Chapter 2

The Yellow Turban Menace

Cheng Yuanzhi's breath fell from his lips in painful bursts as he knelt before the darkness within which he was sure his master stood. Running by day and sleeping by night had taken a lot out of him, or so his aching muscles testified. The feeling had been even more agonizing when he was standing before the high altar just moments before, the sun bearing down on his parched body like a vulture as he purified himself in prayer. But now, in the cool darkness of the inner sanctum, it was as if the spirit of heaven was surging back into him from the very being of the Great Teacher, soothing his troubled body, if not his troubled mind.

He continued recounting his wild tale. "It could speak with the tongue of a man, and a dragon was its companion! It had a horn, as sharp as a dagger, coming out of its forehead, and it blasted my men with evil magic! And then, from out of nowhere, came three demonic warriors who slaughtered everyone! I ran and ran…"

Zhang Jiao stepped out of the shadows, his long and elegant robe trailing behind him, and placed a hand on Cheng Yuanzhi's shoulder.

"You were wise, my child, not to pit yourself against the legions of hell. Alone, we are powerless to fight the darkness that even now flows forth from the corrupt Han to torment the land. But together, we may yet bring the light of the heavens back to the unbelievers!"

His tone had been growing increasingly agitated. Abruptly, Zhang Jiao pressed his hands against Cheng Yuanzhi's cheeks, pulling the warrior up by his head. He stared him straight in the eyes.

"DO YOU HAVE FAITH IN THE HEAVENS, CHENG YUANZHI?" he shouted directly at the brigand.

Cheng Yuanzhi would have shaken the spit off of his face, but he knew the Great Teacher might have taken that as a "no."

Apparently, Cheng Yuanzhi's silence had been enough of an answer for Zhang Jiao. As swiftly as he had grabbed his student, he let him fall back to the ground and turned again towards the darkness in the back of the room.

"So you do believe! Then take care, my child. The Yellow Turbans shall require a miracle if they are to stand a chance against the fell foes you have reported unto me."

The rogue was upright now, his face a mask of confusion. "But what miracle do you mean, O Great Sage? You aren't saying that the Yellow Turbans are finished, are you?"

Zhang Jiao turned slightly. His smile was warm, but his eyes glinted with bloody determination.

"O ye of little faith! The heavens have already answered our prayers!"

And suddenly, shining forth from the darkness at Zhang Jiao's hip, there appeared a pair of eyes…eyes stranger than any Cheng Yuanzhi had ever seen…

On the whole, Twilight Sparkle wished that it were night.

Since the day of the oath in the peach garden, she had been following Liu Bei as he roamed the countryside like a man possessed. From time to time they would reach a small village, always looking the same as the one before it with dusty houses and frowning, care-filled people, and Liu Bei would go to work. With no fear, he would stand in the center of the town and declaim the virtues of the Han and the evils of the Yellow Turbans. His voice as clear as a bell, he would demand that all able-bodied men join his force, for the sake of their families and the land they loved. It was a method a madpony might have used, Twilight had mused, but there was no mistaking Liu Bei for mad; his powerful demeanor and the conviction in every one of his words almost forced one to pay attention to him. In his presence, the people awoke from apathy into inspiration, and Liu Bei had collected at least a few new followers at every town he visited.

By this point, though, there was no more need to visit the hamlets of the land; what had once been only five sworn siblings had blossomed into a veritable volunteer army of peasants and farmers, men driven only by hunger and hope for a better life. Now, Liu Bei had a different destination: the main camp of the Han forces, the site for the final strike against the beleaguered Yellow Turbans.

The pattern for each day was fairly rigid; marching while the sun stood overhead, and rest when it slipped behind the hills again. The nights were particularly special for Twilight; when camp had been set and the cooking fire blazed high, the pony would take her meal and join Liu Bei in his tent. There, the leader of men would once again continue the task he had set for himself of educating Twilight on the nuances of the world in which she had been dropped. Certainly, the pony admitted to herself, when it came to teaching, he wasn't even half as good as Celestia; her questions on the finer points of the court intrigues he described were often met with blank stares, and she often had to ask him to elaborate on ideas that seemed obvious to him but escaped someone like her with no familiarity with the land. Whatever else he may have been, Liu Bei was clearly not overly clever. But he approached his self-appointed job with such dedication and such solicitation for Twilight's needs that the unicorn found herself absorbed nevertheless by his lessons.

Besides, she needed the knowledge, no matter how haltingly it came. If what Celestia had told her was true (and it certainly seemed that way, for, Twilight realized, how else could humans and ponies have arrived at a common language save for the sort of mystical linking of fates that the Princess had described?), then she was in for a long stay in this world.

Thus, as the sun beat down on her and the rest of Liu Bei's exhausted forces as they trudged forth, Twilight silently begged for the comforts of food and study that night offered…or at least relief from Spike's constant complaining.

"When are we gonna eat, Twi? I'm hungry!"

"You know when we're going to eat: whenever nighttime comes. Just be patient."

"But I'm starving! And my feet are tired, too. C'mon, Twilight, let me hitch a ride on your back!"

"I already let you do that an hour ago. You're not the only one who gets tired, you kn…"

Twilight's thought was interrupted by what had just come into her sight over the top of the hill they had been scaling. If Liu Bei had taught her correctly, what she was seeing was the flag of the Han empire, waving in the breeze.

She turned and looked at Liu Bei. His eyes fixed on the flag for just a moment before he wheeled his horse around and began galloping down the flank of his forces.

"Men!" he shouted, "The camp of the Imperial Han is just ahead! All we need is one last push and we shall reach it; now forward!"

A shout of joy rose up amidst the ranks, and a mad dash ensued as the peasants eagerly struggled against their fatigue in the hopes of reaching a place of rest, even as Liu Bei shouted at them to slow their advance, lest they be mistaken for hostiles.

Twilight let the wave of bodies wash over her without quickening her trot. Spike had joined in the sprint, so when Liu Bei circled back, only she, Zhang Fei, and Guan Yu remained to greet him.

Zhang Fei turned to Twilight, his jaw clenched in a tight grin. "So this is your first real battle, huh? Boy, I can't wait to see what you can do out there! I bet those hooves are pretty good for bashing in skulls, eh? And that horn looks pretty sharp…"

Twilight wanted to grimace, but she checked herself and tried to project interest as Fei relished his own imaginings of the carnage she could wreak.

"You'd do well to show a little more empathy, Zhang Fei," interrupted Guan Yu. "Not everyone takes as keen a pleasure as you do in battle." Turning to Twilight, he continued. "Worry not, sister. If you simply stay behind me, the Blue Dragon will clear a path for you. You need not lift a fing…I mean, hoof."

Guan Yu was dismayed at his slip, and he tried to laugh it off, but his uneasiness was showing.

Twilight laughed as well, although his comment had made her nearly as uncomfortable as Zhang Fei's…not because of the sentiment, but because he had used the word "sister." She knew that was how those who had sworn to an oath of friendship were supposed to refer to each other in this world, but the word still didn't feel right coming from anyone other than Shining Armor.

Their small caravan soon reached the main body of Liu Bei's troops that had gathered before the imposing doors to the Han camp. The volunteers had winded themselves and all were breathing heavily. Even in their exhaustion, however, they were canny enough to give a wide berth to Spike, for with each breath the panting dragon took, a tongue of flame shot from his mouth.

"Man," said Spike between puffs as he ambled back to Twilight's side. "That's the last time I'm running on an empty stomach."

A guard peered down on the motley forces from the battlements of the camp. A gesture from Liu Bei, and he disappeared from sight. The door soon swung open before them, and the guard pointed them towards a mounted warrior, clad in filigreed armor of black and gold, who was presently engaged in shouting at a pair of rather haggard-looking lieutenants.

The men dismounted and began to move towards the imposing figure, motioning for Twilight and Spike to follow. When the band had nearly reached him, a realization seemed to cross Guan Yu's mind. Turning to the pony and the dragon, he whispered to them.

"That is Lord He Jin, chosen by the Emperor himself to crush this rebellion. We all must show him the proper deference."

And with that, finally standing before the general, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Liu Bei all knelt down. Twilight hesitated a moment, and finally decided to adopt the same attitude she would have had she been before Princess Celestia. Spike only managed to contort himself into an awkward bow.

"General," announced Liu Bei, his eyes averted and turned towards the ground, "I, Liu Bei, have come with a force of volunteers to lend you whatever aid I can in your most righteous cause. Though my men are inexperienced in battle, their loyalty to the Han is unimpeachable, and, to a one, they would give their lives to see these heretics driven from the land. I humbly ask that you let us advance with you."

He Jin surveyed the five figures before him and scowled. "You are the descendent of Liu Sheng, are you not?"

Liu Bei looked up in surprise, and then immediately lowered his head again. "Yes, I am."

He Jin's lips curled into a cold smirk. "I have heard about you, Liu Bei. You are a disgrace to your ancestor! Liu Sheng was a true leader, who had thousands to do his bidding and all the riches of the land at his disposal, and what have you reduced his legacy to? You're nothing better than a worthless shoemaker, trying to pass off a gaggle of even more worthless peasants as an army! If I didn't need your friend Gongsun Zan's help today, I'd throw you out of here myself!

Twilight Sparkle looked out of the corner of her eye at her sworn brother. Though Liu Bei was doing his best to remain stoic, it was clear from his sad eyes and quivering lip that he could not totally keep in check the heartache that He Jin's cruel taunts were causing him. Twilight gritted her teeth and looked away.

He Jin was not yet done needling the still-kneeling Liu Bei. "Is this the same man who, as a child, ran around telling everyone he was going to be Emperor some day? My, what progress you've made since then! You've even got two lumbering oafs to guard your head if the rabble you've gathered grows tired of your useless dreams! Surely you must be looking for ministers by now; have you talked to any of the rice farmers in the area? Yes, that's just what the Han needs right now: Emperor Liu Bei and his cabinet of yokels!"

Twilight couldn't stop herself. Rearing up to her full height, she fixed her eyes directly on He Jin. "That's enough!" she bellowed.

The general turned in surprise and Twilight Sparkle continued. "Listen up, you big bully! I don't like it when people make my friends feel miserable. Liu Bei's a good man, and he only wants what's best for the land. He may not have been born with a silver spoon in his mouth, but he always gives everything he can to help those he cares about, and I wonder if YOU could say the same. So leave him alone, or you're going to have to answer to me!"

Smiling proudly, Twilight Sparkle glanced at Liu Bei. He was looking at her, and the gratitude in his countenance filled her with warmth. The sound of movement at her other side caught her attention. Somewhat belatedly, Spike had wobbled out of his deferential bow, and now stood with his arms defiantly akimbo.

"Yeah!" he roared, trying to sound as tough as he could. "What she said!"

He Jin's composure wavered and a look of unabashed anger crossed his face. He did not even turn in Twilight and Spike's direction, instead focusing all of his attention on Liu Bei.

"I noticed that you also brought a couple more of these weird creatures to clutter up my camp."

More? The meaning of that word resounded in Twilight's brain. "MORE? You mean there's somepony else here?" she squealed excitedly.

He Jin ignored her. "I was planning on having Lord Huangfu Song guard the main camp while the rest of us charged out to meet the foe, but now it seems to me that your force will serve that purpose far better. Those are your orders."

He Jin's horse reared up and began to trot away with the general, but stopped suddenly. He Jin looked over his shoulder one last time at the five sworn siblings.

"And you should consider yourself lucky that I have better things to do than to teach you and that…purple thing of yours a lesson about overreaching your station."

With that, he was off.

Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei unbent their knees and started dusting themselves off. Twilight trotted up to her sworn brothers, a grin of triumph on her face.

"After all those mean things he said, I'm glad He Jin was still willing to give us such a good assignment. Now we won't have to risk the lives of any…"

Here Twilight's voice trailed off, for the morose faces of her comrades told her all she needed to know of how they felt about their lot in the upcoming battle. Still, she did not quite understand. Wasn't it better for them and for the people who had entrusted their lives to them to stay safe in the main camp?

Guan Yu answered her expression of incomprehension. "Lord He Jin is not guided by any noble motives; he simply wishes to take the glory for himself. While he charges forth like a hero into the thick of the fight, we will languish in anonymity here, where the Yellow Turbans will certainly never reach."

"Yeah!" Zhang Fei chimed in, his fists clenched into tight balls. "And if Brother doesn't make a name for himself in this battle, then he won't have any chance of uniting the land!" He turned to the downcast Liu Bei. "Come on, Brother! You don't have to take this! Let's just ignore that He Jin and jump into the fray!"

"Right on!" yelped Spike, running to Zhang Fei's side. "Sometimes a man's got to do what a man's got to do, and I'm the manliest dragon there is. Let me at 'em!"

Liu Bei held out his hand to stop Spike's rush for the base's gates with a gloomy slowness. "No. Twilight is right. Even if it means I shall not be remembered in this battle, I have a duty to the Han to fulfill. If the Han requires me to guard this fortress, then guard it I shall. Virtue dictates nothing less."

"Don't worry about what that blowhard He Jin says," intoned a voice from behind Liu Bei. The effect was stunning; from his despair, Liu Bei seemed to awaken into life again as he whirled around to face his addresser with a broad smile. Twilight looked the new man over; he was about as young as Liu Bei, with long black hair and a broad swath of stubble around his jaw.

"He wouldn't know honor or prowess if it sat right up on that silly little helmet of his and recited The Art of War from memory," the stranger continued, clearly as pleased as Liu Bei at the meeting.

"Lord Gongsun Zan!" gushed Liu Bei. "It's been far too long!"

"Ages, in fact," finished Zan. "So, how is my old school chum?"

Liu Bei glanced behind him at his coterie, and then back at Gongsun Zan. "Well, as the heavens have seen fit to bless me with the support of true friends, I cannot say that I have been unfortunate."

"You'd better not say the word 'heavens" around here," joked Gongsun Zan. "Those Yellow Turban heretics might hear you and get all riled up."

Liu Bei laughed along. "I hear you have done quite well for yourself. You must excuse me," he said, turning to his sworn siblings, "but Lord Zan and I have a great deal of catching up to do."

The two walked away, still chatting.

Twilight was uneasy. "I should be happy that we'll all be out of harm's way," she thought to herself. And yet, she was not. Did she really have so little faith in the strength of Liu Bei that she feared he would abandon his men to unnecessary danger?

No, she reminded herself, a good sworn sister would never let someone she cared about take needless chances that put life and limb in peril. Liu Bei needed to stay here in the camp. Surely there was some other way he could make himself known…

Twilight caught herself staring at Liu Bei and Gongsun Zan, who were now sitting on the ground at the far end of camp continuing their discussion. It was just the reminder she needed. Right now, she had better things to do than worry about being right or wrong. Somepony else was in the camp right now, and she needed to find her!

Twilight surveyed the scene around her. It was mostly filled with humans, and the only horses she could see were of the weird kind that this world seemed to possess, with their glassy, thoughtless eyes and drab coats. She lingered for a moment on the sight of a group of warriors in blue. The central one was mustachioed and goateed, and his expression was a sour one as he seemed to size up the whole camp at once. The men beside him also wore mustaches and beards, but one was thin, well-built, and with an unkempt look that only added to his rugged handsomeness, and the other was fat and bulky, with a rounded, pleasant face that seemed suited to the casual way he had flung his bow across his shoulder. A little further off was a young man with an unruly mop of black hair. They all seemed so distant from the others, and so cruel in their remoteness, that Twilight Sparkle couldn't help but shiver. She quickly turned away from them and looked for other signs of a pony's presence. The only other thing that caught her eye was a band of soldiers all clad in red. At their head was a distinguished-looking but sprightly older man, a shock of white hair on his head offsetting his black beard and lending a touch of nobility to the overall impression of savagery he projected. By his side were a pony-tailed youth holding a pair of tonfas, a short-haired girl with a set of wheels, another youth, clean-shaven and sallow-faced, and, at the level of their knees, an auburn-coated pony with a trio of apples on her flank…

Twilight was briefly startled; then, overcome with joy, she bellowed at the top of her lungs "APPLEJACK!"

She drew the attention of some of the other warlords, who scowled at her and shook their heads, but Twilight did not care, as she had gotten the one figure she cared about right now to notice. Applejack looked shocked for a moment, then, seeming to realize that what she was seeing was indeed true and not just a dream, started into an easy gallop and soon reached the side of her friend.

"Sugarcube!" the pony declared with excitement. "I was so worried about you!"

"I thought I'd never see you again!" Twilight gushed, teardrops forming like a storm in her eyes. "Applejack, do you know where the others are?"

The earth pony lost her smile. "I was gonna ask you the same thing." The two shared a short pause, until Applejack quickly perked back up. "But if you're okay, why then, I'd bet the whole Sweet Apple Acres harvest that the others are okay too!"

Twilight felt warm inside. "How did you find your way here?"

A look of realization crossed Applejack's face. "Well, shoot, I've gotta introduce you to the Sun family! They're the ones who brought me along for this little tussle. Come on!"

Before Twilight could object, Applejack had grabbed her and shuffled her over to the group of people she had been with earlier.

"Hey y'all, I want you to meet my friend Twilight Sparkle," Applejack declared enthusiastically. "Twi, this is Sun Jian, Sun Ce, Sun Quan, and of course, Sun Shang Xiang," she said, pointing at the older man, the pony-tailed youth, the clean-shaven youth, and the girl in turn.

The whole family seemed a little embarrassed, except for Sun Ce, who put aside his tonfas and thrust out his hand for Twilight to shake. "Nice to meet you, Twilight!" he offered cheerfully.

Twilight Sparkle was grateful that there were fewer Sun family members than there were Apple family members. She was just about to raise her hoof to meet Sun Ce's palm when she heard someone clear his throat behind her. She turned around to see a squat, balding man with a bland face topping a muscular, if unremarkable, body.

"Um, Applejack," he began shyly, "aren't you going to introduce me?"

"Oh, I'm sorry! Twilight, this is…um….this is…"

"I'm Han Dang," the man said, his impatience rather poorly concealed.

"Right! Han Dang."

"I'll try to remember that," Twilight offered jocularly, but she only seemed to make Dang more upset, and he sulked away.

When the ponies had ambled off again, Twilight picked up their conversation. "Applejack, I got a letter from Celestia."

Applejack was visibly shaken. "From the Princess? Is she here too?"

Twilight shook her head. "No, she's back in Equestria."

"Then what did the letter say?"

"She wrote that there's a chance we can go home."

Applejack's eyes widened. Twilight continued. "All we have to do is 'unite the land.'"

The earth pony's brow furrowed in thought. "Uniting the land, huh? That sounds like it's gonna be a mite difficult." Her eyes narrowed into determined slits, a mischievous smile spreading across her lips. "But I reckon that clobbering these Yellow Turban varmints with Sun Jian will be a good way to start."

"What?" uttered Twilight, barely containing her surprise.

"Well, that's what I'm here for, sugarcube. I told Sun Jian I'd help him out on the front lines."

"But you don't know the first thing about fighting in a war!"

"I bet your book learning didn't cover that either, but you're here anyway."

Twilight was silent. She knew that arguing with Applejack was one of the most pointless things a pony could do. Still, her heart was beating fast and she could feel a lump coming on in her throat. One of her friends was safe…but would the other be?

Cao Cao watched and stroked his beard as the two colorful ponies talked. The sun was harsh today and he had to squint to see them, which made his face look even more severe than usual. Next to him, the rugged Xiahou Dun was staring with equal intensity. Only Xiahou Yuan was paying no attention; he had unslung his bow from his shoulder and was engaged in fine-tuning the tension of the string.

After a long time, Cao Cao spoke. "Steeds that speak in the tongue of man, covered in unnatural markings: truly, such prodigies could only arise in a time of chaos."

"But if I know you, cousin," Xiahou Dun responded slyly, "you're already thinking about how you can make use of them in realizing your ambition."

Cao Cao chuckled. It was a low and mirthless sound. "You are right, Xiahou Dun. But I can already tell that these two could never serve. Regardless of the extent of their ability, it is clear that their only loyalty is to each other. The pony who joins my forces shall not only be of incomparable skill, but shall also possess a temperament which I might manipulate into unshakeable loyalty to me."

"Are you sure such a pony exists, my lord?"

"One can be sure of nothing when the land is in turmoil; but if these ponies are indeed worthy of my attention, then it would be foolish of me to take anything less than the best their ranks have to offer."

Xiahou Yuan placed his bow over his shoulder and turned to Cao Cao. "It figures. As soon as we set out to conquer the land, you're already talking about fighting alongside a bunch of freaky-looking demon horses. I knew I'd be seeing some strange things when I struck out with you, but I didn't know they'd get this strange this quickly."

The heavy-set warrior sat down on the ground. "Still, I know you just love recruiting the strong and weird types…"

"Admit it, Lord Xiahou Yuan," interrupted Li Dian, approaching the trio and running a hand through his tangle of black hair. "You like the color they add to this battlefield. With those ponies fighting beside us, I have a hunch that this campaign will go by quickly…perhaps even too quickly for Lord Cao Cao's liking."

Cao Cao only smirked at this, without saying a word.