//------------------------------//
// The Fruits of Dilligence. 
// Story: Children of Equis. 
// by reflective vagrant 
//------------------------------//

A few weeks later, at the castle meeting room in Ponyville, Twilight and many others were meeting up to discuss the rift crisis.  Twilight was sharing Zecora's report.
"-and she has her suspicions of the newcomer.  She thinks he's faking being incompetent with his magic.  She's doing her best to decipher what his true intentions are, but she still hasn't managed to properly get past the language barrier.  She has, however, managed to convince him to stay with her for a time and will continue to learn what she can from him.  She will try to see if he's associated with the forces trying to break open the rifts from the other side and gather whatever intelligence on them she can."
Twilight set down her notes and turned to Starburst, granting him the floor.
"Sea Breeze is a little late, but I am just now getting a response from him and he will report on the dragon veil thread project momentarily."
Alongside a scroll from Los Pegasis, Sunburst reported in real time from the words being written in his twinned journal he had linked to Sea Breeze's counterpart.
"Sadly, as predicted, the seals on the rifts are still decaying faster than we can repair them despite the reinforcements the other teams could spare and the new research hasn't provided a functioning prototype yet, but they are getting close. The conversion of dragon fire to veil thread has proven to have the qualities we were hoping for and we are nearly finished fine tuning the converters," 
A few moment's pause was given as he waited for the tiny breezie on the other end.  The poor guy couldn't write in the miniaturized but still oversized journals as fast as Sunburst could read.
"We just need to overcome the complications of weaving such a robust thread.  Sea Breeze says that while it's difficult for him and the other breezies to work with, he has no doubt that they will be able to adjust the known methods into a much sturdier weave for the new thread and be able to show other teams how to do so as early as..."
Sunburst paused as he double backed on the next line to make sure he was reading it right.  His ears went down and his face grimaced.
"...Six to eight weeks if all goes well."
Princess Celestia did a comparison to the reports on the rifts that were being weakened from the other side.
She put on a brave face and kept her tone calm in a way only she could. "Adding the time it would take for the breezies to retrain our current weavers after they get the prototype done, there is no way we will have time to apply it to either of the weakening rifts before one of them gives way.  We will have to pool our current teams to a single rift."
She turned to Applejack and spoke in a sincere and apologetic voice.  "I'm sorry, but I fear we will have to evacuate Apploosa's citizens and the buffalo tribes after all.  Please go and see to it that their affairs are in order and they start evacuating as early as possible."
Princess Cadence spoke up with a reassuring voice, "The Crystal Empire is ready to accept refuges and so many of our citicens have volunteered to assist that we did not need to draft."  She gave an embarased smile.  "apparently they still have strong feelings for what  Equestria has done for them in times past.  I lost count of how many times I heard the call, 'Celestia!  Luna!  Spike!  We will be there!  We are coming!' in the streets."
A slight prideful titter could be heard at the same time a quill stopped writing for a moment.
"I've also trained the volunteers that were already active troops in tactics relevant to the heat of the Apploosa area," Shining Armor chimed in. "If you need them on the front lines along with the allied troops instead of just filling in for the equestrian guards, they shouldn't be slowed down too much from the major shift in climate.  The Yaks have even volunteered to help patrol our lands for security if our troops are spread thin."
Shining Armor blushed a little as Applejack coughed.  "We told them we'd consider assigning up to one yak to each patrol squad if it got that bad and sent a few drill instructors to them 'Just in case' it comes to pass."
Dragon Lord Ember picked herself up off the wall and finished off her crystal snack.  "My dad has got me up to speed with the finer details of the situation and the history and I've separated the dragons into tactical groups.  My first force is in charge of keeping my homeland safe from native threats, primarily made up of land dragons-" Ember looked over at Spike, who was documenting for the meeting, "-with a few sky claws and deep bellies for scouting and backup."
She came up and placed a few carved rock figures of dragons on the map, the bigger one in the heart of the dragon lands, and two more at the border of her lands.
"The second group is made of a large portion of my deep belly dragons and they will be sent to assist with mass production of the new veil thread as soon as you say when.  If veil thread didn't need to be woven as it's being made, I'd dedicate more of them to the third group."
She pushed the medium sized figurine rock towards the middle of Equestria and the smaller, more agile looking figurine towards the southern part of Equestria, near Appaloosa.
"My third group will assist the front lines. I won't be able to add a lot of sustained fire breathing to the front line with so many of my deep belly dragons being tied to veil thread production, but the ones I am sending will lend you their flames with the fury of a storm.  Only a bout half a dozen of my more timid land dragons were safe enough to fight on the ground beside your forces without risking squashing them, so I won't be able to give a whole lot of raw muscle for the ground forces.  However, the vast majority of my sky claws will be at the ready to support you by bolstering your air forces."
With Ember backing up, finished, everyone turned to Celestia.  While she was technically just another attendee of the meeting, she was the most senior member and the most experienced by far.  Nobody pretended that she wasn't the one that was going to be making the final shots, but she still wanted them to remember she was just the first among equals and not their superior.
After a long moment, she made her own report. "The Queen of Seaquestria cannot send Seaponies to the Apploosa rift, but she has agreed to cooperate with us and has prepared her people provide naval support should the fight spread backwards to the sea."
"Well why can't she-" Applejack tried to ask, but a solid telekinetic tug of her chair promptly landed her on the floor, interrupting her.
"Applejack..." Celestia all but growled, "While seaponies can breathe air, they are hardly mobile on land and would dry out quickly in the Apploosa area.  They would be a liability on land, not an asset."
Applejack got back into her chair as Celestia continued, "Likewise, while a small number of hyppogriffs have been spotted recently, attempts to reach out to their queen-" a subtle spell from Sunburst  enhanced Applejack's hearing for a moment while he also levitated his water glass to take a drink. "-have failed.  We cannot even find her. We will have to presume they will be unable to aid us in this fight."
Applejack's eyes widened slightly as Celestia continued.  "And finally, the changelings are still too newly reformed to contribute directly to the fight without risking what little tranquility and infrastructure they have only recently gained.  Instead, I've asked them to help in indirect ways.  A few of their braver souls will be learning emergency field medicine for later on.  But for now all the rest of them can do is act as an emergency workforce for whatever task the war effort proves to be lacking in. Their adaptability to different situations will let them respond quickly to unforeseen events until more fully trained workers can be brought in."
Sunburst spoke again once Celestia was finished.  "It seems all our forces are as prepared as we can have them then.  Princess Celestia, what wisdom would you suggest in coordinating them?"
Celestia lowered her head ever so slightly, closed her eyes and gave a huff.  "Ember, I ask that you send your deep belly team to start practicing making veil thread as soon as you can deploy them.  I think it would be best if we avoid as many delays as possible in training our weavers to handle dragon veil thread and in order to do that we need the dragons trained to spin the thread first.  The fine tuning of the machines will be done soon enough and you can have them start on the basics until then."
"Shining Armor, I think you should to send any special forces you have trained to the Appaloosa area immediately to build onto that climate training and get the lay of the land, but send the rest of your troops to replace the troops in Equestria we will be sending.  Your troops may have basic training for hot climates but the time it will take to move the full army won't leave them enough time to get used to the hot climate.  Sending them down to battle before they get hooves on experience with warmer climates will still hinder their performance.  If they train more while acting as the local guard then they can be quality reinforcements later if need be.
"As for the rest of you, we should prepare our troops and supplies to move in the moment the Apploosa area has been evacuated of civilians.  The moment our troops arrive, we need to get them used to the area and building as much as a home field advantage as we can.  Once we have a military presence established, I can withdraw our remaining veil weavers in the area to aid with the the Los pegasis rift and have them train with dragon veil thread as soon as the breezie weavers are ready."
She looked around the table at each delegate and attendee.  "After that, there will be no turning back, the Apploosa rift's seal will fail quickly without being attended and their forces will be able to pass through the rift, onto Equis.  We will have to hold possession of the rift until we can get our weavers trained to maintain the Los Pegasus Rift and have enough forces to seal up the Appaloosa rift again at the same time."
She gave a pause and visibly faltered into weakness for fraction of a second.
"This is it.  In a few short weeks, we will be at war."





A few weeks later, at the Apploosa rift.

The seal on the rift finally finished unraveling and the slight glimmer that faded in and out in the middle of the air that had appeared an hour before became a pure slit of light several meters tall, jagged and frayed, like the tear in a piece of fabric.
The squadrons of dragons, ponies, the occasional high priced griffin mercenary holding a powerful bow in the back rows and a single elder yak waited in an eerie silence around the rift.   Deadly traps lay strewn in the immediate area around the rift.
Soon, creatures started poring out of the rift, immediately setting off the traps.  Poisons acted quickly, bones broke and spikes impaled.  The few creatures that were lucky enough to make it through the areas that the traps had already been tripped by the end were felled by griffin sharp shooters, and only a single spear needed to be used by an infantry troop.
Finally, silence fell again.  A small, two legged creature mildly resembling a diamond dog in both stature and hygiene came through the rift, saw the ambush and swiftly ran back, with a heavy arrow knocking it through the rift.
A few moments later two more figures walked through.  Both were well dressed.  The leading one had a thin set of robes with armor underneath and the second was in a set of ordinate black robes.  The armorless one easily knocked the arrows aside with a magic field when they were lobbed while the armored one simply took one in the shoulder and kept walking forward, over the dead bodies.
"Behold, natives," the figure called out in a thickly accented but still clear and understood Equestrian,  "I am Arch Priest Challock.  Humble servant of the great god, Bane.  I come as his missionary to this world so that his glory and prosperity may be spread unto you."
He then promptly kicked aside a corpse to stand on the slightly elevated stone it was laying on.  "You have followed heathen ways for too long and Bane is willing to pardon your crime that you committed in blind fear."  He pulled out the arrow and dropped it on the floor in front of him.  "He will overlook the slaughter you made this day if you simply kneel down with no further bloodshed."
The yak stepped forward towards them.  He stopped only when he felt another step would keep him from seeing both of them at the same time.  Raising his head high, he recited a speech he had committed to memory, one he had practiced for days on end.  He yelled it with more feeling than anything he had yelled in his life.
"We care not for you or your gods, silly creature!  Never again will we hear your lies and let you drain our world blood as your gods did in days past!   We tell you only once!  Go back through your magic door and never return!  This day we stand together and nothing will shake us!  For we are the children of Equis!"
The priest was not shaken by his blood shot eyes or the earsplitting volume of his voice.  Instead, he simply pulled out a claw shaped amulet and held it towards the yak as it illuminated for a moment.  "You will be an example for the others."
The second figure stepped forward and pointed a wand at the yak.  The hair on the back of the second figure's neck raised for a moment and the spell activated.
A thin green ray came out from the tip of the second figure's wand while the yak glared at him.  He could recognize an attack when he saw one, but still chose to not give up even an inch.
The next instant, the yak was nowhere to be found.  Instead, a small pile of grey dust sat over top the sand where the yak had been standing.
"Let it be known" the priest shouted out, turning around and strutting a short distance, "this is the fate of those that degrade Bane's word and so actively oppose the prosperity we bring."
He lightly giggled to himself then waved his hand to those behind him.  "But Bane still has patience.  We still are not angry with you.  You may kneel now."
Arrows flew and killed the priest instantly.   The second figure quickly scampered back to the rift with a teleport and barely made it through with an arrow in his leg.
A dragon officer picked up the clawed amulet of the priest, snapped each of the fingers off and threw them one by one back into the rift as the rest of the troops worked hard to retreat and set the next wave of traps a bit further from the portal.
With all pieces of the broken amulet tossed into the portal, the sky claw dragon spent most of his limited fire breath melting and carving the armor the priest wore.  Once he was finished, he tossed what was left of the priest back into the rift.


A few minutes later, on the other side of the rift, a follower of Bane cast a spell to allow the reading of what was on the defiled priest's still hot armor.   While reading the melted indentions, the follower spoke it aloud to those around him, "Equis belongs to her stewards and her children, not you.  Stay out!"