Princess Celestia was conversing with the mayor outside town hall. The Royal Guard was present along with relief workers from Canterlot, helping the citizens of the town clear the debris, sweep the broken glass of the smashed windows, and provide first aid for those that were injured. Many of the buildings had fire damage, some still smoldering. When they heard the sound of running hooves, the princess and the mayor turned to see the town’s resident heroes running through the streets towards them.
“Princess Celestia!” Twilight Sparkle called to her former mentor as she came to a stop in front of town hall. Looking around at their vandalized town had them in a panicked confusion. It reminded them of the parasprite infestation. Yes, the buildings could be repaired, but they could see the trauma in the eyes of their fellow citizens as they nursed their wounds and assessed the damage done to their property.
Relieved to see that her faithful subjects and dears friends had returned from confronting the Dragon King, Celestia offered the six mares and the dragon a small yet sad smile. This wasn’t the homecoming she had hoped to be awaiting for them.
“What happened?” Twilight frantically asked. “Is everypony alright?! Where’s Flash Sentry? Evening? Midnight?”
Her companions’ thoughts were also with their own loved ones. Rarity and Spike immediately thought of Amethyst, Applejack and Fluttershy thought of the other members of the Apple Family, Pinkie thought of Cheese Sandwich and their children, and Rainbow Dash was concerned about Soarin and Thunderbolt.
Celestia’s smile quickly faded, knowing it was her responsibility to relay the bad news. “Come with me. It is better that you see for yourself.”
They shared an alarmed look before following the Princess towards Twilight’s Castle. By the white Alicorn’s tone, they knew that they weren’t going to like what she had to tell them. Upon entering the crystalline castle, they saw that it wasn’t spared from the catastrophe that had befallen the rest of the town. While passing through the hallways, they saw the relief workers straightening the skewed carpets and upturned furniture.
They came to a stop at a bedroom door, Twilight immediately recognizing it as her son’s room. Overcome by the worst of dread, she rushed pass Celestia as the door opened to reveal Evening Star sitting upon his bed as physicians wrapped bandages over cuts and scratches that covered his body and limbs.
“Evening Star!” Twilight cried as she ran to the bedside and held a bandaged hoof.
“Mother,” the purple Pegasus greeted, wincing as antiseptic was applied to an opened wound.
“Who did this to you?!” she demanded to know. Spike snaked his long neck into the room pass the others to get a good look at the state his younger brother was in. Like their mother, Spike was enraged and horrified to see him like this.
“I’m glad that you’ve returned safely,” Evening Star told them, smiling despite the pain. “But while you were gone, Hargon’s forces invaded Ponyville.”
“Hargon?!” they all exclaimed upon hearing the sorcerer’s name.
“What happened? Where’s your father? Your sister?” Twilight asked, fearing for them as well. If her son was in such a condition, what about them?
“And Amethyst?” Spike added.
“They’re already gone,” Evening Star explained. “Midnight, Amethyst, Thunderbolt, Posey, Surprise, Sour Apple; they’ve already left to save the others.”
*****
The previous night, around the same time her mother was exploring the depths of Charlock Island, Midnight stood on the balcony of Twilight’s Castle alongside her father, Flash Sentry. Both were looking steadfastly to the southeast. Twilight Sparkle has been on many adventures, even life threatening ones but always came through. However, it was never easy to watch her leave. If Flash had his way, he would have sent an entire army to protect her and the others. However, he knew stealth was essential to their mission and such an escort would only draw unwanted attention to them.
Midnight, on the other hoof, secretly wished she was there right alongside the Elements of Harmony. Growing up, she had heard of all the amazing things they had accomplished over the years. Rarity owned and operated a highly successful clothing line across Equestria. Rainbow Dash was a Wonderbolt, now their captain! Her own mother was the Princess of Friendship.
Like her mother, Midnight was Princess Celestia’s top student and a magical prodigy, but hasn’t yet been able to prove herself in the field. The only real adventure she had been on was last year when Chrysalis kidnapped her and her friends. It was her brothers that were the true heroes that day. Evening Star had rescued them from their prison, and Spike was the one who finished the Changeling Queen once and for all.
Midnight frowned. As the youngest of three siblings, she was subjected to the overprotection of two doting parents and two big brothers. It wasn’t as though she was unappreciative of her brothers or jealous. She just wanted to know when would it be her time to shine. If they kept her from leaving the nest, then she would never learn to fly, both metaphorically and literally. How could she become an Alicorn if she was nothing more than a sheltered shut-in? Her mother would have never met her friends and became the Princess of Friendship if Princess Celestia hadn’t sent her to Ponyville during the Summer Sun Celebration, and she was no older than she was now!
“Bit for your thoughts?” a voice interrupted her discontent sulking. Looking to her right, she saw it was her father that had broken the silence.
“Oh! Um… I was just thinking… about Mom,” Midnight told Flash Sentry. Flash offered his distraught daughter a comforting smile as he draped an orange wing across her shoulders.
“She’ll be fine,” he reassured her, though he was just as concern as she was.
“And what about Spike? Do you think he’s up to it?” The children had been made aware of Spike’s relation to the Dragon King. There was no point in hiding it, especially when Amethyst confronted her parents about it last night.
“I’m sure he is,” Flash responded. “Don’t forget about the Changelings.”
“But an army of Changelings is nothing compared to an army of dragons!”
“I’m not talking about Chrysalis and her mindless drones. I’m talking about King Thorax and his Changelings, the real ones. If anyone can make peace with the Dragon King, it’s Spike.”
Midnight had met King Thorax a few times at royal summits. He was an old friend of Spike's. Befriending both King Thorax and Dragon Lord Ember, Spike was a great diplomat. Midnight remembered the story of how Spike was first to befriend the peaceful Changeling. She also remember the story of how it was Thorax, along with Starlight Glimmer, Trixie, and Discord, who went on a daring rescue mission to save the most important ponies in Equestria without the aid of their magic. Once Thorax learned to give love instead of taking it, he was able to change himself and the other Changelings into something new, something better. They were able to overthrow Chrysalis, and from that day on, the deposed tyrant only produced mindless drones as to prevent any further insurrection.
“I guess you’re right.” Midnight leaned against the railing, resting her head on her folded fore legs. As she gazed into the distance, she noticed an orange glow past the town’s limits. It was coming from Sweet Apple Acres. Alarmed, she rose up but heard someone step onto the balcony behind them. Flash turned his head to see Lieutenant Sworn Duty along with a Unicorn guard.
“Your Highness, there’s a fire at Sweet Apple Acres!” Sworn Duty reported, sending a wave of panic through Midnight.
“Call in the weather team! We need rain clouds now!” Flash Sentry ordered.
“They’re on their way. Prince Evening Star already went to get them,” Sworn Duty reported, but then their attention was caught by the sound of breaking glass. Looking back over the balcony, they saw smoke rising as a thatched roof of one of Ponyville’s houses catch fire. Hearing another crash, they looked to see shadowy figures throw a torch through a store window before running off into the night.
“What in Equestria?!” Flash exclaimed. Then came the panic shouts of the ponies inside as they discovered their homes were on fire. Hearing the commotion, more ponies looked out their windows and stepped out of their doors to see what was going on. Seeing the hooded figures running through the streets and setting fire to the building started a panic. With Evening Star getting the weather team to combat the fires, it was up to him to rally the remainder of the guards to stop the vandals.
“Midnight, stay here,” Flash told his daughter as he turned to run out of the castle.
“But Dad, I want to help!” she protested.
“I know you do, but I want you to stay here. Find Amethyst and stay put until I get back.”
“But I can use my magic to…”
“Sworn Duty. Live Wire. Make sure she stays safe,” Flash ordered the green Pegasus and white Unicorn.
“Yes, sir!” Live Wire saluted as she and Sworn Duty barred Midnight from leave through the castle doors.
“Father!” Midnight shouted in protest, but Sworn Duty stepped closer to her.
“Please, Princess,” he urged her while gently leading her back inside. She wanted to help save her friends’ farm, but she obeyed her father’s wishes and followed the two guards towards Amethyst’s room. With her parents gone to face the Dragon King, the Kirin was staying at Twilight’s Castle. Upset from being pushed to the sidelines again, Midnight didn’t even notice the look Sworn Duty shared with Live Wire. Sworn Duty stopped and procured a small ring from his armor, Live Wire grinned and nodded upon seeing it.
Noticing the two had stopped, Midnight looked up and asked, “What-”
Before she could say anything else, a crack of thunder echoed throughout the halls and a paralyzing pain struck Midnight. Live Wire had turned and fired a lightning spell, her specialty, at Midnight point blank. She screamed soundlessly as her body seized up and then collapsed on the floor. The two guards stood over the princess, sparks of electricity still arching off of her body and her legs twitching.
Sworn Duty crouched down and slipped the black ring around her horn. He knew that Midnight was a highly skilled Unicorn and wasn’t going to take any chances with her as they transported her back to their master. As he secured the lock on the ring, Midnight stirred. She groaned and opened her eyes, looking up at Sworn Duty with hurt and betrayal in her eyes.
“Sworn Duty… Why…” she moaned. He didn’t answer. Instead, he coldly looked down at her as Live Wire lifted her up with her magic. Seeing the true Sworn Duty, she realized everything else was just a facade. His friendliness, his loyalty, his compassion; all of it had been a ruse to earn her trust. What hurt even more was the fact that Midnight had even started to harbor an affection for him. Was she really that naive?
*****
At Sweet Apple Acres, Big Macintosh was busy fighting the fire that was threatening to consume the orchard. Along with him was his nephew, Sour Apple, and his daughter, Posey. Using buckets and hoses, the three Earth Ponies did their best to fight the fire until the weather team could arrive. The dozen trees that were set ablaze were deep into the orchard, far from the house and the town. While still small, they could grow out of control and threaten the whole town.
Sour Apple was relaying the buckets, running them to Posey so she could refill them with the hose and then hauling them back to his uncle. Though occupied with fighting the fire, a troublesome thought lingered in the back of his mind; someone had to start the fires.
Watching from the safety of the farm house was Apple Seed. She had awoken to a commotion only to discover it was her family rushing out to fight the fires. They told her to wait in the house for the weather team to show up. As she looked out the window, there came a knock at the door. Thinking it was the fire fighting weather team, she ran down the stairs and opened the front door. Instead of a team of Pegasi, there was an Earth Pony stallion wearing a white robe. Though she had never seen before, she was amazed by how much he looked like her.
“Move those clouds!” Evening Star barked as the weather team and Pegasi Royal Guards created a perimeter of rain clouds around the burning trees. Thunderbolt, Soarin, and the other Pegasi pushed the gray clouds into position. “Now!”
On his mark, they bucked the clouds and released a downpour upon the burning trees. Steamed rose as the rain doused the flames until they were completely extinguished. Below the Pegasi, the Apples sighed with relief. Though these particular trees were lost, they had saved the orchard. As the rains ceased, Evening Star and Thunderbolt hovered down to speak with the Earth Ponies.
“Is everypony alright?” Evening Star inquired.
“Eeyup,” Big Macintosh answered.
“Thank you, Thunderbolt,” Posey said to her coltfriend, nuzzling him affectionately.
“Um… Just doing my job,” Thunderbolt blushed.
“Hey, something’s wrong! Look!” Soarin broke up the moment by pointing towards towards town. Flying up to see what his father was talking about, Thunderbolt was shocked to see the glow of more flames coming from Ponyville. There was no way the fire could have spread to the town!
“We got to go. Move out!” Evening Star ordered. Gathering the clouds, the Pegasi flew towards Ponyville to combat the fires.
“Oh, my goodness!” Posey gasped with concern.
“It’ll be alright, Posey. We’ll take care of it,” Sour Apple reassured her.
“Mind Apple Seed ‘til we get back!” Big Macintosh called back to his daughter as he ran with Sour Apple down the road towards town. Following his instructions, Posey hurried back to the farm house. Approaching the building, she stopped when she saw that the front door was wide open. They hadn’t left from that door; they had gone through the barn.
“Apple Seed!” Posey called out as she ran into the house, hoping the filly would still be there. Receiving no reply, Posey ran upstairs to Apple Seed’s bedroom to discover that she wasn’t there. She quickly checked the other bedrooms and then ran back downstairs. Her heart racing, she began to panic. Running back to the opened door, she looked out into the night, her eyes scanning the rows of apple trees for some kind of sign of her whereabouts. “Apple Seed!”
*****
Hanging limply across Sworn Duty’s back, Midnight was carried through the castle towards the exit. She knew she had to escape, but a magic-disabling ring had been locked around her horn. Her body was still numbed from Live Wire’s surprise attack, and what little she could feel hurt. Regardless, she had to try something. Who knew what fate awaited her?
Looking to the side, she saw a vase on a table they were passing. With all the mobility she still had, she grabbed the vase with her hoof and smashed it against Sworn Duty’s head. The Pegasus shouted in surprise and stumbled, allowing Midnight to fall off his back. Clumsily rising on her wobbly legs, Midnight upturned the table and ran for it.
“Stop her!” she heard Sworn Duty shout from behind her. Midnight rounded a corner just time to avoid being hit by another bolt of electricity. However, her legs gave out and tripped. Even worse, she heard her pursuers closing in on her.
“Amethyst!” she cried out. Unable to fight, she knew that the Kirin was her only hope. “Amethyst! Help me! Help-”
A hoof was placed over her mouth, silencing her call for help. She trashed her head side to side and broke away from the hoof. Opening her mouth, she clamped down on Live Wire’s leg with her teeth. The white Unicorn screeched in pain and then kicked Midnight in the head with her free hoof. The world spun around Midnight, stars dancing in front of her eyes.
“So, you want to bite, huh?” Live Wire growled. “If you’re gonna act like a dog, then maybe you should look like one!”
A blue beam of magic launched from Live Wire’s horn and struck Midnight. Unlike before, there was no pain. Instead, Midnight felt her body shift and shrink. Her hooves became paws, her muzzle lengthened, and her coat became shaggy. A clink resounded as her horn shrank until it disappeared and the ring fell to the floor.
Midnight the blue dog tried to call out to Amethyst once more but only barking came out. Seeing the princess turned into a dog made Live Wire snicker with satisfaction. She reached down to grab her, but Midnight turned and ran, barking all the way.
“Grab her before she gets away!” Sworn Duty shouted as he and Live Wire pursued the yapping dog down the hall.
*****
The citizens of Ponyville ran screaming from their burning homes as the robed ponies continued their rampage. Carrying a torch, one of the marauders approached a multi-colored building with a roof shaped like a party hat. The pony raised his hoof to throw the torch through a window, but the window sprang open to reveal the business end of a cannon.
“Uuuhhh…” the robed pony was able to utter, frozen with absolute terror, before being blasted away by confetti paper.
“Not this house, Buster!” Surprise shouted from behind the deluxe-size party cannon as Cheese Sandwich reloaded it to shoot at another robed pony. Seeing their comrade knocked senseless by the party cannon, more robed ponies ran to the party store with criminal intent.
Seeing more of the invaders approaching their store, Cheese Sandwich turned to Cherry Pie. “Release the Gummy.”
Approaching the door, the robed ponies were about to knock it down before it suddenly opened to reveal the snapping jaws of a not-so-gummy Gummy. The marauders yelled as an eighteen foot long alligator chased them down the street with a pink and red filly riding on his back.
Coming to rescue, Evening Star and his Pegasi guards arrived at the town. Looking down, Evening Star saw the culprits in the process of terrorizing the hapless Ponyville ponies. Turning to Thunderbolt, he said, “Take care of those fires!”
“Got it! Let’s go!” Thunderbolt called as he led the weather team in pushing the rain clouds over the burning houses.
While they were busy putting out the fires, Evening Star and the guards swooped down to the streets and landed in front of a gang of the robed ponies. One of them was holding a torch, but the flames fizzled out once the rain began. The hooded vandals froze as the Pegasi unexpectedly landed in front of them and fanned their wings intimidatingly. “Halt! You’re all under arrest!”
This was met with a hooded Unicorn throwing his extinguished torch at the Prince with his magic. Evening Star rolled to the side, evading the projectile with ease before lunging at the assailant. He tackled the Unicorn and pinned him on the street, one hoof holding a leg behind the Unicorn’s back and the other hoof covering the Unicorn’s horn, disabling his magic in standard Unicorn apprehension procedure.
Subduing one opponent, Evening Star snapped his head up to look at the others. They were wearing the white robes marked with a bat that signified that they were a part of the mysterious cult that was instigating the destruction of Equestria. Seeing their comrade taken down so easily had caused them to hesitate temporarily, but when Evening Star’s guards walked up behind them, they unexpectedly grinned at the prince. This confused Evening Star and he cast a glance over to an accompanying guard in time to see the Pegasus leaping towards him.
Releasing the Unicorn, Evening Star leaped back and dodged the guards attack. Then the other guard made a move against him. He spun around, parrying the attack with his wing. Moving back, he could see the cultists and the two guards advancing on together. “What do you think you’re doing?!”
“Sorry, my Prince,” a Pegasus guard sneered. “But we have our orders. Hail Hargon.”
“Hail Hargon,” the other guard repeated along with the robed lunatics.
“Traitors,” Evening Star glowered at his former comrades, realizing that they were in league with zealots. He unfurled his wings once more, ready to fight even though he was outnumbered six to one. They began to spread out, circling around the purple Pegasus to trap him. Evening Star scanned left to right, sizing up his opposition.
Before any of them could make a move, a gray and then a blue blur flew from the sky and landed by Evening Star. Standing beside him was Thunderbolt and Soarin. Hearing the sound of running hooves, Evening Star looked behind him to see Sour Apple and Big Macintosh coming to their aid. Though still outnumbered, their odds had improved.
Shouting, the two Earth Ponies rushed forward only to be bucked in the face by the larger Earth Pony farmers. Evening Star fended off the two turncoats, dodging their wing attacks and countering with his own. Evening Star was the Captain of the Royal Guard for a reason. With his superior training and skill, he took on both of them simultaneously. He knocked both opponents to the ground and stood triumphantly over them. Using their amazing speed, Soarin and Thunderbolt darted forward and clobbered the Unicorn and the Pegasus cultists before they could join the fray. As the downed cultists tried to crawl away, the two that remain standing began to back away nervously. Even with the superior numbers, they were no match for the prince and his close friends.
The triumphant ponies’ victory was short lived as they then heard a bestial screech coming from the sky. Looking up, they saw a large ape-like creature with bat wings flying above them. Taking advantage of the distraction, the six cultist made their escape as the demon began to circle rapidly in the air. The wind began to pick up until a violent gust ripped through the streets. The weather team was caught off guard by the sudden wind and struggled to stay in the sky.
Bazuzu snarled as he looked down and spotted his objective. Twilight Sparkle’s son was trying to steady himself as the hurricane-strength winds rocked the town. Bearing his fangs with sinister delight, Bazuzu bolted towards the prince like a rocket. The ape demon tackled Evening Star and started to slash at him with his claws, howling and screeching viciously as he beat him fists on the Pegasus beneath him. A disoriented Evening Star tried to fend off the fiend on top of him but was unable to stop the onslaught. Bazuzu continued to thrash Evening Star without mercy, not planning on stopping until the prince had been beaten within an inch of his life.
An orange hoof made contact with Bazuzu’s snout, knocking the demon off of Evening Star. Roaring with hatred, Bazuzu looked up to see Flash Sentry standing between him and his intended target. Flash cast a quick look towards his son and asked, “Are you alright?”
“Yeah,” a bloodied Evening Star moaned, trying to stand despite his bruises and scratches. More cultist appeared, rallying behind Bazuzu and outnumbering Ponyville’s defenders.
“Fall back to the castle,” Flash told the other stallions.
“We can take them,” Evening Star said as he started to shakily rise to his hooves, but nearly collapsed until Thunderbolt and Sour Apple caught him. His injuries were more severe than he thought.
“No! We need backup. Now go! Go!” With this order, the stallion turn and ran towards the crystalline tree castle. But before they could make it down the street, Bazuzu summoned another blast of wind that knocked Flash Sentry down. Before he could get back up, he grimaced in pain as something jumped onto his back. Clawed hands grabbed hold of his mane, digging into his coat.
Foaming at the mouth in his manic fury, Bazuzu growled into his ear, “I guess you will do.”
“Father!” Evening Star shouted once he saw that Flash Sentry had been caught. Evening Star tried to run back to help him, but Thunderbolt held him back.
“Leave me! Keep going! Send word to Celestia!” Flash cried out as he was swarmed by the mob. Evening Star watch as his father disappeared behind the wall of white robes.
“No! No!” Evening Star shouted.
Big Macintosh stepped in and held the frantic prince back with his superior strength and size. “There’s nothing we can do. C’mon.”
Reluctantly, Evening Star allowed Thunderbolt and Sour Apple to carry him away. Behind him, he could hear the horde rejoice as they carried his father away.
*****
Amethyst awoke to the sound of thunder, her green eyes snapping open. By the way the walls reverberated, lightning must had struck the castle. She panted, her heart racing from being awoken so abruptly. She looked around the walls of the bedroom. The room hadn’t changed much since she was a filly, and that was probably what Twilight wanted. Her grandmother had set this particular room up to be her own personal guest room for when she visited. The walls were painted white and accented with purple and green furniture; her colors. Pictures of her when she was an infant with her parents adorned the walls.
Comforted by the soothing sight of her surroundings, Amethyst sighed and laid back down in her bed, pulling the covers back up. Just as she closed her eyes once more, she heard Midnight’s voice calling to her from elsewhere in the castle. What confused her even more was that it was followed by a dog barking. Alarmed, Amethyst jumped from her bed and left her room in search for the source of the peculiar sound. Outside her room, however, were four Royal Guards.
“What’s going? Is there a dog loose in the castle?” she asked, but got no response. Instead, the guards formed a semicircle around her. Noting their strange behavior, Amethyst backed up warily.
Meanwhile, Midnight was running for her life. Her new canine form gave her the agility to better evade her pursuers. She was able to slipped between Sworn Duty’s hooves and dodge Live Wire’s spells. As proficient as Live Wire was with her magic, she couldn't hit the now smaller target. Her spells were constantly missing their mark, hitting the walls and the decor of the castle instead.
Midnight had a plan; since the ring had fallen off, she would be able to use magic if she could only turn back into a pony. Fortunately for her, she had a solution for that. Midnight made her way to the study, Swore Duty and Live Wire hot on her heels. Coming to the green, crystalline double doors, she pushed against them with her body until they opened. She spotted what she was looking for on the opposite end of the room: her magic mirror. If she could only get to it, the Soul Sight Spell she enchanted it with would turn her back to normal. Salvation in sight, Midnight started to cross the room but yelped when she was pinned down by Sworn Duty.
“Gotcha!” he exclaimed as Midnight helplessly struggled beneath him. Turning to Live Wire, he told her, “Use a body-locking spell!”
Live Wire’s horn glowed electric blue once more and aimed it at Midnight. Midnight whimpered and whined, closing her eyes in anticipation of the spell. She then heard a feral roar followed by Live Wire’s shrieking. Looking back up, Midnight saw Amethyst on top of Live Wire, snarling while slashing at the mare beneath her with her claws.
Distracted by the sudden appearance of the Kirin, Sworn Duty’s grasp on Midnight loosened, allowing Midnight to make a break for the mirror. Running up to it, she looked at her reflection to see her natural self instead of a dog. Her body began to glow as she changed back into a Unicorn. Standing on four hooves once more, Midnight’s body trembled from the disorienting experience. Turning back to Amethyst, she saw Sworn Duty going to help Live Wire. Using her magic, a yellow aura surrounded Sworn Duty and tossed him across the room and into a wall. After tossing him, she vision went blurry for a moment from overexertion. Shaking her head, she called out, “Amethyst!”
Looking up from Live Wire, Amethyst left the mare on the ground and ran to Midnight. “C’mon! Let’s get out of here!”
Following Amethyst’s lead, Midnight ran to the study’s door but stopped once they saw the four turncoat guards that confronted Amethyst outside of her room, covered with scratches and burns. This was a fight they couldn’t win. Even though Midnight and Amethyst were two of the most gifted spell casters in all of Equestria, they were up against six highly trained soldiers. Both parties were fatigued from fighting, but the aggressors now had the advantage with their superior numbers.
A bolt of lightning struck Amethyst across the back, causing her to cry out in pain. Midnight caught her in her hooves and looked back to see Sworn Duty and Live Wire were already back on their hooves. Covered in scratches, the seething Live Wire looked like she was ready to kill them on the spot. Holding a groaning Amethyst, Midnight frantically looked between the four guards in front of them and two behind them. She then thought to teleport and tried to summon her magic, but was still too dizzy to concentrate properly. Every time she tried, the yellow glow around her horn would flicker and sputter, leaving her panting.
Seeing that the two princesses were unable to escape, Live Wire smirked triumphantly and prepared another lightning attack. On the desk, Aurum’s golden orb came to life and rolled off the table. Shattering upon the floor, an explosion of golden light filled the study. Everypony shielded their eyes from the intense flash. Once the light cleared, everyone stepped back and gasped in horror as a light construct of a golden dragon towered over them. The dragon made of light snarled down at the ponies and then unleashed a deafening roar as it dove at them. Midnight and Amethyst flinched and closed their eyes, but the dragon passed harmlessly through them. Instead, it slammed against Live Wire, carrying her through the air. It then collided with Sworn Duty and the other four guards, knocking them out of the study and sending them careening down the hallway.
The guards landed in a heap, moaning in pain as they slowly tried to get back up. Looking back down the hallway, Sworn Duty saw Live Wire lying unconscious on the floor, having taken the brunt of the blow. More importantly, he saw the shining golden dragon standing between him and the two princesses. The dragon glared down at him, wordlessly threatening him.
“Fall back!” Sworn Duty called to the other four guards as he got up and ran.
“What about Live Wire?” one of them asked.
“Leave her! Head back to the rendezvous point!”
With the assailants gone, the golden dragon turned back to Amethyst and Midnight, seeing the pair walking out out of the study to greet him.
“Aurum?” Amethyst asked as she and Midnight approached him, recognizing the dragon. The projection of Aurum’s memories offered them a sad smile, relieved to see that they were safe. With them no longer in immediate danger, he allowed the magic that sustained him to cease. His glowing body then began to dim, and his form started to fade. Seeing this, Amethyst exclaimed, “Aurum! What’s happening?!”
“My orb is broken. The magic that allowed me to be is dissipating,” he calmly explained.
“You’re dying,” a mortified Midnight gasped, looking back to the shattered remnants of the orb. Running back to it, her horned glowed as she levitated the shards. “M-Maybe I can fix it! I know artifact restoration spells!”
“There is not enough time…” his fading voice told her. With every passing second, the more his form became transparent.
“Aurum, please! You can’t die! Not again!” Amethyst sobbed.
“Mourn for me not...” he bid them, trying to ease their distress. “I was never alive… I was merely a tool created to assist you… I am glad… that I was… able… to be… of… service…”
And with that, he faded from existence. There was no time for crying as they heard a door open in the distance. Thinking it was more bad guys, they prepared to run. Just as they were about to make a break for it, the welcomed sight of their friends came down the hall.
“Evening Star!” Midnight exclaimed as she saw Thunderbolt and Sour Apple carrying her bloodied brother down the hall, she and Amethyst running to meet them. “What happened?! Who did this to you?!”
“A monster,” Evening Star told her as she followed them to the study and helped him onto a chair to rest. He looked his sister in the eye, knowing what he had to tell her wouldn’t be easy. “Midnight, they got Father.”
“No,” she gasped, covering her mouth with her hooves. Her eyes watered as he relayed what had happened.
“We have to send word to Canterlot at once,” he urgently told her. Using her magic, she procured a quill and a piece of parchment and quickly jotted down a message for the Princesses.
“Give it to me,” Amethyst told her. Taking the scroll in her claws, she breathed her purple flames on it. Using the letter transporting spell her father knew, the scroll instantaneously was whisked away in a magical breeze. Minutes later, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna appeared in a flash of light, wings flared and ready for combat.
“We received your message. Is everypony alright?”” Celestia asked, concerned for the safety of her precious subjects.
“What has happened?! Where are the miscreants?!” Luna demanded.
“They took off,” Soarin reported, hanging his head. “...with Prince Flash Sentry.”
“We’ve been betrayed,” Evening Star told the Princesses of the Day and Night. At his side, his sister held him for support, both devastated that their father had been captured. “Members of the Royal Guard… my own guard… were in league with the ponies in robes. They attacked simultaneously in multiple locations across Ponyville: the shops, Sweet Apple Acres, the castle.”
“They were targeting us,” Amethyst added. Turning around, she looked at the broken glass orb. “Aurum sacrificed himself to save us.”
A pang of sorrow struck Celestia’s heart. Aurum was an old friend, and she knew that Spike would be devastated by the loss of the priceless orb that contained his memories. She was also troubled that even more of her trusted guard were in league with the cultists that sought their downfall. Right now, the remaining guards that were stationed in Ponyville were helping the weather team to control the fires. But could they be trusted? How far did this corrupt go? There could be spies everywhere, hiding in plain sight.
Again, they heard someone coming down the hallway. Surprise then joined them in the study, proudly announcing, “We’ve driven those weirdos off! They’re running for the hills!”
“More like they got what they wanted,” Thunderbolt despondently corrected her. “They got Midnight’s dad.”
Before Surprise could react, Posey also made her way into the room. The yellow Earth Pony was beside herself with panic, stressful tears running down her face as she ran to Big Macintosh. “Papa! I can’t find Apple Seed!” This alerted everyone, especially Sour Apple. They circled around her as she explained how the door to the house wide open and that the filly was nowhere to be found. Hearing this, everything fit into place. This had all been carefully planned and executed.
“Where could they have taken them?” Midnight asked.
“Maybe she knows,” Surprise suggested, pointing behind them to Live Wire, who was still lying on the hallway floor. Princess Luna then walked up to the unconscious mare, she and the others looking down at the traitor with disdain. The blue Alicorn then closed her eyes in concentration as a silver thread of magic extended from her horn and connected to Live Wire’s forehead. Everypony waited to see what would happen.
Then Princess Luna spoke with an authoritative voice, “Live Wire, can you hear me?”
“Yes,” Live Wire answered while still asleep.
“Who ordered you to attack Ponyville?”
“Lord Hargon,” the sleep talking mare confessed, confirmed Luna’s suspicions.
“What was your mission?”
“To collect ponies to sacrifice to our god, the Great Malroth.” Hearing this caused everyone to gasp. If they were to be sacrificed, this meant Flash Sentry and Apple Seed were immediate danger!
“Where are they to be taken?”
“Crescent Island.” With that, Luna had all the information she needed and severed the link to the mare’s mind.
“There may yet be time to save them,” Luna announced.
“I don’t understand. Where is Crescent Island?” Surprise asked.
“It’s in the South Lunar Ocean, off the coast of Las Pegasus,” Midnight explained.
“I don’t get it. What’s so special about it?” Thunderbolt asked.
“In days of yore, Crescent Island was the lair of the dragon Aquamentus,” Celestia explained. “He kept his hoard in a cave beneath the island, only accessible when the moon reached its zenith.”
“But that’s not long from now!” Sour Apple exclaimed, ready to run out of the study. “We need to go now!”
“Patience, Sour Apple,” Celestia urged him. “I know you wish to save your sister, but we need to form a plan.”
“I’ll tell you what we need to do; we need to rally the rest of the Royal Guard and storm the island!” Thunderbolt shouted.
“Though it pains me to say this, we can’t rely on the EUP,” Celestia said with dismay. Placing a hoof to her face, she sighed. “Not until we learn to what extent their ranks have been infiltrated by Hargon’s disciples. First, Iron Shield and Chain Mail, and now half of Prince Evening Star’s personal guard.”
“Sworn Duty,” Evening Star lamented. “He was my friend. We were in the academy together. I even made him a lieutenant. I can’t believe he was double agent.”
Midnight shared her brother’s pain. In past few days, she had grown close to Sworn Duty. She even started to think that they could have been special someponies. But when he and his co-conspirator attacked her, she saw nothing in his eyes. Nothing but the smug satisfaction of carrying out his orders.
“I will go to Canterlot,” Luna declared. “I shall send relief workers here along with what guards I know that we can trust.”
“I’ll remain here to protect Ponyville,” Celestia added. She then looked at the children of the Elements of Harmony. “We are at our most vulnerable. With your parents facing the Dragon King and us blind to our enemy’s actions, it is you who must save Apple Seed and Prince Flash Sentry. You must go to Crescent Island and stop their unholy ritual.”
“Us?” Posey, surprised by the task presented to them by Princess Celestia.
“Yes, you. Like your parents, the Powers of Harmony flows through you: Laughter, Kindness, Loyalty, Generosity, Honesty, and Magic. They will guide you, protect you, and give you the strength you need to stop this foe that threatens our land. Can I count on you to do this? Not just for me, your parents, or even Apple Seed and Flash Sentry, but for the sake of the entire world?”
The young mares and stallions were humbled by this charge. They were being asked to follow in the hoofsteps of their parents and become heroes. Also, thought of rescuing her father strengthened her resolve. Midnight looked to her dear friends, all of them nodding to her before she turned back to face Celestia. “Of course, Princess Celestia.” Despite accepting this great responsibility, Midnight had a concern. “But time is running out. We might not make it to the island before the moon reaches its zenith!”
“No, you won’t,” Luna confirmed. “They have obviously timed their assault carefully. But they rely on the mercy of the moon. I, however, am the Princess of the Night. Therefore, we have an advantage they lack.” Luna’s horn glowed and there was a flash. Materializing before her was an amulet that depicted the night’s sky, complete with the sigil of a crescent moon. She then bequeathed it to Midnight, saying, “This is the Moonstone. With it, you can unlock the opening to the cave.”
“Thank you, Aunt Luna,” Midnight said, taking the relic.
“Go now. The fate of Equestria may very well be at stake.”
Midnight, Amethyst, Sour Apple, Thunderbolt, Sour Apple, and Surprise bowed to the Royal Alicorn Sisters and proceed to run out of the castle. Soarin and Big Macintosh watched as their son and daughter respectively went off on what was certain to be a dangerous mission. Big Macintosh knew his daughter could be timid, and it pained him to see her go, but he knew that if his wife could do it, then so could she. Thunderbolt felt a swell of pride as his son went off to become a hero just like his mother.
Evening Star started to rise from his seat, groaning as his injuries protested any movement he made. “Hold on. Wait for me,” he grunted, but Celestia prohibited him from rising with a gentle hoof.
“No, Evening Star. You are in no condition to go anywhere,” she told him.
“But they’ll need my help,” he claimed.
“But you need to rest and recover.” He was about to argue further, but his Aunt gave him the stern, authoritarian look of a mother doing what’s best for a child despite their protests. “That’s an order, Nephew.”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” he relented with a sigh, sitting back down. He was a stickler for rules and protocol, and Celestia knew how to take advantage of that; he would not disobey a direct order from the High Princess of Equestria. Watching his sister and his friends leave, he prayed for their safety and for their success.