“What’s the matter, little sister? You seem so surprised,” Loken said with a condescending sneer as he looked down at his bound sister.
“You… WHY?!” Nessa pleaded, her eyes watering from the heartbreak of her father’s death and the discovery her own brother had been directly responsible for it. “He was your father! I’m your sister! This is our empire! Why would you commit such treason?!”
Loken turned away for a moment, scoffing. “Is that what you were told?” he asked with a chuckle before turning, throwing back his hood so Nessa could get a better look at the embittered look on his face. “Oh, what secrets father kept! We’re only half-siblings, Nessa! I had a different mother then you did. One father had an affair with while in the process of choosing his queen. She was given a royal sum to relinquish her egg to him, and a vow he’d raise it as his own and bury this secret forever. Not wishing to defy an Emperor, she obeyed,” Loken explained. “In what you might call an ironic twist of fate, when I’d learned of this, she’d already passed away, her fortunes and life robbed by activists.”
“That’s awful, but it doesn’t excuse what you’ve done!” Nessa protested, glaring at her brother, who just laughed.
“Doesn’t it? That’s only but a tiny part of the story. I learned that before his own death, General Razorbeak had sired an egg with his mate. Generations passed, and the surname associated with the Griffon Empire’s greatest hero had been erased by time, but the bloodline carried down to a lone griffoness… the mother I never met,” Loken explained, staring out the window for a moment. “Not only was I an illegitimate heir, but no doubt such a stain the more… peaceable-minded griffons of this nation felt the General had left, father included… if he ever knew, he’d be even less inclined to let me inherit the throne! Naturally, he passed it on to his first-born from his queen…” He looked back at her coldly. “You.”
“How did mother not know this? She died when we were children and never mentioned it!” Nessa replied.
“Father loved her, no mistake, and she, him. Who was she to criticize his deeds before he’d even known her? Taking the egg that had been laid so shortly before the one from his marriage’s consummation who outside the family would be the wiser?” Loken asked. “Unfortunately, I wasn’t about to take the risk.”
As Loken’s words sank in, Nessa’s eyes widened in horror as realization set in. “Mother… you killed her?!”
Loken merely smiled in response. “I like to think of it as doing father a favor he never would have had it in him to do. Not that he ever knew the truth…”
~
Mare Do Well hung from the underbelly of the airship, flapping her wings and carrying herself onto the hangar balcony. Up ahead was a Rebirth griffon, facing away from her. Smirking, she moved as slowly as she could, knowing flying could cause her fall from the airship at this height and speed the ship was moving until she got inside.
Once she was upon the guard, Mare Do Well flung her cape over his head and wrapped her hooves around his neck tightly to silence him. The griffon struggled and gasped, then finally collapsed to the floor. Satisfied, Mare Do Well continued onward to find an entrance. Turning, she walked along the balcony and found a door leading into the middle portion of the airship. By her guess the Eagle Eye would have been located in the lowest part, in the hanger where it could easily be dropped.
Get Twilight and the Princess, stop this airship before it can reach Equestia… how hard can it be? she thought to herself.
The door opened and a pair of griffons emerged, pausing and staring at Mare Do Well in surprise.
Not hard at all, the pegasus thought with an eyeroll as she took a fighting stance and engaged the two thugs.
~
“All this?! Why create the Rebirth? Why harm Equestria?!” Nessa demanded, struggling against the ropes. “We’ve had no quarrel with them for centuries, and our nation was in the wrong when the war happened!”
“That’s the thing about terrorism, Nessa; Everyone with power has so much to gain from it!” Loken said with a laugh. “And when you’re playing both sides you intend to dispose of, in this case both the current establishment AND the ones seeking to bring it down, you alone are able to rise from the ashes of the destruction to reap all the benefits and remake everything as you see fit!” he explained. “As the Phoenix, I was able to unify the entire activist element of this nation under a single figure so I could destroy it once it has served its purpose.” He approached the discarded mask and held it up, obscuring half his face with it. “By putting a face on evil I could intimidate the Parliament and expose its incompetence, proving we’re better off without it! Yours, father’s, and Mare Do Well’s sacrifices will not be in vain, and serve to further my future as the Griffon Empire’s next and most beloved ruler!”
“Beloved? You’re completely out of your mind, Loken!” Nessa shouted.
“Am I? I like to think of myself as brilliant beyond anyone’s expectations! Something father clearly never appreciated when he close you as his heir! As the sole survivor of our empire’s governing body, not only is there no one left standing between me and the throne, but it will be a throne that needn’t worry about bickering appointed bureaucrats elected on false promises!” Loken explained. “As the one who destroyed the entire revolutionary movement opposing our empire, I’ll be seen by all as a respectable hero who brought about absolute peace!” A dark smile crept onto his face as he looked away, in the direction the airship was flying towards. “And as for Equestria… their victory over our nation means less to me then you may have thought. Rather, their sacrifice will serve as the final step to ensure none would doubt my greatness. Imagine, a terrible tragedy that, before I could escape and slay the one everyone will believe to have been the Phoenix,” he said, looking over at Swiftwing’s body laying near the empty throne. “I failed to stop the Eagle Eye from devastating such a peaceful land… so, in my efforts to make amends for being unable to prevent such tragedy, and owing it to their hero who had fallen in her valiant efforts against the Rebirth, when I humbly assume the throne in yours and fathers’ deaths, I will be the charitable leader who, in his first act as Emperor, sought to use his empire’s vast wealth and resources to help rebuild Equestria. This shall in turn allow me to gain the reverence of not one but two nations!” he said, turning and looking down at his sister again. “It’s only a shame you won’t get to see me enjoy it all…”
~
Mare Do Well stood over the defeated thugs, kicking their bodies off the catwalks of the airship and entering through the door. Up ahead was a narrow walkway with one of the glider machines she’d seen earlier, and further down, she saw the faint glow of the Eagle Eye, confirming it had now been fully charged. Flying over, Mare Do Well stood before it; staring up in awe at the ancient weapon. Despite its horrible purpose, it was almost beautiful in a way; the magical currents flowing through its crevices and the various spires now showing off intricate patterns given magenta illumination. A glow from above suggesting it had since been rotated so its open part would be facing upward. Several more catwalks overlooked it, while it hung suspended with several small cranes.
The pegasus heard a soft whimper, and she turned around, spotting Twilight, strapped to a large table-like device.
“Twi!” Mare Do Well cried out, flying over to her friend, who was now quietly weeping. “Hey, Twi. It’s me. I’m here to save you!” she said, attempting a smile under her mask.
“I couldn’t… I couldn’t stop it,” Twilight muttered softly, tears flowing down her cheeks. “It hurt… it felt like my magic was just being ripped out of me! How could anyone create something so awful to use on a pony?”
“Well, it’s nothing to worry about anymore. It’s all over now,” Rainbow said, looking over the switches on the unicorn’s shackles, nudging them with her hoof and causing them to pop open, allowing Twilight to tumble from the device and onto the floor.
“It hurt so much… I can barely move, Rainbow!” Twilight whispered, her body shivering.
Mare Do Well dug her head under Twilight’s body and hoisted her over her back. “Trust me, Twi, the Phoenix is gonna pay for this with his life. Soon as we find Nessa, I’m gonna deal with the Phoenix personally.”
“Not going anywhere, pony!” a Rebirth griffon said as he flew down and landed on the bridge in front of the two ponies. Glancing up, Mare Do Well saw many more flying in from the higher perches. “Two of you alert the boss; the rest of you, let’s deal with her,” the griffon said with a grin as two of the griffons flew off and the rest began to join him.
Crouching and letting Twilight slide off her and land on the floor, Mare Do Well took a step forward, standing protectively before her friend.
“D-don’t… don’t worry about me… I’ll be… fine in a minute or two,” Twilight said softly, coughing from the pain she felt.
“No way, Twi. I’ll keep these guys busy till your magic recovers enough to heal yourself. Then we can save Nessa and deal with these losers together!” Mare Do Well said.
“But Rainbow,” Twilight pleaded, prompting Mare Do Well to turn and glare down at her.
“Twi, when are you gonna remember, I never leave my friends hanging!” Mare Do Well said, grinning widely under the mask as she faced her gathering foes.
~
“Make no mistake, Loken. You may think you’ve won but you won’t get away with this!” Nessa hissed at her brother, struggling again while the other griffon just rolled his eyes.
“At the risk of sounding cliche, little sister... I already have by this point,” Loken said with an amused chuckle. “You just don’t want to accept the inevitable, do you?”
Immediately the door flew open, two Rebirth griffons rushing in. “Boss! It’s Mare Do Well! She—” one of the griffons yelled urgently, before both paused, staring agape when they saw their leader unmasked, and moreso their leader’s identity.
“What… y-you’re…?!” one griffon asked; eyes wide with astonishment and failing to notice the Prince raise his claw, which sported a gauntlet over it and was immediately struck down by a powerful bolt of lightning.
“…Far too close to accomplishing my goals to let things fall apart now,” Loken replied with a calm smirk before turning his claw to the other griffon, who stared down in horror at his fallen comrade.
“Boss… you… you used us?” the other griffon asked, backing away.
“The birdy gets it,” Loken said with a laugh as he approached, the other griffon backing against the door in fear. “I needed to unite all of you under one single, doomed banner for my plans to work. For what it’s worth, you and the rest of the Rebirth will still be remembered for this day!” he explained, firing another bolt of lightning and ending the other’s life in seconds. “And that, dear sister, is how you get ahead in life.” He turned around, just in time see Nessa, who had freed herself while his back was turned and swung the long dagger he’d dropped earlier at him, cutting into the gauntlet and causing it to spark violently. The griffon snarled in pain, grabbing at the damaged glove and flinging it off.
“Among other ways, Loken!” Nessa replied. “I knew I had to get you gloating to wait for the chance to grab that knife and free myself. Guess your plans aren’t as air-tight as you thought!” the griffoness explained, taking a fighting stance, her brother drawing his short sword from under his cloak and giving it a twirl.
“We’ll see about that, dear sister!” Loken said with a grin, swinging at her.
Nessa ducked down and rolled to the side, avoiding the swing of the larger blade, Loken chuckled and spread his wings, flying right at his sister and swinging with both arms while Nessa gripped her knife tightly to parry it, causing the two to end up in a blade lock, balancing on their hind legs. Unable to continue holding against her stronger brother, Nessa gave Loken a quick headbutt, causing the other griffon to topple over, grunting in pain. The griffoness rushed forward to grab his fallen sword but Loken swept his tail out and pulling it towards him, grabbing it when it came into reach and swung, grazing Nessa and causing her to drop her own weapon, clutching her side in pain as she fell next to one of the dead Rebirth griffons, her body facing away from her brother as she grunted in pain.
“Now that was uncalled for,” Loken remarked, smirking as he shook his head. “You’ve lost a lot in one night, little sis. Why attempt to delay this and save a kingdom that by definition weakened ours?” he asked as he approached her.
Nessa immediately slammed her claw into her brother’s chest, a blast of electrical energy surging into the other griffon. Loken let out a lionlike yowl as he was knocked backward from the shock and crashed into his throne, causing it to topple over.
“If you think that, you really didn’t deserve to be Emperor,” Nessa replied coldly, lowering the smoking gauntlet on her claw that she’d taken from one of the dead griffons and leaving out the door without another word.
~
“How ya holding out, Twi?” Mare Do Well asked as she swung her hoof up and decked another griffon, sending him toppling over the catwalks.
“Gonna… need more time to recharge… my magic,” Twilight said weakly, her horn glowing faintly but the aura faded out as quickly as it came.
“That’s something I doubt we really have, Twi,” Rainbow muttered as several more griffons descended towards them, these ones all sporting gauntlets which they all raised towards Mare Do Well. “Aw, great,” the pegasus sighed.
As they drew close, one was suddenly blasted from behind by a bolt of lightning. The other griffons looked back in confusion and there stood Nessa, holding her side with one claw and aiming her other at the spot previously occupied by the griffon she’d struck down. Seizing the opportunity, Mare Do Well rushed forward, slamming her hoof into one’s face and leaping into the air to kick another off the catwalk. Before the remaining griffons could react, Nessa fired a blast of lightning at one while Mare Do Well tripped the remaining one and struck him several times with her forehooves, knocking him out.
“Hope I’m not… too late,” Nessa said, taking a few breaths.
“You alright?” Mare Do Well asked.
“I’ll be fine. We gotta get rid of this thing,” she said, looking up at the Eagle Eye.
“That’s the idea,” Mare Do Well said. “Where’s the Phoenix?”
“He’s taken care of,” Nessa replied, her tone more bitter now. “It was my brother… it was always him and no one knew…" she held back tears that threatened to form. "Not me, not even dad…”
“L-Loken…?” Twilight asked, standing up though still noticeably fatigued. “Loken’s the Phoenix?”
“Yes. Had to deal with him before I got down here. Any ideas how we can ditch the Eagle Eye?” Nessa asked, wiping her eyes quickly.
“Maybe… we drop it into the sea. It’s mainly powered with magical fire. We drop it into the ocean that should extinguish it!” Twilight said.
“Well, the release is probably right up there with it. The switches to open the launch bays are probably back in the room I was in,” Nessa replied.
“Leave the release switch to me,” Mare Do Well said. “You two go get the hangar open. I’ll drop it after.”
“On it. Just hang on,” Nessa said, grabbing up Twilight and flying back through the doorway she’d entered while Mare Do Well flew up towards the active weapon.
Landing on a catwalk overlooking the Eagle Eye, Mare Do Well was greeted by more Rebirth griffons as they flew in. “Seriously, how many of you are there?” she asked, rushing forward and sweeping her cape over the face of the first one before bucking him in the chest. Leaping into the air, the pegasus flipped over the first griffon and swooped down, her hooves outstretched as she smashed them into the face of the next griffon.
One griffon, however, managed a lucky swipe with his claw and scratched her mask. Mare Do Well cried out, taking her mask and hat off, glaring at the griffon before her. “THAT’S gonna cost ya, pal!” she said, though promptly ducking down to avoid a bolt of lightning from another, larger griffon behind him. The first one grabbed her, holding her in front of himself as the other charged up his gauntlet again. “No you DON’T!” Rainbow shouted, headbutting the griffon holding her then flipping him over herself just in time for the other griffon to accidentally blast him instead of the pegasus. The remaining griffon stared for a moment at the pegasus and thrust his gauntlet at her again, but Rainbow rushed at him, slamming her hooves into his chest and knocking him backwards, causing him to fire up at the ceiling instead. Drawing her hoof back, Mare Do Well swung it as hard as she could and knocked the remaining griffon unconscious.
“Alright, release. Where are you?” she muttered, looking around and noticing the chains supporting the Eagle Eye were feeding into a pulley system that lead to a lever on a platform across from her. Smirking, Rainbow flew over and landed beside it. “Come on, girls,” she said, looking down at the swirling, fiery cauldron of the Eagle Eye just below her.
~
“They’re all dead!” Twilight shuddered as they passed several fallen Rebirth griffons. She’d gained enough strength to walk again as they reached the door.
“There weren’t this many when I’d escaped,” Nessa said, concerned as she pulled down the latch and opened the door. Entering, they passed the dead guards and Swiftwing. “Come on, we need to get the launch bay open!” the griffoness said as she rushed over to the controls, pulling one of the levers and causing the ship to shake for a moment. “Should be open now, we just—” Nessa paused and looked around.
“What?” Twilight asked as she walked over to the griffoness.
“Loken… he’s gone!” Nessa replied.
~
Hearing a rumble, Rainbow smiled as she stood triumphantly over several more griffons that had attempted to stop her. “Good job, girls! Just a flip of the switch and it’s all over!” she said, but as she turned to face the control box, a large form dropped down and perched atop it, startling her slightly. Looking up, Rainbow found herself face-to-face with the Phoenix himself.
“I wouldn’t be so sure of that!” the Phoenix said, yanking his mask off and tossing it aside, revealing Prince Loken’s grinning face.
“Loken!” Rainbow growled, glaring at the griffon prince.
The griffon prince gave a nod, swinging his sword at the pegasus, who jumped out of the way, barely avoiding it. Loken swung again, grazing Rainbow and causing her to wince in pain. Rainbow swung her hoof and struck the griffon in the face, causing Loken's head to jerk to the side. Spitting out some blood the griffon chuckled, nursing where she'd hit him before returning his gaze at her. Immediately he began swinging several more times with his short sword as he drove her further and further along the bridge. Looking back at the controls, he glanced at Mare Do Well again before leaping backward and promptly jamming the blade into the lever.
“Real smart, Loken! Even if you beat me how do you expect to drop that thing now?” Rainbow asked.
“Who says I have to? I’ll leave this entire airship to crash into Canterlot with it on board if I need to!” Loken replied as he fidgeted with the clasp on his hooded cloak. “All that’s in my way now, is YOU!” he yelled, flinging his cloak over Rainbow’s head, giving a sharp tug and causing her to fall from the catwalk and tumble down to a lower platform. Rolling over, Rainbow prepared to stand up when suddenly she felt Loken land on her, then fling her across the narrow bridge. Growling, Rainbow stood up and flew at him, her hoof outstretched and slamming into the griffon's chest, sending him tumbling across the catwalk. Landing in front of him, the pegasus raised her hoof to strike again, but Loken caught it with his claw and punched her in the chest. “You know, Rainbow Dash I have to give you credit… normally there’s very little I can’t shrug off and still know I’m going to come out on top from," he explained, getting up and backhanding her with his claw. "...But you may very well be the first one I’ve ever met; pony, griffon, or whatever else, that has actually managed to seriously PISS ME OFF!!!” he shouted, letting out a ferocious roar as he charged at Rainbow on all fours.
Leaping into the air, the griffon swung his claws at Rainbow in a vicious frenzy as the pegasus struggled to block his attacks as best she could, finding herself on the defensive end as the enraged griffon held nothing back in his fury. Rainbow found an opening at last, upper-cutting the griffon with her hoof and making a rush to the controls, but Loken flipped into the air and landed in front of her, grabbing her by the neck and flinging her with all his might. The pegasus rolled across the catwalk but managed to right herself fast enough to take flight into the platforms up above.
"Hiding when you're at a disadvantage? How... typical of your kind, all the more reason to wipe your kingdom out!" Loken taunted, a maddened grin spreading across his face as he searched for her. Rainbow rolled on her back as she kept to the shadows, nursing her wounds as she attempted to slow down her breathing.
“I’ve waited my WHOLE LIFE for this moment, pony!” Loken snarled, taking to the air and looking around for her. Rainbow stood up, a defiant glare in her eyes as she spread her wings once more and flew at him, knocking him from the air and onto another platform adjacent to where she'd hid. The two tumbled across the platform before crashing into a wall, though Loken recovered more quickly, swinging his sharp talons upward and barely missing Rainbow’s throat, the pegasus swung her hoof into his chest, causing him to stumble backwards but his resolve did not seem to fade in the least. “The moment I claim everything that should have been mine, regardless of who I have to kill to get it!” He lunged at her again, but this time, Rainbow was prepared, leaning to her side, the pegasus swung her hind leg, connecting with Loken’s chest then leaping onto him, punching him in the face. The griffon yowled in pain as rolled himself over so that now he was on top, his right claw gripped tightly around her neck as he raised up his other. “And least of all am I going to let a worthless, lowly pony in a silly costume take that away from me!” he hissed, slashing Rainbow’s right wing and causing her to scream out in pain as several feathers were torn loose. The griffon prince didn’t loosen his grip, and an angry sneer spread on his face as the pegasus struggled. "Don't you get it? You were nothing but another puppet playing a role in my big show. The first attacks the Phoenix coordinated were to cause enough chaos to make my claim we needed you more convincing; the destruction in the port town and the tip-off that got dad's informants captured so I could execute them on film? All just to rile you up more once you made it over," he explained. "...So you can die the hero who failed to stop the biggest tragedy the world has ever known!" Loken said with a laugh as he grinned inches from the pegasus' face.
Shaking, Rainbow strained against the sharp pain from her wing as she swung her hoof up, but the griffon caught it easily and pushed it back down. “Still some fight left in you? Good, because I’m not finished with you yet!” Loken said; spreading his wings and flying them both as high as the massive hangar allowed, above the opening of the Eagle Eye where glowing magenta flame and crackling energy churned within. “As gratitude for getting me this far, how’s this for your execution?” he asked, loosening his grip on her then grabbing her cape, letting her slowly slide further and further downward.
Rainbow struggled, her injured wing barely able to flap anymore as she tried to fly despite the agonizing pain it caused her. Loken laughed as they hovered above the weapon. “What’s that? At least no one else is here to see you fail? I suppose that can be agreed on, right?” he asked, preparing to loosen his grip a little more.
“True,” Rainbow said softly. “But you’re here to see me win!” she shouted, reaching into her belt for her last flash pellet she had left and flinging it up at the griffon prince, the explosion causing him to cry out and lose his grip, and both began falling. Rainbow used all her strength to flap her wings despite the injury, causing her to veer sideways towards a nearby catwalk. Catching it just in time with her forelegs, Rainbow held on for dear life as Loken plummeted into the open Eagle Eye below; the griffon letting out a horrible shriek as his body was instantly engulfed in seething hot magical flame that melted and skeletonized it in seconds as he struggled in vain to escape. Loken's ghastly, burning remains slowly reached upward one last time; a jet of magenta flame bursting from them before they crumbled apart, sinking into the churning arcane energy.
Rainbow let out a sigh of relief and slowly pulled herself back up, grunting in pain from her injured wing. Looking over at the damaged control box, she knew a change of plans was an order.
“Rainbow?” Twilight’s voice called out below.
“Up here, Twi!” Rainbow replied. The sound of wings flapping was heard as Nessa flew up, carrying Twilight with her.
“The Eagle Eye… it’s still here?” Nessa asked.
“Loken jammed the release,” Rainbow answered, cringing in pain as she attempted to fold her damaged wing.
“Where is he?” Twilight asked. The pegasus glanced over the edge towards the Eagle Eye.
“Gone,” she replied. “Twi, we gotta get outta here… let this whole thing fall into the sea.”
“How? I don’t have enough strength to teleport us back to land!” Twilight answered.
“Same way I got here… I saw one of those old-age gliders the Emperor had in his storage. Guess Loken took one after all for his escape plan,” Rainbow replied.
“Makes sense, in case he had to crash the ship he’d want to make sure he got out alive,” Nessa said bitterly.
“Twi, think you got enough to get it flying?” Rainbow asked. “Till we get this fixed I’m kinda… not in shape for that sorta thing," she said, gesturing to her right wing. "Once we’re off, we can shoot down the airship and make it to shore!”
“I should be able to handle that. Let’s go,” Twilight replied with a smile. “But just know, I’m gonna need a lot of rest after all this. One of you is gonna have to steer.”
Heading down from the catwalks the three soon found themselves in front of the parked glider. “Well, Twi. Charge ‘er up,” Rainbow said. The unicorn nodded and focused what magic she could muster into it. In seconds, the glider’s chest lit up confirming it to be active. Boarding it, Nessa took the controls and flew it towards the open launch bay, and they immediately fell through, under the airship.
“Up! Up!” Rainbow shouted.
“Trying!” the griffoness replied, pressing the switches.
“Let me!” Rainbow said, putting her hoof on a switch that she recalled gave it forward propulsion and soon they were out from under the massive flying fortress.
“Alright, fire at that point there and it should start falling,” Nessa said, pointing to the back end of the ship where one of its propellers was. Nodding, Rainbow pressed the switch next to her and a blast of magic energy fired from the birdlike glider’s mouth, blasting the airship’s propeller. The propeller exploded violently, and the ship began to falter sideways into the sea. Satisfied, they turned the glider around and headed back towards land.
“It’s over… finally!” Rainbow said softly to herself, putting her forelegs around the sleeping Twilight and hugging her friend tightly.