Back in the United Heliacal base, Specter successfully replaced Shining Armor and waited in the tent for Celestia to return. He had big plans for when the tall alicorn returned and took her earlier words to heart, preparing a false set of plans for the army in the name of Discord. Overlooking the current plans that were laid out in front of him, Specter took in everything and noticed how Celestia was trying to ambush Luna's Midnight's Rising army from two sides.
The current plan had Celestia's southernmost charge set out to sea and circle around close towards the Manehattan port before Luna could realize, forcing her to withdraw her troops and retreat backwards, putting themselves in a situation that they could not escape from. Specter cocked an eyebrow as he took in the plan and wondered if it were good enough to take down the princess of the night's army. He knew that the United Heliacal army outnumbered the Midnight's Rising army at a nearly 3-to-1 ratio, but he also knew that the Midnight's Rising army was far more capable than something so generically simple such as this.
When Celestia finally returned, Specter stood at attention, trying his best to play and act like Shining Armor. Celestia told Specter that he could ease up, then addressed him properly.
"What say you about a plan of attack, Captain?" She asked.
"Well, Your Highness," Specter said, approaching the table slowly, pointing at a few different points of interest, "the Midnight's Rising army is said to be expanding here, here, and here. I think it would be wise if they are met with heavy forces, that way they cannot expand any more than what has already taken place."
"A wise decision," admitted Celestia, "now what about the plan of attack we originally had?"
"I suggest we tweak it just a bit," smirked Specter, "and that is because a war on two fronts would be more demanding from us than it would be from them."
"And what do you think we should do?" Celestia wondered.
"Instead of backing them up into one area," Specter continued, "we could simply overwhelm them at their own border and perimeter, forcing them backwards towards the Manehattan port that way."
"A decent notation," Celestia said, "I'll take that into consideration."
"Of course."
Celestia pointed towards the mountainous area to the north of the United Heliacal base, "Now what have you to say about the land to the north?"
Specter chuckled, "I don't see why we can't simply claim it in the name of everything sun-based. You know my thinking: everything the sun touches is to be considered your kingdom."
Celestia giggled quietly to herself, "Oh? Is that so, Shining Armor?"
Specter nodded, "Most definitely, Your Highness."
"I'll take that into consideration the next time we lead an ambush like this one," she stated, "now rally the troops, for we shall embark on our quest shortly. I wish to have Colonel Twilight back in our midst by this time tomorrow."
"Understood, Princess," Specter smirked again, bowing to the white-colored alicorn, "I won't let you down."
"I know you won't," Celestia commented, lifting herself and leaving the tent at once.
Specter cackled quietly to himself as he prepared himself to rally the troops for a faux invasion.
Back in the chasm, Twilight and the group arrived at one of the surrounded areas and decided to hold put for a while. Turning back, she saw the others walking just behind her, focusing on Lunar disengaging the cart from him and resting it gently on the ground, hoping the movement wouldn't hurt Rainbow Dash any more than she already was.
As for the others, they collected themselves and rested up, tired from the long journey they've been on for a while now. Star and Noct took a brief break before focusing their attention on Rainbow Dash a bit more to see just how bad her leg had gotten. Rarity, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie walked around with Fluttershy, trying to calm her down from the hectic day she's been through. Lustrous and Eclipse went a different way, talking amongst themselves, whereas Astral and Eclipsa went to one of the corners of the area to talk in private.
Lunar and Twilight stood by to assist Star and Noct with Rainbow Dash in the event they needed extra magic or any other type of assistance. They looked over Dash's leg and noticed how it was mainly in the same position she left it in when she was placed in the cart earlier. Noct and Star proceeded to use their knowledge of field medicinal procedures, trying their hardest to determine the extent of Rainbow's broken leg, if it was indeed broken from the initial prognosis.
Turning back to see the four ponies overlooking the damaged Pegasus, Astral sighed a bit to herself, much to Eclipsa's dismay. Eclipsa flapped one of her wings at Astral, lightly hitting her on her back, and stared at her dismissively.
"What was that for?" Astral wondered, raising an eyebrow at Eclipsa, confused a bit.
"I saw you looking at that Pegasus back there," Eclipsa stated, motioning to Dash, then to Astral, "and that sigh doesn't sit well with me."
"Why not?" Astral continued. "It's not like we know that pony well. Hell, there are ponies from our own faction that I barely know; the two medics, for example."
"That doesn't dismiss your sigh," said Eclipsa, looking back to Dash, "that's a pony's life they're trying to help and, when you boil everything down, that's all we really are - ponies."
Astral rolled her eyes playfully, "What are you, a metaphysical pony all of a sudden?"
Playing along with Astral, Eclipsa lifted her hoof to her eyes, adjusting an invisible set of glasses, "Technically, that would require me to question and study the very being of reality itself."
Astral playfully shoved Eclipsa, laughing in the process, "You egghead."
"Hey now," Eclipsa giggled in response, "I'm no egghead, just well read."
"Got that right, Eclipsa," Astral smirked, hugging Eclipsa in the process.
Eclipsa returned the hug with one of her own, "Thanks for choosing to come along with me. I can't think of either of us separating from one another."
Astral beamed delightfully, a complete one-eighty from her earlier resentment towards Rainbow Dash's predicament, "Think nothing of it. I told you before, we need to stick together."
"Besties till the end!" Eclipsa declared, bouncing up and down in place with a hoof raised in the air.
"Besties till the end," echoed Astral as they continued walking by themselves elsewhere.
On the other end of the surrounding rock formation, Rarity and Pinkie Pie were doing their absolute best to help Fluttershy out. Applejack rested one of her hooves on Fluttershy's back and started rubbing it lightly, telling her that her mother used to do the same thing when she was nervous about something.
"Thank you," Fluttershy peeped, "it's just been an exhausting day."
"One could say that we got a lotta them ahead of us in the comin' weeks," replied Applejack.
"I fear that spending too much time here will jeopardize our whole efforts," Rarity thought, "they're sure to be on the lookout for us by now."
Pinkie Pie seemed confused, "Je-par, geo-party...umm, what's that mean, Rarity?"
"To jeopardize something, Pinkie," explained Rarity, slowing down and emphasizing the pronunciation of the confusing word, "means to risk it all."
"She means that we'd be like sittin' ducks if we stay here for too long, sugar cube," added Applejack.
"Ooh," sang Pinkie, "I like ducks! They're super duper luper adorable when they waddle back and forth, and their cute, little, teensy-weensy quacking is adorable too!" She began quacking and mimicking a duckling in front of the others, only to be stopped by Applejack herself.
"We get the idea, Pinkie," Applejack chuckled, removing her hoof from Pinkie's mouth.
"Rarity does have a point though," Fluttershy stated, "the longer we stay here, the more likely we are to be found, especially if a bunch of us have to go back the way we came just to keep moving forward."
"I'm sure Twilight has an idea and a plan already thought up about what we'll do next," Rarity thought, "after all, she did lead the army."
"What do y'all think about the other alicorn though?" Applejack whispered to the others.
"I'm still not one hundred percent on him," Rarity answered, "for all we know, his intent could simply be a ruse."
"But what about the ponies from his side?" Fluttershy wondered.
"What about 'em?" Applejack asked.
"Why follow him if they were given the opportunity to return to their base?" Fluttershy pointed out. "I mean, two of them did go back to their base, so...why wouldn't the others go back with them?"
"Maybe to keep an eye on us all?" Pinkie Pie suggested.
"Still," continued Fluttershy, "it doesn't really make too much sense. I think he might be telling the truth and, honestly, if we showed him and the others a little bit of kindness, then it could go a long way in the future, especially if we want to form a new faction."
The others looked among each other and began to let Fluttershy's words sink into their individual psyche's.