivery cart was secured, he took flight and made his way to Fluttershy's cottage to get his dog.

When Razor knocked on the wooden door of the cottage, the soft spoken yellow pegasus answered the door only to be knocked flat on the ground by the overly energetic dog he had come to retrieve. "Damn it, Rush, where are your manners? I'm terribly sorry. Are you all right, Miss Fluttershy?" Razor Blade said with an irked tone, swatting with his dog's nose with a hoof. Rush lowered his head and whimpered.

"Oh, I'm fine, and you can just call me Fluttershy. Rush was no trouble at all. He's such a sweet boy," Fluttershy said with a warm smile, using a hoof to scratch behind his ear. She noticed that, similar to their encounter a couple days prior, Razor Blade kept his gaze down towards the ground, a distant look in his eyes. "Um, my friends and I are getting together at the Ponyville library for dinner in a few days, if you'd like to join us. They're all very eager to meet you."

Razor Blade raised his head, a look of slight surprise on his face. "You and your friends want me to come to your dinner? Are you sure they wouldn't mind? I wouldn't want to intrude or impose."

"Oh, absolutely. Twilight was the one who suggested it when I was telling her about you. Oh, I hope you don't mind that I was telling my friends about you...."

Razor gave a weak smile. "I...I'm actually flattered that you told them about me. I think I'd like to meet your friends. Nopony wants to be 'that new guy' longer than he has to, right?" he joked. He paid Fluttershy for taking care of Rush and made his way home, smiling his first real smile in almost a year.

Over the next several days, Razor Blade stayed busy in his shop. Since there was little demand for weaponry in the peaceful town of Ponyville, he had begun to offer fencing lessons to help make ends meet. Upon learning about this new opportunity, Ponyville's famous (or perhaps infamous) Cutie Mark Crusaders raced to Razor's shop, suddenly positive that fencing had to be their special talent. They worked hard in their lessons, and Scootaloo actually proved to be quite a natural, but after a week without a cutie mark, the three got discouraged and retired fencing to the ever growing list of failed cutie mark pursuits.

As the night of the dinner party got closer, Razor began to get nervous. Maybe this isn't such a good idea, he would think to himself. It's been years since I've tried making friends. How do I act? What do I say? What if I make a fool of myself? He asked himself these questions with more frequency and with more anxiety as that night loomed ever closer. When the "day of reckoning," as he'd taken to thinking of it, finally arrived, he decided that if were going to be making multiple first impressions at once, it would behoove him to ensure that he was looking his best. He spent longer than usual conditioning his mane during his shower and brushed and combed it for what felt like hours. "Ugh, no, that looks too formal. No, that looks too messy. DAMN IT, hair, cooperate!" He finally settled on what he felt was an acceptable middle ground for his mane style and left it. He applied a conservative amount of his cologne - "Liquid Magicks," the newest scent for stallions in Photo Finish's new line - just enough to be noticed but not enough to be obtrusive.

As he walked towards the library, his heart was pounding in his chest. Gods, they can probably hear my heart beat from in there. Alright, Luna, you wanted interesting things to happen during your nights? I hope you're ready for this night, because I'm probably about to make a complete fool of myself...

When he knocked on the door, a unicorn with a mane of brilliant indigo answered. "Good evening! You must be Razor Blade. I'm Twilight Sparkle. Fluttershy has been telling me about you all week. Come on in."

He walked into the library to see seated at a table Fluttershy, another unicorn, an Earth pony, and a pegasus he recognized as Rainbow Dash, the newest member of the Wonderbolts. If he hadn't been nervous before, he was now. Damn. Not only am I about to have dinner with five mares, but they're five gorgeous mares, not to mention a freaking Wonderbolt. I wonder how I'll put my hoof in my mouth tonight...?

"You already know Fluttershy. This is Rarity, the town's tailor and fashionista." Twilight began going around the room to make introductions, stopping at the other unicorn. She went down the side of the table, introducing ponies as she passed them. "This is Applejack. She and her brother, Big Macintosh, own Sweet Apple Acres. I'm sure you've heard of Rainbow Dash. She and Applejack were just married a couple months ago."

As he coyly walked towards the table in the library's dining room, he noticed a purple baby dragon. "And last but not least, this is Spike. He's a baby dragon whose egg hatched during my audition for Princess Celestia's magic school. Since then, he's been my assistant and one of my closest friends," she said as she gave the dragon a quick nuzzle. Twilight sat down at the table, motioning to the empty chair between her and Fluttershy. Razor Blade, still feeling incredibly nervous and unsure of himself, sat down.

"So Fluttershy said you're a blacksmith? That's pretty awesome. You don't see many of those these days," Rainbow Dash said as she began to eat.

"Uh, yeah, there's not a whole lot of demand for it. Most of my business is from the army in Canterlot and the occasional order from the allied nations that Princess Celestia has given me permission to supply. I also teach swordplay and fencing on the side to make ends meet," Razor Blade said, trying not to let show the how nervous he was, at which he failed miserably. The other ponies, fortunately, were kind enough to pretend not to notice.

"Oh, my, how impressive! A master of the rapier, the most regal and gallant of all weapons? I bet you have mares chasing after you left and right. Why, any mare would be positively privileged to be with a pony like you," Rarity said.

Razor Blade's face fell a bit at the mention of romantic involvement. "Haha, o-one would think..." His voice trailed off, the preceding laugh obviously forced and faux.

Noticing his demeanor change from nervous to forlorn, Rarity said "Oh dear, I'm terribly sorry if I've upset you. It was only meant as a compliment." She and Applejack glanced at Fluttershy, thinking now that perhaps she had been right about Razor's demeanor the previous week. Ah, yes, I know the problem. This poor fellow is shy around mares! It's a shame, too. He's really quite handsome Rarity thought to herself.

"Oh, no, y-you're fine. It's, um, it's just that I've...not had the, uh, best of luck with mares...." He trailed off, beginning to drift back to the memories he'd spent many months fighting to ignore. Snapping back to reality, he quickly said "Anyway, enough about my boring life. I want to learn more about you ladies." For the next hour, the six ponies and Spike shared inconsequential small talk, discussing the recent appearance of parasprites in Baltimare, the absurd conspiracy theories that Princess Luna is really a changeling in disguise to usurp the Equestrian throne, and the Wonderbolts' upcoming tour schedule.

When they had finished eating, Rarity said "Oh my, look at the time! I really must be getting home. It was a pleasure to meet you, Razor Blade. I hope to see more of you around town. Feel free to stop by my boutique any time!"

"Yeah, I reckon Rainbow Dash and I had best be headin' on back to the farm. It was good to meet ya, Razor. Ya know where to come if ya ever get a cravin' for apples," Applejack said, turning to walk towards the door of the library.

"Yeah, you're a pretty cool pony. I might have a custom order for you before too long," Rainbow Dash said with a wink as she walked out the door.

Once Rarity left, Spike decided that the interesting portion of the night had come and gone and went on to bed. With Rarity's, Applejack's, and Rainbow Dash's departures, Fluttershy, Twilight Sparkle, and Razor Blade were left alone to talk in the library. The three sat in an increasingly awkward silence until Fluttershy spoke up, saying "So what kind of dog is Rush? I usually only deal with forest animals, so I don't know very much about dogs."

"I don't know, actually. I just found him in the woods one day back when I was living near Appaloosa." Razor smiled as he remembered the day he met his dog. "I was at my workshop one afternoon rushing to get an order for Princess Celestia's personal guard finished whe I kept hearing what sounded like growling coming from a clearing about a hundred yards behind my anvil. I was afraid it was a bear or a timberwolf, so I grabbed one of the axes I had just finished forging and went to investigate. When I got to the clearing, I saw that it wasn't a bear growling but a dog snoring as he slept in the sunlight. The sound of my hoofsteps' crunching the leaves woke him up. Without even lifting his head, he looked up at me with his eyes and started beating his tail against the ground. From that moment, I knew that I had to keep him. He was just too damn adorable." His smile got bigger the longer he talked about the dog. Laughing, he continued, "When I got home with Rush, and Flame saw him, she..." He began to trail off, and in an instant, his smile was gone, replaced by a look of intense melancholy.

He dropped his head and began to stare at the wooden floor. That's the same look he had both times he was at my cottage... Fluttershy thought.

"Well anyway, that's how Rush and I met. That was almost three years ago. He's been my best friend, and I his, ever since." Mentally kicking himself for ruining his first comfortable conversation of the night, Razor decided to excuse himself and retire before he said something else he would end up regretting. Well, something ELSE he would end up regretting. "It's always a pleasure, Fluttershy, and it was very nice to meet you, Twilight, but I think I ought to be heading home. Thank you for inviting me tonight and making me feel so welcome in town. I've had a wonderful time."

"It was great to meet you, Razor. Feel free to stop by any time. Have a good night," Twilight said with a smile, and she and Fluttershy bid Razor good night as he walked out the door.

Stupid, stupid, stupid..... Razor thought to himself as he walked home. You had finally gotten comfortable enough to carry out a conversation without stuttering or saying "Uh" every other word, and you had to go and blow it. Damn it, even now, she's keeping me from making friends....

"I think you were right, Fluttershy. There's definitely somepony or something that keeps troubling him. He actually seemed to be getting pretty comfortable until a few minutes ago. I wonder if there's anything we could do to help? He seems like he'd be such a charming pony if it weren't for whatever's bothering him," Twilight said to the yellow pegasus once it was just the two of them.

"I don't know. I wouldn't want to pry, but he looked so sad when Rarity mentioned mares' liking him and when he mentioned that other pony in the story about Rush."

"I bet I have a book about psychology somewhere in here! Maybe we can get him to open up, and then I can help him try to get past whatever's bothering him," Twilight said as she got up to begin digging through the library's many bookshelves. Time for another full night of studying! Twilight thought with far more excitement than studying should ever evoke.

Author's Note

Please keep the suggestions on how to improve my writing coming. Also, 20 points to whomever can guess from where the inspiration for the dog's name came.

Chapter 3 - Blacksmithing Increased to 79

The echoing crash of metal against metal could be heard throughout Ponyville. Ever since the night of the dinner party, Razor Blade had been hard at work from the time that Celestia raised the sun at dawn to the time that Luna replaced it with the moon at dusk. Everypony assumed that he had a big order for the army that needed to be filled, but the truth was that not a single order had been placed since he got back from Canterlot almost two weeks prior.

Alright, I think that's enough for one day... Razor Blade took the spear he had just finished forging into the storeroom in the back of his shop and was struck by what he saw. Huh. Look at that....I guess I've been working a bit harder than I realized.... What greeted him was not the neatly organized storage room to which he was accustomed but a chaotic armory bursting at the seems with dozens and dozens of swords, spears, and axes as well as enough sets of armor to outfit most of the town of Ponyville. He dropped the new spear on top of the pile that lay before him and sighed. "I actually miss when those hyper-active little fillies were begging me for lessons, convinced fencing was their special talent. Training them kept me busy. Now all I have left to do is make weapons and armor for the hell of it. I need a hobby...." Razor said to himself.

"You could always try spending some time with your friends, you know." Unaware that anyone had entered his shop, Razor Blade practically jumped out of his skin when he heard the voice behind him. He shot around to see a familiar purple unicorn with a friendly smile adorning her face. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. It's just that you've just kept yourself cooped up in this shop all week with hardly a word to anypony; the girls and I were starting to get worried about you."

"Wait, you were? Wow...Um, th-thanks, Twilight. Yeah, I'm okay, I guess. Just been busy. You know, lots of orders for the army...and...stuff..." Razor Blade trailed off with a nervous laugh.

"Really? For the army? Because I'm pretty sure I just heard you say that you've just been trying to keep yourself busy. How was it you worded it? 'Making weapons for the hell of it?'"

Razor felt his blue cheeks burn as he blushed, realizing that he'd been caught in a lie. A very thin and poorly crafted lie, no less. He didn't know Twilight Sparkle very well yet, but he did know her well enough to realize that as curious as she was, she probably wasn't just going to drop this. "Umm...y-y-yeah, I, uh...like to stay busy?" he said, feeling as helpless as a fish out of water. Really, dude? Really? That's the best you could come up with? You couldn't even keep the stutter out? Your excuse is bad, and you should feel bad. You should just give up before you dig this hole any deeper.

"Uh-huh. Why don't you tell me what's really been bothering you? Maybe I can help. If nothing else, you might just feel better talking about it?" Twilight seemed earnest in her desire to help him.

She actually seems concerned about me... He was used to his friends' prying and being generally nosey back when he still lived in Vanhoover, but Twilight had a sincerity in her voice that made him think she truly did just want to help him. "Y-yeah, I guess it might...but it's really stupid. I'm sure you have better things to do than listen to an awkward blacksmith whine."

"You're right, Razor, I have a lot of things to do other than listen to a blacksmith whine," Twilight said, "but there aren't many things more important than listening to a friend's problems and trying to help."

The pegasus couldn't help but smile. She just called him her friend. He knew, from the way she acted towards him at dinner several nights prior and the fact that Twilight said that they were worried about him, that she, Fluttershy, and the others thought of him as their new friend, but to hear her actually call him her friend? It made him happy. I guess I didn't botch that dinner party too badly, then, if she wants to be my friend.

"If you're not busy, you can come by the library whenever you get done here, or your can just let me know whenever you feel ready to talk," Twilight said with a warm smile. "Whatever works for you."

"Th-thanks...I'll be over in an hour or so, if that's all right."

The unicorn smiled at him. "Sounds great."

Author's Note

I know this chapter was short, but I wanted to devote a whole chapter to the next part of story (okay, that's a lie; it's really mainly just because I thought of a great reference to make with the title...damn, I'm superficial, haha). That'll come next. Also, forgive the terrible title for this chapter; it was short, so I didn't have much with which to work, and I'm sleepy, so my punny naming isn't quite up to par.

(FYI for those who have followed the story since Summer 2013 or before - this is where the minor tweaks in the August 2013 revisions stop, and the major changes will being in Chapter 4)

Chapter 4 - A Tale of Souls and Swords

After closing up his shop and heading home for a quick shower, Razor Blade made his way to the library. I wonder why she wants to know what's bothering me? She'll probably think it's stupid.

Obviously it's because you're her friend, idiot.

Okay, I'm talking to myself. I need to chill....

When he knocked on the library door, it briefly glowed purple before opening. "Come on in. I'll be out in just a minute!" he heard Twilight call from the other room. He walked into the library and stood off to the side by a bookshelf, waiting for the unicorn hostess to come in from the kitchen. When she did, she did so carrying a plate of daisy sandwiches and hay fries. "I figured I'd bring us something to snack on while we talked," she said with a smile.

Damn, she's thoughtful. It had been quite a while since anypony went out of her way to try to cheer me up, but in less than a month, two have; first Fluttershy invited me to their dinner party, and now Twilight is here trying to get me out of my melancholic funk, and she has food, to boot.

He hadn't realized that he'd been staring at Twilight until she giggled and asked "Did I grow a second horn or something? You've been staring at me for a whole minute. You're welcome to sit down, you know." Immediately blushing, Razor Blade quickly seated himself. "So tell me what's been on your mind. You finally seemed to be cheering up when you, Fluttershy, and I were talking last week, but then you got all bummed out."

Razor Blade remained quiet for a moment, searching for the right words. This wasn't a topic he was particularly fond of discussing, but his friends in both Appaloosa and Vanhoover had been telling him for months that needed to talk to somepony about it and get it off his chest. He knew he needed to, but that did nothing to change the fact that he didn't want to. As much as Razor Blade loved telling stories, either true or fictional, this was one story that he didn't want to tell. For once, there was a story too painful for him to tell, but it had to be told. He knew this story had to be told. "The truth will set you free." Isn't that how the old saying went?

He closed his eyes and took one last deep breath. "Okay," he began, steeling himself against the torrent of memories he was about to unleash upon himself. "It all started four years ago, back when I first arrived at Appaloosa University...."

~Four Year Ago - Appaloosa University~

Razor Blade had just begun his freshman year at Appaloosa University to study metal-smithing. He didn't have any friends as of yet, so he spent a lot of his time studying in the library. It was during one of these trips to the library that he met the pony who would consume the next few years of his life.

"Hi there. Is somepony sitting here?" she asked, motioning to the chair next to him at the table. "I've been searching high and low for a place to sit to get some reading done, but it's like everypony decided to come to the library today."

Razor Blade looked up to see the most beautiful unicorn on whom he'd ever laid eyes. Her coat was a deep red, almost burgundy, and her mane was as white and pristine as the winter's first snow. He tried to tell her that she was welcome to the seat, but all that came out was incoherent stuttering. After a few seconds, he simply gave up and pulled the chair back for her.

"I'm Flame Knife. That's quite the impressive cutie mark you've got there. Are you a soldier?" the unicorn asked.

"Uhh, n-n-no, I'm a, a b-blacksmith." That's when Razor noticed Flame's cutie mark - a dagger. "And you? W-what does the knife on your flank mean?"

She laughed, saying "My family name, obviously. That, and I'm a straight up boss in knife fights." She grinned with a wink. Her entire demeanor - her laugh, her smile, everything - was just so relaxed. Before long, Razor Blade couldn't help but relax. He'd always frozen up around fillies, but for something reason, around Flame, he felt...comfortable. At peace. No studying was done that afternoon. On the contrary, the two were asked to leave the library because they kept giggling to each other like schoolfoals.

It was still the first week of classes, and Razor wanted to make sure that he got plenty of rest that night, so he bid her good night, but not before making plans to meet for lunch the next day. As he lay in bed, drifting to sleep, he couldn't stop thinking about her intoxicating scent and her contagious laugh. Was that a dream? That had to have been a dream. I must have fallen asleep at some point and dreamt up that unicorn. Stallions like me don't meet mares like her, and mares like her certainly don't like stallions like me. He decided, though, that perhaps it was real, and that his luck had just taken a turn for the better. He had never had good luck with fillies throughout school and had never had a real fillyfriend, but there's a first time for everything, right?

At lunch the next day, he kept the conversation focused on Flame. He wanted to know everything about her. She fascinated him in a way nothing before ever had. Overnight, he seemed to have fallen head over hooves in love with her. It was as if she had cast a spell on him.

"You've set my heart ablaze," he told her, only half joking.

"Oh Celestia, please tell me you didn't really just say that. That's SO cheesy, but in an adorably awkward sort of way," she said, laughing the laugh that he grew to love more each time he heard it. She kissed him on the cheek before she got up to dispose of their lunch trays.

When she returned to the table, he asked, "So what's your major? You know all about my plans to set up a forge and service the military, but I know precious little about your plans and goals."

"Oh, well, I'm here studying psychology. I want to know what makes ponies think and feel the way they do. I want to understand how a pony's mind and emotions work. Not sure what I'll do with it once I finish my degree, but I want to do something along those lines," she said. "Being a unicorn would make that even more useful, I bet. I've even heard of spells that change the way ponies feel about each other."

All the time she was talking, he couldn't tear his eyes from her face for even a second. He was completely ensnared by her beauty.

Very quickly, she began the feel the same attraction that he did. Here was a stallion who would care for her and provide for her to the best of his abilities and treat her like a lady. Here was a mare who could always make him smile and knew just want to say to make him laugh. Soon she became his fillyfriend and he her coltfriend, and for a time, it was as if all were right in the world. They were inseparable, and never was the couple seen without grins a mile wide on their faces. Literally every minute they weren't in class or asleep, they were together. Those first few months were honestly the happiest of Razor's life. He went to bed every night thinking to himself This must be the love they speak of in those myths I read.

Like two halves of the same whole, they completed each other. Where one lacked, the other excelled. Razor was terrible at math, but Flame was a walking calculator. Razor's mind was as narrow as the old side roads in Canterlot, but Flame taught him love and tolerance. Flame's temper was true to her name and burned white hot, but Razor taught her patience and forgiveness. It was like a match made in heaven, and all of their friends mutual agreed in unanimity.

Even the most compatible couple eventually has its differences, however, and Razor and Flame were no exception. Razor Blade's family was old fashioned in a lot of ways, whereas Flame Knife's family was from Manehatten where a lot of the old traditions had been long abandoned. Razor's friends, especially those from Vanhoover who had known him the longest, picked on that immediately. They all warned him from the beginning that the affair would end in tragedy, but all Razor could do was say, "You're wrong. You don't know how we work; you don't know her like I do." These differing views on tradition became a point of contention between the two. Despite being the one to teach Razor Blade to tolerate different opinions, it was Flame whose intolerance of Razor's more traditional values caused their first major fight.

Razor Blade's mother had always raised him to be a gentlecolt and to treat mares with respect. In Razor's mind, this included respecting boundaries, even if neither he nor she particularly wanted those boundaries to be observed. This started to be a problem when Flame wanted to cut out the "asleep" part of "They were always together unless they were in class or asleep." Razor felt that it wasn't quite appropriate for ponies to share a bed regularly when they were still just fillyfriend and coltfriend, and so recently so, but when Flame proved herself adamant about the issue, he grew weary of fighting with his beloved and caved in her demands. Okay, he would tell himself, it's just like a sleepover. I can deal with this. A little bit of appeasement is probably all it will take.

The fighting resurfaced when Flame made it clear that she wanted more than companionship and a kiss here and there; she wanted a deeply physical relationship. Razor Blade was very old fashioned in this regard, and he adamantly opposed this new demand. Long ago, when he a still a colt, he had made a vow to himself that he would lie intimately with no mare until they had been married.

When simple seduction proved unsuccessful in dissuading him from this, Flame began to cry, screaming at him that his reluctance meant that he either did not love her as he said he did or that he was repulsed by her. How can she think that? he would ask himself. I love this mare more than anypony in all of Equestria. I would take up arms against Celestia herself if it meant being with Flame, and she's the most beautiful mare I've ever beheld. Why can't she see that? The more he thought about it, the more he began to see the unfairness of the whole situation. I'm the one who should be having those doubts! If she loved me as much as as I love her, shouldn't she be willing to wait?

After running through this train of thought, he always approached the next fight ready to drop bombs, so to speak, but as soon as he saw her, he found himself disarmed. He would always immediately back down and apologize, even if he knew in the back of his head that he was in the right. Her manipulative abilities were as consistently effective as they were irksome.

These arguments continued sporadically for several weeks. They would have a huge fight, she would storm out of his room in bitter tears, they would spend the rest of the day apart, and then they would make up the next morning only to repeat the cycle a day or two later. Eventually, however, she left a note on his saddlebag one morning when she left for class.

My dearest Razor Blade,

Please meet me by our tree near the stream when you get your lunch break. There's something I need to talk to you about.

Yours eternally,
Flame Blade

Her signing the note with his last name left him confused. He thought it was adorable and sweet, but they weren't married. He met her at the tree that afternoon, however, and found her staring out at the stream where they'd shared many a picnic. "What's up, sweetie?" he said, hoping that this wasn't an "I think we need to see other ponies" talk.

His fears were relieved a bit when she looked back at him with a smile on her face. "I just wanted to talk. I don't think you realize just how much you mean to me, so I wanted to say it to make sure you know. I love you more than anypony and anything in Equestria. If you asked me to marry you right now, I'd say yes in a heartbeat. I signed that note this morning the way that I did because, in my mind, we're already married. I'm going to be with you forever, Razor Blade. Forever and always. I promise you."

As he listened to her short monologue and let her words soak in, a voice in the back of his head kept saying Don't listen to her, Razor. She's just bucking with your head. She's trying to lower your guard. He couldn't follow his own advice, though. With tears in his eyes, he kissed the mare in front of him and stayed in her embrace for a full five minutes before looking at her to say "I love you with all my heart, Flame Knife. I promise you, I will never leave your side, and I promise you, I will be forever faithful."

"I swear to you, Razor Blade, I never want to be with another stallion as long as I live."

Flame Knife had hoped that her short speech would convince Razor to yield his old fashioned sensibilities to her lust. She had it all planned out in her head - they would meet underneath the tree, she would make a beautifully scripted confession of her undying love, and he would be swept off his hooves in a wave of affection and trust her with his all. Everything went perfectly according to plan up until the finale, the part about which she cared the most. It's not that she wanted to use him for sex, so to speak, but in her mind, a pony who wasn't ready for sex wasn't ready for a committed relationship.

After that afternoon, the fighting continued to grow worse. Chaos overtook their once idyllic relationship. Where once there had been silence, there was now only angsty shouting; where once there had been smiles, there were now only tears. As with all emotions, this was not an absolute constant. There were days when all felt right in the world again, but the fights would always return, each one more bitter than the last.

~Present Day - Ponyville~

Razor Blade sat silently on Twilight Sparkle's couch, eyes burning holes into the floor, with tears streaming down his face. Throughout his entire recounting of the story, his eyes rarely left that spot on the library floor. Twilight wanted desperately to say something to him, but this was one of the few times in her life when she was completely at a loss.

"I'm rather tired, Twilight. If it's alright with you, I think I'll head home and go to bed. It's been a long day. Sword crafting and all that...." Razor Blade said, feeling more mental and emotional exhaustion than he had in a long time.

"O-of course, Razor," Twilight said, still trying to process everything she'd just been told. She hadn't expected him to open up to her so completely so quickly, but she was humbled that he trusted her with what she knew had to be a sensitive and painful part of his past. She could tell that, no matter what he told anypony else or even himself, he'd been dying to get this off his chest. Why else would he just spill all this to somepony he's only recently met? Twilight asked herself.

As he got up to make his way to the door, Twilight quickly stood up and caught him in a strong hug. She knew she had to do something to show her friend that she cared for him and was there for him, and that was all she could think to do. At first, Razor stayed still, caught off guard by the sudden gesture, but soon returned the embrace. "Thank you...." he said so softly that it was almost a whisper.

"For what?" Twilight asked, looking up at the stallion. She hadn't realized until then what a beautiful, deep shade of green his eyes were, like the needles of a young evergreen.

"For listening. For caring. For wanting to help even though I didn't think I wanted you to, because it did; it's helped. I thought I'd just embarrass myself talking to you about this tonight, but....it helped. So...yeah. Thanks."

The purple unicorn smiled at him and said, "Of course. Let me know if there's anything I can do for you. Feel free to stop by again if you want to talk some more. I'm free every night this week."

"I might take you up on that." With that, the pegasus said good bye and made his way home. Within seconds of hitting his pillow, he was asleep, and as sleep claimed his consciousness, a peace he hadn't known in many years washed over him.

Despite falling asleep peacefully, his night was anything but. He thrashed in his sleep, tormented by an unrelenting cascade of memories buried deep in his sub-conscious. In these dreams, there was no light. There was no feeling. There was no substance. There was only sound. There was only her voice. The voice of the mare who had built him up only to break him down. The voice of the mare who had raised him to a pedestal only to watch with sick delight as he plunged into the depths of despair.

"I'll love you forever and always, Razor Blade. I swear it, baby."

"As far as I'm concerned, we're already married. I don't need a ceremony to tell me that. And I don't believe in divorce, ever."

Though he was aware of his own lack of substance in this ethereal purgatory, his soul was seized by intense emotion. Anger. Love. Angst. Fear. Remorse. Hopelessness. Worthlessness. Hate.

"I'll never be with another stallion, I swear it."

"I hate her for what she did to me."

"Forever and always."

Hate.

He awoke in a rage, almost putting a hoof thorough his bed. Angry tears streaming down his face, he got up and, standing on his two hind legs, punched a hole clean through his bedroom door, letting loose a blood curdling cry. Releasing some of pent up fury with the strike, he began to calm down. Once he regained some composure, he pulled his hoof out of his brutalized bedroom door and wiped the tears from his eyes.

Heh....Guess some of that tramp's temper rubbed off on me....I never punched doors or walls before I met Flame....

Razor considered trying to go back to bed, but realizing that dawn was only an hour away, he opted to stay up and get an early start to the day. He then thought back to the conversation he'd had with Twilight Sparkle just hours before. It's true, talking about his past and reliving those memories had been terribly painful, and bringing those memories to the surface was undoubtedly what caused both his nightmare and the subsequent anger, yet, he felt oddly free, almost as if the memories' hold on him was weakening.

"I need to do something to thank to her, to show her that I appreciate her being there for me despite not having known me for long," he said, looking down at Rush, just now coming out from under the bed to where he'd retreated from his master's violent awakening.

He went downstairs to prepare some breakfast for himself and for his canine companion, thinking of ways to show Twilight his gratitude. As he was eating, an idea struck him. He quickly scribbled a shopping list with things he'd need. When 8 am rolled around and most of the shops in Ponyville opened, he and Rush made their way to the town market to get the items on his list, after which they raced to his smithy.

To avoid distractions, Razor kept the door to his shop locked and the sign flipped to "Closed" all day, slaving away at his furnace and anvil with only his dog to keep him company. This wasn't like the days he spent making cookie-cutter weapons for the sake of keeping himself preoccupied. No, this time, he worked with a goal in mind. This time his work was not that of a pony who was just trying to make a living but rather that of an artisan who was trying to forge a masterpiece.

For hours upon hours, he hammered, chiseled, cooled, and reheated. Once again, the sounds of hammer against metal rang out through the town. The sun was beginning its descent to the west when he finally lifted his mask and put down his hammer, satisfied at last with his product. He wrapped the gift carefully in a sheet of cloth and placed it in his saddle bag, then racing to Bon-Bon's confectionery to buy some caramel chews before she closed for the evening.

A few hours later, after having taken a shower and fed and walked Rush, Razor gathered his saddle bag and made his way to the library to continue his conversation with Twilight. When he knocked on the door, Twilight had a look of surprised on her face. "Oh, hey Razor Blade. Come on in. What a pleasant surprise. I didn't expect to see you back so soon," she said with a smile.

"If you're busy, I can leave. I just wanted to do something to show you how much I appreciate your listening to me last night," Razor said.

Cutting him off before he could continue with the half-scripted speech he had in his head, Twilight said, "I don't mind at all. If you recall, I'm the one who specifically told you I was free every night this week. I just didn't expect you take me up on the offer."

"Well, as a blacksmith who specializes in weapons and armor, there's not a whole lot that I could think to do for a beautiful mare like you," he said, blushing when he realized that he'd let that slip, "but I thought you might like this." He withdrew the carefully wrapped parcel from his saddle bag and hoofed it to Twilight.

"What is it?" she asked, levitating it over towards her.

"Unwrap it and find out."

As she telekinetically untied the string and let the cloth fall to the floor, she revealed a sheathed blade with a golden scabbard, her cutie mark engraved in the metal on either side. The hilt was adorned with amethyst of a soft violet that was almost identical to her coat. As she drew the blade, she was amazed by the quality of the craftsmanship that went into it.

"You...you made this?" she asked, amazed at the gift. Razor blade simply nodded his head. She continued to admire the sword. The blade itself was just shy of three feet long and only an inch wide - a blade clearly designed for finesse rather than brute strength. The metal shone so brightly that it could have passed for pure silver.

"I started working on it shortly after dawn and didn't finish until right before dusk, at which point I went to get these," he said, holding out the bag of Bon-Bon's caramel candies. "I knew that a pony like you wouldn't have much use for a weapon, but I thought maybe if it doubled as art, that you might like it."

Twilight looked up at him with a huge grin on her face, at which he couldn't help but smile back. "I absolutely love it," she said as she walked forward and placed a kiss lightly on his cheek before turning around to put the ornamental blade somewhere safe until she thought of where to display it.

Razor Blade stood there in blissful shock, his cheeks glowing like blood red beacons. Am I dreaming? I bet I'm dreaming. I have to be dreaming. I'm definitely dreaming, but damn it, I don't want to wake up, he thought to himself.

"Um...hello? Are you okay? Anypony awake in there?" He realized that he'd been staring off again when Twilight started jumping up and down in front of him.

"Huh? What? Oh, yeah, I'm fine," he said with a sheepish grin.

"Would you like you come eat some of these candies with me? You don't have to continue your story if you don't want to, but it would be a shame to do something sweet like that and then just leave," Twilight said, her voice sounding the slightest bit flirtatious. Although he was dense as a lead pipe when it came to such things, Razor Blade completely missed her subtle hint, but he sat down next to her anyway.

"I don't mind finishing the story. I mean, if you want me to, that is." Don't feather this up now, idiot. Nopony wants to hear more of your whining.

"I'd love to hear more if you want to share. And it's not whining if it's to a friend who wants to help," Twilight said, as if reading his mind.

Shit. Can she read my thoughts? Wait, that's ridiculous. You're being ridiculous. Just shut up and finish your story.

"Alright," he said, "Where was I? Oh yeah, 'We're already married' and all that stuff. Right. So, we had been dating for about a year by this point...."

~Three Year Ago - Appaloosa University~

Their relationship remained a struggle, but they had kept it intact somehow, although neither of them could have told anypony how they managed to stay together. The focus of Razor's thoughts began to shift to At least we stayed together rather than what his friends back home (Flame's controlling streak made it difficult to make friends in Appaloosa) told him that his focus needed to be - If I'm not happy anymore, I shouldn't be with her. "It's not like that," he would insist. "I'm still happy, I guess. We're just in a rough patch is all. You guys just don't get it; you just don't get us."

Unfortunately for him, what was as clear as Princess Celestia's day to everypony else in his life was an enigma shrouded in mystery to Razor Blade - he had invested so much time and energy into making that relationship work, but Flame Knife didn't seem interested in putting any effort into it herself.

For a time, the fighting plateaued. It never really got better, but it stopped getting worse. For a time, that is. Razor Blade quickly began to realize that Flame Knife was, in all probability, a nymphomaniac. To most stallions, this would have been a dream come true, but Razor wasn't most stallions. Part of the reason that he'd always had trouble with fillies - and part of what initially attracted Flame to him - was that he wasn't interested in the "Buck, Dump, Repeat" pattern that most stallions his age used with relationships. That just isn't how he worked emotionally. "It's not how a gentlecolt treats a lady," he would insist. "It's not respectful."

Remember, Razor Blade, communication is the key to any healthy relationship. Just talk to her about it. She loves you, remember? She'll understand, but she isn't a mind reader; you have to tell her. When he did talk to her about it, however, it was as if somepony had taken a long forgotten broken record from the past and started playing it again and again and again.

"Why don't you find me attractive? Why don't you love me the way I love you?" she would scream at him, tears streaming down her face.

In the back of his mind, Razor would always think, Gods in heaven, she's being ridiculous! I never said any of that! Why am I even putting up with this shit? Whenever he'd start to say something to that effect, however, it would always come out as an apology for something. It was if he were never able to stand up for himself, always defaulting to admitting that he was wrong somehow even though he knew he wasn't. All of these fights would end the same - Flame would storm out of the room in tears, and Razor would take a long walk to clear his mind.

He began to retreat into himself, staying largely silent during these fights. Even during their happier times, she could tell that within him, a seed of dissatisfaction had been planted. Her strategy for dealing with this? Attack it. Brutally, completely, and mercilessly attack it. He began to hear "You just love your video games more than you love me! All you care about is Mare-io Brothers and Legend of Epona. Why don't you want to spend time with me?" The irony of this accusation: Razor had left all of his games at home in Vanhoover after his first semester, keeping nothing with him in Appaloosa so that he could spend all of his time with Flame.

This trend continued, and the fights intensified. Sadness begot sadness; pain begot pain. He had known mares whose coltfriends psychologically and emotionally abused them, but Razor never expected to be on the receiving end of such abuse. What kind of a stallion gets emotionally abused by his fillyfriend? How pathetic I've become.... These thoughts proliferated, and from them, insecurities propagated that would tear at the very foundation of who Razor Blade thought he was.

On the outside, they were a happy couple, or at least they put on as happy a face as they could muster. They went to the few classes they had together. They went to their Appaloosan Paranormal Study Organization meetings every week. They ate together on campus every night. This went on for two years. They tried to make sure everypony else thought that they were as happy as ever. In reality, however, the relationship was like a prison for Razor Blade.

"Dude, just break up with her. That mare's no good for you!" his friends from back home would tell him. When he was being honest with himself, he would sometimes admit that he wanted to. I made a promise, though. A gentlecolt does not break a promise, no matter how ill advised it it may have been he would think to himself. I made a promise to her, and she made a promise to me. We'll be together forever. This is just a rough patch, right? This will pass, won't it? "Good things come to those who wait." "Patience is a virtue." That's what mom always told me. If I just stick it out and persevere, it'll all be okay in the end.

Autumn came, and they prepared to celebrate their three year anniversary. For the two months leading up to that occasion, things had started to feel normal again. Things started to feel like they did back at the beginning. They weren't fighting, they were smiling honest smiles, and they were laughing honest laughs. It was a breath of fresh air into the relationship that Razor Blade knew would revive their romance. This is the payoff of my perseverance and loyalty. This is the good thing that came to me who waited.

For their three year anniversary, they spent the at the coast - Flame's favorite place in the world - and had a picnic, went to the aquarium, and even had the mandatory cliche romantic walk on the beach. Flame gave Razor the Ponystation 3 he'd been dying to have for ages, and he gave her the newest Game Colt. Everything felt fine. As he flew home at the end of the day, he thought to himself, This is it. We weathered the storm, and we're finally happy again.

Three days later, the mailmare came, and he raced to the mailbox, hoping to see a letter from his beloved. Sure enough, he saw her familiar handwriting on an address from Manehatten, and he ran to his room to read it. What he read, though, made him as sick as the old mare's tales about how rainbows were made.

My dearest Razor Blade,

These past three years have been so special to me, and though we've had our ups and downs, I'll always think fondly of them. You've brought me more joy than I used to think anypony could. You've shown me what a true gentlecolt looks like, and you always did everything you could to ensure that I was happy and well cared for. That is why this letter pains me as much as I know it will pain you.

There's no use beating around the bush, so I'll just put it out there; I met another stallion. He and I met several months ago when he moved to Appaloosa. I know you did all that you could to make me happy, and I truly did love you with all of my heart, but Remus make me feel...giddy. Like you used to make me feel. I know I promised you that I'd be with you forever, and it kills me to break that promise, but you'll be better off without me. I was terrible to you. I took advantage of you, both your emotions and your bits. I'm doing this for you as much as I'm doing it for me, maybe even more so for you.

I hope we can still be friends. You promised me we'd always be best friends, no matter what. You won't break a promise to me, will you? I hope you don't hate me. I'll always love you.

Flame Knife

Upon finishing the letter, Razor Blade slumped to the floor. For more than three hours, he stared at the wall in front of him, his mind a machine overloaded by a power surge. He thought nothing. He saw nothing. He felt nothing. He just....stared, existing, but only just. He couldn't even cry. For three years, he had devoted his life to that mare. For three years, he gave his every bit and his every waking minute to that mare. Then, all at once, he was hit by a wave of realization, as if a dam had been torn down, flooding his mind with thoughts, images, and memories. He suddenly realized how taken advantage of he had been. He suddenly realized how unreciprocated his love had been. That's not to say that she didn't love him, but he knew then that she didn't love him nearly as strongly as he loved her, or as completely as he loved her, or as eternally as he loved her.

Slowly, the ability to form his own thoughts returned. ....Damn you....Damn you to hell, you lying whorse....Damn you for making me love you. Damn you for breaking my heart, and damn you for not letting me hate you.

For the next three days, he stayed in bed. He did not sleep except when his mother forced sleeping pills down his throat. He did not eat except when she forced food down his throat. He did not move except to shuffle to the bathroom, moving more slowly and with less life than a patient with a terminal illness.

Until the end of the summer, he scarcely left his family's Vanhoover home. When school started back again, he returned to Appaloosa, but he left all of the clubs and organizations with which he and Flame had once been associated. He merely finished his degree and returned home.

~Present Day - Ponyville~

"About four months after graduation, I decided that I needed to get out and start my life anew, maybe try to make some new memories to replace all those bad ones, so here I am, in Ponyville, starting a new life in a new town on my own," Razor Blade said, finishing his story.

Twilight Sparkle just sat in silence. She had no idea what to say. She had been left at a loss the night before, but she didn't even know where to begin after hearing that.

Razor Blade started at the floor, a lone tear escaping his right eye and falling to the floor despite his best efforts to contain it. Both ponies sat in silence for several minutes before Razor felt a pair of small, purple hooves wrap around him. The scent of Twilight's mane was intoxicating, and it instantly calmed his nerves, frayed from reliving those agonizing memories.

"What Flame did to you was....terribly cruel. Nopony deserves that kind of betrayal," Twilight said, struggling to find the words to comfort her friend. "It sounds like you were wonderful to her. Now that I've gotten to know you a bit better, I can say with confidence that Rarity was right last week; any mare would be lucky to have you."

Razor Blade had barely registered what had been said when he felt Twilight's lips take his in a gentle, comforting kiss. Razor froze, stunned by what had just transpired.

"I'm sorry...I shouldn't have done that..." Twilight said as she quickly pulled away, realizing how emotionally vulnerable the pegasus was at that moment.

"Don't be, Twilight," Razor said, a smile creeping onto his face. "Truth be told, I've had a bit of a crush on you since I first met you."

"I know," Twilight said, smiling ever so slightly. "It was kind of obvious when you kept starting at me and blushing."

As if on cue, Razor blushed - again - before leaning forward to return the kiss. His smile then diminished just slightly, however, and he said, "I just don't know if I'm coltfriend material right now. I'm a bit whiny and mopey, in case you hadn't noticed..."

Twilight just giggled, saying, "Maybe you just hadn't found the right mare to put a smile back on your face."

Author's Note

This chapter got a lot of editing from the originally published draft. A lot of the text stayed the same, but the message and set up for later chapters got changed a lot. This is where the bigger changes to the story in my second major revision start.

Also, I am WAAAAY out of my element writing fluff, but it's always been something I've wanted to be good at and feel comfortable writing, so I figured I'd give it a shot. To use a woefully inappropriate pun to keep in mind when you comment, "Be gentle; it's my first time," though certainly give me some feedback that I can use to improve.

Did anyone catch the Arty/Nadia Ali song reference? I was listening to BPM on Sirius earlier today, so I had to squeeze that in there. =P

Chapter 5 - Achievement Unlocked: Paramour

When Razor Blade lay down to sleep after returning home from the library, he slept with a peace he'd not known for years. As he began to interact more with the denizens of Ponyville, his business began to pick up, mostly in demand for fencing lessons. Between his new relationship with Twilight Sparkle and the surge in business, things were finally beginning to look up for Razor Blade.

Lyra and Bon-Bon were his two most faithful students, taking lessons from him all five days of the work week. At the end of one of their lessons, Razor said, "So I'm curious why you two are here so regularly. Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled to have students has dedicated as you two. I'm just curious."

Lyra smiled and replied, "Well, since I'm a musician, and Bon-bon makes and sells candy, there isn't much that we do together as a couple. We thought that fencing would be a good way to get some exercise and do something together." It made Razor Blade smile to think that the sport he loved - the sport that gave him his cutie mark - was now helping two young and in love ponies bond and have something else in common.

Twilight, too, slept especially soundly the night after she had told Razor how she felt. When she awoke the next morning, she felt an unusual warmth in her heart. She had never had more than passing crushes on other ponies, instead focusing all of her attention on her studies. Romantic involvement was something that never seemed to her like a serious possibility. After all, she was a bit of, as Rainbow Dash put it, "an egghead."

"I saw Razor today when I was in the market buying groceries. He seemed much happier than when I first met him. Have you been talking to him like you planned?" Fluttershy asked Twilight when they, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack met for lunch later that day.

"For the past two nights. It turns out that what was bothering him was a fillyfriend he had when he was studying at Appaloosa University. Somepony named Flame Knife. From the way he described her, she sounded just awful. I can't believe anypony would treat anypony else, especially her very special somepony, so horribly." Twilight began to space out as she finished speaking.

"Twilight, darling, is that a hint of affection I just heard in your voice?" Rarity asked, a smile creeping onto her face when she recognized the tone in the other unicorn's voice and her suddenly spacey look. When Twilight snapped back to reality with a glowing blush, Rarity took it as a confirmation of her suspicions. Excitedly, she said, "Oh, dear, I was wondering when you'd put those books down long enough to let somepony catch your eye. Are you going to tell him how you feel? You simply must tell him at some point." Normally, Rarity was a very mature and sophisticated mare. When it came to relationships, however, she gushed as much as any high school filly. Maybe more so.

Twilight looked down at her cup of tea, blushing even brighter. "I, uh..I did. I kind of...kissed him...." she said, trailing off so that the last bit was nearly inaudible, her blush continuing to growing in intensity.

The other four mares had surprised looks on their faces. Nopony was sure what to say for several seconds until Applejack asked, "Well, don't just leave us hangin', Twi. What did he do?"

Twilight finally lifted her head from her cup, her blush still present but now overshadowed by an enormous grin. "He kissed me back and said that he'd had a crush on me since he first met me." The other ponies all smiled, uttering some form of "Aww..."

"We're going out to dinner later this week," Twilight said, still beaming.

"Aren't you worried about this Flame Knife pony? Are you sure he's over her? I'd hate to have to kick his flank for hurting you," Rainbow Dash said. Everypony was thinking more or less the same thing, but nopony wanted to mention it and risk bringing down Twilight's happy mood.

Twilight hadn't considered this. Her smile vanished in an instant. She thought about it, sitting silently for a moment. After a few seconds, she said, "I don't know whether he is or not. What I do know, though, is that I've never felt like this about anypony before. I just have to trust that he is, and if it turns out I'm wrong, I'll cross that bridge when I come to it."

"Aww, don't ya worry, sugarcube," Applejack said, trying to reassure her friend. "If he said that pony was as hateful as ya make it sound, I don't think ya've got a thing to worry 'bout. Besides, even if he ain't quite over her yet, maybe he just needs somepony like you to treat him right and show him how much better ya are."

Twilight was certainly appreciative of the reassurance, but once a bell is rung, it cannot be unrung; the smitten unicorn couldn't shake from her mind the worry and doubt that now plagued her.

As the night of their date drew ever closer, Twilight couldn't shake Rainbow Dash's words from her mind. "Are you sure he's over her?" She knew that Rainbow had only said that because she cared for Twilight and didn't want to see her get hurt, but she couldn't help but feel a bit resentful, as well.

I'm not a little filly, Rainbow. I can take care of myself. Flame treated Razor like dirt. Of course he's over her. Anypony who had come from that would be long over her and want me instead...right?

"You okay, Twilight? You've been a little spacey all day," Spike asked.

"What? Oh, yeah. I'm fine, Spike. Just thinking."

"Thinking about what Rainbow Dash said the other day?" The baby dragon had spent enough time around his friend to be able to read her mannerisms fairly well, and she had told him all about the mares' lunchtime conversation when she had gotten home.

"Sort of, yeah. I mean, I know she has a point, but I've never really liked anypony before. Not like this, anyway. Even if he's not totally over her yet, isn't the best way to get him over her to show him how much happier I can make him?" Twilight couldn't tell where she stopped being logical and started rationalizing. Besides, doesn't everypony always say 'If you want something, go get it'?"

"Maybe you should go talk to Rarity if you're having doubts? I think she's probably the one of our friends who's had the most relationship experience. Well, she's at least had the most chasing experience, harassing every pony with any bit of nobility in Equestria at some point or another," Spike suggested. "I wish I were a prince..." he muttered, hopefully too quietly for Twilight to hear. To Spike's chagrin, however, she did hear.

"Oh Spike, you are still just a baby dragon, remember? I don't think you're quite old enough to be worrying about dating," she said with a giggle. "I think I will go see Rarity, though. If nothing else, I need to talk to her about what to wear tomorrow night." Twilight waved good-bye to Spike, grabbed her saddle bag, and headed for Rarity's boutique.

Twilight walked effectively blind the entire way from the library to Carousel Boutique. She trotted along, unseeing, completely wrapped up in her own thoughts. I have no idea what I'm doing. I don't know the first thing about being in a relationship. I should have looked for a book on this...No! Spending all of your time reading is half the reason you don't have any experience with this. This train of thought was ended only when she realized that she was about to walk straight into the door of Carousel Boutique.

Shaking her head to clear her mind, she pressed the door open with a hoof and greeted the seamstress who was working inside. "Hey Rarity, do you have a few minutes? There are a couple things I need to talk to you about," Twilight said as she and her friend greeted each other.

"Of course, darling. How can I help? Is this about your date tomorrow?"

"Yeah. Do you think I'm making a mistake? By going out with him, I mean. I mean, like with whether or not he's over Flame. I mean...Do you know what I mean?" Rarely had Twilight have this much difficulty. She was quite unaccustomed to seeing Twilight struggle to articulate herself.

"Oh, are you still thinking about what Rainbow Dash said? I'll admit, she does have a valid point that's not to be dismissed, but worrying yourself silly won't do anypony any good. Tell me this, Twilight: do you like him?" It wasn't often that Rarity had the opportunity to give dating advice, and as it was a guilty pleasure of hers, she relished the opportunity.

"I mean, yeah, I do. That's kind of why I kissed him the other night..." Twilight was already getting frustrated, though she wasn't sure if her frustration was with Rarity or with herself.

"Well, then, there's your answer," Rarity said matter-of-factly.

"I don't get it. How does that solve anything?" Twilight asked, now both frustrated and confused.

"Twilight, darling, just sit down, close your eyes, and breathe. Let me explain. We've already established that you're quite fond of Razor Blade. The fact that he reacted to your kiss the way that he did indicates that he has feelings for you, as well. From there, there are two possibilities. Either he is over Flame and ready to devote his attention to you, in which case you have nothing to worry about; or he isn't completely over Flame yet, in which case, if you want him, you have to chase him and show him that you're the better pony and, most importantly, that you're the mare who can make him happier. Are you following me, Twilight? If you want him, you have to go and get him, even if you have to fight somepony else for him. Some things in life are important enough to fight for, and few things in life are as important as romance."

Twilight just blinked, staring at Rarity. "Wow, Rarity. You've really thought this out, haven't you?"

Rarity took a posture of pride, saying "I'll have you know that I was quite the matchmaker when I was a filly. My friends always came to me for relationship advice. If you want him, Twilight, go get him. If you wait for somepony to come to you, you may be waiting until you're as old as Granny Smith, especially if his emotional baggage is as heavy as you make it out to be."

Twilight felt waves of both relief and determination wash over her. Rarity was right; if she wanted Razor, then she couldn't just give up on him because somepony from his past may or may not still be on his mind. I've never been attracted to anypony like this before. Even if he's not ready to move on from that part of his life, I have to try.

Twilight stood up, a look of absolute resolution upon her face. "Did that set your nerves at ease a bit?" Rarity asked.

"Completely. Thank you so much. Now, would you mind helping me figure out what to wear tomorrow night?"

Rarity's face lit up. "Say no more. Relationship advice may be a hobby of mine, but as my cutie mark shows, fashion is my special talent."

"No...No...No....No..Too dark...Not dark enough...Ugh, Rush chewed a hole through the sleeve...Damn it, that one's sunfaded...Don't I have anything decent to wear?!?" Razor Blade's frustration had been steadily growing as he sifted through his wardrobe. "Aha! Finally!" he shouted in triumph as he grabbed a suit that he had deemed acceptable - the standard white dress shirt with black slacks and a black jacket. "Good thing I have so much formal dress for my trips to Canterlot..."

Having chosen an actual outfit for the evening, he began to debate a tie. I definitely need some kind of tie. I'd just look lazy without one... He turned to his dog. "What do you think Rush? Red tie or black?" The dog gestured at him. "I swear to the gods, the dog just rolled his eyes at me....Fine, I'll play it safe and go with black. Geeze..." He quickly trotted around his house, making sure that he hadn't forgotten anything. "Suit? Check. Tie? Check. Cologne? Check. Bit pouch? Check. Irresistible charm? Check. Looks like I'm good to go." Walking out the door, he threw a hoof into the air in a waving gesture. "Be back later, Rush. Wish me luck!"

Twilight was determined to make a good impression on her first date with Razor. She and Rarity initially just talked about what Twilight already had in her wardrobe, but it soon became apparent to Rarity that the clothes she already owned were simply insufficient for securing the heart of the pegasus. They were up late into the night designing a new dress for Twilight. It was to be less formal than the dress she had worn to the Grand Galloping Gala but still every bit as elegant, albeit more subdued.

Between the dress that Rarity had made her and the pep talk that she had gotten from her friends, Twilight Sparkle felt the more confident than she had since before she came to Ponyville. That, however, did little to stop her stomach from tying itself into knots when she heard a knock at the library door.

What Twilight didn't know was that, on the other side of that door, Razor Blade was even more nervous than she. Do not buck this up. Do not buck this up. Do NOT buck this up. Do you hear me, Razor Blade? Twilight is an amazing pony who did what you didn't have the balls to do by making the first move. Now the ball's in your court, bro; it's time to show her what a gentlecolt looks likes. His mental pep talk-turned-lecture wasn't doing as much to calm his nerves as he might have liked.

When Twilight opened the door, Razor froze. There was no doubt in his mind that his jaw would have hit the ground when he saw his date had it been long enough. He had never seen anypony look quite so beautiful. Her hair was curled ever so slightly at the ends, making it appear as if it bounced of its own accord with each step she took. Her dress was a deep blue that accented the soft violet of her coat, trailing about an inch behind her. The collar of the dress came up to within half an inch of the bottom of her ears. The sides of the dress had folds barely noticeable, giving the garment an ethereal flow when she walked. The dress had a clasp in the front with an emblem of her cutie mark.

Razor Blade stood for what felt like hours but was, in reality, only seven or eight seconds, simply staring in awe at her. The longer he stared, the bigger her smile grew. "Well? Are you going to stare at me all night, or are we going to go somewhere?" Twilight asked, giggling at the stupor in which she'd put him.

He opened and closed his mouth several times, trying to respond, but failing to find any words. After a couple seconds, he stopped, closed his eyes, and gathered his thoughts, forcing himself back to the real world. Having focused his mind, he opened his eyes and managed to say "By the gods, Twilight, I've never seen anypony look so beautiful. I've certainly never had anypony leave me literally speechless."

At first, she had managed to hold off blushing at how visibly awe-struck he was, but that compliment broke her control, and her she felt her face begin to glow. Razor Blade, after seeing Twilight Sparkle, felt terribly underdressed. He wasn't, of course, but in his eyes, he might as well have been wearing a burlap sack.

He reached for her hoof and, arm in arm, they walked the streets of Ponyville towards one of the newer restaurants in town, recently opened by a pony from Canterlot. It was by no means a cheap establishment - on the contrary, it was the most expensive place in Ponyville - but he was willing to spare no expense on his first date in years, especially since he had so quickly grown so attracted to Twilight Sparkle.

"Celestia's Palace? No way, Razor, this place is way too expensive! Let's just go to Sugarcube Corner or Carrot Top's deli or something." Twilight protested when she realized where they were going.

Razor just laughed, looked at her, and said "Twilight, you seem to have some trouble understanding how stallions' minds work, so I'll explain. You see, when a stallion is trying to impress a beautiful mare, he tends to take her somewhere nice, not a normal old deli or pastry shop." Twilight just looked at him and facehoofed, a huge grin visible beneath her hoof. Seeing her reaction, he added, "Hey, it doesn't make to make sense, but that's just how it is."

At dinner, Razor Blade insisted that Twilight order the most expensive thing on the menu only half-joking. As they ate, she asked him about some of his college classes, specifically his history and philosophy classes. As a particularly talented unicorn, Twilight had never had the opportunity take more general education courses beyond her own personal studies; most all of her education had been with Princess Celestia and the Circle of the Magi in Canterlot.

He told her about his academic studies' focus on military history and economics, the latter of which was the area that she had studied the least. They talked about the economic theories of John Reinard Keynes, Karl Marex, and the clueless Amareican actor-turned-politician, Ronald Neighgan. She, in turn, told him about the great unicorn mages of past ages about whom he, as a magic-less pegasus, knew very little, and he then told her about the background and rules of fencing. Before they knew it, they were getting dirty looks from the waiters and realized that the restaurant had been closed for nearly an hour.

As they walked out of the restaurant, neither pony was ready for the night to end yet. Razor suggested, "Hey Twilight, why don't we go back to my place and watch a movie or something?"

Twilight beamed at the hoped for but unexpected extension of the date. "That sounds like a great idea."

Already nearly midnight when they got back to Razor's house, they started watching one of Razor's favorite movies, The Godstallion. When Twilight mentioned that she had never seen it, his only response was, "Oh Celestia, what have you been doing with your life? This is a movie that EVERYPONY needs to see."

They curled up on the couch together. Not even an hour into the movie, Twilight was asleep, her head on his shoulder. He rested his head on hers, inhaling deeply of her sweet scent. It calmed him like nothing ever had. Huh. So this is what bliss feels like. I'd completely forgotten. It's been a long time since you and I have seen one another, Bliss... Giving thanks for the great turnaround of his luck and enjoying the company of the mare with whom he was quickly falling in love, he, too, drifted to sleep.

Author's Note

Despite the fact that I wrote the first draft of this before Magical Mystery Cure aired, Twilight's coronation manestyle is almost exactly what I imagine for the date.

Chapter 6 - Super R-Type

When Razor Blade awoke the next morning, it took a few seconds for him to realize where he was. ...why am I on the sofa? Oh yeah, that's right, Twilight and I were watching a movie...Must have fallen asleep. No wonder the sofa smells so heavenly; it smells like her. He sat up and stretched, noticing an unusual scent. Immediately, his nose twitched. Sniffing the air, he paused. Is that....food?

As he wandered into his kitchen, he was greeted by an apron-wearing unicorn. "I was wondering when you were going to wake up," Twilight said, smiling at him as she stood in front of the stove.

"What are you doing?" he asked, a bit embarrassed that he'd clearly slept so much longer than she.

"What does it look like I'm doing, silly? I'm making you breakfast," Twilight said with a grin.

He wasn't sure what to say. He stood there, speechless, for a few seconds. He finally managed to say "Wow...That's...really sweet. That's probably the sweetest thing anypony's ever done for me. Nopony's ever cooked for me before..."

Twilight began to walk away from the stove, telekinetically carrying a plate of eggs and toast while shoving Razor towards the kitchen table. "Well, now somepony has," Twilight said with a smile. "You're really cute when you sleep, by the way," she said with a wink as she walked back into the kitchen to put the apron away. Razor just blushed.

After breakfast, Twilight had gone upstairs to take a shower. Razor Blade stayed downstairs to clean up the kitchen, and after that was finished, went to relax in the living room. He lived in a relatively sizable two story house. Just inside and to the left of the front door was the living room with a navy blue sofa and a hunter green recliner. Rarity would probably have fainted on the spot if she ever saw the full extent of his inability to match colors, but he went for comfort over aesthetics. To the right of the door, without a wall dividing it from the living room, was the dining room, and all that separated that from the kitchen was a counter, roughly six feet long. Going straight back from the front door was a hallway on the left side with the laundry room; to the right side was a staircase. Up the stairs were Razor's bedroom, two guest bedrooms, and the bathroom.

Directly behind the sofa in the living room was a large three-panel window. In the distance - about three blocks away - one could see the Ponyville market. Razor stood staring out the window at the blue sky, quickly became lost in his own thoughts.

As Twilight descended the stairs from her shower, she noticed how oblivious her host was. She crept up to him as silently as she could and, when she got close enough, wrapped her fore legs around him from behind. He jumped slightly when she did but quickly put his hooves on hers when he realized who it was and what she was doing.

I know Princess Celestia wants me to write her letters about what I'm learning about friendship, but what about things that I learn about being more than friends? Twilight thought to herself as she buried her face in the cyan coat of the pegasus with whom her infatuation had grown strong.

As he stood, enjoying Twilight's embrace, Razor saw Derpy Hooves land outside his house and deposit a letter in his mailbox. Twilight, too, noticed, and said to him, "Maybe you should see what that letter says. It could be another order for you to fill."

Not wanting to leave the embrace of the beautiful mare, he pretended not to have heard her until she withdrew her fore legs, forcing him to go. He grumbled something about a "stupid mailmare" as he walked to the mailbox. His expression quickly turned to a grin, however, when he turned around after retrieving the letter to see Twilight standing in the doorway, smiling at him.

He couldn't help but smile to himself. He was happy. For the first time in two or three years, he was truly happy, and it was all thanks to Twilight. As he walked back into the house, he sat on the sofa to read the letter. It had no return address. Twilight sat next to him, but made a point of not looking at the letter as he opened it; she wanted to be close to him, but she didn't want to invade his privacy. She simply sat, content with his company, as he read the letter.

To her dismay, however, as he read, the look on his face shifted from one of bliss to one of pain, and, eventually, to one of fury. After a few minutes, he sat, hooves shaking, his face not at all hiding his rage.

"....Razor? What's the matter?" Twilight asked, quite worried about the stallion after seeing his drastic change in mood.

"...nothing. It's nothing, love. Don't you worry that pretty little head," he said unconvincingly. It didn't help that he was still shaking. If he had possessed the magical abilities of unicorns, Twilight had little doubt that something would have either exploded or erupted in flames by now if the look on his face were any indication.

He looked at her, his rage quickly turning to regret when he saw the look of worry upon Twilight's face. Realizing how much his sudden mood change must have upset her, his eyes immediately softened, and he leaned in to kiss her. "Twilight, don't worry. I'm fine, really. Well, mostly fine." He realized as soon as the words left his mouth that they were probably counterproductive; Twilight's still worried face confirmed this. "Would it make you feel better to read the letter so you'd know what it was that upset me?"

Twilight nodded with the slightest hesitation. "Okay," Razor said. "Just remember something, okay?" The mare nodded. "I..." Razor hesitated, suddenly unsure if the words he wanted to utter were the best idea. Buck it. Just say it. He closed his eyes, gathering his nerves. "I...I think I love you, Twilight, and I know for sure that there's nopony with whom I'd rather be right now. Nopony. Just remember that." He dropped the letter on her lap before getting up and walking into the kitchen to get a glass of water. Maybe cider would be better.... he thought. Nah, no maybe; cider would definitely be better right now.

Twilight just stared at the folded letter in her lap, focusing more on what Razor had just said than on what the letter might say. ...he just said he loves me. Well, he said he thinks he loves me. But that's close enough, right? Do I love him? I think I do. Do I? I don't know. I've never been in love before. How would I know what it feels like? I guess I would just know. Maybe there's a book on love? I definitely need to research this. Wait, research love? That's stupid. Okay, Twilight, you're overthinking things. Breathe. Phew. There we go. She looked down at the letter, curious as to what could possibly have made the stallion react the way that he did. She had a creeping suspicion.

Dear Razor Blade,

I know our parting wasn't quite on the best of terms, and I do regret that. I hope you know that I always loved you - I always will love you - and that I never meant to hurt you.

Anyway, I wanted to write to tell you that I will be passing through Ponyville next Friday on my way from Fillydelphia to Los Pegasus. I'd love to see you and talk if you have time. I know there's a lot that we probably ought to talk about, aside from just catching up. Remus and I broke up, by the way, so you don't have to worry about dealing with him. It's been so long since you and I have seen each other!

I hope you'll be willing to see me. I hear you've made quite the name for yourself as a blacksmith in Ponyville.

Best regards,
Flame Knife

Twilight stared at the letter once she had reached the bottom. Now she understood why he responded so negatively; he had moved to Ponyville to escape her and any memory of her, and here she was, bringing those memories back to the surface with this letter. There was one line in particular that bothered her, though - "I hope you know that I always loved you - I always will love you..." Did he still love her? Having never been in love before, Twilight didn't know how long it took for one to "fall out of love" with somepony.

Slowly, she got up and walked into the kitchen. Razor Blade was leaning over the sink, staring at it with enough intensity to melt a hole through it. When he heard her hoofsteps in the kitchen, he sighed. "I moved here specifically to get away from any memory of her. How the hell does she even know where I live?! I FINALLY find somepony who likes me for who I am and who makes me truly happy, and that whorse has to come here and buck everything up!" Razor said, his volume increasing with each word. As he uttered the last word, he turned to the right and threw the glass he had been holding against the wall, shattering it into a hundred pieces. Slamming a hoof into the wall, he said quietly, to whatever deities may or may not be listening as much as to anypony else, "Just leave me alone, damn it...Why can't she just leave me alone?"

Whatever jealousy Twilight had previously felt gave way to pity and sympathy. Clearly, the pegasus was in emotional pain and did not want to hear from or see her again. He turned quickly and held Twilight in a close embrace. For several minutes, he just stood there, holding her close. Finally, he pulled back, regaining his composure, and, after clearing his throat, said "So tell me what you're thinking and feeling. We just had our first date last night; surely you have something to say about my ex-fillyfriend barging into town as if she's welcome here." His town seethed with resentment.

"...it's not really my place..." Twilight said meekly. "That's really just your business..."

Razor extended a hoof and lifted her chin. He kissed her again, and said "Twilight, it's our business. Part of being in a relationship is that my business becomes your business. Especially business of this nature. I want to share my entire life with you, not just the parts that are convenient, so please, tell me - what are your thoughts on the matter?"

Twilight was still not used to the "ins and outs" of being in a relationship, especially with a subject this emotionally charged. She thought for a moment, eventually saying, "I don't like it. I'm...I'm a little jealous."

To her surprise, Razor smiled slightly. "As to be expected. Don't worry, I have no intention of acknowledging her existence, and if she comes looking for me, I have half a mind to run her through."

His words made her feel somewhat better, but she was still quite ill at ease when she thought about the entire situation. She kept repeating something in particular that he had said, however, in which she took great comfort - "I want to share my entire life with you." I guess I'll just have to trust him... she thought to herself. A very small part of her deep down hoped he was serious about killing Flame with a sword, though she knew that it was a terrible thing to think.

In the three days since their date, Twilight and Razor had made it a point to see one another every day, even if only for lunch. Sometimes it would just be the two of them. Other times, Fluttershy, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack (or some combination) would join them. With each passing day, Twilight and Razor grew more and more attached to one other.

Apparently Princess Celestia had put in a word about Razor with Princess Cadence because orders soon began coming in not only from Equestria but also also from the Crystal Empire to which Celestia had recently granted political independence, though the two nations maintained a close political and military alliance. With orders now coming from the Crystal Empire, Razor hoped that orders from other nearby nations would follow, as well.

A few days after the letter from Flame, Rainbow Dash came into Razor's shop as he was working on finishing an order of lances for the Crystal Imperial Legion.

"Hey Razor, I was wondering if you had time to do a...custom order for me," Rainbow Dash asked when the blacksmith walked to the front of the shop to greet his guest and customer.

"For a Wonderbolt? What an illustrious career opportunity!" he said with a chuckle. "And, of course, because you're my friend. What did you have in mind, Rainbow?"

"Well," she said, "I was thinking that it would be cool to have some special wing armor. I know the standard suit of armor for a pegasus includes plate armor that cover the middle part of the wings, but I was wondering if you'd be able to tweak that a bit. I have a....rough....sketch of what I had in mind if you want to see it." Rainbow Dash got both increasingly excited and increasingly worried that he'd say no the farther she got into her explanation.

For a few second, Razor simply stroked his chin with his hoof, deep in though. "Hmmm....interesting...." He looked at the pony standing before him and said, "Yes, I think that would be doable. Show me these sketches." He looked over the drawings she placed on the counter before him. "Oh, my, yes, this is quite manageable....Why did I never think of this...?"

The sketches were more like blueprints than anything else, clearly an influence of the various barn and granary blueprints Applejack kept lying around the farm. Standard pegasus wing armor simply covered the middle 80% of the wings, leaving the front tenth and the back tenth exposed. The purpose of this was to allow the wings to fold against the body better. "With some slight modifications and segmenting the armor, this could totally work..." Razor muttered to himself.

Rainbow Dash's sketch proposed extending the metal armor to wrap around the front of the wing, as well, and sharpening the front edge of the wing armor into a serrated blade. This would allow pegasus knights to use their wings as weapons during flight as well as any held weapon. There were legends about the ancient warriors of Cloudsdale and their wingblades, but nopony had yet been able to figure out how to keep the blade durable and effective without limiting wing movement.

"Rainbow Dash, this is brilliant!" Razor Blade exclaimed with an unusual amount of excitement. "Oh yes, yes, yes, this will be splendid!! May I hang on to these drawings? I'll get to work on this right away, just as soon as I finish this order for Princess Cadence."

"Yeah, sure, that's fine. So you think you can do it?" Rainbow Dash asked, afraid to get her hopes up.

"Think I can do it? Rainbow, you wound me. I'm one of - no, THE greatest blacksmith in Equestria," Razor said, no shred of humility anywhere to be seen. "I most certainly can make this, and I suspect I can make it even better than you've proposed." At that, Rainbow's grin exploded across her face. "Let's see, today's Tuesday...I should have this order finished tomorrow morning, and I can just have Derpy deliver it to the Crystal Empre....Come back on Friday. I should have it finished then."

"Alright, Friday it is! Thanks, Razor!" Rainbow said on her out the door. She burst into excited flight to tell Applejack, who would no doubt simply shake her head, constantly baffled by her wife's obsession with "thrill seeking."

Friday morning came all together too quickly for Razor and all together too slowly for Rainbow. Sure enough, he had gotten her custom armor/weapon finished on time, but just barely; he had slept in his shop Thursday night because he had been up until 3 am finishing the forging, much to the dismay of those living nearby.

When Rainbow walked into the shop, her eyes lit up when they landed on the armor stand. "Do you like it? I've decided to call it the 'R-Type Pegasus Battle Platebody,' after you, of course."

"Ohmygosh, ohmygosh, ohmygosh, it's awesome! No, it's SUPER AWESOME!!!" Rainbow exclaimed.

With a smile, Razor said "In that case, maybe I should add a "Super" to the name somewhere. Not only do the wings move more flexibly than standard pegasus armor because I broke it into more jointed segments, but I made the blade a bit longer than your drawing. That should allow it to cut through the air better, decreasing the speed and agility you have to sacrifice." He paused for a moment to let Rainbow admire the armor. "I was aiming to make it about 20% cooler than what you has asked for."

Rainbow deadpanned and said "That was like two years ago. How does everypony even know I said that? I swear, it's a little creepy...."

Donning the new armor, Rainbow gladly paid Razor (plus a bonus for the ingenious modifications to her request) and trotted away, happier than a foal on Hearth Warming Day.

Quite proud of his latest creation, he had invited Twilight to have lunch with him at his workshop that day so that he could show her the final blueprints while they ate. While they were talking, Razor heard the door to his shop open. Walking back up to the counter, he dusted off his craftsman's apron and greeted the guest, saying, "Good afternoon, what can I-" He cut himself off and just stared at he pony who had walked into his shop.

"Hi there, Razor," the pony said.

"I have nothing to say to you. Leave," Razor said to the woefully familiar pegasus standing before him.

"Please, I just want to-"

"Get out!" Razor snarled, resembling a manticore more than a pony.

Hearing the shouting, Twilight quickly came to the front of the store. When she saw the red mane and white coat, she knew exactly who it was.

"Oh, I see you have a guest. I'm Flame Knife. And who might you be?"

Twilight just stood staring for a moment, not sure how to respond. She glanced over at Razor Blade; he was starting intently at Flame, a venomous snarl on his lips.

"Shut up," Razor said. He walked over and stood next to Twilight, still glaring daggers the unicorn from his past. "I had hoped that ignoring your letter to be clear enough a message, but let me say it so that you can understand; I do not want to 'catch up' with you. I do not want to see you. I do not want to be reminded that you exist. Now get the hell out of my shop, and stay out of my life."

Both unicorns in the shop were standing in stunned silence, Twilight because of the sheer rage in her coltfriend's voice and Flame because of the seething hate dripping from each word that left Razor's lips. She never expected the timid pony she'd trained so well, intentionally or not, to do her bidding and submit to her demands to speak to her with such abhorrence.

After a few long seconds, each of which felt like an eternity, Flame Knife, eyes welling with tears, turned to leave the shop.

"I don't ever want to see you in my shop again," Razor shouted after her just before the door closed. For a moment, he continued to stare down the closed door as if it, too, had offended him. After a minute, however, he simply sighed, sounding much more exhausted than he should have been by two in the afternoon, and walked to the window, flipping the "Open" sign to the "Closed" side.

"I'm...sorry you had to see that side of me, Twilight," Razor said, almost ashamed of his outburst.

Seeing the ghost from his past made Rainbow's concerns all the more real to her. "Please be honest with me, Razor. I am the pony you want to be with, right? You are ready to move on from her and be with me, aren't you?" Twilight's panic was almost palpable.

Any residual bitterness in Razor's face soon softened and melted away when he heard the worry in the mare's voice. He looked at her, his eyes suddenly as gentle as a newborn foal, and said "Sweetheart, look at me." He waited until she was looking him directly in the eyes before saying, "I promise you, I meant every word I said - err, shouted - at her. I don't want anything to do with her. I want that whorse out of my life forever. You've made me feel a joy that I'd forgotten existed in the world. I've never met a mare quite like you, Twilight Sparkle. You've seized onto my heart, and I don't ever want you to let go." He saw tears beginning to form in her eyes, but from her expression, he could tell that it was from relief, not sadness or despair. "I love you, Twilight."

She buried her face in his chest and melted into his embrace as both his fore legs and his wings wrapped around her.

Flame galloped across the market and towards the inn as fast as she could. How could he say those things to me? I know I didn't leave him in the most appropriate way, but...He's never been that cruel to anypony before, she thought as she ran, not knowing quite where she was going, blinded from the tears. Did I do that to him....? And who was that tramp with him? I know I've seen her somewhere before.

She galloped straight past the staff and the other inn guests and up the stairs to her room. By this point, she had managed to stop crying, although she was still in the shock from the verbal attack into which she had walked. She burst into her room and fell to her haunches as soon as the door was closed behind her. She wasn't sure what she felt. Sadness? Hurt? Shock? Anger? Probably a little bit of everything... she thought. Whatever. Forget that ungrateful ass. I tried to make amends, but if that's how he wants to be, then to hell with him. Flame packed what things she didn't need for the night, her mind set on leaving Ponyville the next morning.

Author's Note

Changed a fair bit with the second big revision. I edited out a character entirely, haha, and changed a lot of the dialogue.

Chapter 7 - Call of Duty

After the stressful encounter with Flame Knife, Twilight Sparkle decided that her coltfriend needed a vacation. Razor Blade, on the other hand, felt that he just needed to focus on his work to clear his mind of the encounter.

"Twilight, really, I'm fine. I'll get a few more orders finished, and before you know it, I'll have forgotten all about that unpleasant visit. See, look at this. An order of axes just came in from our allies in Germaneigh," Razor said, trying to convince the concerned mare that he didn't need a vacation.

"Razor, I swear, sometimes I think one of your parents was a donkey with how stubborn you are. We're going on vacation, and that's final!" Twilight practically shouted; Razor did not look convinced. "I'm not giving you a choice. If you won't go willingly, I'll force you go to Oatracoke for a relaxing weekend at the beach."

"You are, are you? You and what army?" Razor asked skeptically.

"Oh, you'll see," Twilight said with a smirk as she trotted out the door of the smithy.

The next day, he awoke, paralyzed from the neck down, in a purple aura. He turned his head to see Twilight standing beside his bed, her horn aglow. Next to her was Applejack who was tying a rope tightly around his body. Behind her, Rainbow Dash didn't even try to stifle her laughter now that he was awake.

"What the hell is going on, Twilight?? How the hell did they get in here?" he asked, too bewildered to get angry.

"You asked what army, so I got one. Spike, Rarity, and Fluttershy are waiting outside. And, obviously, I let them in to help me force you go to the beach with us. You gave me a key, remember?" Twilight said with a grin.

Knowing he was going to be uncooperative, Twilight had put together a rather elaborate method of getting him to the beach. Tied up tightly in Applejack's rope, he was being carried through the air - by Rainbow Dash on one side and Fluttershy on the other - to the station where they would board a train to head to beach town of Oatracoke, southwest of Ponyville. Rarity lead the way and, using her magic, carried the group's baskets of beach supplies while Twilight brought up the rear, ready to use her magic to keep Razor tightly bound.

"You girls do realize that this qualifies as ponynapping, right?" Razor said flatly after he had given up struggling to free himself and had resigned himself to his fate.

"Oh, hush yerself. Ya know ya like the attention," Applejack said with a chuckle. Razor simply grumbled under his breath.

Once the seven of them actually got to the beach, Razor's mood improved dramatically. "Why the hay are you so cheerful all of a sudden?" Rainbow asked. "You were whining like a foal an hour ago."

"What?" he asked. "You forced me to come; I might as well enjoy it if I have to be here."

They had planned to spend three days relaxing in Celestia's sun and enjoying the ocean breeze, and for that first day and half of the second, that's exactly what the six ponies and the dragon did. Rarity lay in a chaise lounge beneath the shade of an umbrella as she perused the latest issue of Canterpolitan. "Good heavens, these outfits are absolutely dreadful. It's as if they allow minotaurs to dress them..." Spike was, not surprisingly, to be found fanning Rarity with a large palm branch and fetching her drinks at the slightest indication that she might be thirsty.

Fluttershy contented herself to interacting with the various crabs and gulls on the beach. Applejack and Rainbow Dash were fighting the most intense splashing war that anypony had ever seen. Twilight had been lying on a beach town beneath a second umbrella as she read yet another book on magic. She looked to her left at the snoring pegasus beside her and jabbed him in the rib with a hoof. Letting out a quick snort, he shot her an annoyed look.

"The point of vacation is to enjoy yourself, you know. You haven't set hoof in the water since we got here," Twilight pointed out.

"Don't like water," Razor said, closing his eyes again. "Do like sleep in the sun."

"You're going to burn, you know," she pointed out. "Your coat can only protect you so much."

"Yup. Don't care. Feels good," he replied. Twilight sighed and turned back to her book.

A few hours into the afternoon as the sun began its descent, the group noticed two pegasus soldiers flying towards them. When they landed, they saluted and said, "Terribly sorry to interrupt, but Miss Rainbow Dash is required in Cloudsdale immediately for a meeting at Wonderbolt HQ. Miss Twilight Sparkle, Miss Applejack, Miss Fluttershy, Miss Rarity, and Mister Razor Blade are all summoned to the Canterlot Palace for an audience with Princess Celestia as soon as possible."

Nopony knew what to say. They were all too surprised. Even Twilight, who knew the princess better than anypony there, had rarely known her to summon somepony outright. Extend invitations, certainly, and request to see them at their earliest convenience, but to summon, and to have the message delivered by soldiers no less?

"What's this all about? What's going on?" Rainbow Dash was the first pony to break the silence.

"I'm sorry, Miss Dash, but we couldn't say. We're just the messengers. Good travels to you," one of the pegasi said before he and his partner flew away.

"Something must have happened. The princess doesn't just summon ponies for no reason. We'd better hurry," Twilight said. Turning to Rainbow, she added, "You go on and fly to Cloudsdale, Rainbow. We'll pack up your towel and stuff and take it back to Ponyville on our way to Canterlot." Rainbow Dash nodded and bolted off in the direction of her hometown.

"Are you quite certain?" Celestia asked, visibly distraught.

"100%, your majesty. Princess Cadence herself gave me the message to relay to you," a crystal Earth stallion said, standing at attention.

"I see. Thank you. You are welcome to rest here for the night before you return to the Crystal Empire if you wish."

"Thank you, your majesty," the crystal pony as he bowed and left the throne room.

Princess Celestia got up from her throne and walked towards the window. She looked out at the Equestrian landscape before her, quickly losing herself in thought. Ashnard, what have you done?

When Twilight and the others arrived in Canterlot several hours later, they galloped at full speed towards Canterlot Castle. The city was abuzz, much more so than usual. When they arrived at the palace gates, a pegasus guard said, "Good evening, Miss Sparkle. The princess has been expecting you and your party. Right this way, please," he said as he lead the ponies into the palace.

When they arrived at the throne room, Twilight trotted in as quickly as was considered polite and bowed before asking "Princess, what's going on? Is everything alright?"

Princess Celestia looked at her favorite student with an unnerving look of concern. "No, my little pony, all is not well. Gather around, please, everypony. I have important matters to discuss with each of you." The group made a semi-circle around the princess. "I'm afraid the peace which we Equestrians hold so dear has been taken from us. Gryphus has invaded the Crystal Empire." Everypony in room sat in stunned silence. Equestria hadn't fought a war in over a hundred years. Sure, there had been internal conflicts - Nightmare Moon's return, Discord's return, the invasion of the Changeling swarm - but a war against an established nation?

"Fortunately," Celestia continued after giving her words time to sink in, "Germaneigh has been providing military training and assistance in the period after I granted their independence, so they had an army stationed to help repel the attack, but it's only a matter of time before the gryphons push through and reach the capital city. As allies of the Crystal Empire, however, Gryphus has also declared war on Equestria, the unicorn kingdom of Prance, and, of course, the Earth ponies in Germaneigh."

The gravity of the situation started to sink in for Twilight and Razor. Being the scholar that she was, Twilight had studied about the wars several centuries ago with Zebrica, and she knew that the devastation only multiplied as more countries joined the conflict. As for Razor, he had taken military history electives at Appaloosa University, and while his knowledge was less in depth than Twilight's, he had enough of an idea to know that a war of this scale was not something to be taken lightly.

Princess Celestia continued, "I have issued a writ of conscription, reinstating the Wonderbolts as an elite military squadron, as it was originally. I believe Rainbow Dash is currently at the meeting in Cloudsdale to inform them of this and to discuss deployment. For the time being, they will remain in Cloudsdale to defend our borders should the gryphons make it this far. I'm dispatching the 23rd Earth battalion and the 4th Mixed battalion to defend the Crystal Empire, but the truth is that Equestria isn't ready for war, especially not against a nation as militaristic as Gryphus."

"Wait! Shining Armor. Is Shining Armor okay?" Twilight asked, the familial implications of a war in the Crystal Empire finally sinking in.

"I don't know, I'm afraid. The last report I received was that he was preparing to lead what army the Crystal Empire has against the first wave of gryphons in the event that they break through Germaneigh front line," the princess said.

Walking over to her student, she said, "Twilight, I know that you are not violent by nature, and I never taught you to use your magic in a fight, but I also know that you have studied nearly all magic that is known to ponykind of your volition. Am I correct to assume that this includes combat spells?" Twilight didn't like where the princess seemed to be going with this.

"Umm...Yes, I've studied theory, but I've never attempted one," Twilight answered timidly.

"I see. I have a special task for you, Twilight Sparkle. Your magic is stronger than that of any non-alicorn. If our armies are not able to stop the gryphons before they cross into Equestria, the might of your magic will be needed in defending our homeland. I know it is a terrible thing, combat magic, and I would not ask this of you if I did not feel it unavoidable, but I must ask you to lend the Equestrian Army your power. Once we are finished here, please report to the Magi Tower and speak with Grandmistress Flemeth. There is no unicorn in all of Equestria better versed and trained in combat spells and therefore no one better to teach you combat magic."

Twilight grimaced at the thought of using her magic - her special talent - to kill anypony - well, anyone. Gryphons aren't ponies, but still, a life is a life. Is all life not equally precious? "Yes, princess. I will do whatever I must to protect Equestria."

Princess Celestia then looked to Applejack. "Applejack, Sweet Apple Acres is the largest and most productive orchard in the kingdom. We will be relying on your apples to feed our armies. From today until the end of the war, the Equestrian government will be purchasing each and every apple that your farm produces. With that said, I must ask that you and your family work even harder than usual to get those apples off the trees and into soldiers' saddlebags as quickly as possible."

Applejack looked at the princess and said, "With all due respect, yer majesty, ma wife is going to be on the battlefield fightin' in this here war. I believe I'd rather be servin' Equestria in the same way, fightin' along side her, than in the orchard. Big Macintosh can run the farm well enough on his own, and Apple Bloom's about old enough to start buckin' apples full time. I reckon they can hire ponies in Ponyville for any other help they need."

The princess thought about Applejack's words for a moment before saying "I understand your desire to fight alongside a pony so dear to you, Applejack, but the Wonderbolts are an elite unit - the most well trained and well equipped members of Equestria's Pegasus Corps. For logistical reasons, it is very unlikely that you and Rainbow Dash would fight on the same battlefields."

"I understand that, princess," Applejack began, "but it just don't feel right knowin' that she's out there fighting for Equestria while I'm safe at home."

"Applejack, I fear nopony will be safe within a few months." Princess Celestia could see that Applejack was adamant. "How about a compromise, then? I am planning to issue a decree that every town in Equestria organize a militia outside of the Equestrian Army for its own defense. I would ask that you take command of Ponyville's militia. That way, you would be ensuring that our armies - the Wonderbolts included - are getting the food they need while still serving to defend your home. Would this be acceptable?"

Applejack thought about the princess's proposal for several seconds before saying, "Well, I don't much like it, but I ain't about to keep arguin' with a princess. That'd be fine, yer majesty."

"Thank you, Applejack." The princess then looked to Rarity. "Rarity, I know that you prefer to design more...fashionable attire, but our army is about to get much, much larger. I would like to contract you to make uniforms for our new recruits. It would not be a very creative task, but it is one that will be badly needed."

Rarity bowed low, replying "Princess, I would be honored to serve however I can."

Princess Celestia nodded gratefully. She then turned to address Fluttershy. "Fluttershy, I also have a task to ask of you."

"Um, I'm not sure how much help I could be in a war..." Fluttershy was hiding behind Twilight, her mane covering most of her face. She looked as though she were about to be asked to wrestle a manticore with her bare hooves.

"Fear not, my little pony; my task for you is one that does not involve fighting and for which your cutie marks suits you well." Upon hearing this, she stuck her head out a little farther from behind Twilight. "Your heart is one of the kindest in Equestria. You even managed to help rehabilitate Discord, who, only a thousand years ago, brought the continent to brink of destruction. I can think of nopony better able to negotiate a peace. Work with our diplomats to end this war before more lives are lost, and if the gryphons won't agree to peace, then try to build as strong a coalition of nations to aid us as possible so that we might bring this war to end as soon as possible."

Fluttershy looked nervous but much less so than when she feared that the princess was about to ask her to assume a more direct role. "If you think I can help save lives," Fluttershy said timidly, "then I'll do my best."

"Razor Blade, you are the blacksmith of choice for nearly every quartermaster in our army. The quality of your blades and your armor is beyond compare, and what we need most of all now is the highest quality equipment we can get. Would you continue to supply our armies with weapons and armor?" the princess asked the blacksmith.

"With all due respect, your majesty, no."

A deafening silence descended, and everypony in the room looked shocked, even horrified. "Excuse me?" Princess Celestia asked. She had not been told "No" in many centuries.

"I said, no, I will not continue to make weapons and armor. Sure, mine are the best, but anypony can make a sword or a shield. You need me on the battlefield," Razor Blade said, a bit too nonchalantly considering that he'd just flat out rejected a monarch's request.

If the princess were angry or offended, she didn't show it; aside from a brief look of initial surprised, her face retained its usual composure. "How do you mean? Do you truly think you would be of greater benefit to Equestria as a common soldier than as a blacksmith?"

"No, your majesty, I don't. That's why it's a good thing I wouldn't be a common soldier; I'd be the best damn swordspony this kingdom's seen in centuries. Not many ponies know this, but before I enrolled in Appaloosa University, I spent a summer in Gryphus competing in the combat tournament their military academy holds every year. With just my rapier, I defeated every gryphon, pony, minotaur, and zebra that stood in my way. I fought some of the best gryphons in their military, and I beat them all. I know how they fight, and I know how to beat them; I know how to kill them. You need me on the battlefield, princess." Razor spoke with a confidence that his friends - even Twilight - had never before seen from him, or for that matter, anypony except for Rainbow Dash.

Princess Celestia carefully considered his request. "And what about this new pegasus armor I hear you've developed? That would be of great benefit to our pegasi troops, and you're the only pony who knows how to make it."

"I'll give you the blueprints. My gift to the war effort. It's not that hard once you - what the hay?" He was interrupted when a glow of purple energy enveloped him and pulled him back towards a corner.

"I'm sorry, princess. He'll be right back," Twilight said, laughing nervously, before turning to the still-floating pegasus with a death glare. "What in the world do you think you're doing?!?" she hissed. "Arguing with PRINCESS CELESTIA aside, are you trying to get yourself killed?" Her eyes burned with anger, but they began to soften soon after her outburst. She lowered him from her levitation spell, her voice suddenly very quiet. "Please don't do this. Please just stay with me and make the weapons and armor the army needs. What if something happened to you?"

He was truly touched by the unicorn's concern. He knew she loved him - she'd told him as much - but to see her so visibly distraught over the mere prospect of his going to fight the gryphons was moving. "Twi, don't worry about me. I'll be fine. Most ponies think that my cutie mark means that my special talent is making swords, but that's not actually what it means at all. My special talent is wielding them, not making them. That's why there are two crossed swords - crossing blades in battle. I don't want to leave you - I really don't - but Equestria needs me." He did not like the sad look on her face. "Besides, what better first impression could I possibly make on your brother than by saving his and his wife's asses, eh?" he said only half-joking in an attempt to make her smile; though to only a small degree, it did work.

"Okay, but if Princess Celestia agrees to this, please be careful. Promise me you'll be careful," Twilight said, knowing full well that, in war, even the most careful pony can catch an unlucky arrow or slash.

"I promise, love. I'll come back in one piece, and I'll bring your brother with me," Razor said, and he meant it. He paused for a moment, and added, "I'll try my best to avoid taking any arrows to the knees." Twilight simply rolled her eyes.

As they walked the few yards back to Princess Celestia, who, despite being declined and interrupted, simply sat with a small smile, Twilight said "I'm so sorry for interrupting you, princess. I guess I got a little...overzealous."

"It's quite alright, Twilight," the princess responded. "Now, about your enlistment in the army, Razor...If you are as skilled as you say you are, then you would certainly be an asset to our war effort. The two battalions I'm deploying to the Crystal Empire move out tomorrow morning at dawn. We have about two hours left of daylight today; I want you to seek out Colonel Iron Hide and duel him. If you can beat him, I'll instate you in the 4th Mixed battalion, and you'll leave with them tomorrow morning. If you lose, you will return to Ponyville and begin making enough pegasus armor for our Pegasus Corps. Does that sound fair?"

Razor Blade grinned. "That sounds perfect."

Author's Note

Desperately wanting to have some nations besides Equestria, I stumbled upon this map on DeviantArt and decided to use some of the names from it. Not sure who put this much time into a map of the MLP world, but I'm quite glad he or she did.

http://fc07.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2011/335/a/4/equestria_and_beyond__rev_8_1_by_hlissner-d46wmzm.jpg

I know it's not on that map, but I'm putting the Crystal Empire in the "unclaimed" land to the north of Equestria and south of the Griffon Kingdoms, stretching about as far north as Germaneigh and west to about where Shimmerwood is.

Chapter 8 - Path of Radiance

After the discussion with Princess Celestia, Applejack and Rarity immediately returned to Ponyville to begin work on the tasks assigned to them. Fluttershy made her way to the other end of the castle where the diplomats were gathering to meet and discuss the current situation.

The room where Equestria's diplomats were concentrated was a large hall with an elaborately carved oak table in the center of the room. There were half a dozen other ponies gathered around the table already discussing the current situation. When she entered the room, a grey Earth pony stood up to greet her. "Ah, you must be Fluttershy. It's a pleasure. I'm Olive Branch, Equestria's foremost diplomat. Princess Celestia has informed me that you're to be my personal adviser in this delicate time. I look forward to working with you. Please, have a seat. We were just about to begin."

Fluttershy seated herself and asked, "Um, may I ask a question?"

Olive Branch was a bit surprised by her timidity. "Of course."

"How did this start? Why did the gryphons invade the Crystal Empire?"

"Ah, yes, that would be important background information. I apologize; I had assumed you'd been briefed," Olive Branch said, taking his seat at the head of the table. "We don't know for sure if this is their only motivation, but we do know that the gryphons have developed a new weapon that requires some manner of powder, a primary ingredient of which is sulfur. Gryphus has very little in the way of sulfur resources, but the mountains of the Crystal Empire are incredibly sulfur-rich. We don't know much about this new weapon as it has yet to be used in battle, but the Crystal Empire had rejected the griffons' offers for trade agreements and, later, their demands for tribute payments of sulfur. In short, Gryphus seeks to conquer the Crystal Empire for their sulfur deposits. The fact that they would involve Equestria, Germaneigh, and Prance, however, shows that they are confident in their military prowess, and that alone is reason for us to worry. It also shows that they may have additional goals besides control of the sulfur in the mountains of the Crystal Empire."

Fluttershy sat in silence, taking in what she'd just been told. "Is there any way to compromise? Maybe give them a little bit of sulfur to make them stop fighting?" she asked.

"I do not believe so. Appeasement has, historically, only postponed the inevitable. Not only that, but we have no idea what manner of weapon we would be indirectly helping them construct. While we know very little about it, we do know that it involves some kind of explosion. Our scouts were not able to see the weapons themselves, but they have heard the explosions from the facilities. The princess has made it clear that nothing to proliferate such a weapon is to be done, and I am in agreement," Olive Branch said

Fluttershy began to doubt the wisdom of Celestia's assignment for her. "How do we convince them to stop the war, then?"

"I don't think we can," Olive said to her. "Princess Celestia knows this. What she mainly wants you to do is help us forge alliances with other nations nearby. We're going to send some of our veteran diplomats to Gryphus City and try, however in vain it may be, to talk some sense into Mad King Ashnard. You and I are going to work on getting as many nearby nations on our side as possible. We're planning to send envoys to Ibexia, Neighpon, Glascow, and Gildedale to request assistance, either politically or militarily."

Fluttershy hadn't expected her new colleagues all but to give up on peace before they'd even started. "Okay," she said, rather discouraged, "how do we get started?"

"Grandmaster Flemeth?" Twilight asked cautiously as she walked into an office at the very top of the Tower of Magi. "Princess Celestia has asked me to train in the use of combat spells under you."

"Ah yes, Twilight Sparkle, the princess's prized pupil, come in. I've been expecting you," Flemeth said. She was an old unicorn with a faded purple coat and a mane so greyed with age that Twilight could not determine the mane's original color. Her cutie mark was a simple black hexagram.

Twilight walked towards Flemeth, observing the scrolls all over the walls detailing ancient battlemagic and arcane spells. "I'm afraid I know very little about combat spells, though I'm quite good with utility spells," she said.

"Ah, fear not, child. A combat spell is nothing more than a different application of the skills you already possess," Flemeth said. "You and I are not so different as you may think. Nay, we are no more different from one another than a silversmith is from a goldsmith; we practice the same art, just with different manifestations. I was once Celestia's star pupil many, many decades ago, just as you are now. We were still having trouble with the minotaurs then, mind you, so battlemagic was a bit more...applicable to the life of a unicorn back then than it has been during your life up until now."

Flemeth began slowly walking around the room as she continued. "To begin, we shall review the basics. You are aware of this information, I have no doubt, but for the sake of being thorough, we'll go over it anyway. Magic, Miss Sparkle, is divided into three 'schools,' of which only one is widely taught today - black, frequently called 'battlemagic;' white, or 'holy magic;' and grey, magic most unicorns today know. It is grey magic which you know best, that which you call 'utility' magic. White magic consists of defensive and healing spells whereas black magic deals with offensive and combat spells." She paused to allow Twilight, who had taken out quill and parchment since she began talking, to catch up and take notes. Hmm. Just like I was at that age....Even with information she's been taught a dozen times before, she takes notes. Good girl. she thought to herself. She continued, "You must learn both black magic as well as white if you wish to defend your home and those whom you hold dear."

She paused shortly and then continued, "I must warn you, however, that there is a point on this magical continuum that no pony must ever cross. There are white magic spells that would bend the very fabric of nature and warp the world in a way that the gods never intended - necromancy. While it is not only permitted but strongly encouraged to save the lives of the living, the dead must not be awoken from their slumber. It is possible, and not nearly as difficult as one might imagine, to resurrect the body of a dearly departed pony, but the soul cannot be rebound to the body intact. When such magic is attempted, the souls of both the deceased and of the spellcaster are shattered and contorted. The result is a spellcaster with a broken mind and an unholy abomination where there was once a deceased pony. Such abominations sometimes simply die again within seconds whereas others are consumed by an unquenchable blood lust, killing as many ponies as they can until they are...put down."

Twilight looked horrified. A thought then came to her. "But Flemeth, I have heard of such magic. I've read about ponies long ago that sacrificed their own lives to bring back the life of a loved one."

"My dear, that was no ordinary magic. That was alchemy, and it was no pony about whom you read. Alchemy is something of which we ponies are not capable. We use our own bodies' energy to power our spells; alchemy relies on equivalent exchange and a unique spiritual connection that only zebras possess. It is a sort of....bartering system with the heavens. What you speak of is pony transmutation, which is forbidden even by the zebras. It is not a life that is given up to bring back another; it is a zebra's very soul. A life for a life would be equivalent, yes, but to bind that life to a body - especially a specific body - requires more. Not only this, but it defies the most fundamental law of nature. Such a price is heavy - the annihilation of a soul."

Twilight sat in silence, taking in what she had just heard. The complete destruction of a soul...I guess it makes sense now why I could only ever find a couple of vague, ancient references to such a feat. She sat for a moment longer before returning to the task at hand. "I see. You said there was black magic that must never be used as well, didn't you? What about that?"

"Ah, yes, extirpation spells," Flemeth said as her face suddenly turned very stern. "These spells have been outlawed under numerous treaties between Equestria and Prance, the two nations which unicorns populate in great numbers, under even the most dire of military circumstances. These spells completely disassemble the molecules of the target, all the way down to the atoms of their base elements. There is no more complete a destruction possible."

Twilight's face had contorted itself into a look of absolute abhorrence and terror. "That's....that's unthinkable! How did such spells ever even come to exist?"

Flemeth sighed, knowing that the young mare would not rest until this story had been told. "Long ago, long before the birth of Celestia or the first appearance of Discord, there was a demon named Malefaction. Malefaction sought nothing less than the destruction of all intelligent life in the world. At this time, alicorns were still nearly as common as Earth ponies, pegasi, or unicorns. It was an alicorn mage named Ninurt who developed the first extirpation spell to defeat Malefaction. As you might imagine, it took a great deal of energy and concentration to perform such a spell, and it required time to prepare and cast. To buy Ninurt enough time, the armies of nearly every tribe and race - alicorns, unicorns, pegasi, Earth ponies, griffons, and even ibexes - united to assault Malefaction head on. When Ninurt was finally able to unleash the spell, over 90% of the combined army already lay dead, but Malefaction was annihilated. The spell should have taken literally all of his energy, his life included. Somehow he managed to survive casting the spell, albeit barely."

Twilight was amazed. She'd never heard of this story before. "How is this not in any of the Canterlot library's history books? I've never heard of such a battle or any demon named Malefaction."

"That is quite by design, Twilight Sparkle. When Equestria first united, each of the four tribes elected a representative-"

"Wait, four tribes? According to the unification story, there were only three," Twilight interrupted.

Flemeth chuckled. "No, my dear, there were indeed four. There was a tribe of alicorns that helped to found Equestria. Just as there are Earth ponies in Germaneigh and Gildedale and unicorns in Prance, however, many alicorns over the decades after unification left Equestria to return to their distant homeland. When their numbers had dwindled to nearly zero, the other three tribes 'rewrote' history to exclude their participation. Scholars since have attempted to correct this, but you know how folktales are." Twilight furiously scribbled notes onto her parchment. "As I was saying, each of the four tribes elected a representative to agree on a structure for the new kingdom. The first thing on which they agreed was that knowledge of the extirpation spell would be suppressed as well as possible to prevent the risk or temptation of its future use. Only the most advanced and highest ranking members of the Circle of Magi and the Equestrian royalty even know of its existence. Well, and now you, of course, though I suspect you will soon be counted among the former if I suspicions about you are correct. I do not think even Princess Cadence was made aware of the spell."

As Twilight finished writing her notes, Flemeth said, "Now then, as it is nearly time for Luna to raise the moon, we shall cover only the most basic principle of battlemagic today and begin in earnest tomorrow." She saw Twilight remove a fresh piece of parchment to take a new set of notes. "There are five basic elements of battlemagic - earth, fire, electricity, wind, and water. There is a pentagon of power for the five elements. Water is strong against fire; fire is strong against wind; wind is strong against earth; earth is strong against electricity; and electricity is strong against water. This would only be of particular importance against other unicorn or alicorn mages, but for the sake of being thorough, it is important for you to learn. That is all for today, however. Be in here again at dawn, and you will learn how to cast your first offensive spells."

After thanking Flemeth for indulging her curiosity, Twilight quickly left the tower to find Razor Blade and find out whether he would be traveling with the Equestrian Army or outfitting them.

As soon as they had been dismissed by Princess Celestia, Razor Blade had given Twilight a quick kiss goodbye and galloped out of the throne room to find this Colonel Iron Hide. It was not a difficult task; there was a particularly large Earth pony in uniform in the castle courtyard surrounded by several dozen other ponies, all in matching military uniforms, different only by their symbols of rank.

Razor made his way the courtyard and trotted up to the large pony. He had a flat grey coat and a dull orange mane. His cutie mark was obscured by his armor. He asked, "Excuse me, but are you Colonel Iron Hide?"

The pony looked at him curiously, responding "Yes, and you are?"

"My name is Razor Blade. Princess Celestia told me to seek you out and challenge you to a duel. If I win, I will be allowed to join the 4th Mixed Battalion."

"Wait, Razor Blade? The blacksmith from Ponyville? Why the hell do you want to join the army when you could be much safer and do just as much good by making swords?" Iron Hide showed the same puzzlement that Princess Celestia had.

"Because, sir, I'm better with a sword than anypony in Equestria," Razor said matter-of-factly.

"Ahahaha, is that so?" Iron Hide's laugh was incredibly loud, echoing off of the castle walls surrounding them. "Alright, son, I'll bite. You've got use our practice weapons, though. Training safety and all that. Don't want my first kill of this war to be another pony. I'll be using a greatsword. What's your weapon of choice?"

"A rapier will be fine," Razor responded. Iron Hide gave him an incredulous look. A rapier was a thin, nimble, and light-weight weapon wheras a greatsword was a massive, heavy blade. Shrugging slightly, however, he had one of his men fetch a practice rapier for Razor.

They moved to the center of the courtyard and took their places, roughly five yards from one another. "Alright, son, standard rules. Thrusts and cuts, head and trunk only. Best two out of three touches wins. En guard."

Razor Blade just smirked. "Ready." For nearly a minute, the two stared each other down. Iron Hide held his blade as did most ponies - in his mouth and standing on four hooves. The blade was massive, and it was now apparent how he had developed such massive, toned muscles throughout his body, especially in his neck. Razor Blade, on the other hand, adopted a relatively unusual stance. Standing on only his back two hooves, he held the lithe blade in his right fore hoof, his left hoof held out behind him. It was a classical, almost archaic stance not commonly used for centuries, and even then, only by Canterlot royalty.

A second later, the two rushed towards and then straight past each other, and a thunderous clashing of iron erupted when they passed. Their movements were too fast to see what had transpired. Iron Hide had pulled his head back and swung the massive blade with incredible strength as he charged; Razor had leaned forward in a sprint, holding his right fore leg across his body, and he quickly swung it out to the right. All that was heard was a grunt, and for a split second, it was impossible to tell which of the two ponies had been hit. It became apparent who had scored, however, when Razor continued standing, his back to Iron Hide and his sword still pointing behind him, as Iron Hide fell to his knees, panting and coughing. Razor had, in less than a quarter of a second, parried the massive sword and struck his opponent in the neck.

Still coughing, Iron Hide said "Ni..nice hit, kid. Beginner's luck, though; I never lose."

Razor Blade let out a short chuckle. "Funny, neither do I." As they set up again, rather than charging at each other, they began to circle, each trying to find a weakness in the other's form to exploit. Like a bolt of lighting, Razor rocketed forward, thrusting at Iron Hide. Moving his blade to block the incoming thrust, Iron Hide's riposte swung hard and fast to his left. In a seemingly impossible maneuver given the light weight of his blade, Razor brought his blade horizontal, making contact with Iron's sword and lifting his above his head. Now safely under the opponent's still swinging blade, Razor struck the killing blow - a thrust to Iron Hide's chest, squarely between his shoulders. Iron dropped his sword and, again, fell to his knees.

All things said and done, the bout had lasted only two minutes, but two minutes was all it had taken the blacksmith to best one of the most skilled generals in Equestria. "Damn, kid, I've never seen anyone fight like that. Absolutely I'll allow you into the 4th Mixed. Not only that, but with the kind of talent you have, I'll give you a field commission to be my new Lieutenant Colonel."

Razor Blade certainly hadn't expected that. "Won't that piss off the other soldiers in the battalion?"

Iron Hide thought for a minute. "Yeah, probably, but what are they gonna do? They just saw you whip my ass, and they're scared shitless of me; I can only imagine how scared of you they must be. Besides, it's my call; if they've got a problem with it, they can come to me about it. I've just got to get Princess Celestia's approval, but if she requested to see you by name earlier today, I doubt that will be a problem." He turned to the ponies who were standing around him, mouths still agape at seeing their colonel be so soundly defeated. "Alright, fillies," he shouted, "we leave at dawn! Go get some rest, and be ready to march to the Crystal Empire."

As Razor Blade turned to walk back into the castle, he saw Twilight's standing at the edge of the courtyard, probably looking for him. He trotted over to her, unable to keep the smile from his face. "So did you win?" she asked when he got over to her.

"I didn't just win; I straight up embarrassed him," he responded. "He went ahead and made me his number two."

Twilight smiled, but it as only halfway sincere. He's going to be up there fighting the gryphons... she thought as she struggled to suppress her rising panic. She closed her eyes and gave her head a quick shake to clear it of those thoughts as best she could. She embraced him tightly, saying, "Congratulations. Now please be careful while you're gone."

Razor smiled at her, again caught off guard by just how caring and loving she was. "Don't worry. I told you, I'm going to come back in one piece and bring your brother with me," he said. Putting his left fore leg around her, said, "Now let's go enjoy the rest of the night before I have to had north in the morning."

Author's Note

Sorry if I kind of went off on a bit of a tangent there with Twilight's segment. It was fun to write, though. ^_^

Also, don't ask how ponies can grip things in their hooves. I don't know; just accept it. I use Derpy's explanation in the first Dr. Whooves and Assistant - "You just do." Haha.

Chapter 9 - Army Ponies: Iron Hide's Heroes

Razor Blade awoke the next morning before Celestia had raised the sun to insistent nudging against his side.

"Ughn....Five more minutes...." he grumbled as he rolled over and cocooned himself in his blanket.

"Grr. Stubborn...."

Who's that...? It's a mare's voice....Oh well. Sleep....

A moment later, a plate of eggs levitated in front of the half-asleep stallion's nose, enveloped in a purple glow. Razor's nose twitched.

*twitch*

*sniff, sniff, sniff*

*twitch, twitch*

His eyes shot open and he sat up faster than should have been possible. The image that greeted him left him torn as to how to feel. On the one hoof, there was the heavenly image of fried eggs; on the other hoof, directly behind the glorious food was the rather terrifying image of a rather pissed off unicorn mare. "Really? You're about to leave me for gods know how long, maybe getting yourself killed, and you'll wake up for food but just grunt and roll over when it's me?"

He grinned sheepishly. Maybe if I'm cute enough, she won't kill me.... "Well, the scent of eggs is more encouraging than a horn in my kidneys..."

Twilight sighed, shaking her head. "You're lucky you're so adorable. Now come and eat. I got up early and made you breakfast so we could eat together before your battalion leaves at dawn."

His grinned turned from sheepishly look-how-cute-I-am-please-don't-kill-me to one of genuine happiness. "You don't have to tell me twice. A wonderful breakfast with the most beautiful mare in Equestria? Yes, please." Razor practically shoved his face into the plate of eggs as soon as he got to the table.

"Trying to flatter your way back into my good graces, huh?" Twilight tried to look unamused; she failed miserably, betrayed by her smirk. As she sat down, Twilight's countenance turned serious. "I expect you to write to me whenever you can. I'll be spending most of my time in Canterlot while Flemeth trains me, so I had better get letters."

Razor looked up from the egg-carnage with a glob of yellow yolk slowly dripping from his snout. Twilight couldn't help but give a quick giggle. "Oh, don't be ridiculous, Twilight. Of course I'll write! I'll write letters about my daring exploits and near-death experiences!"

"You'd better not have any of the latter." Twilight said, her tone suddenly quite stern.

"I'll try to minimize those, but honestly, they really do make the best stories. In all seriousness, though, there is one favor that I need you to do for me, if you don't mind," Razor said.

"What is it?"

"I need you to have Spike get something from my house have Derpy bring it to me when she brings mail to my battalion. It's a long wooden box with a padlock on it," Razor said.

Twilight was a bit puzzled by his cryptic request. "Okay. What's in the box? Why is it so important?"

"It's my sword," Razor explained. "It was blessed by Queen Galaxia and enchanted by Star Swirl the Bearded. It's made from mithril, a very rare and very strong metal that's only found incredibly deep underground. It was forged by my ancestors over a thousand years ago, and it's been in my family since then."

"What kind of blessing and enchantment does it have?" Twilight asked. She'd heard about weapon and armor enchantments, but it was pretty rare.

"The blessing was just asking the gods to protect the wielder and grant him or her luck in battle. The enchantment is to allow it to cut more easily and effectively and to allow it to block stronger attacks more easily. It also makes the blade feel lighter so that it can be wielded with more fluidity and control."

"Wow, that's amazing! I'll definitely have Spike send that to your battalion right away," Twilight said, more than a little in awe at the enchantment he'd described. Weapon enchantments of any kind required a high level of magical power; to have three enchantments would require a level of power Twilight could barely imagine. Then again, she thought, he did say that it was Star Swirl the Beareded who enchanted the sword.

"Thanks, love." Razor said as the looked out the window. He could see the first few rays of sunlight creeping over the horizon. "It's about dawn. I guess I had better get down to the city gates so I can march out with the battalion." He and Twilight walked to massive gates of the walled city, each relishing what they knew would be their last minutes together for far too long.

"Alright, ya buncha fillies, here's the plan. We're gonna be doing a forced march east to Stalliongrad and then north to Trottingham, right on the border with the Crystal Empire. We'll camp outside of Trottingham tonight before pushing north into the Crystal Empire and making for the Crystal City," Iron Hide announced to his troops after they had gathered at the city gates. "From what our pegasus intel has managed to gathered, their initial invasion force was huge compared to what the Crystal Empire has managed to train, even with the limited force that Germaneigh had stationed there to help with the training, but between our force and the 23rd Earth, we should be able to fight off the lot of 'em. If they send reinforcements, then we'll be in some trouble, but we've seen no signs of movement on the border, so there shouldn't be much to worry about there."

As he looked out at his battalion, Iron Hide felt both pride and confidence. With the exception of Razor Blade, the newcomer, he had known these mares and stallions for months at shortest, a decade at longest. He knew them; he trusted them. Even though they'd just met the day before, he had a good feeling about Razor Blade. He had more than proved his ability to fight the day before, and his confidence would serve him well, provided that he managed to keep it from spilling into arrogance. He knew that they were fighting for a just cause, and seeing so many brave ponies facing a powerful enemy with their heads held high made him proud to be an Equestrian. "Alright, you louts, get a move on! Those gryphons aren't going to cut their own throats, though I'd love to see that," Iron Hide called out, signaling the army to begin its march.

As they began the mach to Stalliongrad, Razor Blade found himself marching next to an Earth pony named Dead Eye. His coat was a dark grey, and his rust colored mane was cut relatively short - only about a couple inches long. Razor noticed that his cutie mark, just barely visible as it was partially covered by his armor, was a crosshair. The pony kept his eyes fixated on the horizon ahead.

"See something you like, pretty boy? You keep staring at me like that, and ponies'll start talking."

It took Razor a moment to realize that Dead Eye had spoken to him. He hadn't moved his head or eyes at all and had only barely moved his mouth.

"Oh, uh, sorry. Just trying to figure out what your cutie mark means," Razor said, a bit embarrassed. "So, uh, what is your special talent?"

Dead Eye finally turned his head, revealing a grotesque scar where his left eye had once been and a scar in the shape of a slash going from the upper right corner of that eye to the bottom left corner. With a smirk, he said, "Nopony in Equestria is a better shot with a crossbow than me. Not even the archers patrolling the city walls of Canterlot can beat me."

"Wow. That's a pretty useful talent to have going into a fight with gryphons. So, uh...what happened to your eye?" Razor knew it was probably rude to ask, but with a scar like that, the curiosity was killing him.

"Gryphons," Dead Eye said flatly. "Got into a fight with one over a bet back when I was a mercenary. Bastard clawed my eye out."

"Holy shit. That's terrible!" Razor felt discomfort in his own left eye. He couldn't help but imagine having it gouged out with a talon.

"Haha! You should have seen what I did to him...Let's just say that we won't have to worry about seeing that particular gryphon flying at us. Running, perhaps, but I made damn sure his flying days were over." Dead Eye replied with a sick grin.

The rest of the march was carried out in relatively silence, save for the occasional joke. When the battalion eventually got to Trottingham that night, Razor saw a familiar wall-eyed grey pegasus standing in the town square with a long wooden box. Once Iron Hide had dismissed the soldiers for the night, he trotted over to her. "Hey Derpy. Thanks so much for bringing this all the way out here at such short notice," he said.

"No problem, Razor! Gotta have your trusty sword, right?" she said with a grin. "Well, I've got to be getting back. Gotta make sure Dinky got her bedtime muffin. Good luck out there!" With that, she took to the air and flew back in the direction of Ponyville. He opened the case and pulled the rapier from its usual home. The blade was long and slender. It was encased in a gold scabbard with ornately carved characters from an archaic and almost dead pegasus language. The guard was an intricate spiral weave of three smooth, perfectly round iron bars. They curved halfway around the handle and extended down to meet at the pommel. He drew the sword to examine the blade. It looked pristine, any scratches from previous fights having long ago been buffed and polished away. The blade was a brilliant shining metal with a slight blue hue to it. Surrounding the blade was the dim green aura of Star Swirl the Bearded's enchantment.

Once satisfied that all was as it should be with his prized blade, he secured the scabbard to his body, sheathed the blade, and walked to the makeshift barracks to write Twilight a letter.

Great and Power Twilight,

So how's your training going with Flemeth? I know you're not a very violent pony, but come on, you've got to admit that it'll be pretty cool to be able to launch a fireball or lighting bolt at Snips and Snails the next time they do something stupid like wake up some terrifying beast in the Everfree Forest (yeah, Pinkie Pie told me all about that whole fiasco). Oh, and marshmallows! You can totally roast marshmallows with your horn! Man, now I wish I were a unicorn...

The march today was long, but I met a very...unique...pony named Dead Eye. He's got this GROSS looking scar where his left eye used to be. Apparently he used to be a mercenary and got it clawed out by a gryphon. Gross, right? He says he won the fight, though. He never did say specifically what he did to the griffon, but he gave me the strong impression that he ripped its wings off...Let's not tell Rainbow Dash about that. His cutie mark is a crosshair, symbolizing his talent with a crossbow. I'm definitely sticking close to him when we engage the enemy. I mean, I totally could just fly and have an aerial sword fight, but ain't nopony got time fo' dat.

So, moving on from "badass soldier pegasus" to "overly emotional pegasus," I really miss you. I mean, I knew I would - you're kind of the most amazing pony in Equestria - but I REALLY miss you, and it's not even been 24 hours yet. I just want to hurry up and get to the Crystal Empire, beat the gryphon army so badly that their government agrees to an armistice, and get back to Canterlot or Ponyville or wherever you are. Anyway, enough of my being a little emo foal.

See? I wrote you a letter before I'd even been gone a full day. Now it's my turn to nag: I EXPECT A LETTER REALLY SOON BLAH BLAH BLAH NAG NAG NAG. In all seriousness, though, be careful learning that battle magic. I know I'm not a unicorn or an alicorn, so I can't really understand how magic works that well, but I know that shooting fire and lighting and whatever from your face can't be the safest thing in the world, so just be careful, okay? It'd be a damn shame for me to fight off a whole army by myself and come back just to find out that you've gotten yourself killed with your own magic.

Write soon. I love you, Twilight.

Your knight in shining armor (no, I'm not planning anything homoerotic with your brother),
Razor Blade

He carefully put the letter in an envelope, addressed it to Twilight at Canterlot Castle, and put it in the outgoing mail bag right inside the flap of the barracks tent before getting a quick bite to eat and going to bed. He knew that he'd need all the rest he could get for the march and, depending on how far the gryphon army had made it, possible a big battle tomorrow.

Author's Note

You know I'm funny. =P

Chapter 11 - Borderlands

When Twilight Sparkle awoke to the morning's first few warm rays of sunlight, she did not awaken to the quiet, peaceful castle to which she'd become accustomed. Instead, she awoke to the sounds of numerous sets of hooves hitting the stone floor just beyond her bed chamber door in what sounded like full speed galloping. Climbing out of her bed, she rubbed her eyes with her right fore hoof as she groggily stumbled across the room and opened the door to peek outside. She saw soldiers of all kinds - Earth ponies, unicorns, and pegasi - in full armor running up and down the hall. Why is everypony in such a hurry? she wondered, beginning to worry. It wasn't everyday that the castle's guard scrambled like this, fully equipped. She managed to slip into the hallway and made her way for the throne room. If anypony knows what's going on, it'll be the princess.

When she came to the throne room, Twilight saw there were five lance-wielding guards by the door - two on each side and one in the middle. Okay, now I know something's going on. There are usually only two guards here. "Excuse me, sirs, but is the princess in there? I need to speak with her as soon as possible."

"Good morning, Miss Sparkle. She's in a meeting right now, but we have orders to allow you inside. She seemed to be expecting you sometime this morning," the guard in the middle of the door said as he stepped aside.

Twilight nodded her head in thanks as she walked into the room. She saw Luna, Celestia, and several armored ponies around a table with a map sprawled across it. Celestia must have heard Twilight's hoof steps; as soon as she entered the room, Celestia looked up at her student. This time, she didn't even try to fake a smile. "Ah, Twilight, I was wondering when you would be by."

"Princess, what's going on?" Twilight was growing increasingly worried. "Why is everypony running around the castle armed for battle?"

Celestia rose from her sitting position at the table and approached the unicorn. "Conditions have changed with the gryphons. The army at Trottingham was attacked last night after returning from evacuating the survivors from the Crystal Empire."

Twilight's heart sank. "Attacked? What happened? Are my brother and Razor Blade okay?"

"I do not know, I'm afraid. I received word yesterday afternoon that they had cleared the gryphons from the Crystal City but had elected to evacuate the survivors to Trottingham because of a large enemy army readying to cross the border." Princess Celestia had begun to pace back and forth as she spoke. "I had ordered most of our standing army to gather in Trottingham to try to match their numbers, but several hours dawn, I was awoken by an urgent message informing me of the attack. I do not know how many survived or who. All I know is that the gryphons flew in and dropped explosives on the camp."

Twilight's jaw was open by this point, and horror filled her eyes. "Explosives? I thought those were only used to tunnel through mountains?"

"That was their intended, purpose, yes," Celestia said, "but it would appear that our enemy has turned them into weapons of war." She motioned for Twilight to follow her to the strategic map laid out on the table. "I've ordered all of our available divisions to converge on Trottingham and push into the Crystal Empire. This kind of an attack must not go unanswered. I'm also instituting a draft for all able bodied mares and stallions between the ages of 18 and 35. It is not something I want to do, but if we're to be able to defend ourselves, it's something I must do. We're a peaceful kingdom, Twilight; we weren't prepared for this caliber of conflict."

Luna rose from the table. "I have volunteered to lead our ponies-at-arms. It is the duty of a nation's rulers to lead their armies into battle, but my sister is needed in Canterlot more than I. It falls to me, then, as the lesser diarch, to lead Equestria's army into battle." It was now that Twilight noticed that Luna, too, was dressed head to hoof in heavy armor with a long, curved blade at her side.

Twilight looked at Luna and asked "When do we leave?"

Luna responded, "We do not, Twilight Sparkle. I leave within the hour."

Twilight shot Celestia an incredulous look. "Princess, why am I not going? I've learned enough combat spells to be able to fight. With Razor Blade's, Shining Armor's, and Cadance's safeties unknown, I need to be out there!"

"Be calm, my little pony, and just listen to me. I know that you want to be out there for your brother and your very special somepony, but you are needed in Canterlot. It will take our entire military to do barely more than equal the numbers of gryphons' approaching army. That says nothing of their forces still within Gryphus or what they are sending against Germaneigh and Prance. We are outnumbered, and on top of that, their soldiers are better equipped and trained than ours. Your magic has the potential to be stronger than mine or my sister's if the proper care and attention is given to your training." Celestia used her hoof to raise Twilight's line of sight to her own to make sure that the stubborn unicorn was listening. "If things do not go well in the coming battles, your magic may end up being all that stands between Equestria and gryphon occupation. What if you were killed because you insisted on taking the field before your training was finished? What would save Equestria then?"

Twilight pulled her head away from Celestia's hoof and stared at the far wall. With a dejected sigh, she said, "Fine. I see your point, Princess, but at least tell me as soon as you hear anything about Razor Blade, Cadance, or Shining Armor."

"Of course, Twilight Sparkle. Now hurry along to Flemeth's tower. Even though I don't want you to fight today, that doesn't mean that I don't want your training to reach completion as soon as possible."

"Where the buck was our night watch when those gryphons flew in? They were carrying bucking TORCHES! They bucking GLOW! Why were we caught off guard?!" Iron Hide appeared moderately upset at his meeting with the battalion command staff the morning after the attack.

"Couldn't say, sir. I had Second Lieutenant Husband Kennel in charge of the watch last night," the commander of the battalion's pegasus division said. The relatively casual tone implied to Razor Blade that they had known each other for a long time.

"Demote him, damn it! Arrest him! Execute him on the spot; I don't care! That buck up cost us a lot of lives!" Iron Hide snapped back.

"No can do, sir; his was one of the lives that the buck up cost us. We're probably better off, though; I kept hearing rumors that he was sniffing glue again."

"Glue? That's just sick...." said somepony that Razor Blade wasn't able to see.

"Alright, everypony, let's keep focused. We're here to plan a counter-attack, remember? Princess Celestia scraped together a few more troops to throw at the gryphons, putting our total force at almost 20,000 armed mares and stallions. Princess Luna herself is coming, as well, to lead the army. We're to devise an attack plan to present to her. Once she's here, it's her call, but I want to have a solid plan to propose." Iron Hide looked at Shining Armor and Princess Cadance. "You two know the terrain of the Empire better than anypony else. What do you propose?"

After several hours of discussion, a battle plan was decided. Since there was little in the way of natural cover until one reached the Crystal Mountains beyond the Empire's capital city - with the exception of a small patch of forest here and there - the army would have little choice but to march across the flat field to the city. They knew that the gryphons would quickly notice this and engage them before they made it to the city. They also knew that gryphons' strength lay in aerial attacks. It was because of this that they chose to structure their march around the different types of ponies in their ranks. The ground-dwelling bulk of the army would alternate every other row between Earth ponies with bows and unicorns. Flying above them, ready to intercept incoming gryphons, would be the army's pegasi.

When Princess Luna arrived in Trottingham the next day with the additional troops from Canterlot, the rest of the army from various parts of Equestria had already arrived and briefed their commanders on the current plan. "Good morning, your majesty. It's an honor to serve under your command," Iron Hide said, bowing before the Princess of the Night.

"Well met, Colonel. We have precious little time to waste. The gryphons must be made to pay for their incursion. Direct us to your command tent and brief us on your plan. We - um, I mean, I - also want to meet with Princess Cadance and Prince Shining Armor immediately." Luna had been trying for some time with only moderate success to shake her habitual use of the long antiquated majestic plural.

"Uh, yes, of course, your majesty. Right this way." Iron Hide extended his hoof in the direction of one of the few unburned tents. Most of the ponies had been quartered in the hotels and the houses of the more generous ponies of Trottingham after the attack.

"Princess Luna! It's good to see you again," Cadance said when she saw Luna enter the tent. Shining Armor, standing next to her, bowed before the princess.

"Cadance, Shining Armor. It is good to see you well. My sister would have the two of you travel to Canterlot as soon as possible."

Shining Armor raised a hoof to object. "With all due respect, princess, I would rather stay and fight with the Equestrian Army. I agree that Cadance should be in Canterlot, as she has experience in diplomacy, but the Crystal Empire's military was mine to command, and defending the empire was my charge. I failed to defend her from the gryphons; at the very least, my place is on the battlefield fighting to free her."

"Very well," Luna said quickly, as if she had expected that response and only insisted that he return to Canterlot out of duty rather than an earnest opinion. "Cadance, I would ask that you return to Canterlot when the army departs for the Crystal Empire."

Cadance nodded her head. Shining Armor then asked, "How is my sister?"

"Twilight Sparkle fares quite well. Her training in battlemagic is progressing most rapidly. She is expected to finish her training within the month." Luna noticed that Shining Armor's expression was still inquisitive. "Oh, you referred to her emotional state. Of course. She is, understandably, concerned for the safety of you, your wife, and her special somepony on the field here. Tell me, does he yet live?"

Shining Armor let out a small chuckle. "Yes, he is alive and quite the skilled fighter. That reminds me, Cadance, please tell Twilight when you get to Canterlot that I thoroughly approve of her choice of stallion."

After having reviewed the strategy that Iron Hide, Shining Armor, and the other officers had put together, Luna had deemed the plan to be "acceptable" and left it unchanged. She, despite Iron Hide's protests in favor of her safety, demanded to march at the front of the army. "It is the duty of royalty," she argued, "to lead our soldiers into battle and put ourselves at the same danger as they."

Also against Iron Hide's protests, Luna ordered that the army march to the border of the Crystal Empire that day and camp there for the night. That would put them at a roughly three hours' march from the Crystal City - close enough to strike in the early morning hours. The army made its camp in a small wooded area to try to hide their presence, and Luna gave them a cloudy night with a new moon to minimize overall visibility.

Rather than tents, the ponies dug foxholes for themselves to make their detection even more unlikely. Razor Blade had dug his trench next to Dead Eye's. The two ponies had begun to develop a friendship beyond just that which springs from mere proximity, one that began to border on true comradery. "So tell me more about this gryphon who took your eye. What started that fight, anyway?" Razor asked quietly once they'd settled into their foxholes.

"Didn't I say it was over a bet?" Dead Eye replied, not bothering to open his eyes or move his head.

"Yeah, but that's a pretty vague explanation. You can't get a battle scar as epic as that one without being willing to tell the whole story," Razor argued.

"Alright, kid, you want to know the story?" Dead Eye asked, finally rolling over to face the persistent pegasus. Razor Blade nodded. "So I didn't lose a bet. It was more of a...spontaneous brawl. This gryphon - Night Wing was his name - was a member of this cult. I still don't know what it was called or much of what they believed. I had only vaguely heard of it at the time. I just knew that a central belief of theirs was a strong hatred for ponies." He paused to breathe deeply of his cigarette. Almost nopony in Equestria smoked, but he'd picked up the habit when his old mercenary career put him in the employ of a group of camels, for whom smoking was a very common habit. "Anyway, I happened to end up in the wrong bar at the wrong time one night, probably six or seven years ago, when I was in Gryphus. I stumbled into one of their little meetings. Fortunately, I realized what was going on and had managed to sneak back out before any of them noticed me. I got curious, though, and hid just outside of one of the windows to listen in on their meeting. A lot was muffled through the glass, but I caught something about a plan to assassinate Celestia to destabilize Equestria. So, naturally, I did what any rational pony would do; I secretly followed him home from his meeting to kill him in an alley."

He took the last puff of his cigarette before pushing it into the moist forest dirt beside him. "Let me tell you, kid - gryphons aren't as oblivious as they look. That bucker knew I'd been following him the whole time. When he turned this corner, I hadn't realized that he knew I was following him. He was hiding just past the corner and, when I rounded the corner a few second later, grabbed me by the throat. Strong mother bucker, too - lifted me straight off the ground. Fortunately for me, he lived up to the 'bird brain' stereotype; all it took to force him to drop me was a nice, strong dick kick. I guess he hadn't realized that he'd left himself vulnerable. Once I had gotten to my hooves, I tackled him to the ground. We rolled around fighting for a bit, and eventually, his claw rolled into my face, and then my eye rolled out of my face. Along with blood; a lot of blood came out of my face, too." The casual, almost amused tone of Dead Eye's voice left Razor more than a little creeped out. Then again, it hadn't taken him long to realize that Dead Eye was just the slightest bit insane. "Anyway, once he turned me into a cyclops with hooves, the adrenaline kicked in full force. 'Fight or flight' and all that, and as an Earth pony, I clearly did not choose flight. I managed to hold him down and rip out his wings with my teeth. After that, he was unconscious from the pain. I don't know how it is with you pegasi, but gryphons' wings are apparently incredibly sensitive. Then I took a shit on his face for good measure and made my way to a hospital a few blocks away."

Razor Blade sat, jaw agape. "You....took a shit on him? Seriously?"

Dead Eye pause for a moment before saying, "Okay, so I made that part up, but it makes the story better. I did bleed on him, though."

As news of the attack on Trottingham spread throughout Equestria, towns and cities from Manehatten to Detrot put all available resources into preparing their militias should they need to defend themselves. Before leaving for the Crystal Empire, Razor Blade had told Applejack that she was welcome to use any weapons or armor left in his shop for Ponyville's militia. For Ponyville, the timing of Razor's immigration to the town was most fortuitous; because of the time he'd spent giving fencing lessons in town before the war broke out, a sizable percentage of the residents already some basic sword skills. Granted, although sport fencing and actual combat are very different, the techniques of fencing provided a better foundation than having no previous knowledge at all.

Since they had taken the most lessons with Razor, Applejack asked Bon-Bon and Lyra to oversee the actual training in town while she focused her efforts on getting the necessary equipment and overseeing the construction of fortifications around the perimeter. Given the small size of the town, Ponyville's resources were limited, but between Mayor Mare's knack for persuasion when trying to get extra lumber and nails from nearby villages and Applejack's general resourcefulness, they were able to construct a palisade wall around the town proper with watch towers roughly every 300 yards. Everypony in town dropped what he or she was doing - except for the ponies that Applejack and Big Macintosh got to work the orchard while they helped build the wall, of course - and worked from dawn until dusk to get the wall and towers built as quickly as possible. With the entire town's working together, it only took three days to finish the construction. The defenses were far from impregnable, but when she stood back and looked at the finished wall, Applejack was filled with pride in her friends and neighbors.

Ah wonder how Rainbow's doin'? Applejack often found herself wondering. She hadn't received a letter from Rainbow Dash since she'd arrived at Cloudsdale when the others had been summoned to Canterlot, but it hadn't really surprised her. She knew that Rainbow wasn't a big writer. Mix that with being in what was apparently Equestria's crème de la crème of pegasi soldiers during the kingdom's first real war in - actually, now that she thought about it, Applejack realized that she didn't know when Equestria's last real war was - and she understood that Rainbow Dash probably didn't have much time to breathe, much less write a letter.

"Well, Ah guess Ah can't be too upset; Ah ain't written to her, either," Applejack said to herself as she walked back towards Sweet Apple Acres. When she was back at the farmhouse, she trotted up to her room and began to write.

Dear Rainbow Dash,

I hope things are going well for you up in Cloudsdale. We've been in an awful rush to get walls built around the town ever since we heard about the attack on Trottingham. I hope yall are safe up there, but being elite and all, I know that's probably just wishful thinking. I know yall've got important stuff yall are doing to protect Equestria. I'm awful proud of you, Rainbow. Just make sure you come home to me one piece, you hear?

Like I said, we've been trying to get some stuff built up around Ponyville in case the gryphons make it this far. We've built a wooden wall around town and some towers so ponies can keep watch. Keep us from getting snuck up on and such. Since Lyra and Bon-Bon took so many fencing lessons with Razor Blade, I've put them in charge of training everypony in town. I'm hoping that between that and the stuff Razor left in his shop for us to use that we'll be able to hold off those gryphons if they come this way.

I miss you, Rainbow. The bed's lonely at night not having you snoring next to me keeping me awake. Scootaloo's missing you something awful, too. She comes by the farm a lot to ask if we've heard anything about how you're doing. That little orphan filly sure does admire you, Dash. She never said much about it before you left, but now that you're gone, I'm starting to think that Apple Bloom looks up to you almost as much as Scootaloo does. She's started asking about you a lot. She's really started to see you as another big sister since we got hitched.

Twilight's been staying up in Canterlot to practice her fighting magic, and Fluttershy's been working with the diplomats in Canterlot. Razor Blade's fighting with the army. Princess Celestia originally wanted him to stay in Ponyville and make armor and weapons and such, but he convinced her that he'd be more helpful as a soldier. We actually had quite the scare when we heard about Trottingham since he was there at the time of the attack. Spike got a message from Twilight today, though, saying that Princess Cadance got to Canterlot and told her that Razor's doing fine and actually rescued her and Shining Armor from some gryphons once they got to the Crystal Empire.

It's been awful quiet around here without you, Rainbow. You hurry on back whenever you can, you hear? I miss you. We all do, but I do especially. I love you, Rainbow. Write me when you can.

Your wife,
Applejack

She addressed the letter and trotted back to town to give it to Derpy. Applejack wasn't sure where Rainbow Dash was exactly, so she had simply addressed the letter to the Wonderbolt HQ in Cloudsdale. By the time she got back to the farm, it was well into Luna's night. As she lay down in bed, she gave in to the torrent of thoughts she'd managed to keep at bay for the past few days. When she closed her eyes, she was inundated with terrible images that she couldn't shake from her mind. She saw Rainbow Dash, bloody and broken in the middle of some field. She had already pushed herself so hard trying to impress the Wonderbolts into accepting her with some downright foolish stunts that she survived only through the grace of Celestia, and now she was fighting the strongest military on the continent. "Celestia, please watch over her and keep her safe. That pegasus means everything to me." She repeated this prayer dozens of times until she finally allowed sleep to claim her.

Author's Note

$20 to whomever can figure out the allusion behind the name of the pegasus mentioned the second paragraph of the second section.

As usual, point out any mistakes I missed when I was reading back through it.

Chapter 12 - Streets of Rage

They look like little ants the pegasus thought. Tiny, evil, blood thirsty little ants that need to be exterminated. High in the sky, far beyond where even the most observant gryphon would be able to notice, a pair of magenta eyes flicked back and forth over the shimmering city below.

"How's it look, Rainbow? Luna's forces are going to be attacking the city tomorrow morning. This mission needs to be accomplished now," Spitfire reminded Rainbow Dash. Though the Wonderbolts' numbered at 25 and had been ordered to patrol the eastern half of Equestria's norther border for gryphon incursions away from the army's current area of operations, the five who constituted the "best of the best" - Spitfire, Soarin, Rapidfire, Fleetfoot, and Rainbow Dash - had been sent on a separate special mission directly from Princess Celestia. "Directly from Princess Celestia" meaning that the monarch used her magic to teleport directly from Canterlot to the Wonderbolt HQ in Cloudsdale to personally give her orders. The five aforementioned pegasi were to observe the Crystal City until they saw a reasonably good opportunity to sweep in and assassinate the gryphon commander in the city in order to cause confusion and decreased morale directly before Luna's attack.

"I still haven't seen a gryphon in a commander's uniform," Rainbow Dash replied. "Wait!" she hissed. "There! I see him! He's walking out of the central tower with one...two...three other gryphons. It's hard to tell, but I think they're all lieutenants! Think about the damage we could do to their command structure if we took out all four of them at once!" Rainbow flexed her wings in anticipation of finally seeing some action. She smirked as she heard the segments of metal blades that lined the edges of her wings' armor gently scrape together. SO glad I had Razor make this armor for me. These wing blades will make this way easier than carrying a sword in my mouth. The Wonderbolts' smiths in Cloudsdale had managed to replicate Razor's blueprints to produce nearly identical armor for the other two dozens Wonderbolts. Nearly identical. Rainbow Dash's armor was still noticeably superior to the others' in both quality and design. For all intents and purposes, though, "nearly identical" was close enough.

Spitfire and Soarin approached on either side of Rainbow Dash to appraise the situation for themselves. "Yeah, I think you're right," Spitfire said. "That's definitely their commander. Alright, Wonderbolts, here's what we're going to do. Rainbow's the fastest of us, so she'll be the one to hit their commander. I'll take the lieutenant on the left; Spitfire, you hit the one on the right. Rapidfire, you take out the last lieutenant. Fleetfoot, I want you to trail just a little behind us to make sure the mission gets accomplished in case one of us gets taken out before we reach the target. Understood?"

The other pegasi nodded to show their approval and understanding. By now, they were all at the edge of the cloud on top of which they'd been perched, peering down at the scene below. A warm, gentle breeze blew, creating a relaxing calm that sharply contrasted the violence about to be perpetrated. By now, Princess Luna is either in Trottingham or will be there shortly. Alright, it's now or never, Spitfire thought to herself. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She knew this was an incredibly risky mission that could go wrong in any number of ways. I hope you're ready to take charge if this goes sour, Blaze. She lifted her head and opened her eyes, taking one last look at the scene below her. "Alright, everpony. Go!"

In an instant, the five champion fliers rocketed off of the cloud. They approached the ground at breakneck speeds, the slowest of them flying just shy of 500 miles per hour. They deployed their wings. Rainbow Dash pulled ahead of the others as Fleetfoot fell behind, just as they'd discussed. Alright, Dash, this is it. Time to rock. As she began to close the last of the distance between her and her target, the gryphon commander's ear twitched. His head shot around and his eyes connected with Rainbow's. ....aww, feathers, Rainbow thought. This is gonna suck....

"Sound the alarm! We're under attack!" the commander shouted as he rose to his back two legs and took hold of something that had been attached to his belt. CRACK! A deafening explosion pierced the air followed by a low grunt. Wha- CRACK! A second explosion followed a second later, cutting off Rainbow's confused thoughts. Replacing her confusion, however, was a blinding pain in her wing. Rainbow fell ungracefully from the sky and slammed into the ground. All Rainbow could see were star and small pops of light. Through the haze that now covered her mind, she heard Soarin shout "ABORT! ABORT! FALL BACK TO CLOUDSDALE!" amid four more thunderous cracks. She could feel the blood oozing from her wing far faster than her body could handle. As the fought the wave of darkness that threatened to consume her, she looked around, trying to regain a sense of what was going on. She saw Spitfire lying next to her. Her eyes were wide open but utterly unseeing. As she looked into Spitfire's empty eyes, she saw only a haunting darkness that didn't belong. The grounded pegasus now sported a fresh, bloody hole between her eyes. Rainbow looked at her right wing to see a similar hole through it, a couple inches from the joint connecting wing to trunk.

She was beginning to lose her struggle to maintain consciousness when she heard a gruff voice, dripping with malice and sadistic glee, say, "Well, well, well. What have we here? A small handful of ponies thought they could kill the legendary General Dread Claw? Haha. Oh, and look - this one's still alive. Get her back to Gryphus. King Ashnard will surely be pleased to have a Wonderbolt as a prisoner." With that, Rainbow slipped into unconsciousness.

As Luna lowered the moon to make way for the sunrise, she gazed into the distance where the Crystal City lay. I hope the Wonderbolts were sucessful... she thought. Before Princess Celestia had delivered the orders to Cloudsdale personally to ensure the plan's secrecy, she had made her sister privy to the Wonderbolts' mission. Luna had awoken the various battalions' officers and told them to rouse the troops and be ready to march by the time that the satellite had finished its descent below the horizon.

She turned around to see the troops, ready to march, and took a deep breath. Gods, be with us. "Everypony, the battle that lies ahead of us will be a crucial one. Should we fail today, then Equestria's fate is all but sealed. Here stands virtually the entirety of the standing Equestrian military force. There is nopony left to fight off the gryphon hoards should we be defeated. There is nopony else left to defend your homes, your friends, and your families. This land was once ours, entrusted to our crystal brethren upon the return of their grand city, and it has been defiled. We shall not allow this affront to our closest allies to go unanswered." She paused in her speech to see the reactions of the ponies before her. She had never felt comfortable giving speeches, even before her millennium long banishment. She was filled with unease now. Much to her relief, however, the troops appeared confident, taking in every word she spoke. Whether this was in earnest or simply out of respect to one of the kingdom's diarchs, she did not know, and frankly, she did not care.

"We shall march to the city gates, and we shall slay every gryphon invader that dares to plague the city. We are not monsters, however. Should these gryphons see reason and surrender, we shall take them as prisoners of war, and no injustice or abuse shall befall them. In battle, we shall show unwavering bravery; in victory, we shall show dignity and mercy. Now then, my brave little ponies, we march!" With that, she turned and began the long march to the city.

About an hour later, the city came into view. The gryphons hadn't seemed to notice them just yet. Motioning for the troops to stop, Luna used her magic to raise a pair of binoculars to her eyes. The princess was surprised by what she saw. She had expected to see at least some degree of chaos in the wake of the gryphon commander's assassination. What she saw. however, were nearly three times as many patrols as their intel had told her to expect. More disturbing than that, however, was what she saw standing with a group of seven gryphons at the edge of the city - the shine of the gold trim on the gryphon commander's armor. ...It appears that the Wonderbolts have failed in their mission. I pray that they survived.

"Attention, my ponies. The gryphons will notice us any second now. Make sure that you're in proper formation, and continue marching on the city. When their troops confront us, meet them as we planned - Earth ponies will fire arrows, unicorns will cast electric attack spells, and when the gryphons get close, the pegasi will charge with melee weapons. Let's take back this city," Luna said with a calm that surprised her given how nervous she had become after discovering the Wonderbolts' failure.

Indeed, Luna had been correct about their detection; scarcely had a minute passed before gryphons could be seen scrambling in the distance. "Ready arrows and spells!" Luna shouted. Still marching, ponies readied their bows and crossbows, and horns glowed with colors across the spectrum from red to violet. "Pegasi, ready arms!" The sky echoed with the sound of steel sliding against steel as swords were drawn, axes raised, and lances leveled. "Steady. Steady, my little ponies. Wait for them to get within distance," Luna called, not wanting anypony to fire before the enemy was in optimal distance. Even with slightly superior numbers, the gryphons' training and experience far outmatched that of the ponies. Luna wanted every spell, arrow, and slash to count. She surveyed the field, her own horn aglow with a deep indigo as she readied her spell. "Fire arrows and spells!"

At Luna's command, thousands of arrows and bolts of lightning tore through the sky. Although the gryphons had expected it - especially given the glow coming from the approaching army's horns - the sheer volume of attacks made it impossible to avoid the barrage entirely. In an instant, over a ten hundred gryphons fell from the sky. The disciplined and experienced army did not waiver, however, and continued towards the approaching ponies.

"Pegasi, charge!" Luna shouted. Thousands of pegasi lurched towards the gryphons with lances, axes, swords, and warhammers at the ready. Razor Blade was three rows back from the front of the pegasi force and towards the center. Sword in hoof, he squinted his eyes and picked his target.

Once the pegasi were within a couple seconds' flight of the oncoming gryphons, they broke formation to engage the enemy. Razor flapped his wings as fast and hard as he could, pulling ahead of the other pegasi that had been in his line. The gryphon he was targeting noticed his approach and redirected his flight to meet Razor. The gryphon swung his axe across his line of sight; Razor dipped down and to the right, just barely avoiding the weapon and cutting the gryphon's wing from his body with his counter-attack, causing him to fall unceremoniously and land with a sickening crunch.

As the adrenaline began pumping through his body, Razor's senses sharpened. Conscious thought dissolved from his mind; instinct took over. He felt the air behind him shift, and he snapped around with his rapier held horizontally above his head. A gryphon sword was caught in his preemptive parry, from which he riposted with a thrust through the attacker's neck. This foe, too, fell from the sky, leaving a trail of blood falling with her.

The sky was filled with the sounds of clashing metal and agonized screams. The battled started in the ponies' favor thanks to the arrows and spells that cut down so many gryphons before the melee combat began, but once the two armies were engaged in hoof-to-claw fighting, the balance quickly shifted to the gryphons' favor. Their advantage in the air allowed the gryphons enough breathing room for a group to break off and attack the unicorns and Earth ponies that had been picking them off from the ground.

Luna quickly realized a painfully obvious flaw in her plan; she had assumed that the pegasi would be able to keep the gryphons occupied in the air for the duration of the initial engagement. As she watched several hundred gryphons speed towards the grounded ponies, she realized what she had to do. "Iron Hide! I will likely be unable to continue fighting in a few moments!" she shouted. "Command of the combined army will fall to you!" Before Iron Hide had a chance to say anything, Luna turned to face the gryphons. She closed her eyes tightly, and her horn erupted in a near blinding indigo light. A second later, her eyes shot open, glowing the same indigo as her horn. Dozens of bolts of lighting shot forth, striking the approaching gryphons with over three million volts of electricity. Once striking a gryphon, the lighting chained to the one next to it, and then to the one next to that. Within a few seconds, the entire approaching group lay dead on the ground, charred and smoking. Luna collapsed, panting momentarily before passing out.

Iron Hide galloped to the princess to check her vital signs as best he could, given the circumstances. Her breathing was dangerously shallow and her pulse slow, but at least she was breathing and had a pulse. He realized, however, that this could be the rallying point that the army needed to turn the tide back to their favor. He stood tall and, as loudly as he could, shouted "EVERYPONY, YOUR PRINCESS HAS SACRIFICED HERSELF FOR YOU AND FOR THIS CAUSE! DO NOT ALLOW HER SACRIFICE TO BE IN VAIN!"

Everypony who saw Luna's seemingly lifeless body on the ground, her horn still slightly smoking from the magical exertion, had a white fire lit in their eyes. Though the pegasi did not see the princess's body and could not spare a glance because of the heated battle in the air, they had heard Iron Hide, and their blood boiled at news of the lunar princess's fall. Everypony, both on the ground and in the air, fought with a new conviction and determination. Nationalism and a martyr can do more to win a war than any numerical or technical advantage... Iron Hide thought to himself as he raised his bow and let loose another arrow, downing another gryphon.

Razor Blade was particularly impacted when he heard Iron Hide. He had always admired Princess Luna. To him, the night held a peace and serenity that no day ever could. He would never want an unending night, granted, but he also knew full well what it was like to feel unappreciated and taken advantage of - he knew that feeling VERY well - so he had always empathized somewhat with Nightmare Moon and rejoiced when he learned of Luna's return and redemption. When he heard Iron Hide shout that Luna had sacrificed herself, he snapped. Part of his fighting style was letting instinct take over, but he was never completely without thought; it was just pushed to the back of his mind. This feel, however, was little better than an unbridled blood lust. He let loose a great cry and charged forward, paying no mind to whom, exactly, he was about to engage. Between the adrenaline of fighting for his life and the fury of his beloved princess's demise, he was fighting like somepony out of an action movie. He flew up to a gryphon and, in one fluid movement, used his blade to push the foe's sword aside and crushed his windpipe with a forehoof.

He threw caution to the wind and simply lurched from gryphon to gryphon, leaving a rising body count in his wake. One gryphon was locking blades with another pegasus, and Razor flew up behind him, snapped his neck, and immediately moved on to stab another through the back a few feet to the right. The gryphons had started to take notice of him, and he soon became the primary target for many of them. One flew at him with a spear and almost missed, managing only to give Razor a shallow cut across his side. He turned just in time to clothesline the attacking gryphon with his blade, cutting open its throat. There were numerous other very brief engagements like this, earning him several small wounds. He either did not notice the injuries he was sustaining or paid them no mind. Even as blood seeped from the multiple lacerations he'd suffered, he never slowed.

After about an hour of fighting, the order came from the gryphon lieutenant that had been charged with commanding the intercepting force retreat to the city and regroup. Seeing the gryphons' retreat, Iron Hide shouted, "Alright, everypony! Regroup on me!"

As the pegasi returned to the ground, the red haze that had enveloped Razor Blade's mind began to clear. He trotted up next to Dead Eye to wait for Iron Hide's next orders. "Not too bad up there, kid. You don't look much worse for wear," the Earth pony said to him.

Razor responded, "Yeah, it seemed like a lot of them kept pretty much away from me."

Dead Eye smirked and patted his crossbow. "And, uh, who do you think made sure it stayed that way, huh?"

Razor Blade couldn't help but blush a bit. And here I was thinking I was just a badass...

Dead Eye said "Don't worry, kid, I've got your back. With a fighter as good as you, we can't very well have you go off and get yourself killed in the first major battle, now can we? Then would take all the aggro? Just stick with me when we get to the city. We'll watch each others' flanks." Before the conversation was able to go anywhere else, their attention was caught by murmuring from the crowd of ponies gathering around where Iron Hide had been standing. They both trotted up and pushed their way through to the crowd to see on what everypony was so fixated - Princess Luna. They saw her shift on the ground and grunt lightly.

"Wait, I thought you said she was dead?" Razor Blade asked.

"No, I said she sacrificed herself. That spell took so much energy that she passed out, removing herself from the battle. You're the one who assumed I meant that she was dead," Iron Hide said with a smirk.

Troll Razor thought. Gotta hand it to him, though, it definitely motivated us...

Luna feebly lifted a hoof to try to stand, and Razor and Iron Hide rushed to help her up. Several unicorns approached and used their magic to try to restore her energy. "Ungh....Thank you, everypony. I feel much better now...." Her continued panting suggested otherwise. "Let us regroup as quickly as possible and continue to the city gates."

"But Princess-"

"But nothing, Iron Hide. You performed well commanding the army after my incapacitation, and I am am grateful for that, but this army is still mine to command. To command it, I must fight with it, and for its mission to succeed, we must move quickly. Tell me, how many casualties were there?"

Iron Hide glared for a moment before regaining his composure. "743 dead and 984 wounded, your majesty. Of those wounded, 135 wounds are serious enough to prevent combat duty. It could have been much worse."

"Understood. Have the army ready to march in twenty minutes," Luna said.

For Iron Hide, those twenty minutes passed far too quickly. He only barely had the troops ready when Luna approached him. "Is everypony ready?" she asked him.

"Yes, your majesty. We march at your command."

"Then let us proceed. Show the gryphons no mercy until they beg to surrender!" As the army made its final approach to the city, Luna noticed gryphon archers lining the walls. As they loosed their first volley of arrows, Luna cried, "Unicorns! Shield!" Upon her command, she and the magic-bearing third of the army erected a shield of magical energy, blocking every incoming arrow, each making a light ripple across the polychromatic barrier. They continued their march forward, the magical shield holding steady, until they had reached the locked city gates. Luna ordered the barrier dropped and pointed her horn at the gate. After glowing for only a second, she fired from it a pony-sized fireball which exploded upon contact with the gate, blowing it clean off its hinges. "Charge, everypony! Make them pay for razing Trottingham!"

Earth ponies, unicorns, and pegasi poured through the destroyed portion of the city walls as if floodgates had been opened. As they had decided, Razor Blade and Dead Eye stayed close to one another. Most of the Earth ponies had traded their bows for swords and lances to retake the city, but Dead Eye held onto his crossbow, only adding a dagger in his mouth. The streets were filled with gryphons waiting to ambush the attacking ponies. To counter this, whenever a group of ponies would enter a new street, a unicorn would send a fireball into a corner building to kill or at least momentarily disorient the preying gryphons. It caused a great deal of collateral damage, but destroyed buildings could always be repaired; dead ponies would stay dead. While trudging through the outer half of the city, this plan worked splendidly. After a point, however, the gryphons began to catch on and stay away from the buildings in range of the unicorns' magic. It was at this point that the fighting grew intense.

Razor Blade's years of sword training made him a much better fighter than the gryphons who stood between him and his army's objective. Unfortunately, there were a lot of those gryphons. He galloped down the city's streets and towards the once magnanimous tower in the center, cutting down most foes in his way without stopping. Several dozen ponies followed quickly in his wake, among whom was Dead Eye. The closer Razor got to the city center, the most experienced and deadly the enemy he encountered.

A few blocks from the city center, the ponies became bogged down fighting the gryphons rather than continuing to blow through them. Razor found himself crossing blades with another rapier wielder. As he fight dragged on, he began to let himself slip into the mindset he used to adopt when fencing competitively - an almost emotionless analysis of the fight.

Downward slice. Parry five. Riposte with a thrust to his four. Parried; counter-riposting to my six. Parry six; riposte with a feint to four, disengage, and slice across his low line to disembowel.

What Razor failed to notice was the gryphon charging him on all fours with an axe held in his mouth. By the time he saw the gryphon, it had jumped into the air and swung down its axe in both hands. All Razor had time to do was close his eyes and raise his sword to deflect the attack before...nothing. Nothing happened. There was no collision, no axe crashing into his blade, no gory wound. There was nothing. When he opened his eyes, he saw the gryphon's dead body sprawled out before him with an arrow protruding from his right eye. He turned around to see Dead Eye with his crossbow.

"Didn't I tell you I'd watch your flank? Now get your head back and the game and kill some more of these overgrown birds."

Razor simply nodded and rejoined the fray.

Opponent wields an axe. Attack coming to left halfway up the body; parry one. Riposte with a diagonal cut to the skull. Dead. Incoming spear. Parry six; riposte with a thrust to the head. Dead. Approaching sword wielder. Before he had a chance to parry the attack, an arrow between the eyes knocked the gryphon to the ground. ...dead.

After dispatching the last few gryphons, the ponies finally made their way to the courtyard of the tower. After fighting through the streets, the group of ponies that had been following Razor Blade and Dead Eye only numbered thirteen. Razor didn't know how the rest of the army fared, but from the sounds of fighting that rang through the city all around him, he knew that the fighting was still intense throughout. Razor Blade and Dead Eye walked slightly ahead of the other ponies. As soon as they walked underneath the first archway of the tower courtyard, a deep voice shouted "Shield, now!"

A red glow descended over every archway, creating a magical bubble that kept Razor and Dead Eye trapped within it More importantly, however, it kept everypony else out. What the hell is going on? Gryphons can't use magic... Razor Blade thought. He looked all around, but couldn't see any unicorn aside from the pony soldiers beyond the barrier. They were all firing dispersion spells, albeit in vain, to try to break the barrier. Whoever's putting up that barrier must have some damn strong magic.

Razor's thoughts were interrupted when Dead Eye nudged him to alert him to the gryphon to stepping out from inside the tower. The gryphon's black armor glistened as the sunlight hit the gold trim; before them stood the griffon commander. What was more remarkable than what they saw on the gryphon's armor was what they didn't see. Namely, wings. The gryphon had no wings, and the armor hugged his body too tightly to have simply been covering them, though it would have put him at a great disadvantage to have bound his wings under armor anyway.

"Well, look who we have here," the gryphon commander spoke, looking directly at Dead Eye. "What happened to your eye, pony? Did you make the mistake of bucking with your betters? That's right, I recognize you, worm. You're the little hoofed shit that ripped my wings off. Oh, but where are my manners? My name is Dread Claw, and I command the Gryphonian army partaking in this glorious crusade to rid the world of you self-righteous ponies. As for you, my dear pony, don't you worry about payback for my wings. I'll be getting my revenge shortly. Tell me, do you love your fearless leader, Celestia?" He saw Dead Eye raise his crossbow and quickly pulled what looked like a metal tube from a compartment on his uniform's belt and pointed it at him. "Ah, ah, ah. Now, now, didn't anyone ever teach you manners, pony? When a member of a superior race asks you question, you answer. Do you love that bitch, Celestia?"

"What the buck kind of a question is that? Of course I love Celestia. Everypony does. No one rules for a thousand bucking years without being adored by the people," Dead Eye spat back.

A disturbing grin grew on the Dread Claw's face. "Good. Then I'll have no problem getting my revenge on you. Once we occupy Canterlot, I'll be sure to have lots of fun with that princess of yours after I strap her to a table in a dungeon. Oh, the things I'll do to her..."

Dead Eye growled and shouted, "You shut that whore mouth!" as he flung his crossbow up and fired a bolt at the gryphon. Dread Claw moved, but not quickly enough; he was able to keep the bolt from lodging itself in his skull, but he still pierced his shoulder. He raised the device in his hand; fire erupted from it with a deafening crack. Dead Eye collapsed on the ground, blood oozing from a hole near the left side of his collar bone that went clean through his armor.

"Buck you, and buck your princesses! This isn't over!" Dread Claw shouted at the tower. "Wench! Get us out of here!" Razor looked up at the window and could have sworn he saw a glimpse of white before a red flash transported the gryphon and, presumably, whomever was aiding him away as the barrier fell.

Razor rushed to Dead Eye. The Earth pony coughed, leaving his hoof wet and red. "Heh, you were supposed to watch my back, kid." He coughed again, blood splattering on the ground in front of him. "Heh...heh....No biggie. At least I shot him, right? Just make sure you finish the job for me. Nopony insults Princess Celestia and gets away with it. She's a queen to every stallion, mare, and foal in Equestria, even if she insists on the title 'princess.' You make sure that mother bucker pays for what he threatened to do, you hear?" Dead Eye trailed closed his eyes. "Yup, won't be long now...Maybe I can come back as a ghost pony and haunt that mother bucker. Always had a feeling he'd be the one to do me in..."

"Nopony is being done in today," a voice said from behind Razor. He spun around to see an dark indigo alicorn before him. Luna's horn glowed, as did Dead Eye's body. The wound on his collar began to shimmer and the flesh mended itself in seconds. "The ponies who were outside the barrier have told me that it was a threat to my sister that broke your composure. Your loyalty to and love for her is very much appreciated. Tell me, what is your name?"

"My name is Dead Eye, your majesty, and I'd appreciate it if you'd save my life before I make a foal of myself with a sarcastic deathbed monologue only to be brought back from the brink. Not that I'm unappreciative, of course, but you know, that shit's kind of embarrassing." Everypony around was staring at Dead Eye with looks ranging from shock to disgust. Everypony, that is, except for Luna.

For a moment, the lunar princess stood with a look of surprise. Slowly, however, her lips curved into a smile, and after a few seconds, she burst out into laughter. "It has been a thousand years since anypony has spoken to me so casually save for my dear sister. I shall endeavor to save the next life before such speeches are given. Now, however, we must inform Canterlot of our victory and tend to our wounded."

Shit, my head is killing me...What happen-BUCK! Forget my head; my wing is on fire. What the hell happened? As she slowly came to, Rainbow Dash looked around to try to evaluate her surroundings. Okay, so I'm in a dungeon. That's pretty obvious from the windowless stone walls and torches. I'm chained to a board on the wall, and I have a hole in my wing. Awesome, I guess flying out of here isn't an option. Her mental list was interrupted by a loud growl. And I'm hungry. Cool. This sucks.

She heard the click of claws on stone and saw the shadow of a gryphon making its way down the spiral staircase in the corner of the dungeon. "Damn it, why do I have to babysit the prisoner? So what if it's a Wonderbolt? I've got better things to do than take care of some stupid pony..."

Wait...that voice is familiar.... As the pony came into view, Rainbow Dash squinted her eyes to get a better look. "...is that you, Gilda?"

Author's Note

Those parry numbers coincide with actual fencing parries. Just FYI in case anyone wanted to Google that shit for a better mental image.

Chapter 13 - Heavy Rain

It was difficult to see in the low light that the dungeon torches provided, but Rainbow Dash could have sworn that she recognized that voice. "Gilda? Is that you there? It's Rainbow Dash," she said. I know we weren't exactly on the best of terms when she we last saw each other, but hopefully she's gotten past that Rainbow thought.

Rainbow still couldn't make out the details of the face, but she was able to tell that gryphon had stopped and was looking directly at her. "...yeah, Dash, it's me. They didn't tell me it was you we had down here. Hell, I didn't even know you'd be come a Wonderbolt. Then again, I don't really keep up with Equestria much anymore. At least, not until this war started." Gilda walked over to Rainbow Dash. She had a small loaf of bread in one claw and a bowl of water in the other. "Open up. It's time to eat," she said, raising the bread to Rainbow's mouth.

"Hang on, tell me what's going on," Rainbow said. "What are you doing here? I thought you went back to Cloudsdale."

Gilda shoved the bread against Rainbow's snout. "I said eat!"

Rainbow was about to protest when her stomach growled so loudly that it echoed off of the dungeon walls. With a glare, she grudgingly ate the bread. Awesome. The bread's stale. Then again, I'm a prisoner of war; what did I expect? The stale bread had been so dry that Rainbow didn't even offer protest when Gilda shoved the bowl of water towards her face. "Alright, I ate the stupid bread and drank the stagnant water. Now will you answer a few questions for me?" Rainbow Dash asked, her impatience growing.

"Quiet, pony! Speak when spoken to!" Gilda shouted as she slammed the top of her skull into the side of Rainbow's face. Through the searing pain, Rainbow Dash could feel a light trickle of blood make its way down her face, leaving a red trail on her cyan coat. Before pulling back from the headbutt, Gilda whispered "They're watching. I'll tell you what I can, but I have to do it carefully and over time. Sorry." She pulled back and said "Next time it'll be more than a gentle headbutt." She spit at Rainbow's hooves before turning and ascending the stone stairs out of the dungeon.

Rainbow Dash watched Gilda walk out of the dungeon. Once she heard the dungeon door slam shut at the top of the stairs, Rainbow said to herself, "Well, she doesn't seem to hate me. I can't help but feel like she got a little bit too much pleasure from headbutting me, though." She looked around the dank, dark dungeon once more. "Well, she left me chained to a damn wall, so I can't really do anything to pass the time. If only I were chained lying down instead of standing, I might be able to take a nap..."

She leaned her head back on the board to which she was bound and gazed up at the stone ceiling. Her mind wandered to her friends back home. I hope Applejack is doing okay.... She closed her eyes and forced her mind to wander to places more pleasant than her clammy prison. It wasn't long before Rainbow did one of the things for which she was most famous; she fell asleep.

~~~

Most of Ponyville's residents had gathered at Sweet Apple Acres along with members of the Apple family from all across Equestria, all of the Wonderbolts, and the Royal Pony Sisters. At the top of a small hill under the shade of an apple tree, Celestia and Luna stood on either side of Rainbow Dash, who was dressed in her Wonderbolts uniform save for the mask and goggles, in place of which she wore the golden laurels from her Grand Galloping Gala dress. Behind Rainbow sat a make-shift altar of crates. Standing several dozen yards away, looking at the trio and trying her best not to cry, was Applejack in a simple white dress and her well-worn cowboy hat, both of which were much to Rarity's dismay.

The townsfolk and visiting friends and family were assembled into two groups, forming an isle wide enough for two ponies between them. Bridging the gap between the princesses and the crowd were two rows of the ponies closest to Applejack and Rainbow Dash. To the left of the make-shift altar, from back to front, stood Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Bell; to the right stood Twilight Sparkle, Fluttershy, Apple Bloom, and Babs Seed. Rarity, of course, had insisted that they each wear brand new dresses of her design for the occasion.

Far to the left of Celestia, Octavia stood with her cello. As she began to play the wedding march, everypony rose from their seats to watch Applejack walk down the isle to wed the pony with whom she'd been in love for so long. Escorting her down the isle was Big Macintosh, though he looked like a different pony all together in a tuxedo as opposed to his typical yoke.

When Applejack finally walked up next to her, Rainbow Dash noticed that she was crying. These weren't tears of joy, though; the look on her face was one of pure misery. This isn't right... Rainbow thought.

"Why, Rainbow? Why did ya have to die?" Applejack asked as tear freely flowed down her face. "I waited so long for ya to come home, but the only thing that came home was a royal messenger to tell me that ya'd been executed by gryphons. Why did ya have to leave so soon?"

~~~

Rainbow's eyes shot open, her heart pounding. A bead of sweat slid down the left side of her face, mixing with the dried blood from Gilda's headbutt. Rainbow had awoken from some bad dreams during her life, but no dream had upset her quite like seeing Applejack like that, especially during what was supposed to be such a happy memory. Don't worry, Applejack. That will NOT happen. I'm not going anywhere. I'm coming home just as soon as I can break out of here.

When Soarin, Rapidfire, and Fleetfoot arrived back in Cloudsdale, Soarin immediately started in the direction of the city's government building. "You two head back to HQ," he called over his shoulder. "I've got to get word to Princess Celestia. It's too late to warn Luna, but at least we can tell somepony higher up what happened."

The Cloudsdale city hall was a huge building constructed of cloudstuff that rose eight stories. Not only did it contain the typical municipal government offices of Cloudsdale but also the logistical coordination center for the weather teams across Equestria. A recent addition to the series of public departments was a newly created public relations office for Cloudsdale's rainbow factory in hopes that showing a public front would help to dispel the rather unsavory rumors that had begun to circulate about it.

The offices of the executive branch of the local government, which included the city's representative in Canterlot, was on the top floor of the building. Soarin practically galloped through the building and up the seven flights of stairs to reach the representative's office. Practically knocking over the security guards the top of the stairs, Soarin sprinted down the hall and smashed through the door. "Representative Sun Beam, ma'am, I'm sorry to burst in like this - literally - but I need you to get a message to Princess Celestia immediately," Soarin said a bit too quickly, trying desperately to catch his breath. Sun Beam's look of shock at having a winded Wonderbolt barge into her office completely unannounced and unexpectedly had not yet faded. Soarin either didn't notice or didn't care. "Somepony needs to tell Princess Celestia that the-" Soarin cut himself off, remembering just in time that the mission on which he and his four comrades had been sent was supposed to be secret. I don't see the point in keeping it a secret anymore, but I'd better not risk it. "Just, uh, somepony needs to tell the princess, umm," he stalled as he tried to think of a euphemism that the princess would understand but that wouldn't risk letting slip a secret anymore than he was already risking it. "Umm, that the trade deal fell through and that we're down 20,000 bits. She should know what it means." I hope he thought, kicking himself for not being able to think of anything better.

Sun Beam stared at him blankly, blinking a few times. "Right...I'll get a messenger out to Canterlot immediately. Thanks...I think..." she trailed off as she turned her head to reach for a quill to jot down the message.

When Soarin got back to Wonderbolts HQ, he saw Fleetfoot and Rapidfire sitting in the lounge room drinking what he assumed was some kind of alcohol - probably whiskey, knowing Rapidfire - and talking about their mission's failure and their brush with death.

"I can't believe Spitfire and Rainbow gone. I mean, what was that thing even? I've never seen anything like it," Fleetfoot said.

"Maybe that's the gryphons' new weapon?" Rapidfire posited. "It's certainly effective if it is. I've never seen anything kill a pony so fast, let alone two of the strongest pegasi in Equestria..."

"I don't think Rainbow Dash is dead," Soarin said, startling Rapidfire and Fleetfoot who hadn't noticed his entry. "From what I could tell, she was only hit in the wing. They probably took her prisoner; a Wonderbolt would be a useful bargaining chip with Princess Celestia."

Both ponies shot to their hooves and saluted. Rapidfire spoke, saying, "Of course, sir. I certainly hope so. Sorry, we didn't see you there. Did everything go well with Sun Beam?"

Soarin motioned for them to stand at ease. "As well as can be expected. I'm going to Ponyville while we await new orders from Canterlot. Someone ought to tell Rainbow's wife what happened. Fleetfoot, you're in charge until I return." Without waiting for confirmation of his instructions, Soarin turned and left the room. He wasn't sure if he was trying to convince his subordinates or himself when he said that he thought Rainbow was still alive.

Big Macintosh stepped back from the apple tree he'd just bucked to wipe sweat from his brow and catch his breath. Since Applejack had been at town hall all day meeting with the mayor, Lyra, and Bon-Bon about the readiness of Ponyville's defenses, he'd been working himself twice as hard as usual to make sure the farm didn't fall behind with the apples for the army. Apple Bloom had started helping buck apples on the farm, as well, but she was still just a filly; there was only so much she could do.

When Big Macintosh saw a lone figure flying towards the farm, he took in his teeth the scythe that he had taken to carrying with him just in case he needed it. As the eldest able bodied member of the Apple family, it was - at least in his mind - his duty to assume responsibility for protecting the farm and his kin, so he had taken to relying on a "better safe than sorry" philosophy, which included not assuming that any unidentified pony - or other creature - had friendly intentions.

When he saw the Wonderbolts uniform, however, he quickly dropped the scythe. At first, he thought it was Rainbow Dash. When he saw the broad body and dark blue mane, however, he began to worry. There aren't many reasons that a single one of your sister-in-law's comrades would visit the farm unannounced unless...He quickly shook the thought from his mind. Eenope. No reason to go assuming the worst before you hear what he has to say.

Soarin landed next to Big Macintosh. "Big Mac, right? Applejack's brother?"

"Eeyup."

Soarin had met Big Macintosh only briefly and hadn't gotten used to his relatively non-communicative mannerisms. "Right. In case you don't remember me, I'm Soarin. I was at Rainbow's and your sister's wedding a few months ago. Is Applejack around?"

"Eenope."

"Okay...Where is she? Can I talk to her? It's very important that I find her. It's about Rainbow Dash."

Big Macintosh's heart sank. "Eeyup," he said very flatly and monotone. "She's at town hall. Come with me. I'll take ya there." Big Macintosh turned to walk towards down, but stopped suddenly. Not turning around to face Soarin, he asked, "Is Rainbow Dash alive?"

"....I don't know," was all that Soarin knew to tell him.

The ten minute walk to town hall was made in complete silence. It was not an awkward silence, however, but rather a somber one. When they walked into town hall, Bottlecap, the receptionist at the front desk, saw Big Macintosh and said, "Hey there, Big Mac. Looking for Applejack?"

"Eeyup."

"I think they just took a lunch break," Bottlecap said. "They should be in the conference room upstairs if you want to go on up. I'm sure they won't mind."

"Thank ya kindly," Big Mac said as he led Soarin up the spiral staircase behind the front desk and to the right.

When they walked into the conference room, Applejack, Mayor Mare, Lyra, and Bon-bon were eating a cheesecake that Mr. and Mrs. Cake had sent for them. Applejack saw her brother and trotted over to him with a smile on her face. That smile quickly faded when she saw Soarin, however. "...what are you doing in Ponyville, Soarin?" she asked, the dread in her voice almost palpable.

"Hello, Applejack. I'm afraid that there's been an...accident. Is there somewhere a bit more private we could talk?"

Mayor Mare told them that they were welcome to talk in her office, and Applejack led the way. When Applejack closed the door behind them, she asked "What's all this about? Where's Rainbow? Why ain't she here with you?" although she feared that she already knew the answer.

Soarin's gut tightened knowing what he had to tell Applejack. He knew it wasn't fair to keep her in the dark, though. More humane in the short term, perhaps, but he knew that in the long term, she'd rather be told right away, especially if there's a chance that she's still alive. "Applejack, I'm not quite sure how to tell you this. I'm not even supposed to be telling you a lot of this, but as Rainbow Dash's wife, you deserve to know."

"Just spit it out already! What happened? Is she alright or ain't she?" Applejack's frustration was growing exponentially.

Soarin sighed. "You've got to keep this to yourself. Technically, it's still supposed to be secret and off the records. Princess Celestia ordered that a team of the five most skilled Wonderbolts - Spitfire, Rainbow Dash, Fleetfoot, Rapidfire, and me - go ahead of the army being led by Princess Luna and try to assassinate the gryphon's commander to diminish morale and cause chaos in their ranks." Soarin paused for a moment to let Applejack digest what he had told her.

"Everything was going fine at first, and we spotted the target and began our attack just like we'd planned. Remember that 'secret gryphon weapon' that the rumors keep talking about? The one that they need sulfur to make?" Applejack nodded her head. "Well, we saw it first hand. That's what caused the problem. It's some kind of...I don't even know how to describe it. An explosive crossbow, I guess, is the best description I can think of, except one that can shoot several times before needing to be reloaded." He saw Applejack's eyes widen as she began piecing together in her head what he was telling her. It was no secret that pegasi were especially vulnerable against arrows, and whatever projectiles this new weapon shot were probably just as deadly if not more so.

"Long story short, the commander started shooting at us. Spitfire's dead, hit right between the eyes, and I'm not sure what happened to Rainbow Dash. From what I could tell, she only got shot in the wing. I heard the gryphon commander's weapon four more times after he killed Spitfire and shot Rainbow down. I think he was trying to shoot Fleetfoot, Rapidfire, and me, but I honestly don't know for sure. I think that he left Rainbow Dash alive to take as a prisoner." As he looked at Applejack, he could see tears well up in her eyes and spill over, staining the fur on her cheeks; the sight broke his heart. "I wish I had more information, Applejack. I'm so sorry. Believe me, though, I plan to do everything I can to either rescue her or recover her body for a proper burial - a hero's burial. But I haven't given up on her, and neither should you." Am I trying to convince Applejack or myself? he thought.

Applejack stood in silence for what felt like hours but was, in reality, only a few minutes. She looked down at the floor, making no effort to fight the tears streaming down her face. When she did finally break the silence, her voice was very soft and quiet, so much so that Soarin had to strain to hear her. "She ain't comin' home, is she? I've only been married for a few months, and I'm already a widow..."

Soarin took a step towards Applejack and raised her face to his with his hoof. "Applejack, listen to me. I honestly think she's still alive," he said, starting to believe it himself, "and I am going to find her and rescue her, and if not me, then somepony else will, but you are NOT a widow, and you're not going to be. Not if I have anything to say about it."

Having allowed herself a moment of emotional release, Applejack tried to regain her composure. "Right. Of course. I know that. I mean, she's one of the Elements of Harmony. Princess Celestia will make sure she gets back to Equestria alright." Applejack walked over to the window and looked down at the town's market. Please, princess, bring her home to me safe and sound....

Chapter 14 - Pony Gear Solid

At the same time that Soarin was giving Applejack the bad news about Rainbow Dash, Olive Branch and Fluttershy were making their way to the throne room of Canterlot Castle to give Princess Celestia even worse news. For the past week, they had been in near-constant negotiations with the camels and the ibexes, but neither nation had yet agreed to join the war. They had sent envoys to meet with the zebras, but they had all been denied entry into the Zebrican capital city. For the past several decades, Equestria and Zebrica had shared strained tensions almost tantamount to a cold war. As such, the zebras were none too eager to help the ponies in a conflict that didn't concern them.

When Olive Branch and Fluttershy trotted into the throne room to give their report to Princess Celestia, both ponies bent a knee before her. When they rose, Olive Branch began, "Your majesty, I'm afraid we have a less-than-pleasant report for you."

Celestia magicked a lightly decorated porcelain teacup to her lips. "Very well. Continue," she said after taking a short sip.

"Would you like the good news first or the bad?" Olive Branch asked.

"The good news," Celestia replied.

"The camels and ibexes refuse to join the war and have threatened to cut trade with Equestria if we do not stop trying to convince them that it is in their best interests to do so," Olive Branch stated flatly.

Celestia looked at him, her composure almost slipping for a split second. "That was the good news? Oh dear. Go ahead with the bad news."

"Prance and Germaneigh have fallen. Their governments surrendered yesterday afternoon." The room fell deathly silent. Celestia's eyes remained closed for seconds that dragged into a minutes.

Eventually, Celestia opened her eyes and looked to Olive Branch. "Thank you for your report. If you'll excuse me, there are many things to which I must attend in light of this new information." He and Fluttershy turned to leave the room when Celestia spoke again. "Not you, Fluttershy. I wish to speak with you privately." Olive Branch nodded to the yellow pegasus and continued out of the room.

Fluttershy slowly trotted over to the princess, her head lowered in her usual meek stance. "What can I do, your majesty?"

Celestia smiled gingerly at her. "I have a special mission for you, Fluttershy - one that I think only a pony as kind and empathetic as you could accomplish. If Prance and Germaneigh have surrendered, then our entire northern border is vulnerable to a gryphon attack. It is critical, now more than ever, that we gather allies. I think that we can solve two of our kingdom's diplomatic problems at once. This hostility with the zebras has troubled me for many, many years, but I have been unable to dispel it. I believe that these recent developments have provided an opportunity." Celestia took another sip of her tea. "The zebras are very in tune with nature. In fact, you share many of their society's core traits - respect for nature, reverence for wildlife, and a desire to protect animals that cannot fend for themselves. I believe that we can use this to persuade the zebras to help us."

"But how, princess? They seemed pretty determined not to talk to any of the ambassadors we sent..." Fluttershy said.

"That's because we didn't send you."

"Me?" the pegasus asked. "Oh, I don't think I would be much help. I'm far too shy..."

"On the contrary, my little pony, it is your meekness that makes you ideal. The zebras may be stubborn and headstrong when it comes to politics, but one of the core principles of their society is not to bully one weaker than oneself. Your timidity will prevent them from disrespecting and outright taking advantage of you in negotiations which will, in turn, allow you to convey the messages that they refused to hear from our other envoys," Celestia said, her tone quickly shifting from one of a monarch to one of a teacher - the tone she frequently used with Twilight Sparkle.

"Oh, I see," Fluttershy said quietly. Celestia remained silent for a moment, noticing that Fluttershy was thinking. "But what does that have to do with Prance and Germaneigh?" Fluttershy asked.

"That's where their reverence for nature comes in. With our two allies out of the fight, we will now face the full force of the gryphon war machine. That could mean one of two things - either many small incursions into Equestria to determine the weakest point on the border or one powerful push through Equestria with enough strength to power through whatever defenses we have. To get to Canterlot, however, they will have to pass through the Everfree Forest. Although we ponies avoid it because of the dangers it holds, it is still a sanctuary of untamed nature. Tell me, Fluttershy, why did the gryphons start this war?"

Fluttershy thought for a moment. "Because you and Princess Cadance wouldn't give the gryphons the minerals that they wanted from the Crystal Mountains, right?"

"Exactly; we wouldn't allow them to extract the resources they wanted from the environment to fuel their industry. If they took control of the Everfree Forest, don't you think they would want the resources there, as well? What do you think would happen to the creatures, both violent and friendly, living within the forest?" Fluttershy's eyes widened with fear. "The result would be devastation, both for the creatures dwelling in the forest and for their habitat. Point this out to the zebras. Make sure they know that, regardless of which of the two likely strategies the gryphons take, the Everfree Forest will be devastated if their army isn't stopped, and make sure they know that we don't possess the military strength to stop them alone."

As Princess Celestia finished explaining her plan, Fluttershy's face turned from scared to determined. She couldn't shake from her mind the image of smoldering trees and scared, homeless or even dead woodland animals. "Don't worry, princess. I'll make sure they see what's at stake. I won't let any harm to the innocent critters in the forest, even the mean ones."

"Corporal, has there been any sign of gryphon approach?" Luna asked. It was the morning of the third day since their reclamation of the Crystal Empire's capital city, and not so much as a patrol had been seen along the border with Gryphus. Each passing hour without some kind of activity brought concern. It was uncharacteristic of the war-like gryphons simply to give up so easily.

"Nothing, your majesty. Permission to speak freely, princess?" the pegasus mare asked upon landing next to Luna.

"You may."

"Did the force that we routed from the city make up a larger percentage of their army than our intelligence had indicated? Perhaps they do not have the numbers to feel comfortable moving against us."

Princess Luna pondered this for a moment before saying, "It is possible, but I find it unlikely. Helping my sister rule Equestria both before and since my banishment has put me in contact with gryphons - specifically their government - frequently. I have become acquainted with their habits and ways of thinking. I am certain that they are planning something. I do, however, find it not only possible but likely that our victory caught them off guard and as such has forced them to take extra time to regroup their forces before attacking. Thank you, corporal, for your service and your thoughts. Dismissed."

The pegasus saluted her princess and took once more to the sky. Luna poured over the possibilities in her mind. If they are regrouping their forces, then we need to attack before they're ready. We have had time to rest and recover from the previous battle. She sought out the army's officers to confer with them and devise a plan of attack. It was decided that they would march at dawn for the border with Gryphus. No intricate strategy was chosen; a straight march followed by a simple attack would, they hoped, be sufficient to put pressure on their enemy.

Luna gave the order to rouse the troops as soon as she'd lowered the moon. By the time her sister's sun was creeping above the horizon, they were on their way to the border with Gryphus. As Luna led the thousands upon thousands of ponies following behind her, she couldn't help but let a faint trace of worry and doubt slip into her mind. She was taking a big risk with this maneuver. If she were right about why they hadn't attacked and the risk paid off, she could end the war in a week. If she were wrong, Equestria would be left without an army to defend itself.

There is no need to worry Luna told herself as the walls surrounding the border with Gryphus came into view. The evidence and their behavior both point to their taking time to regroup after their defeat. We shall achieve victory.

As if the universe were mocking her, an explosion shattered her thoughts. An Earth pony in the front line dropped to the ground, a bloody mess where his head used to be. For a few seconds, the army broke into utter chaos as ponies scattered. No pony could imagine what kind of weapon that killed that Earth pony, but one thing was immediately made clear to everypony there: the gryphons' mysterious "superweapon" was no bluff, and the psychological effect of that realization was immense. Only Dead Eye and Razor Blade has experienced first hand the incredible power of the gryphon's new weapons. They had both seen the gryphon's "explosive crossbow" as Dead Eye had taken to calling it; it had nearly killed him.

Despite the chaos that had descended upon most of the army, Luna was able to locate the source of the attack within a second and a half, given away by a faint trail of smoke in the distance. She saw a gryphon perched atop a watch tower with what looked to her to be a long metal rod. She did not fully understand what it did, but she knew that it had to be avoided; since she knew where it was, she knew how to go about doing that. "EVERYPONY, REGAIN YOUR CONTROL AND OBEY YOUR PRINCESS!" Luna shouted, using her Royal Equestrian Voice to gain everypony's attention immediately. "CHARGE THE WALL WHILST STRAFING TO AVOID THEIR PROJECTILES!"

Thousands of ponies galloped full speed towards the wall that separated Gryphus from the Crystal Empire as the crack from another projectile tore through the air. Luna noticed that several other gryphons with identical weapons had appeared on the wall. Dozens of plumes of smoke were soon rising from the wall as shot after shot rang out, tearing through ponies despite their efforts to avoid them. Numerically, Luna noticed, they should haven no problem reaching and breaching the wall, even if the number of these weapons were doubled. That's when Luna was confronted with a new, unexpected variable.

The ground shook as huge clumps of earth and pony were propelled into the air. Luna's eyes widened as it dawned on her that her soldiers were galloping headlong into a mine field. Realization washed over the lunar princess in sickening waves; she had led the army directly into a trap. Explosion after explosion rocked the ground. The closer they got to the wall, the more gryphons popped up and began firing at the approaching ponies.

Land mines?! Luna thought to herself, her thought swimming in a sick mixture of rage and confusion. They have been banned for centuries, and for good reason. How dare the High King violate such a treaty, even in a time of war.

Luna watched in horror as her army was slaughtered. Her risk had not paid off. If the war ended in the next week, it would be because of the failure of her foolhardy gambit, not a stunning military victory. We have to fall back she thought, eyes wide with fear. "FALL BACK!" she cried, making only minimal effort to mask the panic in her voice. "FALL BACK TO THE CRYSTAL CITY!"

The army - for the most part still galloping to assault the border wall - turned around 180 degrees and began a full sprint away from the wall, away from the minefield, and away from Gryphus. For nearly an hour, the frantic pace of their retreat did not abate. By the time Luna gestured to slow to a canter, even the most physically fit ponies were feeling fatigued; those less in-shape considered themselves lucky simply to keep from collapsing on the ground. Luna took to the air to observe their surroundings as the army continued its retreat. To her surprise, she saw no sign of gryphon pursuit. Once satisfied that they were not being followed, she returned to the front of the army and had them slow to a trot for the last stretch back to the Crystal City.

For the rest of the day, the army began to lick its wounds and bury its dead, or least the fragments of their dead that they had been able to recover. Quartermasters determined what equipment had been destroyed in the massacre and what had been lost in the hectic retreat. Medics tended to the wounded, of which there were many. Soldiers supported each other and mourned their comrades. All Luna could do was watch the scene unfold before her, powerless to correct the high price of her tactical error. Oh gods, what have I done...?

Author's Note

I know the title isn't at all related to the chapter, but my roommate was playing Metal Gear Solid earlier today, so that's what was stuck in my head. Haha. Also, wow, 14 chapters. An extra special thanks to anypony who's read the whole thing thus far. It means a lot to me. =)

Chapter 15 - Waterworld

Rainbow Dash was awoken by a sharp jab to her ribs. "Wake up, pony. It's time for you to talk." Gilda walked around the pegasus, still held upright to her wooden prison. She gave Rainbow a few more hard nudges until she went from groggy to legitimately conscious. "What defenses does Equestria have along its borders and where are they weakest?" On the surface, Gilda's face showed nothing but blank apathy, but Rainbow Dash could see something deep in her eyes, only barely there. It was the sort of subtle cue that only a friend of many, many years could notice. It was just a spark, and it would have been invisible to anypony else. Regret, maybe? Possibly remorse? Rainbow couldn't be sure exactly what this latent emotion was, but something was there; she was sure of it.

"As a pony, you don't deserve this much mercy," Gilda said as she paced back and forth, "but I'll give you a bit of advice that you'd do well to take; answer all of my questions the first time they're asked. If you don't, I will make life very unpleasant for you." Gilda paused after that. She looked at Rainbow Dash with hard, stern eyes. Come on, Dash. I know you're not an idiot. Take the hint. Don't make me do this... After the few seconds of silence that were accompanied by a stern look of defiance, Gilda sighed, her features finally betraying what she was feeling, albeit only for a second - dread. For that fleeting moment, Gilda allowed her facade to falter and exposed her unadulterated dread at what a Gryphonian interrogation would mean for the friend of her youth. With a heavy sigh, Gilda said, "Suit yourself, pony." Gilda raised a clawed forearm and brought it down with immense power and speed against Rainbow's left cheek. A sickening rip could be heard as the razor sharp claws hewed flesh from bone. The ground was immediately speckled with blood from the initial tear, blood which now trickled down Rainbow's cheek in a steady stream, staining the normally vibrant cyan with a deep crimson. The sound of a steady drip could be heard echoing throughout the dungeon as a puddle of pegasus blood pooled on the stone floor.

Gilda rushed towards the wounded pegasus and stared deeply into Rainbow's eyes, her beak mere centimeters from Rainbow's nose. "Damn it, Dash, answer the bucking question!" Gilda hissed with more urgency in her voice than she had intended. Her eyes widened ever so slightly when she realized the betrayal of her voice and quickly spun around and walked to the corner of the dark room, pretending to be pacing nonchalantly. Gilda took a deep breath. Get it together. You know what will happen if they suspect you have any sympathy for her, let alone actual regret about this.

The gryphon turned around again and walked back towards Rainbow. "I'll ask you one more time. Where are Eque-"

"I'm not telling you anything, Gilda. I'll never betray Equestria. Not for you, not for anypony."

"Come now, Rainbow Dash. Tell us what we want to know, and we'll let you rot in peace instead of rotting in pieces." Gilda nearly jumped out of her skin at the smooth voice behind her. She spun 180 degrees to see another gryphon - a male, not in armor but in an officer's uniform - standing in the doorway. "Having difficulty with our...guest? You may return to your guard post, Gilda. I'll take it from here. Dismissed."

"I can handle this, sir. She's just being-"

"I do not like to repeat myself, Gilda," the new gryphon said, all smoothness in his tone replaced with hostility and irritation. "If you are not back at your post in ten seconds, you will share in this one's fate. The king is adamant that I handle this one personally. She's one of the bearers of the Elements of Harmony, you know. By capturing her, we have ensured that the Elements cannot be used to stop our king's...failsafe."

"I know she's important. If you'd just give me a chance to prove my-"

"Gilda. You will not be dealing with this prisoner. The king does not trust you with her given your previous relationship, and quite frankly, neither do I. Now, are you going to leave, or shall I chain you up in one of the other dungeon chambers?"

Gilda swallowed hard, careful not to cast a glance back at Rainbow Dash, both out of fear and shame. "My apologies, General. I'll get out of your feathers," she said. Gilda gave the gryphon a stiff salute before quickly ascending the stairs.

The new gryphon paced slowly around Rainbow Dash, sizing her up. "Miss Dash, why must you make this difficult? There's really no need to drag this out. It's quite simple," he said. Bringing his face within a hair's breadth from Rainbow's and looking her straight in the eyes, he continued, "Just tell me what I want to know, and you can save yourself a lot of misery."

Rainbow Dash looked at him hard for a few seconds, contemplating her options. She finally settled on what seemed to her to be the most appropriate way to handle the situation - spitting in the gryphon's face. "Go buck yourself," she said, her voice rife with indignation. He stood stunned for a faction of a second before regaining his composure and lashing out at Rainbow Dash with a hard backhand to her uninjured cheek, his claws drawing more blood as they passed.

"You think you're brave, pony? You think you can buck with me and just get away with it? You're not brave; you're stupid," he spat, almost snarling. He stared at her with fire in his eyes for a second that felt like an hour. "Fortunately for you, however, I am more merciful and understanding than most of my comrades would be. I will forgive this...mistake...that you just made if you just answer a few simple questions. That doesn't sound too difficult, does it?"

Rainbow Dash stared at him, making no effort to mask her hatred. Keep it together, Dash. Ignore the pain; don't give in. "I'm not telling you anything."

The gryphon's beak curved upward on either side into a sick grin. "Oh, you'll talk, whether you want to or not." He walked towards her, grabbed the board to which Rainbow Dash was restrained, and pulled it forward from the wall. The board was fixed on a metal bar that slid in and out of the wall with a ball-and-socket style joint that allowed the board to swivel. Once it had been pulled a few feet from the wall, the gryphon general turned the board so that Rainbow was lying horizontally rather than upright. "Last chance, pony; what manner of border defenses has Celestia set up? Where are these defenses the weakest?"

"Buck off," Rainbow Dash said defiantly.

The general sighed. "I tried to do this the easy way, Miss Dash. I really did. Oh well. Suit yourself." He walked to the opposite end of the room. When he returned, he had a cloth held in his beak and a huge bucket of water grasped in either claw. He set the buckets on the ground and took the cloth from his beak. "Do try not to struggle too much; if you break too many bones, it will be most difficult to get any answers from you through your screaming." He tied the cloth over Rainbow's face, covering her eyes, nose, and mouth completely. He then lifted one of the buckets of water and began to pour the water slowly over the cloth.

Rainbow Dash lay unmoving at first. As two seconds dragged into ten and then into twenty, however, her lungs began to burn from the oxygen deprivation. She willed herself to remain still, not to give her assailant the satisfaction of seeing her struggle, but eventually, instinctive panic overpowered conscious desire. As she thrashed against her restraints, she could feel the burn spread from her lungs and through the rest of her body. Mercifully, the steady flow of water to her face relented, and she felt air slowly make its way to her mouth where only water had been a moment ago. As the ache in her chest slowly subsided and she continued to gasp for air, she could hear a sick, satisfied chuckled to her left.

"Had enough already, Wonderbolt? I thought certainly that one of Equestria's most elite pegasus soldiers could stand up to a little basic interrogation."

Finally catching her breath, Rainbow rebutted, "This isn't interrogation; this is torture. You can do whatever you want to me, though. I'm not telling you shit."

The gryphon grinned. "What's that? You want more? As you wish!" Rainbow Dash barely had a chance to take a deep breath before the second bucket of water began to pour slowly over her face, once again cutting off her access to precious air. The water stopped after only a few seconds this time. Rainbow released the breath she had been holding and began to take another when the water suddenly started pouring again, causing her to cough and convulse. "Ah ah ah, Miss Rainbow Dash. That's for falsely accusing Gryphus of something as abhorrent as torture! We are a civilized nation, my dear. We would never condone torture." He watched as Rainbow Dash struggled harder against her restraints as he continued to pour the water slowly over her covered face. She arched her back, pressing her chest hard against the leather strap holding her to the board. A sickening crack echoed throughout the room, followed by a muffled, watery scream.

The water stopped. Rainbow simply lay there, twitching and whimpering, though doing neither consciously or voluntarily. She tried to calm herself down, but the pain was too intense even to form a coherent thought. Agony fogged her mind, both from the burning in her lungs and from the unending ache in her chest from the broken rib. The gryphon removed the wet cloth that had been secured to her face. "Rainbow Dash, this can all end right now. You can put a stop to the interrogation. All you have to do is tell us where the defenses are weakest and what to expect."

Rainbow's mind was teetering on the edge of unconsciousness. As her eye lids fluttered opened and closed, she struggled to keep awake and stay strong. Her eyes kept rolling towards the back her head, and even when she was able to keep them facing forward, she still found herself unable to muster the strength to focus them on anything. "Ungh...N...Not....guhn....gonna....t..ta..talk..." she said, that one short, broken sentence requiring as much effort as performing her first Sonic Rainboom.

"I expected as much. Let me show you something, Miss Dash. It's a favorite toy of mine," the gryphon general said. He walked over to the far end of the room and down a hallway. When the returned a moment later, he noticed that Rainbow had passed out. "Now now, Miss Dash, do stay awake while I have my show and tell. Fortunately, most find my toy much too...intriguing...to stay asleep." He raised his claw which gripped a long iron rod, flattened and glowing a brilliant whitish yellow at the end. He pressed it hard against the middle of Rainbow's left side.

The revolting scent of burning hair and roasted flesh immediately filled the dungeon. Rainbow was ripped back to consciousness. Her eyes shot open along with her mouth, though she found herself completely unable to make any sort of noise, her lungs suddenly empty of all air. She didn't know what was happening at first, but she didn't need to; she knew that she was in indescribable pain. As the gryphon pulled the rod away from her blackened flesh, she managed to let out an ear piercing scream. The sound echoed off of the dungeon's stone walls. He dropped the iron rod and picked up a cat o' nine tails. He raised his arm far behind his head and brought the whip down, ripping whole strips of fur and flesh from Rainbow's stomach and flanks.

"Are you ready to talk now, pony?" The more pain he inflicted wilder and more demented his visage and tone grew. He continued to beat the bloody and broken pegasus until her screams eventually faded and died. By the time he had finally stopped, he was panting, sweat dripping from the tip of his beak and splashing against the pools of Rainbow Dash's blood that covered the floor around the table. Rainbow had long since lost consciousness. Her heart still beat, but barely; her pulse was dangerously slow. The gryphon slowly walked towards the spiral stone staircase, dropping the cat o' nine tails on a table as he passed by. When he exited into the hallway above, he said to the gryphon grunt guarding the door, "Fetch a medic. Do just enough to keep the pony alive and not a bit more."

From her bunk three floors above the dungeon, Gilda could hear Rainbow Dash's screams. Not even three dozen feet of stone could quiet such intense cries of agony. Gods, he's killing her... Gilda thought as rolled over, trying in vain to get some rest. Gilda lay with her eyes closed, trying to drown out the sound of Rainbow's screams. She was torn between feelings of despair at Rainbow's inhumane treatment and, much to her chagrin, relief that she had been forcibly relieved from the duty of having to inflict the torture. Gilda allowed herself to feel the full force of her emotional schism for a few minutes when she felt something his her thigh. She opened an eye, eagerly welcoming the distraction, to see a scroll lying on her bunk. She looked around, but didn't see anyone who could have placed it there; as far as she could tell, she was alone in the barracks. Gilda unrolled the scroll and began to read.

I know you and Rainbow Dash were friends when she was a filly. I know you are reluctant to be a willing party to her continued captivity and abuse. I know that you want to help her but are unsure as to how to go about doing so without being caught and getting both of you executed. I can make help you.

At 03:47 on the morning of the 12th, relieve the guard standing watch in her dungeon. Do not be late. This parchment is made of sugar. When you have read this message, eat it.

Gilda read the small scroll once again to ensure that she hadn't misunderstood. That's...bizarre... she thought. She did want to help Rainbow, however, and if whomever it was who had written the note had a way to help, she'd play along. If worse came to worse and it ended up being one of her superiors' traps to test her loyalty, she could always try to play it off that she was going to apprehend the mysterious writer. Before 4 am, huh? Makes me wish I were a morning gryphon...Oh well. Guess I'll have to suck it up. At least it's tomorrow that this is supposed to go down. She could still hear Rainbow's screams, but knowing that she would soon get the opportunity to help Rainbow - Or die trying, she couldn't help but think - helped her to fall asleep despite the sound of her childhood friend's agony.

Chapter 16 - Homefront

Since the failed assault-turned-massacre two days prior, Luna had hidden herself away in her command tent. She didn't come out, and she allowed nopony to come in. Several of the army's officers had been killed in the assault, leaving Iron Hide with a severely undersized staff in addition to the responsibility of being in command for the duration of Luna's self-imposed absence. He had increased the size and frequency of patrols and guard postings around the army's encampment in the Crystal City so as not to be caught off-guard by a gryphon attack, but all had been quiet along the border in those two days. As that second day turned into night, however, Iron Hide began to get antsy and frustrated regarding Luna's isolation.

"Damn it, this army needs her," Iron Hide complained to Razor Blade and Shining Armor. "I can lead the army logistically and tactically better than almost anypony else, but there's only so much I can do for morale. What's a random Earth pony next to an alicorn princess? Having her lead the ponies inspired them!"

"Think about what happened," Shining Armor said. "It was her decision to attack. It was her order to try to push through their defenses, resulting in the unfortunate discovery of that minefield."

"I'd have done the exact same bucking thing in her place! Most ponies would have!" Iron Hide shouted.

Shining Armor raised a hoof to calm the irate Earth pony. "I know, I know. My point is that she probably doesn't see it like that. From Luna's perspective, the blood of all of those dead ponies is on her hooves. From her perspective, that massacre was her failure as a tactician, not an exceptionally good defense on the gryphons' part, albeit a vile one banned by several treaties."

Iron Hide thought about that for a moment. He looked over at Luna's tent a few dozen meters away, then at Shining Armor, then back at Luna's tent. "You know the princess better than anypony else here, and you married her niece; why don't you go try to explain that to her?"

Shining Armor's eyes widened. "No-I mean, yeah, I know her better than you guys, but I can't just waltz into her tent. She's still a pincess!"

Razor Blade deadpanned. "Seriously? You married one. Don't pull that 'she's still a princess' crap." Iron Hide snickered.

Shining Armor, sighing, said, "Alright, fine, I'll go talk to her..."

As he walked towards Luna's tent, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Despite the fact that she'd always been very friendly to him, Princess Luna still intimidated Shining Armor, although he wasn't sure why. Perhaps it was that the ten century old habits she had yet to break, like the majestic plural and generally antiquated word choice, were just unusual enough to catch him off guard? Perhaps the memory of Nightmare Moon still lingered in the back of his mind, affecting his sub-conscious attitude towards the reformed Luna? One thing was clear, though - Luna, for whatever reason, did intimidate him.

When he arrived at Luna's tent, Shining Armor took one last deep breath and cleared his throat. "Um, Princess Luna? It's Shining Armor. May I speak with you?"

For a moment, silence was the only response. Then he heard a meek voice from within the tent. "We are...I am indisposed. Please direct your concerns towards Colonel Iron Hide."

I knew this wasn't going to be easy... Shining Armor said, "I'm worried about the army, Princess. I'm also worried about you. May I please come in?"

"I insist that I am fine," Luna rebutted.

"And I insist that you're not. Please, princess. The army needs you. These ponies look up to you. Just let me talk to you, and then I'll leave."

Silence. "Very well," Luna said quietly from inside the tent. "You may enter, but only you." The tent's flap became enveloped in a dark blue glow and parted, allowing Shining Armor entry into the tent.

When he got inside the tent, Shining Armor was greeted by darkness. Not a single candle was lit. He set his horn aglow to illuminate the tent. Luna was sitting on on her haunches in the far right corner of the tent, staring at the ground. As Shining Armor walked closer, he could see that the fur on her cheeks was wet. Carefully, he reached a hoof out under her chin and raised her head to face him; her eyes were puffy and red. He sat down next to the distraught alicorn. "Luna, tell me why you've shut yourself away in here. The army's getting worried. Is this about the battle the other day?"

Luna pulled away and stared back at the ground. "T'was not a battle. A battle implies a fair contest with losses on both sides; t'was a massacre into which I lead our army, the ponies entrusted into my care."

Shining Armor contemplated his next words carefully. He knew that any verbal misstep could set the princess into an emotional cascade. "Luna, what happened wasn't your fault. I would have made-"

"Their blood is on my hooves, Shining Armor! Perhaps you would have made the decision, but you did not; I did. I lead them to the border, I ordered the charge, and because of a decision that I made, almost two THOUSAND ponies are dead," Luna shouted before breaking down into heavy sobbing.

Shining Armor sat in stunned silence. The lunar princess had always been so collected and regal. To see her displaying such strong emotion seemed completely out of character for her. Then again, did you really think she was an emotionless shell? Just because she usually keeps her emotions under pretty good control - at least better than most ponies - doesn't mean that she doesn't have them.

"I should never have come out here," Luna said quietly, her sobbing having subsided to sniffling for the time being. "I wanted to be here to inspire my subjects as they fought bravely for their kingdom. All I've done is get them killed."

"Princess, stop this!" Shining Armor said suddenly, startling Luna slightly. "That's not true at all! You do inspire them! Nopony blames you for what happened, and Iron Hide and I both would have made the same decision that you did. What happened was not because of bad leadership; what happened was because the gryphons' used weapons banned by numerous treaties, and NOPONY could have expected that. Luna, nopony blames you. You're still a hero to them. Every one of them. You're the royal sister who's leading her troops into battle rather than just sitting comfortably in a castle. Most of them now look up to you as much as or more than they look up to Princess Celestia simply because you're out here with them, risking your life right beside them. What they need now is a princess who will lead them to avenge their comrades, not one who spends all day and night beating herself up over mistakes and miscalculations."

For several seconds, Luna simply stared at Shining Armor. She had no idea how to respond to what he had said. She closed her eyes and lowered her head to gather her thoughts. ...what if he's right? What if I have failed my subjects simply by worrying about whether or not I'd failed them before? No, Luna. Stop thinking like that. Shining Armor is correct. As the Mare Macbeth said, "What's done is done." Luna breathed deeply, opened her eyes, and raised her head to look at Shining Armor. Whereas a moment before, her eyes had been filled with regret and angst, they now held a renewed determination. "I suppose that you are correct, Shining Armor. My mistake cost many brave ponies their lives, but my sulking is costing the survivors what morale they have left. That ends this night. I will-"

"Princess Luna! Prince Shining Armor! Please forgive the interruption, but I have urgent news!" A young pegasus stallion - only barely too old to be called a colt - burst into the tent, quickly bowing.

"Be at ease, young one. What has happened?" Luna asked.

"The gryphons, your highness. They've breached the far eastern border. They've completely razed Windsoar, Detrot is little more than a smoldering ruin, and Tramplevania is about to be overrun."

Luna froze. Keep it together, Luna. They need you, now more than ever. "Mobilize the army. We move out at once." She looked at Shining Armor who simply nodded his support.

The pegasus bowed again. "At once, your majesty," he said before exiting the tent.

Shining Armor put a hoof on Luna's shoulder. "I think you made the right decision just now, Princess. Just know that your ponies stand behind you and will continue to do so until the end." With that, he left the tent to help with preparations.

Once Princess Luna had left her tent to help the army ready itself to move out, it took only an hour to mobilize. By the time the sun had begun to creep over the horizon, the army had reached what used to be Detrot, but the ominous orange glow that had been visible for over an hour had told them all that they had needed to know. Luna had ordered the army to reclaim Detrot first under the assumption that there would be some reclamation to be done. What they found, however, was not at all what she had expected. There were no gryphons to clear from the city streets. There were no survivors to save. Anypony who hadn't managed to escape the city was already long dead. There were not even any buildings left; all that remained of Equestria's industrial powerhouse city was just was the messenger had described - ruins, completely razed to the ground.

Windsoar fared even worse than Detrot. At least in Detrot, there were ruins; in Windsoar, not even the foundation clouds that held the city afloat remained. Luna hurried the troops to Tramplevania. She was determined to save at least one of the assaulted cities. Normally, screams of agony and the ringing of clashing steel are considered to be noises that one does not wish to hear when approaching one of the nation's towns, but they were music to Luna's ears; they meant that there were still Tramplevanian ponies that she could save.

When they reached the city, the Earth ponies and pegasi wasted no time charging forward at full speed. What greeted them, however, was a surprise; throughout the entire city, no more than 800 gryphons were to be found. Iron Hide and Shining Armor broke from the bulk of the army with several hundred ponies apiece to sweep the western and eastern edges of the city, respectively, while Razor Blade remained relatively close to Luna near the head of the army, pressing into the center of the city.

This does not feel right, Luna thought. This is too easy. By the time there was only a single gryphon remaining, Razor Blade had yet to draw a single drop of blood. Deadeye hadn't loosed a single arrow. Luna had only cast three spells including the immobilization spell with which she now held the last gryphon. "Speak, knave," she said, approaching the gryphon that was being enveloped in a deep blue glow. "Why was your force so small? What was your goal?"

The gryphon laughed. "For such a small force, we did a lot of damage, wouldn't you say, nag? Our mission wasn't to utterly annihilate a pegasus city or reduce an industrial center to rubble, although it was a pretty nice perk. All we were supposed to do was distract you long enough for the main army to invade Canterlot." With a sick grin, he said "I'd say we did a pretty good job of that."

Luna's inquisitive gaze contorted into a scowl of hate. All she saw was red. Without a word, the glow of her hold on the gryphon intensified, and the avian head spun around nearly 270 degrees with a sickening crack. Luna released her magic, allowing the corpse to slump to the ground. She turned around, her eyes aglow with fury and her hair blowing in an ethereal wind, and said to the ponies around her, "Gather the troops and move NOW. We must away to Canterlot at once."

Like most mornings in Ponyville, the first ponies out of bed were the Apples, hard at work on their orchard, and the Carrots, hard at work in their fields. Before dawn, Big Macintosh was out bucking apple trees while Applejack was busy helping Apple Bloom get ready for school. Macintosh looked up to admire Celestia's sunrise as he took a momentary break from his work. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a familiar wall-eyed pegasus mare flying towards the farm.

"Big Mac! Big Mac! Where's Applejack?" Derpy asked frantically.

"In the house. Follow me," Big Macintosh said. Noting Derpy's uncharacteristic urgency, he galloped towards the farmhouse. He knew that Derpy knew where the house was, but he was curious what the mare had to say and figured that being there when she spoke with Applejack was the best way to satiate that curiosity without seeming overly intrusive by asking Derpy directly.

As the two burst into the farmhouse, Derpy shouted, "Applejack! We've got trouble!"

Applejack turned to face Derpy. "Slow down there, sugarcube. What kind of trouble?"

"The kind with beaks and feathers," Derpy said.

Applejack's face grew stern. "Apple Bloom, you and Granny Smith stay here. Do NOT leave his farm under any circumstances. Let's go, Big Mac." Applejack took a pitchfork that she kept propped against the wall beside the farmhouse door in her teeth as Big Macintosh took hold of his scythe. The three made haste to the town proper where a commotion was underway. Applejack discovered, much to her relief, that the fortifications they'd built were holding up. The unicorns in the town had erected a magical dome to prevent any gryphon from flying over the palisade walls, and the walls themselves appeared to be study enough to hold out the attackers, at least for the time being.

Applejack made her way through the ponies in town, all of whom were trying their hardest, albeit in vain, not to panic. After a few minutes, she found Lyra and Bon-Bon in front of the town hall with the roughly 100 ponies that made up the town's militia. Thanks to Razor Blade's overproduction of weapons and armor prior to his talks with Twilight, there was sufficient armor and weaponry to outfit the entire group. "How's it look, yall? How yall feeling?"

Lyra turned around , standing at attention with an overzealous and quite exaggerated salute. "Ready for anything, sir! We'll show those gryphons who's boss! HII-YAA!!!" Lyra shouted, chopping the air with a hoof and following it up with a clumsy roundhouse kick that left her on the ground, hooves sprawled in all directions, with a goofy grin on her face.

Bon-Bon shook her head. "I think we've all had enough practice to know pretty well how to handle a weapon, but I don't think anypony's ever truly ready for their first battle. We're as ready as we'll ever be, though."

"Applejack!" Applejack turned around to try to find whomever had called her. She scanned the crowd and saw Doctor Whooves waving at her between firing arrows from atop one of the wall towers. "Applejack, they're starting to crack the gate! They'll break through any minute!"

"Already, everypony, clear on out of here unless yer plannin' on fightin'! Things're fixing to turn ugly!" Applejack turned to Lyra and Bon-Bon. "Get ready, girls. They're about to bust through that gate."

The militia lined up facing the gate in rows of ten, weapons at the ready. They could see the gate beginning to crack and splinter against the stress of the gryphons' relentless battering. Finally, the log keeping the wooden gates closed buckled and spintlered, allowing over a thousand gryphons to pour in. "CHARGE!!" Lyra shouted around the axe handle gripped in her teeth as she charged at the invading force. Once the gate was breached, the town's unicorns dropped the magical dome overhead to focus on spells that would help the changed situation. For some, that included telekinesis to manipulate the gryphons' weapons or immobilization spells to give the militia ponies openings to attack. For the town's more aggressive unicorns, it consisted of attack spells, usually with fire or electricity. Lyra erected a personal shield directly in front of her that blocked the volleys of incoming arrows. When she reached the gryphon hoard, she pushed from her horn a burst of telekinetic energy, sending over a dozen gryphons flying backwards, thus knocking to the ground dozens more. While it was only a momentary stun for the gryphons, it did give the ponies a chance to kill 30 or 40 of them before they had picked themselves up and recovered.

Blossomforth, Bluebell, and Blue Skies flew in loops overhead, dropping large rocks that had been stockpiled behind the town hall onto the gryphons a few rows back from the line of engagement. It was a messy, rather brutal tactic, but it worked; a large rock would crack a gryphon's skull as easily as an axe, and if one left fewer ponies wounded or killed than the other, why not use that method?

It turned out that that Lyra and Bon-Bon had learned more from Razor Blade than they had realized and, in turn, had prepared Ponyville's militia better than anypony had expected. Most of the ponies were dispatching gryphons left and right while suffering only minor injuries, thanks in part to their armor. Before long, however, the gryphons' far superior numbers took the upper hoof away from the ponies. While battling two gryphons with great success, Great Scott was impaled by a spear-wielding foe who had sneaked up behind him. Bright Idea, seeing Cold Front about to be overpowered by three gryphons even with the aid of her magic, galloped over to help her. He ran two of the gryphons through with his broadsword, but the third, wielding a massive axe, lobbed off his head before he was able to parry. Banana Fluff was fighting alongside Bon-Bon when a gryphon flew in from above and tackled her to the ground, shoving a knife between her eyes before Bon-Bon even had a chance to react.

This is bad, Applejack though. This is real, real bad. We ain't gonna make it if this keeps up, and even if we do, these ponies are gonna lose the will to fight if they see many more of their friends die.

Suddenly from behind her, Applejack heard a door open and a voice shout "Everypony, get down and out of the way!" She turned around to see Vinyl Scratch standing with a massive speaker in front of her. Her horn was glowing a bright blue, as was the speaker. "Wub a dub dub, mother buckers!" Vinyl shouted as she pressed a button on the sound system's control panel. The blue glow of her horn erupted into an almost blinding light and enveloped the speaker. As deep, high decibel synthetic sounds filled the air and shook the buildings' very foundations, a waving beam of blue energy burst forth from the speaker, leaving in its wake a trench a foot deep and in it, a trail of smoking, charred gryphon skeletons along with the blackened skeletons of two or three unfortunate ponies who had been unable to move in time. The gryphons that were left quickly fled the town with their tails quite literally between their legs.

For a time, all stood in silence, jaws agape. The burnt bodies that filled the new trench continued to smoke, but nopony seemed to pay that any mind. All eyes were focused on Vinyl Scratch.

Applejack trotted up the town's boisterous DJ. "Vinyl, now don't take this the wrong way, I'm awful glad you had your doo-hicky there to drive them gryphons out, but what in the hay is that? That thing was straight out of one of them space adventures that Rainbow reads when she runs out of Daring Doo."

Vinyl laughed and replied, "Oh, it's just a little something I threw together in case those dumb birds tried to attack Ponyville. I call it a Bass Cannon. It took a little longer than I expected to get set up, but I think it worked pretty damn well once I got it up and running."

"Yeah, but how does it work?" Applejack asked. "Looks to me like it ain't nothin' but a giant speaker."

"Well, that's pretty much all it is," Vinyl answered. "It's a huge, REALLY loud speaker, and I use my horn to basically turn the sound ways into a link between my magic energy and whoever I'm trying to hit. The energy from my horn just travels down the sound waves and hits whatever's at the end. It's basically a giant laser cannon. Pretty sick, huh?"

"It's right impressive, I'll give ya that," Applejack said, patting the DJ on the back with her hoof. As she tried to figure out just how bad their casualties were, she was pleasantly surprised: 18 dead and 47 wounded. While that was still more than 2/3 of the militia either dead or wounded, she had expected the death toll to be much higher. Truth be told, she hadn't expected there to be anypony left to count the number of dead and wounded.

Outside what remained of the walls of Ponyville, however, a storm of white and brown feathers brewed, advancing towards other Equestrian cities. Forces several thousand soldiers larger than that which attacked Ponyville were pouring into Manehatten, Fillydelphia, and Vanhoover as Ponyville licked its wounds, and a still larger core army marched onwards towards Canterlot to besiege the Equestrian capital and, if all went as the gryphons planned, force a surrender from its diarchs.

Author's Note

I know that the bit with Vinyl Scratch was more than a little silly, but I cracked up so much when I saw Epic Wub Time that, as soon as I decided to add the war with the gryphons, I swore to myself that I'd find a way to include her bass cannon, no matter how silly it turned out. It makes me happy. =P

Chapter 17 - Ghost Recon

Gilda lay awake in her barracks cot, staring at the clock on the wall. 2:48. Alright, let's see. The note said 3:47, and it'll take me probably eight minutes to get down there. That means that I need to get up and sneak out at 3:39. Great. That's almost an hour to kill. She had given up on sleep a couple hours ago; not knowing what to expect when she arrived at the meeting detailed in the mysterious note had rendered that a non-option. With a sigh, Gilda rolled over. Why did I even come back? You knew Ashnard was nuts. Hell, that's why Mom and Dad left Gryphus for Equestria in the first place. Now look at you, soul sold to a tyrant who's torturing your flight school best friend. Maybe that's why I came back? Maybe it's my destiny to save Rainbow Dash. Gilda thought for a moment before snorting. Yeah, right. Destiny. Only ponies believe that mystic crap. Just dumb luck that you were in the right place at the right time. She glanced up to check the time again - 2:53. Gilda resigned herself to staring at the clock, willing the minute hand to move faster, for the next 46 minutes.

When the second hand finally ticked up to the 12 at 3:39, Gilda quickly got up and, as quietly as she could, tip-toed out of the barracks in which she was housed. She crept through the halls of the castle, making sure to hide whenever she saw the glow of a guard's torch. When she arrived at the hallway holding the door to the dungeon in which Rainbow Dash was being kept, she took a deep breath. Alright. No sneaking around this guard. Let's hope that my rank will be enough to convince him to leave quietly. Just in case, Gilda kept her right claw rested on the dagger she kept belted to her left side. She gathered her nerves and stepped into the hallway. The guard - a new recruit fresh out of the military academy, by the look of his uniform - saluted her. "Alright, private, I'm here to relieve you. Go get some sleep," she said, keeping her voice flat and bored sounding.

"Sorry, ma'am, but I haven't received any orders from the king. Unless I get orders from the crown, I can't leave this spot until the next scheduled rotation at six," the guard said.

Gilda sighed. I was afraid of this. "Private, I don't think you heard me," Gilda said as she grabbed the guard's neck with her left hand, her voice revealing her impatience but not her anxiety. Strong arming someone wasn't anything new to her; committing treason against a mentally unstable king was. "I said, you're relieved." She looked directly into his eyes, her beak mere millimeters from his. The guard moved his mouth in an attempt to say something or shout - she wasn't sure which - but she noticed his moving his hand for his dagger. She quickly - half instinctively - drew her knife and plunged it into the left side of the guard's skull. The gryphon immediately when limp in Gilda's grasp. It was not her first kill, but killing was not something she enjoyed, either, despite the macho bravado facade she always kept.

Gilda quickly opened the door to the dungeon and threw the body down the spiral stairs. She was high enough in rank and had been serving at the castle long enough to know that there wouldn't be anyone actually in the dungeon, so she didn't worry about having the corpse alert another gryphon to her activity. This does kill my "I was investigating a possible intruder" alibi, though. Oh well. She descended the stairs, pulling the door shut behind her. The dungeon was dimly lit by only a couple of torches, but she could see Rainbow Dash's unconscious form in the corner of the room. She had been removed from the board to which she was previously restrained and was now in a huddled mass on the floor with chains on all four hooves.

"Good, you have arrived on schedule." A voice from behind Gilda startled her. She spun around to see a figure shrouded in a black cloak.

"Who are you? Are you the one who dropped that note?" Gilda asked. The figured looked too small to be a gryphon soldier, but she wasn't about to let her guard down just in case.

"Yes, that was I. I am an operative with Equestrian Military Intelligence. Beyond that, my identity is of no consequence. My mission is to rescue Rainbow Dash and return her to Wonderbolt HQ in Cloudsdale. I assume from your unaccompanied presence that you wish to aid in her escape?" The figure - a pony, obviously - remained cloaked from head to hoof, although the register of her voice at least gave away that she was female.

"Yeah, but I want you to take me with you," Gilda said.

The pony paused. "I beg your pardon?"

"I said, take me with you. Let me go back to Equestria with you. Coming back here was a mistake, and I don't want to a part of this madman's army anymore," Gilda said sternly.

The cloaked pony remained silent for a moment. Finally, she said, "Very well. I shall take you to Equestria, but what becomes of you from there will be up to Princess Celestia."

"Good enough for me. I'm pretty sure Celestia won't do that to me," she said, motioning towards Rainbow Dash, "so I think I'm still better off facing her wrath than King Ashnard's. Now how do we get her out of here?"

"As you know, the dungeon is on the bottom level of the castle. In the far corner, beneath a wooden crate, there is a narrow hoof-dug tunnel leading half a kilometer beyond the castle walls," the pony explained. "She's not in any state to crawl such a distance on her own, and the pain that would accompany such an escape, given her injuries, would render it both time consuming and, in all likelihood, very loud. Because of that, I have given her a strong sedative to keep her unconscious for the next couple hours. You and I will, as gently as possible, move her through the tunnel and, once on the other side, carry her as far as we can until she regains consciousness."

"Sounds like a pain in the ass, but I don't really see a better solution. Let's get going. Eventually, someone's going to notice the lack of guard and puddle of blood in his place."

It took almost 45 minutes for Gilda and the Equestrian agent to move Rainbow Dash, but they managed to do so undetected. The tunnel opened up in the middle of a thickly wooded area, providing sufficient cover to allow the now thoroughly exhausted gryphon and pony a minute to rest. "Okay, we're right here," the pony said, pulling out a map and pointing a hoof to it. "We'll rest here for five minutes and then continue south, staying in the mountain forests to cover our trail."

After another hour of hiking with Rainbow Dash slouched over Gilda's back, the gryphon began to feel her stir. "Hey pony, hold up. I think Dash is waking up."

"Ungh, what happened?" Rainbow muttered as she lethargically shifted her weight on Gilda's back. "Where am I?"

"I sedated you so that you could be moved from Castle Gryphus. I am with Equstrian Military Intelligence. Miss Gilda and I are rescuing you. Do you feel strong enough to walk on your own? I know your experience has been a tremendous strain on both your body and your mind," the pony replied.

Rainbow Dash gingerly slid off of Gilda's back, slowly putting weight on her hooves. "Yeah, I think I can walk." She stretched a wing only to yelp and pull it back. "Can't fly, though."

"Walking'll be good enough, Dash," Gilda said.

"Let's get going, then," Rainbow Dash said. "I don't want to stay in this country any longer than I have to..."

As the two ponies began trotting south, Gilda hesitated. "Uh, Dash? Hold up a minute."

"What is it, Gilda?"

"I, uhh," Gilda started. "I just, uh. Ugh, damn it. I'm sorry, okay? I'm sorry I was a bitch to you and your friends a few years ago in Ponyville."

Rainbow looked surprised. "Uh, yeah, me too. We both did and said some stuff we probably wish we hadn't. Don't worry about it, okay? It's in the past."

"Yeah, right," Gilda said. "Let's get going, or Ashnard will do way worse to me than he did to you."

Author's Note

I know it's a short chapter, but I wanted to go back to Gilda and Rainbow Dash, but thinking about it, I don't think what comes next would fit as well here as it would in a separate chapter, so this one will just be short.

Chapter 19 - Dark Legacy

They had been walking for three days by the time Gilda, Rainbow Dash, and the Equestrian Military Intelligence operative finally crossed the border into Equestria. With how they felt, both physically and emotionally, however, those three days might as well have been three months. After the first day, Rainbow Dash had felt physically able to move on her own, although Gilda made sure never to be more than a wing's distance away, and were they forced to flee with any rapidity, Rainbow would have had to be carried. Trotting at a steady pace and galloping for one's life place very different demands on the body.

"At last, we have made it back to Equestria. From here, Canterlot should only be another two days' journey," the still cloaked pony said, breathing deeply of the air of her homeland. Equestria didn't have any manner of magical force field that made the air within its borders chemically different in any way from the air just across the border in Gryphus, though there are ponies who would argue to the contrary, but nationalism is a powerful thing; it can make the most rational of ponies hold the silliest of beliefs.

"Yeah, it's about time!" Rainbow Dash, sounding legitimately excited for the first time since her imprisonment. Looking in the direction of Ponyville, she noticed something that seemed a bit out of place. "Hey, what's that over there?"

Gilda and the EMI pony turned to look in the direction that Rainbow Dash's hoof pointed. "What are you talking about, Dash? I don't see anything," Gilda responded.

Rainbow pointed her hoof in the direction of Ponyville three more times for emphasis. "Over there, that weird glow coming from the Everfree Forest."

Gilda looked again towards Ponyville and the Everfree Forest, squinting her eyes. The forest was still quite a distance away for the naked eye, but upon closer inspection, she saw what had caught Rainbow's attention - a pillar of blackness rising up from the Everfree Forest.

By this point, the enigmatic pony in their party had seen it, as well. "My, I've never seen anything quite like it. It must be some sort of magic. Perhaps Princess Celestia is attempting some sort of new protection spell?"

Gilda's eyes grew wide. "Oh shit," she said breathlessly. "That ain't Celestia. We gotta get over there, Dash. Like, yesterday."

Rainbow Dash looked at Gilda, her confusion spelled out on her face. "Why? What is that? What are you talking about?"

"That," Gilda started, pointing a claw at the distant pillar, "has got to be King Ashnard's 'failsafe' in case his invasion of Canterlot failed. The one that can only be stopped with the Elements of Harmony that kept me from being the one to interrogate you? Celestia's going to need the Elements of Harmony to stop whatever Ashnard's back up plan is, so you gotta get over there. You're still way too banged up to fly there on your own, so hurry you flank up and get on my back."

Rainbow Dash stared straight ahead for a few seconds, trying to process all of the information that she had just been given. "But we don't have all the Elements!" Rainbow shouted after several seconds. "Even if me, Twilight, Fluttershy, Applejack, and Rarity are all there, we'd be missing the sixth Element. Pinkie Pie's dead. We can't just give somepony else her Element! It doesn't work like that."

"Damn it, Dash, then what the hell else should we do? Isn't it better to try and fail than just bend over and wait to die? So what if you've only get five of the six Elements; that's better than none," Gilda snapped back.

"If I may, ladies?" the other pony interjected. "I believe I must agree with Miss Gilda on this matter. From what I know of the Elements of Harmony, it does seem unlikely that you and your friends will be able to activate them without having all six assembled, but the alternative is to admit defeat outright. I'm sure your loyalty to Equestria would make such an option highly undesirable, would it not?" she asked, placing extra emphasis on the word "loyalty."

Rainbow Dash glared at the pony for a moment before snorting in frustration and beginning to climb onto Gilda's back. "Come on, G. Looks like it's up to me to save the day."

When Princess Celestia took to the sky to see for herself what Soarin had reported, what she saw left her with a terror she'd not felt since she and Luna had marched to face Discord over a thousand years ago. Although Soarin hadn't noticed it, Celestia had seen the beginning of the ebony pillar's ascent from what remained of the Everfree Forest. Celestia knew that she did not have time to waste. If her suspicions were correct regarding the phenomenon she saw emanating from the woods, then she would need to get the Elements of Harmony to their bearers as soon as possible. Before making for the throne room as quickly as her wings could carry her, she had ordered Twilight Sparkle and Fluttershy to leave for Ponyville immediately and wait for her at Fluttershy's home near the edge of the forest. She then told Soarin to have what remained of the Equestrian army and its new Zebrican allies ready to march in their wake when she returned.

What of the Elements of Laughter and Loyalty, though? the princess asked herself as she rocketed towards the castle. It has been nearly three years since Pinkie Pie passed away, and I have yet to receive word that my agent has succeeded in rescuing Rainbow Dash. I may once have wielded all six Elements on my own, but that was a long time ago, and they have chosen new bearers now. Celestia shook her head to keep herself from getting lost in her own thoughts when time was so essential. There is nothing to be done now. The Elements chose those girls of their own accord; I can only trust that whatever power guides them will allow their power to be used despite only there being only four of the six bearers.

When she was nearly at the castle, Celestia fired a bolt of magic from her horn, shattering one of the throne room's stained glass windows. Windows can be replaced, the alicorn thought to herself. What matters now it making sure that Twilight and her friends get the Elements as quickly as possible. Setting her hooves down on the throne room's long red carpet, Celestia galloped at full speed towards the vault where the Elements of Harmony were kept. Inserting her horn and disengaging the magical lock as quickly as she could, Celestia telekinetically ripped the chest containing the Elements of Harmony from its altar and wrapped it in her hooves as she rose from the ground with two strong flaps of her wings.

As the princess flew back out through the window she'd broken just moments before, she loosed a magical flare to signal the army to begin its march to the Everfree Forest. With the Elements still gripped tightly in her golden clad hooves, Princess Celestia flew to the front of the army. "Sergeant Commissary," Celestia called as she flew up beside a marching beige Earth pony. "Do you know what this chest is?" she asked him.

Saluting the princess, the quartermaster responded, "If memory serves, that's the chest that holds the Elements of Harmony, your majesty."

"Correct. They will be needed when we arrive at the Everfree Forest. It is up to you to ensure that they are kept safe until then. Do you understand?"

"Absolutely, your majesty. Nopony will lay a hoof on them until you give the word."

With a smile and a nod, Celestia sped up to move alongside the zebra general at the head of the army. For a time, she simply trotted alongside the general she'd only recently regarded as a threat to her kingdom. Once the silence began to grow uncomfortable, Celestia spoke up. "General, you and your government have my eternal gratitude for coming to Equestria's aid at such a dark time, especially give our checkered history."

The zebra snorted. "Princess, you assume too much. Our chieftain would never lift a hoof to help Equestria if it did not serve a purpose for Zebrica. Our people have yet to forgive you for your interference in our civil war two centuries ago. The only reason that I am at your side rather than watching with joy as your nation crumbles is that Gryphus would pose a threat to Zebrica should Equestria fall. Once your pegasus ambassador informed us that they pushed as far into your nation as the Everfree Forest, it became apparent that your kingdom was teetering on collapse; it is obvious to any who have worked with your government that you are the last creature on this planet who would allow your power to be threatened."

Celestia, deciding to ignore the implied insult for the sake of fostering better diplomatic relations as best she could, simply nodded. "Well, whatever your reasons are, your people have Equestria's gratitude."

For a time, the only response that the alicorn received was a generic grunt. After a moment or two, however, the zebra added, "Yeah, well, don't go taking this as an offer of friendship or anything."

Twilight and Fluttershy were exhausted when they finally reached Ponyville. Twilight was able to use a spell that allowed their blood to absorb more oxygen, giving them more stamina, but even with that, they were both completely out of breath and dripping with sweat once they had finally made it Carousel Boutique. Twilight, projecting a magical force in front of her, nearly demolished the shop's door as she and Fluttershy burst inside. Rarity, hearing the commotion from her upstairs workshop, came rushing to the front. "What in the name of - Twilight, Fluttershy, what in Equestria has got you two so worked up?"

"No time. Elements. Everfree. Gryphons. Get Applejack. Meet up. Fluttershy's cottage." Twilight struggled to convey at least the bare minimum of what Rarity needed to know between gasps of air.

After a few seconds of trying to piece together and make sense of Twilight's fragmented statements, Rarity said, "You're in a rush, but something in the Everfree Forest concerning the gryphons requires the Elements of Harmony, and you want me to go and get Applejack and meet the two of you at Fluttershy's cottage. Right? Or did I miss something?"

By this point, Twilight had mostly regained the ability to speak at an almost normal pace. Fluttershy, on the other hand, still looked as if she were about to pass out. "No, I think you got it," Twilight said, her breathing still slightly heavier than normal.

"Well then," Rarity said as she levitated the glasses from her muzzle and placed them on a table in the front room, "you two run along to Fluttershy's cottage. Applejack and I shall join you just as soon as we can. Off you go!" Rarity practically pushed her friends out the door with her hooves. Nothing good ever requires the use the Elements. You must not tarry, Rarity! Your friends are depending on you she thought to herself as she scurried around her cottage, making sure all was in order before breaking for Sweet Apple Acres at a gallop.

Twilight and Fluttershy made their way for the cottage at a canter rather than a full gallop. Although they had mostly caught their breath, they knew they would need to save some strength for whatever lay ahead. After all, summoning a beam of weaponized friendship from the aether wasn't the easiest thing to do. Both ponies sat down as soon as they entered the cottage and tried to regain what stamina they could. Eventually, Fluttershy broke the silence. "What do you think it is, Twilight? In the Everfree Forest, I mean?"

Twilight remained silent for a moment. "Honestly? I don't know, Fluttershy. Whatever it is, though, it's bad. I don't think I've ever seen Celestia look that shaken up."

"Oh dear," Fluttershy said, her eyes widening slightly. "If it's worse than Discord or King Sombra..." She made no effort to finish the thought. She didn't need to; if Celestia knew what was happening in the forest, and it upset her more than the villains that they had faced down already, then it was something worth fearing.

After a few more minutes of companionable silence came the sound of a hoof against the door. Fluttershy opened it, allowing Rarity and Applejack into the cottage. It had been so long since she had seen Applejack, and the short stop at Carousel Boutique to tell Rarity to get Applejack hardly counted as seeing her. Had the circumstances been better, the reunion would have been a cause for celebration. As it stood, though, only dread filled the room. As Fluttershy was about to close the door again, she noticed Princess Celestia and the combined Equestrian and Zebrican army approaching in the distance. "The princess is almost here, Twilight," she said.

"Mind fillin' us in before she gets here?" Applejack asked. "What's this all about, Twi?"

"I don't really know. The princess saw something from coming from the Everfree Forest - or at least what's left of it - when she was above Canterlot surveying the area after the battle. Whatever she saw had her pretty upset. She told us to get to Ponyville as fast as we could and be ready to use the Elements of Harmony. Other than that, I don't know any more than you do."

Applejack's face dropped a bit. "Girls, Ah hate to point this out, but we're kind missing two of the Element here, ain't we? We're missing Pinkie and...and Rainbow." Applejack took a breath to keep her composure. "Remember what happened first time we tried to use the Elements against Discord? We were only missin' one pony then."

The others stayed silent for a few seconds until Twilight spoke. "Yeah, I've thought about that." They had had time to mourn Pinkie Pie and had held a funeral to give them a sense of closure. Not only was Rainbow Dash's status still unknown, but the wound was fresh, making the reminder of her absence all the more painful, especially for Applejack. "Princess Celestia had to have thought of that as well, though. If she still thinks that the Elements are the key to stopping whatever's in the forest, then I'm sure she has a plan."

No sooner had Twilight finished speaking than came another knock on the door. "That must be the princess," Fluttershy said as she and other three walked to the door. Indeed, when the door opened, there stood the princess of the sun.

"Thank you for assembling so quickly, my subjects," Celestia said. "I know that you are all still in the dark as to why I need you to use the Elements of Harmony once again, but time is of the essence. I ask that you be patient, and I will explain as best I can on our way to the center of the forest."

"Of course, Princess. We all trust you implicitly," Twilight said. The group left the cottage and began towards the forest.

"Thank you, girls. I do not know for sure what awaits us in remains of the Everfree Forest, but if my fears are correct, it is an ancient evil that not even I have faced before."

"What could possible be out there that you haven't fought? I mean, unless its..." Twilight trailed off as she realized how short the list of known monsters that predate Celestia was. Her blood ran cold.

"I suspect that you have come to the same conclusion that I did, my faithful student." Celestia's voice lacked the warmth and pride that usually accompanied those words. She closed her eyes and took a breath before continuing. "Several thousand years ago, long before Luna and I came into this world, there was a demon of terrible power named Malefaction. This demon wreaked havoc across the entire continent. The various races living here fought it as well as they could, but the demon proved to be too powerful. Eventually, they came together, and an alicorn mage by the name of Ninurt created a spell capable of destruction down to the most basic elemental level. He used this spell against the demon, destroying it. In theory, casting this spell should have killed him, but it did not. The story is that the Elements of Harmony protected him even before they had physical manifestations like your regalia or the orbs that you girls found in the ruined castle. I suspect, however, that he cast an incomplete spell, leaving Malefaction banished but not destroyed, and sparing Ninurt's life."

Twilight opened her mouth as if to speak, but before she could, Fluttershy asked, "Why didn't he just use the Elements of Harmony to defeat the demon?"

"An excellent question," Celestia said. "As I suspect Twilight was about to point out, there is no record of the Elements' being used as a weapon until my sister and I used them to defeat Discord. That's not to say that the Elements did not exist, but I doubt that anypony knew that it was possible to interact with them."

"But Princess," Twilight started, "how do you know that the Elements will be enough to defeat Malefaction? And what's your plan to get around the fact that only four of the six Elements are represented here?"

"I do not know if they will be enough, and I do not have a plan." Twilight's jaw dropped. "I do know, however, that the combined armies of an entire continent were unable to defeat him through conventional means; the army of one nation and the tattered remains of another's will certainly fail if it comes to that. To be honest, Equestria is out of options."

"Beggin' your pardon, Princess, but couldn't somepony just cast that spell that beat him the first time?" Applejack asked.

"If it comes to that," Celestia said, "then I will be one to cast it. I banned study of the extirpation spell centuries ago. Only Equestria's princesses and the three highest members of the Circle of Magi - and, thanks to her studies with Flemeth, Twilight - even know the spell exists. Of those, only Luna and I know how it is cast."

By this point, the pillar of dark energy was visible through the remaining trees. What little remained of the march was going to be spent in contemplative silence until a shrill whistle from the east shattered it. All heads snapped to find the source of the noise. What was seen as a hoard of ponies at the front of which walked a dark blue alicorn and a white unicorn. "Sister!" the alicorn called, "I am glad to see you are well."

"Luna, I am so happy to see that you and your army are alright," Celestia replied, leaving the front of her army to meet her sister.

"We have suffered heavy casualties," Luna reported, "but we have survived. Also, I have guests to whom I believe you will wish to speak." Princess Luna stepped aside to reveal Rainbow Dash, Gilda, and the EMI agent behind her.

"Rainbow!" Applejack cried out as she galloped forward, very nearly knocking Celestia over in the process. "Oh Rainbow, I was so worried," she said as she embraced her wife, tears flowing freely.

"Hey, I'm fine, see?" Rainbow said. While "fine" was hardly a fitting description giving the bruises and cuts still visible all over her body, she was very much alive and at least walking on her own.

"Hey, uh, Dash? Mind putting in a good word for me real quick?" Rainbow turned around to see dozens of weapons trained on Gilda, wielded by both pony and zebra alike.

"Guys, point those somewhere else. She's on our side. I'd be dead if it weren't for her."

"That is debatable..." the EMI pony said. Bowing before Princess Celestia, she asked "Princess, with my mission complete, I request your permission to return to my other duties." Celestia simply nodded, and the pony rose and began moving north towards Canterlot at a quick canter.

Twilight ran forward as quickly as she could in search of Razor Blade. As she looked and looked to no avail, a lump began to rise in her throat. She heard a noise behind her followed by a voice. "Looking for me?" Twilight's head and body snapped around to the cyan pegasus behind her.

"Razor! Oh, thank Celestia you're okay. I was so worried when I stopped getting letters."

Razor Blade hugged Twilight and said, "Yeah, well, having your army practically routed and led on a wild goose chase halfway across the continent tends to distract a bit." The glare Twilight gave him informed him that she did not find his sarcasm to be nearly as funny as he did. "Hey now, don't go getting all mad at me. Didn't I tell you and the princess that I'm the best there is? No dirty gryphon is gonna take Razor Blade down."

As the members of the two pony armies greeted one another and embraced loved ones, Celestia brought her sister up to speed. "You have seen it, too, Sister?" she asked Luna.

The lunar princess nodded. "Judging from the Elements' being with you as well as their bearers and walking towards what appears to be a summoning portal, I assume that it is as I feared. The beast has returned?"

"I cannot know for sure," Celestia replied, "but I believe so." Luna took her place beside Celestia as the two armies marched together towards the pillar. Celestia turned to face Luna. "Luna, heed me. You are not to cast the spell."

"We rule together, Sister, and since my return, Equestria's military has been my charge. Should that spell be needed, the duty to cast it is mine."

"I am your elder sister, and you will yield to me in this," Celestia said, her voice resolute. As she and Luna stared at one another, Celestia's expression began to soften. Quietly, she added, "I already lost you once, Sister. Do not make me lose you again. Although we rule together, the responsibility for this kingdom's safety is ultimately mine. It is also an elder sister's responsibility to protect the younger sister."

"I..." Luna began but found herself unsure of how to respond. "We shall cross that bridge when we come to it."

Within a few minutes, the clearing had come into sight, and with it, so did the ruined remains of the gryphon army. "At long last, I get the honor of meeting the esteemed Princess Celestia, though I would advise you and your companions not to come any closer. My name is Dread Claw, and I'm the one that your Wonderbolts so pathetically failed to assassinate," Dread Claw said as he maneuvered his way to the front of the gryphon force.

"That's him! That's the bastard who killed Spitfire!" Rainbow Dash shouted, trying to fly towards him despite having her tail held firmly between Applejack's teeth. A bolt of red flashed from behind Dread Claw and struck a zebra a few paces to the right of Rainbow. Immediately, the Zebra erupted into flames; within seconds, all that remained was a smoldering pile of ash. Everypony's head snapped to where the zebra had been and stood in shock for a moment. When they looked back, they saw a red unicorn clad in a black robe, the shimmer of her horn fading.

Dread Claw chuckled. "I told you not to come any closer, didn't I?"

"Wait a minute," Twilight said, recognition dawning on her. "That's..."

"Damn. I knew you were a whorse, but I didn't realize you were a traitor, too, Flame." Razor Blade confirmed her suspicions. Flame Knife remained silent, though she kept her eyes locked on Razor.

"What have you done to her? Release her at once!" Celestia demanded.

"What makes you think I've done anything to her?" Dread Claw asked. "Is it really so hard to believe that there are actually ponies who you don't like you and would oppose your rule? Other than your sister, I mean. Contrary to what you've brainwashed these mindless little serfs of yours into believing, you're not actually a universally adored goddess."

"You're too late. The spell is cast, and the portal is open. In a few minutes, Malefaction will return," Flame finally said. "Soon your nation will crumble and your ponies will know suffering without end."

"So our suspicions were correct, Sister," Luna said. For a second after tense second, the two armies simply stared each other down. The soldiers of both forces knew that a clash was inevitable, but neither commander dared to make the first move without some advantage. Without warning, the air was cut by a single dark blue magical dart. Luna had made the first strike by stunning Flame Knife. With the first stone cast, each side rushed forward like water from a broken dam.

Finally Razor thought, a chance to cut you down without landing myself in the Canterlot dungeons. He bolted forward as fast as his wings could take him, his rapier already in hoof. Though Luna's stun spell was of decent potency, there's only so much power a spell can carry when it's cast without any build up; before Razor was able to reach her, Flame was rising to her hooves and loosing fire balls. Buck! Do a barrel roll... Razor thought to himself, moving away from the spells' Z axis. As the torrent of attacks continued, Razor weaved left and right to avoid them. She must be tired from whatever summoning spell she cast; she's keeping her hooves in place. Oh well; her mistake is my opening.

Pulling his right fore leg back across his front, Razor cut the air in a wide horizontal arc, dispelling the attack spell just released and cleaving Flame's horn in two as he flew past her. Flame let out a blood curdling scream and dropped to her knees as she cluched her half-horn in her hooves. "I'LL BUCKING KILL YOU" she shrieked as she got back up and pulled a dagger from her cloak. Her magic now unusable, she sprinted towards Razor Blade and swung with deadly precision, clipping the tip of one of his wings and slicing through the primary feathers of the other, making flight impossible. Even when you have a knife fighting cutie mark, fighting a sword with a knife is a bad idea in all regards, especially when your opponent's special talent is swordplay. Flame had so much pain and rage induced adrenaline flowing through her veins, however, that she scarcely felt the cuts and shallow wounds she was receiving, and she handled her knife with skill too great to allow Razor an opening for a fatal blow.

This back and forth went on for minute after minute as the larger battle raged around them. As soon as the fighting began, Dread Claw raised his weapon and began firing off shots. Three ponies and a zebra fell in quick succession, each sporting a gory hole somewhere in his head. Dead Eye dove behind one of the few surviving trees large enough to hide an Earth pony stallion. "Alright, you little shit. Time to make you pay for what you said about Princess Celestia." He moved from his tree to a large boulder, firing four bolts from his crossbow in the process.

Though none of those arrows struck Dread Claw, one came close enough to get his attention. "Haven't had enough, eh? Shall I take the other eye, as well?"

"Shove it your ass, you impotent chicken. I took your wings back in Gryphus; I'm going for your heart this time." Dead Eye popped up from behind the rock and shot three more bolts, one barely missing Dread Claw's face and grazing his cheek. As Dead Eye was trying to find better cover, one of Flame's stray fire spells impacted the boulder, shattering it and filling the air with a cloud of dust. Here's my chance he thought to himself. He took advantage of the cloud of dust to sneak around Dread Claw. As the dust began to settle, Dead Eye crept low until he was directly behind him. Rising to his back hooves, Dead Eye put the crossbow right against the base of Dread Claw's skull. "Headshot." Before Dread Claw had time to react, Dead Eye pulled the trigger, letting the arrow fly into the back of his head and right out the front, embedding itself in a nearby tree with bits of brain matter still stuck to it.

As Dread Claw and Dead Eye exchanged shots, Flame Knife's and Razor Blade's duel had not tapered in intensity in the slightest. Flame would give Razor a new cut on his face or leg, but never near a vital artery; Razor would give Flame a new puncture wound, but never deep enough to cause more than superficial damage. There comes a point, however, when even the most skilled and experienced master errs. A mistake was made; forced to fight on the ground without flight to help him recover, Razor overextended himself in one of his attacks, leaving him vulnerable for a precious second that Flame did not squander. Sending pain shooting through his body, Razor felt three rapid in-and-out thrusts of the knife in his gut before it was thrust into his body a fourth time, going under his rib cage and piercing one of his lungs.

Razor was unable to move. His sword fell to his side. The world seemed to freeze. All around him, ponies and gryphons fought in slow motion. The air rushed from his body. His mouth was agape. He could hardly believe what was happening. She...beat me. She actually beat me... He tried to breath, getting only a little air and coughing up a lot of blood. Seeing the blood fall from his lips made the situation feel real for him. Instead of panicking, however, Razor felt a sense of calm flow over him. If it's my time to go, so be it, but I won't give you the satisfaction of seeing me beg or hearing me scream.

"You lost, bucker," Flame said as she pressed herself right up against Razor, twisting the knife inside him. He grunted in pain. "How does it feel? How does it feel to know that you're going to die by my hoo-" Flame's words were cut off by a sickening gurgle. While she had allowed herself to be distracted by her own gloating, he had drawn a small dagger that he kept on his right back leg and quickly shoved it through her throat.

"If I'm going to bleed out here, then I'm taking you with me," he said as they both collapsed in a pool of blood. Razor fought to keep conscious, but given the amount of blood he had lost and continued to lose, it was an uphill battle. After a few seconds, Flame's body ceased its twitching, and Razor felt unconsciousness take hold over his mind.

When the fighting broke out, the five Element Bearers made sure to stay within close proximity to Princess Celestia. They knew that they would need to stick near to her in case an opportunity to rush into the clearing presented itself. That's not to say that they didn't take on their share of the fighting. Only Fluttershy stayed out of the combat, opting to do what she could as a field medic, though the need to stay close to Celestia made that difficult.

Almost all of Rainbow's fighting took place in the air, so she had the best view of the battle. Because of that, it didn't take her long to notice the blue pegasus and red unicorn lying in the middle of a puddle of blood. Oh buck... Rainbow thought when she realized who that pegasus was. She gave the gryphon she had been fighting a hard buck to the head, snapping its neck, and flew down to find Twilight. "Twi! Twilight!"

Twilight fried another gryphon with electric magic and galloped to meet Rainbow when she heard her calling. "What is it, Rainbow? Are you hurt?"

Rainbow hovered beside her. "No, I'm fine, but Razor's hurt. It looks bad." Twilight's heart sank into her stomach. "Follow me," Rainbow said, leading the way.

When Twilight saw the pool of blood and the beaten and torn cyan body, she fell to her knees. "No, no, no no no no...."

Razor let out a weak cough, causing a little more blood to trickle from his muzzle. Opening his eyes just barely and seeing Twilight brought a weak smile to his face. "Hey there, good looking. Want to go out sometime?"

Twilight wiped her tears with a hoof. "Quiet, your wounds are bad. Quit talking and moving so I try to heal them," she said as her horn assumed its violet glow.

Razor's smile faded as he weakly lifted a hoof to place on hers. "Twilight, don't pretend. We both know the only way I'm leaving this forest is in a box."

"No. No, that's not true. You're going to be fine. I can heal you; you'll see," Twilight said in desperate denial.

"Twilight, listen to me. You've got to focus on using the Elements of Harmony to stop whatever's being summoned in that clearing." Razor's voice was reduced to a barely audible whisper, and even that much was a strain. "I've played my role, done what I could for my country, and met the most amazing mare in Equestria." He lifted a shaking hoof to Twilight's cheek. "I've got no regrets."

"But....but even if I can't save you, the princess can! She can do anything! She can raise the sun, surely she can-"

"Twilight."

"-save you, I mean-"

"Twilight, listen."

"...yes?"

"Everypony dies eventually. My time came sooner that I expected, but I knew it would come eventually. I'm just glad I got to see you before I go." Razor's voice was losing even more strength. Not long now... "I love you, Twilight."

"I..." Twilight had to force herself to speak around the lump in her throat. "I...I love you, too. We'll beat it. I promise, I'll beat that demon, no matter what."

"I know you will." Razor looked up at Twilight. His lips curled up into a smile. He took another shallow, ragged breath. In the blink of an eye, he was gone.

Author's Note

All credit (at least for my use of the phrase) for "weaponized friendship" to describe the power of the Elements of Harmony goes to ‎Chengar Qordath's Life and Times of a Winning Pony. I read it in one of those chapters and thought it was the funniest thing.

Yes, that was a Starfox 64 reference. No, I'm not apologizing for breaking the mood with that silliness.

Chapter 20 - Radiant Dawn

Author's Note

I know this has been SUPER delayed in getting out even after my "Yay writing!" motivation following BronyCon back in August. Between my brutal last semester of classes in the fall and my student teaching this semester, I just haven't had the time or energy to write much. I promise, I am going to finish this! I plan to finish it soon, at that. Thanks for your patience and sticking with the story (those of you who have); between the fact that it's my first attempt at ever writing a fanfic of any kind the sporadic updates, it's both heart-warming and bewildering that anyone has. =P

Chapter 20 - Radiant Dawn

Twilight couldn't believe it. He was actually dead. Just that day, he had said "No dirty gryphon is gonna take Razor Blade down." He was right though; it was a pony, not a gryphon, who had dealt Razor Blade his killing blow. The heartbroken unicorn collapsed to her knees as tears flowed freely down her face, and she allowed the agony of loss to wash over her. As his last minutes had ticked by, Twilight's mind had been a chaotic blur. What healing magic do I know that can mend wounds like this? Maybe the princess can save him! I need to close these wounds. How bad is his internal bleeding? What's his heart rate? How do I prevent infection without antibiotics? Once she saw his chest stop rising and knew that he had passed, however, her mind went blank. The cacophony of thoughts was replaced by a single dominating feeling - loss. No longer were questions flying through her head at a mile a minute. No longer was her heart a whirlwind of emotions. No longer could she hold on to the impossible hope that somehow, by some miracle not even magic would explain, he might pull through. Not even Princess Celestia can save a pony from death. Not even the Elements of Harmony are capable of resurrection.

Eyes are such fascinating things was all that Twilight thought as she stared at the lifeless body of the pony for whom she had grown to care so deeply. Like windows into a pony's soul. Eyes look so empty without a soul behind them. How interesting.

"Oh gods..." A voice broke Twilight's musings. She turned her head to see Celestia, her golden armor sporting red smears of fresh gryphon blood, standing beside her.

"He's gone, Princess," Twilight said in a dull, emotionless tone as her tears matted the violet fur below her eyes.

Princess Celestia placed a gentle hoof on Twilight's shoulder. "Twilight, I am so sorry. I know how much this hurts you, but I need you to be strong; Equestria needs you to be strong. We have to stop King Ashnard and Malefaction, and it cannot be done without you. I know that you want to grieve now, but I'm afraid that it must wait just a little longer. You must be strong and defeat that demon. For me. For Equestria. For Razor Blade. He sacrificed his life so that we could bring this war to an end."

For a time, Twilight simply stared at Celestia. "Yes," she finally said almost inaudibly. "I have to keep fighting. The girls and I have to save Equestria." Her mind began to awaken from its grief stricken fog. "I promised him that I would stop Malefaction." Rising to her hooves, Twilight turned around. She hadn't noticed until then that the fighting had ceased; the gryphons had been completely routed by the Equestrian and Zebrican army. She saw that the other four Element bearers had gathered behind Celestia to support their friend in whatever way she needed. Princess Luna was several yards away giving orders to the soldiers, but she turned her head to give Twilight a sympathetic look. Twilight closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She looked at Celestia. "Let's go."

Celestia nodded. Luna had ordered the army to make a perimeter around the clearing where Malefaction was being summoned to ensure that no gryphon reinforcements that may be in the area could interfere. In addition, Luna was hoping to cut off any possibility of escape. By the time that the perimeter had been secured, only the two princesses, the five Element bearers, and a half a dozen Solar Guards were approaching the edge of the clearing.

What they found was a massive pillar of thaumaturgical energy nearly 25 yards in diameter. The pillar's event horizon was surrounded by a dark vortex.

A single gryphon was the only creature near the pillar. "I was wondering if you'd show up to my little party, Celestia."

Celestia watched in horror as the vortex began to dissipate and the pillar of energy faded. What stood before her was a being unlike anything that even she had encountered during her many centuries. The creature was a solid jet black with no visible fur at all. Its head was rounded and oblong; if it had eyes at all, they were still closed. The most unusual thing, however, was not the lack of coloration or facial features but its stance. It stood perfectly straight on two legs with long arms at either side. Instead of hooves, flat feet ended each leg - almost like the claws of a gryphon but long and narrow. At the end of its arms were flat appendages with what appeared to be dull, rounded claws. At eight feet tall, it towered over even Princess Celestia.

"Ashnard, you fool!" Celestia shouted. "What have you done? Are you completely insane?"

"What have I done, you ask?" Ashnard spat. "I have sealed your pathetic kingdom's fate! With this demon at my command, I am unstoppable." He turned to face the black form. "Malefaction! Obey me! Kill these bothersome ponies, but save the large one for last." He looked at Celestia with a sick smirk on his face. "Eat her alive."

On the front of the ebony head appeared two eyes, red with small turquoise irises and thin slits for pupils resembling those of a cat. It turned its head and looked at Ashnard. Slowly, its right arm rose towards the gryphon king. From the end flew a large, black orb. When Ashnard realized that he was incorrect in his assumption that Malefaction could be controlled, he attempted to jump out of the orb's path. Unfortunately for Ashnard, he was too slow; the orb impacted his left shoulder, consuming everything with which it came into contact. Ashnard fell to the ground dead, half-dematerialized organs falling out of his trunk. Slowly, the demon walked to the corpse. It knelt down beside the lifeless gryphon and began to consume it.

"Girls, now! Hurry!" Celestia shouted, her fear unmasked.

The Element bearers got into their formation. Rainbow Dash asked the question that had been on everypony's mind: "What about Laughter? We don't have a sixth pony!" From her left came a voice.

"Silly Dashie. A true friend will always be there when her friends need her."

Five heads snapped to find the source of the voice. Standing before them was a familiar looking pink apparition. "Pinkie, is that really you?" Twilight asked, unable to process the fact that what she was seeing should not be possible.

"Yup, it's really me!" ghost Pinkie Pie said with a hop and a grin. "I'll have to go back as soon as the Elements are used, but I wouldn't just leave you girls hanging when you need me. I don't have long, though, so we have to hurry," Pinkie's spirit said. Twilight nodded and turned back to the black monster. The Elements of Harmony began to glow as they powered up. Malefaction sensed the build up of magical energy behind it. It rose from its knees and turned to face the Element bearers.

A swirling cyclone of translucent rainbow surrounded the Elements and began to expand to include the demon. A wide stream of prismatic light burst forth from Elements, striking directly into the center of Malefaction's chest. The creature staggered back a couple steps and looked down at the energy bombarding its chest. It looked back at the mares, its face revealing a grin of needle-like fangs. It resumed its slow march towards the Elements.

Twilight opened her eyes and watching in horror as the beast continued to resist the power of the Elements. It's not working she thought. Even with all six Elements, it's not enough to stop Malefaction. She looked to where the princesses were standing. Celestia's horn glowed and fired beam after beam of magic; they were deflected by the magical field that surrounded them. She must be trying to cast the extirpation spell, but it can't get through the Elements' field. What do I do? I don't know the spell.

As Twilight began to panic, she heard an unfamiliar voice in her head. "Believe in yourself, Twilight Sparkle," the voice said. "Focus all of your thoughts on slaying Malefaction, and pour all of yourself into the most powerful spell you can muster. You must believe in yourself and in your magic." The skeptic in her told her that a mysterious voice in her head was probably a bad omen, not to mention that she had been given no credentials vouching for the mystery voice's authority on how to handle apocalyptic situations. She was out of options and quickly running out of time, however. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She gathered all of the energy she had and channeled it into her horn. Its violet glow turned into a bright blaze and from there into a purple inferno. When she felt as if she would burst, Twilight's eyes shot open, as solid white as when she first used the Elements of Harmony against Nightmare Moon.

A tight white beam shot forth from her horn and pierced Malefaction's chest. The look of smug control that had been on its face changed to horror as the impact site began to glow white and radiate outward. The glow of Twilight's horn also changed from a vibrant purple to white. The whiteness grew and began to spread from her forehead down. When both Malefaction's and Twilight's bodies were entirely white, they emitted a blinding flash. Princess Celestia could do nothing but watch as her most beloved student - a young mare she viewed as nothing less than an adopted daughter - vanished before her eyes. Where once had stood a unicorn of seemingly limitless potential was now nothing but a foot deep crater of seared and smoking dirt. The same sort of crater marked where Malefaction had stood just seconds prior.

When the other Element bearers opened their eyes again, they looked around, at first only seeing the crater where the fiendish demon had stood mere moments before. "Is...is it over?" Fluttershy asked, peeking out from behind her pink mane.

"Yeah...Yeah, Ah think we beat it. Well, Ah guess Twilight did most of the beatin'," Applejack said, beginning to chuckle. Her laugh was cut short, though, when she noticed that the purple unicorn was nowhere to be seen. A look of horror emerging on her face, Applejack's eyes shot to the scorched ground before them. "Where's Twilight?" she asked, panicked.

"Twilight...she..." Princess Celestia tried to speak, but her words failed her.

Luna stepped forward, her face a mixture of pain and shock. "She cast the extirpation spell...She's gone."

Rarity looked horrified. "Gone? Surely you can't mean..."

"Twilight sacrificed herself in order to destroy the demon," Luna said. "She gave her life to restore peace to Equestria and ensure that this world would not fall into unimaginable darkness."

Ugh, what happened? Twilight felt as if her head were splitting in two. When she had closed her eyes to cast her spell at Malefaction, she had focused all of her energy into her horn. Never before had she poured so much of herself, both mentally and physically, into a spell. When she had soothed the Ursa Minor during Trixie's first visit to Ponyville, it had left her exhausted, but even that was nothing compared to the strain she felt as she was fighting Malefaction. It had felt as if her skull were splitting in two, from the tip of her horn down to the base of her neck. Her chest had burned so intensely that she had half expected to pass out from the pain.

As started to piece the memories together in her mind, Twilight struggled to open her eyes. To her great confusion, all she saw was white. Pure, blinding, unending whiteness on all sides. "Where am I?" she asked herself.

"You are here, Twilight Sparkle."

Twilight whipped her head from side to side to find the origin of the voice. The voice was felt as much as it was heard, and the sound seemed to occupy the entire register of equine hearing all at once. Needless to say, it was not a voice with which she was familiar. "Who's there? Where are you?"

"I am everywhere. I am The One."

"I don't understand. What do you mean you are everywhere? What are you? How are you communicating with me? Is this some form of telepathy? What happened to me? Where is 'here?'" Every question that came to Twilight's mind was vocalized in rapid succession.

"I cannot be fully understood by the equine mind. I shall take a form to which you can relate." Phasing into existence in the white void before her appeared an alicorn with an alabaster coat, pure and unblemished, its mane a warm and subtle amaranth. "I am the creator of all things."

The creator? Twilight thought. That must be why it chose the form of a mare with a quill for a cutie mark. "What happened to me?"

The alicorn answered, although her facial expression and voice inflection remained perfectly neutral and matter-of-fact. "You died. The spell that you cast to destroy the demon Malefaction required the entirety of your body's energy."

"I'm...dead?" Twilight managed to squeak. Her logical mind was struggling to comprehend how she could be both dead and lucid at the same time. Okay, easy, Twilight. One thing at a time. "Were you the voice in my head that told me to use whatever spell that was?" she asked.

"No. The Elements of Harmony can act of their own accord, and it was the Element of Magic that spoke to you. The spell that the Element of Magic instructed you to cast was the extirpation spell that Ninurt crafted ages ago."

Twilight furrowed her brow in confusion. "But how could I cast that spell? Only the princesses know how to cast that spell. They've certainly never taught me, and there wasn't much information on it in the Canterlot archives..."

"Your Element helped you. Do not underestimate the power of the Elements of Harmony when it is their will that an event occur. It was their will that you defeat Malefaction; they ensured that it came to pass."

Twilight stayed silent for several minutes thinking. "If I'm dead, is this the afterlife? Is this white void all that there is? And I thought that Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were goddesses. What is their relationship to you? Are there other gods, or is it only you?" Realizing the unique opportunity that communicating with an omnipotent entity constituted, she began to fire off questions left and right until the alicorn rose a hoof to silence her.

"Be silent, Twilight Sparkle. Order your thoughts. I shall answer your questions one at a time."

"Okay," Twilight said taking a breath. "Did you create the Elements of Harmony?"

"No."

"Then who or what did?"

"Another god."

"Are Princess Celestia and Princess Luna goddesses?"

"No."

It took a moment for that to sink in for Twilight. "Okay...You mentioned that a god other than you created the Elements of Harmony. How many other gods are there? What is the nature of their relation to you?" To Twilight, having always followed the popular diarchical cult, the idea of a pantheon of gods that not only involved more than Celestia and Luna but excluded them entirely was a foreign concept.

"The other three gods are my creations and, as such, are inferior to me. They are Erez, the god of righteousness; Concordia, the goddess of balance; and Dysmondis, the god of disorder. Concordia is the most powerful of the three; Erez and Dysmondis are equals. She was created to serve as a mediator between Erez and Dysmondis in my stead."

"Why did you create Concorida instead of just regulating Erez and Dysmondis yourself?" Twilight asked. "If you're an all-powerful creator, then surely you could control two lesser gods?"

"I could," The One explained, "but I rarely intervene in the lives of ponies. I have created thousands of species on thousands of worlds in thousands of star systems. My role is that of creator, not ruler."

"I see." Twilight allowed her mind a moment to process and catalog this new information. She did not particularly understand the point, then, in creating lesser gods - or creating life at all - but chose to forego that line of questioning in favor of one that held more importance to her. "I'm still curious about Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. They've been alive for thousands of years, but most ponies are lucky to make it to one hundred. If they aren't goddesses, how have they attained such longevity? Are they immortal?"

The alicorn before Twilight paused before answering, presumably deciding how best to answer so that a moral pony could understand. "Their natural lifespans are infinite. Their power is far beyond that of normal unicorns, their strength far superior to that of normal Earth ponies, and their speed far greater than that of normal pegasi."

"How did they get such abilities and lifespans? Are alicorns something more than just ponies with both a horn and wings?" Twilight asked as she thought back to her discussions of ancient Equestrian history with Flemeth.

"Ancient alicorns were a fourth race of pony, equal to the others. They are extinct. The alicorns that you know were created by Erez to act in her stead against Discord - not gods but mortals blessed by a god. The form of an alicorn was chosen because of the blend of the three races that it symbolized," The One explained. "The closest approximation to their nature in your language would be that of demigods."

"You mentioned that Celestia and Luna were created by Erez. Did the other gods ever create similar agents?" Twilight asked.

"Yes," The One responded. "Malefaction, the demon you destroyed, was the first creation of Dysmondis. He then created Discord, the Nightmare entity, and the alicorn amulet. Chrysalis was initially an avatar of love created by Erez, but Dysmondis placed a curse on the fledgling alicorn, transforming her into a corrupted vampire of love."

"An avatar of love?" Twilight asked. "That sounds a lot like Princess Cadance."

"She took the place that Chrysalis was intended to fill. When the time of Sombra's return approached, Concordia saw the purity and love in the heart of Cadenza despite the hardships that accompanies being an orphan foal among pegasi, and chose her to be the avatar of love to bring balance to the world, against both Sombra and Chrysalis, and bestowed upon her the powers that she wields today."

Twilight silently contemplated what she'd been told. "Concordia is a goddess of balance," Twilight mused to herself, "and she had Cadance ascend to balance Sombra and Chrysalis." Twilight looked to The One. "The Elements of Harmony tend to bring balance rather than destruction, separating Luna from Nightmare Moon and banishing Sombra and Discord without actually destroying either; was it Concordia who created the Elements?"

"Yes," The One said. "Concordia prefers to minimize her direct involvement in the lives of the creatures under her purview. She created the Elements of Harmony to give ponies the tools to enforce their own balance without her intervention."

Twilight opened her muzzle to ask another question, but a raised hoof from the alicorn silenced her. "Enough, Twilight Sparkle. This place is not your final resting place; I have brought you here for a purpose. Although I rarely affect the fate of any one species or creature, balance is the greatest of all virtues, and it is a rare one in ponies of recent times. You are a flawed pony, Twilight Sparkle. You sin, you destroy, and you take. Despite this, in equal measure, you repent, you create, and you give. Your failures strengthen your resolve to succeed rather than being forgotten. Because of this and your ceaseless attempts to bring balance to the world, accepting those you love alongside those you loath, you have proven yourself to be a paragon of balance and harmony.

"You have a choice to make, Twilight Sparkle. You have fulfilled your destiny and satisfied the purpose that your life was to serve. If you so wish, your life may end here, and your soul will pass into the afterlife to be reunited with the apex of Laughter and your paramour." The One stared blankly at Twilight, allowing a moment for the first option to sink in.

"And the alternative?" Twilight asked.

"Ascend. Serve harmony as an undying alicorn alongside Celestia, Luna, and Cadenza. Short of suicide or assassination, you would never pass into the afterlife to reunite with your friends and family. In exchange, you would have a limitless lifetime to continue promoting and protecting harmony for the benefit of all creatures. The choices is yours."

Twilight fell to her haunches, mouth agape. How am I supposed to make that choice? Help ponies for countless generations to come as Princess Celestia's equal but never get to see my friends again once they die, or die now and hope everything works out for Equestria? "I...I don't know. I mean....how can I choose between the two?"

"You must choose. What is more important to you: being reunited with your loved ones, or serving the peoples of your world? There is no shame in choosing the former. You have made your contribution to harmony and to ponykind. The latter is offered as an opportunity to continue that work and go beyond what you have been called to do."

Heh. So extra credit? I wonder if it....or she...or he...or...whatever....knew that would get my attention. Twilight stood up as tall as she could and took a deep breath. "I accept. I will return to Equestria as an alicorn."

"You are certain? There is no going back, and the death of an alicorn by unnatural means would devastate Equestria's morale for decades."

"I'm positive. It will hurt to lose everypony over time, but I'll have Celestia, Luna, and Cadance to help me cope. Besides, the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few," Twilight said. "Or the one."

"Very well. Take care with your new powers, Twilight Sparkle; even the best of ponies can be corrupted by power misused."

Before Twilight could respond, the alabaster alicorn faded from sight, and her world was, once again, nothing but whiteness.

"My sister is correct," Celestia said when Luna explained what had happened to Twilight. "Her body was consumed by the spell in exchange for the demon's destruction, but...the sacrifice should have been mine. I am the eldest of Equestria's rulers whereas she was but a filly, barely able to be considered a mare."

"Twi would have jumped at the chance to cast the spell to save you, Princess. You know it's true. She'd never let anything happ-" Rainbow Dash was cut off by a sudden gale of wind swirling around a pillar of light in the crater where Twilight met her demise.

"What in tarnation? That looks just like the magic that summoned that demon! It ain't coming back, is it?" Applejack dropped into a battle stance, ready to fight in case the battle began again.

Everypony else seemed to be coming to the same conclusions, assuming similar battle-ready poses. Luna and Celestia had seen this phenomenon once before. "It can't be..." Luna whispered.

As the wind died down and the pillar began to fade, the silhouette of a unicorn mare beginning to form. "It is," Celestia said too quietly to be audible.

As the light continued to fade, a unicorn's silhouette began to come into focus, the black outline fading slowly to purple features. "Twilight...Is that you...?" Fluttershy asked, her voice hopeful but laced with trepidation. Her friends were less optimistic, but they couldn't help but have the thought cross their minds.

Rainbow Dash looked like she was about to speak, but when Twilight's eyes opened and her new wings flared, whatever she had planned to say was promptly lost. "Celestia's sun kissed flanks, who the buck are you and what did you do with Twilight?" Celestia's head spun towards Rainbow Dash, a quizzical look on her face, but given the situation, she couldn't blame the pegasus' unique utterance; she had, after all, just seen one of her best friends magically blasted into nothingness and then reappear with extra appendages.

For a brief moment, Twilight's expression mirrored the bewilderment seen on her friends' faces, but she soon remembered what had transpired. Having heard Rainbow Dash's exclamation, she smiled and said "Calm down, everypony. It's really me."

"Twilight, darling, forgive my skepticism, but you're not supposed to be an alicorn," Rarity pointed out, still audibly hesitant about the whole situation.

"You've met Her, then?" Celestia asked, though it came out more as a statement than a question.

"The One?" Twilight asked, having thought of the entity as more of an asexual "it" than a female "she."

"The One. The Creator. The Immortal. It has many names," Luna said.

"Yes, we met. It offered me a choice," Twilight explained. "It said that my destiny - my purpose for existing - had been fulfilled when I cast the spell that destroyed Malefaction, so it was natural that I had died. It said that I was a 'paragon of harmony,' though, and offered me ascension to alicornhood to continue to serve harmony and protect the ponies of Equestria."

Rainbow guffawed. "That's not a choice! Who wouldn't want to live forever with awesome power?"

"It is not that simple, Rainbow Dash," Luna said solemnly. "Ascension is an exchange."

"What did you have to give up, Twilight?" Rarity asked, worry seeping into her voice.

Twilight hesitated. "You," she said, her voice faltering.

"Wh-what?" the other four Element bearing mares gasped in unison.

"What do you mean?" Fluttershy asked.

"Part of ascension is immortality," Celestia explained. "You will not lose each other immediately, but in time, you will all grow old and pass from the this world." She watched as understanding began to dawn on their faces. "Twilight will not. As you age and die, Twilight will remain as she is, never passing into the afterlife to reunite with her loved ones."

"Never seein' yer family again? Twi, why would ya choose that?" Applejack, having lived her entire life with family cemented as the center of her universe, could not for the life of her understand Twilight's choice.

"It's about more than just me, Applejack," Twilight explained. "It's even about more than my friends and family. It's about everypony. Everypony in Equestria. If I can, somehow, make a difference for ponies who's grandparents' grandparents haven't even been born yet, then there's not really any choice at all."

"Everypony, there will be plenty of time for Twilight to tell us as much or as little about her experience as she wishes," Celestia said. "For now, however, we should return to Canterlot. I'm sure everypony would appreciate some rest and relaxation after all that's happened."

Chapter 21 - Awakening

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Chapter 1 - A New Pony Approaches

Chapter 1 - A New Pony Approaches

Fluttershy hurried from one end of her cozy cottage on the southern outskirts of Ponyville to the other as she went through her morning routine, lost in her own humming while she finished preparing breakfast for herself and her menagerie of furry friends. Every morning, she would rise with Celestia's sun to to care for her animals. She would gently wake them from their slumber, help groom the ones who needed the help, and make sure that everyone was fed and happy. As she was placing the last bowl of lettuce and carrots on the floor, she heard a soft knock on her cottage door.

"Coming!" Fluttershy gently glided to the door, her wings softly moving to keep her afloat. I wonder who could be knocking at this hour? It's barely dawn, she wondered to herself. She opened the door to see a cyan pegasus standing at her front door with a dog at his feet. "Good morning. What can I do for you?" His coat was a similar color to that of Rainbow Dash albeit a shade or two lighter. His hair was a vibrant royal blue with a streak of yellow down the middle. His mane was a bit longer than most stallions', roughly the length of Twilight Sparkle's mane.

"Good morning, Miss Fluttershy. My name is Razor Blade. I'm sorry to bother you so early, especially since I haven't introduced myself since moving to town, but I need to find someone to watch my dog, Rush, for a couple days while I travel to Canterlot on business, and I've heard that nopony in all of Equestria is better with animals than you. Would you be willing to take care of him for a few days?" the unfamiliar pegasus asked. His voice was rather monotone and his expression flat. While he looked Fluttershy in the eye when he spoke to her, as social protocol dictated, he quickly broke eye contact to look down, to his left, to his right - pretty much anywhere but at Fluttershy.

"Oh, certainly! I'm always happy to make a new critter friend," Fluttershy said with a smile. While she herself was quite shy, she had never met anypony else who also acted so shyly. As such, she wasn't quite sure how to act given that she appeared to be the less shy of the two. She landed softly on the ground and bent down to pet the dog. Rush wagged his tail as he barked once at her and ran inside the cottage. To the dog, the sheer number of critters to chase was a bit overwhelming. Rush was acting very much like a foal in a toy store. Looking back at Razor Blade, Fluttershy asked, "How long have you lived in Ponyville? I don't believe I've seen you around town."

"I only moved here from Vanhoover about a week ago. I've been busy trying to get my shop set up," the blue pegasus said. That's when Fluttershy noticed his cutie mark - a pair of crossed swords. Before she got a chance to ask about his occupation, he said "I'm a swordsmith." Razor Blade was used to being asked about his cutie mark. In a kingdom as peaceful and harmonious as Equestria, it was quite unusual for one's special talent to be anything involving combat or warfare. "There isn't a whole lot of demand for my trade these days, but the Equestrian Royal Army keeps me going with orders. I need to be going, though. Thank you again for taking care of Rush. I should be back in two or three days."

With that, the pegasus flew back towards Ponyville. Fluttershy turned around to see Rush's playing with Angel. More precisely, Rush was playing while Angel was running for his life. She thought for a moment about the unusual encounter she'd just had. I've never seen anypony else as shy as I am. I've definitely never met anypony who's more shy than I am. I wonder why he is. Handsome stallions are usually pretty outgoing, especially given how many more mares than stallions there are in Equestria... Looking back at the dog, Fluttershy put on a smile and said, "I bet you'd like Winona. Would you like to go meet her and Applejack? I bet Rainbow Dash will be there, too." The dog just barked and continued to wag his tail.

"It was very strange, Applejack. He just seemed so shy and distant." Fluttershy and Applejack were eating apple pie while Rush and Winona chased each other around Sweet Apple Acres. As good as she was with animals, there as only so much space to run free that she could give Rush at her cottage given its proximity to the dangerous Everfree Forest. Sweet Apple Acres, however, had huge tracts of land where he could get all of the exercise that his canine heart desired. "I wonder if he's just naturally that shy? Maybe something happened or somepony did something to make him so shy."

"Ya only met the pony for three minutes. Are ya sure you weren't just imagining things?" The workhorse, while fully aware of Fluttershy's uncanny ability to pick up on the emotions of both animals and other ponies, couldn't help but be a little bit skeptical at this. Applejack didn't doubt that there were any number of things that could make somepony retreat into shyness, but it seemed a bit early for Fluttershy to be able to tell what was natural shyness and what was shyness that somepony else caused.

"I certainly hope so." Fluttershy said.

They sat, eating their pie and watching the dogs play, when a familiar polychromatic mane appeared flying towards them in the distance. When Rainbow Dash got near to the pair, she landed in a jog to close the rest of the distance. She glanced at Rush and then looked at Applejack, saying, "Please don't tell me we got another dog. Isn't a dog and a tortoise enough?"

Applejack chuckled and said "Relax, sugarcube. This here's Rush. Fluttershy's just looking after him for a few days while his owner's in Canterlot on business."

A look of relief swept the pegasus's features. "Oh, thank Celestia," Rainbow said. Before sitting down beside Applejack, she leaned over her a quick kiss. "So who's his owner? I don't recognize that dog."

Fluttershy answered, "His name is Razor Blade. He's a pegasus blacksmith who outfits the Equestrian army. He just moved to Ponyville a week ago."

"So that explains all the swords and shields in the window of that new shop in the market," Rainbow said. The three ponies talked about the new pegasus blacksmith for a bit, but they quickly shifted to Applejack's and Rainbow Dash's recent honeymoon to Los Pegasus and Rainbow's new job as a Wonderbolt while the dogs continued running and playing.

Rarity and Twilight Sparkle came by Fluttershy's cottage for tea the next day while Owlowiscious and Spike played with Rush. Rarity had hoped that Opalescence would taking a liking to Rush, but, being Opalescence, she just hissed at him and went to sleep at Fluttershy's hooves. "Oh, honestly, Opalescence, you don't even sleep at the hooves of the pony who feeds, loves, and cares for you?" Rarity said exasperated and only half-jokingly offended.

Over tea, Fluttershy filled Twilight and Rarity in on the new pony in town and her concerns about his shyness. Rarity agreed with Applejack that Fluttershy was probably imagining things with Razor Blade. "Oh, darling, you're worrying over nothing! I'm sure this Razor Blade fellow is just fine. Perhaps he was simply having a bad morning? I know that I certainly don't feel very social when I have to get up particularly early."

"I don't know, Rarity. Fluttershy has always had a knack for picking up on subtle cues," Twilight said.

"Perhaps we should get to know him, at least, before deciding he's having some kind of crisis that warrants intervention. Besides, the last thing anypony wants when moving to a new town is to be swarmed by other ponies he hasn't even met who pretend to know all about his life," Rarity said.

"Good point. Hey, we were all planning on getting together for dinner at the library next week anyway," Twilight reminded the two mares. "Fluttershy, why don't you invite him to join us when he comes to pick up Rush? That way we can get to know him."

"Oh, Twilight, that's a wonderful idea! If nothing else, we can help make him feel more welcome in Ponyville," Fluttershy said. With that, the unicorns finished their tea and bid each other farewell. They all looked forward to meeting Razor Blade, but Fluttershy was perhaps most looking forward to it. Maybe Rarity was right, but I can't help but shake the feeling that something was a little off. Oh, if only Pinkie Pie were here...She was always able to make anypony feel better.

Author's Note

Curious as to what happened to Pinkie Pie? I started off keeping her out of the story because I'm not a confident enough writer just yet to write a character that....exuberant, but I'm planning to write a short prequel to this that explains the backstory of what happened to Pinkie Pie and why she's not here.

Also, I want to give a little plug-in to thedarkprep, a college friend of mine, who wrote an AMAZING series and convinced me to try my hand at fanfiction. If this turns out to be utter crap, blame her. =P

I know I'm not the best at creative writing, but I figured if I'm going to try my hand at it, it might as well be in a community built around love and acceptance, right? Any constructive criticism to improve my writing would be much appreciated. I may sprinkle video game references here and there for my own amusement. Hopefully someone else will find some amusement in it, too. I hope the first chapter turned out alright. Anyway, thanks for reading.

Chapter 10 - Pony Dragoon Saga

"Holy shit...."

When the 23rd Earth battalion and the 4th Mixed battalion arrived in the Crystal City, the sight that greeted them left most of the ponies speechless.

"Is there even anypony left to save here?" Razor Blade heard one of the ponies down the line from him ask.

"Open your ears, son," Iron Hide said. "The fightin' ain't over yet." Towards the city center, the sounds of combat could still be heard. Pained cries and clashing steel echoed through the city's streets and alleys.

Dead Eye closed his one good eye, lifted his muzzle into the air, and took three quick sniffs. He nudged Razor Blade and said "You smell that?"

Razor looked at him and asked, "What? The smoke or the charred flesh and fur?"

Dead Eye shook his head and said with a sick grin, "Neither. That, my naive young friend, is the smell of a thousand gryphon asses about to get kicked by Equestria's finest."

"Alright, colts and fillies, double time! We're here to fight, not sight see," Iron Hide shouted. The 4th Mixed started to fight its way towards the sound of the fighting to reinforce whatever remained of the Crystal Empire's forces, engaging any gryphon resistance it met along the way. The 23rd Earth began scouring the city for pony survivors and gryphon patrols.

"Sunset Company with me! We're going right for the heart of the city," Razor Blade called out. He galloped towards the fighting with a look of determination more intense than anypony else in the entire expeditionary regiment. He truly want to save as many crystal ponies as he could, but he had a second motivation. How did they get this far this quickly? I hope we're not too late...I promised Twilight I'd save her brother and sister-in-law. I will NOT let these damn birds make a liar out of me...

"You realize this is crazy, right?" Razor hadn't noticed Dead Eye gallop up beside him. "They don't even have to surround us; by sprinting directly into the middle of the city, we're literally doing it for them."

"We'll be fine" was Razor's only response. He glanced over to see the utterly unconvinced look on Dead Eye's face. "Dawn and Dusk Companies will keep most of the gryphons behind us occupied, not to mention that we've got the entire 23rd Earth battalion moping them up, too." Razor paused for a moment. "We'll be fine," he said again, though by this point, he was saying to himself as much as he was to Dead Eye.

When they arrived at the central plaza, Razor breathed a sight sigh of relief. Though few were left, there were, in fact, crystal pony soldiers still alive, and at the forefront of the surviving army stood Shining Armor and Princess Cadance. Numbering around thirty at the most, they had been backed up against the ruins of the palace tower and were completely surrounded by a group of roughly fifty griffons. Cadance was primarily using her magic to tend to the wounded while Shining Armor, covered head to hoof in his namesake, held the enemy at bay with a badly beaten halberd alongside the dozen or so still battle-capable ponies. Several thick arrows could be seen protruding from his armored flanks, and his once brilliant blue mane was now splotched with a deep crimson, though it was unclear whether it was more pony blood or gryphon blood.

"All right, everypony, you know what to do. GO!" As soon as Razor Blade had given the word, Sunset Company broke out into a full-on sprint. He drew his rapier and took the sky, launching off of the ground like a missile from a ballista. When he shouted his command, several of the gryphons surrounding the crystal ponies turned to look. One particularly unfortunate gryphon turned her head just in time to see Razor's rapier swing towards her. Before she even had a chance to scream, her head had been hewn clean from her neck, showering her comrades with a warm, red mist.

By this point, other gryphons had turned their attention to the approaching ponies. Three gryphons turned and rushed at Razor Blade. The first one to reach him, letting loose a deafening roar, swung an axe down over his head in an attempt to cleave Razor's skull in two. He flicked his rapier up to catch the blade and guided it down into the ground to his left. As soon as he was safe from the axe, Razor raised his sword and thrust it into the griffon's open mouth and out the back of his head.

He turned to see two more gryphons advancing on him. Two lances, sharp enough to split hair, cut through the air towards him. Razor dodged the first lance, catching its wielder in the chest with his blade and piercing the gryphon's lung, leaving it to die in agony as it drowned in its own blood. The second impacted hard in his side, leaving a dent in his armor and a bruise on his hide. The sound from the impact rang out.

Winded from the blow, Razor recoiled. With a strong flap of his wings, he propelled himself backwards, opening the distance with his opponent. With the critical eye of a trained fighter, he scanned his opponent for a weakness to exploit. The gryphon lunged again. Razor moved his head to the side, barely avoiding the blow. Razor noticed a chip in the gryphon's armor. He saw the exposed white feathers of the gryphon's neck. He lunged. Firing from his well toned hind legs, he pierced the gryphon's neck before removing his sword and recovering a defense stance. The gryphon grabbed its neck. With a sickening gurgle, it fell to the ground, its eyes rolling into the back of its head and its claws dripping with its own blood.

As Dawn Company and Dusk Company caught up with Sunset Company and crashed into the remaining gryphons, the slaughter was over in a matter of minutes. Iron Hide pushed his way to the front, towards the crystal ponies. "Princess, general," he greeted Cadance and Shining Armor as he bowed. "I'm sorry we weren't able to make it sooner. Where are the rest of their troops concentrated? We've got another battalion scouring the city as we-"

"No, there's no time. We have to retreat. The Crystal Empire is lost. They only have a couple hundred more troops inside the city, but our scouts reported an army of at least 10,000 crossing the border this morning. They'll be in here by nightfall," Shining Armor said. "We have to fall back to Equestria. Even with both your battalions, we'll all be dead by tomorrow night."

"Hmm. Yeah, gotta admit, those numbers don't look too good for us..." Iron Hide turned to his troops. "Alright, I want the eight fastest pegasi to get in the air and corral the 23rd. Get 'em heading back to Trottingham. We'll regroup here. We leave in one hour."

"Again."

A ball of fire tore through the air, bursting against a stone wall.

Again and again, fire scorched the clammy air of the seldom used castle dungeon. "Good. Again, bigger." The voice of an elderly mare was all that broke the silence between the blasts of flame. It was here that Flemeth had been taking Twilight to practice combat magic. Nopony ever used the empty, old dungeon, and with walls of bare stone, devoid of anything flammable, it was the perfect place to practice dangerous spells.

"Is that really all you can do, Twilight? Are you Celestia's prized student, or are you just a pretty mantlepiece? Put your heart into it! Scorch the wall!" Though they'd only been working together for a few days, Flemeth had learned that the most effective way to goad Twilight into pushing herself to her limits was to question her worthiness to be Celestia's prized student. Flemeth knew, of course, that Twilight possessed some of the greatest talent for magic that Equestria had ever seen, but she also knew that such potential would never been realized if the young mare didn't push herself past what she thought she could do.

Twilight's face turned into a scowl, and she braced her hooves against the cold stone. Sweat dripped down her face and plastered her mane to her neck. I'm the Element of Magic. Princess Celestia hoof picked me as her personal protege. Maybe I'm not worthy to be the student of an alicorn as power as the princess, but I'm about as close as it gets. She closed her eyes, her determination growing, and her horn erupted in a purple glow that lit the entire room. From it, a massive ball of fire burst forth, tearing through the air with incredible velocity. When it hit the wall some 20 feet away, the resulting explosion was so large that both her and Flemeth's manes were slightly singed.

The old mare chuckled as she licked a hoof and wiped the soot from her face. "I believe that's quite sufficient for today, Twilight. Most impressive. It has been a long time since I've seen such an impressive fire spell from one so young. Now off to bed with you. Tomorrow will be more of the same intensive training."

Twilight nodded at her teacher and tiredly trotted up the stairs to the castle proper. The first set of elemental spells she learned has been wind spells - the easiest to learn - which she had all but mastered in only a day. For the past several days, she had been working on fire spells, though from Flemeth's reaction to her last attack, she suspected that the next day would bring the introduction of electric attacks. Twilight had been trying to learn as much as she could as quickly as she could to get herself ready to fight. Princess Celestia had made it clear that she had planned to keep her in Canterlot, but this idea did not sit well with Twilight.

I want to be out there with fighting with Razor Blade she would often think to herself. I want to be able to protect him from enemies he might not see. Besides that, my magic is stronger than any other unicorn in Equestria; I should be using it to help end the war quickly, not sitting around in Canterlot.

Razor consumed most of her thoughts when she wasn't focusing on her training. Knowing that he was out there in harm's way kept her constantly on edge, and she'd spent the past few nights lying in bed, too worried to get much sleep. She had been surprised to get a letter from him so soon - surprised, but nothing short of ecstatic. It had been less than a week, and she'd already read it no fewer than a hundred times. Twilight closed her eyes and let out a deep sigh when she closed the door to her chamber. Lifting her head, she looked at the letter sitting on her beside table. "I guess it's about time I wrote him a letter back," Twilight said to herself as she took a seat at the desk in her room, levitating a quill.

Dear Razor Blade,

Dead Eye certainly sounds like an...interesting...pony. If he's as good a shot as he says he is, though, it would definitely be a good idea to stick near him. I hope you're keeping yourself safe. Well, as safe as you can be on a battlefield. That's not very safe, is it?

My training with Flemeth is going well. She's pushing me to learn the magic faster than I thought I could, but I'm managing to keep up. I was able to learn all of the wind spells in a single day, though they're the most basic combat spells. I just started work on the fire spells. They're quite a bit more difficult, but I think I'm getting the hang of it. I know the princess said that I would probably stay in Canterlot for the most part, but I have a feeling that I'll see a battle before too long. I hope so, anyway. It's not fair that you're out there in harm's way when I get to stay safe in Canterlot.

I miss you more every day. I imagine this is sort of how fillies usually feel with school age crushes. You know, fillies that take their noses out of books long enough to notice colts. I guess I was a little late to that part of growing up. I wish I had more to write, but most of my days are spent performing the same spells over and over again with little variation; it doesn't really leave much to write about. Be careful out there. Please. I hope the princess can bring and end to this war soon so you can get out of harm's way. Oh, and haha, you're SO funny with you're little Trixie reference. I am NOT that pompous...am I?

Your faithful fillyfriend,

Twilight Sparkle

After blowing the ink dry, Twilight rolled the letter telekinetically and placed a wax seal on it. She put it in her saddle bags to give to the castle mailmare the next morning. As she slid into bed, she turned to lie facing the window. The moon was bright that night, bathing Canterlot in soft light. I hope you're okay out there, Razor Twilight thought to herself as she gazed out at Luna's moon. Just come back in one piece....

After a few hours of the marching faster than an army should have been able to sustain after a battle - because, in all honesty, it was more of a sprint than a march - the 4th Mixed finally regrouped with the 23rd Earth in Trottingham. Because of the extra time it had taken the 4th to regroup and organize what crystal ponies were left to be evacuated, new orders had already arrived from Canterlot. The 23rd would patrol the border with the Crystal Empire to watch for incursions into Equestria and keep informed Canterlot about enemy troop movements. The realized that their assignment was more or less to be the "canary in the coal mine," but they also knew that somepony had to do it. If that duty fell to them, then so be it. While historically less militaristic than pegasi, Earth ponies were known for their resilience and endurance; if there were a way to keep the Equestrian border from buckling under the strain of a gryphon assault, it would be with an Earth pony battalion.

The 4th, on the other hand, would merge with 14 other battalions of all compositions - over 15,000 soldiers in all - and form Equestria's primary force to push back into the Crystal Empire and free it from gryphon control. As the closest city to the border, the army's component battalions would converge on Trottingham, giving the 4th a couple of days of relax.

When Razor Blade was finally able to lie down, his notoriously uncomfortable military-issue cot felt like the most luxurious cloud bed this side of Cloudsdale. After only a few short hours of sleep, however, he awoke abruptly to what felt like an earthquake. What he smelled, however, was more akin to a nightmare. In his tent, dozens of groggy ponies were looking around, trying to figure out what had awoken them. Razor Blade got up and raced to the tent flap. What he saw outside left him speechless.

Black smoke billowed up into dully glowing orange sky. A sudden noise caught his attention, and he whipped his head around to see an explosion some fifty yards away from him. That's when he noticed them - dozens of gryphons in the sky. They carried torches in one claw and, in the other claw, what he could only guess was some manner of high yield dynamite that they lit and dropped into the camp. All around him, he saw tents engulfed in a sea of flames. What he smelled was absolutely sickening. The scent of burning hair and flesh permeated the air to such an extent as to seem almost palpable. The sounds coming from the tents were unbearable. Screams of unfathomable agony the likes of which he'd never heard pierced the cut, overpowered only by the sounds yet more explosions. He saw ponies on fire run out of their tents and burn to death before his very eyes.

Oh my gods. How could anypony do this? he thought as he stood in stunned silence, witnessing the atrocity that unfolded before him. He knew he needed to be doing something - anything - to help, but he was unable to move his legs. Why the buck would the gryphons do something like this? They have us on the run! Even in war, this is...depravity. After a few minutes, his anger overpowered his shock, and his stun subsided. He regained some degree of focus and began making his way to the center of the camp.

As more ponies awoke and realized that Trottingham was under attack, panic and chaos ensued. Razor tried to work his way through the madness to find Iron Hide, but after twenty minutes of searching through the scorched and, in parts, still burning camp, he was nowhere to be seen. He realized that the explosions had stopped. Razor wasn't sure how long ago the gryphons had stopped dropping their bombs, but the only sounds now, he noticed, were the crackle of the flames that still burned and the pained moans of the ponies who hadn't been lucky enough to die yet.

He walked towards one of the few relatively undamaged tents in the ruined camp where he, at long last, found Iron Hide with the mayor of Trottingham. "Ma'am, I'm well aware that your city has been severely damaged-"

"I'm not worried about the damage, Colonel! My concern with the ponies in my city who are dead despite having an army here to protect us! How could this have been allowed to happen?" the mayor, a visibly furious but also terrified old mare, shouted at Iron Hide. This outburst, however, seemed to snap the last of Iron Hide's frayed nerves.

"Listen here, you crotchety old nag, I just spent the past half hour listening to my men scream as they burned alive. I don't want to hear shit about how we somehow failed you. Nopony expected the gryphons to attack into Equestria less than a full day after they took the Crystal Empire, nor do I know how how they got here undetected, and I certainly didn't expect them to attack like this!" he shouted as the threw a hoof back to point at the embers that was once an army camp. "So, with all due respect, miss mayor, get the buck out of my face and let me take care of my men. Maybe you should be taking care of your citizens instead of pestering me?"

Before giving the mare a chance to respond, he stomped off past Razor. "Blade, with me!" he called back behind him. "We've got a counter attack to plan."

Author's Note

My thanks go out to thedarkprep for giving me some advice during the rewriting process for this chapter. Because of her suggestions, I'm actually pretty happy with it. =)

Chapter 18 - Legacy of War

"Up, up, up, everypony! No time for sleep!"

Twilight Sparkle had gotten used to being awoken earlier than any sane pony should ever be awake, but even by military standards, this seemed a bit excessive. "Flemeth, what in the world is going on?"

"It would appear that Princess Luna has failed to hold off the gryphon army. It's sweeping its way through northern Equestria and will be knocking on the city gates within the day, so get out of bed and get ready to fight," the old unicorn said.

Oh no...What happened to them? To Shining Armor? To Razor Blade? There was no time to ponder these worries, though. As she gradually became more aware, Twilight began to notice the sounds of panic and scrambling in the city outside the castle. A glance out of a nearby window revealed streets chock-full of ponies scurrying about while the city guards tried in vain to maintain order and enforce the 24 hour curfew that Princess Celestia had mandated in response to the approaching gryphon army. "The fewer civilian ponies in the streets during the fighting, the fewer civilian casualties there will be" was Celestia's logic.

Although it was known to everypony in the kingdom that Gryphus had a military far superior to that of Equestria, few ponies considered it a possibility that the gryphon army would advance as far as Canterlot. It just didn't register in the minds of most ponies that the war could be fought at home. Most of the nobility had shared this misguided view despite Celestia's and Luna's urges that they pool their resources to bolster the city's defenses. Lo and behold, however, an army of gryphons twenty thousand strong could be seen in the distance on approach to the Equestrian capital.

When news reached the throne about the gryphon army pouring across the northwestern border, Celestia immediately ordered that the Royal Guard, the Wonderbolts - who had all be reassigned to Canterlot after the initial reclamation of the Crystal City - and the various chapters of the Order of Magi to converge on Canterlot as quickly as possible to defend the city. Following the attacks on the towns between the norther border and Canterlot, many civilians moved their families inside the walled capital for protection. Though most of the denizens of Ponyville stayed in their village during the aftermath of the enemy's unsuccessful attack, it was decided that Cheerilee would take the fillies and colts of the town to Canterlot for protection.

The temple to the ancient gods currently served as a refugee center. It was the protection of this building with which the Magi had been tasked. Flemeth had asked Twilight and a handful of acolytes from the Tower to inspect the temple and make sure that the building was structurally secure before the fighting began. Between the gryphons' use of explosives and the combat spells that would be flying up and down the city streets, there was sure to be a large amount of collateral damage. It was up to Twilight and the acolytes assigned to her to do what they could to ensure that the temple housing the refugees was not part of that damage.

When Twilight entered the temple, she was knocked to the floor. "TWILIGHT WE MISSED YOU SO MUCH!!" three young voices cried out. As she shook her head to fix her eyes that had begun to resemble Derpy's, Twilight saw three familiar fillies' staring at her with huge smiles - a yellow earth pony, a white unicorn, and an orange pegasus.

"Ughn. Hello, girls. It's good to see you, too," she said as she struggled to rise from her hooves, still a bit wobbly from the forceful embrace. "You girls need to stay close to Miss Cheerilee. It's going to get dangerous, and I know that Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash would be devastated if anything happened to you because you got overly excited. Stay with her so she can keep you safe."

"No way!" Scootaloo shouted. "We don't need Miss Cheerilee to protect us!"

"Yeah, we're gonna do the protectin'!" Apple Bloom said.

"You...wait...what?" Twilight wasn't sure if she even wanted to know what they were going on about.

"We're gonna keep everypony safe from the gryphons," Sweetie Belle said.

"CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS ROYAL KNIGHTS YAY!!" the three fillies shouted in unison.

"Oh no, girls, this is no time for your crusading."

"I'm gonna use what Razor Blade taught me and kill any gryphon that tries to get in here!" Scootaloo shouted as she rose to her back hooves and started thrusting a hoof forward, lunging in the stance that she had been taught in her fencing lessons. Scootaloo fluttered her wings as fast a hummingbird, hoping up and down on her hooves in excitement. "I'll be so awesome, Rainbow Dash will have to be proud of me when she gets back from whatever super radical Wonderbolt mission she's on!"

"Yeah, and Ah'm gonna buck 'em so hard, they ain't gonna know what hit 'em! Just like Applejack and Big Mac!" Apple Bloom added, bucking the air with her back hooves.

"And I'll use my magic to hold them still like Twilight does so they can't run away!" Sweetie Belle chimed in.

"Twilight?" Scootaloo asked. "Apple Bloom talked about Applejack and Big Mac, and I said how Rainbow Dash will think I'm awesome. Aren't you gonna say something about Rarity?"

Sweetie Belle deadpanned. "What would I do? Make the gryphons new outfits?" The fillies broke into a fit of giggling.

"Are you three done yet? This is serious, girls. You have to stay close to Cheerilee. Promise me," Twilight said sternly.

"But Twilight-" Apple Bloom started to say.

"No but's, girls! Promise me." Twilight insisted.

All three girls pouted. "We promise..." they muttered dejectedly.

"Pinkie promise?"

The fillies rolled their eyes and said in unison, "Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye."

"Thank you," Twilight said, patting each filly on the head in succession. "Now you three run along and stay with your class. I have to go finish checking up on things in here."

As she was finishing making her way around the sanctuary, a young green unicorn trotted up to her. "Miss Sparkle, pardon the interruption, but we've finished our inspection of the building. All windows are locked, bolted, and boarded up, as are all of the doors with the exception of the front door. The basement is stocked with enough provisions to last for one week. What would you like to do regarding deployment in here?"

"I want you and the other acolytes to stay here and act as guards. Five well trained unicorns should be plenty, I think," Twilight said.

"Very well," the mare said before trotting back to the other three magi.

Celestia stood in her throne room, staring out the window at the field to the north. She was watching the brown and white mass creep towards her city. Several dozen miles behind the approaching army, plumes of black smoke billowed into the sky from the Everfree Forest. I thought they would just abuse the forest's resources. I hadn't expected them to set it ablaze. Only a couple hours left until the capital city is subjected to the same destruction... she thought to herself.

"Princess Celestia?" A voice startled Celestia from her thoughts.

"Hm? Oh, Cadance, good morning."

"Do you know anything about what's happened to Luna and Shining Armor?" Cadance asked.

Celestia allowed her stoic facade to drop before her niece. "I do not," she said grimly. "Since they marched to defend Detrot and Tramplevania, I have received no reports of the army's demise, but I have not heard anything positive, either; I am afraid that I have not heard anything at all. Unfortunately, with the enemy so quickly approaching the capital, we do not have time to spend worrying. We have to trust that your husband and my sister are well and will get word to us when they can."

"Of course. What would you have me to do to help?"

"You proved the strength of your shield spell while holding off King Sombra's influence. I would ask that you use that spell to help protect Canterlot from the coming gryphon army," Celestia said. "It would appear that we must defend this city together once again." With a smirk that contrasted the tense air of the city, she added, "We really must find a better way to bond, Cadance."

"I agree," Cadance said, though she was unable to return Celestia's smile. "I'd be delighted to use my magic in any way that would help in Canterlot's defense." Despite being her adoptive aunt's political and diplomatic equal, Cadance bowed to Celestia before departing the throne room.

As she trotted through the castle corridors at a brisk pace, Cadance quickly lost herself to a tirade of thoughts. Between Nightmare Moon, Discord, Queen Chrysalis, and King Sombra, Equestria has had more than its fair share of brushes with disaster in the past few years. How many close calls can one kingdom endure before its luck finally runs out, though? I hope that luck holds out just a little while longer; if Equestria falls, then there's no hope of freeing the Crystal Empire.

Cadance exited the castle, making her way to the ancient temple. She knew that was where the refugees were being sent, and she felt that, technically being a refugee herself, that was where were tender heart and caring nature would be of the most benefit to the common ponies who were about to get caught in the crossfire. Furthermore, the temple's relatively central location in the city would make an ideal place to cast her shield spell, ensuring that no part of the city was left more vulnerable than any other.

When she entered the temple, Cadance was surprised by the number of ponies filling the building. To be exact, she was surprised how relatively few there were. She had expected the temple to be practically bursting at the seams with refugees, but on the contrary, there was ample space to move around freely. That's not to say that the were only a handful of ponies who were taking shelter within the temple; there were somewhere on the order of four or five hundred ponies. In a building that could safely hold four or five thousand ponies, however, it seemed very sparsely occupied.

"Cadance!" A voice from farther within the temple brought the alicorn out of her musings. The princess of love blinked and looked to her left to see a familiar purple unicorn cantering up to her.

"How are you, Twilight?" Cadance asked as she moved to embrace her sister-in-law.

"Busy making sure that things here are ready to withstand the battle, but I'm doing okay overall. Have you heard anything about Razor Blade or Shining Armor?"

Cadance shook her head. "I'm afraid not. I just talked to Celestia about it. She said that she hasn't heard anything good or bad about how they're doing. I guess we just have to trust them to take care of themselves and hope for the best."

"I'm sure they're fine. After all, Luna is with them. What are you doing here, though? Are you going to stay here with the refugees during the fight?" Twilight asked.

"I was planning to, yes. I thought that I might be able to help comfort some of the younger foals. I know they're bound to be scared. That, and Celestia asked me to use the shield spell that I used when King Sombra returned. I figured that it would be easier to keep the shield's magical power even since the temple is more or less in the middle of the city."

"Oh, good thinking. I'm glad that you'll be staying here. Having an alicorn princess close by will make everypony feel a lot safer, not to mention giving the Magi acolytes stationed here an authority figure. I put Spring Showers, the green mare by the altar, in charge, but since all of the acolytes are the same rank, I doubt they'll really listen to her," Twilight explained. "I have to leave to fight with the more veteran mages when the gryphons break through the city's defenses, but they'll listen to you even if they don't listen to her."

Cadance opened her mouth to say something, but the sound of klaxons outside interrupted her. "You'd better go, Twilight," she said, her horn glowing as she started to cast the shield spell. "I doubt that alarm means 'The gryphons gave up and went home,'"

Twilight walked outside to see the sky's darkening. Thousands of gryphons covered the sky, blocking much of the sun's light. In parts of the city, only the pink glow of Cadance's magic shield illuminated the alleyways. Gryphons flew full speed into the pink barrier, spears at the ready, in attempts to break through. All around her, members of the Equestrian military's various branches galloped about. Members of the Guard armed with spears, axes, and swords raced to and fro to ensure that all of the major roadways were defended when the enemy eventually broke through the barrier. Unicorn mages in groups ranging in size from three to five positioned themselves throughout the city to support the Guard. The twenty-three remaining Wonderbolts zipped through the sky to monitor the integrity of the shield dome and determine where the gryphons would break through first.

"Twilight Sparkle, you are needed here," an elderly mare said with a calm voice altogether uncharacteristic of one in a city under attack. Flemeth trotted up to Twilight. "I'm having the Circle's most powerful mages gather at the city gates. We won't have any way of knowing where Princess Cadance's dome will crack first until it's too late to position ourselves there, but that isn't important. Regardless of where the break first occurs, it will be there grunts that take advantage of that; their more elite forces will breach the city's main gates, so that's where we need to be."

Twilight nodded and followed alongside Flemeth. "How long do you think it will-"

Twilight's question was cut off by what sounded like shattering glass. Both mares snapped their heads around to see a hole shatter in the pink dome, sending cracks throughout the remaining parts of the barrier. Gryphon soldiers immediately began to pour in through the hole.

"Longer than that, I was sure," Flemeth said, a tone of worry momentarily betraying her otherwise calm demeanor. "We must make haste to the city gates. Either Cadance is the weakest alicorn in Equestrian history or we have underestimated the ability of the gryphons' army, and I very much doubt that it is the former."

Twilight and Flemeth galloped through the streets of Canterlot as quickly as the old mare's legs would move, killing the occasional gryphon that accosted them along their way. Above them, the Wonderbolts, having deemed their previous attempts to guard the cracks in the magic shield to be futile, cut across the sky in every direction to intercept the gryphons that had begun to enter the city's airspace. When Flemeth and Twilight arrived at the city's main gates, the heavily armored gryphon soldiers on the other side had already started to splinter the gates' wood with their battering rams. Over two dozen unicorn mages and nearly one hundred Royal Guards stood ready to engage the invading paladins.

"Twilight, when they break through those gates, I want you to cast the most powerful attack spell you can. I have seen you demonstrate competency with every spell that I have taught you, so I will leave the decision of which spell to use up to you," Flemeth said, her horn already glowing an ominous black.

Twilight nodded and turned her head to face the gates. An electric spell spell would generally be more effective against flying opponents like gryphons, but these gryphons will be on the ground and in heavy armor. With that in mind, maybe a fire spell? That would turn their thick, metal armor into ovens. It's cruel, but my priority has to be defending Canterlot, right? She couldn't help but think about what she was about to do to her opponents, though. It will literally cook them alive. Maybe I can make the magic strong enough to kill them instantly. Will that really be any better, though? If I make the fire magic that hot, then there probably wouldn't be a body left to bury. Even the most horrible pony - or gryphon - deserves a proper burial. This isn't right. I shouldn't be trying to decide how to kill somepony. The princess is counting on me, though...I can't let her down. And what would Razor think? He's been out there fighting this whole time. What does it say about me if he's brave enough to do that, and I can't even fight to defend Canterlot? No, this isn't the time for doubt. I have to do my part to protect Equestria, no matter what. I can deal with my guilt about it later. Her mind made up, Twilight lowered her head so that her horn was pointing directly at the city's gates. As she focused her alicorn's energy on images of an intense inferno, her horn took on a vibrant violet light. For second after tense second, the sounds of splintering wood filled the air along with the polychromatic aurora from the horns of the unicorn mages. Twilight screwed her eyes shut in concentration. When she finally heard the gates burst and the armored gryphons charge into the city, her eyes shot wide open, completely consumed by an ethereal purple glow.

As gryphons poured into Canterlot from the destroyed gates, a myriad of spells pierced the air to meet them. Gryphons were downed by bolts of lightning, balls of fire, cyclones of wind, and jets of water. Flemeth loosed from her horn a black disc that seemed to tear the very fabric of the world as it passed, severing anything it touched, be it a gryphon's wing or its head. When Twilight finally released her pent up magic, however, all of the other unicorns' attack spells paled in comparison. As she channeled her energy through her horn, a wide stream of azure flame flowed forth, setting the air ablaze. As it engulfed the gryphons in the front of the invading army, agonized screams echoed down the streets and alleyways of the city.

When Twilight's energy was spent and the flames subsided, she collapsed onto the cobblestone road as the sickening stench of death and burnt flesh permeated her nose. Where just a moment before had stood a disciplined and well armed fighting force, now there were only piles of ash and bubbling steel. Oh Celestia, what I have done? Twilight asked herself. Through her blurred vision, she could see the bubbling remains of the gryphons she'd just killed. I...I killed them. They're dead because of me. She suddenly felt sick to her stomach, but she barely had the energy to stay conscious, let alone retch the way her body wanted to. I shouldn't have put so much energy into that spell. That was...that was unnecessary. There isn't even anything to send to the families to bury. They didn't deserve that. They didn't ask for this war anymore than I did. They were just doing what they had to do, and I...I killed them. I killed so many of them. It wasn't even fast. Their screams...They were in so much pain...How could I do that? How can I bear one of the Elements of Harmony and then do something has horrible as that?

While Twilight's ethical crisis kept her distracted, the situation took a turn for the worse. Although she had done an excellent job of wiping out the first wave of oncoming gryphons, she failed to take into account the thousands of reinforcements that were marching directly behind. The other mages and the Royal Guards stationed near the city gates did their best to hold back the invading force, but it soon overwhelmed them. I have to get up Twilight though to herself. The battle isn't over yet...I have to help. She struggled to rise to her hooves, knowing that she needed to do her part in the fight. It took her a moment to realize that everypony was running away from the fight, not towards it. Wait...what? Where's everypony going? We have to stop the grypons! she thought to herself, though just thinking was difficult for her at the moment; the sudden expenditure of such a vast amount of magical energy left her both exhausted and with a splitting headache.

"Move, child! This position has been lost. To tarry is to invite death," Flemeth said as she enveloped Twilight in an ebony aura and lifted her from the ground. Twilight said nothing, but she nodded her understanding. Flemeth lowered her to the ground, and she galloped alongside the old mare, her senses having begun to return to normal. "Her majesty foresaw this and gave orders that we would regroup at the temple should our position be overrun," Flemeth explained.

As the two unicorns approached the massive temple, they saw groups of ponies from the Circle of Magi and the Royal Guard converging on the temple, as well. This alone would have been enough to cause concern, but what truly gave Flemeth pause was seeing the Wonderbolts flying towards the temple from various parts of the city. "It appears that Canterlot shall fall," Flemeth said, her voice sounding all but resigned to the fact. "We make our stand at the temple, though if even the Wonderbolts are in retreat, I doubt there is much to be done."

"Do not be so quick to give up on Equestria, Flemeth." Flemeth and Twilight turned to see Princess Celestia, dressed from head to hoof in golden armor, land beside them along with the twenty-five ponies of her personal guard. "The battle is not lost yet."

"Of course not, your majesty," Flemeth said, bowing before Celestia alongside Twilight. "It simply seems that victory here is growing increasingly unlikely. Perhaps we should withdraw to-"

"No," Celestia said with the full authority of one who has ruled for ten centuries. As she spoke, her voice began to rise in volume and in intensity. "I may well have already lost my sister to them. I will not sacrifice Canterlot. We have made too many compromises already. Too many retreats. They invade our allies' territory, and we fall back. They raze entire cities, and we fall back. Not again. The line must be drawn here. This far, no farther, and I will make them pay for what they have done." Flemeth and Twilight stood speechless, the former with her mouth slightly agape. Flemeth had served Princess Celestia for a long time, and even during the crises with Nightmare Moon, Discord, and King Sombra, she had never heard such unbridled emotion in the princess's voice or such unrestrained fury in her eyes.

Celestia took a moment to compose herself and regain her control before she turned to face the armored hoard that marched towards them. "Read yourselves, everypony," she said as her horn took a pale yellow shimmer. "The enemy approaches." Gryphons closed in from all sides, but the bulk of their army made its approach by way of the city's primary boulevard, marching directly towards the temple's facade. Celestia's eyes flicked back and forth, taking stock of her surroundings and weighing her options. She closed her eyes and sighed quietly. "Gods, forgive me," she whispered. Celestia opened her eyes and stared at the approaching army. When it was mere yards from the circular plaza in front of the temple, she shot from her horn two beams of magical energy. They impacted the large buildings on either side of the plaza's entrance, destroying the first floors and bringing the buildings crashing down, crushing the gryphons in the front of the army. Those around her gasped, but nopony dared to question Celestia's actions.

Although the gryphon army's commanders had been unceremoniously crushed by the falling buildings, that did not stop the army itself from seeing vengeance. Gryphons took the sky and simply flew over the debris, emerging from the dust cloud with spears and axes at the ready. What had begun as a showdown between two disciplined fighting forces soon digressed into largely unruly claw-to-hoof combat between two well armed mobs. Members of the Royal Guard and gryphon grunts chopped and sliced each other to pieces, turning the crevasses between the stones that made up Canterlot's roads into small canals of blood. The remaining unicorn mages did what they could to support the Guard units, but being forced to fight near the front of the action, most of them were cut down in short order. Soon Flemeth, Twilight, Celestia, and a handful of fortunate acolytes were the only remaining trained magic users.

Flemeth loosed her magic discs as quickly as her horn could conjure them, and Twilight shot a gryphon out of the sky with a bolt of electricity every second. Celestia fired thin beams of solar light that burned through anything they touched, each beam capable of killing several gryphons if they were lined up well enough. Even as effective as these magical attacks were, however, the ponies continued to be constricted in an ever shrinking area around the temple doors. Twilight was nearly knocked over as Rapidfire's eviscerated corpse was thrown over her head and slammed into the temple wall behind her with a sickening crunch.

As unsettling as to her as the sound of bones' being crushed was, though, it was another sound that seemed to stop the beating of Twilight's heart - the shattering of glass. Oh no, the girls... Twilight spun her head around to see a group of five gryphons fly into the temple through a broken stained glass window. "Princess, the refugees! There are fillies and colts in the temple!" Twilight called, making no effort to mask the panic in her voice.

Firing three more beams of energy from her horn, Celestia looked at Twilight and said, "Teleport into the temple and protect the foals. Flemeth and I will hold them off and keep the door secure." Twilight nodded and used her magic to teleport inside the temple.

"Stay close to me, children! Everypony, come here." Cheerilee tried to mask her own fear as she attempted to keep the schoolfoals close to her. Even as thick as the temple's stone walls were, they did little to mute the sounds of death and destruction outside. I need to keep these foals as far back as I can in case they break through that door she thought.

"Don't worry, Miss Cheerliee! The Cutie Mark Crusaders will keep everypony safe!" Apple Bloom said, puffing out her chest.

"Apple Bloom, this is serious," Cheerilee scolded. The infamous Cutie Mark Crusaders looked utterly unconvinced. "This isn't a game, girls!" Cheerilee snapped. "Get over here right now!"

"But Miss Cheerilee," Scootaloo began to whine.

"Scootaloo, do not argue with me about this. How do you think Rainbow Dash would feel if you got hurt because you were too stubborn to listen to me? How awesome do you think she would find that?" Scootaloo grumbled under the breath but did as she was told. Cheerilee was about to give the children further instructions when the sounds of shattering glass and breaking boards brought an end to all conversation within the temple. The teacher turned around in time to see a shard of broken glass embed itself between the eyes of the one of the unicorn acolytes, killing her instantly. She looked up, and what she saw filled her with terror. Five gryphons were flying into the temple sanctuary, weapons at the ready, through a broken window.

"Spring, look out!" one of the refugees shouted. Spring Showers, the acolyte in charge of defense inside the temple, had been so focused on getting the refugees away from the window that she had allowed a gryphon to come up behind her. She turned her head to look at gryphon, the distance between them closing rapidly. A pink bolt of magic slammed into the gryphon, knocking it into a wall with a loud crack. One of the other acolytes loosed a fireball from his horn to ensure that the attacker was dead.

"Spring Showers, you and the acolytes finish off the other gryphons. I'll handle getting the refugees to safety," Cadance said, galloping up to the startled unicorn.

"Understood, princess," Spring said.

While Cheerilee had intended to keep the foals in her care safe by moving them to a secluded corner of the temple, it ended up having the opposite effect; she and her students soon found themselves separated from the protection of the Magi acolytes by four angry gryphons. "Kids, stay back," she said, placing herself between the approaching gryphons and her students, though she was unsure what she thought one unarmed mare with no self-defense training was going to do.

When she took a small step backwards, the gryphons lurched forwards. One of the acolytes was able to fire off a spell in time and kill a sword-wielding gryphon, but the other three still raced towards the children. Seeing her teacher in imminent danger, Scootaloo galloped forward, grabbed the sword with her teeth, closed her eyes as tightly as she could, and swung her neck with all of the power that her small body could muster. She heard a tear and a gargling noise followed shortly thereafter by a thump. She felt a warm liquid spill onto her body. She opened her eyes to see the gryphon lying dead at her hooves, his throat torn open. Scootaloo faintly heard two cracks as the other two gryphons were killed by acolytes' spells, but she paid no attention. All she could see was the corpse at her hooves. All she could feel was his blood was soaking her mane, dripping from her muzzle.

When Twilight rematerialized from her teleportation spell, she had expected to see the gryphon soldiers' butchering the refugees. The sight that greeted her caught her off guard, to say the least. Rather than seeing dead ponies surrounding blood-soaked gryphons, she saw only one dead pony - an unfortunate acolyte with a bloody shard of glass between her eyes.

Two of the gryphons lay dead not far from the broken window, their bodies burnt to a crisp, while two more lay dead closer to the frightened group of fillies and colts on the far end of the sanctuary. It was the sight of the fifth gryphon that left Twilight truly speechless. When she appeared inside the temple, she saw it lying in a pool of its own blood and a sword being held in the mouth of a small orange filly. "...Scootaloo?" Twilight managed to squeak out.

Scootaloo gave no indication that she had even heard Twilight. Oh gods...I killed him. I actually killed him. There's...there's so much blood... The pegasus filly suddenly dropped the sword and emptied the contents of her stomach onto the floor in front of her.

"Scootaloo!" Twilight shouted as she galloped over to the filly. Scootaloo fell to her haunches, staring wide eyed at the dead gryphon. Twilight sat down to her left and wrapped a foreleg around her.

"His eyes..." she muttered almost inaudibly.

"What was that, sweetie?" Cheerliee asked, seating herself on the side opposite Twilight.

"His eyes," Scootaloo repeated, a little louder this time. "They're so empty. They were so angry a minute ago, and now they're just...empty..."

Scootaloo began shaking as she broke down crying. Burying her face into Cheerilee's stomach, she clenched her teacher's coat tightly with her hooves. As she cried, she didn't even notice faint white glow on her flanks. When her sobbing had calmed, Sweetie Belle trotted up to to Scootaloo. "Look, Scoots," Sweetie said gently, trying to cheer up her friend. "You got your cutie mark."

Scootaloo sniffled and pulled away from Cheerilee to look at her flank. There it was. Her cutie mark. She had waited so long for it to appear and tried so hard in so many different ways to discover what her special talent was. Her cutie mark - a kite shield with an open wing on either side - had finally appeared.

"Ya got yer cutie mark, Scootaloo! Ain't ya happy?" Apple Bloom asked, not really understanding why her friend was so distraught.

"I don't care!" Scootaloo screamed, causing both of her friends to recoil. "Just leave me alone!" she shouted as she galloped off to the other side of the sanctuary where Cadance had taken the other refugees.

Cheerilee went to talk to the other students, leaving Twilight to deal with Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. "Look, girls," Twilight said as softly as she could to the two fillies, "I know you two don't really understand why, but Scootaloo's going to be really upset for a while. Just give her some space until she calms down. When she's ready to talk, she'll come to you, but until then, just let her have some time to herself. Okay?" The two girls nodded their heads, their faces showing confusion but genuine concern. Twilight opened her mouth to say something else, but she paused when she heard a noise a deep, rumbling noise outside. "You two stick together, and make sure you're there for Scootaloo when she decides that she needs you. You four," she said, addressing the remaining Magi acolytes, "make sure this sanctuary stays safe. These refugees are counting on you."

Twilight teleported back outside with the full expectation of seeing some sort of devastating gryphon war machine. For a second time that day, she was greeted by a pleasant albeit confusing surprise. What Twilight had heard was not the rumblings of a Gryphonian super weapon but the rhythmic cadence of Zebrican war drums. Marching up the road to Canterlot through the destroyed city gates was an army of zebra warriors that looked to be at least 25,000 strong, and at the forefront of that army was a canary pegasus mare adorned by a Zebrican warlord's headdress. Twilight turned to Celestia with wide eyes and asked, "Princess, what's going on? Since when did the zebras agree to help? Why is Fluttershy leading them?"

Taking the moment's distraction to slay three more gryphons with another beam of magic, Celestia answered, "I do not know when or why zebras agreed to help our cause, but I am certainly glad that they did. I sent Fluttershy to Zebrica a week ago to use their reverence for nature and the gryphon's inevitable abuse of the Everfree Forest as a last attempt to gain their help. It would appear that my last-ditch effort has worked."

With the zebra warriors closing in from the main boulevard behind them and the remaining ponies having been cornered in front of them, the gryphons found themselves being squeezed. Even with their superior training and arms, being sandwiched between the greater numbers of the zebras and the determined resolve of the ponies was an untenable position. Once they were within a hundred yards of the temple's plaza-turned-battlefield, the zebra warriors broke into a full gallop. Crashing into the gryphons with a combination of spears and combustible potion phials, the zebras introduced to the battle a variable for which the the gryphons had not prepared. When the gryphons turned their attention to fight the zebras, the ponies took advantage of the situation to strike. What had been an assured victory for the army of Gryphus just moments before was quickly turning into a rout.

"Princess," Twilight began to speak between spells, "don't those phials constitute chemical warfare? Isn't that unsettlingly similar to what the gryphons did to us at Trottingham?"

Celestia, who had turned her magic from the fighting to healing the wounds of her subjects, sighed before responding, "Yes, Twilight, the tactics that the zebras are using are indeed very similar to those used by the gryphons, and it is only a technicality that prevents them from violating the international ban on the military use of dynamite. Unfortunately, when an enemy is burning the Equestrian capital city to the ground, I am in no position to turn away assistance, regardless of what dubious tactics that ally might be employing." Hearing a moan from the pony she was treating, Celestia turned her attention back to her patient. "Shh, I know it hurts, but you must be strong. It will only hurt for a short while, I promise."

It was less than an hour after the zebras' arrival before the gryphons admitted their defeat and took to the skies in retreat. The remaining Wonderbolts, who numbered only seven by this point, rose above the city to see to where the enemy had retreated. Returning to the ground, Soarin, having just had an abdominal wound treated by her magic, cantered up to Princess Celestia. "Your majesty," he said with a bow, "the enemy has retreated to the Everfree Forest. There is an area in the middle that didn't burn. That looks to be where they're going."

Celestia took the sky to see the situation for herself. The alicorn's eyes widened when she saw where in the forest that the enemy forces were converging. She quickly returned to the ground and turned to Twilight. "Make haste to Ponyville, Twilight," she said, her voice laced with trepidation. "Take Fluttershy with you, and gather Rarity and Applejack when you arrive. If I'm correct about what Ashnard has in store, only the Elements of Harmony can protect us. After I've gathered the Elements, I will meet you at Fluttershy's cottage with what remains of our army. Go!"

No sooner had she finished giving her orders before Celestia flew towards the castle at a speed that would have given Rainbow Dash a run for her bits. "Whatever it is, it sounds urgent. Soarin, would you please go check on the refugees while Celestia gets ready?" Twilight asked, to which the pegasus nodded his head. She then said goodbye to Flemeth and left to find Fluttershy before setting out for Ponyville at a full gallop.

Author's Note

I know it can get a bit confusing, but "alicorn" can refer to both the material out of which a unicorn's horn is made as well as a pony with both wings and a horn. It's confusing, I know, but I didn't make it up; those have been terms used in fantasy literature for decades. It's just important to keep in mind the context, I suppose.

Also, $20 to anypony who can name the inspiration for Celestia's monologue.