Chapter 7-Aftershocks

Everypony overcame their shock and started panicking when Laurel and Silver went unconscious. They crowded around both of them, shouting and bickering over what to do.

"STOP!" Evergreen roared, pushing through the crowd.

"Everypony, back off! They need air, and you crowding around them isn't going to help. I'm the only one here who's trained in advanced medicine, so I'll take care of healing Silver." Evergreen ordered.

"What about Laurel?" Starlight asked.

"You remember how to make the energy restoring medicine, right?" Evergreen asked, turning to Scarlet.

Scarlet nodded nervously and said, "I...I think so."

Evergreen opened his bag and pulled out a lot of berries, flowers, and a few powders, and then a roll of parchment.

"Here, these are the herbs you need, and this scroll has the instructions to make it in case you forget." Evergreen said, giving the bundle, "Make sure she drinks all of it and doesn't move a bunch for an hour."

"Drink all of it? You've never made us drink that much before!" Cupid cried.

"Because none of us have ever been as worn out as she is now. It won't hurt her, I promise." Evergreen said.

"Alright," Scarlet said, "I'll make sure she drinks every last drop and doesn't move unless she needs to turn her head to talk."

"I'm also going to need three ponies to volunteer to give up a pint of their blood to replenish Silver's. Is anyone willing?" Evergreen asked.

"I'll do it!" Snowflake said immediately.

"Can unicorn blood go into pegasi?" Twilight asked hesitantly.

"Only if she's the only unicorn that donates. The other two have to be pegasi." Evergreen said.

"Only pegasi? I was hoping I could give some of my blood to pay him back for saving my daughter." Cadence said.

Evergreen thought for a second and said, "No, I'm afraid you can't. You may have wings, but you're still mostly a unicorn. If Silver was a unicorn, that would work, but that much magic in the bloodstream of a pegasi would kill him. Are there any pegasi willing to give blood?" Evergreen asked.

"I'll...I'll give some." Cupid piped up, "Silver nearly gave his life to save Flurry Heart, and we need to save him. I'll give up my blood to save his life."

"Alright, we need one more pony." Evergreen said.

"Can earth ponies give blood to pegasi?" Applejack asked.

"Applejack? You're willing?" Scarlet asked.

"I really admire Silver's brave heart. And I don't want to see him die, especially if it'll leave a pony brokenhearted." Applejack said, looking at Snowflake, "Plus, wanting to help is in my nature."

"Yes, earth ponies can give to pegasi. And are you sure all 3 of you are willing?" Evergreen asked.

Applejack, Cupid, and Snowflake nodded, and Evergreen used a special needle attached by a tube to a pouch to collect blood from the 3 of them.

He then carried Silver a little ways away and used his magic to create a canopy out of vines, trees, bushes, and other plants.

While Scarlet started making the medicine for Laurel, Twilight heard sniffles coming from somewhere to her left.

She and her friends turned to see Snowflake trying and failing to hold back tears.

"Darling, what's wrong?" Rarity asked as she and the rest of the group except Scarlet walked over.

"I...I'm scared. What if he doesn't make it?" Snowflake said her voice wavering.

Shining Armor looked pained, and everyone else as anxious and Snowflake, but they still tried to reassure her.

"I'm sure Silver will be fine, Snowflake," Scarlet said gently, "Evergreen's a good healer."

"How do you know he'll be fine?" Snowflake said, openly sobbing, "Honor Medallion hurt him so badly. What if he's too far gone?"

"You, Cupid, and Applejack gave him the blood he needs to recover, and he passed out just a few minutes ago. Not to mention, since he's a Royal Guard, he's super strong. I'm sure he'll be okay." Starlight said.

"I hope you're right, Starlight." Shining said, "I may never get the chance to apologize to him."

"For what?" Twilight asked.

"I talked to Silver about his outburst like I said I would," Shining confessed, "But I was way too hard on him. I said to him that if he doesn't learn to reign himself in, he's going to get kicked out of the Guard." Shining confessed.

Cadence gasped and cried, "Shining!"

"I know, it was wrong. Being part of the Royal Guard means everything to Silver, and I threatened to take it away from him. I was super stressed about the impending emergency, and I took it out on him. Still, it's no excuse. I need to tell him I'm sorry for being such an ass, but...if doesn't make it, I'll never get the chance."

"Why does being part of the Royal Guard mean so much to Silver?" Funny Bone asked.

"It gave him a second chance at life after he literally lost everything." Shining said sadly.

"What do you mean by that?" Rainbow asked.

"I think it would be best if we let Silver explain. It's his story." Cadence said.

"I agree. I think he'd be pretty pissed if we told it for him." Shining mumbled, his head down.

Cadence put her arm around him and said, "I'm sure that if he makes it, he'll forgive you."

A moaning from the other direction took everypony's attention, to find that Laurel was waking up, her golden eyes fluttering open.

"What...what's going on?" Laurel groaned, "Where are we?"

"We don't know," Twilight said, as the other ponies gathered around her, "But we're all glad you're okay."

"I'm sorry I used magic when you and Evergreen told me not to." Laurel said.

"Well, as much as I was worried about you Laurel, what I really feel like doing right now is thanking you." Twilight said.

"Thanking me? I could've killed my self." Laurel mumbled.

"I know. But that last bit of magic you used to teleport us all here saved our lives. So, thanks for saving us." Twilight said.

Laurel smiled weakly and said, "You're welcome."

Scarlet pushed a bowl with a royal blue liquid to Laurel and said, "Laurel, I need you to drink the other half of this. Evergreen said you have to."

"Drink all of it? Evergreen's normally given us only half that much." Laurel said.

"None of us have ever been as exhausted as you are now. You got so exhausted you passed out." Scarlet said, nudging the bowl.

Laurel grunted and tried to make her horn glow until everypony else told her to stop.

"I admire your perseverance...Laurel Wreath, was it?" Discord asked.

"Yes." Laurel said weakly.

"Well Laurel, since you just had a brush with death, I don't think it would be a good idea to use any magic until you're feeling back to 100% normal." Discord finished.

Laurel paused and said, "...That's actually really good advice. Thank you."

"You're quite welcome." Discord said as Scarlet put the bowl up to Laurel's lips.

Laurel drank until the bowl was completely empty, and then tried to rise to her feet.

"Laurel, wait! Evergreen said not to move for an hour!" Starlight cried.

Laurel huffed and laid back down, and then looked around her eyes went wide.

"I know this place! This is Salvation Lake, outside of Fillydelphia!" Laurel cried.

"Why's it called Salvation Lake?" Fluttershy asked.

"Because it saved the lives and crops of some farming ponies from two hundred years ago. Right where we're standing, there used to be a farming village here, one of the most successful ones in all Equestria, in fact, because of all the rain that came during the spring and summer. But then one year, the rain didn't come at all. The townspeople waited all spring and summer, but not a single drop fell from the ski. The food they produced was much smaller and less abundant than it had been. And then the drought continued for three years. The soil became so hard and dry that it was impossible to plant or plow, and all the plants dried up and withered away. There was another river where many ponies tried to find water to give to their plants and families, but it was so far away and so hot that ponies collapsed before they could make it to the river, and there was no town close by with enough water to help them. Ponies ended up dying of dehydration, hunger, and overheating. And then, one night, a miracle happened. A giant meteorite made its way through the atmosphere and crashed near the village. The force of the impact created a huge dent in the ground and several large cracks. One of the cracks traveled eastward until it broke off part of a cliff and made a waterfall. The waterfall turned the cracks into a river, and then the river filled up the hole, which made a lake. The ponies began using the lake and river water for drinking and watering their fields, and by the time the following summer ended, the crops were bigger, tastier, and more plentiful than anything they'd ever seen. Word spread throughout the land about the miracle lake, and more ponies came and settled in the town, until it became the bustling metropolis it is today. The original settlers named the lake Salvation Lake and the river Miracle River after the extraordinary event that saved their home and lifestyle. If that meteorite hadn't landed where it did, Fillydelphia wouldn't exist. And the weirdest part is, Princess Celestia didn't cause it to happen. No pony's sure why the meteor fell out of the sky and why it landed where it did. It was just a miracle." Laurel explained.

"That is weird." Rainbow Dash said, "Cool, but weird."

"Hmm, now that you mention, I do recall hearing the story at some point." Discord said.

"How? You were a statue." Scarlet asked.

"Just because I couldn't move doesn't mean I couldn't hear." Discord pointed out.

"How'd you know the story?" Starlight asked.

"My parents used to take me on business trips here. One day they let me go explore the city on my own for a bit, so I went to the Fillydelphia Museum, and learned the story there." Laurel said, "I also learned that there's a legend that the lake is enchanted to bring good fortune and healing to all those who use its water." Laurel said.

"So if Silver drinks the water...he'll get better?" Snowflake asked, tears running down her face.

Laurel's eyes went wide, and she exclaimed, "That's right! Sweet Celestia, is he going to be okay?!"

"We don't know. Evergreen's working on him now, but we're not sure how it's going." Twilight said sadly.

"Ah," Laurel said, looking pained.

She turned to Snowflake and noticed how emotional she was.

"You've grown attached to him, haven't you?" Laurel asked her.

Snowflake nodded and began sobbing again. Laurel pulled her down into a half hug, and the other ponies and Discord crowded around them, holding Snowflake and trying to reassure her as best they could.

About ten minutes later, Evergreen emerged from his nature-made tent, and ran over when he saw that Laurel was awake.

"How's Silver?" Snowflake asked.

"How are you feeling? Are you okay?" Evergreen asked, not hearing Snowflake.

"I'm fine." Laurel said.

"How's Silver?" Shining asked, more forcefully.

"Are you sure you're alright? No headache, no hallucinations, no shortness of breath?" Evergreen asked.

"Evergreen, really, I'm fine." Laurel said, "But-!"

"Thank goodness," Evergreen breathed, leaning in close to Laurel face, "I was so scared when you passed out. If I lost you…"

"Evergreen," Laurel said patiently but firmly, "What about Silver Storm?"

"Oh, right!" Evergreen cried, pulling back, "Sorry, I can be super forgetful. Silver's fine. He made it through. As long as he doesn't strain himself, he'll live."

"Can...can we see him?" Snowflake asked, tears running down her face.

"He's asleep. I had to give him a bit of drug to make him stay unconscious so that he wouldn't feel any pain while I was working on him." Evergreen said.

"Snowflake, Cupid, Applejack, thank you for so generously giving up your blood. Silver would've died if you hadn't." he added.

"Thank you for saving his life." Cadence said, grinning and crying.

Evergreen shrugged and said, "Well, it's what healers do."

"When will Silver wake up?" Shining asked.

"In about ten minutes." Evergreen asked, "So, did anypony figure out where we are?"

"Salvation Lake. It's outside of Fillydelphia. And it's enchanted!" Pinkie said, bouncing up and down.

"Enchanted?" Evergreen asked.

Laurel told Evergreen the story of the origins of the lake and the river that flowed through it. When she was done, Evergreen looked out at the lake and said, "I hope the legend that the lake's enchanted is right. We could really use some good fortune right now."

Everypony and Discord nodded solemnly, and Scarlet asked the question that was on everyone's minds, "What are we going to do now?"

Everypony looked at Cadence and Twilight, expecting them to have answers. Cadence looked uncomfortable, and Twilight felt her vocal chords turning into gunk.

"W-well…" Twilight said, trying to sound leaderlike, "We definitely can't go back to Canterlot. So we're going to have to take refuge here and plan for how we're going to win the war. Preferably without killing anypony."

"That's impossible." Laurel said.

"What do you mean?" Starlight asked.

"I've read a lot about the wars Equestria faced. Not one of them was won without death and bloodshed." Laurel explained.

"I'm afraid Laurel's right," Shining said, "In the Royal Guard Academy, our drill sergeants drilled a lesson into our heads from the very first day-in wartime, it's either kill or be killed."

"So, we're all going to have to become murderers?" Rarity asked.

Shining Armor took a deep breath and said, "If it means stopping Deadly Sin, rescuing Celestia and Luna, and saving Equestria, then yes, we're going to have to kill our enemies. We all have to become soldiers, not just ordinary ponies. And while that may make us murderers, and we will have blood on our hooves forever, it's a sacrifice we'll have to make if we're going to win this war."

Everypony looked horrified, and Funny Bone looked like he was going to be sick.

"I'm sorry to place this burden on your shoulders, but it's the grim reality of war." Shining said, "If Silver were awake, he'd agree with me on this."

"But...but we'll all survive this, won't we?" Twilight asked, trying to stay optimistic.

"I'm afraid I don't know, Twilight. In war, there's usually heavy losses on both sides. But the side that loses less usually wins the war. And right now, our odds aren't looking to great. We're going to need more allies." Shining said grimly.

"Where are we going to get support from? Deadly Sin's taken over all of Canterlot, and assuming his tactics from the first Great Pony War haven't changed, he's hypnotized all the citizens who survived the attack into become his soldiers. We won't be able to contact anypony in Canterlot without giving ourselves away." Laurel asked.

"Oh," Flash said sadly, "I was hoping we could sneak back into whatever's left of the castle and swipe any supplies that look they might be in tact. Food, weapons, armor, that sort of thing."

"That's a good thought, Flash, but I'm afraid that until we're strong enough to stand hoof to hoof with Deadly Sin, going back to Canterlot is suicide." Shining said.

A moaning came from inside Evergreen's impromptu tent, and everypony rushed towards it with Snowflake at the lead.

The ponies rushed inside to find Silver awake and looking around, confused.

"Silver." Snowflake whimpered.

Silver looked at her and asked groggily, "Snowflake? Where are we?"

"Salvation Lake. It's outside of Fillydelphia." Twilight said.

"Fillydelphia? That's pretty far from Canterlot. How long was I out?" Silver asked.

"Only a few hours. Laurel used her last bit of magic to teleport us here." Cadence said, her face full of relief.

"Oh, that's what that golden flash of light was? I thought I was hallucinating." Silver said.

"I'm glad you're okay, Silver," Shining said, sitting down next to him, "I wanted to apologize."

"For what?" Silver asked.

"For threatening to remove you from the Guard. It was a dick move of me to suggest that because I know how much being part of the Royal Guard means to you. I was stressed about the imminent attack on Canterlot, and I took it out on you. I'm really sorry." Shining said, bowing his head.

"Apology accepted." Silver said, smiling weakly.

"And we both wanted to thank you for putting your life on the line to save Flurry Heart." Cadence said.

"You're welcome." Silver said.

"Why were you so willing to give up your life to save Flurry Heart's?" Shining asked.

"Your daughter deserves the chance to grow up and become a great leader. And besides, I owe you a debt." Silver explained.

Shining's eyes filled with tears, and he whispered, "After all this time...you still consider yourself indebted to me?"

"You saved my life, Captain. You and Princess Celestia. I would've died if you hadn't saved me that day." Silver said.

"Yeah, you guys keep mentioning that Shining saved Silver somehow after he lost everything? What does that all mean? What happened to Silver?" Twilight asked.

Silver frowned and painfully turned towards Shining, despite Evergreen protesting.

"You never told her?" Silver moaned.

"It's your story, Silver. I was waiting for her to meet you so that you could tell her yourself. I figured you'd be pretty mad if I told her for you." Shining explained.

"Well, I guess you deserve to hear the story." Silver said.

"Now? Are you sure?" Cadence asked.

Silver nodded and said, "I trust these ponies. They have the right to know."

Silver took a deep breath and asked, "When you all were little, did you ever hear of a town called Appleby?""

All the ponies shook their heads and Silver said, "I'm not surprised. Appleby wasn't very well known. It was a small rural town maybe 5 miles west of the Smoky Mountains. But it was where I was born and raised until the incident."

I was only a colt when it happened. Back then, Appleby was a lovely little town where everypony knew everypony and we were all as close as kin. I lived in a old wooden house with my parents and two siblings, and I was friends with pretty much everypony my age, and everyday we went into the woods outside the village to play together.

The day of the incident started out just like every other day, having breakfast with my siblings and then rushing out meet my friends by the tree we always met at. We spent all day playing hide and seek, tag, truth or dare, climbing trees, and swimming in the lake. Eventually, sunset came and all my friends went home, but I stayed behind, determined to get this flying trick that I saw another pegasus in my town do right.

And then, out of nowhere, streaks of lime green light pierced the sky and landed in our village. I thought it was some sort of strange meteor shower until I started hearing explosions, roars and screaming coming from my town and I smelled smoke.

I flew as fast as I could back to find that we were under attack by some spirits that had the shape of ponies, but they were made of green fire and had glowing white eyes. They were setting all of the buildings on fire and killing everypony in horrific ways-burning them alive, ripping their heads off, and literally tearing them apart.

"MOM?!" I called, "DAD?!"

"Silver!" my mom cried from the house.

"MOM!" I yelled, flying as fast as I could towards our burning house.

"SILVER, RUN!" my dad cried.

And just then, one of the spirits burst through the window of my house and came at me. I tried running from it dodging all the fireballs it threw at me, but it was too fast.

The thing caught me by my tail and beat me, burned me, and tore off parts of my flesh. I tried fighting it off, but it was trying to wrestle with fire.

When it had hurt me to the point of nearly passing out it grabbed me by the tail again and threw me into a collapsed house. Thankfully, I passed out before I crashed through the roof and landed on the floor. But to this day, I'm still not sure why that thing didn't come after me and finish me off. I guess it thought I would die after a while, so there'd be no point.

When I woke up, I surrounded by darkness and the smell of smoke, and my whole body was in pain. I thought I was dead for a second, and then I heard ponies voices.

"-in Equestria do you think happened?" a voice asked.

"Judging by the state of the buildings and the ponies bodies, I'd say a fire broke out and it spiraled out of control because of all the wood houses." another voice said.

"I don't think that's the case." a third voice chimed in, "Look at the body of this guy here. A fire wouldn't decapitate a pony like that. And this pony over here was torn apart. Fire couldn't do that, either. So most likely this was some kind of massacre."

"But who would orchestrate an attack on a small town like...whatever this place is called?" the second voice.

"Help…" I croaked.

"I'm not sure, but-" the third voice said.

"Help!" I yelled, "Somepony, help me please!"

"Lieutenant, did you hear that?" the first voice cried.

"HELP!"

"Yeah, I hear it. Where's it coming from?" the third voice asked.

"It sounds like it came from in here!" the second voice said.

I heard clattering sounds, and then the third voice said, "Don't just stand there! Help me dig!"

"Yes, sir!" the two other voices cried.

The clattering sound became louder, and then I was suddenly blinded by harsh sunlight.

"Heavens to Celestia, it's a colt!" the first voice said.

I looked up to see a gray pegasus with a black mane, a white pegasus with gray mane, and a white unicorn with a royal blue mane looking down at me shock. I recognized their armor as the Royal Guard's armor, so I let myself relax.

"Lieutenant, what should we do?" the grey pegasus asked.

The white unicorn turned serious and said, "Get to Princess Celestia immediately. Tell her we've found a survivor. And then keep searching to see if you can find any other survivors."

"Yes, sir!" the pegasi said, saluting the white unicorn and then flying away.

Then he turned back to me and looked at me sadly.

"You okay, kid?" he asked.

"Everything hurts…" I whimpered.

"I can see why. Hold still, I'll get this rubble off your back legs." the unicorn said.

He used his magic to get all the broken wood and stone off of me, and then used it again to pick me up.

"You're going to be okay now, kid." he said.

I nodded and said, "Thank you."

"Of course!" the unicorn said as he carried me somewhere, "What's your name, kid?"

"Silver Storm." I moaned.

"That's a good name. It suits you. I'm Shining Armor. I'm the second lieutenant of the Royal Guard." Shining Armor said.

"Second Lieutenant? Wow." I whispered.

Shining laughed and said, "Thanks, Silver. Can I call you Silver?"

I nodded and said, "This town's called Appleby, by the way."

"What?" Shining asked.

"I heard the conversation you and the other two guards were having. This town is called Appleby because of all the apple trees that grow around the town." I said.

"Ah. That's an interesting town name. Oh, there she is! Princess Celestia!" Shining Armor said, suddenly taking off into a run.

I cried out at the motion that was making my wounds worse, and Shining stopped and said, "I'm so sorry, are you okay?"

"No…" I whimpered, tears running down my face.

"Did you need something, Shining Armor?" Celestia asked.

Shining nodded and said, "I'm assuming Thunderhoof and Winter Gust told you about the colt we found?"

"Yes." Celestia said.

Shining gave me to her and said, "This is him. He says his name's Silver Storm."

Celestia gasped and looked down at me, her eyes filled with tears.

"Oh, poor colt. Poor, sweet, colt." Celestia whispered.

"Princess Celestia?" I asked, "Is my family okay? What were those things that attacked us?"

Celestia took a deep breath and said, "I'm not sure what happened here, Silver Storm. As for your family...it's probably best that I tell you later. Right now, you need rest. Sleep well, Silver Storm."

Celestia put her horn on my head, and I instantly fell asleep…

"When I woke up, I was in a hospital in Canterlot being treated for my wounds. Princess Celestia came in one day and told me that my town had been destroyed and everypony had been murdered. I was the sole survivor out of the 500 ponies that lived in my town. My parents, my siblings, my friends...they were all dead. Shining came in everyday and tried to cheer me up, but I was depressed and grieving. I'd lost everything, and I didn't what to do or what was going to happen to me. But as time went on, I realized that I did know what to do. I wanted to become a member of the Royal Guard like Shining Armor. And when I realized that that's what I wanted, I made an oath to myself: never again. From that day forward, I was going to be Silver Storm the Royal Guard, defender of the weak, protector of the innocent, and liberator of the suffering. I would put my life on the line and fight tooth and nail to prevent anypony from suffering the way I suffered, and that's how I got my Cutie Mark. When I was released from the hospital, I found a loving family who was willing to adopt me and raise me as their son. And when I entered the Royal Guard Academy, Shining Armor acted as mentor and eventually become my surrogate big brother. The day I got initiated into the Guard was the best day of life-I knew I was going to make a difference in pony's lives. A few years later, I was promoted to second lieutenant, and then a few months ago, I was made first lieutenant for all my hard work. And that's my story." Silver finished.

He looked up to see everypony in tears, even Shining and Cadence, who had heard his story before.

"That explains so much…" Snowflake said amidst her tears, "Silver, I'm so sorry."

"Thank you." Silver said, tears starting to form in his eyes, too, "Even though I'm grateful that it made me the pony I am today, I still wish there was something I could do to bring them back. But not even Princess Celestia herself can raise the dead."

"Honor tried to tempt me with it, though." Silver continued after taking a deep breath, "He said that if I fought with him for Deadly Sin, at the end of the war, Deadly Sin would bring back my family and friends. And thing is...I was tempted to say yes. Does that make me a bad soldier?"

"Normally I'd say yes, but since you've lost so much and been through so much pain, I'm going to say no." Shining said.

"Why did Honor Medallion betray us?" Starlight asked, "What does he want that he thinks Deadly Sin can give him?"

"A new Cutie Mark." Silver said.

Silver told the group what Honor had said about his backstory, and when he finished, he was starting to sweat.

"I think we're putting too much stress on Silver and everypony else. C'mon, let's get settled in for the night." Evergreen said.

"No, wait!" Silver cried as everypony was leaving, "Snowflake, stay with me, please."

Snowflake waited until everypony else had left and timidly said, "I-If you're thinking about, um...I don't think I'm quite ready to...uh...lose my-"

Silver realized what and burst out laughing, then started coughing, turning red in the face.

"Are you okay?" Snowflake asked, running over to him.

"I'm fine." Silver said, "But still, you honestly thought I wanted to have sex with you?! I'm not ready for that anymore than you are. And with the state I'm in, it would be virtually impossible to do it even if we both wanted to. I just want some company from somepony I admire. I could use some comfort after they day I've had, and forgive me if I'm wrong, but you look like you could use some downtime too. You look super stressed and almost as worn out as I feel."

"Yeah," Snowflake said, laying down to the right of Silver.

"You can lay on me if you want to." Silver said.

"I don't want to hurt you." Snowflake said.

"You won't. My knife wound is on the other side." Silver said gently.

"But what about your wing? Honor Medallion broke both of them, remember?" Snowflake asked.

"I think it'll be okay if you put your head on my shoulder." Silver said.

Snowflake nodded and put her head onto Silver's shoulder, and he breathed a sigh, his tense muscles relaxing. Snowflake breathed a sigh, too feeling herself relax as well. For a while they were still and silent, feeling the grass beneath them, the cool night breeze, and listening to the sound of each others breathing.

Finally, Silver broke the silence by asking, "So, since I told you that story about me, would you mind telling me a story about you?"

"What do you want to hear?" Snowflake asked.

"Hmm...how about the story of how you met Princess Twilight and her friends. I've been dying to know." Silver said.

Snowflake smiled and said, "Well, actually, that story begins with Laurel…"

"So that's why the Elements of Disharmony suddenly started resurfacing." Silver said when Snowflake finished her story, "One popped up, and then all the others followed."

Snowflake nodded and said, "We're still not sure how the Dark Magic element activated, though. Maybe it sensed Deadly Sin's rise and came back to life? Or did Deadly Sin put new evil magic inside of it so it would be powered up and cause the others to follow suit so he could grow stronger? Either way, it's scary to think about."

Silver nodded and said, "Still, I think it's really cool how you guys are the second set of the Elements of Harmony. And it makes perfect sense, too. Laurel's an extremely powerful magician and seems to understand the other five perfectly, Evergreen's whole-heartedly loyal to the ponies he cares about, Cupid's super generous with her time, Funny Bone's a comedic actor and good at cheering ponies up, Scarlet's pretty much an open book, and you...you're the kindest, sweetest, gentlest, bravest, most amazing, most beautiful pony I've ever met."

Snowflake blushed and said, "Thank you. I think you're wonderful, Silver. You're brave, clever, sweet, strong, loyal, selfless, protective, and handsome. I'm glad I was able to give some of my blood to save you."

"Wait, what?" Silver asked.

"You lost a lot of blood from your wounds, so Evergreen said he needed three ponies to donate a pint of blood. I volunteered, so did Cupid and Applejack." Snowflake explained.

"You...gave up some of your blood...to save my life?" Silver asked, his eyes shining.

"Well, yeah. I-I care about you, a lot. And I wanted to thank you for saving Flurry Heart, so I figured this was the least I could do." Snowflake said.

"The least you could do?! Snowflake, you saved my life! I don't know how to thank you!" Silver cried.

Snowflake blushed and said, "You're welco-!"

She felt her face burn and her body tense as Silver painfully leaned over and kissed Snowflake on the cheek.

Silver grunted as he pulled away and moaned, "Sorry. Too much too fast?"

Snowflake reached up and kissed Silver's cheek, and felt him tense for a second and then relax and grin.

"Don't strain yourself anymore, okay? Evergreen said you need to rest."

Snowflake said gently.

"Yeah...Rest sounds...really good…" Silver said slowly, his eyes drooping.

Snowflake fell her eyes grow heavy, and used her magic to drag a blanket from Evergreen's bag onto them.

"Good night, Snowflake. Thank you for saving me." Silver mumbled, lowering his head onto the grass.

"Good night, Silver. And you're welcome." Snowflake said, resting her head on his shoulder.

Laurel awoke to the sun shining in her eyes, and reasoned that it must be around 8 in the morning. She had barely slept, seeing the attack replay itself over and over again whenever she closed her eyes. Every time, she woke up shaking and sweating in fear.

"Good morning," a voice said next to her.

Laurel turned and saw Evergreen standing next to her, dark rings contrasting against his green coat.

"Couldn't sleep?" Laurel asked.

Evergreen shook his head and said, "Keep having nightmares about the attack."

"Same." Laurel said glumly.

"Evergreen," Laurel said, her voice rising, "What are we going to do? Canterlot's fallen, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna are at the mercy of Deadly Sin and his forces, we're outnumbered and have zero supplies, we don't know where Deadly Sin's going to strike next, and nopony has a plan or knows what our next step is! It all feels hopeless!"

"Laurel, don't say that," Evergreen said gently, "We'll figure something out. We just need to put our heads together and come up with a plan. This'll all be over soon-"

"No, it won't!" Laurel yelled, rising to her hooves, "This isn't some friendship problem that can be solved quickly and then move on from. This is war! We're facing the most powerful being of evil that's ever threatened Equestria who's already succeeded in taking over the capital of our country! The stakes are higher than they've ever been, and if we make even the smallest mistake, it could cost us not just our lives, but the fall of the entire kingdom! Don't you see, Evergreen! Our entire world and everything we've ever known is hanging in the balance, and we've already nearly lost me and Silver Storm!"

Laurel bowed her head and started sobbing, mumbling, "I'm scared, Evergreen! I've more terrified than I've ever been in my life."

Evergreen pulled Laurel into a hug and started rubbing her back, trying to soothe her.

"Laurel, please don't be so pessimistic about this. I'm as aware of the stakes and all that's hanging in the balance, too. And frankly, I'm terrified, too. All of us are. But we can't abandon hope. You want to know why Equestria's stood for so long, and why we've won all the wars we fought in? It's because they didn't give up. They suffered, they lost battles and comrades, they felt despair and hopelessness and misery, but they kept getting back up and fighting until they won because they believed they could. They had something to fight for, something that made the bloodshed and losses worth it. We have something to fight for, Laurel. We're fighting for Equestria. And when all this is over, we'll be seen as heroes for what we did. If we give up on ourselves, we give up on Equestria and all that it stands for." Evergreen persuaded.

"But how can I help? I'm useless." Laurel said, drying her eyes.

Evergreen laughed gently and said, "You? Useless? Laurel, look at what you've done! You've performed spells that most unicorns can only dream of doing. Transfiguration? Do you have any idea how hard that is to do? You make it look like it's nothing. Not to mention, it was your spell that helped us escape from Deadly Sin and his troops in Canterlot. You, Laurel Wreath, are phenomenal, and I hope with everything in me that fighting in this war helps you see it."

"And we'll all be here to help you along the way." Twilight said, coming up behind Evergreen.

Laurel and Evergreen looked around to see that everypony else was awake and on their hooves, tears in their eyes. Discord even blew his nose with a handkerchief he pulled from nowhere.

"Sorry, did we wake you up?" Laurel said, looking embarrassed.

Starlight nodded and said, "I'm glad you did, though. Evergreen, that speech you made was beautiful. I feel so inspired and hopeful."

Everypony else nodded and said their agreements, and then Silver suddenly gasped from inside the tent.

"Silver?!" Snowflake cried, running back inside.

"Are you okay?" Evergreen asked, following her in with everypony else.

"Yes! I just figured out how we can get more allies and supplies!" Silver cried.

"How?" Shining asked.

"Only Canterlot's been taken over by Deadly Sin, so we can messages to our friends in the other cities and towns, ask them to fight with us and bring things like food, weapons, and medicine if they can." Silver explained.

"Silver, that's brilliant!" Cadence cried, hugging him until he cried out.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry!" she said, pulling away, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Silver wheezed, his eyes watering.

"As much as I like Silver's plan, there's a slight problem with it." Scarlet said, "How are we going to send letters without them getting caught by Deadly Sin's forces? And how are we even going to write letters without ink, quills, or paper?"

Laurel opened her bag and pulled out notebooks, rolls of parchment, quills, and bottles of ink.

"I always carry paper, quills, and ink with me in case I ever needed to write something down. When the attack began, I grabbed as much as I could in case there was ever a time we'd need them. Now seems like a good time." Laurel explained when the others looked at her funny.

"Okay, that solves letter writing issue, but not how to send them." Scarlet said.

"You just leave that to me!" Spike said proudly, putting his thumb onto his chest, "I can magically send and receive letters from just about anywhere!"

"Even other countries? Like, across the ocean?" Laurel asked.

"Uh...I suppose so. Why?" Spike asked.

"Who are you trying to write to that lives an ocean away?" Snowflake asked.

"You guys remember Moon Jewel?" Laurel asked, smiling confidently.

Her friends eyes widened, and grins spread across their faces.

"That's right! She'd be perfect! If she comes here, just imagine all she'll be able to do for us when she comes here." Cupid said.

"Do you think she'll come and help us? She's probably pretty busy." Funny Bone asked worriedly.

"But she also told us that in our greatest hour of need, she'd drop everything to help us," Evergreen reminded them, "I'm sure she'd be more than happy to help."

"Wait, back up. Who's Moon Jewel, and how is she going to help us?" Shining asked.

"Well, technically, it's Princess Moon Jewel. She's the princess of Romaneia." Snowflake said.

"We met her a few years ago when she fled here because her advisor and some other rebels were plotting to overthrow and kill her. She begged us for help, and we agreed to come with her to Romaneia to help her. We were able to stop the rebels and get back her throne, and as thank you, she promised she'd do whatever she could to help us when we called on her for aid, including involving herself and her army in a war, if needed." Laurel explained.

"And if Moon Jewel agrees to help us, we'll not only getting another alicorn to help us, but an entire nation's army plus whatever friends we can convince to fight?!" Twilight asked excitedly.

"Yes!" Laurel squealed, equally as excited.

"Well then, what are we waiting for?" Silver asked, "Let's get writing!"

Everypony grabbed a scroll of parchment or a piece of notebook paper, a quill, and some ink, and began writing, praying that their friends would say yes.