- =Fracture 2=
- >The moon hangs high in the sky as you grunt in exertion and jump for your next handhold.
- >Your foot slips against the roof as you grab hold, sending a few shingles falling to the ground.
- "...Good thing I lift."
- >You keep climbing to using only your arms higher and higher up.
- "And I apparently talk to myself too, wonderful."
- >You kept climbing and hoisted yourself up on top of the steeple.
- >From crouching on top of town hall, you could see out across the entire town and into the hills beyond.
- >It was nice, nice and quiet and peaceful.
- >"Yo! Anonymous!"
- >At least for that brief moment.
- >Rainbow Dash flies up next to you and hovers in the air. "What are you doing up here alone? Don't we both have a meeting to get to?"
- >You lightly punch her shoulder from your perch.
- "Gotta stay in shape, Dash."
- >"Don't you have weights?"
- "I like the view."
- >Dash is miraculously silent for a while as she looks out over the landscape with you.
- >"It -IS- something, huh?"
- "That it is."
- >Dash flutters in front of you. "Hey...Anon?"
- "Hmm?"
- >Her eyes dart to the ground and back. "Do you...think it'll be bad?"
- >You rest your hands on your knees and sigh.
- "It...might. We have to hear it from Twilight to be sure."
- >Rainbow nods. "Well, let's not keep everyone waiting, right?"
- >You grin. [spoiler][/spoiler] "Right, Dash."
- >Rainbow flies to the ground and you start eh process of climbing down.
- >On your way down, a few more shingles fall off.
- >You'd pay for that, you should just be happy that this wasn't the worst beating town hall had ever taken.
- >Derpy was a force of nature sometimes.
- >Later at the library, you found a few people in attendance.
- >The rest of the bearers of the Elements, Mayor Mare, and a familiar face, your old drinking buddy Shining Armor.
- "Well, well, look what the Crystal Cat dragged in."
- >You and Armor touch fist to hoof in greetings.
- >"I got a message from my dear little sister telling me that my ex-top Commander couldn't handle a little dragon migration?"
- "It seemed like a good way to drag you away from the prim and proper parts of the Crystal Kingdom, get you back down here in the muck with us footmen."
- >You and Armor share a sardonic smirk as Twilight clears her throat. "There's nothing "little" about this migration, you two." she says.
- >You and Armor both turn to the blackboard Twilight had out the other day when this first came to your attention.
- "What are we looking at here, Twilight?"
- >Twilight lifts several scrolls up as she levitates a piece of chalk up to the board.
- >When the chalk finishes, there is another map of Ponyville drawn with more air currents above it.
- >There were a few noticeable differences this time, namely that the air currents passed directly over the town and in greater numbers.
- "What does this mean, Twi?"
- >Twilight's face was dour. "It means, Anon, that the number of dragons we expected to pass over Ponyville was a vast underestimation."
- >That didn't sound healthy...
- >"How many dragons are we looking at, Twilight?" Shining Armor asks.
- >Twilight's head sags. "It seems that the vast majority of the dragon flight is going to fly directly over the town."
- >Everyone in the room's jaws drop the floor.
- >"The...entire flight?" the Mayor asks.
- >The room grew deathly silent for a few tense minutes.
- >Shining Armor clears his throat. "This is..."
- "Bad..."
- >Shoot...a flock of dragons flying over town was a major threat.
- >Just one of those buggers breaking away and hitting the ground could lead to chaos.
- >And they were only the first part of the problem.
- >With every dragon migration, there were the fliers. But there were also the walkers, dragons too young or too old to fly who walked the earth underneath their airborne kin.
- >Adolescent dragons were violent and cruel, the side effect of their bodies changing.
- >If too many of them came through the town...
- >You feel your pulse quicken at the thought.
- >Blasted dragons! Who were they to just roll in here and demolish your home!?
- >You had friends here! You had family and loved ones here!
- >They can go somewhere else for their migration!
- >This just makes you so mad you just want t-
- >...
- >It finally clicks in your head.
- >You were going to force them away.
- "We need to make a stand..."
- >Everyone in the room turns to look at you.
- "I won't sit idly by while these dragons destroy my home, our home. I say..."
- >You point at the map.
- "...That we gather up some of the guards from Canterlot, fortify the fields outside town and route these lizards before they can get here."
- >Shining Armor grins along with Twilight and the Mayor, you had a bit of a reputation for speeches.
- "This is our town! We can't roll over for those scaly jackasses just because they say we should!"
- >Everyone in the room now had a fire behind their eyes.
- "Who's with me? Who wants' to fight for the town to get rid of this nescience forever?"
- >A chorus of "Here here!"'s echo through the wooden home.
- >You and Applejack were silently walking home together later that night after the meeting.
- >You have your arms outstretched as you teetered on the fence you were walking across.
- >AJ looks up to you. "Ya sure you should be treatin' this so nonchalant?"
- >You look down at your in-law. [spoiler][/spoiler] "What d'you mean?"
- >She pauses in the dirt road out front of the farm. "I mean, don't you think you should be treatin' this a mite more serious? The whole town's at stake."
- >You front flip off the fence and land in front of Applejack.
- "I know, AJ...Believe me, I know. But I can't let these dragons scare me, none of us can."
- >AJ sighs. "Yeah? Well, that aint working so well for me..."
- >You bend down and put a hand on her shoulder.
- "What is it?"
- >AJ sighs. "S'just...this is all so much bigger than what we're used to." She tilts her head up and looks you in the eye. "What if somethin' happens?"
- >You throw AJ a smile and clasp her other shoulder.
- "It won't. I promise. I'll take care of everything."
- >A small grin parts Applejack's lips. "You sure you can handle that?"
- >You shrug. [spoiler][/spoiler] "I've defended the hole town before, I can do it again."
- >The tan mare rolls her eyes and walks ahead back to the house.
- >The two of you sneak into the house and tiptoe up to your respective rooms, giving each other a curt nod to each other as you walk in.
- >Clicking the door shut behind you, you see that Mac is already tucked into bed, Smartypants in his hooves.
- >You undress yourself and crawl into bed next to him, wrapping your arms around his wide chest and pulling the two of you together.
- >You feel him shift awake and raise his head. "How'd it go?"
- >No use lying to him, you couldn't.
- "The whole flight is due to pass over, we're gonna make a stand."
- >Mac shifts on his side of the bed and pulls Smartypants closer.
- >"Ya worried?" he asks.
- "Not really. We can beat them."
- >"What makes ya so sure?"
- >You shrug.
- "Never lost before."
- >"There's a first time for everything, pard."
- >...Not for this.
- "I won't let them hurt the town, hon. It means too much to me.
- >You kiss his neck.
- "You mean too much to me..."
- >Mac sighs contentedly. "Figure you never steered us wrong before."
- "Never have, never will."
- >Mac turns over to face you, letting Smartypants fall between the two of you.
- >He kisses your cheek. "Good luck out there, pard."
- "Thanks hayseed."
- >"Love ya."
- "Love ya too..."
- >You close your eyes and doze off to sleep with the smell of apples in your nose.
- >The morning the dragons were expected.
- >They had already been flying over the town in droves for the past few hours.
- >Most of the citizens were sequestered in the town.
- >You walk down the ranks of the royal guard Shining Armor had called in from Canterlot.
- >Each of them watched the shapes milling about in the forest ahead with stony eyes, just like you remember from your time in the guard.
- >Your old guard armor shone in the sun as you walk up to the other Shining Armor.
- "What's the plan, sir?"
- >You may be Watch Commander, but he was still your boss.
- >"You tell me, Anon. This is your home turf." he says turning to you.
- >Or not.
- >You glance out over the field as the first dragons break through the tree line.
- "Hmm...Always did favor the direct approach."
- >Shining cocks an eyebrow. "A charge? Against them?"
- "We have the element of audacity on our side. After all, who would dare attack dragons?"
- >Shining looks out over the battlefield again.
- "Not to mention that we're faster than them on open terrain, have magic, and fliers."
- >Shining Armor looks to the sky. "Assuming that none of those big ones try to make a dive."
- >You follow his gaze, inspecting the great reptiles above you with care.
- "They look pretty intent on keeping the pace, I think we're good."
- >Armor nods and dons his helmet. "SOLDIERS! PRESENT ARMS!"
- >You unsheathe your sword and bring your shield to bear as the dragons ahead begin to roar and register a fight.
- >Right.
- "Let's see how many of you we can make die..." you whisper.
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