Chapter 19

Golden Wind had never seen real war before—unless the occasional rewatch of Gladiator or Hurt Locker counted. Perhaps it was inevitable that his next few days would feel like preparing for a championship game instead of a battle. But even in the most intense games, no opponent he’d ever faced had actually wanted to kill him.

No matter what the ponies said to the contrary, no matter how barbaric they claimed it would be for one warrior to kill another in battle, Golden knew the truth. He’d felt it in the awful torture Tempest Shadow inflicted, in the magic that very nearly killed him.

He prepared his teammates accordingly. When Rainbow Dash gave them armor and spears, they had only a few days to master their use—nowhere near long enough, no matter what ponies believed about their supernatural competence in war.

So Golden Wind didn’t even bother with the spears. No one charged onto a gridiron with sharpened metal—they used tactics, mass, and raw strength. If it came down to a conflict, his crew would use those same tools, which they’d sharpened after proud careers of competence in their arena.

A few days were long enough to learn the armor and enhance the padding underneath in the ways his people expected. When they met the Stormwatch head-on, they would need to resist instead of crumpling. Equestria could not survive otherwise.

The one pony he wanted to talk to most remained in her lab, emerging only long enough to collapse from exhaustion each night. She’s as rushed as I am, he knew, and so he did not disturb her. Everypony is depending on her.

It seemed like they had barely even begun before it was time to leave. Dozens of ponies made their way out of the castle, gathering in small groups. His own remained near the back, as they would be the last to leave. Hopefully, they might not even have to fight at all.

No part of Golden Wind believed that. A tyrant like the Storm King couldn’t hold power through incompetence. Something awful would be waiting in that gallery, something he would have to stop before it got Starlight Glimmer.

Yet the unicorn herself made no appearance. The castle windows went dark; the smoke from fires extinguished. No one would still be here when this was over—even those too weak to fight were being moved. If they won, the castle wouldn’t be needed as a shelter anymore. And if they lost, the Storm King’s troops would soon know the location of their retreat and arrive to capture them.

“Hey!” somepony shouted from nearby, and Golden turned to look. Rainbow landed in the grass a few feet away. She wore no armor, but instead was wrapped from hoof to head in a tight jumpsuit covered in blue and yellow markings. Only her face was visible within, though goggles covered her eyes. She lifted them aside with a wing. “Weather team is about ready to fly. Where’s our safecracker?”

He sighed, pointing his wing at the castle door. “Still inside. Hasn’t left the lab since this morning. What kind of uniform is that? Not very stealthy.”

“Blue works fine in the sky,” Rainbow countered, sticking out her tongue. “Besides, it’s not about blending in. Wonderbolts… still mean something to a lot of ponies. And they’re insulated against lightning. Gonna need that where we’re going.”

Wonderbolts. That uniform might not be as powerful-looking as the one he was used to, or offer any of the same protection. Even so, there was a certain elegance to it. “What’s a Wonderbolt?”

“Stunt fliers,” she answered. “Best Pegasi across Equestria. Used to just be from weather teams, so there’s a lot of that too. Kinda like what you did, maybe? Those games you talked about, with lots of ponies watching.”

She took off, hovering now. “Get her, please. First team is already nearing the train station. If you aren’t aboard when it leaves… a lot of ponies are gonna get hurt, with no real chance of winning here. We both know she’s the only pony who can do this.”

He broke into a trot, then a gallop. “I’ll get her!” He looked back, shouting to Carlos. “Make sure the armor is ready in the wagons! Get moving with everypony else, Starlight and I will catch up!”

“If you say so!” Carlos yelled back. Soon his voice was lost with the crowd.

Golden ducked through the castle, galloping through empty halls. Paper and debris now filled them. He passed through the large dining room, and found it deserted. The lights were out, the fire cold, and only a few overturned boxes remained.

We’re really doing this. Either we end the occupation, or the Storm King will rule forever. His friends and colleagues would never get to go home, and his girlfriend’s nation would remain oppressed.

Finally, he reached the magical lab. Its doors alone were shut, with candlelight streaming through the crack in the door. Golden Wind tapped one hoof against it. “Starlight? We need to leave—we’re out of time for practicing!”

No answer, at least not at first. He waited another few seconds, then twisted the handle and shoved it open. “Starlight?”

He found the mare crumpled in the center of the room, surrounded by pages. Before her sat a piece of dark crystal, resting on a plinth and held up by little metal tongs.

And if the crystal is still there, it can only mean one thing. Starlight hadn’t cast the spell successfully, not in the three days of practice.

“No point bringing me,” she said, her head buried in her forelegs. “I’m no Twilight. This is hopeless.”

He approached slowly, careful not to walk over any of the magical diagrams. Golden Wind had learned a lot since coming to Equestria—if he couldn’t use any magic himself, he would at least make sure not to disrupt any of it.

“It’s not.” He reached her and rested his wing around her shoulder. “It’s not hopeless.”

“Saying that doesn’t make it true!” She looked up, tears streaming down her face. “Golden, you have no idea how… how hard this is. I’m not Starswirl, I’m not Twilight. I can’t do the impossible just because Equestria needs me to!”

She pressed up against his chest, rocking slowly back and forth. Her heart raced; her face smeared with tears.

For a few seconds, Golden was completely frozen. Any words he could say to encourage her felt hollow on his tongue. He didn’t know magic and lacked the organ to try. But he had seen Starlight, and everything she could accomplish. If she felt like their mission was hopeless, then…

But he could hold her. He could stand up straight; he could be there for her to cry on. Maybe he could even find a way to encourage her. “You must’ve thought it was possible, or you would’ve called off the mission.”

“It’s possible,” she muttered, staring up into his face. “Of course it’s possible. Starswirl did it. And I’m… so close. Painfully close. But when I try to cast it…” She tapped one hoof against the stand in front of them, with its chunk of black crystal suspended in little metal grips. “Nothing. No effect. Even though I swear I did everything right.”

He didn’t speak right away, of course.

He held her as tightly as he could, occasionally moving one hoof through her mane. Not quite the same as what he could’ve done with hands and fingers—but sacrifice and adaptation was always going to be required. “You can do this. Not because everypony is counting on you—not because of what would happen if the Storm King stays in charge. You can do it because you’re the best. You kept the rebellion hidden for years. You teleported across the world, into another universe! When we get into that castle and find the princesses, you will set them free. I know you will.”

She sniffed, wiping away at her face with her hoof. “You sound so sure, but you don’t know. You don’t know how hard this is.”

He nodded. “You’re right, I don’t know how hard the spell is. But I know how smart you are. And you’ve got a little more time. You won’t have to fight—my ponies will get you into the gallery. All you have to do is cast the spell.”

She stared up at him for a few seconds more, her expression unreadable. Eventually, she pecked him on the cheek. “Is that how you act with your creatures? Tell them how great they are, how they’re good enough to win?”

Pretty much. The key, of course, was making sure they believed him. He had to be an authority, and that meant never showing anyone a look behind the curtain.

“I only say it when it’s true,” he said. He lifted his wing from her shoulder, then started gathering up the pages of her spell. “By now, the first wave is out of the Everfree and at the train station. The fighting might already have started. We have to get there before they leave, or we lose for sure.”

Starlight sighed, her tail sagging behind her and her ears folding flat. “You think we should go anyway? Even though I don’t know if I can…” She took over for him, lifting every page in a uniform magical glow, and stuffing it into a nearby satchel. She settled it over her shoulder. “We might make it all the way in, past the guards and traitors and everything, and lose anyway.”

He pressed his side up against hers, brief and intense. “We’re guaranteed to lose if we stay here. At least going means we have a chance, however small. Besides… it won’t happen. The Starlight I know will walk through that door and save Equestria. You’ll see.”

He nudged her into motion, and Starlight moved. Whether simply pressured by his encouragement, or if she actually believed him—it didn’t really matter. For now, his most important goal was just to get her to the train station. What would come after, though…

She sped up as they made their way through the empty castle, eventually breaking into a trot, then a gallop. The more empty space they passed, the more the weight of her critical role seemed to grow on her. “We’re really doing this,” she said.

Golden Wind could’ve gotten to the station much more quickly on his wings, of course. But his entire job was protecting Starlight, and making sure that she arrived in one piece.

“One way or another,” he agreed. “This battle is happening. Let’s try to win it, yeah?”

She didn’t meet his eyes. “I will have a little more time to study during the ride through Canterlot. After that… even if I’m not fighting, I’ll be following you. I don’t think you could carry me through a warzone.”

I probably could, he thought. But the words didn’t make it to his tongue. Even if he did have the strength to wear the metal armor and carry the mare on his back at the same time, he didn’t think she would be able to concentrate on her study.

They caught up with the other members of his team near the edge of the Everfree—close enough that the sounds of conflict were already filling the air ahead.

“Battle for Ponyville is just about over,” Harvey said, gesturing ahead. Their little group wasn’t moving anymore, but waiting beyond the trees.

Carlos looked unhappy, occasionally drawing the spear by an inch, then sliding it back in. “They ordered us to wait here. We’re on reserve.”

“Like I said, no fighting yet. Hopefully no fighting ever.” Maybe if he repeated that bit of wishful thinking enough times, it would become true. “We wait for the order, then we get on the train.”

Starlight stopped just beside him, eyeing the handful of “warriors” and their covered carts of armor and supplies. They were entirely independent of the other pony offensive, and wouldn’t collapse if the rest of the advance did.

“We were trying to get six of you,” she muttered, her voice distant. “Like the Elements of Harmony. But one didn’t make it. Guess I’m taking his place.”

“Sure, sure,” said Danny. Despite his earlier insistence that he would have nothing to do with any rebellion or war, he had reported for the advance like everyone else, as Golden Wind knew he would. No one made it as far in professional sports as his teammates without a deep, pervasive hunger for glory. “Just stay behind us, princess. We’ll get this over with soon enough.”

Less than a minute later, Fluttershy landed in the trees, waving them onward. Even without whispering, her voice was feeble. “They’re, umm… ready for you. Everypony’s getting onto the train.”