//------------------------------// // Chapter 24: New Dawn // Story: Our new Friends, Our new Enemies // by The Potato Guy //------------------------------// Solar Virtue So many ponies. So many suspects. The throne room was packed full today for court. Ponies almost squashed together into a blurry mess of hairs and mane styles. Solar prided himself on his keen eyesight, but however hawkish he may be, it would never be enough to spot an assassin in this hoard. Worryingly too was that Princess Celestia had already entered the room, and was currently addressing her large crowd, blissfully unaware of one those listening was about to be her doom. Solar could only search from the side lines, such was this misfortune in being physically unable to get any closer, what with all the bodies refusing to budge. Rising concern and wonder from other ponies emerged as he desperately tried to peek over and maneuverer himself well enough to look for any dangerous activity, yet Solar couldn’t care less if he was making a fool out of himself. If Celestia was successfully taken out, not only would his plans fall about in a dramatic mess, but the lives of others, chiefly Luna’s, would suffer too. And that was a strangely unfamiliar moment of concern and consideration for somepony that wasn’t himself. It was perhaps the latter that so forcibly gave him unnatural speed in getting here. It was perhaps his new care that gave him his current conviction. Mental strength or not however, it could not alone stop this assailant. He would first have to find the killer first, all without creating alarm and panic. That was a key tactic if Solar were to stop the murder of this head of state. Were he to gain any more suspicion , not only would the assassin become aware and make a break for it, but the guards could very well presume the worst of Solar, creating all sorts of issues. If Celestia were to survive this day, the killer would need to be found quietly, and taken out just as much so. Yet there was no given advantage for Solar in that moment, bar the fact that Celestia, for now, was still alive. However, the clock was ticking, loudly so in Solar’s head. Nothing was stopping the assassin from striking right now, and he could do it all while Solar was as ignorant as the rest of the ponies present. Time too was not plentiful enough for Solar to conscript aid. If his rush to get here wasn’t telling enough, then leaving to ask for assistance would just be a fatal error, and were he to tell the guards, their increased activity would surely spook the killer, either causing his escape, or his premature attempt on Celestia’s life. Not preferred outcomes. It frustrated Solar as the seconds went by, each only providing him with only extra panic, and not results. Literally any second could be the last for Celestia, and to all but him, this painful fact was very much felt. Frustration then boiled over to anger. Solar was the Night Warden, and while his role had no relation to Celestia, she, like Luna, was too a Princess, and his job was to practically defend such a thing. Additionally, his past wasn’t one devoid or unfamiliar to the notion of assassination. On the contrary, and with questionable morality, Solar had played his part in trying such a role. This should have helped him right now, having been able to think like the killer, and correctly predict his movements, movements that Solar himself would have taken. Alas, no matter how hard he tried to blend in and become one with the crowd, the situation was simply too delicate, and the crowd too rigid. The best Solar could do right now was a simple, yet excruciating one. He had to just wait. That meant standing here as the would-be killer continued to make plans and chose an opportune moment. The surrendering of initiative hurt Solar. He felt himself give the assassin the very time it would take him to accomplish his task. This alone could have panicked Solar into neglect. Were his worries about inaction to rise any further, then he knew he would surely miss any noteworthy behaviour that would allow him to apprehend the killer. Solar kept his cool however, even as seconds turned into horrific minutes, the room still naught but Celestia’s regal voice, one Solar could not care for, not while her life was in his hooves. Then it happened. A Pegasus, barely a few meters from him, with an almost ill looking grey coat, stared at Celestia with true anger in his eyes. Now while Solar himself would have done this prior to today, what with Celestia’s increasingly incompetent rule, right now the room was only full of adoring and very loyal subjects, or ponies with legitimate grievances, issues they trusted Celestia in all her apparent wisdom to solve. All ponies here either loved her or at least respected her. This pony was not one of them however. With narrowed eyes and gritted teeth, Solar did not see some unhappy citizen who wished to make a complaint. This was a potentially dangerous individual. Solar however did not make his move, not until he was sure. Were he to make a mistake and reveal himself, either the real killer would capitalise on this, or this suspect could plead ignorance through Solar’s lack of proof. Yet Solar struggled to contain himself. He was never the pony to wait in inaction. Never had he been forced to stick to delicate caution while the fate of his objective lay open to destruction. He could not deny it. He was an impulsive pony, and for all his faults, it had worked for him thus far. So he struck. As if to find a better location to see Celestia, Solar gingerly positioned himself behind the suspect, ready to take him out. In his head, he pre readied excuses, and ironically, plans for when the upcoming hustle would disrupt the room. Luckily, for him anyway, extra justification need not be created. From this close distance, Solar could see each individual feather ruffle on the Pegasus. At first he merely thought the assassin to be nervous. No matter how good he could have been at his job, he was still about to take out the most well-known Pony in the land. It would surely be this pony’s highlight of his entire life. Yet this was no nervousness it seemed. He was focused, but not emotional. Oddly enough, the assassin was now freakishly calm, as if his heart and body was devoid of all life and feeling. Yet this was not the immediate concern, for in those ruffled feathers, Solar found his reason to strike. A long thin, but exceedingly deadly blade. Almost bayonet like, it would, without doubt find the heart of any pony, should it be used correctly. Solar however, did not let it get the chance to make its deadliness well known. Like a coiled viper, Solar quickly and quietly latched on to the assailant, his front hoof and leg constricting the assassin’s throat and his other, around the mouth. It was beautifully done, if Solar could say so himself. Despite being surrounded by multiple ponies, at least in front of them, all they could notice was a little quarrel, over so quickly that they could hardly analyse what had happened. Solar too was lucky that the guards nearby, as well as those guarding the door, were aware of who he was, as the shocked looked on their faces upon realising something terrible was up, told Solar they could have, and would have, taken him out, were he not the Night Warden. Solar immediately shook his head to tell them not to act, and just like that, with the assassin constrained, he dragged him out the throne room to the safety of a nearby corridor. By now the guards really were restless. They knew this was bad, but under desperate instruction from Solar, who probably didn’t have as nearly as much order over them as he could have liked, they did not deviate from his wishes. They, admirably, kept calm, ensuring the only other reaction was a few confused civilians. Yet this quiet compliance would not last for long. The guards would undoubtedly raise an alarm of some sorts, before taking the assassin into custody. This would not benefit Solar however, as once the assassin was under the watchful eye of Celestia and her ilk, answers would prove hard to come by. While it was just him and his prey, Solar needed to get what he could. Fast. Keenly aware too that now they were away from watchful eyes, the assassin could fight to defend himself, and not get immediately captured. Showing the impressive dexterity of Pegasi, the assassin, using only his wing appendages, withdrew the dagger, and attempted to force Solar to relinquish his hold on him. Hacking and slashing furiously, the assassin tried desperately to not be branded a failure, but versus Solar, this seemed pre destined. Solar did regret his wincing however as he sustained savage cuts and lacerations from the blade, but a cutting blade it was not. Panicking, the assassin did not drive his weapon deep into Solar with calculated, calm stabs. Bleeding as he was, Solar could not be stopped. “Give me that!” Solar cried through gritted teeth, knocking the blade from the wings as he momentarily let one hoof go of the assassin. Disarmed, all that remained was preventing escape from the assailant, and using his evidently superior strength, Solar achieved this well enough. “Who are you?! Why do you want to kill Celestia?!” simple, clear questions. Yet the face of the Pegasus was not one of weakness, yet nor was it one of defiance. In the face of demanding and clear questions, the pony seemed to be awfully relaxed, given the situation. “You have barely a couple minutes before they come and lock you up. If you tell me what you know, I can make it so that you actually see something but that dark cell with the remaining years of your life!” Of course, being as soft and gentle as they were, the Guards and Celestia wouldn’t necessarily condemn this pony to a life of pain and misery, nor would they give him the sweet relief of death. But he didn’t need to know that. “TELL ME! Or you really wish you’d get the axe!” Solar grew impatient, worryingly so. His time was too limited with the assassin. Should he have dedicated, free amounts with him, Solar knew his dark past would serve him well. He had learned, brutally as it seemed, many specific ways to get somepony talking. Now however, he could not afford such tactics. “I….had to” then came the, still concerningly calm, voice of the pony. It had no veiled fear for his fate, for hope he may escape. He almost sounded tired, as if he was in a trance between the stages of awake and asleep. “Why? Who set you up to this?!” Solar was no fool. While this attack could have been a lone wolf simply disfranchised with the world, Blank Canvas’ warning , combined with the fact that Celestia’s enemies were more high up in the world, literally were the Griffins considered, all but ruled out this pony being alone in this plot. He had a master of sorts, and Solar needed to know why. “I fight for the future” then came the reply Solar hardly cherished. It was one bordering on creepy, what with the now intoxicated like tone to the assassin. “What future?!” barked back Solar. “The future we fight for. The future for us all…” the assassin seemed practically high right now. A small, yet emotionally defunct smile plastered itself on the assassins face. It was not one of smugness. It was just there. “Who told you of this future?!” Solar worried his questions meant nothing to the Pegasi. In fact, it seemed like they weren’t even registering at all, and all replies just came of a timer, regardless of Solar talking or not. “The future for this world. The future we need…” Solar grew angry. His breathing became faster, through panic and frustration. He begged himself for the ability to beat this pony into a pulp until he gave answers worth knowing, but such violence would produce no information, and no answers. He was better off interrogating a brick wall. “WHAT FUTURE?! TELL ME ABOUT THIS FUTURE!” Solar screamed. This obviously was no hired blade from Equestria’s neighbours. Political assassinations orchestrated within other governments rarely if ever relied on the clinically insane. For that was what this pony was. His eyes staring beyond Solar, in an incredibly deviant, maddening way. To his shouts alas, Solar gained no response. No flinch. No blink as he roared at such a close range, that any other living creature would cower and hide. This pony was detached from reality. Until he wasn’t. “You should be by Luna’s side, Night Warden” Gone was the delirious, spaced out look from the assassin. As an actor changes his character, so did the Pegasi come crashing back to the world, now fully focused on Solar. “W-what?!” stuttered Solar in shocked response. “Which Princess are you meant to be protecting….” Solar didn’t need to ask any more questions from here. The serious, dangerous look from the assassin told him all he needed to know. If he was panicked before all this, now Solar became accustomed to the true meaning of the world. This was a distraction. Luna was in her quarters. Alone. The timing couldn’t have been worse. Seeing the guards rush forward, weapons in hoof, Solar would now have to surrender his captive, practically ensuring future interrogations were never in his favour. Worse still, Luna too was a target. Celestia hadn’t been the main victim of today, and as Solar, with pure fear in his heart, ran away to check on Luna, the terrifying screams and chant like cries from the assassin only served to make Solar truly worry for somepony that wasn’t him. “THE FUTURE IS COMING! WE MUST BE READY!” Solar could barely think straight right now. Luna could already be dead. Dead at the hooves of this crazy cult maybe. As he heard the assassin struggle furiously in the captivity of the guards now, his screams echoed throughout the halls, following Solar as if it had cursed him. “PREPARE SOLAR! IT’S COMING. IT’S COMING!” How his name was known, Solar couldn’t say. Right now, nothing else mattered. Only Luna. Solar was strong. Physically, he had trained his body to accomplish any task. But such was his speed and ferocity, the strain he now felt in his legs was quite the new feeling. As difficult and painful as it now was, Solar couldn’t care. Those dark thoughts did enter his mind. That Luna was already dead. That he was too late. They ensured the sickliest feeling deep within him, and his mind seemed at breaking point with the sudden and dramatic concern. This was the most foreign feeling of all. His legs could have broken by now, yet it would absolutely pale in comparison to what he now felt in his heart. It was a terrifying, ugly suspense, one of so much distress and horror, that Solar wanted to brand these new emotions evil. This simply wasn’t normal, and not once in his life had his burdens been so intensely intertwined with another. Once he might have considered these feelings confusing. Until very recently, his current speed wouldn’t have been anywhere near as dedicated. Right now, his super pony like state was not one born of worry for his position, nor was it concerns over his plans. In fact, any higher motive bar the Pony he was now heading to was simply set aside. For now, Solar accepted one fact as he zoomed up Luna’s tower, and burst into her private study. That only Luna mattered. And Solar felt overjoyed and relieved as he rushed through that door and witnessed a calm and completely unaware Luna, just sitting there, looking at some books. “Oh!” she cried out in surprise, apparently alarmed at Solar’s sudden entry. Oh thank you! Solar could have passed out in that moment. The sudden rush of relief and happiness, combined with the equally sudden stop in movement, created a head rush of emotion and heat that nearly floored him. If there was any reason good enough to black out in front of a Princess, Solar would have been happy to accept this one. “Luna? You’re ok?” It still seemed out of the question that she seemed so safe. Perhaps Solar’s unnatural speed had simply overtaken the second assassin. Perhaps the strike had just yet to come, and Solar had stopped it with his entry. Never the less, it almost seemed too good to be true. “Why of course! Wherefore would I not be?” Luna seemed almost dumbfounded that Solar would think she was anything but fine, and seemed just as more so confused he would show so much concern. To this question, Solar paused however. Of course Luna was not only deserving of an answer, but in definite need of one. Not only did he serve her now, but in this plot heavy battle, Solar needed her as an ally. Plus it was her and her sister who nearly died, so there wasn’t really a reason to be quiet about it all. Yet he was. “Bid me, mine dear and precious Solar, what troubles thee?” Something seemed off. Not right even. With his immediate entry into the study, he felt nothing but relief and happiness that Luna was here, just normal and quaint. Yet as time went on, and his breath returned to him, strange thoughts entered his mind, and his eyes could not be removed off Luna. “Oh mine own, thy wounds! Shalt I attend to thee?” Luna cried out in shock as her eyes drifted down to Solar’s cuts and slashes. In truth, they weren’t too bad, definitely not warranting of such disgusted shock. In fact, as Solar’s memory served him, on one routine patrol near the Everfree forest, back when he was a guard, he had sustained great yet unfatal wounds from a stray pack of Timberwolves that upon return to Canterlot, Luna had only shown professional concern, despite the wounds being obviously worse than they were today. Luna and Solar had developed something in recent times, but why did her concern now seem so odd? She was practically inviting him to curl up with her as she played nurse. As inviting as such an image seemed, Solar’s stillness was only exaggerated by now legitimate suspicion. There was one thing in particular that seemed at odds to the how Luna had acted around him recently, especially in private moments like this, with no other ponies in listening distance. “Is everything tis fine? There seemeth something heavy on thy mind. Cometh, shareth with me. Thee knoweth thee can bid me anything”. Her voice was silky smooth, seductively so even. Solar couldn’t deny it. He enjoyed it. Yet apart from on a deeper, newer level, he enjoyed it like a theatre goer enjoys a play. It was entertaining, as if it had been put on exclusively for him. That was what worried Solar. Luna had been kind to him recently, but he had to chase that prize. He had to earn her respect, and through riddles and confusion, Luna had opened up to him. This kindness however, was not earned nor rewarded. It seemed too forceful. Luna was more than a cheap companion. Friendship, as Solar now felt it was, with Luna was more than just a kind face and a smile, as this was. Furthermore, as Luna continued showing, the one thing that seemed so at odds with the Luna he knew, was the fact her language was older in nature. While Luna did speak in a tone more akin to the language of the past, she had long stopped such patterns with Solar, or any pony close to her. In fact, as Solar had guessed, the more she felt with a pony, be it friendship or in this case, concern, the less she spoke in such an old fashioned manner, as if she was more comfortable around that individual. Solar then looked around the room. It seemed in order. Tidy and cozy as it was last time he was here. He tried to ignore that concerned face of Luna as her eyes darted around Solar’s body, as if she was about to take him then and there. In all, everything in the room seemed unchanged. Bar one thing. Luna. Solar had dealt with deceit before. Tricky, foolery. Whatever it could be called. Tricking a pony to believe something that wasn’t the truth was always an effective tactic. Or in this instance, tricking a pony into believe somepony wasn’t the truth. Solar’s mind cast back to his past. To those wide ranging experiencing he had been in. A changeling’s magic was strong, but Solar wasn’t so weak to be fooled by it. “Where is she?” Luna seemed dumbstruck, almost insulted. “Pardon?” Solar was unrelenting though. Unrelenting for the real Luna. “You heard me, creature! Where the fuck is Luna?!” Solar couldn’t hide his defensiveness over his Princess, even if he tried. This wasn’t the real Luna, and that worried him. He needed to be with the true Princess of the Night. He wanted to be. “Pray, I am thy beloved Princess!” attempted desperately the impostor. Yet this mockery of Luna had not done their research properly. “It seems the rumour mill has turned out false, surprisingly!” Solar boomed, becoming ready for another fight. “While I have gotten close to her, we are professional in nature, and definitely not in anything ….serious.” The latter point almost tripped him up mentally. It was a strange thought, sharing such a thing with Luna, and not one he could find himself to dismiss. “Furthermore!” then fired Solar again, as he saw the impostor ready to dedicate themselves to the lie further. “You failed to note Luna doesn’t speak to me like that anymore, nor does she whore herself out like a common Canterlot escort! She is far too decent and…and…incredible for that!” That last compliment did not come out by choice. In defending her with such passion, Solar couldn’t help himself when compliments transcended onto a more personal level. Words like incredible were words Solar did not fight against. In fact, increasingly common as it was, he chose to embrace them. Yet personal feelings aside, the impostor finally caught on that this charade had failed. Losing the faked concern and worry, losing the blatantly incorrect look of Luna, it’s very physical demeanour warped as if a broken puppet had suddenly became fixed. It still looked like Luna on an immediate level, but its unnatural transition into its true act at least was a disturbing one. It would have been more on Solar’s mind, were the creatures gaze shift behind him, looking to something positioned at Solar’s back. “What is this?!” demanded the very real, very authentic voice of the true Princess Luna. She stood there, surprised and ready to enter the room, yet not entirely shocked that a figure, taking her very guise, was standing where she usually stood. Solar was honestly impressed. Suddenly walking into a room so private and perhaps uneventful normally, only to discover a dark mockery of one’s self. Luna however, showed great composure. She obviously had not expected such an occurrence to happen, but she took it well and most importantly, didn’t let it distract or affect her following actions. “Well….shit” replied the impostor, now accepting its failed deception. It was a triumphant moment in an otherwise stressful day. Solar hadn’t expected to meet his old nemesis, Blank Canvas and definitely didn’t expect to be rescuing both the Princesses. Thankfully now the volatile situations had its tide finally turned. Cornered in the study, the changeling now faced the full wrath of both Luna and Solar. There simply was no getting out this free. Or at least alive. “What is your purpose here, cretin?!” boomed Luna, her royal voice dominating the room. “I do not take to disturbances lightly, not do I appreciate such a mockery of me!” her eyes darted sharply across the room and the impostor, angry that her private sanctum had been breached by ridicule such as this creature. Her eyes did though then, momentarily, land on Solar. At first they seemed uncaring. Possibly annoyed he was here, and irritated his presence hadn’t yet helped. Yet then, as if a single thought had come to her, Luna’s appearance changed, if just for him. It became softer, as if his presence here was actually comforting. Solar knew that was the case for him, now she was here, but for Luna, upon seeing Solar defiantly and valiantly ready himself to fight the importer, she nearly gave a smile, bar any lip action. Her face may have looked blank to many, but Solar knew better. He knew she was thankful for him now. “…and you have failed to model my cutie mark with decent accuracy. The black is quite honestly, a travesty”. Solar had not expected such a quip. She seemed too serious, and rightly so. But after seeing Solar, it was as if he had instilled enough confidence to allow actual situational humour. For that, Solar loved it. “Hmm, interesting. Is this accurate enough?” Solar had expected this little banter to continue somewhat. The impostor had played the peaceful route well thus far, but faster than Solar could realise, this ended abruptly. It seemed that appearance alone wasn’t the only thing that crudely mocked Luna. As soon as the humour had come, a large flash of light grew from the fake Luna’s horn, before violently and loudly shooting from it. This was no show nor sneaky plan of escape. This was an attack, and a powerful, magical one at that. In all Solar’s travels, he had never met a Changeling capable of such magic, especially under an existing transformation. While it wasn’t unheard for Queen’s and higher ranked members of a hive to perform magic, it often proved difficult for them to do so when they were already in disguise. It would have been a concerning question, were it not for the fact that a deadly magical blast was about to hit Luna. That was when thought left, and instinct controlled Solar. He knew the implication of Luna being hit. She’d be hurt, and that was all what mattered. Without doubt or lack of speed, Solar wasted no time immediately grabbing a nearby chair, before throwing it into the path of the oncoming magic. Thankfully, the wooden construction, and more importantly, Solar’s fearless and almost natural reflex’s served its purpose. The magic hit the chair mid-air, exploding it into thousands of splints in a bright blast of light, an accompanying shockwave flying throughout the room, devastating all what wasn’t living. This was no chance for a reprieve however. Both Solar and Luna knew the severity of the current situation now, Solar more so knowing that this was the last chance of assassinating a Princess. Yet unlike the now captured Pegasi, this attacker did not turn tail and run. They were all in the endgame now, and no pony was ready to give up. Yet as it was now, Solar suddenly found himself the odd one out, chiefly because he was the only pony present with no magical abilities, being an Earth Pony of course. On one side was the immeasurably powerful Luna, usually the automatic victor in any given fight, but this impostor had shown great competence, magically speaking, thus far. Luna should win, but the study was for sure about to become a lot messier. “The future is here, Luna!” cried out the impostor, lurching forward with unnatural speed, a glowing horn to accompany. Aside from the troubling copy of the same cry that the previous assassin had made, this was no time to contemplate theories. Solar did bravely stand his ground, ready to intercept they who wished Luna harm. He stood with resolute and determined strength, no pony could deny it. Yet such a capacity for loyalty to another had its limits, especially against a powerful magical being. Solar was simply knocked out the way, leaving the attacker open to Luna. The Princess now however was ready, even more so considering Solar’s refusal to cower. The two magic beings collided with a fierce bang, again producing a shockwave that further messed up the room. Solar did not mourn the tidiness of it all though. He had been knocked down, but he had not been knocked out. The speed that had so defined him today carried him to tackle the assassin, who could do little to multi task in its attack. In focusing on Luna, Solar was free to interject, and interject he did. He may not have had magic, but he had strength, and he had knowledge on where to hit, even on Changelings. He went into a power slide, ensuring his sliding tackle collided with enemy legs. That successfully destabilised the assassin, allowing him to kick upwards while he was still in a sliding position, before swiftly getting up and delivering a powerful hit with his forelegs into the side of the beast. This attack surely would have ruptured a fair few ribs, but in refusing to end there, Solar followed up with a volley of hits up the body, each closing in on the head. When his hoof did so violently collide with a skull, the creatures recoil and reeling under such physical pressure allowed Luna to disengage with her barrier, and strike down with an almost unholy magical horn blow. This almighty attack could do nothing but fully knock the impostor down. Crashing to the floor, Solar took his opportunistic chance, however limited it compared to Luna’s might, and struck down hard upon the front left leg of the creature. No cry of pain emerged, but Solar could not notice such an exclusion as his other free fore hoof fell heavily again on the impostor’s skull. By now, the battle was all but won. Luna and Solar had successfully fought well together, timing and choosing their attacks wisely to maximise damage and efficiency, and it showed. The impostor was already a broken mess. Dazed and fallen from Luna’s magic, and beaten and broken from Solar’s strength. For good measure, Luna’s horn glowed again, ready to strike again if necessary. “FREE YOUR SECRETS, MOLE!” forced Luna, her voice now causing as much damage to the room as the magic had. “SPEAK NOW AND I SHALL GIFT YOU WHAT LITTLE MERCY REMAINS IN ME!” Solar watched Luna, while still being cautious over the defeated being, with frightened awe. She was in no mood for compromise, even less than Solar had been with the previous assassin. In knowing this dealer of death was meant for her, the hit she took personally was real, and Solar sympathised, even cared, little for what her anger was now directed at. “F….f-f…..” weakly attempted the deceiver. It was to no great surprise it had difficulty even speaking, what with the limited yet mortal blows it had received. Still, Luna was non-negotiable, almost to the point of the impostor now being in greater danger, what with her very prominent anger. “CURSE YOU!” she exclaimed, her voice and fury filled with so much wrath, that it was a miracle the imposter had not mentally broken into a babbling mess. “THOU SHALL KNOW NO REPRIVE FROM MY RAGE. YOU INSOLENT CUR! YOU SHALL SUFFER A FATE WORSE THAN ANY HELL!” Solar blinked. He knew anger well. He knew violence and threat well. He even knew horror well. Yet in all his time in seeing horrific practices, appalling darkness’s and downright near evil actions, he could not remain so stoic in the face of Luna now. Her darkness was not even directed towards him, but it had been previously. The time in the throne room, when Luna had first opened up, albeit very unintentionally, had shown a dark, hidden side to her. The same thing was happening now. She grew physically darker. A form began to emerge that was in total contrast to the defeated copy of Luna in the impostor. It was an unsettling, cold form. One of danger and anger. Of fury and isolation. It was not the Luna Solar knew, and not the one he wanted her to become. He wasted no time. As the room seemed to be increasingly devoid of life and happiness, Solar again let instinct take over. For the very same reason he had saved Luna with the chair, again this new loyalty to her, the feelings he now felt, it all simply, and yet powerfully, made him gently lay one hoof upon Luna, as if to just remind her he was still here. It was more than that though. In her bleak hatred, Solar didn’t just want to be there. He wanted to be there for her. With reactionary recoil that span her now demonic eyes towards Solar, he saw that raging temper, even in eyes that weren’t hers. She stared at him with pure resentment, even if it wasn’t necessarily for him. Solar stared at her with sadness though. In that moment, he wasn’t some gruff and scheming traveller with no ties to anything. He was just a friend of Luna’s, and he wanted Luna to be ok. “Luna…please…” was all Solar could manage. His voice was practically kind. In its words, it offered a helping hoof, one, for now, free of motive and clandestine scheming. For the first time in his life, Solar simply cared for another, and he was ok with it. “Please….come back…come back to me…” Solar hardly knew what he said. He just said it, with only full and passionate truth. In his heart, Solar allowed it to be shared. Whatever this anomaly in his life was, it wasn’t one unnoticed. Luna’s eyes and face softened. The slit like pupils returning to the cool but warming appearance that Solar loved. Darkness receded, and all sense of anger flooded away, leaving a shocked and traumatised Luna, looking as she should. “I…I’m….” Luna could barely speak. She, at the same time, seemed both aware of what had just happened, but also ignorant of the details. Never the less, Solar felt for her. He hated seeing her as anything but the powerful majesty she really was. “I’m….heavens spare me….” She seemed in a state of total shock. Heart breaking too was the fact that she seemed about to collapse under the weight of her actions. Fortunately, as solar was proud to know, Luna was stronger than that. He remained close and uncompromisingly caring about her. He would have caught her should she fall. Feelings were confusing, scary, unfamiliar and beautiful all at the same time. Solar already knew he needed time to process them, but that time was not now. Should he let his guard down fully, an assassin would escape, and all this would have been for naught. Luna too, however faintly, knew this. She shook her head, kicking the very real and concerning problems of hers into the long grass. Perhaps for once, an assassin had helped them realise the true danger here. “Reveal yourself, creature!” hissed Luna, focusing what remained of her sanity on the task on hoof. With a moment’s glow of magic, the impostor seemed constrained by Luna’s energy, and then, as if unveiling a plaque, the creature’s guise fell. Limbs bent and cracked unnaturally. Noises and gargles of pain emerged from the creatures lips. Its entire body shook and rattled around as if it was having a seizure. It was an unnerving sight, once more akin to some torture method then a transformation. From there, it only got worse. Abnormal and very distressing movements were made by the revealing body. It seemed to jump from a laying position, as its bones continued to crack and body parts flexed in the most horrific ways. It all seemed very unpleasant for the creature, as its near screams seems to give the strong indication this reverse process was very painful. To this, Solar looked at Luna, confusion in his eye. Luna knew the look. “All I did was to reverse whatever foul spell had initiated its copy of me. What we are watching is by its own doing” she clarified, too concerned over what she was witnessing. Then the real change came. With cracks and snaps, the creature’s entire body shrunk. Its proportions became more akin to Solar’s own in fact. Colours transitioned into another sickly and dull grey that the other assassin donned on its coat. Eventually, with enough distress, all flailing and noise ceased. What remained, however unnatural looking, was a simple Unicorn. “Its…it’s not a changeling?” questioned Solar. In his mind, it made sense. No normal changeling could muster enough magic as was demonstrated here, and no certainly no changeling had such a drawn out and painful looking transformation. Theirs was simple and quick. Over in a flash of green. “No…this is a pony, like me and you Solar.” Further clarified Luna. She seemed more in tune with the reality of the situation that Solar was, but it comforted her not. In fact, the distress she now showed was not because of her own issues, only down to the one on the floor. “Will you speak now? You are open to the world” Luna excluded anger. She simply asked a question. Just like that, the now revealed pony meekly raised its head. It too showed no anger and as Solar noticed, showed no real emotion too, just like its partner in crime. Whatever was happening here, it wasn’t your normal attempt on the ruler’s life. “It’s coming…we do what we do to…prepare”. Outcome the same confusing drivel as the other assassin had stated. It was said in an almost ritualistic, brainwashed way. Like the ponies had been beaten or otherwise enticed into saying it. Regardless, it made little sense, and the shared look between Solar and Luna confirmed this. “What do we prepare for? Who is preparing for it?” Luna then asked. Solar was about to dismiss such a question. To label it as worthless and a waste of time. For he had asked the same thing to the other, and he had received nothing but the same continued and passionate script. “Celestia”. A response that wasn’t cultish insanity seemed not to be real. Solar and Luna both believed themselves to be hearing things. That shock gave way to the gravest feelings of all however. “What…w-what do you mean?” Luna seemed genuinely taken back by this response. She had been subjected to a reply that shook her to her very core. “The sun shall rise on a new day….and we shall arrive to a future built for us all…. The light will always pierce through the darkness….” The room grew cold. Empty. Silent. No standing Pony could have preferred themselves for such a revelation. In his mind, Solar’s thoughts raced a mile a minute. Was Celestia behind this? Why would she order an attempt on her own life? What would she gain with her own sister’s death? Solar knew Luna to be thinking the same thing, but on a whole new and horrible level. It was all too confusing, too shocking to make any sense at all. Celestia wasn’t like this, was she? She was never a pony to engage to strange cult like plots, was she? Yet could the assassin meant for her be just a decoy? And now he was in the custody of Celestia’s Guard, he was now safe from prosecution? Still, why would Celestia want Luna of all ponies dead? This frankly disturbing and almost laughable knowledge seemed just too crazy to be true. It all made Solar again defensive over Luna. “Why? Why you cretin? Why is Celestia involved in all this? What the relation?” his frustration and loyalty to Luna made him do crazy things now, like shaking a broken body which was clearly about to pass out. It was all to be fruitless. Leaving Solar and Luna a broken and confused mess of their own, with nothing but blank awe accompanying them. Yet with one last break, the assassin divulged a final piece of information. “Look to the sea. The sun will rise on its horizon, and all beings beneath its eternal glow will bow. No matter how new they may be to it…” And just like that, the assassin blacked out from all its injuries and pressures. And just like that, Luna and Solar had entered a world of danger that they have never experienced before. All they now had, was each other.