The room was silent around us, but I could hear a very silent buzzing, it was like our excitement was able to be heard even in our silence. I looked over at the filly that was sitting in the corner, her head was hung low and I could see her visibly shaking, I parted from the buzzing group of ponies and went over to Crystal.
She looked up at me as I sat beside her, "Crystal, how did you get into the hands of that Changeling?" I asked softly, she bit her lip as Twilight joined me.
"After Discord took the palace…I'd been kept secret by the maids so they didn't know for several years that I even existed, they wanted me to at least be able to walk and talk before sending me to Prince Blue-Blood. But when I was going to meet with him I was captured by the Changelings. They were in the middle of a carriage raid and we were passing by. The maids that were escorting me were attacked on sight, they were beaten until unconscious, then they were raped. When they saw me they seemed to realize who I was instantly and took me with them back to the palace. Discord seemed really happy with my discovery and had me raised at his side for several years, he took me with him to watch them hurt her…" she looked pointedly at Pinkie Pie, who was sitting by the window, staring out at the cloudy morning as the sun began to rise slowly outside.
"Then why were you guys on the train?" Twilight asked.
Crystal laid down, kicking at a pebble that was on the hard wood floor, "They were taking me to Queen Chrysalis to…'train' me," she muttered.
"In what way?" I asked.
"Discord knew that with me still alive then there would still be another heir to the throne that had more right than he," she explained, "But he wanted me to govern it his way, so he wanted me to be trained in cruelty and hate, so he wanted Chrysalis to take me in."
Twilight nibbled on her lip, I knew her question before she even asked it, "Was there a pony named Crimson Coin there?" she asked, she would be hurting for a while.
Crystal nodded, "Yes, he's Discord's main agent, he's a pony, but he has been around the Chaos Lord so much, he brought him back."
"He did?"
"Yes, Discord told me that Crimson took his statue out to the desert hideout and used some very intense magic to counteract the effects of the Elements of Harmony."
Twilight gasped, "I didn't realize he was such a powerful unicorn…"
Crystal shook her head, "No…he's changed, he's becoming something else, but I don't know what."
"What is Trixie to him?" Twilight asked.
Crystal shook her head, "Nothing, in all honesty, I don't even know if she likes being around him." I carefully thought this statement through as she continued, "She's mainly there because Discord was allowing him an apprentice, and Crimson chose her, in a way she was forced to be at his side under threat of Discord."
At that moment there was a loud explosion outside, we ran to the door and saw smoke as Changelings flew overhead, colliding with Pegasus ponies in the sky, Rainbow, Flutershy and myself instantly took off into the air to help.
Rainbow and I flew faster than Fluttershy, so as we got to the skirmish Rainbow rammed into a Changeling and began combating it. I shot beams from my horn, shooting down the Changelings and they fell to the ground in a bloody mess.
I felt a hot beam graze my side and I let out a swear, I glanced back to see a Changeling charging at me as some of the Changelings dropped bombs onto the citizens of Ponyville. I glared at him as I powered up my horn and charged him. Our glowing horns collided and I released my power, causing an explosion occur. We were both knocked back from the force. As I shook my head from the slight dizziness I felt two more of the Changelings ram into me, stabbing into my skin with their horns. I let out a cry and felt myself begin to fall a little. I caught myself as I looked up at the Changelings with a growl. Their horns were all glowing and I knew something was wrong. I turned to look behind me as I was stabbed in the arm with a spindle from the top of city hall. I let out a cry and dropped a little more, but I persisted.
I flapped my wings and shot up at them, they seemed a little taken aback at my refusal to give up. I felt something grab my tail, I looked back to see my tail glowing green. They were cheating. They were using their magic to attempt to immobilize me.
A few seconds later I heard gunfire and they fell out of the sky, I looked down at Sugar Cube Corner, Pinkie Pie and Apple Jack had come and were using sniper rifles to take them out. I grinned as my tail was released. I charged up and rammed the Changelings, using my own horn to take them down.
Soon cheering erupted as the Changelings fled the battle. I slowly began to lower myself to the ground, and as I hit the ground my legs collapsed beneath me. I began feeling dizzy from the blood loss. Rainbow and Fluttershy were instantly at my side, helping me stand, I did my best to assist them, but my legs felt so very weak. They took me to the hospital where they gasped and helped me.
Several nurse ponies were helping me, they were using their unicorn magic to heal my wounds. They began to close up and they stuck a needle in my arm to replace the lost blood. I looked at Rainbow as she sat at my side as I sat on the edge of the bed, waiting for them to come in and release me.
"Rainbow, I need you to do me a favor," I said simply as I stared at the window.
"Yeah?" she asked a little anxiously.
"Go to Cloudsdale and tell their mayor I need to talk to him," I said softly. She seemed a little confused, "We were surprised today with that aerial attack, and eventually that will end up killing us, we need to do this now, I want to talk to him about making an aerial squadron to help fight this war. When you go get him tell him I have a proposition that will benefit the both of us."
She nodded and flew straight out the open window I'd been staring at. Fluttershy stood beside me still, she had some blood dripping down her face from a cut across her cheek. She was slowly growing out of her fear. Before now we hardly were in any combat, so maybe in time she would completely lose her terror and would be able to fight strongly.
"Light, do you want anything? Food? A drink? Anything?" she seemed desperate to feel needed, I smiled and shook my head.
"No I'm fine, once I'm out of here we'll be able to return to Sweet Apple Acres and give them a heads up on what's going on. I think we need to make a ground troop as well so we will be ready for anything, she nodded as a nurse pony entered.
"Hello Light Song," she said in a cheery voice, I smiled and nodded.
"Hello Red Cross," I replied.
"How are you feeling?" she asked.
"Much better actually."
"That's good, because we're letting you out now."
She walked over and gently slipped the needle out of my arm and placed a bandage over it. Then I stood up, I was a little woozy, but seemed fine. I walked with Fluttershy out of the hospital and we then took to the air, we slowly flew back to the farm and looked down over the town where now there were black craters from the bombs and a few of the buildings were smoking with chunks missing. The carnage and damage was terrifyingly real. Carousel Boutique was still smoking from the fire that had ripped through it, we landed in front of it and found Rarity staring up at the building. I could see tears in her eyes. I gently touched her shoulder and she looked down, "I'm fine," she whispered.
Her home, her career, everything…was gone.
When she looked at me the tears were replaced with a burning fire and rage, "I'll get through this," she stated.
"Shall we?" I asked, she nodded and we walked back to the farm together.
When we arrived Twilight, Apple Jack, and Pinkie Pie were pacing the floor, Big Mac was waiting at the gate, his eyes lit up when he saw us and he ran over to meet us.
"Are you alright?" he asked. His eyes were fixed on Fluttershy when he said this and I gasped inaudibly. Fluttershy nodded and I looked at Rarity. A blooming friendship we didn't even see changing.
We said nothing and returned to the farmhouse where they ran to us. I looked at Twilight, "I need to talk to the mayor of Ponyville and Cloudsdale."
Twilight nodded, "My thoughts exactly," she said, "We need to set up camps in the main towns, like Manehattan, Fillydelphia, and maybe even the Crystal Empire," she said thoughtfully.
I nodded in agreement, "Maybe set a camp up in White Tail Woods and a scouting group in the Everfree Forest to find the Elements," I suggested.
She nodded and thought, "We should also set up in Appleloosa, Dodge Junction, Hoofington, Trottingham and Baltimare."
"We also need the Cloudsdale mayor to talk to the mayor of Los Pegasus about a unit there." I murmured as I picked up a quill with my magic and began to write across a scroll thoughtfully, jotting down small notes.
A few moments later Rainbow dash burst in and looked at me with a harried look in her eyes, "Hurry! He said he'd meet with you, but he's a very busy pony, so fly hard!" I nodded and flew out behind her. We zoomed through the sky despite the sharp pains I was still feeling in my side. She guided me to cloud fortress, at the main entrance were two guards from Luna's now deceased court. Black coats and dragon wings, they still wore the armor they had while under her service. Circling the fortress were several more, making sure no one unwanted infiltrated.
As we approached their wings blocked the entrance as they stood on two pedestals made of cloud. We approached and remained in the air, Rainbow dash spoke, "We've got an appointment with Mayor Mist Dasher," she stated with a tone of authority, they glanced at each other for a moment but didn't move, "I am Rainbow dash, carrier of the Element of Loyalty, and honored Pegasus pony beneath Princess Celestia and Luna." She stated, I could hear her voice growing impatient. "We are here to discuss with Mist Dasher the possibility of-"
I quickly slapped a hoof over her mouth and shook my head. I looked at him, "I am Light Song, I called on Mayor Mist Dasher in hopes of setting up some sort of alliance with him, allow us passage."
A moment later they dropped their wings and allowed us through. As we passed I felt us going through an invisible force field similar to the one Twilight conjured. When we entered I found three more guards, two beside the Pegasus at the cloud made table, and one that stood at the door. When we walked through the door, the Pegasus pony looked at us. He had a ginger mane and sea foam green eyes, his Cutie Mark was a scroll unrolled with a quill poised over it. His coat was a burgundy color and he wore a bowtie around his neck. He looked at us and smiled, his mane was cut into a Mohawk style and he pulled it off quite easily.
"Light Song?" he asked in a gruff voice, his wings stretched slightly as he held a hoof across the table to me, I shook his hoof and then sat down across the table from him.
"Good afternoon Mayor Mist Dasher." I said in a sweet voice.
"Please, just call me Mist, and I shall just call you Light, deal?" he said with a grin.
I smiled in return and chuckled, "Very well, Mist, I'm not sure how much Rainbow dash here told you."
"Not much I'm afraid, only something about a military alliance?" he replied in an inquisitive voice.
I nodded, "Yes sir, you see, with Discord's military force with Queen Chrysalis becoming more restless and attacking more frequently, I think we need to combine our own forces to keep ourselves safe, I'm not sure we can last unless we join powers." I explained quickly.
He nodded thoughtfully, "This is true, but I'm not sure I see how it will benefit us," he said somewhat stubbornly.
"Because, Chrysalis' minions have the ability of flight, therefore will be able to attack Cloudsdale and other cloud based cities within a moment's notice, if we join forces we'll be able to detect the attack sooner and be able to prepare a counterstrike and protect ourselves."
He thought for a moment over my words, he looked at me, "So, say we do this, join forces and be a combined army, how do I know you won't sell us out?"
"Because you know just well as I do we need an aerial force, and selling you out won't benefit us in the slightest. I understand a lot of tragedy has befallen this amazing sky city-"
"I'll say, from the death of most of the members of the Wonderbolts, who were probably our best weapons, to the destruction of the majority of our weather factory, it's amazing we're able to stay in such good shape."
"Exactly," I said, standing up, "We can position a camp in the sky where there will be training for the pegasi, and we'll also set up a vigilante group to keep an eye out for any attacks."
He nodded for a moment thinking, "But what of the weather factory, without that we'll not be able to keep anything in balance. We need it to function properly."
"Easy, set up a construction crew to work on the factory while you have another crew begin work on the military sky base."
He thought this over in a moment of silence before looking at me and grinned wildly, "I'll say you've got yourself a deal, however, what does the ground base do?"
"Prepare a weapons factory to fight back against the Changelings if they attack," Rainbow dash said, she grinned widely and took off at a quick speed out of the room.
"What just happened?"
"I think she just had an idea…"
He laughed a little, "I do like her idea however, have the ground military forces set up a weapons factory, if help is needed I'll lend you some of my own force." He held out his hoof again, "Bring a treaty up for signing, we have a war to win."