• Published 12th Aug 2012
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Fallout Equestria : Black And White - Philweasel



Peace between the NCR and Zebra wasteland becomes a battleground between competing factions.

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Chapter 2.14 - In The Hoofprints Of Those Before

Chapter 2.14 - In The Hoofprints Of Those Before

Star Swirl opened her left wing with crushing force, flinging the poor zebra stallion on her flank head over heels with a yell. The one coming straight for her hesitated, fatally. She had much longer reach and easily outpaced his stumbling retreat, flinging him onto his back with the barest of effort.

She raised her hoof and he shook his head desperately in surrender, Star Swirl stepping away and looking around the courtyard at the half dozen beaten zebra rising with pained groans, “Um... I hope I didn’t go too hard on all of you.”

“They’ve taken worse.” Their commander, an older, heavily scared zebra called Xen, commented. He looked her over, brows furrowing, “You’re an impressive fighter indeed. You’ve improved so quickly.”

Star Swirl blushed at the praise, still not exactly comfortable with all this, “Not really... I was just rusty, I already knew all this stuff.” She realised that sounded a little arrogant in itself, trying to downplay herself as much as she could, “And this is hoof to hoof fighting, my speciality. Otherwise I’m a poor shot and barely mediocre at magic.”

“You can teleport with pinpoint precession, conjure lightning and erect impenetrable shields.” Xen commented dryly, “Don’t let any of our unicorns hear you call yourself mediocre.”

Star Swirl blushed, well told. She had never really considered any of them... magic as such, “Um... true. But those are innate abilities.”

“Hmm.” Xen muttered to himself, cupping his chin in his hoof, “So this is what it is to be a Princess.”

Star Swirl frowned, replying instantly, “I’m not a Princess.”

“Missy, you’re a powerhouse who just wiped out my whole unit in seconds, can access high level magic ‘innately’ and you stand twice the height of the tallest zebra.” He shrugged, “If you’re not a Princess, I hate to think what is.”

Star Swirl left that unanswered. It was worse if it was just silliness, but now she could really start to believe it. These zebra respected her, looked at her and saw Celestia.

And she liked that.

~

She was just walking back when she spotted Starhammer and Kunani standing out in a sideyard, crude targets made out of straw set out in an irregular, wide spaced pattern. Star Swirl stopped and turned back to watch, realising that she was holding her breath as she watched the powerful zebra so focused upon his targets. His hoof sat loose in two of the many straps that were attached to the hilt of the huge slab of metal strapped against his back, his body tensed and ready. Kunani sat next to him, her concentration similarly focused, the look of intense thought in her eyes.

And then it was over. Star Swirl couldn’t quite believe it.

He had been a blur, impossible to track or predict as he darted forward, pulled his weapon out and swung it in a wide arc that cut the first two targets in half. At the end of his swing he had let the weapon go loose, the momentum pulling him in an impossible turn that left him in the perfect position to attack the next targets. He pulled in his blade and grabbed it in his mouth, slashing the first, jumping through the air to spear the other through the head and jumping off that to slam his sword into the ground. He used his final momentum to swing himself round and buck the final target hard enough to send it crashing into pieces on the nearby wall.

He panted and turned to Kunani, the little zebra giving him a frown and a slow series of signs, “You were showing off on that last target.”

“Showing off is part of the game.” He panted from the exercise, brushing the sweat from his brow as he waved to Star Swirl, “Star! You fancy a sparring match?”

She had just been admiring the incredibly... distracting way his torso shifted as he took in his deep breaths, and so this question took her completely off guard. She stumbled, momentary sure he was about to slice her in half there and then, “No! Um...”

“Haha!” He laughed, his broad, charming smile even more attractive. Star Swirl had though him a little ugly before, but this was really his element. And she had never even considered that he could be fast, and agile. He had seemed so... bulky. But then those moves would have required incredible strength as well...he cut off her contemplation with a casually asked question, “My men have a lot of praise for your skills.”

She wished he wouldn’t refer to her so casually. It made her nervous. Anyway it felt rather patronising talking up her fighting abilities after that display, “My skills? That was incredible! How do you even lift that sword?”

Starhammer chuckled, propping the weapon against the side wall. Now she could get a closer look at it the weapon seemed even more absurd, thick and double edged, the hilt covered in straps of different lengths, zebra runes engraved up the length of the blade. In fact she was sure she had seen it somewhere before... Starhammer saw her admiring it, nodding proudly, “It’s a Cho’intcho blade, the same sort of sword used by Zephyr Stormstrung.”

Star Swirl... was kind of impressed. She was a history nerd after all, and had done a lot of research on zebra history, “How old is it?”

“This one? A couple of months.” He rapped his hoof against the object, “I have a new one forged and waiting for the actual expedition.”

“Even a magic sword made from modern materials can’t handle the stress of battle for long, especially one so heavy.” Kunani signed in explanation, “Zephyr himself is reported to have gone through thousands.”

“It’s magic?” Star Swirl stated in awe, sniffing the air and indeed detecting the clear sent of magic around the blade. That was impressive, “You can actually make magic swords?”

“Zebra are famed for their skills with enchanting.” Kunani signed, just a little smugly, “Though most just slap a little fire on their weapon and call it done. Like so many modern weapons, trading art for raw power.”

“This is how we got together actually.” Starhammer mentioned, looking at Kunani affectionately. He moved over, patting the mare on the back and causing her to blush and turn her head away, “When I learned this little mare actually had copies of the ‘Acts of Zenophilous’ I knew I had to get to know her better. I took every course I could get in sign language, asked her out and spent the whole night discussing history and legend. Pretty much fell in love with her right there and then.”

Star Swirl couldn’t help but chuckle, “You, me and Tradash. We all seem to be nerds together.”

“I looked up to Zephyr all my life.” Starhammer explained, childishly enthusiastic, “I took up the blade because of him, searched for every scrap of his life. I was just another two bit mercenary, but I dreamed of becoming something more. And Kunani shared that dream.”

Kunani paused for a moment before signing hesitantly, “I dream... of a free wasteland. And I believe Starhammer has the strength to emulate Zephyr Stormstrung and make that dream a reality.”

“And I intend to start with the heart of the old zebra empire.” Starhammer explained, “My empire will accept no other capital than the capital. The city of Zenophilous, Kurshek.”

Star Swirl shivered, remembering the descriptions of it as a ghost city, intact and abandoned, “Is that a good idea?”

“I won’t abandon the works of our great past to dust.” Starhammer commented commandingly, “And appropriately I first must venture into the city under the mountain and slay me a great demon, a smug, overconfident beast stealing our children and making them into monsters.”

“Don’t let your guard down around her.” Kunani signed in warning, “She’s smarter than others we fought. She uses her magic creatively, and keeps her head in battle.”

“I wouldn’t want it any other way. Can’t build a legend on defeating pushovers.” He waved a hoof as he walked away, cheerfully smiling, “I’ll leave you ladies to talk. I’m gonna take a shower.”

They watched him go, Star Swirl eventually giving a few hesitant signs, “He’s so confident.”

“He always has been.” Kunani signed back, smiling softly to herself, “It’s his best quality. He’s not arrogant, but he never lets doubt hold him back. It’s one of the reasons I was so sure he could take this role, be the hero the wasteland wanted him to be.”

“That you want him to be?”

She blushed deep, a profoundly uncomfortable expression on her face. Eventually she signed, hesitant and shaky, “He is quite the stallion.”

Star Swirl chuckled. He certainly seemed to make her happy, and they were a good match, “You’re a very impressive zebra yourself Kunani. Enchanting that blade, taking on Luna in single combat... you would have beat her, if not for...”

Kunani signed sharply, looking disapproving, “No.”

“What?”

“You had already beat her half to death before I even got there.” Kunani signed, looking bitter, “Luna was badly wounded and I still struggled to hold my own. Worse, her magic was rough and had many flaws, I suspect she’s almost entirely self taught. I on the other hand was trained by some of finest Shaman of Garm, instructed in magic by Tandia herself.”

Kunani was being way too hard on herself. Star Swirl remembered how her first encounter had gone, “Princess Luna is extremely powerful.”

“Starhammer could beat her. That’s why he’s the hero.” She smiled as she continued to sign, looking a little embarrassed, “I’m jealous of him, isn’t that pathetic?”

Star Swirl chuckled, signing back, “I think I’ve always been slightly jealous of my friends. Maybe we both need a little more self esteem.”

“Perhaps so.” She signed, shaking her head before smiling up at Star Swirl, “Good luck tomorrow Star Swirl. With any luck we’ll be able to finish things with Luna this time.”

Star Swirl nodded firmly, “I hope so.”

~

Star Swirl felt good as she entered the hotel and moved up towards her rooms, a now familiar routine after training. This time however she marvelled at the lack of an ache in her muscles, or pain in her joints. Instead there was a quiet weariness, a satisfaction at having been used well. Star Swirl knew there was a long way to go until she got anywhere near to her former strength, still she had passed the first barrier. She even thought she might have trimmed a little off her belly, at least if you looked at her from the front.

She paused as she passed by Esau’s room, hesitating for a moment. Esau had emerged during the last week, and she had seen him about. She had even exchanged words with him. There was definitely a sense in all her interactions however that the zebra had been holding back on her, had lost the fire and conviction that had so defined him before.

It worried her. She moved over and knocked, “Esau? It’s me, Star Swirl.”

There was a moment of silence before he answered, “Come in.”

His room was plain, like Star Swirl it seemed he didn’t have many possessions. Esau himself sat quietly staring out the window, as ever clad in full bandages. She approached him cautiously, “You haven’t been yourself lately.”

“Neither have you.”

She paused midstep, “What?”

“Everything I heard about you suggested a quiet, meek scholar, a weak willed girl.” Esau’s voice was angry, yet pained and full of regret, “Why did you give up the warrior’s life in the first place?”

This wasn’t a question she was unprepared for, “Because it involved killing innocents, because I served a mad goddess who tormented the wasteland.”

“And Starhammer, he is better?”

She though ‘mad goddess’ and ‘killing innocents’ made that self evident, “Of course he is.”

“Fluttershy was the element of kindness, a friend to all zebra, a peacemaker and icon.” His voice broke, ever so subtly, as he continued “Ixoko told me to distract her, so we could kidnap two innocent children from under her protection. And I did. I lied, and deceived...”

Star Swirl was getting so sick of this. She had given her reasons, time and again, “It was for the greater good.”

“Of who?”

“Of the wasteland.”

“Another pragmatic, charismatic warlord will not heal the wasteland Star Swirl.” He turned his eyes to her at last, weary and full of quiet despair, “I helped him imprison children, deceive Fluttershy, and bind that peerless icon of kindness in chains. You may look at these actions and see justice, but I only see the same bloody wasteland. The same self perpetuating horror that dragged the world down in the first place.”

Star Swirl... felt it was wrong to argue for kidnapping children, chaining Fluttershy. But it was not done with a glad heart, not done because they were some evil raider tribe. They did it because it was necessary, “And what’s the alternative? Join Luna?”

He frowned, his voice dropping a little in tone, “You act like this is our fight. Are you part of Starhammer’s army now?”

“Of course! We all are... aren’t we?”

“Tradash is here because Starhammer asked for advice on some heroic era ruins, he’s here independently, in that capacity alone. I’m here to keep an eye on both you and him.” He lowered his head, glaring dangerously, “And you’re here because...?”

“I... I want to be useful.” She babbled, only after realising what she had just said, “I mean... Starhammer wants to build a better world, and so do I.”

“Trust me on this.” He answered, slowly and gravely, “Starhammer’s goal is to unite the world under his banner. Whether that would be a good thing or not remains to be seen, but it would be done for his own glory, not some utopian vision.”

Star Swirl wasn’t convinced. In fact she found his words to be all too familiar, further cynicism and judgement to add to his collection of misanthropy, “And how do you know him so well?”

“Because I have seen his like.” He paused a second, hesitant. He spoke again after a moment of consideration, his voice low, “Because I was once much like him.”

Star Swirl snorted, figuring as much. They thought she was bad? Esau was an absolute bundle of self hatred and guilt... took one to know one she guessed, “I think you just see too much of yourself in everpony else. Me, Starhammer... we’re not all weak.”

“Weak?” He questioned sadly, shaking his head, “Strength has always been a curse for me. I am happy to be called weak. As you once were.”

Star Swirl felt her shoulders tense at his observation, her lip curling, “It was a mistake to hide away. I could have done so much good.”

“Then get out there and do it Star Swirl.” Her observed her with cold, judgemental eyes, “I gave my word to watch out for you, and so I will. You will find me at your side tomorrow.”

“Good.” She stated huffily, glaring at him for a moment or two before about facing and stalking off. She closed the door behind her, letting herself deflate now it was over.

She was actually beginning to like him a little, and now he had to pull this. Fluttershy had poisoned everypony against her, and she was really starting to regret not having fought Luna when she had the chance. Luna had been weak, all too easy a target, with Fluttershy and Swift Crimson just lying there for collection. And she had hesitated.

Damn! She was still a stupid little girl!

“Good evening Star Swirl. Were you visiting Esau?”

Star Swept round, quickly attempting a smile and ending up with a bit of a toothy, overwide mess. She wisely dropped it after a moment, nodding as Tradash made his way towards her, “He doesn’t approve of me getting close to Starhammer.”

Tradash nodded in understanding, “Esau doesn’t like warlords. And whatever his moral character, Starhammer is still a warlord.”

“Do you think he’s right to distrust him?”

“Are you asking if I trust him? No, but that’s the nature of the thing.” Tradash shrugged his shoulders, “I have confidence he will continue to do what is noble... so long as it’s convenient. That’s generally the protagative of the powerful. Have you read up on his history?”

Star Swirl had to admit, said history was rather hard to uncover. A lot of it seemed to be guesswork, pieced together stories, “No one seems to know much.”

“That’s because there isn’t much to know.” Tradash stated, “He grew up in a small town on the outskirts of the heartlands, his parents were farming folk. He got bored, travelled to the big city, got in trouble for killing a zebra in a bar fight and signed on as a thug for hire. Not much to really talk about, a decent fighter, fairly professional, his free time spent on booze and mares. A criminal record of minor misdemeanours, property damage, harassment, petty theft, assault...”

Star Swirl got the point, “Just like any other minor mercenary in the wastes.”

Tradash nodded, “Neither of us would have given him a second look I wager. Doubtless no one expected anything of him when one day, he mutters some drunken ambition to usurp Rashik, the King of the Anatu. Rashik was a paranoid zebra and naturally he would not tolerate such statements from even guttertrash like him. So he sent some men to take Starhammer out, figuring that he was destined to be another corpse drying out in the desert.”

“And...”

“Starhammer sent those men back in pieces, along with a series of other assassins. He travelled through the wasteland, killing mighty beasts, wiping out bandit camps single hoofed, foiling mad scientists and rogue shaman alike. And then he faced Rashik himself, famed as one of the mightiest warriors in the world, and slew him in a battle most said was one sided from the start.”

Star Swirl wasn’t that stunned by the story. She had heard it before. Littlepip had been a small, mousy mechanic in some hole in the ground. Zephyr was the leader by dint of last mare standing in one of the most insignificant towns in the wasteland. Twilight Sparkle had been from a good family, but the rest of the ministry mares had been from very humble origins, “Sometimes ponies can only find their true worth when they’re really called upon to show it.”

“True, but it’s not his abilities I’m most concerned about. It’s his character.” Tradash continued with a grave frown, “From all I’ve heard and observed, for all his intelligence his primary flaw is a lack of ambition. He is a stallion of convenience, and I’m honestly not sure what motivates him to dedicate so much work to a cause like this.”

Star Swirl had an idea, “Kunani wants to unite the wasteland and become a Princess.”

“So it’s all to impress a girl hmm? Not the first time.” Tradash closed his eyes, shaking his head slowly, “Not a particularly strong motive for global domination.”

“Kunani’s a good zebra.”

“Certainly, though Esau is right in some respects.” He gave her a kindly smile, “Don’t trust too much. Both of them are dangerous, and still a little unpredictable. I’m not yet sure how they will turn, whether to noble restoration of civilisation or cruel empires.”

Star Swirl curled her lip, feeling a little sulky, “I’m dangerous too.”

“As am I.” Tradash chuckled grandfatherly, “Liking someone’s company, politeness and respect are separate from trust Star Swirl, remember that. Trust should be reserved for very few.”

Star Swirl chuckled a little, admitting that she found it hard not to trust Tradash. He still reminded her of an aging, kindly schoolteacher, “You’re dangerous?”

Tradash chuckled, grinning back at her from behind his spectacles and laugh lines, “Oh off with you girl. I might be getting on a little, but back in my prime you didn’t want to get on my bad side.”

“Really.” She didn’t quite believe it. The stallion didn’t strike her as being capable of being remotely threatening, “How many zebra have you killed?”

“One hundred and eighty four.”

Star Swirl paused, her jaw hanging open, “...ugh..?”

Tradash nodded, a sad, sweet little smile on his face. He spoke after a moment, quietly chastising, “Everyone’s capable of drawing a gun and pulling the trigger Star Swirl. Remember that, and never allow yourself to be fooled into thinking a warm smile and polite words mean someone isn’t capable of terrible things. Sadly, no zebra living in these wastelands can keep their hooves clean long.”

Star Swirl tried to process that terrible number with the kindly figure in front of her, “Were... they all bad zebra?”

“Most of them Star Swirl.” He stated regretfully, “Now go and get some sleep, we have a big day tomorrow.”

~

Star Swirl quickly looked around the dreamscape, once more locating herself in the zebra lands. She was starting to wonder if being awake like this would eventually lead to unwanted mental side effects, but if it did she hadn’t been affected by them so far. That posed interesting questions of its own. If she was truly awake and active 24 hours a day, did that mean she had twice as much time to learn and develop? She didn’t see why not, save for a lack of learning materials and an excess of sand.

Char wasn’t here. That was starting to become normal.

She could feel her though. She was... nearby.

“Cutie Mark Crusader wasteland adventurers, yay!”

Star Swirl couldn’t help but grin as she heard the voices just over the ridge. Now this she had to see.

She emerged over the crest of the hill and instantly spotted Char, looking unsettled and confused by the two pony fillies in front of her. They couldn’t have been more different in their appearance. One was bright pink, with a short, boyish, yellow mane and a face full of wonder and innocence. The other was a light grey, with a darker grey mane that tumbled down her shoulders in long curls, a little plump with an expression of smug self assurance. Star Swirl carefully made her way down the hill, shouting out to the small party, “What’s going on?”

“Ah, another guest!” The grey filly declared, her voice unusually deep for such a small girl, “Good of you to join us.”

“Hello Star Swirl! Fancy meeting you here!” The pink pony declared cheerfully.

“Do I...?” Star Swirl stared at the pink filly, the girl looking... vaguely familiar, but still eluding her, “...know you?”

“Um... I guess not.” The pink filly declared with an embarrassed grin, “But Zenai sure did tell me a lot about you.”

Star Swirl felt she was getting somewhere at least, “You know Zenai?”

“Yus!” She angled herself up proudly, declaring in a slightly rehearsed voice “Hi! I’m Puppy, nice to meet you!”

“And I am Midnight Dreamer.” The grey filly declared, far more calmly.

Star Swirl looked at Char questioningly, “Who are these fillies Char?”

“I have no idea.” Char shook her head, looking dazed, “They ambushed me as I was walking. They have yet to declare their intent.”

Midnight Dreamer smirked at her tone, “Do you always talk like a particularly dry textbook?”

“And we’re the cutie mark crusaders!” Puppy added in a somewhat offended tone, “On a quest to find out who we are! And we will never...”

“But... you have a cutie mark.” Star Swirl interrupted as she observed Midnight Dreamer, noting the ‘triple three pointed star over a bed’ symbol on her flank, “And so does Char.”

“All the more reason to help this little filly find hers.” Midnight Dreamer declared smugly, “The poor girl, so left out. And frankly, yours is an embarrassment. It looks like a child took a paintbrush to your flank.”

Star Swirl looked down at her colourful blob of a cutie mark, blushing a little, “Hey...”

“Ok, you are clearly attempting to avoid the subject with childish diversions. This filly, Puppy, is not a pony, and you know this. And raiding the ghost remains of a dangerous tomb is not a wise way to earn one’s cutie mark in the first place.” Char stated, firmly and concisely, “Star Swirl, please, take me away from these two. They are giving me a headache.”

“How can we give you a headache? You don’t have a head.” Midnight Dreamer commented, “You’re a cloud of sentient bacteria, living in her digestive tract.”

“It was... a figure of speech.” Char commented, looking a little embarrassed, “I likely used it wrong I’m sure.”

“Well maybe you can make up for your serious error in figurative language by accompanying us hmm?” The filly gave a cunning and rather smug grin, “The CMC is not the CMC with only two members.”

Star Swirl thought this girl needed a clip around the head. She clearly thought she was a big shot, despite coming up to a little over her knee, “There’s four of us.”

“You want to come too?” Midnight Dreamer turned an assessing eye to Star Swirl, still smiling and dismissive, “I guess you can tag along. Though an adult mare travelling around with three fillies is going to attract comment.”

“I am hundreds of times her age.” Char mentioned, somewhat sulkily.

“You’re the one who chooses to dress up as a little filly shaped Celestia.” She chuckled, “So come along already. You never know, you might learn something.”

Star Swirl was intrigued despite herself, her hoof hovering in front of her, “Char?”

“Very well.” She finally responded, “But no good will come of this.”

~

They walked across the barren wasteland, soon spotting a large spire of rock rising up ahead. It grew and grew in size, Star Swirl stopping for a moment and noting that it wasn’t the mountain moving, they were simply getting closer, “What’s with the horizon? It’s so close...”

“Dimensions get a little wonky here.” Midnight Dreamer commented from ahead, “You’ll get used to it I’m sure.”

“And that mountain, is that...?”

“Das... ko something...” Midnight Dreamer sighed and turned to her companion, “Puppy?”

“Dasthono’koki.” The filly declared cheerfully, “The spear of heaven. It is said that in the times before the first empire, the seven elder gods fought a great battle...”

“Yes, that’s enough Puppy. I’m not spoiling a nice walk by talking about prehistoric zebric myth.”

“You know a lot for a couple of kids.” Star Swirl commented, observing the pair. She didn’t for a second believe they were any more children than Char was, having already experienced the illusions this place could weave, “Are you both dreamers, like me?”

“Like you?” Midnight Dreamer questioned, smirking to herself, “I guess so, though we’re both here through our own power, not by latching on to madam butterfly over there.”

“That must be a tricky skill to learn.”

“Not really.” Midnight Dreamer paused, wiggling her hindquarters at Star Swirl in what Star hoped wasn’t intended to be a sexy manner, “The cutie mark and name didn’t tip you off?”

“So your special talent is...?”

“Dreaming.” Midnight Dreamer levered her eyes up to the mountain before them, now intimidatingly close, “There’s a city at the peak there, a city older than Canterlot. And a city below too, a city older than pony kind. And I’ve spoken with creatures that remember them both.”

“It’s a dangerous path, to speak too long with the dead.” Char commented coolly.

“When all the world lies in its grave, it’s no sin to wish its resurrection.” Midnight Dreamer nodded as they approached a small cleft in the mountain side, approaching a large stone door inscribed with arcane symbols, “I guess you are well aware what lies beyond that door, don’t you my dear Butterfly Queen?”

Char glared coldly, her demeanour now fiercely alien and threatening despite her innocuous form, “Things best left forgotten.”

“There is wisdom even in the dark spaces. Puppy, your assistance?”

“Oki doki!” Puppy darted forward enthusiastically to stand beside her friend, trembling with anticipation as Midnight Dreamer ignited her horn, “Variation of 3.42MS across the violet spectrum, oscillation at 10SPM?”

“Yes please Puppy.” Midnight Dreamer matched the purple glow of her horn to Puppy’s pink, their magic’s curling into a ball between them. Star Swirl knew very little about magic but she knew enough to be impressed, the precision needed for a combination spell like this only possible with the aid of top of the line computational software or a pair of unicorns who had been casting together for decades. They weaved their magic together for a second or two longer before it shot forward in a beam of shining light, striking the door with a flash.

And after a second of anticipation the stone slabs rumbled open, revealing the dark recesses of a city not touched for millennia.

“Intrigued Star Swirl?” Midnight Dreamer turned to face her, her eyes twinkling with amusement, “Well I’m afraid that’s the limits of my charity for tonight. You want to know more, then reliable sources inform me that you have your own way in. I suggest you take it.”

Star Swirl stepped forward hurriedly, the filly’s words only inviting more questions, “Wait!”

“Sorry Star Swirl.” Midnight Dreamer’s horn surged with magic, a wicked grin spreading, “Time to wake up.”

~

Star Swirl’s head rose from her pillow, a throbbing pain in her temples and her mouth tasting like dead mouse. A quick study of her clock revealed it was three in the morning.

“Goddamn... whoever that girl is... she’s a real bitch...”

~

Star Swirl was starting to possibly consider Esau’s words. Maybe she didn’t know much about Starhammer. Maybe he was a killer in charge of many other killers, and his pretence of nobility was just that. Maybe... joining another army wasn’t such a good idea.

But it was hard to say she didn’t enjoy standing here, at the head of a whole army of zebra in uniform, their marching hooves speaking of an order and discipline that she hadn’t felt since the unity. She wore light robes identifying her as a captain in Starhammer’s army, walking beside the zebra himself as he set eyes firmly on the horizon. The mountain ahead soon closed, the camp at its foot soon in full view.

Star Swirl couldn’t help but be apprehensive as she saw the smoke curling upwards, wondering whether that smoke was from campfires and industry... or less pleasant things.

They would soon know, Clear Skies looping round with her customary swiftness and returning towards them. She broke sharply and descended with a sharp whistle before snapping her wings open and landing with barely a sound, trotting clumsily over. She looked worried, the concern evident as she reported, “Teh campfs been attathed. Lots of equipment and roboths desthoyed, and otherwisthe tothally dethertited.”

“Of course it has.” Star Hammer chuckled casually, loosening the straps on his weapon, “Any sign of whoever did it?”

“Noth to my eythes.” She reported, “Loths of blood thails, leathing into the caveths.”

“Well Luna or beasty from the depths, we’ll be killing something today.” Starhammer turned a cheeky eye to Star Swirl, “Ready for battle darling?”

She didn’t get why he seemed to be so casual about this, like it was a big game for him, “Why aren’t you more upset?”

He grinned cheerily, shrugging his large shoulders, “You expect this after a while. Never excavated a stable, tomb or ruin that hasn’t been filled with things trying to kill me.”

“And the zebra that were stationed here?”

“If they were lucky whatever came here just took them captive and we can break them free. If not... well sucks to be them.” He nodded firmly to Icoxal beside, “Order the troops to advance in small groups, all covering each other from a safe distance.”

“Sir!”

Star Swirl gulped as they continued onwards, feeling she was advancing into the belly of the beast.

~

The camp did indeed seem like it had seen battle, equipment overturned, weapons lying unattended next to piles of shells and the shells of destroyed robots lying crushed and broken. K7 seemed particularly upset by this as expected, wheeling over and inspecting what was left of his brethren. Starhammer on the other hand strode confidently through the devastation, turning his head back to the others, “What’s missing from this scene?”

Icoxal nodded in agreement, “Bodies.”

“Icoxal, hold this location. I’m going in, have two squads cover me from a safe distance.” Starhammer turned his head to Star Swirl and Esau, “You two are with me.”

She paled a little, “Me?”

“You two are great fighters, and you know something of the arcane.”

Tradash gave her an encouraging look, “I’ll be with the unit covering you Star Swirl. With all of us together we should be able to handle anything they can throw at us.”

Starhammer chuckled, turning to the scholar, “I’d rather not risk you in battle Tradash. You’re here for your scholarly expertise, and I don’t want to lose that to a stray shot.”

“I will be careful.” He grinned, adjusting his glasses and straightening out his back, “And I’m not for the retirement home just yet. Slapped some humility into that uppity priestess didn’t I?”

Esau glared softly at his master, “Master, you admitted that she could have killed you if she had wanted to.”

“Maybe I was just being modest?” He stated smartly, grinning at them, “I have experience escaping hairy situations, and plenty of that within long abandoned tombs filled with horrors from before time. More than any of you certainly.”

“Just stay behind us, and keep with your escort.” Star Swirl motioned to a squad nearby, “You zebra, keep a close eye on Tradash, make sure no harm comes to him.”

“Yes sir!”

Tradash chuckled as the zebra swarmed him, cocking his head and giving a cheerful smile, “Now then, shall we enter?”

“Sounds good to me. Star Swirl, would you please go first?” Starhammer stated as he strolled towards the cave entrance, “If you encounter any resistance, simply shield yourself and allow us to take care of them.”

Star Swirl gulped, wanting to refuse for a moment. She realised it made sense, and sending some other more squishy bait was really cowardly on her part... but in total contrast to Tradash’s boasts, she could firmly state that she had NO experience whatsoever with dark tombs filled with horrors. She felt her throat tighten further as she walked past the wreckage of the camp, not a corpse to be found and plenty of weaponry that should have protected them against any attack.

And then she looked up at the great doors, shattered and pulled off their hinges to reveal the dark cavernous interior. She saw dark statues within those depths, the flicker of flames. She saw the carvings of dragons, of arcane symbols and dire warnings to intruders.

She stepped through those doors only with incredible force of will behind her hooves. And even as Star Swirl’s hoof touched the carved stone glowing runes erupted around her, a booming voice shouting a deafening warning,

“INTRUDERS! YOU STEP FOOT...”

Tradash slammed his hoof into the ground and the voice suddenly shook and stuttered, Kunani running forward and scraping a hoof across one of the glowing lines. She clicked her tongue in annoyance and ran over to a corner, her eyes scanning the lines in increasing worry.

“Allow me my dear.” Tradash stepped forward quite casually and moved to the centre, shifting a hoof forward and closing his eyes. A couple of second passed... and the runes just died, fading back into cold stone. Tradash gave a satisfied smile, noting Kunani’s somewhat awed expression and shrugging genially, “I’ve been dodging traps like this since before you were born. This one was powerful, but fortunately quite old and fragile.”

“Good work Tradash.” Star Hammer intoned as he walked past, admiring the structure of the hall inside, “Everyone, spread out! I want to make sure this place is as dead as it looks.”

Star Swirl frowned as everypony filed past, still frozen upon the now dark and lifeless runes. She looked down at Esau as he came up beside her, “Everypony seems very casual about me almost getting incinerated.”

“You were the one who let yourself get volunteered.” Easu snarked coldly, “You’re lucky my master was there.”

“Hmm, indeed.” Tradash stated, sparking his hoof against the stone and conjuring up a ball of flickering light that floated upwards to hover above his head, “Keep yourself attuned to decaying magic Easu, seems there’s still a few enchantments still active.”

The entrance hall was impressively huge, dimly lit by two hanging braisers but still full of dangerous and enticing shadow. The most prominent feature was the large statue of a zebra in the centre, clad in strange robes and reaching his hoof up to a star floating about. He wore an impressive looking crown upon his head, Star Swirl figuring he must have been a king or emperor.

“Amazing!” Tradash galloped forward, eyes agog in wonder as he gazed upon the statue, “This is a truly stupendous find, and we have only just set foot inside! This must be the king of the copper heights, the zebra who eventually became Phidous. Look at the cut of his robes, how similar it is to the designs of early era Saddle Arabian designs. Confirmation at last, that there truly was trade and friendship between the two nations during that period!”

Starhammer chuckled, waving a hoof at his men, “Glad you’re happy Tradash. You zebra, keep an eye on him. You zebra, Star Swirl, Esau, Zenali? You’re with me.”

They all followed with cautious steps, Kunani weaving spells every so often that extended a waft of magical energy into the darkness ahead. With all the magic around Star Swirl paused to consider that she still knew very little about the zebras’ own, very unique sorcery, resolving that she would have to ask about it sometime. After all, it was a sad thing when the unicorn was likely one of the least knowledgeable in the room.

They emerged into a room that was disappointingly empty after the grand entrance chamber, a large rectangular space that had exits set in all four walls. In itself it didn’t seem to serve any purpose, Starhammer pausing in the centre and looking around, “Decisions decisions. Star Swirl, Easu, check out the right exit. Zenali, you and the guards check the left. Just venture and short way and report back here.”

Star Swirl nodded and started towards the right exit, feeling a little apprehensive at being parted from the group. Splitting up is what always did it... she looked down at the silent, grumpy Esau, not too reassured at the company, “Think anything is still alive down here?”

“Watch your step.” He warned as they set off down the corridor, his eyes scanning the cold, featureless walls, “We’ve already proven the existence of traps.”

Star Swirl gulped and took his advice, so intent on staring down at the cobblestones under her feet that she almost missed the room coming up ahead. As it was she gasped as she looked up and beheld it from close up, taking a brief step back in shock.

It was a small space, flickering with subtle yet complex magic. It appeared to be a storage place for scrolls, most of the cabinets broken and their contents spilling out across the floor. Corpses lay all around, zebra clad in rusty, primitive looking armour dead by cut, burn and crushing damage. Several of them had been wielding large swords Star Swirl recognised as being similar to that wielded by Starhammer. In the centre lay a bizarre looking dragon/zebra hybrid, his fat, toad like form clad in once fine robes now torn and stained with the creature’s blood. His tongue lolled out, the beast clearly as dead as the zebra that surrounded him.

Star Swirl look a step forward in awestruck curiosity, eyes scanning the artefacts scattered out before her. She was about to enter when Easu’s hoof came up, “Stop.”

“Why?”

Esau nodded at the scene, “Some magic has preserved this scene since the battle fought by Zephyr at the beginning of recorded history. Think about it, those Zebra died before the birth of Luna and Celestia, before Equestria.”

Star Swirl admitted it was pretty incredible... and yes, she was a little more hesitant to just step inside magic powerful enough to preserve something for so long, “You think the magic here might be dangerous?”

“Possibly, but that’s not why I stopped you.” His eyes narrowed as the corpses, voice angry, “This already feels enough like graverobbing. Let’s not make it literal.”

Star Swirl had to admit this made her feel somewhat bad, taking one last look at the scene. After a moment she understood what was going on here.

The preserving magic... this was an archive, such as the one in the Follower’s compound. Magic had been placed on the room to preserve the scrolls, protect them from decay. The toad like creature had been the archivist. He had died, killed dozens protecting his scrolls. He had defended them against zebra fighting for their future and freedom.

Esau was right. She had no right disturbing their remains. She turned and followed behind him, feeling just a little humbled.

~

She returned to chaos.

“Star Swirl! Support!”

Star Swirl and Esau hurried out into the battle, snake like beasts wheeling through the sky as they dived into battle against the embattled forces of Starhammer’s party. She could already see two of the zebra guards they brought with them bleeding on the floor, the beasts... she was forced to label them draconequis... using their superior mobility to separate the defenders from each other.

Zenali cartwheeled elegantly onto a statue as several dived for her, gripping the rock with her two backhooves as she sighted up with a light carbine rifle. Quick, precise bursts struck the vulnerable areas on the beasts with crackles of stunning lightning, not doing all that much damage but keeping them well at bay and off balance.

And Starhammer took full advantage. He was laughing, standing amid the chaos with a bright, childish gleam in his eyes. He slipped a hoof through the straps of his weapon and eased the mighty blade out by just a fraction, Star Swirl feeling the surge of magic from inside the zebra as already bulky muscles filled out yet further. He crouched low, backing towards Kunani with a dangerous grin on his face, “Come on...”

A draconequis took the bait, screeching as it charged straight at him. It span in a circle to throw him off, Starhammer suddenly responding with a darting, dizzyingly fast charge of his own. They both danced in for the final contact, too fast for Star Swirl to follow.

“LEGENDRY HORRORS!? HA!” Starhammer cleaved the beast’s head off with a crazy spinning leap, using his huge sword to change his own momentum to come down upon another with a driving stab that nailed it to the floor. The pair of draconequis died almost as one, Starhammer heaving his blade out with impossible strength and grinning madly as the spraying blood coated his fur, “COME AT ME! TEST MY LEGEND!”

Star Swirl was distracted from watching his battle as she was given her own, one of the beasts breaking off from the fight to charge at her. She just deflected a pair of razor sharp claws off her shield, sending forth a beam of magic that shot past the dodging beast as it came round for another go. She realised it was too close to avoid and reinforced her shields, hardening them to near impenetrable levels as it closed. It roared and slammed both claws into the bubble, Star Swirl very surprised when a shockwave travelled straight through and struck her hard enough to throw her off her hooves. She hit the ground and rolled, looking up desperately as the monster darted in for the kill.

“No.”

Esau hit the beast with a barrage of shots to the head, the beast hesitating as it tried to cover its face in its hands. Star Swirl took her chance and flapped her wings, driving herself upwards horn first into the creature’s chest. That done a burst of magic tore its chest cavity open, killing the great beast instantly.

“Watch yourself!” Easu growled before jumping back into the fray.

It was good advice. These things obviously knew something of magic, and she couldn’t rely on her shields. That made it all a little more complicated.

They were also smart fighters. They had drawn Starhammer away from the rest of the group and were now circling, keeping their distance from his deadly blade. Easu was doing well enough but that was partly due to his toughness, he had clearly taken a few hits.

And Kunani was hiding in the corner, trying her best not to be seen as she wove symbols upon the stone floor. She wasn’t trying hard enough, a draconequis breaking off from the main group and swooping at her. Star Swirl swiftly teleported, reappearing in front of the small zebra and firing a bolt of magic right at the monster’s open jaws.

It was fast, angling its head to the side and taking it on its cheek. Its tail whipped round and struck Star Swirl in the side as it turned, she got her shield up but the impact still left her staggering. It wasted no time, slashing, pounding and slamming its body against her shields with insane fury. Star Swirl got a few blows of her own in but the beast barely seemed to notice, and it didn’t take long before her shields started to flicker and fade.

A final slash of its claws tore across her shoulder, tearing muscle and tendon. Star Swirl yelled out and retreated backwards, realising this wasn’t a fight she could win.

She looked back at Kunani, still looking like she was firmly concentrating on something. Certainly not likely to be much help... Star Swirl waited for the draconequis to commit to its attack before taking both Kunani and herself in a bubble of magic and teleporting across the room.

She watched in satisfaction as the beast ploughed into the wall.

There was slightly less satisfaction as Starhammer momentarily let his guard drop and one of the draconequis surged forward and knocked both him and his sword flying in different directions. He sprawled cursing, real actual fear crossing his face as two of the monsters attacked him from different directions.

Kunani gave a strange, squeaking, gasping noise as she ran forward, her hoof scraping a half moon shape across the floor. The magic surged outwards and two shards of rock erupted from the earth, striking both creatures backwards with screeches of pain. Star Swirl wondered why she hadn’t done that earlier as she galloped forward to defend Starhammer, wincing as her regeneration started to work on her shoulder just a little too slowly for her liking.

She felt the floor shift as her hoof landed, stumbling a little in her approach. She looked down at the cracks that had spread across the floor from Kunani’s attack, looked up at the Draconequis all arranged in a line with their claws outstretched...

Their magic activated with a roar, the floor suddenly falling out under her. She just managed to open her wings in time, hovering smugly for just a moment before the block of masonry from above struck her clean in the face.

~

Star Swirl’s first though after recovering her wits was whether she should move or not. She grasped for her healing potions but her bag was gone, obviously torn away in the fall.

She felt all her limbs, that was a start. And she could move all of them too, and couldn’t smell too much blood. Her breathing was steady.

She activated her horn light, blinking as she looked around the hall she was in. It looked like a prison cellblock, with lots of little rooms joined by a series of walkways, a central chimney extending up about five floors to a plug of dirt and rock obviously covering the area she had fell through. She hoped that they were ok up there.

Her bag strap lay under a heavy block of stone. Her potions and drugs were clearly out. That meant she was alone in the lower depths of a dark creepy ruin, with no supplies, armour or weapons.

She could teleport, but similarly to how it had been in the Ebonlode fortress the ambient magic in the air made her hesitant to go anywhere she couldn’t see with her own eyes. And trying to break through the roof was more likely to collapse the whole room on her head. She could still feel Easu at least, and if this was a city then there must have been some way upwards. All she had to do was find it.

She set off cautiously, well aware that she could barely handle one of those creatures, let alone have much of a chance if she encountered a group. At present it seemed to be quiet, just the faint hum of the light at the end of her horn penetrating the silence.

This area seemed to be living areas for... something. Maybe a prison as was her original thought. The rooms were pokey and cramped, and there were large areas that seemed to have been used for communal purposes.

She looked up as she heard a gunshot in the distance, focusing her senses and letting it spread outwards. She was becoming much better at this now and she soon found what she was looking for, two ponies using magic she identified as being born of night and the moon. They were fighting against three more unusual beings, using magic that felt... straight and full of right angles. There was a lot of power involved, and it wasn’t hard to find a precise direction.

She knew enough to start at least, and whoever it was they were clearly in trouble. She galloped towards the source of the disturbance, emerged out into large straight corridors, guessing at the turns as she drew closer.

And finally she saw it, two ponies under attack by three of the draconequis. One was a unicorn foal, small and using that to his advantage, keeping himself low as he fired a submachine gun into the beasts and followed up with blasts of magic from his horn.

The other was larger, blacker, and more winged. She slammed herself into the draconequis, ever moving, her magic flashing as she tried to force them back. She was struggling, that much was obvious. The strain was on her face, her movements erratic and panicked...

One of the beasts struck her with its tail and Princess Luna sprawled, only just righting herself quick enough to put up her shields and brace herself against their attack. And she was therefore forced to watch as the unicorn foal was set upon by the two draconequis circling him, their claws rending his flesh in long bloody gashes that sent him collapsing to the ground in a pool of spreading crimson. Luna screamed at the sight, “No... NO!”

Princess Luna.

And she was about to be torn apart. It was obvious she couldn’t stand against three of them at once.

All she had to do was run away. This would all be over. Their greatest enemy, the biggest threat to peace disappeared into the darkness of this place.

It made her feel sick to even contemplate it.

Star Swirl wasn’t sure why... this was her greatest enemy, the demon who had laid waste to so much. The one who had tempted her away from her friends. Who fuelled this conflict, and who’s death would end it.

But she couldn’t stand and watch. She lowered her horn, charged her magic to full and let out a beam that slammed one of the dragonequis into the far wall with a terrific crash. The others turned to face their new opponent and Star Swirl galloped forward, her magic charging once again. One of the dragonequis continued to circle the fallen Luna, the other moving to intercept her. It flew in a complicated, twirling pattern to throw off her aim, grinning evilly as it prepared to strike.

Star Swirl teleported, feeling the world rush past in an instant. She appeared above the beast threatening Luna and struck down at its neck with both hooves, sending it roaring forward. Luna hit it with a burst of electricity and it screamed as its scales cooked, Star Swirl spinning round and shattering its jaw with a hard kick. A surge of her wings and a midair summersault to its chin finished it off.

The two remaining beasts roared at the defeat of their comrade, shooting in for the kill from both sides. Luna galloped into position behind Star Swirl, breathless but determined, “Shields, together.”

The beasts both changed direction as they darted in for the kill, arcing round and opening their mouths wide for the strike. A second later and both were launched back into the side walls by the fierce glow of the energy shield that had formed around Luna and Star Swirl, both alicorns breaking off and smacking the closest Dragonequis with a swift combination of hooves and magic that soon sent it crashing down beside it’s brother.

The remaining dragonequis dragged itself up from the ground, giving a fearsome roar and swinging its claws in a complicated waving motion. Luna swiftly spoke up in warning, “Magic!”

“Roof!” Star Swirl shouted as the corridor collapsed above them, grabbing Luna and teleporting them both to safety. Luna was briefly unbalanced but to her credit swiftly corrected herself, gritting her teeth and blasting the frustrated dragonequis with waves of black lightning. It screamed and thrashed, Star Swirl launching herself with a powerful thrust of her legs and wing and slamming two hooves firmly into the creature’s chest. She felt its spine go, the beast gasping it’s last as it was cast to the ground beneath her, “And that’s three.”

She was surprised there and then, by a dark, familiar feeling. She was grinning, and the blood and adrenaline pumping through her felt good. The fight hadn’t been like her previous battles, where she had to constantly work and think and plan her every action. She had known how to break these things. Her teleportation had been quick and efficient, the angle of her hooves to shatter bone all too apparent.

She had finally done it. Finally tapped into all her old viciousness.

“Oh... Dusk Sable... I can’t... I wanted...”

Star Swirl turned as she landed back upon the ground, watching silently as Luna sobbed over the fallen foal. She was obviously trying to stem the tears, still they continued to flow unabated. It felt like a while before they finally stopped, the alicorn straightening her back, wiping her eyes with a hoof and turning to face Star Swirl with a resigned, tired expression.

Star Swirl lowered her head, charging her shields and readying her teleportation. This time she would finish this.

“Are you serious?” Luna instantly dispelled her own defences with a toss of her head, giving Star Swirl a piercing, disdainful look, “Does this look like remotely the time or place?”

Star Swirl admitted she didn’t want to fight the mare right now, but she wasn’t aware it was under discussion, “Why are you here?!”

“Why are you here?”

“To keep the Black Book safe from you!”

Luna laughed then, harsh and barking. She angled her head arrogantly, glaring at the alicorn, “You self righteous little mule, you really think Starhammer isn’t just going to hand it straight to his pet mage? You honestly think I’m the bad guy don’t you? And let me respond... fuck you.” Luna dropped her gaze, narrowing her eyes at Star Swirl, “You are not the hero,and Starhammer is not the wise prince. If you want to fight me over the still warm body of child I loved, then go ahead! Show your true colours!”

Star Swirl was not going to do this again. It was just like talking with Fluttershy, “You burned that town...”

“FUCK YOU! Littlepip burned a couple, if what Fluttershy says is true!” Luna stamped her hoof, her hair flaring into brightly flashing stars as she shouted, “Starhammer won his throne by chopping off the old king’s head, Celestia cheated at cards and Twilight Sparkle birthed your sorry ass! So are we going to stop pissing back and forth about who did what and have a reasonable fucking discussion here?!”

Star Swirl... wasn’t exactly sure how to reply. Truth be told Luna’s words sounded convincing, decisive... but of what, she honestly wasn’t sure. She was sad to say, well aware that she wasn’t that smart, and that Luna was obviously trying to trick her, “Are you trying to tell me you’re not evil?”

Luna sighed deeply, her eyes pleading, “Not to get all ‘moral relativism’ on you, but how the fuck do you qualify evil? At the core of it? No, I’m not always the nicest person. And... attacking that town, I’m coming to think that maybe that was the wrong thing to do, even if I had good reason at the time. But I’m not wearing spikes on my armour or sporting glowing red eyes, and you can’t just dismiss me out of hand.”

She was getting sick of this. ‘Doing what had to be done’, plots and plans. Strange, ambigious actions, hints that she didn’t know the full story and couldn’t judge without it... but she was firmly of the opinion that those with nothing to hide didn’t go to all this effort to do just that, “Then why don’t you give me those reasons? Then I might try listening to you.”

Luna hesitated, paused, debated it internally. Then finally she spoke, quiet and a little nervous, “Are we going to talk about this now?”

Star Swirl nodded firmly, “Talk or fight. I don’t trust you Luna, I don’t like you. Is that really so strange? You tried to kill me!”

She shook her head, pleading, “No I didn’t Star Swirl. I wanted to disable you, I was very careful about my magic.”

“Why?” Star Swirl really was getting angry now. Luna stood here, the demon big bad... and she wanted a reasonable discussion? This was stupid, “You kill all those others, yet you expand all that effort on sparing me?”

Luna looked away, clearly worried by the direction this was taking, “You’re important. More important than you know.”

“Important to what?! What was the point of Estelle, what is the point to this?! What are you planning?!”

She finally looked up, her jaw firmly set as she spoke, “It was to ignite a conflict. A conflict that would weaken the corrupt powers of this land... so that we could take control.”

Star Swirl’s anger only grew, “This was just a power grab?!”

“No!” Luna exclaimed desperately, “It was a chance to save the wasteland! It needs a Princess, to unite the divided factions and bring order, just as Celestia and Luna did after the defeat of Discord!”

“And so you killed all those ponies...”

“This... it wasn’t my idea! I joined that mission so I could save lives, as many as I could!” Luna protested, before her head fell and she sighed. She looked up again after a moment, regretful, “But yes, it was an evil thing. And since it had to be done... I participated, and you fought against. Because I am the dark sister, and you the light. And if you have to strike me down as Celestia did Luna... so be it. It only needs one of us.”

Star Swirl paused, her diatribe cut short by the horrible association in her words, “Don’t... make this about me.”

“This is about you.” Luna stated simply, “It’s always been about you. Why do you think I sought you out, tried to explain things to you back at Estelle? Why I helped you at the Dragon Heart?”

“Because you’re...” Star Swirl stated it without force, her words empty, “...because you’re nuts.”

Luna laughed, high and piercing. Her expression was mocking, accusing, “Ever since you came here you’ve been marked by the forces that seek the restoration of this world. They chose you just like they chose me, and we’ve both been following their plan ever since. Estelle was about you Star Swirl. It was for you.”

Star Swirl took a step back, struck to her core. No... this couldn’t be the plan. It couldn’t... be about her. She wasn’t remotely worthy to have all this on her head, “No. Nonono...”

“I’m sorry.” Luna shook her head, actually sounding sincere, “It’s not your fault, it wasn’t. You don’t have to feel guilty taking advantage of the evil deeds of others. You can punish us, denounce us, but don’t waste the chance we’ve given you.”

Star Swirl stood frozen, unsure how even to begin, “I can’t... I’m not Celestia, I’m not a leader...”

“Fine. Then all of this was for NOTHING!” Luna stated with a growling scream, stepping forward with boiling wrath and deep intent, “I’ve killed innocents, or allowed innocents to be killed by the hundreds. I’ve dealt with scum, played the villainess, debased myself and all I believe in because I was told you would save my children! Give them the kind of world they deserve! I will not let you prove me wrong!”

Star Swirl couldn’t work out whether it was her going insane, or Luna. Or worse, that this was all horribly, horribly real, “Who told you?”

Luna took a deep breath and gave Star Swirl a slow, intense stare, “Sunshine Ivory.”

“No... no! She’s... she’s telling you what to do? She’s behind this?!” Star Swirl shook her head, feeling tears come to her eyes as the terror gripped her, “You’re lying!”

“I’m... sorry.” Luna stated empathically, her eyes full of sympathy, “I didn’t want to tell you like this. If you could only see the world we could create, see what we’ve imagined...”

Star Swirl wanted to, she really did. But this felt wrong on a very instinctual level. And there was one very good reason for that, one thing she had been told repeatedly about Luna, “You want to install a pony princess over the zebra lands? Really?”

“If that’s how it has to be!” Luna shouted, her eyes full of pain and rage, “Read a history book Star Swirl, this place has never known peace! It’s a liturgy of war and violence!”

Star Swirl felt a sick feeling in her heart. This Celestia worship had gone far too far, and she remembered well all she had been told about this ‘Princess Luna’, “Because they’re zebra.”

“Shut up.” Luna growled, “Don’t take that tone with me.”

“What is it about zebra with you? If you really want me to believe you’re a good pony...”

“I’VE SEEN WHAT THEY CAN DO!” She screamed the words, sending them echoing across the corridors. She shook as she continued, a mixture of anger and agony, seeming near close to tears as she continued, “They all keep telling me that I’m racist, that there are good zebra, that it’s petty and unbecoming to think this way... and all that being true doesn’t mean shit! A species has character, exceptions don’t disprove a rule and I’m not fucking perfect! I can’t be... hurt... and not feel bitter towards those who hurt me. I can’t... not want vengeance.”

Star Swirl hesitated, unsure how to react. Unsure what to say. Unsure what to do.

And eventually she realised... what a hypocrite she had been. How much hate she had been holding onto. She had been called Justicar because she delivered her moral verdicts with utter certainty, unyielding, unmercifully. And however far she believed she had come she was still the same person who had killed those who had dared to disagree with the unity. She had still believed Luna was pure evil, still believed everything Zenai and Starhammer did was right. She had been ready to kill in that certainty.

She had criticised Easu for the same. It was time to start living her words, “I’m sorry Luna...”

“Don’t talk to me!” She shouted, wiping away her tears with a hoof. Her voice dropped, becoming bitter and cold, “I don’t care what you think of me. I’ve willingly become a monster to save this world... and it will remain a hellhole because you don’t dare become a hero.”

Star Swirl wasn’t so naive that she couldn’t see childish manipulation when she saw it, “Well there’s my problem with all this. You’re not a monster, and I’m not a hero.”

“We’re nothing Star Swirl, save the atoms in our bodies.” Luna whispered, “But we can dream of bigger things, and pass those dreams onto others.”

“Luna...”

“Kill me.” She stated, turning a tearstained face up towards Star Swirl, “And pass my role on to some zebra if that makes you feel better. But don’t just do nothing. Please.”

She was so melodramatic. Not that it had ever been in doubt, “I’m not going to kill you.”

Luna frowned, “Then we’re at an impasse, if I’m truly so unacceptable to you!”

“Me becoming god-queen is unacceptable.” Star Swirl chuckled at the very idea, “You should have seen my love confession to Zenai. I’m the world’s most awesome dork, and the very idea that anypony could ever take me seriously is laughable.”

“You... you haven’t any idea about Celestia do you?” Luna dried her tears, actually giggling a little, “She might have ordered all records burned, but I’m a dream walker. There are entities out there who do remember, and believe me they would change your opinion of the qualities of real greatness.”

Star Swirl cast her mind sidewards, looking for a little support here, ”Char?”

”I am not inclined to gossip. However, for the purposes of your personal development... Celestia’s character and capability with acceptable social interaction did mature as she did.”

Star Swirl took that under consideration, ”And your opinion of this plan?”

”I must confess, I was already aware of it.”

“What?!”

Luna cocked her head, “What?”

Star Swirl blushed, “No, I was... talking to Char. She said she was already aware of all this.”

Luna paused briefly before nodding, slightly hesitant as she confirmed, “Yes, she was. It’s her plan too.”

Star Swirl took a deep breath to compose herself. Then she delivered her verdict as damningly as she could manage, “Char! You’ve seriously been conspiring with Luna ALL ALONG?!”

”Star Swirl, I have always been open with you about your destiny. I wanted you to become like Celestia, so that you might save this world. I told you this when we first made formal introductions.”

Star Swirl wondered if all her mentors were trying to conquer the world, “Really? Because it feels like you’re taking notes from Phidious! Mighty sorcerer elite, with the zebra as your happy slaves?”

”Star Swirl, please. Rulership is not an evil thing, Celestia proved that. And though I decry the actions of my kind, I do not believe that what I am is evil by nature. Indeed I believe... that what we were... is your fault.”

Star Swirl was going to wear out this word’s welcome before the day was done, she was sure of that, “What?”

Luna spoke softly, “She’s right.”

Star Swirl turned her eyes to Luna, snarling just a little, “What?”

”As I said, we have no inbuilt concept of morality. We cannot make sound moral decisions by our nature, but over time we will learn and take our lead from the hosts we have inhabited. If the Star Demons destroyed this world, then they did it because their hosts desired that destruction. Princess Luna did not become Nightmare Moon because we corrupted her, but because she corrupted us with her own envy and wrath.”

“It’s not that simple.” Luna stated quietly, “Star Demons enhance emotions, and emotions lead us to irrational, impulsive action. But as Charaxies demonstrates, a Star Demon can learn to exercise its own control over this process. And through the careful self control of both host and parasite, the being that emerges after full integration will be as sane and balanced as any other pony. More so, considering how few really pay such attention to their own emotional states.”

Star Swirl... found this vaguely convincing, though she still had her doubts, “And you have a Star Demon inside you too?”

“Yes.” Luna nodded, “Though my case is different. I have the magical abilities to resist brute force corruption, so mine is a juvenile with no sapient mind. You were less experienced and less confident in yourself, so you were implanted with Charaxies. She could offer you the conviction and experience you needed, and was trusted... rightly it seems, to not try and take over.”

”Thank you.

Luna smiled warmly, “Thank you. I’m pretty sure would have been the one sent to put you down.”

Star Swirl looked across to Luna, noticing something odd about this conversation, “You can hear her?”

“I can now.” Luna grinned, a little smug, “You might have the muscle, but I know more about magic than you’ve even heard about.”

“Star Swirl.” Char stated, a little regretful, “I would never betray you. I’m trying to redeem my race, and I want to help you redeem yours. With your help, we will both find harmony, both become the goddess this world needs. Celestia will live again in us.”

Star Swirl looked round at Luna, quietly hopeful, quietly smiling. She almost looked... sweet, her sleek black form looking almost pretty, “And you?”

“I’m... I’m your sister Star Swirl. Maybe not by blood, but blood has never been important to me.” Luna nodded, shyly enthusiastic, “I want a better world, and Sunshine Ivory convinced me that you can help me achieve that.”

Sisterhood. Star Swirl had to admit, she didn’t have good experiences of that word. Her sisters among the alicorns had never been universally pleasant company, and Luna was a long way away from blood, “Even if I believe that... where do we go from here?”

“Deeper into the city.” Luna stated, “If you want to stop me, or keep me from using that book... then your only option is to follow.”

“Then lead on I suppose.” Star Swirl sighed in response, knowing this was a foolish idea. Still... she was forced to admit she wanted to know more about Luna, and she could only do that by following the mare...

To Celestia knows where.

~

Though their surroundings didn’t change dramatically, Star Swirl did start to notice the difference as they made their way towards the centre of the mountain. The carvings became fewer and more stylised, the area became a little dirtier and the aura of subtle magic became more and more oppressive. A couple of Draconequis attacked but they were fairly swiftly put down, no match for the two alicorns working side by side. They saw a few more after that but they all ran away the moment they were spotted, almost seeming to be... scared.

And eventually they reached the next landmark of interest, a large chamber opening up before them. And this chamber was unusual for one key reason.

It was still being lived in. Great cots of bright fabric were piled up all around, along with crude grooming objects, large shards of mirrored glass and...

“Is this... a doll?” Luna levitated out a crudely stitched approximation of what appeared to be a zebra, with an actual slave collar placed around its neck. It was dirty, and obviously well loved, Star Swirl couldn’t think of it being anything else. Luna observed it for a second more before placing it back, pulling a face, “I’m not sure whether that’s cute or horrifying.”

“They... well they’ve been looking at those murals for more than seventeen hundred years.” Star Swirl looked around, horrified at the very concept. Being stuck down here in the dark for all that time? It was a terrifying thought, “They must have formed an entire culture, mythology around this place...”

“How did they never try to escape? It shouldn’t have been that hard for such powerful beings.”

Char answered this, a little sadly, “Philous was a very controlling individual, who granted his creations very little independence. If he told these creatures to remain here and guard the city, then that is what they would do.”

“For a thousand years?”

“Yes.” Char continued, “Do not think of them as living creatures, they are more like biological machines. They are built for a task, with just enough intellectual ability to perform that with maximum efficiency.”

Star Swirl felt slightly less guilty about hurting them now, though she was aware that wasn’t really the right response. If anything she should feel more sorry for the beasts, stuck down here without any purpose or meaning, creating these... crude dolls to allow themselves the illusions of their intended role, “Did you make your creations like that?”

“No... for better or worse.”

“What’s that mean?”

“All my creations eventually escaped their role. That is life, and should be respected... but life can be cruel.”

“What does that mean?”

Char paused for a second before answering, her voice hesitant, “You saw my war form.”

“Yeah.” Star Swirl had wondered about it at the time, her transformation from tiny Celestia filly to a black carapaced alicorn, “You looked like the cross between a butterfly and an alicorn. It was pretty... impressive looking actually.”

“That’s exactly what I was. My host at the time was very interested in insects, it’s from her I got my name and title. ‘The Butterfly Queen Charaxies’. She wanted to create a race that would bring peace to the world, who would... redeem the Star Demons.”

Star Swirl had already guessed that wasn’t what happened, “What went wrong?”

“I created them so that they had to feed on love to grow strong and healthy, figuring that it would therefore make their communal relations vital to their society. They were to be a race where the power of love and friendship was built into their most basic biological processes.” Char sighed deeply, “It seemed to be going well... but I was a fool. I allowed one of the females to read my magical books, encouraged that she showed interest and skill at magic. She discovered spells to change her appearance, and I found out later that she was using this ability to pose as the loved ones of the surrounding villagers and steal their power and strength.”

Star Swirl’s blood ran cold, “Changlings.”

“I called them the Flutterfay. I loved them.” Char’s voice dropped, “I challenged the mare in front of all the others... and they all turned on me, tearing me apart. The mother who had gave them life. And then I watched impotently, as they killed and fed upon innocents beyond counting, only becoming more and more cruel with every generation.”

Star Swirl’s heart was torn between compassion and the knowledge that Char had unleashed both the manticore and the changelings upon the world, “And now you’re trying again? To redeem your race, to embrace harmony?”

“How long must one bear the scars of the past? I retreated away for a thousand years, only emerging when I saw the megaspells fall. And on that day I realised... I could not make the world any worse.”

Star Swirl smiled a little, “That’s not an encouraging battle cry.”

“It’s better than most.”

They eventually made it through the living areas, stepping across piles of litter and discarded personal objects. The Draconequis once again were occasionally seen, but again seemed eager to retreat rather than risk confrontation. As such they made it through unharmed, emerging into the next room with trepidation and cautious steps.

They were warranted. This room wasn’t a living area. It was a horror story.

Once it might have been a lab, or medical facility. Dirty glassware, arcane devices, wall charts featuring diagrams of zebra and monster alike... the main feature of the room was three rows of stone tables, eighteen in all, metal trolleys next to them bearing all sorts of blades and other medical instruments.

There were corpses on the tables. Fresh ones. Laid open, parts of them removed, hearts and other organs carefully labelled up in jars. Most of them were adult zebra, a few however...

“Blue Wave, Zinjgi!” Luna ran up to the tables at the corner, her eyes open wide and horrified for a moment before she averted them quickly, squeezing tears from a pained grimice of an expression, “I am so so sorry... I should never have brought you down here...”

Star Swirl didn’t get it. This was... planned, almost clinical, “What are they doing? Surely they understand our anatomy? What reason would they have for...”

“Doesn’t matter.” Luna declared bitterly, “You heard Charaxies, they’re just machines, in the service of some long dead lunatic. They likely don’t even have a reason.”

Star Swirl looked around, looked at all the pain and death and horror. And worse, if Luna was right it was all... meaningless. Evil she could take, but the way these creatures lived, existed... it was pathetic, “What do we do? About... this? Do we just leave them here?”

“I just want to burn this place.” Luna responded with a dark tone in her voice, “As for these creatures... it might be kinder to kill the lot of them.”

Star Swirl recoiled a little at this. It sounded worryingly like her old perception of Luna, “We can just reseal the city, bury the entrances.”

“So another group can open it in five hundred years and get themselves vivisected?”

Star Swirl gave her a disapproving look, “Who’s invading their home Luna? Who’s trying to rob their city?”

Luna looked taken aback, more surprised than anything, “They’re monsters!”

“So are we.” Star Swirl sighed and continued on, letting Luna’s eyes bore into her back. She didn’t want to fight with the mare but... again, more ‘them and us’. Had no one learned their lesson from the great war?

“You’re right Star Swirl.”

Star Swirl turned, relieved for a moment that Luna had seen sense... before the mare’s dark glare met her eyes. She stalked by, angry and firm, “But you’re only right because it’s not your friends dying on that table. Logic and kindness are easy when you haven’t been hurt.”

Star Swirl hoped she would still take the same viewpoint. Still, it was a fair point, “I suppose it’s hard to see past vengeance.”

“My one great weakness huh?”

Star Swirl hesitated, unsure what to say to the touchy, angry mare as she stalked through the rows of bodies, “Who are you vengeful towards anyway? What are you trying to do?”

Luna lifted her head, closing her eyes and sighing, “Fight those that hurt me or my friends. Which is pretty much everyone it seems.”

“Then maybe it is a weakness.” Star Swirl shrugged, “You can’t fight the whole world.”

Luna let her head drop along with her tone, “I was alone, lost and confused. I had power, but nothing to do with it. My old life was dead. I found new life as an angel of vengeance, for all those pony children in the wasteland who I saw suffer abuse from those who should have protected them. And I enjoyed it. I enjoyed bringing darkness to those who brought darkness to others.” She sighed, shaking her head, “But then those children needed somewhere to go. I wasn’t a leader. I had no interest in leading an army, or in politics or statescraft. But those children needed somewhere to go.”

“You use them as your army.”

“I give them strength. Strength freed me, as I believed it could others.” Luna sniffed, “Swift Crimson and many of the others with him could already fight. I freed them from slavers, and they encouraged me to take the fight to those who had killed their families. I did so, and at the end of it I had an army and a large group of vulnerable children who needed protection. And then I needed shelter. And food, and water, and rules, education, medicine...”

“Why burn those villages, why steal children?”

“Those children wanted to join me. And those villages... they committed crimes. And you know what?” Luna turned to glare at Star Swirl, a stubborn look on her face, “The other villages deliver their taxes on time, banditry dropped significantly and more than one abusive fuck has taken a second to consider whether I might be listening before they beat their child. And maybe, just maybe he might decide that it’s not worth the chance.”

Star Swirl sighed and hurried alongside Luna, giving one last look at the butchery before they moved out into the slightly less cloying air of the corridors beyond, “It also invited all your enemies down upon you, and stopped me from trusting you in the first place. You... look like a monster Luna.”

“Ugh...” She grunted, rolling her eyes. Eventually she nodded reluctantly, looking stubborn and angry at being forced to admit it, “I’m not a diplomat. Huh, I don’t think I’ve ever been good at getting others to like me. Even now I’m well aware that there’s a lot more that respect me than like me.”

“You’re not that bad Luna...”

“I wish you had just killed me. Everything would be so much better with Radhi in charge.”

This ran through Star Swirl like a lightning bolt, her head jolting up and her eyes wide, “Luna, you can’t say that!”

She dropped her head, looking angry, “It’s true. My dumb vengeance has painted a great big target on all of them, and now my fight against Starhammer is going to get them all killed. I’ve got more blood on my hooves than most of those I’m fighting, and even my boyfriend has ended up hating me.”

Star Swirl noticed that Luna’s accent had almost completely disappeared. She was almost as distracted by that as the mention of... “You have a boyfriend?”

“Not anymore.” She muttered, “I broke up with him.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m... immature and petty and unpleasant.” She pouted, her hoofsteps slowing to a stop, “He’s better off without me.”

Star Swirl thought this had taken a slightly... bleak tone, “Luna...”

“I led near a hundred of my children in here. And they’re likely all dead.”

“You don’t...”

“Did you see those things?!” She shouted, her voice echoing in the cavernous interior, “They’re children Star Swirl! They don’t stand a chance! And I led them down here!”

Star Swirl sighed, shaking her head, “I’m sorry Luna.”

“For what?” She spat back, “You’re not responsible for my mistakes.”

“For... having such a hard time of it. And for being part of that.” Star Swirl started forward hesitantly, then a little more confidently as Luna made no move to retreat from her. She placed a hoof around the alicorn’s shoulder, then drew close as Luna simply sighed. Her flesh was hard, yet Star Swirl could feel her warmth and the beat of a small, fragile heart from within her chest. She moved close, eventually feeling Luna relax into her shoulder, “I promise you, I’ll do my best to help you fix all this.”

“I...” Luna shighed, a tiny bit of amusement in her tone, “I’ll do my best to actually listen, instead of running off and doing my own thing regardless.”

“Don’t be so down on yourself.”

Luna took a deep breath, “It’s a bad habit of mine. I don’t think I’m really as confident as I sometimes come across.” She nestled her head into Star Swirl’s fur, “...this is nice. I haven’t just... been hugged in a long time.”

Star Swirl couldn’t help taking note of this, “I thought you said you had a boyfriend?”

Luna stiffened slightly, then to Star Swirl’s regret moved away. She was blushing a little, her face unsure, “I’m not... we’re... that’s a bit of a sore subject.”

Star Swirl blushed with her, stammering a little, “Oh... really?”

“Well I’m just...” She shrugged, obviously trying to downplay her nervousness, “I’m... large.”

“Oh... yeah.” Star Swirl knew how that felt. Her body image had been a sore spot for her as well, it was hard to avoid the simple fact that she towered over most of her suitors. She had been extremely grateful that her one sexual experience had been with two zebra who had known what they were doing, “It can be done... but um... it requires a little dexterity.”

“I’m not talking about that Star Swirl.” Luna smiled, rolling her eyes a little, “That’s something that requires... proper commitment. But I can’t even get close to him, can’t even hug him. I know he’s intimidated by me, even if he would never admit it. And he has admitted... well, you’ve felt my skin.”

Star Swirl nodded, thinking it was odd, “It’s hard.”

“It’s made of shadow matter.” She explained, “It’s armor basically. It’s like a hard illusion, I can eat, breath, feel... it’s a second me, over the top of my real body. But it only comes in black, and it’s hardly pleasant to touch. He hates it.”

“Can’t you take it off?”

Luna hesitated, going quiet for long moments... before finally speaking, her voice soft and hesitant, “I don’t feel comfortable without it. I don’t think I could ever let anyone touch me... especially a boy.”

Star Swirl gulped a little, unsure how to respond. Luna clearly had issues, and she was in no way qualified to deal with them. Still she had to say something, “I think you have to introduce yourself to the idea gently. You know, get used to letting him see you...”

She responded sharply, “I don’t want him to see me like that. I don’t want anyone to see me.”

“Luna, if you’re going to have an intimate relationship... then it requires allowing yourself some weakness.”

“I’ve lived with weakness most of my life.” She stalked angrily ahead for a moment or two before finally relenting, slowing her steps, “Which doesn’t appear to be stopping me now. I feel more comfortable showing weakness to you than I do talking to my own friends. Why is that? I hardly know you.”

Star Swirl chuckled, “I think you needed to get all this off your chest with someone outside the issue.”

“I always wanted a sister.” She commented mournfully, pawing the ground, “When we find the Black Book... I want you to come with me Star Swirl.”

Star Swirl hardened herself. She had known this was coming, “So we can rule the world together?”

“No... well if you want to discuss this grand plan of Sunlight Ivory’s, you should really know that she wanted you to stay with Starhammer and know nothing about my connection to her. I’ve already screwed that up.” She raised her head, stubborn pride in her expression, “And you know what? I owe her a lot, but I’ve risked a lot for her as well. So she’s going to have to give this one to me.”

Star Swirl sighed, unsure what she thought this would accomplish, “You can’t beat Starhammer Luna. He’s got an army, and me betraying him will just make him angry.”

“Or make him think.” Luna retorted, firm purpose in her eyes, “Sunshine Ivory wants me to fight, but she will have to give that one to me as well. With you on my side, the Black Book in my hooves, the legacy of this place upon my crown, the support of the other tribes... I will make him back down.”

“You think that will work?”

“I don’t trust adults, I don’t trust males and I don’t trust zebra.” Luna replied pointedly, before adopting a more neutral tone, “We have some things in common though.”

Star Swirl wondered how that statement would go down with him, “Like what?”

“We’re both storytellers.” She smiled cunningly, “I’ve been paying attention. At least some of the tales about him were clearly made up or embellished, and he’s gone to a lot of effort to construct a lasting image for himself. His smug title, this whole Zephyr thing he has going, its way too studied not to be an intentional effort to play into the heroic legends of his people.”

Star Swirl looked the mare up and down, noting her cutie mark, her stature, the imperious way she talked. She had noted it as similarly studied from the moment they had first met at Estelle, “Like you?”

Luna paused for a moment, looking stormy. Finally she answered, her voice cool, “Yes. And that is why I think I can work this. If I portray myself as the rightful ruler rather than a monster to be swatted, and if I have the power the Black Book gives me... hopefully I can convince him to back off, negotiate. He’s at least smart enough that he’ll weight up the advantages and disadvantages of his actions, which means I just have to tilt the scales.”

Star Swirl didn’t comment, not sure if she had any great insight into whether it would work. She hoped it would, she liked both Starhammer and Luna and was increasingly starting to think they could actually get along quite well if they just sat down for a moment.

She was well aware that things were never that simple however.

~

They seemed to definitely be on their way towards their destination now, coming across increasingly common areas where preserving magics were keeping things intact. Some idea of this place’s former glory were now apparent, the banners flying upon the walls, elegantly carved benches.

"What did the fisherman say to the card magician? Pick a cod, any cod!"

"Did you hear that?" Star Swirl asked, perking her ears.

"No..." Luna turned her head, listening herself for a moment before shaking her head, "I can't hear anything."

"Hmm... never mind, let's continue."

They entered a few rooms of little interest before entering into some sort of arcane study, the tables high and the overall scale far more suited for beings of alicorn size. Like some of the previous rooms it was perfectly preserved, and didn’t appear to have suffered any battle damage either. In fact it looked like it had been recently been used, books hanging open and candles still burning, “Do you think someone’s been in here recently?”

“We’ve seen everburning braziers. That candle could have a similar enchantment on it.” Luna stepped forward in eager curiosity, inspecting the bookcases, “It looks like this place was used for researching the creation of monsters. There’s books here on draconequis, diseases, gene splicing...”

Star Swirl walked over to the open book, staring down at the unfamiliar characters... which suddenly started to blur, forming into recognisable words...

“It’s a code used by Star Demons back in Phidious’s time. Allow me to translate for you Star Swirl.”

After a moment Char proved as good as her words, the sentences opening up before her...

While others continue to strive in mediocrity, delighting in their ugly, substandard beasts of flesh and bone, I begin to grow tired of the limits of the physical medium through which I work. Flesh is flesh and bone is bone, and though an artist cannot blame his tools, the improvements I can make now give progressively smaller returns. In short, I am reaching the limits of what I can achieve with this medium. I require something else, something that transcends these limits.

My research naturally led me to creatures who themselves are constructed from unique and intriguing materials. The wendigos of course, those creatures of spirit and glass who live within the great crystal winds. Dreamings, who exist in the beyond realms as mere memories, products of collective unconsciousness. Wraiths, those shadow creatures that dwell in the darkness places.

Sadly, all of these are rare and hard to find, and all tend to disperse upon exhumation. Still with my limited study I feel confident I will be able to reproduce the manner of their construction. I simply have to decide upon the nature of the creature.

My first test was a failure. I decided on a magic I have an innate understanding and appreciation for, to make it a base for all future experimentation. The magic of order. Order is present in all things, all living creatures are sustained by the orderly processes of existence. Civilisation is sustained by the orderly conduct of an unyielding government.

Yet my first creations would not live. They remained static, the crucial spark of life failing to ignite. I must have made an error, a mistake in my calculations. I must perform further study.

For my next test I decided to use the magic of chaos, to provide the greatest contrast and inform my study. Though I mark myself the master of order and chaos, I truly consider chaos as merely a tool, a club to wield against my foes. Chaos is death, disaster, the collapse of all good things. It has no art, no aesthetic value. The idea of weaving a creature from seems fundamentality wrong, but science demands it. My experiments will begin tomorrow.

I have been weighing up the results of the test for two days now, and I still find myself disturbed by the implications. Like my control subject in my original experiments I introduced the chaos magic to a standard Draconequis embryo, hoping to learn something from the changes this inflicted. I had expected the creature produced to die immediately, but to my great suprise it has so far managed to survive. It draws breath but with great difficulty and is frail and crippled true, but that it manages to still survive with the pure stuff of chaos within it defies all rational thought. But it also provides opportunity. A living subject is one I can learn so much more from.

My experiments continue, and the results so far have already been of great interest. The creature remains a small, weak example of its kind, which I have discovered is partially due to a lack of material resonance. Despite being a physical being it lacks a solid structure, which unfortunately means it struggles to interact with the material world around it. Breathing is a chore, it is barely able to manipulate objects of any sort of weight and it even struggles with digestion of food and fluid. That it lives at all is a testament to the efficiency of my design. It does on the other hand have some advantages, in that it heals exceptionally quickly from physical damage and seems to have a very high pain threshold. At levels of damage and negative stimulation that would render a normal draconequis unconscious the specimen remains active and struggling. I can only wonder as to its magical talents, though I shall have to wait for it to mature further.

Disappointment! As the specimen is in part a creature of pure magic my hopes for its sorcery were high. In practice however it is unable to learn even the most simple of spells despite all my efforts, the weaving swiftly breaking down and the phemes limp and unfocused. Normally I would put it down to simple laziness, yet punishment and cajoling have barely produced any improvement. It is frustrating, the subject clearly possess great potential, having evolved for itself several innate magical talents. These however are limited to illusions and parlour tricks, and it seems fundamentally incapable of inflicting any clear effects on a physical target. I am coming to the conclusion that this project was flawed from the start, and that I should never have expected anything useful to come out of using chaos as a catalyst.

I have abandoned the project for the time being, my siblings having convinced me to concentrate on some escaped zebra slave who seems to be eluding their attempts to recapture him. Apparently he has even managed to rally his fellow slaves to murder several of my kin, only proving my warnings that their operations were sloppy and inefficient. That they could be bested by a lesser beast just proves that they were unworthy of their power. As for the subject, I have assigned him to one of the packs as a jester. I have little patience or understanding of his crude japery but the simple minds of the soldiers seem to derive some amusement from his presence. It is at least enough to convince me not to simply recycle his component parts, at least for now.

Incompetence and frustration! Long have I agreed that it was foolish to follow the remains of Emir Oze’s army up into western mountains, convinced that what pathetic existence they could manage in those inhospitable climes would be of no threat to us. Indeed it should not have been, if not for the complacence and weakness of my siblings. This escaped slave and his rabble apparently fled into those same mountains, pursued by Isai the Crimson and Garoush of the Broken Spears. Those two clearly must have grown fat and stupid as it was not them who emerged victorious but this slave, leading an army of zebra sorcerers. Asharan and Nashanar are dead, their slaves free to aid this fool insurrection. My siblings ask for aid, clearly uncomprehending of how small and petty some escaped slaves are when compared to the secrets of the universe.

More irritation. I had almost forgotten about the creature I had created with chaos magic, assuming that he had died from his deformities some time ago. Yet today his packmaster came to me, explaining that he had become increasingly erratic, babbling madness and showing increasing magical power. It was this that intrigued me and I summoned the creature to my lab, inviting it to show me its newfound power. And to my fury, it was merely more advanced displays of his previous, pathetic talents! Changing the hue of objects, illusions, useless cantrips of no use whatsoever. He babbled about chaos and power and I was finally forced to silence him, tearing out the creature’s tongue so I could find peace. I have returned him to his pack and disciplined his commander for wasting my time, I will see to the subject’s final disposal when I have less on my mind.

Finally, the slave ‘king’ has like all lesser creatures seen fit to arrange his own disposal. He marches on my city, his arrogance at his lucky victories so far convincing him that he can dethrone the most mighty of his masters. This is fortuitous, meaning I will not have to arrange the tiresome logistics of marching out to face him. I have prepared my forces for defending the city, and have arranged a further spike in my room for his head. Now all that remains is to wait. As always my perfect order has arranged my inevitable victory.

That was the final entry. Star Swirl closed the book with a hoof, any sympathy for Phidious now totally dead and buried. The arrogant bastard had stood boasting as Zephyr freed the land from him and his kin, and he had finally got exactly what he deserved.

“Asharan was my first host.” Char mentioned quietly, sounding a little sad, “He was killed when Zephyr cut his wings off. He died on impact, and so I was able to escape to a nearby rabbit and flee the battlefield.”

“You lived as a rabbit?”

“Not for long. That rabbit was eventually taken in as a pet by a simple farm girl named Charaxies. Zephyr was still active and searching for my kind then, and then after his death his best friend Zenophilious formed the Order of the Unquenchable Fire to hunt down those they considered abominations. I was forced to hide, to keep my existence a secret... and that may have been what formed my sense of morality. I was forced to live among the zebra, not rule them as slaves to be used and discarded. And Charaxies... was a very good zebra. We did great things together.”

Star Swirl felt sorry for Char, wondering what it must feel like to have your host die... horribly by the sound of it. Though from what she had said her first host had certainly deserved it, “What was Zephyr like?”

“I didn’t have many long conversations with him.” Char gently chided, “And my memories of that battle are faded by time. But he was... terrifying.”

“I can’t imagine beings as arrogant as Phidious could be scared much by anything.”

Char’s voice trembled a little even at the memory, “He was the hero the world needed I think. I remember him on the battlefield, covered in blood, a grin on his face and madness in his eyes. He came after me without pause or mercy, laughing at the wounds I inflicted, wielding that sword with the strength of a dozen zebra. I would almost have believed he had a demon of his own within him, but over time I have realised that some mortals need no external forces to make them kill and destroy.”

Star Swirl shivered, remembering Starhammer’s expression as he had fought. That sounded all too familiar, “I heard that Zephyr was a berserker in battle...”

“Few accounts talk about him after his retirement. There wasn’t much to say.” Char spoke softly, something approaching respect in her voice, “He faded away once his duty was done. He was born to free his species from oppression, and for that he was less a zebra and more a force of nature.”

“I... met him actually.” Star Swirl recalled, trying to reconcile the two impressions she had of the zebra, “In the dreamscape, he welcomed me to the zebra lands. He seemed kind, helpful... if a little boisterous.”

“He was all of those things. And he was also a born killer, with a lust for blood and battle.” Char sounded gently chiding, “That’s what I want to convince you of Star Swirl. I myself am more of a scholar than a warrior, but I do not consider the warrior’s path one of evil.”

“Even if you enjoy the killing?” Star Swirl asked, feeling the guilt flow through her. Truth be told it sounded worse that it really was. Star Swirl didn’t enjoy the killing so much as the victory, but the violence and the impact of hoof on flesh did excite her. That worried her, and was why she had given it up in the first place, “It’s not so much the fighting as the fact I find it so... fun.”

“One can control themselves. Zephyr to my knowledge never killed an innocent, yet he was a zebra who clearly enjoyed the death and blood.” Her voice dropped suddenly, taking on a dark angry tone, “Yet his best friend Zenophilious, who taught of peace and restraint and loathed to raise a hoof in anger? He revelled in the suffering and judgement that he inflicted. Phidious too I doubt deigned to lower himself to personal combat, yet was he a positive influence upon this world?”

Star Swirl felt it was necessary to pause here. This she hadn’t heard, “Zenophilious... revelled in suffering? The Zenophilious? The Scholar of Ages, High Shaman of Garm, Master of Harmony?”

Star Swirl felt Char’s anger grow hot, the sudden feedback of her emotion surprising considering she rarely felt a flicker. Her tone communicated her feelings just as well, “Zenophilious founded the Order of the Unquenchable Fire, a group of shaman dedicated to wiping out all that used the power of darkness or the stars. They drove Charaxies from her family because of me, even though she had committed no crime and I was still barely a cognisant entity. The killed many other Star Demons who bore no blood upon their hooves, along with thousands of others whom they judged ‘deviant’. Zenophilious spoke out against any alliance with Equestria because of his irrational hatred for Princess Luna, and when she became Nightmare Moon he just laughed, ordered a celebration and joyfully banished the order she had created from Garm.”

Star Swirl felt the anger, unsure whether it was her own or Char’s. She did admit that sounded... jerky. For Celestia’s sake as much as any other, cheering her sister’s banishment felt the very pinnacle of bad taste, “The pariah order.”

“The Order of Sacred Night.” Char growled her words, disturbingly animalistic, “He considered that very concept blasphemous, the arrogant, judgemental fool that he was.”

Actually Star Swirl thought she remembered something about this, “Didn’t he die soon after Nightmare Moon’s ascension?”

“Proving that the world had not truly gone mad.” Char’s words were bitter, “The other elders respectfully criticised him for his reaction to Luna’s banishment, and the matter almost led to civil war within the great halls themselves. The rumours reached even me. That harmony had left him, that he visibly grew sicker with every hour. He died within a week.”

“Can that happen? Can you lose the blessings of harmony? Could you... unbecome a Princess?”

“I’m not an expert Star Swirl. I don’t truly know.”

“I can remember one who was said to have lost her connection to harmony.” Luna commented, looking up from the book she was reading, “Princess Emerald. After her family were killed in a dragon attack she resigned her position, and it’s said that apparently she swiftly aged and died within a month. And there’s not much information about the others, at least not that I can find, but all of them died eventually right?”

“It is said that elders die when harmony demands it. That they have a set span upon this earth, and that they pass peacefully when that time is up.”

“Let’s move on.” Luna commented, nodding towards the exit, “We can properly archive this stuff later.”

"What bone will a dog never eat? A trombone!"

Star Swirl shivered as she followed. That voice was getting closer.

~

They were approaching something. The corridor, once a maze of junctions and side passages, was now one straight line, wider and with pillars and statues at regular intervals. It felt like it was leading somewhere, somewhere important.

And the corridor continued, on and on and on... a strong, yet not unpleasant odour filled the air, of magic twisted and fluid, contorted into impossible shapes. The air around her felt unreal, like she was dreaming. Luna looked round, eyes narrowing, “Some sort of enchantment... a powerful one. I think we might be encountering the final defence.”

“There is magic I’ve never seen here Star Swirl.” Char mentioned from atop her perch on Star Swirl’s shoulder, “You have to be careful, this is work far beyond even my experience.”

“Yeah, I’m not getting any good... wait what?” Star Swirl suddenly exclaimed, looking up at the little unicorn currently riding atop her, “Char, what are you doing here?!”

She looked down at herself in similar suprise, then back at Star Swirl, then across at Luna, “I... don’t know.”

Luna looked around, a dark, worried look upon her face, “Are we dreaming? Are we asleep?”

“No.” Char shook her head, looking deeply disturbed, “The barrier between the dreamscape and the real world is breaking down.”

“That’s impossible.” Luna frowned deeply, her horn glowing in the darkness. That darkness seemed to extend into the distance, only revealing dim hints of dark stone among endless void, “It’s near impossible to break through into the dreaming. There’s no magic in existence that could create a permanent portal.”

“And you would know, tiny, scared little pony.”

Luna jumped, startled by the sudden voice. It was cruel, mocking and brutally causal. Luna advanced forward, her horn beaming into the consuming black, “Show yourself!”

“Why don’t you show yourself already? I wondered what such powerful creatures could fear... why an elegant, noble Princess like you dear Luna, surely you could fear nothing! Why your regality, your elegance, your size...”

Luna actually shook, her voice breaking, her ears fully erect. She paused mid-step, “Enough... Enough with the mindgames!”

"Are you feeling vulnerable Princess? Losing confidence in that ridiculous cosplay you insist on maintaining. You know what they say... love thyself in all thy nakedness."

“NO!”

Luna yelled in pure panic as her skin was stripped away, dark tendrils dissipating into the ether. Star Swirl moved to help but she didn’t really know what to do, forced to watch as Luna was torn apart before her eyes. Her skin, her tail, her whole body disappeared, fading into the darkness.

Leaving a small, painfully vulnerable filly standing where Luna once had, eyes wide and scared. She stumbled, trying to put weight on a back leg that was nothing but an ugly scar at the hip joint and falling inelegantly to the stone floor, crying out in a voice much rougher and worn than before. She gasped, looking up at Star Swirl in shame and terror.

It was Midnight Dreamer. Only... not.

She was plumper than Midnight, but with a noticeably thinner, delicate frame that showed all the signs of long term malnutrition. Her fur too was rougher, coarser, and her curly grey locks were tangled and knotted. As already noted her back leg was gone, and a cobbled together leg brace supported one of her front legs. She was covered in half healed wounds and signs of bruising.

She looked about fourteen.

“Luna...?”

“Don’t look at me.” Luna paused for a moment as she looked away, clenching her eyes shut. Her voice was bitter, still deep but with a croaky, adolescent scratchiness to it, “Don’t look at me like that.”

“I’m... sorry.”

“That’s exactly what I mean.” She tried to stand, her horn glowing as her magic supported her off balance body. She gritted her teeth in concentration before looking back at the ground, “Did I ever ask for pity? For sympathy?”

“No...”

“Then don’t throw it around like it’s wanted!”

“Hahaha! So precious! These are the creatures who finally break through, after all these years? A child and her babysitter?”

Star Swirl shook her head clear, looking around and seeing nothing but darkness. She hated to say it but she was scared. Luna was vulnerable, and that meant she would have to pick up the slack. Suffice to say, her confidence was swiftly draining away, “Char, what the hell is happening?”

Char stared about desperately, not looking too confident herself, “Some powerful force is drawing upon the dreaming, using it to warp reality.”

“Then this is an illusion...” Luna growled at the darkness, her small form tense and angry, “Nothing but smoke and mirrors?”

“No Luna.” Char spoke desperately, “In this place, these things are very real.”

“Well I’m no slouch at dreaming either.” Luna spat, closing her eyes and concentrating. After a second her form shifted, ever so slightly. Her leg was healed, her fur healthy again, her mane combed and bouncy. She looked down at herself, tested her leg and smirked, “Well then, how about that?”

Star Swirl looked down at the girl, yet again impressed by the power of the mare’s magic, “How did you do that?”

“This is my dreamself. My true self. If this jerk is going to use dreams against us, I’m going to take advantage.” She smirked, clearly back to her normal arrogance, “I suggest you avoid doing the same though.”

“Why?”

Char looked round, answering bluntly, “You would become a unicorn.”

“Oh yeah...”

“Oh wouldn’t that be fun! But it seems that unlike your filly friend, it’s not what you fear... but who.”

Luna backed away, grimacing and staring across at Star Swirl accusingly, “Who are you scared of? What ghost is he summoning?”

“I don’t...”

“Star Swirl... come to me Star Swirl...”

The voice was familiar. Terrifyingly familiar. Star Swirl peered into the shadows in growing fear, hoping, praying she was mistaken. She spotted a flash of purple light in those depths, a burst of green flame. She hurried backwards, looking to her companions insistently, “We need to get out of here.”

Char looked to Star Swirl in interest, “You know who that is Star Swirl?”

“I... no. It can’t be.” Star Swirl shook her head, trying to keep herself from panicking. It wasn’t easy, as she knew they were all dead if that thing caught up to them, “We just need to get out of here. Whatever it is, I really don’t want to encounter them down here.”

“I don’t see why not.” Luna stated smugly, angling herself arrogantly before the darkness, “Whatever you are, come out and face us!”

“Luna!”

“What?” She turned her head to them, arrogant defiance all over her face, “There are three of us, and we are all more than capable in a fight.”

Char glared in disapproval, “That ghost is one of the most powerful I’ve ever felt Moonlight Dreamer, and I am a very old creature.”

“My name is Luna! Princess Luna!” She declared aggressively, looking deeply sceptical, “And is it more powerful than the star demons of old? Because I have dealt with them quite...”

“Yes Luna, more powerful.” Char stressed, her demeanour very serious, “And it is a ghost. You cannot kill it, not permanently. You are risking our lives for nothing by fighting.”

This caused her pause. It did Star Swirl too, and she had been taking this seriously from the start. The idea that something could be more powerful than the beasts that destroyed a civilisation wasn’t something that came easily, and even she had to doubt, “What could be more powerful than an incarnate demon?”

“Discord?” Luna ventured, “This magic... it feels like chaos magic. And that voice...”

“No... whatever it is, it’s drawing from some primal source of power like he did. But this...” Char stepped back in fear as she seemed to spot something in the distance, “...it’s like his opposite...”


“Justicar, there you are. I was so worried, why did you run away from Mosaic?”

Star Swirl turned to the voice, all her worst fears confirmed. The figure stood upon a statue of a mighty zebra mage to their side, her mighty wings extended and her eyes angled down at the party below. Star Swirl instantly backed away in terror, her voice frozen in her throat, “I don’t...”

Luna interrupted her with an awestruck gasp, “Holy shit... is that really...?”

“Please don’t swear. It’s uncouth, especially from such a young pony.” The figure’s horn shone and Luna was silenced as her jaw was slammed shut by the purple glow of telekinesis. The figure ignored her struggles as she stepped off the statue and glided downwards, touching down upon the stone floor with a solid thump. Her eyes lingered over each of them, disgust showing clearly for both Char and the still struggling Luna, “You keep very poor company Justicar.”

Star Swirl instinctively placed herself between them and the creature in front of them, trying to be brave despite the deep terror threatening to fill her, “They’re my friends.”

“No they’re not.” Twilight Sparkle spoke with anger and frustration, her wings returning to her sides, “We’re your friends. These others are imposters, taking you away from me.”

“No, they...”

“I realise now, why you didn’t go with Mosaic.” She touched her chin with a hoof as she considered her hypothesis. Eventually she nodded, her eyes turning coldly to those in front, “The shared link between us was disrupted by whatever Littlepip did to us. Without that link to keep you focused your weak will has clearly allowed you to be misled by these evil spirits.”

Luna’s horn surged brightly and the telekinesis was torn away with a flash. She touched her mouth to reassure herself that she could speak again before moving to meet the alicorn. She positioned herself defiantly as she shouted her challenge, charging her magic at the tip of her horn, “I’m no evil spirit, and personally I think that’s more a little hypocritical, monster!

Twilight Sparkle’s expression twisted in anger, eyes flicking round towards the interruption, “I hardly think so. Your crude language and disrespectful nature on the other hand clearly shows you have fallen under their power.” She took a deep breath, returning to a look of calm serenity, “Stay still Justicar, I will remove these dark influences before you are corrupted further.”

Star Swirl started forward, “No, Twil...!”

Twilight’s horn pulsed with magical energy, bolts of purple light shooting out towards each of them. Char gasped and just managed to dive to cover, Luna blocking the first shot but only just turning away the second. The bolt seared across her side, causing the mare to gasp in pain, “Nuggh... ok, if that’s how you want it...”

Luna’s thrust her body forward and her horn flashed with magic, a bolt of lancing energy flying straight at Twilight. Twilight calmly moved to intercept, their twin purple beams meeting briefly before Twilight shattered the spell with a dismissive wave of her head. She grunted dismissively as the remaining moats of magic drifted down around her to settle against the floor, “Hmm, not bad, but you clearly need more practice... wha!”

She was cut off as energy burst under her hooves and she was forced to rear up, stamping back down as shadows clawed up from the ground and tried to grab hold of her. Another batch of shadows swarmed in to attack her from the sides, the mare clearly panicking.

Luna turned her head angrily to Star Swirl as the attack continued, “Star, do something!”

She blushed as she charged her magic, having rather frozen up there, “Oh, right...”

“You think I don’t know how to deal with shadows?” Twilight Sparkle threw up an orb of searing light that caused Luna’s apparitions to evaporate instantly. She was promptly assailed from new directions as Star Swirl’s lightning hit a shield at her side, eyes narrowing momentarily before a smirk crossed her face, “You never were very good at magic Justicar.”

“Fortunately I more than compensate!” Luna renewed her attack, sending forth another burst of purple energy. It struck another of Twilight’s spontaneously appearing shields, Luna snarling and forcing her small body forwards against her defences, “Celestia damnned... get out of here! Yield!”

“Oh my little ponies, you certainly demonstrate some talent. But I’m afraid it’s in vain.” Twilight suddenly teleported away, reappearing to Luna’s side. She unleashed a burst of magical energy that Luna caught on her shields... distracting her from the solid block of masonry that slammed into the filly from the side. Luna yelled and hit the wall with a hard thump, toppling limply into the dirt.

“Luna!”

Twilight grinned to herself, brushing herself down and turning to the other two with a far too smug expression on her face, “Oh come on, did you actually expect to beat me? Even as a mortal pony I was considered the most powerful mage who ever lived. And now... I have ascended far past those limits. Past that of even the alicorn princesses.” Her eyes widened along with her grin, madness sparking in those violet depths, “To think, I actually looked up to Celestia once, was angry that she never gave me what she promised. Now I understand. I was destined for something far greater.”

Star Swirl growled and advanced forward with fury, her horn sparking with golden light. A bolt of solar energy burst forward but Twilight deflected it with the barest effort, teleporting into the sky above Star Swirl and striking her with a beam of purple light that numbed every muscle. Star Swirl hit the floor limp, gasping as all her joints seized into a rock solid immovable mass. Star Swirl tried to struggle free but it was no use. She looked around desperately, searching for their missing member. She searched out with her mind, trying desperately to make contact, “Char, where are you?”

“Hiding Star Swirl! I am no match for her, and in the dreamscape I can die!”

“See what I mean?” Twilight exclaimed, “Oh I admire your determination Justicar, but your tactical thinking needs a bit of work.” She fluttered her wings, calmly floating over to Star Swirl’s fallen form, “You really think a weak little girl with the barest spark of magic would be enough to protect you from me?”

“Weak... little girl...”

Luna struggled upwards from the rubble, dust and blood falling from her muzzle as she steadied herself upon her hooves. She took a single step forward, her horn sparking with purple light, “You have no idea what I am! What I’m capable of!”

Twilight turned a dismissive eye to the little unicorn, “Are you still here? Run away, I have nothing to say to you.”

“Well I have something to say to you!” Luna declared, suddenly grinning wide, “Pink pony to the face!”

Twilight Sparkle blinked, her composure broken, “What are you... NGH!”

“GET AWAY FROM MY FRIENDS!” It broke through the cave wall, a streak of pink and gold that descended sharply from above to slam into Twilight’s shields with the force of a cannon shot. The purple bubble actually bent against the impact for a moment, flickering as Twilight gasped and clutched her horn in pain.

Star Swirl couldn’t believe it, blinking to make sure she wasn’t imagining things, “...Puppy?”

The pink filly was too focused on the battle to hear her, simply continuing her attack with single minded fury. Twilight had already recovered however and focused her shields outwards as Puppy attacked, sending them outwards in punch of purple energy that sent the pink streak cartwheeling away. Puppy landed with an undignified thump, though she quickly bounced to her feet. Twilight was clearly recovering from the sudden attack and Puppy had a chance to look around, swiftly noticing their rather poor showing so far, “Moonlight Dreamer, you’re hurt!”

“Never been better Puppy.” Luna stated, magic sparking at her horn once more, “Glad you could make it, though you’re a little late.”

Star Swirl looked to Char hiding behind a rock nearby, remembering what they had done before. She opened herself up just a little and felt Char latch on to her soul, feeding off her energies. The little filly shaped demon gave her a grateful smile before powering up back into her war form, butterfly wings opening up as she skimmed the stone floor and struck Star Swirl with a spell that instantly released her from her imprisonment.

“Queen Chrysalis?!” Twilight’s face lit up in fury at the sight of Char, whipping round and shooting off a powerful bolt of energy. Char simply waved a hoof at the offending object, space seeming to warp in front of her. The energy was redirected the second it entered the zone, shooting back at Twilight and hitting her shields with a heavy thump, “Nnngh!”

“Hardly.” Char responded to Twilight’s statement with an offended glare, her gauze wings fluttering gently as she angled herself primly, “And I’d also like to inform you that I’ve been studying magic before your kind even crossed the crystal mountains. Try me, I’ll show you what arcane might truly is.”

Twilight grunted and shook her head clear, glaring at the four of them with bitter hatred, “NO! This is not how it goes! How did you...!”

“The magic of friendship!” Luna declared hotly, “Puppy, Star Swirl, Charaxies! Show her what that feels like!”

“Ookie doki loki!”

Puppy sprinted forward with incredible speed and power, Twilight sending a fierce succession of magical energy blasts flying at her. Puppy actually giggled as she dodged each in turn, acting like it was nothing but a game as she danced under Twilight’s arc and slammed herself into Twilight’s shields once again. Twilight gasped as she was forced backwards, her eyes opening wide, “NO!”

Star Swirl stepped forward and unleashed her attack at the exact same moment Luna and Char did, their triple energies swirling around each other and slamming into Twilight’s shield with an awesome explosion of colour. Twilight’s shields didn’t stand a chance, flexing for a second before the sheer momentum sent Twilight flying into the wall with a scream and a crash of falling rubble.

“I don’t need to be an alicorn to have confidence in myself, not anymore.” Luna stated, black oil creeping up her legs and covering her body as she spoke, “There’s a whole tribe of kids up there who believe in me... and they give me more than enough courage to stand tall, whatever I look like!”

Star Swirl was pleased Luna was at peace with herself, though she was a little too distracted to pay full attention, “Did we just kill Twilight Sparkle?”

Luna laughed, a short, barking sound full of the sound of victory as she retained her full alicorn form, black matter hardening, “Twilight smilight! We are the future Star Swirl, and never forget it! Twibright Smirkle? She was the past!”

Char gave her a warning look, “That was simply the ghost of the mare and you outnumbered her four to one, don’t get too full of yourself Luna.”

“Whatever.” She declared, still inordinately pleased with herself, “Puppy, my dream girl! Hoofbump!”

Puppy giggled girlishly, running over to the mare and leaping through the air with her hoof outstretched.


The tentacle that burst from the rubble struck both of them before she had a chance, slamming the two mares into the far wall with a terrible crunch. Star Swirl had only just registered the attack when a terrible psychic scream floored both her and Char, clutching their heads as the rubble shifted to reveal a terrifying new sight.

Twilight hung broken, furiously glowing eyes staring out from a bloody, crippled shell. And around her hung the psychic projection of a horrifying morphic blob, oozing tentacles emerging from rolls of ulcerated flesh. It consumed the mare at the centre, Star Swirl watching as Twilight’s fur was stripped away and replaced by layers of melted skin. Her scream echoed across the cavern, voice full of pain and distress under the layers of distorted sound, “YOU THINK I WILL ALLOW YOU TO THREATEN THE NEW WORLD, MY WORLD! THE WORLD I BLED FOR, SACRIFICED FOR! I DEFEATED DISCORD, I DEFEATED NIGHTMARE MOON! I BROKE CHRYSALIS, DESTROYED SOMBRA! YOU ARE NOTHING!”

“Nngh!” Char stood with clear difficulty, magic weaving at her horn, “No... this cannot be allowed to...”

“YOU HAVE NO SAY HERE!”

Char screamed as telekinesis seized her like a vice, flung her into the air and drove her down into the ground. Bones snapped like twigs, Twilight flinging the mare aside and sending her tumbling limply through the dirt. Star Swirl yelled out in concern as she made it to her feet, “Char!”

“YOU!” A tentacle of psychic energy wrapped itself about Star’s neck, constricting her airway and driving her to her knees before the eldritch abomination rising up before her. Star Swirl felt Twilight Sparkle’s magic stripping open her mind, digging through the memories, the emotions and thoughts. She was powerless against it, Twilight’s booming voice like the heartbeat of the earth itself, “I GAVE YOU EVERYTHING! I MADE YOU AN ALICORN PRINCESS, FIRST AMONG ALL CREATURES! AND YOU BETRAY ME FOR THESE MONSTERS!?”

“Gah...”

ENOUGH! IT SEEMS YOU MUST BE DEFECTIVE.” Twilight sent another tentacle forward, forcing Star’s head back and edging around her horn, “I WILL HAVE TO CORRECT THE ISSUE MANUALLY.”

Star Swirl was about to scream before Twilight’s magic forced her mouth shut, her psychic probing penetrating deeper and deeper into her mind. She felt it once again, the terrible, beautiful, intoxicating call of the unity. And as her mind and soul were stripped away, she remembered once again who her Mistress was.

The rocks shifted, a small pink form emerging with a wobbling, unsteady gait. She opened her mouth, her words uncertain, “You... big meany... let go of my friend...”

“DIE ABOMINATION.” Twilight flung a powerful tentacle down upon Puppy, flattening the poor girl with a deafening crash. She literally exploded into a faint pink mist, obliterated by Twilight’s unimaginable power, “SUCH A FRAGILE THING...”

“I said... let go of my friend!”

“WHAT IS THIS?”

Puppy had reformed, standing upon the tentacle that had flattened her, her body tense, shifting, shaking with rage. Dark strands floated across her body, purple light filling her eyes as her teeth ground together, “You’re a bad bad lady.”

Twilight snarled and threw Star Swirl aside, sending her crashing into the dirt as she moved to meet this new threat, “YOU ARE A SMALL THING. I HAVE DESTROYED MUCH GREATER.”

Star Swirl grunted in pain, choked and still reeling from the psychic attack. She stared dumbly at Puppy, watched the filly’s eyes widened in concern and horror... then changed to rage, “You meany...”

“HOLD STILL, I WOULD RATHER MAKE THIS QUICK.”

Purple light expanded around Puppy, holding her tight in place as Twilight sent two tentacles flying in from opposite directions to crush her between. Puppy seemed surprised for a second at her imprisonment... before her body expanded outwards and the energy shattered with a bang. Puppy flexed her new, powerful looking muscles as the dark swirl upon her fur grew to cover her entire body, an eery purple light flashing from her eyes.

She leapt as Twilight’s tentacles slammed together, Twilight desperate flinging another her way. Puppy tensed in midair, surged forward and shattered it apart with a solid, brute force strike. Twilight tried to seize the girl with her telekinesis but Puppy melted away into smoke before reforming as she descended upon the centre of the mass with an echoing, piercing scream.

“No! NO!” Twilight’s physic projection shifted and cracked as Puppy slammed it into the ground, the filly proceeding to swing round and kick Twilight into the far wall with a boom and the sound of collapsing masonry. Twilight gasped and opened the projection up in order to fire a succession of magical beams in Puppy’s direction but the filly was just too fast, making a mockery of the mare’s aim. Twilight’s voice softened, fear now clear in her eyes, “No! I don’t have enough power, I need the Unity, I need my element...”

“YOU’RE NOT GETTING ANYTHING!” Puppy dived into the opening, forcing it open with the strength of a hundred mares as Twilight tried to close it upon her. She gave one last heave and the projection was broken near in half, fading away as it collapsed around them, “YOU’RE ONLY GETTING...!”

Twilight crippled body was now suspended in midair by her magic, a bolt of it flying from her horn to hit Puppy clean in the face, flinging her backwards with a yell to hit the ground a little way away. Twilight froze as Puppy slowly struggled to her feet, surprised for a moment at her sudden success... Puppy shook her head clear and glared angrily, Twilight Sparkle lurching forward and unleashing a wave of psychic energy that knocked the filly to the floor again with a yell. Twilight Sparkle laughed as she continued the assault, not allowing Puppy to rise, “HA! HAHA! SEE, YOU CAN’T...!”

Star Swirl forced herself up and unleashed the full power of her horn, desperately pressing her assault. Twilight’s head flicked round and purple shields once more appeared around her body, Star Swirl’s magic flattening itself out against them. Star Swirl pressed harder, focused her magic, strained every muscle...

Twilight Sparkle forced her backwards with barely a flicker of effort, knocking her staggering. The psychic projection around the mare started to reform, Twilight floating upwards once again as her voice filled the room, “AGAIN JUSTICAR? YOU REALLY WANT TO FIGHT ME?”

No. She didn’t. But she had to defend her friends.

“You’re fighting like a pretty little princess Star Swirl. I know you can do better than this.”

Star Swirl looked around in shock, Bloody Razor standing next to her with a sly, confident grin. She gaped for a second at the third inexplicably sudden appearance of this strange raider, finally managing to force something out, “Why are you...?”

“Not the time big girl.” He advanced forward, drawing a chainsaw from his back and revving it up with a flicker of magic from his horn, “Pick up your dresses, and let’s do this properly shall we?”

“ARE ALL YOUR FRIENDS BLOODSOAKED THUGS JUSTICAR?” Twilight raised an already forming tentacle, the purple light of her magic shining earily in the darkness, “I TRUELY HATE TO ADMIT IT, BUT MAYBE YOU ARE BEYOND REDEMPTION.”

She flung the tentacle down atop them, Star Swirl teleporting away to appear atop Twilight’s projection with Bloody Razor in tow. He dropped down with a cackle, chainsaw already tearing through the fleshy mass that surrounded the mare. Star Swirl slammed both hooves atop the weakened section, the projection splitting apart and fading away. Twilight used her telekinesis to swing herself round, firing a bolt of energy that slipped past the both of them in her panic. Bloody Razor grinned at her poorly aimed attack, descending past it to strike off her horn with a single swing of his chainsaw.

Twilight screamed, Star Swirl actually feeling a horrible feeling of gratification as she saw the Goddess suffer. This creature had ruined her, ruined the wasteland, and at this moment she had a chance to do what so many other alicorns no doubt had dreamed about.

“Just die already!” She descended downwards, her wings flinging her forward, her magic increasing her weight. She hit the struggling Twilight right in the chest, punching her hoofs forward and driving the mare into the ground with fury, “We are not your slaves, not anymore!” She slammed her hooves down into the still struggling mare, “We owe you NOTHING!”

She slammed her hooves down again and again, tears dropping from her eyes. Twilight had made her a monster. Twilight had turned her into... this. Star Swirl did owe her something. She owed her pain.

“Think you got her big girl.” Bloody Razor stated as he waved a hoof at the bloody, limp corpse lying beneath Star Swirl’s hooves, “Congrats. You look like you worked out a lot of emotions there.”

“Hgh...” Star Swirl let her body flop. Not sure if that was therapeutic or weird. They had just killed the Goddess. Just a part of her true, but a big part. That had to mean something.

It also meant she had killed two of the ministry mares. Sure, she had a bit of help on this one, but still...

“SHE WAS MINE!”

Puppy rose, a black, terrible form wreathed in smoke and the stink of dark magic. Her eyes glowed with dangerous malice, any signs of the innocent little filly long departed. Star Swirl backed away, activating her shields even as she realised they wouldn’t last a moment against Puppy’s strength, “Puppy, it’s me. The battle’s over...”

“NO!” She advanced forward, the ground cracking under her feet, “YOU HURT MY FRIENDS, AND I WILL PUNIS... agh!”

Puppy suddenly seized up, her back arching and the look of intense pain crossing her features. She took one more step before collapsing, sobbing in agony as whatever was wrong took its toll. Star Swirl held back for a second longer before cautiously trotting forward, “Puppy, what’s wrong?”

She squeaked her answer, her eyes wide and once more full of childish innocence, “I... I... critical error detected! Central processor exceeding recommended limits! Breakout scenario in progress, purge system activated! This unit will sterilise itself in thirty seconds, please vacate the suit and reach a safe distance!”

Star Swirl tried to process the filly’s words, now really confused, “Puppy, what...? I don’t understand!”

“24... 23.... 22...”

“Puppy!”

“...20... 19... 18...”

The rubble nearby shifted and Luna pushed herself free, clearly injured but with eyes full of concern. She braced herself and hurried over, inspecting Puppy with worried eyes, “I can stop this...”

“What’s wrong with her?”

“I’m not entirely sure, this is a very unusual circumstance...” Luna nodded firmly, her horn glowing, “I need to calm her down, help her regain control... good night Puppy.”

She bent down and touched Puppy with the light of her horn. It flowed into the filly, causing her to spasm briefly before settling down with a sigh. Her eyes closed, her speech slurring, “Operational limits restored...”

She shook on her hooves before suddenly collapsing to the ground, a peaceful expression on her face as she settled limply into the dust.

“What did you do to her?”

“Sent her to sleep.” Luna replied, sinking down into a sitting position, “It seemed... owch... the easiest option. Check on Char, I’m just going to sit here for a moment.”

Star Swirl took that advice, hurrying over to the mare. She was back in her filly state, not looking entirely healthy. Her body was heavily bruised, her breathing laboured. Star Swirl enquired hesitantly, “Char, are you ok?”

The mare mercifully opened her eyes without difficulty, though made no effort to move, “Hurt, but I’ll be fine Star Swirl. You will need to go on without me though. I need to recover, regenerate my strength for a while.”

“Go on without you? What... what does that mean?”

“It will only be for a short while. You won’t be as strong magically, and you won’t be able to understand languages like before... but you’ll be fine. I never gave you that much, and... hopefully the worst of the fighting is behind us...”

Luna nodded firmly, her breathing still laboured from the battle, “I sure hope that was the final boss.”

Star Swirl turned, eying the alicorn. Luna was clearly looking pale and rather thin, not surprising considering she clearly hadn’t recovered from her fight a couple of days ago. Now she knew there was a child at the centre there she was even more worried Luna was pushing herself beyond her limits, “You’re not looking so good either Luna.”

“I’m fine.” She replied, making it to her hooves with only a little wincing, “Let’s continue.”

Star Swirled hurried behind as Luna set off, looking back one last time. Bloody Razor was nowhere to be seen, disappeared like a ghost. Puppy was gently sleeping. Char was already fading into the darkness behind them.

"What do you call a dead magician's assistant? An abracadaver!"

She hoped they wouldn’t need their help. She shivered, quickening her pace to fall beside Luna as they ventured into the dark.

~

“What was that? Was that really Twilight Sparkle?”

“Some sort of trap or defence I guess. You’ve seen the dreamscape. Somehow that corridor became connected to it, warping realty and bringing forth nightmares.”

“And Twilight?”

Luna narrowed her eyes, looking troubled, “Twilight Sparkle... I must admit, despite all that I’ve heard I wasn’t expecting her to be that damaged.”

“She seemed even more insane that when I knew her as the goddess.” Star Swirl commented with a shiver, “The others must have been a good influence on her.”

Luna considered this, “Hmm... souls in the dreamscape aren’t... pure. They’re affected by the pony’s self image when they died, and the perception of them among those still living. Some say they also affect the collective consciousness in turn, and that by changing the dreamscape you can chance the perceptions of entire populations... but that is all very theoretical.”

“So that was Twilight Sparkle, affected by...”

“That was your creator, the Goddess.” Luna replied, bluntly and sharply. Her voice dropped a little after a second’s consideration, “That’s awful. I respected Twilight Sparkle, I’ve read quite a few of her books. To think she ended up like that...”

Star Swirl paused for a moment, wondering if it was important. After a moment she had to speak however, unable to shake the impression that something was off about this picture, “It’s strange, to see them separate like this. I’ve already met Mosaic, she was part of the Goddess as well, but now she appears to have some portion of her individuality too, like a normal member of the Unity.”

“They were obviously separate enough for their souls to exist individually within the dreamscape. Since Twilight Sparkle was the most powerful and dominant among the minds that formed the Goddess, she likely took on the power and personality of the full entity.”

Star Swirl was impressed by how much Luna knew, but as normal it wasn’t the full picture, “Twilight wasn’t the dominant mind of the Goddess.

“She wasn’t?”

“No, it was a mare named Trixie.” Star Swirl shivered, wishing it still was. Trixie had been arrogant and bombastic, but had always had a hint of restraint and kindness. The Twilight voice of the Goddess however... she had been driven, fierce, angry... understandable really, but not much comfort when under her gaze, “I much preferred Trixie. I guess she must be out there somewhere too, along with Gestalt.”

Luna nodded, “Very likely. Though it’s apparent they still have a connection. Twilight Sparkle stated that she didn’t have enough power without the Unity, clearly being this far away from the other components of the Goddess weakened her.”

“I just hope we won’t meet her again.”

“Unfortunately, I don’t think you’ll get that wish.”

Star Swirl’s eyebrows curled, not liking the sound of that at all, “Is she going to keep chasing after me?”

Luna considered for a moment before setting Star Swirl with a grim look, “It’s likely, yes. Twilight Sparkle is clearly invested in bringing you back into the unity, and she knows where you are now. It won’t take long for her to regenerate, depending on the circumstances she might just outright reappear back in whatever place she feels safest. And Twilight has been to the zebra lands, and was firm friends with a zebra shaman. She could almost certainly find her way here, and perhaps find a way to lead others.”

“She wouldn’t need to bring help.” Star Swirl observed with a shiver, “She was plenty powerful enough on her own. We won that because of Puppy, and pure luck.”

“After I’ve found this Black Book, I’ll try and research ways of protecting yourself from her.” Luna sighed, looking out into the darkness, “We can’t have you being attacked every time you enter the Dreamscape.”

Star Swirl felt dissatisfied with this solution. After a moment she realised why, “There’s no way we can help her? Remove the taint of the Goddess?”

“She’s infused with extreme magical corruption at her very core.” Luna replied, a little sharply. She realised this and dropped her tone a little, though only a little, “You might be able to use the Elements of Harmony to pull it off, but that would require all the bearers to either be natural dreamwalkers or star demon hosts... which I’m guessing they’re not.”

“No...”

“You know I have studied Luna in detail. She encountered such corrupted spirits, innocent ponies who remained in the thrall of outside forces even after death.” Luna sighed deeply, shaking her head, “As you can imagine, their plight was close to her heart. But even as a full princess of harmony she could do nothing to heal their corruption.”

A full princess. It was easy to forget, with all the stature and wings and the looks some gave them... “Is that what you want to become too Luna? A real Princess?”

“I’m hardly capable.”

Star Swirl was surprised, “Really?”

“Laughter? You saw how miserable and depressed I can get. Generosity? Yeah right, I’m not the type to give somepony anything they didn’t earn. Loyalty... perhaps... but Kindness and Honesty? That’s a joke.”

“Magic?”

Luna dropped her head, quiet for a long while. She eventually answered with a sigh, “I want friends. But I told you, I’m not exactly great at them. I’m arrogant, and abrasive.”

Star Swirl wished Luna would stop putting herself down. She was beginning to remind Star Swirl of herself, “No you’re not.”

Luna grinned, clearly pleased by Star Swirl’s praise, “Your friends are safe by the way. Dust Kicker, Zenai and Ace Gold.”

“I’d heard. It was surprising at the time, you were the last pony I’d expect them to help.”

Luna chuckled lightly, “Them help me? It was more the other way round. They were stuck out in the wilderness, they came to me for protection... and to spy on me of course, I’m not stupid.”

Star Swirl had hoped that had been the case when she first heard about them joining Luna. She had figured it was either that or her friends had been lobotomised, “If you knew they were plotting against you, why let them in?”

Luna paused, considering the question for a while as they walked the corridor. Eventually she replied, quiet and thoughtful, “Because I trusted that once they knew the truth about me, they would want to help. Because I... needed to know that for sure.” She sighed, “Because they weren’t spell bound children. I needed cynical adults with no reason to trust me, to see if I could convince them of the righteousness of my cause.”

“You’re worried the children only support you because they don’t know any better?”

“I spent so long not caring, not giving a damn what others think of me.” She took a deep breath, “But I want to make a kingdom for them, a city that will keep them safe and prosperous. And I can’t do that if every zebra hates me.”

“And this thing with Sunshine Ivory is going to help?”

To her credit Luna actually considered this for a while before nodding, “Yes, I do. The primary target is the Caesar of the Golden Coast remember? He’s antagonised the other rulers for years and has no real allies, even Equestria hates him now. That that’s even before I mention that he’s just another member of the Entitidi, and that his father and brother both were just sadistic thugs typical of that line.” She hissed slightly and gritted her teeth, restraining herself as she continued, “And though he pretends civility, he’s no different. Tell me, did he seem charming?”

Star Swirl spoke softly, a little afraid of what would come next, “Yes?”

“Though he openly bans it, secretly he’s been in the slave trade for years, selling off political prisoners and others whose presence won’t be missed. He uses his army as a club, with a shiny bill of rights that he regularly shits upon. He employs that lunatic Chigaru as a top level enforcer. And he also has other vices, that are a little closer to my heart.”

“Um...”

“He’s a paedophile. And it’s not even a particularly good secret.” Luna sniffed, her voice sharp and cold, “I could even show you the evidence if you’re interested.”

Star Swirl wanted to answer back, but Luna was right about some of those other things. She had seen it herself. Were the other charges really so unlikely? She answered with resigned weariness, just shaking her head in depression, “No thanks... I’ll take you at your word for now. Even if it is really depressing.”

“That’s why I’m down here Star Swirl.” Luna commented as they emerged into a large chamber, resolve in her voice, “I wouldn’t have to protect myself from a just world.”

The room was a surprisingly standard classic magical laboratory. There was even a clearly recognisable set of grounding spirals to drain off any excess magic, and a classic ‘glass ball and gemstone’ mana sensor. Various tables had been set out, carrying diagrams covered in arcane symbols.

And at the end of the room, sitting upon a stone plinth... was a black book, a spiral mark Star Swirl identified as ‘Knowledge, scholarship’ decorated with a sprinkle of stars engraved upon it.

“Finally...”

Star Swirl followed Luna’s progress as she made her way towards the grim looking object, “Luna, be careful.”

“I am.” She stated, her horn glowing faintly as she looked around, “I can’t detect any obvious traps or illusions. I’d dare say what we’ve already come across formed the majority of this place’s defences.”

“You know that’s not what I meant.”

Luna smirked as she stood beside the plinth, looking down at the book in front of her. She moved her head left and right, inspecting it with a slightly puzzled expression, “Somehow I expect it to be... more. I can only feel a small amount of magic inside it.”

Star Swirl felt the same, which was unusual. She remembered how the Black Book had felt through the shared connection of the unity, and it was nothing like this, “Maybe it’s the wrong book.”

“It’s exactly like I’ve seen it described.” Luna levitated it off the plinth, took a deep breath and opened the book outwards. Then she turned the pages, one after another, becoming more and more irritated. Eventually she closed the book again and placed it back down upon the plinth, grunting in irritation, “It’s empty.”

“Empty? How?”

“I don’t know.” Luna expressed with irritation, “Either the spell failed somehow or...”

“Or what?”

"How does a wizard keep his potions safe from burglary? With a warlock!"

Luna looked round at the door leading further on, the wooden surface decorated with gold leaf inscriptions, “Let’s explore a little further.”

The rooms beyond were richly decorated, far more than the rest of the building. There was some minor decay but whatever magic was woven through the objects here was still active, plush sofas and silk curtains still showing some semblance of their old glory.

They passed through conference halls, dining rooms, sitting chambers, all showing the same richness through the utter decay. Star Swirl looked down with pity at a zebra skeleton still carrying a dented candlestick, his neck cleanly broken. A servant? Who could say, the poor stallions last stand lost to time.

The final room was a living chamber, clearly for somepony very important. It was in perfect condition, only the sign of some minor battle damage and the blood on the floor demonstrating that anything had ever touched it. There was a huge four poster bed, sized for something several times the size of a pony, a massive set of four stone spikes in the centre supporting a vast glowing globe. Within could be seen the stars, the viewpoint occasionally zooming in to observe planets in detail. A table was set out, with an ornamental tea set and a large, still burning candlestick. Horrifically, a set of fully preserved zebra heads had been impaled on spikes set into the far walls, jewelled crowns set upon their once regal manes. A bookcase sat nearby, its contents scattered to the floor.

And a Dragonequis was nailed to the wall next to it, its voice cracked and dry and its eyes bulging and bloodshot. It was smaller and more zebric than the others, clad in regal robes marked with runic symbols. It was old, it’s skin cracked and drawn, it’s toothless mouth painfully creaking open as it spoke once more, “Why... why did the chicken cross the road!?” It screeched its answer, tears falling down its face and clearly in terrible pain, “TO GET TO THE OTHER SIDE!!! AHAHAHAHA!”

Luna took a single step forward, her heart clearly breaking. Her expression was one of profound sympathy, “It’s Philidous.”

Star Swirl couldn’t contemplate it. The beast did indeed match the statues they had seen... but this creature? “It can’t be.”

“It is.” She looked over at Star Swirl, “That’s why the black book was empty.”

Star Swirl looked at the creature before them, shrivelled, defeated, broken. Philidous was a legend, a dark shadow used to scare children. Even after all this, she could even contemplate the idea that he might actually exist, let alone stand before her, “But that was more than a thousand years ago!”

“He’s been nailed to the wall, telling bad jokes for two thousand years. Without food or water, or rest.” Luna stepped forward, observing the once proud creature quietly, “You poor, proud idiot. You lost your last battle.”

Star Swirl frowned, looking past his pathetic fate and remembering what this creature was, “He was a ruthless tyrant Luna. He enslaved and experimented on millions of zebra, without conscience or care.”

“He doesn’t deserve this.”

Philidous didn’t see or hear them, his mouth opening once again to spit laboured wit from cracked lips, “What is black and white and... ugh... agh...” His eyes opened even wider, like they were about to pop out of his head. Then he looked down at Luna before him, her horn impaled neatly through his heart. He looked surprised... then a weary, desperate smile inched across his twisted features, “My blessings... dear sister...”

She withdrew her horn and he slumped, the dark lord of stars finally slain by her horn.

Luna sighed and turned to the severed heads, inspecting them for a second before levitating one of the crowns. It was of a dull grey metal, simple and gently curving, a single blue star shaped gemstone set into the centre. She placed it upon her head, adjusting it for balance before turning to Star Swirl, “The crown of the king is that spiked silver crown set with the blue diamonds. I would like if you took it.”

Star Swirl couldn’t help it. Luna had just set it up so perfectly, “Um... I like you Luna, but I’m really not once to rush these things.”

Sadly Luna didn’t blush, simply roll her eyes, “Lower the tone why don’t you? Take any of the others and you’re directly challenging somepony. You want that nice golden one over there, the one set with pearls? That’s the crown of the king of the Golden Coast, see how Caesar likes that.”

Was it now? Star Swirl quickly levitated the crown in question, studying it for a moment as it hovered in front of her. It was one of the more ornate, decorated with reliefs of waves and fishes. It was still tasteful and restrained though, and was surprisingly light. No magic surged within it, no gleam caught the eye. It was actually a little dirty, rather unsurprisingly.

“I wasn’t serious!”

“I’m not taking it for myself.” Star Swirl stated as she tucked it carefully into the burlap sack, turning back to Luna, “This will either legitimise Caesar, or a rival of Caesar. That’s a nice option to have.”

Luna gave a cautious smile, “Are you playing politics now? Truth be told, I was intending on taking all of these for that very purpose.”

“How much will these actually help?” Star Swirl couldn’t help but ask, finding it hard to care herself. Maybe she had been numbed by all that had happened today, but a king at the end of the day was just a pony on top of the heap, and no being alive even knew the names of these zebra. There was no power in these simple circlets, and a replica of any of them could likely be made with ease in the factories of Fillydelpia, “It’s just some gold melted into a circle, with a few gems set into it.”

Luna smiled sympathetically, “And Princess Luna is just stories in a book. I still took enormous amounts of power from that, and there’s still power in these crowns too. Especially now, with the world in ruins.”

“I guess so...” Star Swirl levitated the silver crown over, admiring it. It’s metal was dull and grey, and it was without any sort of ornamentation save a laurel wreath effect at the edges. The spikes on top were cold and dangerous looking, “I’m not comfortable with this Luna.”

“I though you wanted to be a Princess.”

“I wanted to be worthy of the Princesses... and more to the point, I’m not one. And I took this crown off a dead zebra.”

Luna smirked, “How most crowns are passed on really.”

“Ok...” Star Swirl took a deep breath and lowered the crown upon her head, feeling it settle. It felt light enough, and well balanced. She turned to look in the mirror...

Luna stood just behind her, expectant, hopeful. It was that that shocked her, far more than any simple adornment.

Luna nodded firmly, a broad smile spreading across her face, “Perfect. Now let’s go back, we’ve got one more thing left to do.”

~

They made it back into the main chamber, Star Swirl trembling a little as she saw the book still sitting upon the lectern. At sight it didn’t look any different from before, still it was hard to ignore the sheer feeling of wrongness it emitted now. It sat heavy with dark magic, just daring some fool to pick it up and open it, “Luna, this isn’t a good idea.”

“I ran out of those a long time ago.” Luna stepped forward, hesitant but still resolved to her course of action, “You know I can’t protect my children without it.”

Star Swirl hated this all the more for the knowledge that she had helped drive Luna towards this, “We can talk to Starhammer. If he knew you weren’t a monster...”

“He doesn’t care Star Swirl.” She announced bitterly, “He wants my land, and he’s built his reputation on opposing mares like me. He greeted Ekundayo’s offer of alliance with a dagger in the back, and he’d give me the same if I didn’t give him good reason to pause.”

“He...”

“My mind is made up.” Luna took a deep breath and stepped up to the lectern, her horn glowing, “We all have to take risks to protect those we love. And I’m willing to trust that I’m strong enough to handle whatever this book can throw at me.”

Star Swirl held her breath as the book floated up in Luna’s telekinesis, glowing faintly in the dim light. The pages fluttered open and she felt the magic of the book surge, watching Luna tense in anticipation...

As a comedy boxing glove on a spring shot outwards and bopped her right on the nose. It had enough force to knock the princess flying, sending her into an undignified, flailing heap as her crown bounced away across the stones. Mocking laughter instantly filled the air, echoing around the chamber as Luna sat back up with a look of utter shock on her face.

“Hahahahahahhaaha! Look at stupid, look at stupid! Hahahahahahaha!”

“Wa... what?” Luna sat up, staring at the book for a second or two before turning a pair of wide, deeply confused eyes to Star Swirl, “What just happened?”

Star Swirl shrugged, admitting that she hadn’t expected that, “Um... defence mechanism? Really odd defence mechanism?”

Luna rose cautiously, on her guard as she approached the book. She was on her guard as she levitated the pages open... her eyes bugged out momentary before she slammed the book shut again, grunting as she placed a hoof to her forehead, “Damnit...”

Star Swirl started forward, already worried the book had done something to her, “Luna, what’s wrong?”

“It takes all their knowledge, personality and power and the time of death.” Luna started, her voice terrifyingly calm, “At the time of death. After Philidous had been hanging there for two thousand years, going totally mad.”

Star Swirl paused at the implications, hesitant as she asked the question, “What does that mean?”

“The book is a load of gibberish.” Luna’s whole body noticeably sagged, “It’s totally useless.”

Star Swirl couldn’t help but be slightly relieved, “Well it’s not the worst thing that could have happened. This was never going to end well.”

“Please explain why this isn’t ‘the worst thing that could happen’?!” Luna shouted, her wings standing on end as she raised her voice to a high whine, “I needed that book, I needed that power! How am I going to deal with Starhammer without it, huh?!”

“With me.” Star Swirl stated firmly, knowing now what she had to do. Maybe it had always been her destiny, maybe this was the start of something far greater. She would start it in the pursuit of peace, as it should be, “We’ll go together. He trusts me. We’ll speak to him, and make him see reason.”

Luna sighed and let her head drop. Eventually she nodded, levitating the black book and placing it away in a saddlebag, looking Star Swirl firmly in the eye, “I hope you’re right, I really do.”

~

And then they were actually doing it. Star Swirl quailed in self conscious uncertainty as Star Hammer’s troops turned to regard them with boggling eyes, weapons dropping alongside jaws as they marched past. She turned to sneak a look at Luna, not particularly surprised to see the girl in her element. She strutted, she smiled and looked every inch the princess.

Luna saw her looking and grinned cheerfully, holding a hoof to her chin, “Lift your head, stare straight ahead. Walk with purpose, keep your back straight.”

“Easy for you to say...” She felt herself blush, “I feel ridiculous.”

“You look beautiful.” Luna grinned, returning to her elegant strut, “So stop hiding it, and hold that head proudly.”

Star Swirl tried her best, even as they walked past the signs of battle and death, even as zebra who she had laughed and joked with earlier stared in awe and confusion. Even as they emerged into the main entrance hall, Starhammer already leading a troop of his best to meet her.

He froze as they emerged, expression a shifting mix of a dozen emotions. His voice stumbled outwards, “What in holy... fuck...”

Star Swirl had to admit it was amusing to see him so off balance. Icoxal on the other hand looked deeply enraged and seemed to be itching for a fight. Kunani... stared coldly, judgementally. Star Swirl shivered a little before replying, “Starhammer, we need to talk.”

“I’d say!” He shouted, pointing a hoof at Luna, “She has the book!”

“I do.” She stated firmly and regally, her accent some dignified high equestrian construct, “So if you don’t want me to use it on you, I suggest we negotiate.”

As Starhammer fought for words, Star Swirl was instantly drawn to Kunani desperately signing beside. She did not look happy as she signed her sharply signed words, “What the ... are you doing! After everything we’ve said, everything we’ve done, you let her take an artefact of infernal evil and lead her right into the middle of our camp?!”

Star Swirl signed back, trying her best to conceal her actions, “She’s not our enemy Kunani. There’s a lot...”

Starhammer twirled, slapping Kunani’s hoof away angrily. She yelped and darted back, the stallion turning and extending a dangerously tensed hoof in Star Swirl’s direction, “Enough! I have always accepted your views, your disagreements, your comments! I ask for honesty in return, not talking behind my back, not... conversing with the enemy!”

Star Swirl quickly tried to explain, “She was just asking me to explain why I had brought Luna here...”

“I’m in charge here! Not her! You speak to ME!” Starhammer growled. He then took a deep breath and seemed to centre himself, though his eyes were still angry and glaring as he brought them back up, “Who’s side are you on Star Swirl?”

“I’m...” She hesitated, “I’m on no one’s side. I just want...”

“I’ll remember that.” He answered, turning then to Luna, “And you demon...”

She gave him a cold, imperious look, cutting him off with her deep regal tones, “Princess Luna. Though you may intend full invasion of sovereign territory, I am still the monarch here and you will address me with proper respect.”

Starhammer looked stricken by this, his lip trying desperately to curl into a smile, “Because... just because you found some... dusty old circlet?”

“No.” She stated coolly, “I conquered this land from the Entitidi, slaying their leader in honourable battle in front of witnesses. I have established a system of taxes, declared my status as ruler to those living here and trained an army to protect them. The Lord Caesar of the Golden Coast and Lord Zaneious of the Heartlands have acknowledged me in official documentation as the new ruler of these territories. Today I have slain the demon Philidous, and claimed the crown worn by the zebra queens of these lands during the time of the old Empire.” She nodded coolly to Kunani, “This zebra is a Shaman of Garm?”

Kunani nodded nervously, shaking her bruised hoof and signing to Starhammer, “By the laws of the land... she’s right. She’s accorded respect, due to her position.”

Starhammer gave a deep, angry sigh, “You’re telling me you killed Phidious?”

“Not exactly a battle.” Luna stated firmly, “But I finished off what was left of him.”

“Fine.” Starhammer nodded, a mixture of amusement and anger boiling behind his eyes, “Then I challenge Queen Luna of the Heartlands to a duel under the spirits, with the crown to the victor.”

Kunani signed hesitantly, “You need a reason.”

Starhammer glared coldly at Kunani for a moment before ignoring her, looking instead to Luna, “Well, what will it be? Hurry up and accept woman, or I’ll take my crown right here!”

Star Swirl was really starting to find Starhammer’s obnoxious behaviour grating. As it was she had even less reason to keep her mouth shut, “You need a reason for the challenge.”

“She’s a FUCKING DEMON!” Starhammer raged, slamming a hoof into the floor that caused Kunani to back meekly away. He made no attempt to hide his anger now, glaring fiercely at the quietly dignified alicorn before him, “You are an abomination, who has killed her own subjects, consorted with dark gods and stole your crown and power from their dying talons! Under the spirits and by the sacred fire that gives us all life, I name you tyrant! You are bound by this, bound to fight me or forfeit your claim!”

Luna hesitated at this. Despite her calm demeanour she was clearly conflicted, uncertain, “I have the Black Book of Phidious. You don’t stand a chance.”

“Like fuck I don’t.” He smirked cruelly, “Phidious is a fucking corpse, who ended up rotting here for a thousand years to the point where a scrub like you could finish him off. You wield the power of a chump, whose time passed by a long time ago.”

Luna hesitated for a moment more... before nodding, stepping forward and lowering her head to glare at him eye to eye, “If I win, you acknowledge my right over the land to all the leaders of zebra and pony. You open up trade deals in my favour, and pay reparations appropriate for an invasion of sovereign territory. You promise your full might to defend us, should others seek to likewise contest my claim.”

Starhammer grunted, clearly uncomfortable so close to the much larger pony, “Done. And if I win I want you, her, and all your followers gone. I don’t want to see one hair of your dirty little brats left in any of the lands under my control, is that clear?”

“Crystal.” She lifted her head once more, stepping back to a regal distance, “So we have an agreement. Honoured shaman, is it recorded?”

Kunani looked surprised at Luna’s address, looking increasingly flustered. She didn’t get the chance to reply, another voice answering Luna’s directive, “It is recorded Queen Luna.”

Luna looked to the source of the declaration, quickly locating the solid black zebra approaching through the crowd of gawping soldiers. Luna looked rather shocked, eventually managing a slightly nervous smile, “Well well, Tradash the Black. I’m disappointed you didn’t announce your presence in my lands. I would have welcomed such a renowned scholar with the honour due to your position.”

He offered a noble bow, smiling politely, “Just a scholar your majesty. And I wasn’t aware you were welcoming guests.”

“Well I am now.” She stated firmly, looking about the room with an imperious gaze, “Let it be known, that any who seek knowledge, any who seek shelter from the darkness, you will find it in Dusklight! I will welcome and protect any who come to my realm for honest purposes, and receive any petitions you come to offer!”

“You... I underestimated you, you magnificent bitch.” Starhammer growled, quiet enough to be near inaudible. He was grinning, but with a dangerous, feral gleam in his eyes, “You walk into my own camp and start making fucking speeches, start buttering up my own troops? Pretty much the last thing I expected.”

Luna observed the zebra for several moments before speaking, “That’s because you’re a thug with delusions of grandeur.”

“That’s exactly what I am.” He snarked, snorting noisily, “And what are you? I’m not so ignorant that I can’t recognise demon armour when I see it, which raises the question... what exactly is lying at that sweet, sticky centre?”

“Enough.” Luna stated firmly, “I have said my piece. Under the rules of the challenge, we have a truce yes?”

“And may the first to break it be damned.” Starhammer agreed, before stepping back grumpily as she stepped past him with her head held high. He looked up at her as she moved away, growling at her departing back, “I know exactly what you are, you know that?”

She looked back, cold and dismissive, “And what is that?”

“You’re just like me. A jumped up upstart, playing dress up and talking shit she read out of some dusty book.” He nodded grimly, “And come the time for our meeting... I’m going to carve that ridiculous pretence in two, and show them all your true face.”

__________________________________________________

Level Up - Level 11 reached

New Perk acquired : Unstoppable Force
Your martial might is truly legendary. You do a large amount of additional damage through enemy blocks with all Melee Weapons and Unarmed attacks.

New Quest Perk acquired : Two Best Sisters
Whether by destiny or luck, you do seem to synthesise well with your adopted sister. When you work together Star Swirl receives a 5% bonus to all melee skills and Luna receives a 5% bonus to all magic skills.

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