One for a Doorstep, Two for a Garden. (Concluded)

[ForgottenExistance]

Nightfall darted into the sky, avoiding the tentacles as best as she could until the last minute. It was impossible to think that she could get away, but it was all just a matter of delaying the inevitable. As the tentacles closed around her, she caught the briefest glimpse of another pegasus in the air, far behind Cliff Diver's last attempt at a torpedo attack. With the glimpse, she couldn't help but smirk before folding her wings and crossing her hooves in front of her with the blades out, trying to keep as much breathing room as she could in front of her as the fleshy masses enveloped her.

The Captain didn't struggle, try to pull or fight, she only had to wait. And as she was moved, the process that took mere seconds felt like an eternity, flashes of memory playing through her mind like a movie. Things that she had achieved, things that she had yet to, and those that she loved. The most important thing that she remembered was one of her mother's earliest lessons, the one that always assured her in the face of danger and the one that would save her in this situation. It was trust.

My dear Night, you don't need to despair. This isn't going to be your grave. Listen to me. You're a brave mare, and you will go on to be great in the future. There are times like these when you'll be hurt, be beaten down and spat on. And no matter how strong you are, you won't always be able to defend yourself. To be great, you'll need friends, comrades, ponies who will always pull through for you. There is no battle that cannot be won with the loyalty and trust of your friends. If you trust your friends, and they trust you, they will always pull through for you and see you through to the end. Never underestimate the power of sheer determination. Now... rest. Conserve your energy.

Relaxing against the tentacles, she looked up at the Sentinel above her for a few moments, a look of defiance behind her orbs. Letting herself go slack, she closed her eyes and focused on the simple act of drawing breath, forcing herself to keep living, drawing every iota of her willpower into keeping herself conscious and alive for just one more minute. It was a weakness to just give up, and Nightfall was not known for her weakness. Instead, despite the draw that it was having on her mind and body, she refused to just give up, and fought with every bit of her strength that she had left.

Shadow Call darted into the sky above the glade, surveying the chaos below. He hadn't been gone for all that long, but he hadn't expected the glade to turn into such a warzone in such a short amount of time. Panting with the effort of his quick flight, he reached behind himself to a device that was strapped around his midsection, and quickly ripped the cylindrical container off. Holding it in front of him, he twisted the metal cap off and dropped the magical device before quickly darting away again into the cover of the trees. The device fell two meters before bursting into an incredibly bright beacon, hovering in the air where it was. It lit up the glade and the Everfree as if it were mid day, like a second sun just above the tree cover.

While it appeared to have no obvious effect other then the incredible light, the other guard ponies all scattered into the forest, retreating a few meters to escape what would come from the magical device. Few ever had the chance to experience what that particular device heralded, but they were trained quite extensively on what happened after the beacon was lit. The last thing that the recruits wanted was to be inside the glade whenever it happened.

Whatever the Sentinel may have been thinking as it drained Nightfall and was illuminated by the painfully bright light, whatever thoughts of malice may have gone through it's head, nothing would have prepared it for what happened only moments after the ponies exited the glade. A sound like a heavy whoosh grew through the air for a brief second before a chunk of heavy stone slammed into the Sentinel; the size of the creature making it impossible to not hit with a rock of such a size. The rock itself shattered against the Sentinel's side with enough force to crumble a castle, and had come from somewhere to the East of the glade. Possessing no actual energy of its own, the Sentinel's negative energy would have no effect on the damage of the rock, as it was only physical blunt damage.

Roughly a kilometer to the East of the glade, the REN Hammer of Dawn hovered roughly one thousand hooves above the ground. The airship was the pride of the Royal Equestrian Navy, and was a bustle of activity. Officers ran around, setting to loading the long-range catapult with another boulder. The ship itself had been on a patrol around the skies of Canterlot's outlaying areas about ten minutes prior, when a startled and out of breath pegasus had almost crashed into the ship. Now, with the beacon lit over the glade, they set to work pummeling the area with what ammunition they had on them, while their sister ship approached from the West. The REN Firewalker was a far smaller and faster ship then the Hammer, and was able to close distance towards the glade much faster. For that reason, the Firewalker, roughly two kilometers from the glade, loaded steel-tipped ballistas and readied for a close assault on the glade. They would be the clean-up crew while the Hammer continued pummeling the glade, unrelenting in the artillery fire.

They had fellow soldiers in trouble from an unknown hostile. They were going to bring down the entire wrath of Equestria's fury on that glade until their soldiers were safe.

[Xelliea]

Good night, little pony. It was enjoyment and satisfaction that Pyrette felt, above anything. When Maaseffakenis and most of the others had set off for their Eden nonsense, there'd been the feeling in the air that she, Rieh and Quis were fools to stay behind, that the Feather was a waste of time and effort, whatever these concepts actually meant for a Sentinel. But here she was, having made it, having proven the others wrong. In a few moments, the complication that was Nightfall would be dealt with. She had found some respect for the captain, just a little, in their conflict. She'd decided that she'd herald the pony, and the others, away from the void once the fighting was done, onto whatever afterlife awaited them. Indeed, the entire endeavour was an interesting one. Perhaps... perhaps she'd done the wrong thing with Yiirace, perhaps she wasn't a tool. She was the only Sentinel who even had something close to a daughter, and maybe she should have learnt from the ponies, learnt that there was something worthwhile in the bond between...

The massive slab of stone smashed into her, causing her to recoil with a howl. That was actually something close to pain she felt. Looking above the tree line, her gaze rested on the, rather distant, form of the Equestrian airship. With a number of tendrils, she grasped at the biggest chunk of stone she could see. Ignoring the ship, she looked down at Nightfall. One goal at a time, she told herself, one goal at a time. One slab of rock wasn't going to end her, it certainly wasn't going to take her goal away from her, now that she'd done so much, come so far, to reach it. She moved to cast the rock down at Nightfall, confident in its ability to deal with the captain, once and for all. However, she had yet to move a handful of feet before she noticed another boulder speeding her way. Growling, she turned, tossing the rock skyward, smashing one slab into another, sending both crashing down into the forest below.

She surged forward once more, her tentacles moving to grasp at anypony, or anything, they could. Where were Quis and Rieh, they were both meant to follow her down, once they'd done going on at each other about whatever it was. If they were there to deal with the ponies below her, Pyrette could deal with the ships. Clearly, at this point, she was on her own. Still, she knew if she was careful, she could defend herself against any more boulders. She had no idea about the Firewalker, of course, and certainly didn't expect a barrage of fire from her side. A number of huge bolts slammed into her, their forcer causing her to stumble back. No mere seconds after she'd turned to look at the new assailant, the previous one sent another hunk of rock her way.

This time, she wasn't ready to protect herself, and certainly couldn't weather it nearly as well. She crashed backwards, pushing herself back up with her wings. She looked over at Nightfall. The one who just seemed like a complication. No, she wasn't going to be brought to her end here. Live to fight another day, and all that. Of course, the next barrage of fire brought problems with that, as a number of the bolts crashed to her left, smashing into the Feather itself. The thing might have been magical, but it was just stone. Shards of the statue blasted off, splintering to the ground of the glade. When the last bolt hit the relic straight on, it smashed deep into the Feather's core, breaking it apart. It was at that moment Pyrette knew, despite all the planning, despite everything, that she'd lost. No, she couldn't give up. If she could just...

The Hammer of Dawn clearly wanted some say in the matter, though, as the Sentinel was battered with another stone. Her form couldn't take that. The force of the impact hit her with such force she was push to the ground, parts of her right wing being cast off, turning back to black ooze. She came down mere meters away from the remains of the Feather, perhaps a reminder of what she'd lost. Seeing Nightfall once more, she looked into her eyes. You needed... my brother and... your soldiers to clean up a mess... you made. Rieh told me how much truth... you put into your mother's words. You can't see them... for the lies... they are. You haven't won... the others... will find a way... good night... you young fool. With that, her whole body began to shift and change, just as it had when she was formed, but in reverse. Then, after a short while, her whole form took on a strange light, that burst skyward, leaving behind nothing but a few droplets of ooze to be consumed by the earth.

_______________________________________

Rieh, having burst forward just moments ago, grasped Quis, tossing him to the floor. Before his brother could rise, Rieh pulled him up, just to throw him across the plane the two existed on. Do you see now why Kithyu lost? Which side you fight for is important. Family... Once again he grasped his stunned brother with his tendrils Is... pulled him up above him Everything! then threw him down with a great growl, cracking a segment of the other Sentinel's skull-like head. A little while away, Yiirace, Evy a short way behind her, looked on, no idea what to do. She didn't want to see the two fight, but what could she do to stop it.

There was a sound like a gale, only for a little while, but it caused Rieh to stop for a moment. He turned around confused, but that confusion turned quickly to shock. His sister, Pyrette, lay a short way away from him, her form broken and bleeding, causing drops of black liquid to drip from her wounds onto the floor around her. Mother! Yiirace, turning to see at what Rieh had laid his eyes on, ran over to her parent's form while Evy backed off a little, more than a little scared of all that was happening.

Yiirace hadn't even reached her mother when she felt a number of tendrils grasp her, throwing her to the side like a angry child might throw a broken toy. N-no... No! Pyrette! Sister, those worms did this? I don't... this isn't possible. How could they... He went to hold her, to try and heal her, but he was too late. She muttered something about her daughter, about Yiirace and being wrong, but by the time Rieh touched her form, the Sentinel was gone.

[ForgottenExistance]

A grin sneaked its way onto Nightfall's face when the first boulder slammed into the back of the Sentinel. It was just the beginning of the end for the creature that had wrecked such havoc on her troops. She only had to wait in silence as the ensuing wrath fell from the sky. Like the hammer of the Princess's full fury itself, the sky turned into a constant stream of rocks and bolts, crashing into the glade like rain of metal and rock. There was no escape from the unleashed fury. Nightfall found herself suddenly released as the Sentinel dropped to the ground in a crumpled heap. Opening her vibrant green orbs, Nightfall stood up, the corrupted augmentation to her figure fading off of her like black smoke. Back to her original form, Nightfall spread her wings proudly and looked down at the creature, the moon shining behind her armored form, making her look like the guardian of the night that she was.

Her wings spread out behind her, cascading shadow down on the broken form of the Sentinel, she spoke lowly, "You underestimate the power we hold, creature. Pass on into memory, demon," she bid, speaking calmly and collectively. They had shown the Sentinel what it meant to be one of Luna's soldiers that day, what it meant to be Equestrian. There was no doubt that they were a force to be reckoned with, and now the creatures of the Other realm would know it. They could be challenged, they could be fought, but in the end... Pony-kind would always win.

Standing over the broken form of the Sentinel until it disappeared, she turned her head skywards to look at the two ships that had saved her life. Giving a little grin, she raised a hoof to her head and saluted one of the officers of the Hammer, which was returned quickly. As she did so, the rest of her recruits returned to the glade. Some of them were beaten up, bruised and cut, battered and broken. None of them were dead or mortally wounded though, and even the stallion who had been sucked into a comatose state was beginning to stir against the tree he had been thrown. They all emerged from the shadows of the forest, like spirits of the Everfree, embodied into wartorn ponies. They had just survived something that few others could hope to.

Turning to her soldiers with pride, Nightfall looked at each and every one of their faces, taking in every detail. With a deep breath, she spoke loudly, "My friends, you have fought bravely. Each and every one of you have displayed untold courage and honor. But we are not finished yet. All of you who are still capable of flying, you need to get up onto the ships with the rest of our comrades in case another of these beasts return! When you are all safely away, we will destroy the last of the Feather, and prevent its dark magic from falling into the wrong hooves. Now, move it! Go, go, go! Onto the ships!" she exclaimed, leaving no moment to spare. They couldn't risk staying on the ground any longer, especially if another creature could come through at any time.

Cliff Diver stretched her bruised and battered form before taking to the sky and lifting up one of her comrades, quickly heading to the Firewalker without question. She had to make several tiresome trips to pick up another comrade, then return to the ship, and again, and again. But with only a few Pegasi to do it, she knew that she had to do her part to ensure the safety of her comrades. When the last of the ponies were finally on the cruiser, she dropped onto the deck and rolled onto her side, panting heavily and sweating profusely. There was no level of training that could have ever prepared her for what had just happened. It was the most intense battle that she had ever imagined, and she was just about ready to pass out.

Nightfall watched to make sure that everypony got to the ships safely, keeping her watchful eyes on the remains of the Feather the whole time. Staying silently vigil, she waited for whatever might come from the remains. Even if she refused to show it, the battle had worn on her, and adrenaline flowed through her veins with about as much concentration as her blood. Her muscles shook, and her breath was ragged in the cold night air. But she couldn't relax or rest yet, there was still a potential threat to her comrades...to her friends. They weren't safe until she was certain that the Sentinels wouldn't cross back over into their world. They had only killed one, there was no telling how many more there were.

[Xelliea]

Rieh was still. If one would have looked upon the scene now, it would be easy to believe there was no life in him. In a number of his snake-like appendages, he held fragments that had broken from his sister's face. It would be hard for even another Sentinel to know what he was feeling. Anger, sadness, despair, hate, pity, disbelief? A short way away from him, Yiirace sat in a similar silence. She'd curled her wings over her face, and every so often tears ran down from behind the feathers. Evy sat next to her, making no noise but placing a hoof on her back. Quis watched the scene, but he felt a deep fear. All Sentinels were a very close family, but Rieh felt the feeling the most. He'd acted similarly when learning of Vowz's death, though perhaps not this bad. For, out of all his siblings, Rieh had loved Pyrette the most. The two were extremely close, and Quis knew how Rieh was going to react once he got over the shock. It wasn't going to be pleasant for any of them. He tried to keep away, to not disturb his brother, but it was when Yiirace let out a loud, uncontrollable sob that Rieh finally moved.

Moving very slowly, he turned, resting his gaze on his niece. There was malice in his eyes, and a lot of it. Rising a little, he floated across the plane toward her. It was Evy's elevated breathing that caused Yiirace to part her wings a little, her watery eyes looking up. Rieh looked down at one of his tendrils, the end segment rapidly becoming silvery and metallic, forming a spike. With some force, her pushed her wings back, both of them looking into each other's eyes with clear dogma. Reaching forward, Rieh ran the spike over Yiirace's forehead, causing her to close her eyes in dread. He turned the tip toward her, then, after pressing a little, stopped. No. No, there is too much sadness in your soul. It would be too kind to extinguish it. He pulled back the spike. But, dear niece, I will find a way to burn the spirit from you and the rest of that mongrel race. Without another word, his gaze still on Yiirace, he floated back over the Pyrette's body, holding it, both forms disappeared to some distant place.

Silence flowed through the plane, and so it was for a while. Eventually, Quis floated over to the silent duo. He wanted to warn them, to tell them that Rieh really meant what he said, but he knew they needed no more suffering. I can return you back home, to your time, Yiirace. Would that please you? He floated down a little, his slightly cracked face coming to her level. I... I don't want that. There's nothing there for me. But... I would like to go home. Back to where I was before I came up here. Please? Quis smiled, nodding, prompting a little smile from Yiirace. Reaching forward, he gently touched both ponies on the head, a feeling of weightlessness came over each of them, before they faded in the blink of an eye.

_________________________________

In a sound not unlike a pop, both Evy and Yiirace came back into Equestria aboard the cruiser's deck. Yiirace, the teleportation seemingly taking the last bit of energy from her, passed out the moment she popped in. It wasn't anything to worry about, but the powers she'd used during the day, along with the day's events, had left her mind and body in a state in need of a rest. Even Evy felt how taxing the teleportation was, but managed to just dodge the arms of unconsciousness. Still, he knew the ponies on the ship might not be so happy to see a two ponies just teleport onto the deck, so was sure not to startle anyone, just helping Yiirace to sit up a little, looking around for Nightfall or any of the others.

[ForgottenExistance]

Nightfall stood still in front of the Feather for a few more moments, prepared for anything that might come back out. She had time to consider what had happened. It was a momentous occasion; she had destroyed an ancient evil that threatened all of Equestria, saved herself and her troops, and managed to teach them some useful lessons in the end. Nightfall didn't consider herself a hero by any means, and she didn't want to be considered a hero. She did exactly what anypony else with any sense would do in that situation, and acted in defense not only of herself but of her comrades. It was her duty, it was who she was as much as it was what she did. And given the chance, she would do it again and again if it meant the safety of Equestria.

When the last of her soldiers were safely off of the ground, she quickly took off into the sky and called out to the Hammer, "Bring the wrath down on that statue. Leave no remains bigger then a quill!" She yelled out, quickly soaring up to view the carnage. The last thing she wanted was to be caught by any sort of shrapnel, lest she get grounded for the foreseeable future. But, as long as she was high enough, then she wouldn't have to worry about shards of the large boulders flying back towards her. It might seem like a waste of time, but she didn't want to leave anything to chance. If a few shards of the Feather were enough to bring another Sentinel back, then she didn't want there to be anything they could use to get back.

Watching as the flight officers loaded another boulder into the catapult, she pointed a hoof down at the center of the glade. It didn't take but a few moments for them to re-position the artillery correctly, and even less time to pull the lever. When the dust and dirt settled, all that was left was a large boulder in the center of a blood-stained glade. No Feather, nothing even remotely resembling the Feather. It was just a boulder and the crater that it sat in.

With a satisfied nod, Nightfall quickly snapped off a salute to the soldiers of the Hammer, and flew over to the Firewalker. As the faster ship, she'd rather have her soldiers be evacuated on the cruiser, so they could get to Canterlot much quicker. The sooner they got there, the sooner she could give her report and have her soldiers tended to in the hospital. She landed on the deck lightly and looked around at her worn out soldiers before laying eyes on the two that she had thought disappeared from the battle. Trotting over quickly, she stopped in front of the two and eyed them for injuries.

Satisifed that they weren't wounded direly, she gave Effervescence a nod, "We'll be back at Canterlot within the hour. We need to stop at the outpost and get Smokejaw and Patchworks, but when we get back to Canterlot you can rest up. I expect a formal report to be on my desk as soon as you're able though," she snapped off quickly. She didn't pay any mind to Yiirace though, since she was far from the conscious realm. As long as she got the mare to the hospital, she could make sure that she recovered her energy soon enough. Besides, the sooner she recovered, the sooner she could have the mare speak to the Princesses about what transpired. Yiirace would have more insight about the subject then she had. Nightfall was just a soldier, she fought and protected her kin, that was it. No why or reason behind it.

[Xelliea]

A single incorporeal tentacle reached down, feeling the dust and rolling a few grains around, then letting them drop. What these ponies cared about was destruction, and Rieh could see that, now clearer than ever. Holding out one of his limbs, a small stone bottle appeared at its curled tip. Reaching down once more, he collected a little amount of what dust remained of the feather. The light grey grains settled in the vial's base. Placing the vial under his cloak-body, Rieh glanced up at the airship floating away from the scene of destruction. He could do nothing to follow them as he was, and he didn't want to. Not yet. But he would make them pay. Even more than that, he'd break the spirit from them. Nightfall, that was the name that was burnt into the Sentinel's mind. A mind that was already starting to unravel. Pyrette was gone, Quis was nowhere to be seen, the two were hardly on speaking terms anyway, and the others were far far away. He was... alone. Alone. He'd never been alone. Never, and it felt so wrong. But, sister, we'll make them pay. For making us so alone.

In a moment, he flickered away, still clutching his sister's body close. He reappeared in a rather dark cave, the ceiling of the cave lit up from a lake below it. Floating forward a little, Rieh looked at his reflection in the water. Reaching into his body, he pulled out the stone bottle, and turned it upside down, the dust falling into the water, turning to little flakes of foil-like glitter on the surface. He reached up to his face, pulling a segment of bone and snapping off the tip with a groan. He threw the shard into the pond. There was an explosion from the depths of the watery abyss. The foil flew in all directions, coming down on the solid ground and leaving patches of black liquid where they did. Rieh floated across the ground, ignoring the festering spots of darkness to once again pick up his sister. Holding her, he turned around, and, doing nothing more, he threw himself into the lake.

___________________________________________________________

Once he was sure Yiirace was all right, Evy turned to Nightfall. He kept his gaze on hers, then closed his eyes and smirked a little. Captain, I've got good news and bad news. That eagle-thing, Pyrette was her name, is dead and buried. We got her. She was Yiirace's mother, though, so go easy on her, if you know how to, eh? Now, the bad news, her brother, you know, the one that was in your head? He's a little... displeased with what happened. Keep your eyes out, we don't know what he can do yet. You've seen what Pyrette did, and now it's personal. Most of this will be in the report, of course. Shrugging a little, he spun around and briefly trotted off to go and see how Yiirace was doing.

[ForgottenExistance]

Nightfall nodded once at Effervescence's brief report. Nothing she didn't already know, or couldn't have figured out on her own. But it was good to know that he had his facts straight, and was still able to put enough words together to form the report. No traumatic stress present in him. At least, not yet. The Captain quickly snapped off, "Very good, soldier. Rest up on our way back to the Castle. You can work on your written report whenever you get a clean bill of health," she said before turning and trotting up to the front of the deck in silence. Whatever it was that had happened, it wasn't over. She didn't think it would ever be over. There were other-worldly beings out there who wanted to take Equestria. She would have to be ever-vigilant in her quest to protect Equestria from harm, now more than ever.

The cruiser sailed along quietly through the night air, leaving the scene of battle behind it as the Hammer followed in their wake, taking up a slower pace so it could cover their rear for the time being. The cruiser came to a halt over the outpost that they had started their journey in, where everything had started to go wrong. Nightfall leaned over the edge of the ship to look at the outpost, surveying if it had taken any more damage, and curiously scanning the two soldiers she had left there, who were both now outside to be picked up by the cruiser's Pegasi officers.

Smokejaw was standing outside with a bow strung across his back, and Patchworks on a stretcher in front of him. Patch still seemed to be completely out of it, incapable of standing for his own at the moment. He had yet to regain consciousness, but he was still breathing, which was at least one good thing. He was the first one to be lifted up to the cruiser, two Pegasi taking the stretcher gently up to the deck, where medical ponies rushed about to see to him and keep him stable for the moment. It took a few more moments before a Pegasus could be scrambled to help Smokejaw get up onto the deck of the ship.

When he got onto the ship, he quickly trotted over to Nightfall and snapped off a brisk salute, "Ma'am! Is it over? Did you win?" he asked quickly, worried to think that whatever had attacked was still out there. Nightfall turned to him and returned the salute quickly before she responded, "For the time, Equestria is...not safe," she mused quietly, giving a subtle shake of the head, "For now...all I can say is that one of the creatures is dead, but more may yet be roaming about, looking for our weaknesses. Our next step is to report to the Princesses, and tend to our wounded. The castle must be prepared for what comes next," she said, looking off into the distance as if she were looking for another Sentinel. In some way, she half expected another to come out of the ether.

Smokejaw was silent for a moment before he nodded once and straightened out, "Then I will stay here, ma'am. Someone needs to guard this outpost, and I'm not wounded," he said, before turning and trotting over to the edge of the cruiser where one of the disembarking ropes hung. Nightfall blinked a few times and turned, "Private, hold up! I can't just leave you here while the rest of us leave, it isn't safe. The outpost isn't a priority target, there's no reason for anything to attack it. Besides, the castle will already be alert when we get there, it won't need the early response from the outpost," she reasoned, stepping towards the recruit as she explained. Staying at the outpost would just be a dangerous endeavor when they didn't know how many Sentinels could have escaped the Feather at the same time that the first one did.

Smokejaw gave a small smile, "I wasn't asking, ma'am," he retorted quickly before leaping off the edge, gripping the rope in his hooves to slow his descent. Landing on the ground on all four hooves, he looked around before quickly making his way to the door of the outpost, preparing the defenses so he could hold out in the fort by himself against a hoof-full of enemies. Nightfall couldn't help but feel a mixed response of pride and fear for her comrade. He was willing to defend his post, even when he had a free chance to leave and get some relaxation in Canterlot. But he was going to defend the post against Luna-knows what sort of forces. She would stay with him if she could, but she needed to report to the Princess, and make sure that Yiirace didn't suddenly turn sides again. Looking over the edge of the ship, she didn't notice at first the movement that now came across the deck of the ship.

Longshot walked wearily up to the side of the ship, picking up his tied-together bundle of spears from where they were leaning against the railings. Slinging them over his shoulder, he snapped his neck left and right before continuing his tired walk to the same rope that Smokejaw had left on. Turning his head to look at Nightfall, he gave a brief nod before gripping the rope and descending from the ship in silence. Nightfall only had enough time to return his brisk nod before he disappeared over the side of the ship to join his comrade, stunned into silence as she watched the combat-weary soldier leave to join his fellow soldier to defend his post. But he wasn't the only one.

Lightning Heart limped up to the rope, shrugging off the pain in his bloody leg as he walked. Sword at his side, he looked at Nightfall with a little sheepish smile before snapping off a salute with the bandaged leg, then turned his attention to the rope and gripped onto it, beginning his descent. At the same time, Cliff Diver sauntered over to the edge of the railing and gave a small nod to her commanding officer. Spreading her wings, she leapt from the ledge and sailed to the bottom to meet her comrades, not exchanging a single word as she made her way to the outpost door. Ship Shape, though bruised and battered, sallied over to the edge and spared a glance around, eyeing the ship and his Captain for one last time before taking the rope in hoof and sliding down to the ground below. He was followed closely by one of the veterans, Midnight Blossom, who held onto the rope with one hoof, since her other was broken in one section. She, in turn, was followed by Shadow Chaser, who sailed down to the ground despite his incredible fatigue. When the procession was complete, the only ones left on the ship were the Firewalker's officers, Turning Tides (Who was still unconscious), Patchworks, Nightfall, Effervescence, and Yiirace.

War makes family, and nothing is stronger then family. There are those willing to put their lives on the line for family, to support them by any means. The bond built between battle-brothers or battle-sisters is stronger then any bond that you will witness anywhere else. This bond is unbreakable, and is valued above everything else. It transcends any level of logic or explanation, it is something deeper then that. It is written in the very core of a pony, the same way a Cutie Mark is. You can't unwrite a bond like that any more then you can unwrite your Cutie Mark. A bond like that will follow you forever...

Nightfall watched as one after one, her soldiers left the guaranteed safety of the ship to join Smokejaw at the outpost on the ground, fulfilling their sworn duty. With her chest puffed out in pride, a slow smile touched Nightfall's lips as she turned to face the front of the ship. The moon shone into her orbs, reflecting a spark from within. Her soldiers were more then just recruits, it didn't matter what their papers said. They were just that; soldiers. They were brothers and sisters, prepared to stand shoulder-to-shoulder to defend each other, and defend Equestria at their own expense. They learned the one lesson that took most ponies years to understand, and they did it on their own. There were no words to describe it, no possible way for somepony else to understand what she felt as she stared off into the distance, thinking of her soldiers. But one thing was for certain...

They made her proud.

[Xelliea]

Leant against some tree at the edge of the forest, a few meters from the outpost, the invisible form of Quis looked on as pony after pony scuttled down to join their comrades. He smiled. It reminded him of that time, so long ago, when Sentinels and ponies had no hate between them. He'd watched the feats of friendship that ponies had committed back then, and he'd been as amazed by it then as now. This time, though, he was thinking of something, thinking of how much better things would be if pony and Sentinel were one big family again. His kind would survive and ponies would thrive to even greater heights with their aid. Why all the fighting? Most ponies didn't even remember what Vowz had done all that time ago. Pyrette would have still been alive, and no more would have to perish. He missed her, he really did. He wasn't about to fly into a rage like his brother, but he wished she was still there by his side. It was too late now. For the timeless Sentinels, single events seemed to have little meaning, even important ones. It was all about the long run, and the death of a loved one was as long lasting as possible.

Quis knew there was no reason to try and forge bonds between the two races alone. He'd probably just end up being treated like Pyrette, especially without the support of his family. He hoped what had happened that night wouldn't become public knowledge, it'd just make the chance of future peace more unlikely. Nine had become seven, and he didn't dare to think how many more would pass before all this was over. He certainly didn't want his kind to stave to death, but the answer didn't have to be conflict. Oh, but it was only Rieh and himself who were in that present time, the others were all off chasing legends. All was left for him to do was to watch out for his brother's return, to watch for whatever it was that he was planning to get his foolish revenge. Sighing a little, Quis looked up at the bright stars. Eden. Father. I wish you were here to fix this mess.

______________________________________________________________________

Yiirace's eyes fluttered open, panic filling her for a moment when she didn't recognise her surroundings. She calmed quickly when she spotted Evy across the room, smirking at her as she awoke. How you feeling? He trotted over to her, trying to make sure she wasn't going to pass out again. I don't know if I'll ever feel the same again, but I'm ok. Good, in fact. I actually get to live my life my own way now. Listen, I just want to say thank you. Evy was stunned with confusion for a moment. Thank you? For what? I wasn't much for a help up there. There was a brief smile from Yiirace, coupled with her raising a hoof out to Evy. For just being there. You came up with me, I don't know what state I would have come back in without you. I might have tried to fight Rieh, I might have found myself wanting revenge for my mothers death. I don't know. I'm a stranger in this world, and it just means a lot to have someone here for me.

Evy let out a little laugh, but returned Yiirace's smile to show he wasn't mocking or anything. You do know I'm married? A glare from Yiirace caused him to quickly shut up, but the two soon began to laugh. What are you going to do now? For a moment, she was quiet with a look of contemplation, then looked up with the same expression. I'd like to become a guard like you, I might find acceptance there. And besides, I'd like to do some good after all the damage I've caused. Do you think your captain will ever forgive me?

She will, in her own way. Don't worry about her being stern, she's like that to everyone. I can't even imagine her calling somepony friend. I can't see why you wouldn't be able to get into the guard. I think they'd long to have somepony of your talents. Having listened to Evy, she leant forward, resting her head on the grey pony. You can't believe how happy I am to hear that, Evy.

[ForgottenExistance]

The ponies of the outpost entered the building, all in their own states of health or fatigue. Some broken, some battered, others just about ready to pass out. But they were there for eachother, and they always would be. They took up their positions, some of them had to bring out chairs or sit down on the ground so they didn't topple over, but they were in their positions in their now fortified outpost. As long as they stayed there, they would make sure that no more Sentinels came from the Everfree, at least until they could get some reinforcements. They might even stand a chance against an attack for a little while with the way they fortified the outpost, and they now knew what it took to bring a Sentinel down. Maybe they couldn't bring one down by themselves, but they could certainly hold one off in a secured building until they could bring in the heavy artillery again. And with the Hammer taking a holding pattern around the outpost, they wouldn't go long without that artillery.

Nightfall stayed on the front deck for a few minutes, contemplating things as they made their slow progress towards Canterlot in the distance. With everything that transpired, it was a lot to take in. They had defended Equestria from a threat that half of them wouldn't ever know about. Maybe the Princesses would tell the Elements about the attack, maybe they wouldn't. But most of Equestria would go on, completely oblivious to the fact that they had just been saved by a hoof full of rookies. Did she think they deserved some sort of recognition? Of course she did. But that was what it meant to be in the Guard; they saved Equestria time after time, and were always the guardians in the background. They weren't paraded around as heroes, they didn't get holidays named after them. At most, they might get a metal slapped onto them and a pat on the back. But that's just the sort of heroes they were; they were proud to serve without being paraded around.

The Captain halted her musings, turning around to face the rest of the ship. There was still the matter of a certain mare in the small infirmary of the ship. She didn't know what would become of Yiirace, but she would keep the possibilities open until a time the decision was made formal. She quickly walked across the deck and entered the ship, cantering down the stairs to the small infirmary. While it wasn't big or fancy, it was enough to keep their wounded stable, and keep a watchful eye on Yiirace until she was able to walk on her own. She stopped in the doorway at the same time that Yiirace was talking about joining the guard, and caught Effervescence talking about her sternness. She couldn't help but give a little toothy grin at the comment, but hid the smile.

Stepping into the infirmary, she stopped a couple of meters from the medical bed that Yiirace had been placed on earlier. She cleared her throat to get their attention before speaking, "I see no issues with you joining the guard, Yiirace. Though, you may have to disguise yourself as a regular pony. If you present yourself to the princesses when we reach Canterlot, I will put in a good word for you to join my regiment," she said before turning, "We'll be docking in about an hour. You should both rest up before we get there. You've had a long night," she concluded with a hidden smile of sympathy before heading back out of the infirmary without giving them another word. The Captain was rather glad to have them both at hoof. They may not be kin to her, but she would fight with them at her sides any time. Even if Yiirace had fought her before, that only strengthened that feeling.

Making her way up to the helm, she stopped behind the helmspony and sighed, tilting her head back in the night air. Things were never going to be the same after that. Fighting another worldly being, becoming comrades with one, and still living to tell the tale. Even if nopony outside of the Guard knew what happened that night, things were still going to change. They had a whole new level of combat they had to prepare for. If an invasion of Sentinels came through one day, they had to be prepared. Nightfall wasn't going to be caught unprepared the way she had been before. Now she knew what they were capable of, and she wasn't going to risk the lives of her fellow soldiers by not taking precautions. As they sailed towards Canterlot, she leveled her head towards the moon and cracked a small smile. At least they could all prepare for the future together, as comrades.


Together, we're all going to make a difference. Together, we'll stand and fight to protect our home. Together we stand, and together we will prevail.

To Be Continued...