//------------------------------// // The Imprisoned Sisters // Story: The Thousand Year Change // by Darthvalgaav //------------------------------// Land Share sat in one of the seats in the main control room of the castle, staring at the center screen. It was large, taking up an entire wall. On it, the senator could see the planet clearly as well as all of the crystals used in Operation: Umbrella. He could also see Crescent Hope, the marvel of Republic technology floating there in the middle of space with its crew (no doubt) trying to break free of their remote control. But all of that paled in comparison to the TOM. It was simple looking, but its sheer size caused a tremble of fear to course through the elder pony’s body. The one he had chosen already had all of the ice mined from it so that the Republic wouldn’t suffer. However, not all of the minerals inside of it, which was the same used in their anti-magic technology, had been removed. This was another reason it was chosen. Only a select few had the magic and the skill needed to break it off its course with that stuff in it. And they had been taken care of, their locations known only to him. Of course, even that was a moot point thanks to the engine attached to its back going at full blast which would make it even more difficult for anypony less than Princess Luna. At the top of the screen was a countdown timer in bright red numbers. In less than forty eight minutes the TOM would hit Canterlot Mountain and end the world. In less than forty eight minutes, the Republic would be safe for the far foreseeable future. As his eyes moved away from the countdown clock, Land Share noticed something on the screen. Whatever it was, it was small and it was leaving the planet. He raised an eyebrow while pressing a few buttons on his chair to magnify the image. Once this was completed Land Share saw that the object turned out to be one of their shuttles. For a brief moment, he wondered who might be in it. Could it have been one of the shuttles that had been raiding Equestria returning late? That was certainly a possibility. Equestrians who had somehow learned how to operate technology well beyond their ability to understand, coming here with a mana bomb or something in the hopes of defeating them? Laughably unlikely. But in the end, it didn’t really matter. Whoever was in the craft would be dealt with when they got to the moon. Everything was in motion and there was no stopping it. -x- “This…This can’t right,” said Shining Armor in complete disbelief as he stared at the screen in front of him. Cadence sat next to Shining Armor in the shuttle, trying to take everything in. In front of her was a screen showing her the wonders of space like she had never seen before. There were so many stars that it through her mind through a loop. The planet below them, from what she had seen, had brought a tear to her eye at its sheer awe and spender. While she had been on the moon before, she had never seen space like this and had desperately wished it had been on far better circumstances. Everypony else was seated behind them along with any belongings they had wanted to take with them. Granny Smith had given them a barrel of apples in case they were hungry as well as some apple pie. Zecora had supplied them with some emergency medicines that she had quickly whipped up. The last thing they had brought on board with them were Midnight’s rocks. Since they didn’t know how long they would be gone and seeing that there was plenty of room, Cadence thought it would be a good idea to not leave her daughter’s gifts at the Apple family farm. Along with Ruby, Lone Wolf, and Darkwing there was also Trixie who had voiced her desire to come along. She had said that they might need her ‘great and powerful magic’ to aid in whatever was going on. Coming along with Trixie was Sunset, a decision that caused all of the Lunar ponies to become agitated as far as Cadence could see. It looked like, for a moment, Shining was going to object but the urgency of whatever was going on caused him not to. But despite this, there was a powerful air of tension in the shuttle that caused Sunset to stay close to Trixie. Shining Armor had been true to his word, telling her everything that had been going on from his point of view while also filling in some holes that Trixie had either forgotten to mention or didn’t know about. He had told her what had happened in Canterlot when Princess Luna first arrived, being met with hostility from the guards and how the Equestrians started the fight. He then went on about the war vote, sending a pony named Derpy down to ask for their surrender, and all the preparations for the conflict. Shining’s role in all of this was to find her and bring her to safety so that Luna could make her the sole ruler of Equestria until Celestia was fit to rule once more by their standards. He had also told her about Operation: Umbrella, their method of getting rid of Discord once and for all. The original plan was to send out a worldwide notice before activating it while surrounding Discord. Seeing the look of horror on Cadence’s face, Shining began to talk about the safety procedures they had in place when his attention was caught by the object next to the moon. “Shining Armor, is that part of Operation: Umbrella?” asked Cadence. Shining shook his head. “No, it’s not,” he said as he began to push several button in front of him. Moments later, data began to scroll around the screen in front of them at an alarming pace. “That’s a TOM. And it shouldn’t be there. According to the schedule, there isn’t one that supposed to be shot into the sun anytime soon.” More data began to appear on the screen making Cadence wonder how Shining Armor could keep up with it all. “I-It’s not heading for the sun. It’s heading for the planet!” “WHAT!?” yelled Cadence getting everypony’s attention in the shuttle. She wasn’t sure what a TOM was, but she could see the fear in Shining Armor’s eyes and the tremble on his entire body. “Thi- brzzzzzzzzt of Cres- brrzzt copy?” The data rolling across the screen vanished and in its place was, as far as Cadence could tell, snow. However, for what seemed like brief moments, a mare sitting in a fancy chair appeared just before being replaced with snow. Cadence saw Shining frown and look over at the large spaceship they were quickly approaching. “That’s…odd,” said Shining as he began to press more buttons. “Let’s see if I can’t boost the signal a bit. Ah, there we go.” “This is Captain Starway of the Crescent Hope,” said the mare, her image coming in clear. “Shuttle craft, can you hear me? Please respond.” “This is Captain Shining Armor,” said the stallion after pressing one final button. By the look on the mare’s face when he did that and the way her eyes looked at him then to her before locking onto him again, Cadence could tell that she could not only hear him but also see them as well. “Captain Armor, it is good to see you,” said Starway looking relieved for a split second. Then her face hardened. “We are experiencing a problem. Me and my crew have lost control of Crescent Hope. Right now the only things we have any control over are the environmental controls and just now short range communication. We are working around the clock to try and regain control.” Shining slowly nodded. “Do you require our assistance?” “Even if I thought you could help I can’t even open the shuttle bay doors,” said Starway ruefully. “I see,” said Shining. “Do you have any idea what caused this?” “Sadly…yes,” replied the captain with some hesitation. “Shortly before we lost control, the Lunar Guard began teleporting to Crescent Hope in mass. Fighters, those that survived their assault on Discord, began heading towards the ship. We tried to contact the Princess, but we were then cut off and we lost control. The only thing I can think of that could do all of this is the central control system in the castle.” Shining Armor sat there for a moment as that information sunk in. The system that Starway had just mentioned was one of the Republic’s safeguards. It was made in case some poor, deranged pony suffering from space madness or the like ever got hold of a military craft. This system could cut off the pilot’s control and then bring the craft back to Dome Zero. The system also had access to other things like armor teleportation and…TOM controls. “I see you understand,” said Starway as look at Shining’s expression. “Captain Armor, do you think…is it possible that Princess Luna is overstepping her-” “NO!” screamed Shining Armor. “How dare you even suggest something like that!” “I don’t know what’s going on,” replied Starway, her eyes narrowing a bit. “And I don’t have the same closeness to her as you do. I am more able to keep an open mind.” “If Princess Luna wanted to drop a TOM on the planet, she would have done so right away,” snarled Shining. “She wouldn’t send three hundred ponies down there just to teleport them back up.” “Perhaps you’re right,” said Starway. “Or perhaps something has happened to her that we are unaware of. In any case, we need to find out what is going on and stop it. Captain Armor, the shuttles are right now the only things that are unaffected by the control system. As far as I know, you are our only hope. We- bzzzzzzzt need- bzzzrt-” “We must be getting out of range,” said Shining as he stared that the screen. He began to manipulate the controls and everypony felt the craft began to move faster. “Shining,” began Cadence. “Can you please tell me what is going on?” “Right now: getting this thing to go as fast as it can,” said Shining without looking away from the controls, his hooves moving as fast as they could access them. His coat began to dampen in his own sweat. “Because if we don’t get to the Republic very, very soon, Equestria will be gone.” -x- Meanwhile, in front of the castle in Dome Zero, fifteen LBI agents were standing in front of the main doors. Each and every one of them stared forwards while wearing the black gloves on their forehooves, electricity dancing across their surface. Those of whom were pegasi had their wings open, ready to take flight regardless of how long they had to wait. The unicorns were also prepared, their horns glowing with the promise of a magical spell that would be unleashed at a moment’s notice. A sudden noise caused many of their ears to twitch. It sounded like metal hitting metal, with one (maybe both) being twisted and bent. Yet none of them looked like they were going to investigate or make any other type of movement. Their orders were to remain where they were and to guard their position at all costs. And so the continued to stare at the gate in front of them that separated the Platform Station from the castle. A millisecond later they discovered what had made that noise. The gate that they had been staring at was knocked off its hinges as a shuttle came charging through at full speed. The LBI agents reacted on survival instincts, lunging out of the way or pressing themselves against the ground in the hope that they wouldn’t be run over and killed on impact. As the shuttle flew over those who had pressed their bodies against the grey, rocky surface of the moon, nopony noticed that the rear of the shuttle had opened. Nor did they see Shadow Blade leap out of the back as the shuttle crashed through the main entrance, the nose of the shuttle dipping towards the ground as he did. And when Shadow’s hooves hit the ground, the shuttle had crashed against the floor where it then began to skid forwards until there was an explosion of flames. And before the LBI could even turn their heads to look at the entrance, Shadow Blade was gone. -x- At the same time, two figures moved towards a section in the dungeon where the Princesses were being kept. One of them was Lightning Dust who had a scowl on her face as she led the other, Hot Pants, to their destination as best she could. However this wasn’t easy for a few reasons. Lightning’s run in with the LBI had slightly injured her hind leg, giving her a slight limp. Hot Pants had it much worse, looking pale and that she would pass out at any moment. The unicorn mare was also still wearing her Canterlot Royal Guard uniform which had a hole in it. Something that Lightning Dust was doing her best not to look at. A sudden crash from upstairs caused the two to halt for a moment. “What…What was that?” breathed Hot Pants as she and Lightning looked up at the ceiling. “No idea,” said Lightning, getting the other mare’s attention. Hot Pants lowered her head and her eyes fell on the Lightning’s mechanical wings. Something about those wings sent a shiver down her spine and she found herself staring at them for a moment too long as Lightning turned her head. It didn’t take Lightning long to realize what Hot Pants had been staring at. Her face quickly contorted in anger as she turned her entire body around to stomp towards the unicorn. Soon their muzzles were inches apart with Lightning visibly gritting her teeth. “What the buck are you staring at?” growled Lightning, knowing full well what the answer was. “I,” began Hot Pants as she took a step back, but a snarling Lightning moved to keep the distance between them constant. “I was just remembering that after the battle yesterday we found some wings on the ground while digging through the bodies. Some, ah, turquoise wings. I just-” Hot Pants was silenced when she was suddenly slammed into the wall. “So you were there huh,” snarled Lightning as her anger began to rise. She was sure that Hot Pants could see flames in her pupils based on her expression. Hot Pants gave a nod that caused Lightning to see red for a moment before she suddenly backed away. Slowly Lightning began to take deep breathes as she shot a glare at the mare. She hadn’t liked the idea that she would have to rely on an Equestrian for help, let alone one of the ponies who were there when she…lost her wings. But she needed somepony’s help and while her injuries made her more of a hindrance, her military experience might help. And Lightning Dust would rather not put a civilian in the line of fire. So, for now, Lightning needed this Equestrian. “I-I’m sorry about what happened,” said Hot Pants quickly. “What happened yesterday was Stareye and Blueblood’s doing. They w-were riling up the others and-” “Shut up,” snapped Lightning, not bothering to look at her. “Let’s just keep moving,” With that, Lightning began to walk as fast as she could with the other mare trailing right behind her. “Again, I’m really sorry about what happened,” said Hot Pants, much to Lightning’s irritation. “I know you’re all not bad like the stories and ponies like Blueblood say you are. One of your bat ponies saved me and somepony who is very dear to me. He could have-” “Shut…the buck…up,” hissed Lightning while turning her head to glare at Hot Pants. “In case you haven’t figured it out yet, I don’t really like you all that much. So shut your trap. The less I have to deal with you the better.” As Lightning turned her head to look forwards, Hot Pants felt her own anger begin to build up. All she was trying to do was be nice. But ever since she had been dragged out of that…thing that was supposed to heal her and told to help her save Equestria from stuff she barely understood, the pegasus in front of her had either ignored her or was downright hostile. In fact… “Why are you doing this?” asked Hot Pants suddenly. “Why are you still talking?” barked Lightning as she kept walking. However, she stopped when she heard the hoofsteps behind her cease. Growling with annoyance, Lightning turned around to see that Hot Pants was sitting down. Lightning glared at the mare who returned the glare with far less hostility. “We need to keep moving.” “Not until I get an answer,” said Hot Pants hotly. “You really don’t seem to like Equestria all that much. In fact, after all that I’ve seen from your ponies, I don’t think any of you really like us! So why not see us all die? Why protect something you don’t like?” Lightning’s eyes became even narrower. “Get moving,” she said before turning around. “We don’t have time to waste.” “Not until-” Hot Pants couldn’t her sentence before Lightning spun around upon her. With one hoof the pegasus mare grabbed Hot Pants by her armor and brought her in so close that it was impossible to see anything but Lightning’s anger fueled eyes. “You’re right, I don’t like you right now especially in that armor,” growled Lightning. “And if I could, I would try and do this myself. I would fly circles around the LBI agents before knocking them down on their plots. But right now I can’t because my bucking wings were cut off by some lucky Equestrian soldier and I’m not ready to start my training with these new ones. Also it takes at least two ponies to do this. Now, listen to me very closely, shut the buck up while we go to stop somepony I thought I knew from making you Equestrians right about us.” With that, Lightning let go of Hot Pants. There was no shoving backwards or anything like that, Lightning just let her go before turning around once again and walking away. This time Lightning’s pace seemed a bit more hurried, like she was making up for lost time. Deciding it would be best to hurry as well, Hot Pants got up and did her best to keep up with the pegasus. “Ah, right about what?” asked Hot Pants as she moved as fast as she could. “That we’re monsters,” replied Lightning without turning around. -x- Down in their cell, Luna and Celestia were far from idle. Luna had been banging her body against the cell bars as hard as she could since Land Share had left. She could feel her body bruising but she paid it no mind. With each second that passed she seemed to try harder than the last. Celestia, on the other hoof, was examining the cell in an attempt to find a way out. She had already walked around their confinement several times, tapping on the bars and walls to see if there was any weak point she might be able to exploit. Yet it seemed everything was in pristine condition. And the fact that Luna was making so much noise wasn’t helping her any. “Luna, would you please stop?” asked Celestia with some irritation in her voice. “NO!” screamed Luna before slamming her body into the bars. “I need to get out of here and stop Land Share!” “Well doing that isn’t helping,” stated Celestia as she watched her younger sister continue to slam her smaller body into the bars. “We need to hurry and get out of here before Equestria is destroyed. And that will only happen once we figure out the weak point of this place.” “There isn’t one,” said Luna before another slam, this one so loud it made Celestia wince as she was sure her sister was hurt. “It was specifically designed to contain the most powerful pony in the Republic: me.” “What?” said Celestia in disbelief as she walked over to her younger sister. “Luna, whoever convinced you to-” “Nopony convinced me of anything,” interrupted Luna before another powerful slam, tears appearing in her eyes now. “It was my idea to create this cell.” Celestia stared at Luna for a moment, her jaw hanging at the implications of this. The shock that her little sister would ever consider making something like this had temporarily frozen her in a state of shock. However the shock didn’t last long as anger and frustration began to overtake the solar princess. In an instant, she was no longer the Princess of Equestria, mover of the sun and kind hearted protector of her ponies. She was no longer the big sister of Luna and daughter of Molten Fury and Oceana. Rage had stripped away all of her masks. “Y-You created all of this?” sputtered Celestia as she waved a hoof around to indicate the cell. “Luna…what the buck were you thinking?! Seriously, I want to know. What possible reason could you have for making something like this for yourself?” Luna said nothing at first as she took a few steps back, tears still in her eyes. “I wanted to keep my ponies safe,” she said right before charging at the bars at full speed only to get knocked to the ground. Before she could get up, Celestia walked in front of her to tower over the younger alicorn with an angry scowl on her face. “You wanted to keep your ponies safe so you built a cell that could contain you?” said Celestia hotly as Luna looked away. “That has to be the dumbest thing I have ever heard in my entire life. I thought you were smarter than this Luna, but it appears I was wrong. I…the logic makes no sense! How is locking you in a place where you can’t use magic supposed to protect anypony?!” “IT’LL KEEP THEM SAFE FROM ME!” shouted Luna as she turned her head up to look at Celestia. Gone was the confidence in her features. Tears were pouring down her face and the look in her eyes… “W-What?” stammered Celestia as she felt her rage freeze in its tracks. Luna gulped. “I have to protect my ponies at all costs,” said Luna, her lower lips quivering. “What if I should ever lose my mind and go crazy? What if my power and authority corrupted me, making me no better than Sombra? My ponies…they would have been left defenseless. It seemed like such a good idea at the time, to reassure them that they would have a way to fight back in case the worst happened.” A sob escaped Luna as she tried to get up, but Celestia held her down with a hoof. “Sister, don’t think like that,” said Celestia. “Something like that would never happen. You need not always assume the worst is going to happen.” “I have to!” wailed Luna. “My ponies depend on me every day! I brought them here, to a place where if a single thing went wrong we will all DIE! We have to be prepared at all times. I have to protect them no matter…no matter what…” Luna’s voice began to choke up while the tears began to flow more freely. She wailed louder than ever, causing Celestia to take a step back. “I-I-I killed them! I killed so many innocent ponies sister! All because I wanted to keep mine safe from harm, to stop Discord from ever coming here. I tried so hard not to use it, I really did. But in the end I had no choice but to use Umbrella against him. I killed him…as well as countless other lives across the planet!” Before Celestia’s very eyes, Luna seemed to break. The night princess’s body curled up into fetal position as she cried even harder. Luna tried to continue to speak despite her sobbing in what sounded like apologies to various ponies and other creatures. Celestia could barely make any of it out, but she did hear Eagle Eye’s name. Celestia was at a loss. She had never seen her sister like this. Luna had always been a bit brash and headstrong, never afraid to question or speak her mind. Yet now, Luna seemed broken. It was as if everything that had been happening had finally caught up with her and Luna could not bear the weight. “Luna,” whispered Celestia as she moved a little closer to her sister. When she did this, Luna looked up at her with tears streaming down her features. “It didn’t need to happen this way,” she sobbed. “If…If I had just killed him and then deactivated Operation: Umbrella then maybe I won’t have killed so many ponies. But instead I gloated over him, explaining to him what had happened so that before he died he knew that the Lunar Republic had bested him. After…After everything he had done to us in the past, all of his sick games, it was so hard not to do! If I hadn’t, then fewer ponies would have suffered.” “Sister, you don’t know that,” said Celestia gently as she laid down next to Luna, draping a wing over the midnight blue alicorn at the same time. “For all you or I know, the moment it was turned on Land Share made it so you wouldn’t be able to turn it off. Then you would have been blaming yourself for turning it on in the first place.” “Celestia, don’t,” said Luna as she used a hoof to wipe away her tears. “Don’t try and sweep all of my mistakes under the rug. This is my fault. I should have-” “Luna, I was wrong,” said Celestia, causing Luna to stop mid-sentence. “Sister, I always thought Equestria was fine the way it was. I kept it the same for a thousand years while telling ponies that all we needed was to be kind to each other. But what I really accomplished was keeping old hatreds and old problems. I knew to a point that bat ponies still weren’t being treated right. I knew that other nations hated us. I saw Discord’s statue crack before my eyes, having to constantly fix it but never trying to solve the real problem. Maybe if I had your decisiveness then maybe things would have turned out better. “I mean, look at all you have accomplished! The wonders of both science and magic right at your hooves, allowing your society to do so much. Your ponies are healthy, strong, and constantly pushing themselves forwards! All because of you. The only thing I have done is kept my subjects living in the past.” “They’re not the only ones living in the past,” said Luna as she shook her head sadly. “My little ponies are guilty of that as well. I didn’t want them to forget where we came from, why we left. I didn’t want them to make same mistake of being defenseless. I wanted to be a strong leader for them, I thought I had to be in order to keep things moving smoothly in this wasteland. But all I did was remind them of old wounds, never allowing them to fully heal. I kept them paranoid and violent. I…was far harsher on those who broke the law than I should have. Perhaps, if I showed them some of the forgiveness and mercy that you are so good at then maybe it would have rubbed off on them instead of my bad temper. “Celestia, your ponies are the lucky ones. They do not live with the fear of death every day and have a whole world to explore whenever they want, full of life and wonder. Because I wanted to keep my ponies safe we live on an isolated and mostly barren rock in space. Because of me, they lack the social interaction that your ponies have with other races and nations.” “You mean the races and nations that wish to do us harm because I value the word of my ponies over the claims of others?” asked Celestia with a sad smile. “At least you talk with other nations,” said Luna. “I have no idea how to deal with other nations. I don’t even know what ‘diplomatic immunity’ is or the modern day customs.” “I guess we both could have done better,” said Celestia soundly. “Maybe…maybe if we both learned how to bend a bit, then this wouldn’t have happened,” said Luna with a sigh. “Something to strive for in the future perhaps,” said Celestia. Luna shook her head. “Sister, it is very doubtful that our nations will ever get along. Especially after the war and Operation: Umbrella. Perhaps it will be better if the Republic remains on the moon while I-” Luna was stopped by Celestia’s hoof gently touching her lips. “Luna, nothing is going to change if we go back to the way things used to be,” she said. “For all we know, things will only get worse. If there is to be any hope for a better future, both sides are going to need time to get to know and understand the other. Only then will there be peace.” “Which won’t happen because of Land Share’s plan,” said Luna bitterly as she looked away. “There is still time,” said Celestia. “But Luna, if we are going to get out of here we need to work together. You know this cell, probably better than any other pony in the Republic. Please, explain to me all of the security you have in place. Perhaps then the two of us can put our heads together and figure something out.” “I…suppose it’s worth a shot,” began Luna. “I have my doubts. When we tested this cell, I was locked in here for a week only leaving to raise and lower the moon. I tried everything I could think of until finally I gave up.” “But you were alone at the time little, er, Princess Luna,” said Celestia. “This time will be different because you’ll have me by your side. Like how it should have been.” Luna nodded before taking a breath, a small smile on her face as she did so. “Very well. For starters, this entire room contains our best anti-magic field technology. Even if that were not the case, right now the anti-teleportation has most likely been activated around the Dome. Meaning if we could use our magic and tried to teleport, we would just end up behind the bars of another cell.” “And with these anti-magic rings on our heads, even if we got out of here we still couldn’t use our magic,” added Celestia as she brought a hoof to her chin. She then eyed the wall behind them. “I suppose it would be too optimistic to assume we can dig our way out?” Luna shook her head. “Even if we could get past the metal, which is just as strong as the bars, I would never allow it. It would take us weeks to dig our way out and once we got to the surface we would be in the vacuum of space. Without our magic we would die and all of the atmosphere in Dome Zero will get sucked out, most likely killing everypony here unless they manage to engage the safety protocols. And with nopony around to redirect the TOM, it would still crash into Equestria.” “Maybe…maybe we could pretend to be sick,” suggested Celestia with a hint of hope in her voice. “I mean, if we can’t forcibly break ourselves free then maybe we can trick them into opening the cell door. Then, when their guard is down we can make a rush for the door or take them out.” Any hope Celestia had for this plan died as Luna shook her head. “That won’t work either,” she said. “This cell monitors our health so they will know if there is a medical emergency. If there is one, steps are to be taken to ensure that we are both knocked out before the sick pony is placed in a healing pod.” “There has to be something,” sighed Celestia as she began to pace back and forth. “Luna, I know you are a smart pony. Surely you must have at least considered the idea that someone might take advantage of this cell in an effort to seize power from you.” “I did,” replied Luna with a nod. “It was difficult, figuring out a method to allow me to escape when the purpose of this cell is to keep me locked up. In the end, I decided it would be best to inform the Royal Guard that in such an event they are to come down here and release me.” “So…your plan is to wait and be rescued?” asked Celestia. Luna nodded. “Ok then. Ah, what would they have to do in order to rescue us then?” Luna turned to look past the bars and at the door. “In order to release me, they would need a minimum of two ponies. On the main floor of this castle, there is a guarded elevator that only goes to this level. Right now, I have no idea how many LBI agents are guarding it. It could be anywhere from one to thirty. After taking out those guards, one pony must be left behind to operate the elevator. You see sister, in the event that I should somehow break out of this cell there will be nowhere for me to go. There are no controls for the elevator on this floor meaning we would be stuck down here.” Celestia groaned. “A bottleneck situation,” sighed the sun princess. “One way in and one way out. Terrific. The minotaur will be pleased that you are using one of their classic strategies.” While Celestia couldn’t see it, Luna rolled her eyes. “From what I remember it worked out very well for them back when I was a filly. Now then, once the guards are taken care of, at least one pony will have to make it down here to deal with a few more guards. Most likely more LBI agents. Thankfully, they will be fewer in number thanks to the limited space. “Once they get past them and make it into this room, things will be easier. I am sure that Land Share changed the codes to open the cell as well as placed a backup system to alert him should the wrong code be entered. But what he doesn’t know is that there is a backdoor system that I put in place. On the wall next to the door is a key pad which, after putting in a five number sequence, will bypass all security measures and allow us to exit freely.” Celestia opened her mouth to say something when a sudden noise caught both of their attention. It was a soft thud noise followed by muffled voices. Both of their eyes widened and their hearts began to pound faster. Hope bloomed in their chests that Luna’s guard was here, already working hard to rescue them. Together they strained their ears, trying their best to see if they could hear anything else that would inform them of a battle beyond the doors and walls that held them. But, sadly for them, the noises had stopped. “I guess that was too much to hope for,” sighed Celestia. “Indeed,” said Luna as she looked down at the ground. “I fear that we are stuck here.” “Maybe not,” said Celestia as she walked closer to the bars. “One said that this cell was meant to hold one alicorn. However, as you can see, that isn’t the case. Perhaps if we ram the bars, our combined strength might be enough to get us out of here. But, this plan only has a chance of working if we do this together.” “I…it might work,” said Luna, sounding thoughtful as she tapped her chin while staring at the bars. “By myself it would take years to even dent them. That’s how they were designed! I never considered the possibility that two beings of equal might working together might stand a chance.” “Sister,” said Celestia as she held out a hoof. “Together?” For a moment, the sun princess held her breath as her sister looked at the extended hoof. Then a smile appeared on the face of Luna as she lifted her own hoof to then place it on top of Celestia’s. Celestia couldn’t help but smile as Luna echoed the word “Together”. Yet before they could lower their hooves, another loud thudding noise interrupted this moment. Then another thud followed by panicked voices. Celestia opened her mouth to ask if Luna had any idea what was happening, but before the words came out of her mouth the door to the air vent flew open while a brightly colored ball landed in the middle of the floor. When it touched the ground, the two princesses saw that this wasn’t a ball at all but instead three foals. “Or perhaps they could help,” said Luna, beaming happily as she recognized two out of the three. “Oh, my head,” said Scootaloo as she slowly got onto her hooves, one of them rubbing her forehead. “Is everypony ok?” “I think so,” said Spike. “But next time, when you see a big drop, let’s not go down!” “I’m going to be sick,” wailed Dinky, who was looking a little green. “Children,” called out Luna, grabbing their attention. The three looked at her in surprise, one that only grew more as they quickly realized that not only Princess Celestia was there but also they were both behind bars. “Wait, is that Spike?” asked Celestia as she stared at the dragon turned colt. “He looks so-” “Later sister,” said Luna quickly as the three approached them. “Princess Luna, are you ok?” asked both Dinky and Scootaloo together. “I’m fine,” said Princess Luna. She thought about asking them how they got into the air duct system, why they did it, and many other questions pertaining to that nature. However, she would have to ask them later. Every second counted! “But I need your help. Over by the door is a key pad that will help unlock this cage. I need one of you to input the combination. Then we can all leave.” “I’ll do it,” said Scootaloo. Eager to continue the search for her mother and thinking that having the ruler of the Republic helping her, Scootaloo quickly crossed the short distance to the other side of the room. There, in plain view, was a number pad that had the same shine as the rest of the metal in the room. If it hadn’t been for the red painted numbers she might not have spotted it. “Ok, please type in the following numbers,” said Luna. “One.” “One,” repeated Scootaloo as she got on her hind legs and pressed the first number. “Two,” continued Luna. “Two,” repeated Scootaloo as she pressed the next button. “Three.” “Three.” “Four.” “Four.” “Five,” finished Luna. “That’s the same combination an idiot puts on her diary or safe,” muttered Dinky as she shook her head while the bars of the cell disappeared into the floor below. Celestia, meanwhile, looked like she was going to cry as she and her sister walked past the threshold. “S-Sister, after all these years you remembered the combination to our diary,” she said while wiping away a tear. “I still use that combination to this day, even with the royal vault.” “It was also the combination to mother and father’s ‘alone room’ as well as Starswirl’s for his more sinister books he wanted to keep out of the wrong hooves,” said Luna with a grin while Dinky stared at her leader, jaw hanging open. “I figured that nopony who ever think that I would use such a…simplistic code for something so important.” “Princess Luna,” said Scootaloo as she approached the night princess eagerly. “My mom. Something happened to her! Everypony believes that-” “Remain calm Scootaloo,” said Luna as she placed a hoof gently on the young filly’s head. “I believe that your mother is in capable hooves at the moment. And after I deal with Land Share and his plot, Twilight will be top among my priorities. But for now, we must leave this place.” -x- ‘Six of them,’ thought Lightning Dust as she peered around a corner, keeping her head low to the ground as she did so. Not too far away, six LBI agents scanned the area while blocking an elevator door. Five of them were standing in an upside down U formation, their direction of their gazes hidden behind their shades. The sixth one was seated behind a desk, a holo-screen floating in front of him which he eyed intently. ‘Looks like these jokers aren’t even trying to hide the fact that something is wrong,’ thought Lightning as she pulled her head back. ‘I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing. All I do know is that if I want to save Princess Luna I need to get past them first.’ Moving as quietly as she could, Lightning approached Hot Pants. Said unicorn looked like she had seen better days. She was standing, but putting most of her weight against the wall to keep herself up. Small patches of sweat could be seen on her fur as she panted gently. “Hanging in there?” asked Lightning. Hot Pants gave a slight nod. “Yeah, don’t worry about me,” she said. Her voice sounded rough, like she desperately needed a drink of water. Lightning would have given her some, if only to ensure the success of the mission. However, Lightning hadn’t brought any with her since there was still a shortage at the moment. The ice that had been brought from the planet was still being tested for bacteria and other such things that they didn’t want contaminating their already short water supply. “Ok, we got a total of six out there,” said Lightning, getting down to business. “Four of them are unicorns and the rest are pegasi. All of them LBI agents equipped with shock gloves along with any natural talent they process.” “Wha-What kind of training do they have?” asked Hot Pants. “Basic close quarters combat,” said Lightning flatly. “The LBI are not fighters, they’re investigators. They find the bad guys and it’s up to the Royal Guard to bring them in. From time to time they go undercover so they are taught how to defend themselves. One on one, they would be a pushover. But right now, they’ve used the current situation to their advantage. Most of the ponies here don’t have any combat training and are used to trusting them. So, right now, it’s just us until my Captain gets his flank over here.” Hot Pants gave a nod to show that she understood. “So, what do you need me to do?” she asked. “Well, I was hoping I wouldn’t need you right now,” said Lightning with a hint of bitterness in her voice. “I managed to take on three of these jerks by myself with a fourth one coming in half-way during the fight. This…This might be a little too much for me in my current condition.” As she said this, Lightning gestured to her mechanical wing. “Still having a hard time moving them so I can forget about flying. I had hoped that there would have been fewer here, but this is just my luck. What I’m going to need from you is some magical backup. If it looks like they’re going to use magic on me, I need you to stop them somehow. Can I count on you?” As Hot Pants nodded, Lightning did her best to keep her face neutral before turning around. Right now, a unicorn from Equestria was the best she could get. Hopefully she wouldn’t live to regret this. Taking a deep breath, Lightning charged around the corner. Instantly, five of the six spotted Lightning galloping towards them at full speed. Almost as one, they reached into the suit coats to get their shock gloves. For the one in the middle, however, it was too late as Lightning turned at the last moment to body slam him with all of her weight. The force of the attack was enough to send him flying backwards into the elevator door, making a loud thud noise before he slid down to the ground. Lightning didn’t waste a moment as she lunged for the agent on her right. The two of them rolled for a bit while the other agents moved in with their gloves firmly on their hooves. This did not go unnoticed by Lightning as she managed to position the LBI agent she had been tussling with in the path of a glove strike. The agent took the blow right in the back, screaming in pain as bolts of electricity ran through him body. Before the attacking agent could pull back his glove, Lightning bucked her fleshy shield at him sending the two of them onto the ground. The pegasus mare leaned back on her hind legs, ready to pounce on her next target. Not giving them a moment to plan their next move or become organized. She knew that as soon as that happened, the fight would be all the tougher. But, just as she was about to spring off into the air, a yellow glow enveloped her body. Her eyes widened in realization of what this meant, but it was too late as she was now being levitated off the ground. “That’s far enough,” said a cold voice from behind her. Lightning managed to look behind her to see that it was the agent who had been sitting behind the desk who had her in his magical field. Movement in front of her caused her to return her attention back forwards to see the one agent crawl out from underneath the one she had used as a shield while the other two moved to her sides. “What should be do with her?” asked one of them. “Our orders are not to eliminate anypony,” said another. “We don’t need any innocent blood on our hooves. Especially one who those blasted Equestrians hurt. We’ll just lock her up until this is over.” “You’re never going to get away with this!” yelled Lightning as her eyes moved frantically for signs of Hot Pants. But there was no sign of her at all. ‘Figures that she would bail on me. I should have known better than to trust her.’ “Seriously, could you be any more cliché?” asked the cold voice behind her. “What do you think this is? Some sort of Boldly Go book where the vill-AAAAAAHHHHHH!” Lightning suddenly noticed that the glow around her body was gone and the artificial gravity of the Dome was kicking in. As she fell, she noticed the shocked and confused looks on the faces of the other agents. What had happened Lightning would worry about later. All she knew now was that she was free and they had been taken by surprise. Lightning Dust would not let this chance go to waste. As she screaming behind her continued, Lightning landed on the ground only to bounce right back into the air and perform a spinning kick right into one of the agents muzzle. As she spun around, she noticed that the agent who had been behind her was crumpled on the ground. His forelegs were clutched to his head where she spotted the jagged remains of his horn. Not questioning what had happened, Lightning landed on the ground just in time to avoid being stuck by a shock glove at her right. Immediately she counted with her own hoof which, while lacking anything special, was powerful enough to knock out the agent as well as shaking loose several teeth. A sudden sound, much like one of Twilight’s magical beams was heard followed by a thud sound. Looking over at the source, Lightning saw the last agent on the ground with a burn mark on his suit. She then spotted Hot Pants around a corner, looking exhausted as she stumbled towards her. If Lightning had to guess, using her magic took a lot of her energy. Lightning didn’t give her a word of thanks, just nodding in confirmation. She then gestured for the unicorn to follow her to the desk. On the way there the pegasus made sure to knock out the agent with a firm blow to the head. -x- Four earth pony LBI agents stood guard at the elevator, keeping watch over that door rather than the one that lead to their princess’ cell. After all, the only way Princess Luna and Celestia were getting out of there was if somepony managed to get past them. So there was no need to keep an eye on it when all of their focus needed to be here. Especially since they had just received a signal saying that the agents on the upper floor had been attacked. If they had been defeated, sooner or later their attackers would come down here and they would be waiting with their shock gloves already on. But when the attack came, it was not in front of them. They were so focused on the door in front of them that they missed the sound of a door opening behind them as well as the sound of eight hooves charging towards them until it was too late. Both Princess Luna and Celestia made quick work of the four earth ponies. While it was true that their magic was gone, that didn’t mean they were helpless. The still had a great deal of strength and training in combat, much more than the four they faced. One of the agents did manage to strike Celestia with a gloved hoof, but thanks to her alicorn biology, it only hurt like the dickens. As the three foals walked towards them, with looks of awe and admiration on their young faces, the door to the elevator opened to reveal Lightning Dust. She jumped out, looking ready for a fight until she saw the agents lying on the ground. “What the-?” exclaimed Lightning as she poked one of them with her hoof. “You mean I only get one fight scene? This is so not cool!” “There will be more battles ahead,” said Princess Luna as she and the others made their way to the open elevator. “I trust you left somepony at the controls upstairs?” “Yeah, some Equestrian named Hot Pants,” said Lightning as she joined the others. “Gave her a quick rundown on how to work the controls.” As she said this, the door closed as they began to be lifted upwards and cheery music began to play softly in the background. “Fancy Pants’ niece is here?” asked Celestia before the elevator stopped and the doors opened. The sun princess stepped out and saw that, indeed, Hot Pants was there. She was slumped over the desk, eyes barely open as she seemed to grow more tired as the seconds passed. “Princess,” said Hot Pants almost lazily as she tried to salute, but Celestia stopped her. “There is no time for that,” the sun princess said quickly. “I am going to go with my sister to deal with Land Share and put an end to his madness. I want you to remain here and get some rest.” “Others are already heading that way,” said Lightning quickly as she turned to look at Princess Luna. “I know Captain Shadow Blade is on his way. Hopefully, with his help, you’ll have everything you need.” Luna raised an eyebrow. “By the sounds of it you will not be joining us,” she said. “Will you be taking Miss Hot Pants to the medical wing?” Lightning shook her head. “No, I’m heading to the hangar bay to work on a backup plan in case you can’t stop the TOM in the control room,” she said. Before Luna could say anything, Lightning took off at full speed not daring to look back.