The sky flashed again. And again, and again. All Rainbow Dash could do, all any of them could do, was stand there feeling uneasy. Twilight is with both the alicorns, Rainbow thought, they can protect her from anything. Besides, it’s probably nothing dangerous anyway.

Almost a whole minute passed before the strange flashes stopped. Applejack spoke first.

“Ah don’t like this one bit. Maybe we should have Rainbow fly over there in the mornin’, just to see if they’re alright.”

“Um, you guys…” Fluttershy had come out of her bush.

“I agree completely, Applejack,” Rarity answered, “Something here just doesn’t quite add up.”

“I think you should all take a look at this…”

Dash landed and crossed her arms. “Why are you all acting so worried? Twilight is more than capable of defending herself, remember how she smoked that Ursa Minor?!”

“Because, you see, the thing is—”

“—And that’s if she didn’t have both the alicorns with her, which she totally does.”

“The moon is red,” Fluttershy finished quietly.

Every one of them turned to Fluttershy, then looked up at the tiny sliver of moon in the sky. The pegasus had not exaggerated; it had somehow turned a deep crimson.

The third illustration for the book release of The Immortal Game, a Season Two epic about ponies and war. See it here: https://www.fimfiction.net/blog/893660/