Prologue: The Smell of Burning Crystals
“My Lord, we are in position and await your order.”
He took a final moment to observe the gleaming crystal city. He didn’t doubt that it stood as a shining beacon of hope for the species that inhabited it. It would make for a good message.
“The order is given. Kill them all. Leave the demon for me.”
A flaming arrow shot into the early morning sky.
Watch duty was always a dull affair. Especially this early in the morning. But Bright Lance didn’t mind too much. She had always been more of a nocturnal mare anyway. And with the first whispers of dawn creeping over the horizon, her rotation was due any moment. She would go home, sleep all day, enjoy the afternoon, then come back for the night shift. A perfect day in her books. Her partner, Stalwart Shield, came trotting from the other watch tower. He always looked about ready to pass out. He obviously didn’t appreciate the early morning like she did. With a yawn he asked, “So, end of shift, anything to report?”
Bright Lance smiled. It was a long running joke between the two of them. There was only ever one thing to report. And she reported it, “Just snow, snow and more...wait.”
Across the snow covered field, from behind the first of the hills in the distance, a flickering light soared into the sky. Bright Lance was transfixed by it. In the corner of her eye, she could see that Stalwart was as well, any trace of tiredness momentarily forgotten. “What is that?” he asked. Bright Lance took a second to process it then answered, “It...looks like...”
An arrow buried itself between her eyes. Bright Lance was dead before she hit the floor. Stalwart Shield stood there a moment gawking at her body, training warring with panic, before an arrow found the side of his head and sent him spinning from the wall. Similar fates befell every other watch patrolling the wall. Their deaths were quickly followed by grappling hooks latching on to the ramparts.
The wall had been a good idea, Shining Armor decided. The city had been wide open to attack. The wall had fixed that. Or, at least, was supposed to have to fixed that. The screams of the city echoed along the hallways of the Crystal Palace. Shining had been in the mess trying to get an early breakfast when the screaming began. Two minutes later his aide had come barreling through the door, telling him that the city was under attack. That was an understatement. The city was being massacred. What little information that was getting to Shining made this painfully obvious. A city of eighty thousand ponies was being murdered. And there was nothing Shining Armor could do about it. There was only one course of action.
Get. Cadance. Out.
He was on his way back to their bedroom now. He and whatever Royal Guard he had been able to muster on the way. They numbered around ten. They were all fresh out of bed. Most didn’t have their armor on. They all had a look of fear in their eyes.
Mingling with the screaming, the sound of splintering doors and clashing blades echoed down the hallway. There was also howling. Blood curdling, nightmarish howling. It meant whoever was attacking them was already in the palace. Their window was closing.
Shining Armor briefly wondered as to who was attacking them. Could it be the Changelings out for revenge? The last scouting reports indicated that Chrysalis was still recovering her numbers from her disastrous attack on Canterlot. The griffons maybe? There had been no signs to indicate that Griffonia had any ill intentions towards Equestria, let alone the Crystal Empire. And Griffons didn’t howl like that.
He shook his head clear. It didn’t matter. None of it mattered. All that mattered was getting his wife out of the city.
They came at last to their bedroom and, without ceremony, he kicked the doors open. Cadance, bless her heart, was already up and ready to go. She turned to her husband and asked the question that was on everypony’s mind, “Shining! What’s happening?”
“The city’s under attack. We’re getting you out. Now!”
“Under attack? By who?”
“I don’t know. It doesn’t matter. Cadance, we have to get you out of here!”
“But what about the city? What about my people?”
Before Shining could answer, one of the Royal Guard called out, “Behind us!”
Rushing back to the door, Shining Armor got his first glance of the enemy. Running up the hallway towards them were...Diamond Dogs. But they weren’t anything like the slow witted buffoons that Shining was used to. These dogs had a far more barbaric visage. Their fur was longer and a uniform grey. Their armor was of finer quality and they each carried an axe and shield, which were also of fine quality. But their eyes held the most shocking difference. They glared with an intelligent, murderous intent. Turning the corner in the hallway they saw Shining standing in the doorway and, roaring their challenge, started charging towards him. And more were coming from behind.
Shining let loose a powerful spell, filling the hallway with fire. Hateful roars turned into anguished yelps as the dogs’ fur was consumed by the flames. With a tug of his magick, Shining slammed the doors shut. He yelled to his Guard, “Bar the doors! Make sure nothing gets through! Protect the Princess at all cost!”
The Royal Guard happily obliged, locking the doors and shoving furniture in front of them. The doors began to shake violently as more dogs arrived and began bashing their way in. “Captain,” one of his guards cried out, “what do we do?” Shining wracked his brains for an answer. Those doors were their only way out. They were trapped. For the first time in his life, Shining Armor felt truly helpless. Everything was going wrong. The past few days had been nothing short of perfect. Preparing for the Equestria Games. His sister’s coronation. Little Twiley an alicorn princess! Never in a hundred years did he dream of seeing something like that. The celebrating, the laughing, the singing. And then...this.
“Shining...”
Cadance’s voice broke him from his panicked reverie. He looked up into her beautiful eyes and saw her pleading fear. He saw his reflection in them and saw his own panicked eyes.
“What do we do?”, she asked him. He worked his mouth for a few seconds, desperately trying to come up with a solution. None were forthcoming.
“I don’t know,” he answered weakly. As if to accentuate the point, the hammering on the door intensified. Splinters were flying everywhere as the dogs took their axes to it. Shining felt helpless tears leap unbidden to his face. He failed. He failed the most important pony in the world to him. Cadance placed a hoof on his back. He turned back to her and saw tears falling down her face as well. It suddenly dawned on him that this might be the last time he ever saw her.
He briefly wondered if he ever truly appreciated how beautiful she was. Those big, soulful eyes. Her shining pink coat. Not to mention her perfect pair of...wings.
“The balcony,” he whispered.
Not bothering to explain himself, Shining grabbed Cadance’s hoof and rushed towards the balcony. Throwing open the doors they ran out...and saw their city.
Shining never knew what burning crystals smelled like before that day. He decided he never wanted to smell that scent again. The city was burning. Below them, crystal ponies ran through the streets, screaming in panic. They were being hunted by the dogs. Thousands of dogs. Tens of thousands of dogs. Enough to surround the entire city. The ponies ran but there was nowhere to run to. They were being hunted. Like animals.
Shining did his to best block them out. He wasn’t successful. He turned to his wife, punched a hoof towards the sky, and said, with no small amount of force, “Go.”
Cadance’s eyes widened as her husband plan dawned on her. “What?”
“Go. Fly away. Get out of here before it’s too late. Now!”
Cadance shook her head, a resolute look falling over her face. “No,” she replied.
“This is not up for discussion, Cadance!”, Shining shouted.
“It most certainly isn’t!”, Cadance shouted back. “I’m not leaving you!”
Before they could argue any further, the sound of splintering wood, screams, and howls came from the bedroom. The dogs had broken through the doors. Slaughtering the Royal Guard inside, they made for the balcony. With a defiant roar, Shining Armor erected a magical barrier in the balcony doorway. The dogs slammed into it and immediately began hacking away with their axes. Shining strained under the pressure. Grunting with effort, he shouted, “Cadance! Please! Get out of here!”
A blast of magic from behind him was her response. The shot phased right through the barrier and incinerated the head of the dog unlucky enough to be in its way. Shining turned his head enough to see his wife. Her hooves were firmly planted and she was picking off dogs one by one with powerful bursts of magic. Shining almost smiled to himself. She had always been a stubborn one.
So, this is it, he mused. Fighting side by side with his wife against a horde of unknown enemies. Not exactly the end he had envisioned for himself. At least they’d take a few with them, he thought. And, at least they’d be together. He wondered how Twiley would...
Then someone turned the magic off.
One minute, Shining was channeling more power into his horn than ever before. The next, his horn became nothing more than a dead weight on his forehead. The shield dissipated. The dogs were all over them. Shining got one good hit off with his forehoof before being swamped by a tide of grey fur. They clawed, bit, and punched him to the ground. He uselessly screamed his defiance at them, until a fist found his throat and silenced him. He felt his heart break as he heard Cadance screaming in pain as they did the same to her. It was over, he realized. He saw one dog raising an axe and closed his eyes, waiting for the blow.
“Hold!”
The blow never came. Opening his eyes, Shining saw that all activity amongst the dogs had stopped and their heads were all pointing in the same direction. He looked to where they were looking. Standing in the doorway was a very well dressed dog. His armor was of finer quality than the other’s. A velvet cape flowed from his shoulders. A silver helmet with a scarlet plume was tucked under the crook of his arm. A wicked looking sabre was strapped to his side. His face was old and battle-scarred and his red eyes glared disdainfully down at the ponies beneath his troops.
“Wolven,” he said, “prepare to receive your lord and master!”
The dogs, apparently called Wolven, lifted themselves from Shining Armor and Cadance. A pair remained for each to keep them held down. The Wolven leader hammered his right fist into the center of his breast. His troops did likewise.
From the hallway came a dog monster. He towered over his troops by at least a head. His fur was white as snow. His eyes blazed a scarlet red. He wore armor even finer than the other leader’s. Instead of red, his cape was a midnight black. As were his claws.
The dogs on the balcony bowed their heads in respect as he approached. The dog leader looked down upon the captured ponies and smiled. A smile beaming with razor sharp teeth. He turned to his underling and placed a black claw on his shoulder.
“Well done, General.”
The general bowed his head, mimicking his soldiers’ show of respect.
“I live to serve, father.”
Turning from his general, the leader addressed someone behind Shining.
“I suppose we have you to thank for this swift victory Shadow.”
From the end of the balcony came a dog with black fur and red eyes. He wore a cloak of black and blended seamlessly with the shadows.
“It is ever my pleasure to serve, my lord,” Shadow replied, with a voice as soft as the wind. He looked at Shining and Shining instinctively knew that he was the reason for the loss of their magic. He was like a black hole, sucking all of the magic from the air.
The leader brought his attention back to the two ponies beneath him.
“Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, I presume? Empress of the Crystal Empire, niece of the sun demon Celestia, and the self proclaimed ‘princess of love’?”
His troops laughed at this last title. Cadance didn’t respond. Her eyes were glued in horror on the monster before her.
With a playful flourish, the leader gave a theatrical bow.
“Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Lord Blackclaw of the Wolven. And, by the Mother’s blessing, I am here to rid the world of the taint of your kind. You are my prisoner now.”
With another smile, Lord Blackclaw turned away from the ponies and made for the exit.
His general spoke up, “My lord.”
“Hm?”
The general looked directly at Shining Armor and asked, “What should we do with the pony captain?”
Blackclaw thought for a moment, then replied, “A message must be sent to Equestria, general.”
He turned to regard Shining Armor and, in an instant, decided his fate.
“He will do.”
Then Blackclaw left the room without a second glance.
The general grinned wickedly and drew his sabre. Shining looked into his eyes and knew what was coming. Cadance saw it too and began thrashing and bucking wildly, trying to remove her captors.
“No!”, She screamed, “No! Please! No!”
Shining looked at his wife. She looked back. Shining saw the tearful desperation in her eyes. At that moment he wanted nothing more than to go to her, hold her, comfort her, and tell her everything would be alright. He’d be lying if he did so. He again wondered if he ever truly appreciated how beautiful she was.
For the second and last time in his life, Shining Armor felt truly helpless.
With tears flowing freely from his eyes, he said, “I love you Ca-”
A flash of steel and he knew no more.
Around the Crystal Palace, the city burned. The last of the crystal ponies were hunted down and slaughtered. All told, the attack had taken less than an hour. The death of the Crystal Empire was just the beginning.
The Death of All Things Harmonious had begun.
“Does this ever get any easier?”
Twilight Sparkle was exhausted. All day she had sat by Celestia’s side at her daytime court, helping deal with any problems that ponies brought forth. Mostly, those problems dealt with whining nobles. Now, Twilight was no stranger to the shallowness of the aristocracy. She had spent all of her early life in Canterlot and had often walked in on Celestia dealing with their incessant complaining. But to be at the frontline of it and having to deal with it all day was nothing short of maddening. Twilight was beginning to develop a healthy new respect for the depths of Celestia’s patience.
The last noble to be dealt with that day was Blueblood. Blueblood was the worst. It was bad enough that he was a firstborn son of a proud aristocratic legacy that dated back to before the rise Nightmare Moon. But add to that the renown of being a distant nephew to Princess Celestia herself and you might as well have thought that he owned the place, the way he carried himself around the palace.
Today’s complaint involved the palace showers. Evidently, the heroic prince had burned himself when taking a shower that afternoon. Of course he left out the little details like how he had only just woken up a few minutes before and with a monstrous hangover no less. He had marched into the Sun Court and demanded, demanded, that not only should every shower in the palace be renovated and refurbished, but every plumber responsible for the previous showers should be imprisoned for, and I quote, “attempting to assassinate a member of the royal family.”
“How do you put up with that nephew of yours?”
Celestia, for her part, had been calm. Serene even. She expressed sympathy for her nephew and his plight and told him that she would have somepony brought in to fix the showers. She also regretted to inform him that the last plumber responsible for the previous showers had died almost fifty years ago.
She let loose a sigh a she watched him march out, nose arched indignantly in the air. “You know,” she responded, “Luna asked me the same exact question just the other day. I couldn’t give her a straight answer either.”
She smiled at Twilight who was trying to suppress a yawn while at the same time maintaining a regal pose. She was failing on both accounts. “To answer your first question: I’d be lying if I told you that it got easier over time. I suppose you just become more experienced with dealing with the nonsense. Or find new and improved ways of ignoring it.” She gave her student a playful wink which made Twilight giggle.
Former student, Celestia had to remind herself. Twilight was a princess now. And with her new royal apparel, complete with tiara, necklace, and shoes, she looked the part. Even if she was a bit short. “You’re not actually going to have somepony brought in to fix the showers are you?”, she asked.
Celestia snorted in a most un-royal way, “Goodness no! Knowing Blueblood he’ll probably just drink himself into a stupor again tonight and completely forget about it by this time tomorrow. Or at least until I have the palace staff turn off his hot water. That will sober him up.”
Twilight laughed at this. Never agitate Princess Celestia. She had a reputation around the palace as a wicked prankster. Her laugh quickly devolved into another yawn. Celestia noticed this and could sympathise. “How about we call it a day and go get some supper?”, she said. Twilight could only nod as yet another yawn threatened to escape her throat. Celestia turned to her unicorn captain of the guard and said, “Captain Vanguard. Are there any other ponies waiting for my audience?”
Captain Noble Vanguard turned to his guards at the doors at the other end of the court. They did a quick check and came back shaking their heads. Vanguard turned back to Celestia and said, “No, Your Highness.”
“Then if you would please lock the doors and have the staff clean up. Luna’s evening court is to begin in one hour.”
“Yes, Your Highness”
With a final salute, Vanguard went off to carry out her orders. Celestia turned back to Twilight whose eyes were beginning to droop from the tiredness. “You know Twilight,” she began, “you didn’t have to attend the daily court with me today.”
“Hm?”, Twilight responded. Realizing that the question had been directed towards her, she shook her head to clear away as much drowsiness as possible before saying, “Please, Princess. I’m an alicorn now. I feel obliged to learn all that I can about the responsibilities that entails. Both the exciting and the boring. And that means getting a hooves on experience.”
Celestia smiled at this. “Ever the student I see, Twilight.”
Twilight smiled back. “Old habits die hard I suppose.”
Celestia turned back before remembering, “Oh. By the way Twilight. You don’t have to refer to me as ‘princess’ anymore. I’m just Celestia to you now.”
Twilight’s smile waned a bit, but if anything looked even more affectionate than before. “Old habits,” she said.
Celestia returned her affectionate smile and said, “Come on. Let’s go get some sup-”
“Your Highness!”
Startled, both Celestia and Twilight turned to the door as a pegasus guardspony came flying through. He was out of breath. “Your Highness!”, he called again, “News from the gate!”
“What is it?”, Celestia asked.
Landing in the middle of the court, the guardspony took a moment to regain his breath. Straightening into attention, he said, “Your Highnesses,” noticing Twilight, “an emissary has arrived from the North.”
“What sort of emissary?”, Twilight asked this time.
“Polar bears, Your Highness. Though they are not alone.”
Twilight’s face lit up. Polar bears! The fabled arctic residents of the Far Northlands! She had read about them once while studying for Celestia and had always wanted to meet one.
Celestia, however, was less than thrilled. “What do you mean they are not alone?”
“They are being...ridden, Your Highness.”
“Ridden?”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“By whom?”
The guardspony took a moment to mull over his answer. It was clearly confusing him, “By...what appear to be...Diamond Dogs, Your Highness.”
Celestia didn’t respond to this. She couldn’t. It didn’t make any sense. But, ever the statespony, she didn’t let her confusion show and said, “Have them brought to the court immediately.” The guardspony saluted and flew off to obey. Celestia turned to Captain Vanguard and said, “Captain. If you would please, round up another two squads of guardsponies and escort the bears in.”
Vanguard saluted stiffly and turned to leave.
“And Noble.”
He turned back.
“Expect trouble.”
He hesitated a moment, then nodded and ran out to do her bidding.
Celestia took a deep breath. Twilight was shocked to see that she looked nervous.
“Celestia,” she asked, “what’s wrong?”
Celestia breathed out and responded, “I haven’t had dealings with the polar bears in over six centuries, Twilight. And the last time we met, we left on...less than favorable terms. I can only hope that they don’t possess the memories of their ancestors.”
Twilight processed this information before asking, “What did that guardspony mean when he said that they were being ridden by Diamond Dogs?”
Celestia looked to the young alicorn and Twilight could see the confusion in her eyes. “I honestly don’t know, Twilight. The last time I was in the Far North, the only dogs present were roving bands of Diamond Dog-looking wolves. And they hated the polar bears. It makes no sense that they would be here now, let alone riding their greatest enemies.”
Celestia looked back to the door, her eyes unfocused and looking into the distance. “There’s something I’m missing here,” she said, more to herself than to Twilight, “Something that I've overlooked. Something that just doesn’t add up.”
“Sister?”
Celestia and Twilight turned to see Luna entering the court. The princess of the night was bedecked in her full royal regalia, clearly in preparation for her evening court. She wore a mask of confusion on her face.
“Luna,” Celestia greeted.
“What is going on, sister? Why are you and Twilight still here? Has not the day court been concluded yet?”
“A matter has arisen. I would have you stand with us to help settle it.”
Luna did as she was bidden and took her place by Celestia’s right side. Her face, however, still betrayed her confusion.
“Tia...you’re using your serious princess voice. What matter has arisen?”
“An emissary has arrived...from the Far Northlands.”
Luna’s eyes went wide at this news, and its implications. “The Ursarine!”, she breathed, “They have returned? I thought you said you had laid that matter to rest over six centuries ago.”
“You put words in my mouth, little sister. I said I had reached a conclusion beneficial to Equestria. I never said that the matter had been laid to rest.”
Luna gave her sister a critical look. “Celestia,” she said in an even, forceful tone, “answer me truthfully. If the Ursarine have returned, would they be doing so out of a desire for vengeance for past wrongs?”
Celestia took a moment to think before answering, “Maybe.”
Luna cursed under her breath.
“I won’t pretend I’m in the right here, Luna. Mistakes were made. There is plenty from that agreement that I regret.”
“And how exactly is it that you, the champion of strategy and thinking ahead, could have made such a grievous error in judgement?”
“I don’t think you’re in a position to ask that question, sister. You’ve never had to deal with the Ursarine in a political nature. You were only ever proficient at carving them up.”
“I never had to deal with them politically because I was never given the chance to. As it turns out, I wasn’t around!”
“Luna, Celestia, please!”
The arguing Princesses were brought back into the real world by Twilight’s plea in time to hear the sound of marching hooves and the bestial grunting of the bears outside. Evidently the emissary had arrived.
Celestia let loose a calming breath. “This is neither the time nor the place to have this conversation, Luna. Can it be agreed that, at this moment, we must be of one mind and one purpose?”
From the look on her face, it was evident that Luna wasn’t ready to let the matter lie just yet, but she nodded all the same. Accepting this as enough, Celestia turned to Twilight and said, “Twilight, I apologise, but, if you could, allow Luna and I to do the talking.”
Twilight, still a little shaken from the sight of the two princesses arguing, replied, “Of course.”
Together, the three alicorns turned back to the doors as the marching came to a halt.
“There was one final word of warning I wished to give you, dear sister,” Celestia whispered into Luna’s ear.
The doors opened.
“I fear the situation may be even more complicated than it seems.”
The emissary walked in.
Out of all the strange sights Twilight had seen throughout her life, what walked through the doors of the Sun Court was easily one of the strangest. There were three bears, each one living up to the stories and depictions Twilight had read and seen. Great ursa like beasts, much like in appearance as the Ursa Minors found in the Everfree Forest. Except their hides were made of blood and fur and not magically refracted starlight. And although they didn’t come close to the size of the Ursa Minors, they were still massive beasts, each one dwarfing the ponies sent to watch them. Even Celestia looked small by comparison. Their fur was snow white and black, beady eyes and a snarling mouth of razor sharp teeth added to an already intimidating sight. However, the bears weren’t what held Twilight’s fascination. It was who was riding the bears that caught her fancy.
The guard hadn’t been lying. They looked like Diamond Dogs. And yet, they didn’t. They had a much more authoritative and regal air about them than the Diamond Dogs could ever muster. A more intelligent one too. But for all that authority and intelligence, there was still a savage undercurrent to their appearance. There were three as well, one dog for each bear. Two had the look of soldiers, with their dull steel yet finely crafted matching suits of armour. The armour covered most extremities: a breastplate for the chest, guards for their shins and elongated forearms, and a plain, unadorned helmet for the head. They each carried a long spear in their right paw and a large, round, metal shield in their left. The shield was emblazoned with a white wolf’s head that glared with red eyes. Twilight could also make out the hilts of swords strapped to their left hips. All in all, they looked very threatening and Twilight had to suppress a shudder as one fixed her with his blazing yellow eyes.
One of the soldiers also carried a sack with him. The sack was dripping something. Something red. She didn’t know why, but she had a horrible sense of dread when she looked at it. She figured that must be where they stored their food. She did shudder when she thought about what these dogs must eat.
These two soldiers obviously acted as guards to the third dog. Unlike his associates, he did not wear armour, but instead opted for a regal looking red cloak and carried only a sword on his hip. His fur was the same grey as his guards’ and his eyes were the same yellow, yet, of the three, he carried himself with the most authority. It was he who spoke first. “Do I have the privilege,” he said in perfect Equestrian, “of addressing Celestia of Equestria?”
Celestia didn’t miss a beat. “You do. And who might I be addressing?”
A smile beamed across the dog’s features. It would have almost been handsome if it hadn’t revealed the razor like teeth in his mouth. “My dear lady,” he said in a theatrical voice.
He dismounted and his guards followed suit. He approached while maintaining a theatrical air. “My name,” he said giving a polite bow, “is Sharp Tongue and I act as emissary to the Great Lord Blackclaw, master of the Wolven and the Northlands.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you...Sharp Tongue. Might I also introduce my sister-”
“Luna, princess of the night.”, Sharp Tongue piped in, “And if I am not mistaken, the lady to your left must be the newly crowned Princess Twilight Sparkle.” He bowed to Luna and Twilight in turn. “A pleasure my ladies.”
If Celestia was surprised, she hid it well. “Indeed,” she continued, “you are quite well informed, Sharp Tongue.”
“My lord likes us to be well versed with the going ons of Equestrian politics.”
“You must forgive my ignorance then, for I am not familiar with your lord or his claims to the Northlands.”
“Indeed. By your lifespan, my lord’s rise to power is a very recent event.”
“And yet he claims to be master of the Northlands?”
Sharp Tongue chuckled softly to that. “My dear Celestia,” he said, “He does not claim to be master of the Northlands. He is master of the Northlands.”
Celestia and Luna gave each other sideways glances. Luna spoke up this time, “When last we knew, the Ursarine were masters of the Northlands.”
“Well, there has been a radical shift in power since last you knew.”
“If that is the case, then why do the Ursarine represent themselves?”
Sharp Tongue turned to acknowledge the bears, as if noticing them for the first time. He turned back saying, “They are not here as representatives.”
Luna ignored him. “What ho, bear!”, she called out to the lead polar bear, “What news from the Deep Den?”
The bear raised its head to the call and gave the princess a quizzical look. There was no intelligence behind its eyes and it stared dumbly at her like a beast of burden.
Luna turned back to Sharp Tongue, a scowl on her face. “What did you do to them?”
“Why do they not answer?”, added Celestia.
Sharp Tongue shrugged. “They do not answer because they cannot answer.”
Before Celestia and Luna could inquire further, Twilight spoke up with the explanation.
“You lobotomized them,” she breathed, unmasked horror in her voice.
She had found it whilst trying to avoid eye contact with the guards. A barely visible scar, planted between the lead bear’s eyes. Upon further investigations, she saw that all three bears had it. And given their lack of intelligence and recognition...lobotomization was the only viable conclusion.
“That’s barbaric!”, spat Luna, disgust plainly visible on her face. Even Celestia couldn’t keep her lips from curling.
“That,” replied Sharp Tongue, “was necessary.”
He walked over to his bear and began to scratch its head with a paw. The bear growled in affection at the treatment. Sharp Tongue began, “I’m not sure if you recall, but last time you were in the Northlands, bears and wolves did not have the most cooperative of relationships. For the longest time, the Ursarine oppressed my people, treating us as though we were nothing more than vermin. And there was nothing we could do to stop them. That is, until the coming of the Mother and her voice, our great Lord Blackclaw. He united us and as one nation we defeated the bears and freed our people.”
Sharp Tongue worked his claw behind the bear’s ear, eliciting a pleasurable cooing noise. “If anything,” he continued, “what we did was a mercy. Once victorious, we Wolven were more than prepared to drive the Ursarine into extinction as punishment for their crimes against us. But Lord Blackclaw saw above such petty revenge and found a new purpose for the bears in the Mother’s Grand Design. Now they are our noble steeds, carrying the Mother’s children into battle and bearing our burdens.”
Before either Luna or Celestia could reply, most likely with scathing remarks of condemnation, Twilight asked her own question. A question that had been bothering her since the middle of the wolf’s speech.”
“Who is the Mother?”
Sharp Tongue turned away from his bear and faced Twilight, a broad smile on his face. Once more, Twilight shuddered. “The Mother, Princess Twilight, is everything. She is the air and the land. The water and the snow. The food we eat, the trees that grow, even the diseases that ail us are all part of the Mother’s Grand Design. She is the creator, guardian, and nurturer of all life on this planet. And we, the Wolven, are her chosen children and great Lord Blackclaw is her Voice.”
Spreading his arms wide, Sharp Tongue said in a dramatic tone, “It is our blessed duty to carry out her will. So it is spoken!”
“So it shall be,” intoned the wolf guards.
Silence reigned throughout the Sun Court. All three princesses were baffled by this display. Luna and Twilight wore it more plainly on their faces, jaws fallen open in astonishment. Celestia, who was ever the statespony, managed to keep her composure. Their royal guard fared little better, each one dumbfounded by the Wolven’s display. Pleased with the reaction, Sharp Tongue re-took center stage and continued, “That little exposition actually neatly segues us as to the reason for my visit.”
“Which is?”, asked Celestia.
Sharp Tongue’s eyes met Celestia’s. He wasn’t smiling anymore. “I bear a message from my lord and master who in turn bears the weight of the Mother’s Will. And the message is this:”, the next three words were spat like the filthiest of curses, “Equestria. Has. Sinned.”
Sharp Tongue began to pace as he continued, each word increasing in intensity from the last, “Your use of that filthy practice you know as magic has angered the Mother. Your attempts to control Her weather, Her earth, and even Her blessed moon and sun have violated her. She weeps from this violation. And we, as Her dutiful sons, will punish those that make our Mother weep.”
He never once broke eye contact as he said, “The message I bring, Celestia, Queen Demon of Ponykind, is one of war. Of righteous crusade. The United Tribes of the Wolven descend upon your land. We have sworn an oath to not stop until every trace of your black arts is wiped clean from the Mother’s world. This is the Will of the Mother. So it is spoken!”
“So it shall be,” once again chorused by the wolf guards.
Sharp Tongue relished the looks of shock and disbelief playing across the princesses’ faces. Even Celestia couldn’t keep her shock hidden. He smiled, though it was a much more demented smile than before. Condescending even. “But our lord is not without mercy. He found a purpose for the bears. He can find a purpose for ponies in the Mother’s Design. Along with this message, I was asked to bring a message of warning. And a gift.”
Sharp Tongue clapped his paws together. The wolf guard with the dripping sack stepped forward. For the second time, Twilight had a horrible sense of dread about the contents of the sack. She realized she didn’t want to see what was inside. But she couldn’t look away. Horrid fascination kept her rooted to the spot.
The guard presented the sack to Sharp Tongue. Sharp Tongue opened the folds and reached a paw in. Once more, he made eye contact with Celestia and said, “My master, the gracious Lord Blackclaw, sends this, with his regards...from the Crystal Empire.”
By its hair, Sharp Tongue removed the contents of the sack. Cries of outrage and horror arose from the present guardponies. Luna brought a hoof to her mouth, unable to believe what she was seeing. Celestia’s composure finally collapsed and her jaw dropped. Twilight...Twilight remembered a fond memory from her childhood.
A young Twilight Sparkle came bursting through the door of the Sparkle residence, bouncing like a maniac shouting, “Yesyesyesyesyes!” Behind her followed two very proud, if a little shaken, parents. Shining Armour had been in the living room, practicing drill moves for Guard’s Academy when his sister came barreling through. “Twiley?”, he called out, trying to get his sister to calm down. Twilight was having none of it and she continued to bounce around the living room, shouting her Yes’s. Rolling his eyes, Shining did the only sensible thing: he shoved a hoof into Twilight’s mouth. She immediately stopped bouncing. Content that she was pacified, Shining removed the hoof and asked, “What happened, Twiley? Did you past the test?”
Twilight’s grin threatened to split her face. “Yes! Yes!” Twilight started to bounce as her excitement threatened to overwhelm her again. “Yes!Yes!YE-” Shining shoved his hoof back into her mouth and arched an eyebrow at her. Getting the message, Twilight nodded. The hoof was removed. Taking a deep breath, obviously still fighting her excitement, she said, “Yes! Shining, I did it! I passed! I’m accepted into Celetia’s school! Oh, and I got my Cutie Mark!” Doing an about face, Twilight proudly displayed her flank and the sparkling Cutie Mark emblazoned on it. Shining was ecstatic. “Woah! Twiley that’s awesome! I’m so proud of you! Get over here.” Grabbing her into an embrace, Shining proceeded to playfully noogy his little sister’s head. She laughed and shouted mock protests, before something dawned on her.
“Wait. Wait!”, she called. The noogies stopped and Shining gave her sister a confused look. “What is it, Twiley?” Twilight looked into her brother’s eyes and said, “I just realized. If I’m going to Celestia’s school and you’re going to the Guard’s Academy, then...then...” Twilight was close to tears by this point, her excitement completely forgotten, “then we’ll never see each other anymore.”
Seeing his sister’s distress Shining did the only thing a big brother knew how. He pulled his sister close and said, “Hey. Hey come on, Twiley. It’ll be alright. Okay? It doesn’t matter where we’re going or where we’ll end up. Just know that I’ll always be here for you.”
Sniffling, Twilight looked up into her brother’s eyes and asked, “Always?”
Putting on the best smile he could manage, his eyes radiating with love, Shining responded,
“Always.”
Twilight screamed. She screamed because those loving eyes were now lifelessly staring at her.
Sharp Tongue held Shining’s head by the mane for all the court to see. It’s skin was pale and the horn had been sawn off. Dead eyes stared outwards and the tongue lolled out of its mouth.
“This,” Sharp Tongue proclaimed, “is my master’s warning!”
He tossed the head in front of Twilight’s hooves. It bounced and rolled until it was resting against her shoe, eyes still staring up at her. She couldn’t pry her eyes away from his. She felt her legs buckle and fell to her knees. She began to hyperventilate.
“The Crystal Empire,” Sharp Tongue continued, “has fallen and every crystal pony has been slaughtered! This is to be the fate of all of Equestria should you resist the Mother’s Will!”
He took a step towards Celestia, paws outstretched as if in beseechment, “Or, if you should surrender now, if you give yourself willingly to the Mother’s Will, then your ponies shall be spared. On this, my lord swears his life.”
He stepped back and shrugged his shoulders. “The choice is yours, Celestia. Choose wisely.”
The silence in the Sun Court was absolute, broken only by Twilight’s sobbing. Everypony present was struck dumb by the horror they just witnessed. Guardsponies who had years of service under their belts found that they had no idea what to do. Even the grizzled Captain Vanguard was at a loss for words. All eyes were on Celestia, whose own eyes were on Twilight, who was weeping inconsolably over the head of her brother. The silence dragged on for several seconds. When Celestia spoke, her voice was whisper quiet, “How dare you.”
Sharp Tongue cocked an ear, having not quite caught that, “Come again?”
Celestia’s eyes snapped on to Sharp Tongue’s. They burned with the intensity of the sun. The temperature in the room began to rise and her ethereal mane began to glow a fiery red. What remained of her composure disintegrated and her face betrayed the most volcanic of rages. When she spoke again, the entire mountain shook.
“HOW. DARE. YOU!”
Her horn flashed and, in a blink, the Wolven party was surrounded by a ring of Hellfire. Celestia descended from her throne and advanced on them, her fiery mane making her look every inch the demon they believed her to be. The bears began to panic as the fire licked at their fur. The wolf guards brought their shields and spears to bear, ready to sell their lives dearly. Celestia was rage incarnate as she spoke in the Royal Canterlot Voice,
“YOU COME INTO MY CITY, THREATEN MY PEOPLE WITH WAR AND DEATH, PRESENT TO ME THE HEAD OF A BELOVED CAPTAIN AND FRIEND AND AT THE END OF ALL THIS EXPECT ME TO ROLL OVER AND SUBMIT! HOW DARE YOU!”
To his credit, Sharp Tongue stood his ground. He seemed almost relaxed as a demon from the darkest Wolven legends marched towards him, her every hoofstep bursting in a shower of sparks, until she was right in front of him. He looked nonchalantly from Celestia to the Hellfire to the panicked bears to his readied guards and back to Celestia. Staring into the eyes of an enraged goddess who possessed, in essence, the power of the sun he said,
“Should I take that as a ‘no’?”
One could almost hear the camel’s back breaking.
Another flash of her horn and the bears combusted. Their panicked cries turned into bestial roars of agony as the flames ate away their fur and dug into their flesh. They thrashed and rolled and bit into their coats in a vain effort to remove the flames, but there was no escape and their resistance eventually softened and died. However, that had not been the desired effect of the spell. Celestia had aimed to combust the wolf guards as well. Yet there they stood, completely unaffected, spear and shields still held at the ready. Even through her rage, Celestia blinked in confusion. Sharp Tongue laughed at this and said, “Had you been expecting to do the same to my brave guards? I think you’ll find that we Wolven are not so susceptible to your filth as others may be.”
Celestia turned back to Sharp Tongue, her raged reignited. She willed his flesh to melt from his bones, his blood to boil in his veins, and his very soul to be eaten by fire. None of these things happened. Sharp Tongue simply stood before her looking bored. Sighing, he gave Celestia a bemused look and said, “Okay. As fun and...enlightening as this little experience has been, I think it’s time for you to calm down.”
Sharp Tongue whistled over to the shadows in the corner of the hall. Something dropped from the ceiling. And all the magic was sucked from the room. Celestia gave a tiny gasp as her fire went out. Her mane went from a flaming red to a dull pink and fell across her face, looking nothing like the majestic, ethereal rainbow that it usually did. Her legs buckled and she fell to the floor. Luna cried out to her sister and moved forward to help, but she felt the effects as well. Her mane transformed from an ethereal reflection of the night sky to a dull blue and she nearly fell forward from her throne. Every magically sensitive pony in the hall could feel it. Like a vacuum sucking all the magic into some dark abyss. The unicorn guards present, including Captain Vanguard, stumbled dizzily as their horns turned into dead weights. But it didn’t stop them. Vanguard saw his princess in peril and, drawing his sword with his teeth, gave the order to charge. There were a total of twenty guards as part of the escort. A mixed assortment of unicorns, pegasi, and earth ponies. Plus Vanguard, that made twenty one. There were only two Wolven guards sent to defend Sharp Tongue. They turned to face the charging guardsponies, spear and shield still held at the ready. It was not a fair fight.
The wolves met the first two charging pony guards together. In sync, their spears stabbed forward and skewered the ponies. With two quick tugs, the spears came loose and the wolf guards went to work. Every attack the ponies threw forth was blocked by a shield and quickly punished for by a spear thrust. The ponies tried to surround the wolves, use their superior numbers to overwhelm them, but every attempt to stab at the unguarded back of one wolf was met by the other. A pegasus guard tried to fly up and get the drop on the wolves from above. He was met by a spear thrown like a javelin. The thrower fluidly drew his sword and disemboweled another guard while at the same time blocking an attack with his shield. The wolves were like dancers, effortlessly working together and punishing the ponies for every mistake, as though the entire fight had been staged. In a matter of moments, the escort of twenty ponies had been reduced to only Captain Vanguard. And though he fought valiantly, he was also overpowered. Forced to the ground by a bashing shield, Noble looked up to see a wolf guard with his spear poised to strike. There was no tiredness nor remorse in the wolf’s eyes. Only a cold, calculating, killer’s light. The spear stabbed downwards.
“Hold!”
The tip stopped dead, a hair’s breadth away from Noble’s eye. The wolf guards turned to Sharp Tongue who had given the command. He was grinning from ear to ear.
“A fine showing, Wolven, but allow that one to live. Let him be an example to the rest of his soldiers of the hopelessness of resisting us. You may, however, take your trophy.”
Nodding their consent, the wolf guard with his sword drawn stepped forward and grabbed Noble by his horn. He then proceeded to saw it off. Noble’s screams echoed around the hall. Sharp Tongue turned back to Celestia, who was still dazed on the ground, staring in horror at the slaughter that just occurred. Cupping her chin with a paw, Sharp Tongue forced Celestia to look at him. His smile was still beaming as he whispered, “Do you see? Do you see how outclassed you are? We Wolven have been waging war for as long as there has been snow in the North. What chance do you think you have? You and your peace loving ponies. All you can do is die. Surrender, Celestia. There is no other-”
The wolf guard holding Noble’s horn let out a strangled yelp as he was rocketed back by an explosion of violet to the chest. He hit a pillar with a sickening crack and slid motionlessly to the ground. Sharp Tongue’s eyes snapped up to the source and for the first time that day his confidence wavered.
Twilight’s eyes burned white with magic. Tears still fell freely, but they were no longer tears of sorrow. Her jaw was set in a hateful snarl and her stance spoke of imminent violence. Her horn was blazing purple as it charged up for another attack. For the first time he could remember, Sharp Tongue was at a loss for words. He glanced over to the shadow by the corner of the hall. The shadow glanced back. An unspoken agreement was reached.
Dropping all pretense of superiority, dominance, and condescension, Sharp Tongue ran from the hall. He let loose his cape, put all four paws to the ground, and sprinted. His guard was right behind him, having dropped both spear and shield. The distinctly wolf shaped shadow scaled back up the wall and disappeared through a window. But Twilight wasn’t about to let them go so easily. WIth a cry of pain and rage, she let loose another powerful spell directly at the fleeing emissary and his guard. The spell tore apart the floor as it traveled their way. Sharp Tongue was through the door in time to miss it. His guard, however, wasn’t so lucky and was winged by the spell, losing his entire left arm. Grunting in pain, the guard managed to keep his footing and stayed right behind his master through the door.
A heavy silence fell across the Sun Court, a stark contrast to the chaos that had enveloped it only moments earlier. The air reeked of burning bear flesh and the blood of the dead pony guards. Captain Vanguard was on the ground moaning softly, a bloody stump on his forehead where his horn had been. With the departure of the shadow, the magic returned to the fallen alicorns. Celestia and Luna’s manes reignited into their glorious ethereal selves. Luna looked to her sister who was picking herself up from the floor. Celestia wore a look of utter bewilderment and it terrified her. She hadn’t seen that look on her sister’s face since her transformation into Nightmare Moon. Luna knew she wasn’t faring any better. What was that? How had that wolf been able to sap them of their magic? What was that shadow?
Another group of guardsponies chose that moment to burst into the court. They were stopped dead by the sight before them. Three mounds of smoking flesh. Twenty dead guardsponies. And three very shaken alicorn princesses. The captain called out, “Your Highnesses! What happened?”
Luna looked to Celestia to give an order. Celestia didn’t look back, unable to tear her gaze from the fallen guardsponies. She looked towards Twilight, who was sitting on her haunches, head bowed, completely silent. With no other option, Luna took charge. She addressed the guardsponies, “We were attacked, by the Northern emissary. There were three. One was brought low. The other two managed to escape, one of them seriously injured. Gather up every available guardsponies and search for them. You’re looking for two Diamond Dog looking creatures. Possibly three. Also, bring several medics. We have ponies down.”
The captain’s face paled as he looked at the twenty dead guards. “Are you telling me,” he stammered, “that three Diamond Dogs killed all tho-”
“Captain!”, Luna shouted. The captain was shook from his panic and looked into the eyes of a very angry princess. “I am not in the habit of repeating myself. You have your orders, now carry them out!”
Saluting with a shaking hoof, the captain led the guardsponies out of the hall. Luna let loose a frustrated breath. She was still trying to come to terms with what just happened. She looked back towards Celestia, who hadn’t moved a muscle. “Celestia,” she called out. Celestia didn’t respond. Luna slowly approached her sister, worry etching itself across her face. “Celestia?”, she tried again in a softer voice, “Tia?”
With a shudder, Celestia’s trance was broken. She looked at her little sister and Luna could see tears welling up in her eyes. “I was powerless,” Celestia whispered, “I couldn’t save them. My little ponies-” Celestia’s voice cracked and she began weeping. Luna pulled her sister into an embrace and held her as she was wracked with sobbing. She didn’t know what to do. Everything was falling apart.
She heard a ragged, gasping breath. Luna turned towards the source. Slumped against the pillar, the fallen wolf guard had regained consciousness. “Sister,” she whispered into Celestia’s ear. Celestia looked up and immediately forgot her grief at the sight of their enemy. Her tears turned into anger as the wolf tried to get up and failed. His limp legs indicated a broken spine and his ragged and blood filled breathing indicated a collapsed lung. He was dying and nothing they could do would prevent it. But Celestia would have answers before he departed.
Freeing herself from Luna’s embrace, Celestia marched over to the fallen dog. The wolf struggled to get up and, when it failed, opted to simply stare up in hatred at Celestia. She stared right back. “What was that?”, she asked. He didn’t respond. In way of motivation, she placed a hoof upon his broken chest. The wolf shuddered and barked in pain. “How are you able to disable our magic?” The wolf still refused. Celestia applied more pressure. The wolf cried out in agony.
“Answer me, you filthy-!”
“Celestia!”
Celestia looked back towards Luna, who was staring in horror at her actions. Remembering herself, Celestia removed her hoof from the wolf’s chest. She realized then that she was breathing heavily. Calming herself, she said, “I’m sorry. You’re right, sister. We shouldn’t stoop to their-”
The wolf’s head exploded. Celestia recoiled as she was covered in blood and brain matter. Shocked, Luna looked towards the perpetrator. Twilight’s horn still glowed from the released spell. A look of pure loathing was present on her face. There was no remorse. The alicorn sisters watched in bewilderment as she wordlessly walked out of the room.
Outside, the sun had set.
It was an hour later when Celestia decided to check in on her. She knocked lightly on Twilight’s door and called out, “Twilight? It’s Celestia.”
There was no response. “Twilight,” she tried again, “please open the door.”
When there was still no answer, Celestia tried the knob. It was unlocked. She let herself in.
Inside was dark, lit only by a single candle on Twilight’s desk. It was enough to illuminate the damage. The room was in a complete state of disrepair. Books were strewn all along the floor. Mirrors were smashed. Furniture was upended. The bedframe was shattered. Through it all, across the room, Celestia could see Twilight sitting out on her balcony. She was looking up at the night sky. She didn’t turn to acknowledge Celestia.
Celestia approached quietly and sat by her side. For a while, they just sat in each other’s company, silently staring up towards the sky. Celestia almost winced when she finally broke the silence, “Your parents have been notified.”
Twilight didn’t respond.
“They’re...they’re coming to collect your brother’s remains.”
Still nothing.
“I’ll, uh...I’ll have them sent up to you when they arrive-”
“I don’t want to see them.”
Celestia looked at Twilight when she spoke. She didn’t look back.
“Twilight...”
“I said, I do not want to see them.”
Celestia was alarmed by the lack of emotion in Twilight’s voice.
“They’re going to need you Twilight.”
“I don’t care.”
“Yes you do. Don’t do this to yourself. Don’t fill yourself full of hatred.”
“Celestia...”, Twilight said, emotion returning to her voice, “my brother’s dead.”
“I know.”
Twilight faced Celestia then. Even in the low light, Celestia could see how red and tear stricken her eyes were. “No. You don’t know.”
.”Twilight, I have lived for so long. I have seen so many loved ones pass on. I know what it feels like to-”
“How many of those loved ones were murdered, hm? How many of their heads were thrown before your hooves...like a bucking trophy!” Twilight’s voice cracked and she fell silent.
Celestia didn’t have a response for her. She realized her words couldn’t help here.
“I’m so sorry Twilight,” she whispered, “Your parents will be sent up when they arrive.”
Celestia turned and headed for the door. Halfway across the room Twilight’s voice called out, “We’re going to kill them all.”
Celestia stopped and turned back towards Twilight. Twilight was staring at her, utter conviction in her eyes.
“Every. Last. One.”
Celestia didn’t respond. She left the room without another word.
Luna was waiting for her outside. When Celestia exited, Luna fell in step beside her sister as they made their way back towards the Sun Court.
“How is she?”, Luna asked.
Celestia didn’t respond.
“Celestia?”
“Were you able to catch the wolves?”
Luna frowned. She knew when a question was being deflected. She chose not to dwell on it. “No. They managed to escape.”
Celestia again didn’t respond.
“Celestia...what are we going to do?”
“Prepare for war, little sister. Word must be sent out. Our people have to be made aware.”
Luna nodded as her sister continued, “We’re going to need to issue a draft. I feel as though every able bodied pony will be needed. Luna, you handled the last census. How many ponies currently live in Equestria?”
“Last I checked, around 20.9 million.”
“And of that number, how many are a draftable age?”
“Give or take 15 million.”
Celestia took a moment to process that information, then said, “Send the word out: one pony of every family in Equestria is required for military service. No exceptions. Volunteering should also be highly encouraged.”
“Celestia, doesn’t that seem a little...rash?”
“As it stands right now, our military only numbers two thousand. Twenty of our best were just slaughtered by two of theirs. Two, Luna. I fear rash is our only viable option right now.”
Luna fell silent. Her sister made sense. It didn’t make it any easier to hear. Her sister continued, “We’re going to need every major city switching to a war footing. Have their factories start churning out arms and armor. That means Manehatten, Trottingham, Baltimare, and Stalliongrad. Especially Stalliongrad. In fact, we should send a detachment of Royal Guard to Stalliongrad and have them begin fortifying the city. If the Wolven are coming from the north, that means they’ll have to come through the mountain pass. That means their first target is going to be Stalliongrad. Also-”
“Celestia?”
Celestia stopped and looked back towards Luna. She had fallen behind.
“Celestia, do you think Cadance is still alive?
Celestia could see the worry on Luna’s face. She thought for a moment then answered truthfully, “I don’t know. We can only hope. And if she is, may Fate have mercy on her.”.
Luna nodded then rejoined Celestia by her side. Together, the two sisters went off to prepare their people for war.
The moon was high in the sky when the wolves reached the grove. They were both panting heavily, one more so than the other. Behind them, the lights of Canterlot shone from atop Alicorn Mountain.
Sharp Tongue let his guard, Iron Nose, fall from his shoulder. He had to be carried the last mile. Impromptu bandages had been applied to the stump where his arm used to be in an effort to stem the bleeding. They weren’t doing a very good job.
Sharp Tongue’s face was a mask of fury as he yelled out, “Star! Star, get your ass out here!”
To his right, a lithe shadow dropped out of a tree. Sharp Tongue could barely make out Star’s slender female figure, her black fur and cloak making her almost invisible in the dark forest. She tried to say something. Sharp Tongue didn’t give her the opportunity. His paw was already around her throat and pinning her to the tree. She struggled but Sharp Tongue was having none of it and squeezed, choking her of air.
“What. Happened?”, he said through gritted fangs. Star could only wheeze in response. Realizing his grip, he released her, throwing her to the ground.
“How,” he continued, “was that purple demon able to use her magicks?”
Coughing and sputtering on her knees, massaging her bruised throat with a paw, Star glared daggers back at Sharp Tongue. “You dare lay your paws on a Blessed One?”
“Right now, I wouldn’t care if you were the Mother herself! What happened?”
“I don’t know!”, Star yelled back. She forced herself to stand and faced Sharp Tongue, coming up to his nose. “I was within range. And you saw how it affected the other two, and the pony guards. It was working. Just not for the purple one.”
Sharp Tongue’s face softened as he mulled over the facts. “So you’re saying,” he began, “that she somehow managed to resist you?”
“Yes.”
That was troubling news. If one magic user could resist the presence of a Blessed One, how many others could? That question could wait. Sharp Tongue asked another, more pressing question, “Were you seen?”
“I don’t know.”
Sharp Tongue felt his anger simmering again. “You don’t know?”
Star gave him a hard look. “I. Don’t. Know. With our little rush out, I might have slipped up a bit. But if they had seen me, I doubt they knew what they were looking at.”
“That’s a lot to take on faith, Star.”
“Well then start praying, mutt.”
The two were interrupted as Iron Nose began coughing violently. Sharp Tongue went back to his guard and reassessed his wound. It was getting worse. Instead of slowing down, it looked as though the bleeding had only sped up. There was nothing that could be done. And from the look in his face, Iron Nose knew it too. “It’s okay, my lord,” he began, “I go to the Mother’s embrace. My only regret is that I failed you.”
Sharp Tongue placed a comforting paw on his shoulder. “No. Iron Nose, you and your brother fought valiantly and stood by my side with honor. There is nothing to forgive. I swear to you, once we return to Lord Blackclaw a song will be sung, telling of the heroes Iron Nose and his brother Stone Ear who struck fear into the hearts of the ponies.”
It was enough to make Iron Nose smile. “I guess it isn’t so bad. This is a lovely patch of forest, even if it is in a land of heathens. And to die under the gaze of a Blessed One.” He looked towards Star and smiled, “One should only be so lucky.” Star smiled sadly back.
Iron Nose looked to Sharp Tongue again and said, “I have but one request, my lord.”
“Anything. Just name it.”
“I would much rather die by a brother’s sword than by the demon’s magicks.”
Sharp Tongue nodded and drew his sabre. He helped Iron Nose to stand. All true Wolven would rather die standing than lying down. Sharp Tongue looked Iron Nose in the eye and aksed, “Are you ready, brother?”
Iron Nose nodded.
“You will be remembered, brother. So it is spoken.”
Iron Nose closed his eyes and smiled as he replied, “So it shall be.”
Sharp Tongue brought him into an embrace and plunged the sabre through his chest. Iron Nose shuddered once and died without a sound. Sharp Tongue lowered him back to the ground. Drawing Iron Nose’s sword, he laid it across his chest and placed his remaining paw over it. He then kissed his fingers and placed them on Iron Nose’s brow. “Find peace within the Mother’s embrace,” he whispered.
Sharp Tongue stood up and looked towards Star. She bowed her head once in respect. Sharp Tongue nodded his thanks then said, “Come. We have a report to carry back to our master. And I fear he will be none too pleased by it.”
Together, the two wolves set off through the forest, heading north.
Their master’s message had been delivered.
