Blue, part two: A shattered country

To say Canterlot was in a state of chaos would be an understatement. Ponies of every race and gender marched in formations on the streets, rapidly reassigned to new positions to calm down the panicking population. Twilight had no idea how the news had gotten out to the public, but she suspected a noble's hoof in it. After all, there are very few who could use an invasion as a means to gain political power... but the current council was composed of some ponies who wouldn't be too hard to imagine doing just so.

As for her own situation, she stood in the recently christened "War Room," with several other ponies. She recognised Diamond Rose, Applejack, and Blueblood (...Redblood?); and on a less fascinating note, Lightning Dust. She seemed to have an aide with her; a jasmine-coated mare whom Twilight had seen a few times, but never actually spoke with her. The scruffy-looking silvery-eyed unicorn was less familiar, but she saw him around once or twice; the menacing white pegasus clad in iron armor however was a complete stranger to her. Fortunately, Princess Celestia showed up, and decided to introduce everypony to each other before starting the meeting. Twilight took the chance, and while she spoke words of etiquette, the unicorn quickly looked around the room. It was nondescript enough that she didn't recognise what function it held previously; yet it had a certain feeling of completeness despite the lack of features. A simple round room, with a table in the middle; markers set up on the painted map of Equestria, representing the various forces that the country possessed. The lighting was fickle; the table and a good step was lit brightly; yet the rest of the room was engulfed in utter darkness. After surveying her surroundings, Twilight concentrated on her mentor again.

"Greetings, fillies and gentlecolts, who protect this country in it's hour of need. Before we begin, I'd like you each to get to know the others present. I'm sure many of you met my faithful student, Twilight Sparkle, whom helps me out with administrative duties lately."

An agreeing murmur could be heard, and the faintest of smiles crossed Applejack's lips. Celestia gestured towards the armored pegasus.

"This is General Straight Purpose, leader of the Equestrian Army."

The general grumbled, which could be interpreted as a greeting.

"Captain Night Shade of the Night Guard."

The old unicorn bowed silently.

"Captain Diamond Rose of the Royal Guard."

"Nice too meet you." the pegasus said while saluting.

"Captain Lightning Dust and Vice-Captain Raindrops of the Wonderbolts."

Dust saluted, while Raindrops simply nodded.

"And finally, Applejack and Prince Redblood from the Changeling Containment Force."

Most of the ponies nodded, but General Purpose scoffed instead.

"What are they doing here? They aren't military. Tactics don't include civilian forces."

"That's where you're wrong, General." Shade softly spoke up, " They are anything but irrelevant. Not only they are specialised for fighting against changelings, they essentially replaced the very incompetent police force in many towns, keeping up law and order. It wouldn't be wise to dismiss them so easily."

The general eyed them measuringly.

"I see. Forgive me for my rash judgement."

Redblood looked indifferent.

"No offense taken."

Celestia cleared her throat.

"Now, I believe we should start with the information your reconnaissance yielded, Captain Dust."

The mint pegasus stepped forward.

"After receiving the warning, I dispatched two of my stealthiest flyers north. They flew by Canter-berry, and noticed the lack of movement. Quick scouting of the village confirmed that it was empty. Following the trail leading from the village, they encountered a large squadron of griffon soldiers. Their estimates put their numbers between five and seven thousand."

The room suddenly grew cold. The general slammed at the table in disbelief.

"What? That is the majority of the griffon army! All of them concentrated into one invading force? Our own military cannot even hope to take them head on!"

"What about logistics? We can cut off their supply lines, and starve them, while avoiding any real conflict." Dust suggested.

Hearing this suggestion, Applejack turned to Redblood.

"Pard'n me mah' lord, d'ya reckon they could forage s'pplies from our fair neigh-shan?"

The stallion kept a straight face.

"Nay, meat is in very short supply here, I..." He winced. "Reckon."

"In short," Shade said, taking over, "everypony they kill will probably be eaten, too. Griffons are predators. I don't think they'd hesitate much to rain upon the populace if we don't contain them. What puzzles me though, is the way they went around half the world to ambush us from the north."

Purpose waved a hoof dismissively.

"I'm more worried about our own logistics. Wasn't there a starving city somewhere south?"

"I presume you are speaking of Brideaux." Everypony turned to Twilight. "While that is true, the situation has been solved by a local enterpreneur; the population is back on it's hooves."

"Still, that's one city. What about country-wide supplies? Food reserves?"

Twilight smiled smugly at him.

"I anticipated this question, so I quickly asked a report on the best performing farming communities, and food brands." She pulled out a list from the pile she put on the floor beforehand. "Let's see... the greatest food producer is... Apple Trust?"

Twilight stared at her paper with disbelief. Redblood glanced at Applejack questioningly, but she simply shrugged. They sure didn't talk about any trust when she reconciled with her brother.

Seeing as Twilight was preoccupied with mumbling to herself, the general took steering the conversation again upon himself.

"Could somepony please tell me what kind of company is this?"

"A Ponyville-based coalition of farmers and such, they control the market around these parts, and have many more joining them each week. They protect each other, sell produce, and cater to many cities."

All eyes were on Raindrops. The general raised an eyebrow.

"How, pray tell, do you know this? If I recall correctly, you were only appointed today."

"That is not an excuse for poor management." she stated matter-of-factly. The jasmine pegasus calmly waited until Purpose's head started to redden, then, with a hint of a smile, she continued. "At this very moment, they supply us with foodstuff at the Academy, too. I ran through all papers on Spitfire's desk, in case there was something urgent to take care of." she finished, preventing the question being asked.

"Still, can they supply us with the needed food? A marching army without it is worthless."

"If we reach the point where we must march, General, then we've already lost." Celestia said firmly. "I've heard enough. You already plan the details of a grand scale war; yet we have not tried our nation's strongest weapon: diplomacy. I shall meet with this army, and parlay with its leaders."

The room grew silent. Night Shade was the one to speak up.

"Mylady, if you go out there, the griffons will gut you. Just by doing that, we'd lose our last Princess, and the citizens would panic. Please, don't—"

"I thank you for your concern, Night Shade, but this is something that has to be done. We must attempt to solve this without bloodshed."

Purpose snorted.

"Then what? Are we just to sit around, and wave at them cheerfully?!"

"Of course not. I fully expect you to prepare every single troop under your command in case I cannot diffuse the situation by myself. I also need the Royal Guard to be ready to defend Canterlot. It's both a strategic and symbolic place to capture; if the griffons choose to attack, they'd surely make this place their first target."

"Excuse me, Princess," Twilight asked with suspicion in her voice, "but did you just say 'yourself?' Do you intend to parlay with them completely alone?!"

Celestia nodded.

"That is right."

"Please reconsider, Your Majesty!" Dust added desperately. "We could take a platoon of fast pe—"

The alicorn raised a hoof, instantly silencing her.

"No. No hidden troops, no concealed artillery, no army waiting around the corner. I will do this, and I will do this alone. If I catch anypony in the vicinity, they'll be court-martialled. Am I making myself clear?"

Various responses came, with the core meaning of 'yes, Ma'am.' Celestia nodded to herself, and left the room so fast her pupil barely had time to keep up with her. The general slowly shook his head with disapproval.

"This will not end well. This will not bloody end well."

With only a hint of courtesy, every one of them went their separate ways, leaving only Applejack, Redblood, and Diamond Rose in the room.

"Well slap me silly, that went real well, didn't it?" the orange mare moaned. The other two sighed nearly simultaneously.

"Royal Guard... my flank!" Rose murmured. "Why the hay do we have two damn guards for this one city when there is no functioning police force out there? Waste of ponypower, just like the CCF, no offense."

"In a way, you are right." Redblood agreed. "While we certainly have our job cut out for us, it'd probably be better to have the authority... concentrated in a single organisation. We're only giving way to a situation where more independent armies act upon their own volition than it is healthy."

"So what? All that bug huntin' we did was juss' a waste of time?" Applejack demanded. The prince shook his head.

"No, but that situation is solved for the moment. There are no hostile hives left in the country, and scouts reported a mass migration near the northeastern border. There is technically no changeling left for the Force to capture."

Rose smiled wryly.

"That reminds me, Commander Applejack, how many changelings did you actually capture?"

"Seventy-eight, or so. Why?"

"And how many have you slain?"

"Counting all our ponysonnel? Around five hundred."

"All of whom were resisting arrest, I presume." The pegasus' voice was unmistakenably cynical. All of a sudden, Applejack closed the distance with a single leap, grabbing the startled Captain of the Guard by her uniform.

"Now lissen' 'ere, you fuzzbag! I've put down mah share of changelings, and yes, most of 'em were messy. But know this: those who surrendered peacefully came to no harm under me. Do ya hear me?!"

To her surprise, the pegasus smiled.

"Yes, I do. You have a certain sort of... gift to not do what ponies expect from you. I've heard all the nobles go on about how you'll scourge the face of Equestria from the insectoid scum, but that's not the case at all, is it?"

Applejack loosened her grip, and spat.

"Ah'll catch those who hurt ponies, an' that's all. What others do don't interest me none."

Rose smiled, and dusted herself off theatrically. The prince stepped closer.

"Why are you doing this? This... taunting attitude, I mean. You don't seem like you're to worried about this whole ordeal. You came from nowhere, and now half the military looks at you funnily."

The pegasus' smile faltered.

"Attitude? I think not, Vice-Commander." The way she pressed those two words sounded as a warning to Redblood. "Why do you think I was appointed by the Princess, Vice-Commander? Not because of my connections, or my family. She chose me because she believed I was up for the task. And I will do my damn best to keep peace, even through these times."

"You didn't say a word durin' the council." Applejack noted. The pristine pegasus nodded.

"Of course not. I am not a strategist, per se. I am not even a military thinker. I'm a police thinker. I took command of the Guard to reform it into a working police force."

"Police force?!" Applejack snapped. "There is a freaking invading army on our doorstep, and you speak of policing?!"

"You have heard it; the Princess is on the case." the pegasus replied calmly. "I imagine she will be back very soon, after she'd negotiated the terms of surrender."

"What? They attack us, and we instantly surrender?!"

Rose offered a faint smile.

"Who said the surrender would be ours? Look, the Princess has been around for who knows how long. I think she has an idea how to handle this. Too few ponies trust her nowadays... sometimes I feel like I'm the only one."

"There's Twili't." Applejack added with a hint of uncertainity. The pegasus shook her head.

"She's not. She looks like somepony whose view of the world shattered. Trust me, I've seen enough of those types. She also seems to hate herself for something."

Applejack stared at the ground.

"She an' me too. We were both there... an' we did nothing. We couldn't do anything. Then Rarity..." Her voice trailed off.

"I think you should speak to her." Rose said gently. "She's under a lot of pressure now, and could snap under it. She will be angry. People in power are always angry. I know I am, especially after witnessing some crimes. She will shout at you. She will hurt you, emotionally. But, and this is an important but, she won't mean it. She will see spies and treason everywhere, thanks to our shining nobility. She needs a friend. She probably needs somepony to relieve... other tensions, too, but I don't think you can help her with that."

Redblood suddenly became more similar to his name.

"Why are you telling us all this?" he asked, trying to steer the conversation away.

"Because... I need you. I told you, I intend to create a police force. I believe we should merge the Royal Guard, the Night Guard, and the CCF into a single, organised entity that is capable of maintaining peace throughout Equestria, not just Canterlot. Maybe the Wonderbolts, too, but that's pushing it."

She stepped toward the table, pushing a pegasus regiment marker above Cloudsdale.

"I think the Princess will be here again tomorrow, and the griffon threat will be taken care of. No, don't get me wrong," she said, while raising a hoof, "I'm not an idealist. But I know she will take care of it. She looked like she was already thinking about the next problem. And that is order in the country."

"What order there is if a part of the populace is rounded up like animals?"

The three ponies were startled by the raspy voice. From a shadow, Night Shade emerged, looking none too pleased.

"Law? Equality? I think we have both on short supply, Miss. Tell me, when did you become a dreamer?"

"Captain, if you please, Lieutant. Do you not believe in our fair ruler to handle the situation?"

The eldelry unicorn snorted.

"Situation? What situation? A daft fool taking the bulk of the griffon army on a joyride? Please, they are obviously led by an amateur. This isn't even a war, it's a joke."

A dangerous glint appeared in Applejack's eyes.

"Whaddya mean, joke? Five thousand griffons are a joke?!"

"Yes, if used like this." Shade stated calmly. "First of all, if I'd want to start a war with Equestria, I'd assassinate the Princess. Second, I'd probably poison the water supplies in major cities, and third, I wouldn't leave High General Sharptalon in the back country."

"Who the hay is that?" demanded Applejack. Redblood mentally kicked himself for not telling her the basics about the Griffon Empire before attending this meeting. "Besides, how'dya know he's not?"

Other ponies probably would have given Applejack a stern look, but Shade opted for the best equivalent he could produce; a humourless face, and a disapproving expression.

"High General Sharptalon is the commander of the Griffon Army. He's ruthless, cunning, and a damn good tactician. Not letting him interfere with the army's lead was the worst mistake ever made... for them. As to why did I know this... did you think we have no spies in the Griffon Kingdom? One of them specifically keeps tabs on him. It was a great surprise to us that they simply showed up on our neck—we never knew they were coming, because they didn't bring the elite. If you ask me, it's a sun-damn young warmonger, who thought bashing in a few pony skulls would earn him fame and respect. Pity he won't live to see his mistake."

"Yes, I think the Princess can take care of this." he continued. "After all, she probably has a plan for an invasion from any race, even bleeding dragons. So be at ease. Plan your little fool's parade of a police, and don't think about Azure City. After all, you can't bring peace everywhere, can you?"

He spat, and this time left them permanently. Diamond Rose offered a wan 'Think about it.', then she disappeared, too. Applejack strode to the table, mumbling, and with an angry kick, removed the griffon army from the map, so to speak.

"Useless!" she muttered. "What was the point, really? If the Princess ain't gonna ask for our help, why do this? Darn, I feel silly."

"I don't know." Redblood admitted. "There had to be some point to this... maybe just to inform us, I don't know. Unless... Let's go over the ponies present."

They started strolling down a corridor unconsciously, their hooves carrying them towards the promise of a bed. Since they were inspecting troops late into the night yesterday, they didn't sleep a wink because of the situation. Funnily enough, they'd never have thought that a simple routine inspection might be vital... if there will be actual fighting.

"A'ight. So there was the Princess..."

"Naturally."

"Twilight, too."

"Not surprising, since she is Her Majesty's most trusted pupil."

"Well, there was that pegasus, lookin' down on us..."

"Yes, the General. He's not as bad as he seems, though."

"Commanders of the—look, why are we countin' this again? What's the point?"

"Come on, just stay with me! What do these ponies have in common?"

"Uuuuh.... They ain't blue?"

"No, not physically."

Applejack huffed.

"Well then, Ah guess they... they..." She wrinkled her nose. "Well, apart from Twilight, they all lead ponies." Redblood nodded to this.

"Yes. And it wouldn't be too far-fetched to think that she would become Lord Regent, or even crowned, should the Princess be... unavailable."

Applejack stopped dead in her tracks. By now, they were on the fortunately deserted streets, making their way towards Redblood's penthouse.

"Say what?"

"Think about it! If the negotiations don't go well, whom does it fall upon to keep order? Precisely the ones who were invited today! If, by any chance, my aunt gets captured, or worse, " he shivered, "then, since there are no other available Princesses, both the nobility, and the military has a chance to seize power! Since the nobility—"

"Which you're a part of..." Applejack interjected innocently.

"...Yes, as I was saying, the nobility, particularly the council—"

"Which, again, you're a member of..." the mare added smugly. Redblood stopped, glaring angrily at her.

"Whose side are you on?"

"I dunno," she replied, "who's on my side?"

The prince hesitated.

"I thought things went well with your brother."

"Yeah, it's just... I dunno how Ah feel about you!" Applejack burst out. "Ah mean, you're nothing like you were when you met Rarity! And that confuses me! Heck, you're nearly nice! An' Ah feel like a jerk, because Ah'm acting like one in front of you! An' Ah left mah only brother a drinkin' mess, an' when we meet again, he is the one apologising to me! It's all messed up... Ah don't even feel like myself anymore..."

"I think you were pretty honest there." Redblood pointed out. This earned him a small smile.

This interlude made both of them forget about their original conversation, and left them wondering about other things. The prince was the first to voice them.

"What if I... invited you to dinner tonight? There is a nice and quiet restaurant near my house, that is pretty popular in Canterlot."

Applejack blushed.

"Ah don't know, Ah'm not really cut out to be minglin' with the elite. Ah literally don't have clothes to put on. Which seems to be a standard 'round here." she added bitterly.

"If you want to, I could give you one of my mother's dresses, that we keep in her budoir. Or," he offered, surprising himself, "we could forget about all that, and go however you would like to."

As he was looking over the unusually shy mare, Redblood's thought process changed significantly. To hell with the war, with responsibility, and scheming aunts!

...Well, at least for today.

__________________________________________________________________

Twilight desperately tried to keep up with Princess Celestia, who strode through the castle with the speed and force (and colour) of an avalanche.

"Please reconsider, Princess! Submitting yourself to such dangers is very... dangerous! There's no telling what the griffon army would do with somepony who tried to parlay with them!"

Celestia suddenly stopped, causing her student to crash into her.

"Precisely!" she shouted, and resumed her canter. "That is exactly why I'm going! A ruler that risks the lives of their subjects in favour of hers is a bad ruler. Remember that, Twilight."

They've reached the balcony of the throne room, and the unicorn watched helplessly as her mentor spread her wings.

"You'll never make it in time!" she tried desperately. Celestia looked at her with an unreadable expression.

"Tell me, Twilight, who is the fastest in Equestria?"

Twilight was caught off-guard with the question.

"Uhm... Lightning Dust? Or... um... Rainbow? No, she broke her wing..."

"The fastest," said Celestia, interrupting her, "is the one that can teleport."

With a faint glow, and without a sound, the alicorn disappeared. The lavender mare stared in the distance, unmoving. After some time, a voice called out from behind.

"Archmage Sparkle?"

She turned, only to find herself muzzle-to-muzzle with Golden Coin. The word that immediately came to her mind was 'pathetic'. You only saw Coin when he wanted something from you.

"Yes...?" she beckoned.

"Ah, well, you see, I was under the impression you had not yet graced a stallion with your hoof in marriage? Might I be so bold to recommend my s—"

"Out. Now."

"But—"

"OUT."

The way he left the room left the impression in some as 'undignified'. Raindrops, who just entered as he left, would have described it as 'like a bloody pansy'. She noticed that Twilight was quite upset, so she approached her quietly, despite the fact that she was in a hurry.

"Your Eminence? A moment of your time, if I may."

This seemed to confuse the unicorn, who eyed her warily, but nodded nevertheless.

"I must urgently inquire if you have seen Captain Dust somewhere in the vicinity." she continued. Twilight furrowed her brow.

"I was under the impression she left with you."

"Oh, bugger." Raindrops thought. Outwards, though, she mumbled an apology as she left the throne room to continue her search. The lavender mare stared at her general direction for a few moments, then trotted to the balcony, and looked at the city.

It looked peaceful. She wondered what would happen if they announced that the griffons were about to invade. Would they panic? Would they have enough faith in their princess to remain calm? Twilight wasn't sure.

What she was sure of, however, was the fact that she had to take the reins should something happen to the princess. The alternative were the nobles, or... well, practically nopony. The aforementioned nobles would be the first to veto anypony foolish enough to try and take Equestria's mantle... with force, if necessary. Judging by Coin's foolish attempt to marry his son to her, the nobles are well aware of her significance. She knew if she accepted any offer, she would be treated as a trophy wife. And she wasn't going to play along with some foal's stupid ideas of governing a country.

No... If by any chance Celestia wouldn't return, she would be the one to take care... of everything.

________________________________________________________________

Far away from Canterlot, a lonely alicorn raised her head. Sunlight shimmered on her dark mane, and unmoving body. She felt it. Celestia'd used her power.

She shivered.

Someone is going to have the worst day of their lives.

________________________________________________________________

Celestia appraised her situation. On the up side, she arrived precisely where she wanted to. On the other hoof, the griffon army has advanced further into Equestria, so she was right on their wings, so to say. They have not found her out yet, but it would only be a matter of time.

She decided to reveal herself. This way she could retain some of the dignity and majesty that is expected from her.

As she approached the griffon camp, she was stopped by heavily armed, and, frankly, quite confused guards.

"I wish to speak to your leader. Would you be so kind to fetch him for me?"

Celestia was always amazed by the way griffon footsoldiers were conditioned to follow commands. With a firm voice, one could easily confuse them by giving them orders, even in the battlefield. This one has already been gone by the time the others raised their weapons. They did not attack, however. Unquestioned orders aside, self-preservation was at work here. Could they really strike down the most powerful pony in Equestria?

After a few moments, the guard came back. He nodded at the others, and a path opened for the alicorn, leading to the heart of the camp. Celestia smiled inwardly. Meeting the enemy on home ground. A sign of weakness.

Ruining her expectations, she wasn't led into a tent, or similar, but atop a small hill, where five high-ranking griffons awaited her. The army, in the most perfect formations that she ever saw, waited behind them. The few that were escorting her here already tokk off, and found their places.

A griffon sporting impressive sideburns stepped towards the princess. He was smiling smugly; with confidence that Celestia knew all too well. People like this griffon believe they have the upper hoof. They are very hard to negotiate with, in her experience.

"Ah, Princess Celestia! How marvellous to meet you here!" Slime was dripping from his every word. The alicorn rewarded him with a disgusted frown.

"Can the misdirection, Grand Marshall Feyclaw. What business have you in Equestrian territory?"

Still smiling, the marshal licked his beak slightly.

"Ah, yes. We are very worried about the well-being of our dear citizens who are unfortunate enough to be trapped in this country during these... turbulent times. The Griffon Empire is concerned that you could turn to harm them, given the current state of persecution against your own kin."

To hear these words from a snake like him made it even worse for Celestia. She wouldn't have done it if there were any other choice. Nevertheless, she swallowed her feelings, and glared coldly at him.

"I see. I am sure that we can—"

"You misunderstand me." said the griffon, cutting her off. "This is the official reason. As far as I'm concerned—you're dead." He gave her a cocky smile. "That reason? It's bollocks, we both know it. But it's a very good reason, if other nations look at it. The Griffon Empire frees it's citizens from the evil clutches of Equestria!"

He let out a cackle. Then, suddenly, he closed in on Celestia, and stared into her face.

"They all said it was a fool's errand! But history will prove me right. I will become the general that lead the army to conquer a nation that has been a thorn in our side for decades! And when I return from this campaign, I will be lauded as a hero! We will all be heroes!" he continued, turning to the army. "I promised you wealth and fame, and by the feather of Myclonu, you will get it! We will eradicate this pathetic race from the face of the earth, and claim these lands as our own!"

"I would advise you to stop this nonsense right now." Celestia interjected coldly. She did not raise her voice, but even the farthest of soldiers could hear it. "You cannot hurt my people unpunished."

Feywing tapped his beak theatrically.

"Ah yes, I believe there was somepony telling me something like that before. Kharzon!" he shouted to one of his aides, "Get the prisoners here! All of them!" he added with a sadistic smile.

Celestia couldn't believe her eyes. In five minutes, she was shown ten bloody, beaten corpses, which bore the signs of extreme abuse. Whomever was doing this to them, was enjoying it. An eleventh pony was brought; this one still alive. If you could call it alive. He was clearly a pegasus; but both of his wings were cut off just above his shoulders. One of his eyes were plucked out, and countless lacerations were strewn across his body. When his princess entered his sights, he smiled faintly.

"M'lady... I'm sorry... We could not protect Canter-berry... The citizens... dead..."

"What was your name, my little pony?" Celestia asked softly.

"Spring Cheer... M'lady... we failed..."

"No Spring Cheer. You held them off as long as you could. If there was anypony who failed, it was me." she told the corpse.

The grand marshal grinned as he saw the fearsome ruler of Equestria cradle a dead body like a baby. He turned to face his troops.

"See? That is the so-called wrath of the princess! Bawling over one dead pony! Look at her! Pathetic!"

He turned back to the princess, but instead of the sobbing mess he expected, he came beak-to face with a very furious-looking alicorn. Or, to be precise, his beak was on the same height as he chest. The mare had somehow grew above the marshal in the last few seconds.

"What—" he began, but he was cut off by the alien-sounding voice of the princess.

"You came to my country, murdered my subjects, and you think I would just sit by idly?!"

By this time fangs were visible in Celestia's mouth, and her face became even more elongated. Panic began to grip the ranks of the soldiers. Despite the hasty shouts of their superiors, their formations broke, and some were already taking off to the air.

They couldn't get far. For about a mile, there was an invisible barrier; a barrier which they couldn't penetrate. Their escape became more and more frantic, and soon the only ones still near Celestia were the foolish, or the ones paralysed by fear.

Feyclaw watched in horror as claws burst out from the alicorn's hooves. Her fur receded, giving way to pristine white scales everywhere on her body. Her mane disappeared, and spikes of the same colour appeared on her back. What faced the griffon army wasn't a pony anymore—but a grown dragon.

She slowly leered at the cowering griffons, before speaking.

"Remember this in the afterlife: no one picks a fight with Equestria!"

________________________________________________________________

An hour later Celestia stood on an empty, charred field. She felt weak, weaker than ever before. No sign of the griffon army was left on the battlefield.

She'd murdered them all.

This wasn't defense or justice anymore; it was vengeance. Not one of the griffons escaped; her barrier made sure of it. Those who tried to outrun her earned a death that crept up to them from behind.

She felt hollow. She shouldn't have done this. The last time she'd assumed the guise of Escalite, dragon of the Crystal Mountains, was over two thousand years ago. The need has never arisen. And now... she might've doomed herself.

There were drawbacks. There were always drawbacks. She used up too much power, and now, a fly could take her life away... if there were any left in the vicinity. Her only hope was the small chance that a beast wander near, and kill her before she starves to death. Normally, she could do a week awake without eating, but this technique caused immense hunger after use. If she didn't get her hooves on any sustenance until nightfall, then she would die.

Of course, nightfall won't happen with her dead and Luna banished. Maybe—

A shadow blocked out her view.

"Kill me, then." she whispered, her throat dry from exhaustion.

" 'Fraid I can't do that, Ma'am." a voice came. A voice so familiar...

"Captain... Dust?"

She urged herself to gather every last ounce of energy. She managed just enough to raise her head a little. Indeed, it was the captain of the Wonderbolts, Lightning Dust.

"I thought I ordered... you to stay in Canterlot..."

"I'm afraid I'm terribly bad at following orders, Ma'am. Might punish myself later. Can you stand?"

"Leave me, Captain. You cannot hope... to carry me to safety, and even so, you couldn't have ponies notice me in this state... or they would panic."

"So I should take you to safety, and secretly, to boot? How does Canterlot sound, Ma'am?"

"You can't... take me alone."

"Alone?" Dust smirked. "I never intended to do so. I always have help. When there's Lightning... there's Thunder."

A dark stallion entered the princess' field of vision, smiling shyly. Dust grabbed her absolute ruler under her shoulder.

"Now let's get you to safety, Your Majesty."