The Desert of Equines

The months and the years had passed: Giovanni Drogo, once a young Captain seeking glory and honor, has become  Major and second-in-command to the command of the little garrison of the fortress.

Giovanni thought about his old friends: maybe now where tired of work and became grandfathers; maybe they found the wealth and the glory; maybe now they are counting their children and grandsons, or maybe they died in despair, without anyone caring of them.

Only one thing was sure: Giovanni was consuming himself : until a week ago, someone could tell that was still young and could see him going around with the horse in the arid plain, even if he did it hardly; then all changed: his muscles lost their power, his skin became more wrinkled more the time passed like a tobacco leaf, his eyes started to hollow out and started to lost the hope to find why he was still here, waiting on a dead border in a desert.

Giovanni Drogo started to stroll round the Bastiani Fortress, and the memories passed in his mind: the monotonous turns of guard in the external bunker; the walls of the fortress once  white who were now gray; the uncomfortable bed of the first days; the nostalgia of home felt before entering the fortress... and the foolish decision of not turning back.

Giovanni Drogo was interrupted by Simeoni, who said to Giovanni Drogo :

“You seem so... consumed by something: I'd suggest to take a license and go away, maybe in sea city”

“No, commander, I already feel better: just lest me recover. Just now I'm going to have my weekly ride with my horse”

“As you wish”, then Simeoni returned in his office... that office who never changed in decades: there was still the old picture of the king, the ceremonial sword, the spartan table...

Giovanni, sighing, took his equipment for the ride reluctantly and prepared the old horse for the ride: even if that activity wasn't anymore enjoyable, it was the only thing that he could do at the moment.

He went down the steep slope and watched the never-changing sight : white rocks who seemed perfectly allinated by some kind of giant, dead bushes and sand... lot of sand.

After he finished his usual round, while he was returning up to the Bastiani Fortress, Giovanni heard a scream and a bell:

“THE ENEMY! THE ENEMY! TO THE ARMS! TO THE ARMS!”

That was what he expected for years: a sign of attack, the proof that the time passed in the fortress wasn't wasted in series of all-equal days: Giovanni Drogo galloped up to the fortress, for then taking his old weapon and see the enemy force's composition, but what he saw surprised him:

knight less equines, just knight less equines on the sight, and not much either: only five or six.

Giovanni thought : “I defended this fortress for years... if I consumed my life.. for defend my nation from a group of equines... then they must be powerful !”.

Giovanni gave the order to prepare the cannons and go in the defense positions, but something interrupted the process: a long rainbow appeared over the fortress, for then disappear in the nothing, after the first shock thought, the soldiers restarted to arm the cannons.

When all was ready, he gave the order to do a warning shoot: after all, they might be travelers from another country... when the soldiers shoot, Giovanni saw that three of the equines stopped: uncertain about what to do, Giovanni gave the order to keep shooting on the incoming equines. After ten minutes, he saw a purple aura circling around him....

Two hours before, in the desert

Twilight Sparkle was losing her hope : it was told by someone that, over the desert of Appleloosa, there was an entire new world, never mapped beforehand and full of riches: she, took by curiosity, chose to go on and explore it, but somehow, her friends wanted to come with her, even if they knew how hard was the travel across the desert; but it seemed that the rumors were false: over the land, nothing apart from white rocks and sand was there, and everyone in the troop started to complaint.

“My hooves hurts after this long trip! Could we stop ? ”

“Why we are taking so long to arrive ? Speed up!”

“This...is so boring...”

“I'm hungry and sunburned”

“Twilight..are you sure to keep moving?”

Twilight Sparkle didn't even answered, she just said :

“Do you wanted the bike ? Now cycle !”

An hour later, Twilight Sparkle heard a sound of a bell.

At first she thought to a mind-created sound, but then the same noise repeated, this time more clearly... she stopped and tried to track from where the sound come, and what she found surprised her : they made it! They reached the opposite part of the desert! Excited, she dropped down the equipment and bounder around saying “Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!”

Rainbow Dash said “What's up egghead? Did you found out a new kind of sand? Uhu, useful info !”

“No, Rainbow Dash, we reached a civilized zone! Could you please recon for us from this part ?” Twilight pointed out a far mountain .

“Are you kidding me? There is nothing!”

“But I heard a bell ! “

“Are you sure that wasn't a sound created by your mind ?”

“Of course it isn't created by my mind!”

“Alright it then, if I don't find something, then you pay me 20 bits”, then she flew away, heading for the mountain.

Few seconds later, Rainbow Dash returned, and reported living forms in a building resembling a barracks.

Twilight Sparkle said with a triumphant voice :

“Girls ! We are near to our goal! Resist some more and we will found out the secrets of this new world !”

“yay” said Fluttershy in her usual low voice, before jumping away from a piece of sand moved by a steel ball, as did other patches of sand around them.

“What's happening Twilight?” said Applejack with an unusually scared voice

“Maybe it's their welcome! Respond the same way!” said Pinkie Pie

“I doubt, Pinkie, mostly because this are bullets, and they are made for kill: I don't think that they will welcome friendly someone by shooting at them: we must move faster.” , and so she did, while Pinkie stood there wawing to the source of the shooting, Rarity lost awareness, Applejack guarding them and the two pegasi coming along with Twilight

Some time later Twilight was near a rope bridge over a cliff, because she was still under fire, Twilight decided to take with her the creature who gave the order of shooting to she and her friends:

she concentrated, and saw one of the creature circled by her purple aura....