The Team

TheIdiot

DoctorFluffy

Busy in the utility muffin research kitchen

VoxAdam

Two Riders Were Approaching...

Sledge115

She is here.

RoyalPsycho

TB3

Kizuna Tallis

Featuring Concepts By

ProudToBe

Chapter Fifteen

Two Faces

How could it be, really? Three days ago – time flies, and not in the good sense, too – Alexander Reiner vanished without a trace, the battle ground to a halt, and a dark alicorn who should be petrified, held imprisoned as a statue in Canterlot, had just gone and announced that she knew where the Captain was.

He’d also heard about the figure next to her, the strange mish-mashed goat-dragon-pony thing – but that one, he couldn’t have confirmed directly, because the flagship of the Imperial Fleet had only just materialized out of nowhere around them.

And that was without mentioning the gigantic purple dome around the city, and from experience, Stephan knew the Captain of the Imperial Guard’s shields were not to be destroyed so easily. He’d learned that from the loss of Stuttgart.

“General, are you absolutely sure there are no air assets within the city, over?”

Despite their preperations, the dome’s appearance had still disrupted the chains of command within the city, and now Stephan wasn’t even sure who else remained from the PHL’s top brass, other than him. So he’d gone with the next best option and contacted the Bundeswehr, hoping that word might also get through to l’Armée de Terre and the British Army. UNAC had to keep its resources pooled.

‘Negative, Major,’ responded General Vollmer. ‘Until that dome is down, and I can’t guarantee it will be in the next four hours, there will be no air support within the Boston perimeter, over.’

“Understood, General,” said Stephan, almost resignedly. “We’ll hold our ground here, as best as we can, over.”

‘Keep those SAM sites secured. They’re your best options if you want that airship brought down. General Vollmer out.’

The radio died down, and Stephan let out a frustrated sigh. Even after a week of skirmishes, they lacked intel on the size of the enemy contingent present in the city, nor did they know if the Imperials had even have more waiting to be deployed at a moment’s notice. Hell, he wasn’t sure the troops trapped under the dome had half the firepower to bring down the Imperial flagship.

Below his command here was a combined force of a few hundred humans from all over Europe. Nominally under UNAC’s leadership, they were technically given over to German authority, as was the prerogative of any regiment that called itself the Teutonic Knights.

French, Polish, and German soldiers side by side, many of them veterans of the fiercest fighting in Bremen and Berlin. Daniel and Alicia in particular had been by his side for as long as he could remember. Alicia spotted him looking, and he waved, hiding his anxiety. She waved back, with that massive DSR.50 slung over her shoulder.

If the Great Equestrian carried another high-ranking Imperial on the proverbial UNAC hit list, Stephan knew he’d be counting on her and more like her in the raging battle.

And that wasn’t counting the PHL-affiliated Equusites fighting alongside them. Small in number, but of stout hearts, Stephan felt like he could count on them and their array of equipment, from practical assault saddles to enhanced battle armour. They would provide all they had to offer in both offense and defense. There were at least a dozen at least in his regiment, each as valuable to him as any human.

“Herr Major, sir!” his top scout announced in crisp German. Silver Shield, formerly of the Guard. The sleek, silver pegasus was his eyes in the sky, and he’d never failed Stephan before. “Orders on approach?”

“Keep the perimeter secure for now, Silver,” Stephan replied firmly. “Take two with you, scout the perimeter. Report back if anything’s out of place, and we’ll handle it.”

He wished Trixie Lulamoon were by his side. His partner through and through, the Blue Spy had been deployed only a week before, on short notice, to conduct a certain covert operation within the Empire itself.

‘Perfect timing’ Stephan thought bitterly. ‘Just our luck, I suppose.’

“Think anything’s out of the ordinary, Major?” Daniel’s hardened voice cut in. Stephan glanced up from the table to see him standing in the entrance. “Thought you looked a bit glum.”

“Nothing too serious,” Stephan said. He got up to join him and glanced at the sky. The shields of the airship flared a sickly purple with each impact, illuminating it briefly in an eerie glow. “Don’t even know who else is aboard that damned airship.”

“Just give the order, Major. We’ll be ready, if the boys handling the AA batteries aren’t enough.”

“Easter reporting in, Major Bauer,” said a voice on comms. “What’s the sitrep, over?”

“Unknown high value targets confirmed aboard the Great Equestrian,” Stephan responded. “Unconfirmed member of the Imperial leadership aboard, over.”

“Nordlys reporting in,” said a light, soft voice. “No visual on the Great Equestrian bridge so far. Rules of engagement, over?”

Stephan paused, for a moment. The high value targets weren’t Imperial, were they?

“Priority on the Imperials,” he said firmly. “Do not target the unidentified alicorn, yet. Keep your rifles trained on all high value targets. Report in once the shields are down. Awaiting further orders from command, over.”

“Affirmative,”’ Nordlys replied. “Standing by for further orders, over.”

“Acknowledged, Major Bauer out,” said Stephan, after the last of the snipers had confirmed their positions. But even under the heavy bombardment, he wasn’t sure if the Great Equestrian would crash and burn today. Damned if they weren’t giving it their all, though.

“Oh, restore those crystal pillars, you say?” Discord smiled. “Don’t mind if I d–”

“Ahem,” Luna said sternly, putting a hoof on Discord before he could snap his fingers. “Please, mind your manners, Discord. We are not here to meddle.”

“And so we meet, Twilight Sparkle.” she said respectfully. She knew of what Alexander Reiner thought of her. What she’d done. But there was no harm in a cordial exchange. For now.

“Indeed we do, Princess.” Twilight replied. She reached up and pulled down her hood. Immediately, Luna took note of the differences lining this version of the Bearer of Magic, all while she spoke. “It's good to see you again, despite… circumstances.”

The mare before her had an aged, greying look, as well as visible sleep deprivation. Three days’ worth, judging by her sunken, baggy eyes. Her mane was ill-treated, messily kept together by the helm she wore. The single stripe of red in her purple mane had turned completely grey.

Luna’s eyes were drawn to Twilight’s helm. A modified Guard’s helm, the Element of Magic was incorporated into it, as vibrant as ever. Her neck too was protected by a silver guard, and Luna found little reason to doubt that she wore a full suit of armour beneath the starry cloak.

Her own obsidian armour was barely decorated, apart from the dark grey metal that lined it, along with the simple crescent moon on her helmet, and it contrasted strongly with Twilight’s white helmet streaked with gold. Yet Luna suspected Twilight’s garb would protect her just as well as her own did.

“The proper title would be the Archmage of the Solar Empire,” Twilight said dismissively. “But... Yes, I am.”

“Hmph,” scoffed Discord. “I see Celestia has made your lapdog status official.”

“Mind your tongue, Discord,” Twilight said, with a scowl. “You are present here as a courtesy.”

“And we accept it,” said Luna, though she didn’t believe her words entirely. She glanced at Twilight’s greyed mane. “I trust you were expecting us, then?”

“On short notice,” said Twilight wearily. “Commander Rainbow Dash at least was kind enough to provide company. You remember Rainbow Dash, right?”

Of the two Bearers present in the room, she wasn’t too familiar with the mare of Loyalty, having only scattered memories to draw on from the same Nightmare Night where she’d re-encountered Twilight Sparkle. The pegasus obviously shared the same indifferent sentiment, for she only grunted in acknowledgment.

It was the younger pegasus mare by Dash’s side that truly caught her eye. Clad in the sleek Imperial Guard armour of this Equestria, but adorned with the Wonderbolts’ colours, and her wings were oddly small. Some sort of crystalline construct integrated into the armour supported them. Her saffron coat and feathers, her light purple mane, and those cerise eyes…

“Ah, Rainbow, the missing one,” Discord said, casually, interrupting Luna’s train of thought. “Nice to see you by Twilight’s side this time, I suppose.”

“Yes, yes, missing Element, failed stoning, and so on,” Twilight said grumpily. Luna had heard of Discord’s second imprisonment from hearsay alone, and she’d never had the time to ask Twilight – her Twilight – about it directly. “We all know the story, Discord. You don’t need to remind us. Dash came through in the end.”

Luna glanced around, her ear flicking. There were distant booming noises, like the sound of thunder, and an ever-so-slight rumbling around her.

“Is something wrong?” Twilight asked, ignoring Discord, taking a step forward. Luna tightened her stance warily. The Bearer of Magic paused in her stride.

“Shields?” Luna repeated. She shot Discord a puzzled look, to which he shrugged.

“Yes, shields,” Twilight said, as if it was the most obvious of questions. “The humans have begun their assault, I believe. We are still at war, I’m afraid.”

“Did you expect a warmer welcome?” she asked politely. “Humans have always been a suspicious bunch, Princess. Didn’t take them long enough to start firing here.”

“I wonder why,” Discord said disparagingly. Twilight glared at him fiercely. “Oh, that’s right. The war you’re waging on their existence might have something to do with it.”

“Like the Archmage said, mind your tongue, Discord!” Rainbow Dash said gruffly. Twilight had hardened her posture, and the Guards poised to strike. More surprising to Luna was how quick they were at a moment’s notice, even those not of Equestrian origin.

“Tsk, tsk,” Discord said simply. Holding his fingers at the ready to snap once more, he wore a wild smirk. Perhaps he’d turn them into cake or the wild animals of the Everfree this time, Luna thought absurdly. “Wouldn’t want you or your Guards to fall now would you, Rainbow Dash? Another Rainboom isn’t going to help you to pick up the pieces.”

“And I wonder how many of your lackeys are here,” he teased. “This is a rather gaudy and oversized airship you’ve got–”

“That’s enough,” Twilight said. “We’re not here to provoke any petty arguments–”

“Then what are we here for, then, Sparkle?” Discord cut in. He waved his hand towards Twilight, Dash and the assembled Guards. “I certainly didn’t plan on being ‘captured’, so excuse me for reminding you grumpkins. Was capture part of ‘not-provoking’? Feh, I thought so. And I didn’t plan on playing nice.”

“We certainly plan on ‘playing nice’ with Princess Luna, and you as well,” Twilight said evenly.

Luna narrowed her eyes. “I doubt it, Twilight Sparkle,” she said. “But I would ask my colleague to stand down, if you would order yours too.”

There was a pause, as each and every one of them contemplated the opposition. But Twilight nodded towards her Guards, and Luna returned the favour by nodding to Discord.

Discord let out an exaggerated sigh. With a snap of his fingers, he conjured up yet another poolside chair, and laid back on it with a glass of juice in his claws.

“Take it away, Little Moon,” said Discord, huffing. “Don’t worry, I’m sure Twilight knows who’s in charge here.”

“Good,” Luna said, and she turned her head back to Twilight – who didn’t look too fazed. “Now, Twilight Sparkle. We may speak.”

It was certainly surprising for Twilight to keep her composure at this point, Luna thought. From the way Reiner had described the Empire, it had become second nature of them to forgo proper negotiations entirely when faced with human leadership.

“Very well, Princess Luna,” said Twilight. “Sorry for the unpleasantness, seems like we started off on the wrong hoof, right?”

Despite her worn appearance, she brightened up considerably when she smiled, however tired her smile looked.

“Yes, it seems we did,” agreed Luna, calmly. She kept her stance ready, though she allowed her expression to relax, if only for show.

Discord blew a raspberry at her, from the corner of her eye. Twilight simply nodded.

“No worries, it’s no fault of yours. However, what I do want to know, Princess…” began Twilight. Her tone changed into something oddly familiar to Luna. “... is just where did you get that exquisite armour!”

“I… beg your pardon?” said Luna. She remained rigid and awkward, even as Twilight let out a merry laugh, which stood out more in the ambience of the gallery and the silence of the guards. It was no mocking laugh, either. It sounded hearty, and dare she say it, genuine.

“Didn’t think I’d miss what you’re wearing, did you?” Twilight said brightly. “Please, this isn’t some second-rate rusty piece of armour you’re wearing, oh no-no-no. This is second century– no, this is, huh, this looks like it could be a contemporary of Commander Hurricane himself! What do you think, Dash?”

“It is! It is, isn’t it?” Twilight said, eagerly. Before Luna could blink, she was already right in front of her, smiling brightly. “Where did you get it? Tell me– hm, that doesn’t look like metal at all. Is it obsidian? How did you use obsidian?”

“I… I cannot say,” Luna said warily. “I am no blacksmith, I’m afraid, and this armour’s makers have long since passed.”

“Ah, a shame,” Twilight said, but she persisted. “No matter– we have so much to talk about, Princess. The research we could do on this, goodness! It’ll be… it’ll be worth the time.”

She looked up at Luna, and for a brief moment, she saw no age, no wear, no exhaustion in Twilight Sparkle. She only saw the same pony that had approached her out of the kindness of her heart, one Nightmare Night.

“We can do it together?” Twilight asked, softly. “Like we did when… when Sombra’s war came.”

“Yes, the Crystal War,” Twilight said wryly. “It was… terrible, but, we made something out of it. We studied together, fought together... those ghastly constructs of his, it was you who found their weaknesses. I only helped a little… but it meant a lot to me. We could do it together again.”

“I wish I could,” Twilight said, with a pained smile. “But so… so much has happened in so little time that it’s… gah, it all blends together.”

“But I remember you, after the sneak attack on Fillydelphia. You weren’t… well, too happy to know how Sombra went for a soft target. You came to me, and asked for my help in finding how he’d done it, how he’d made it past the Lunar Guard. I tried my best and, well, it wasn’t easy finding an answer to something that, in your words, didn’t make any sense! How in Equestria did he ever, ever make it past your wards, make it past the Queen’s? And…”

“I failed you then,” she said. “I failed and, things didn’t get any easier then. We fought, we won … It’s been fifteen years since. And I still couldn’t find the answer.”

“Then you told me that it was alright. That we’d won. And it wasn’t… it wasn’t any fault of mine. That we pulled through, nonetheless. We could do it again, Princess.”

And for one brief, wild moment, Luna found herself agreeing with her. That they would have all the time in the world, reading, researching, studying under her Moon. Strange to think, there was a touch of regret in her heart, for she never had pursued a closer friendship with young Twilight after that Nightmare Night. Too little time on her end, and she imagined her sister’s faithful student would have no such luxury either. To hear this Twilight recounting an experience that she’d shared with her, but never experienced herself was…

“How long has it been for you, Twilight?” Luna asked softly. Twilight blinked, showing confusion.

And reality set in again. It wasn’t her war. It wasn’t her Equestria. And the mare before her wasn’t her Twilight.

There was indeed a war being waged. A terrible war. A war which Alexander Reiner and all his people lived, fought, bled and died in. A Queen, beloved and adored by many, and a cruel tyrant to others. And here she stood with the enemy, enticed, tempted...

“I am sorry,” she said, finally. She let go of Twilight’s hoof. “But I’m afraid I must decline, Twilight Sparkle. You speak as if I am the Luna of your world, but I am not. There was no war in the Crystal Realm, nor any in our Equestria.”

Before Twilight could reply, Luna had turned her glance away. Then she saw Discord before her, sharing a knowing look, and the air had lowered to an icy chill in the gallery.

As she stared through the Crystal Mirror into the gallery aboard the Great Equestrian, Galatea was feeling unease. It was irrational. The Princess of the Night and Lord of Chaos, both captured by the Empire’s flagship… yet if they just put their backs into it, they had more than a chance to escape… Powerful as the Archmage was, she could not possibly present a threat to the two of them working together.

Ah, but Luna hadn’t heeded Celestia’s advice on how to present herself. Stubborn, headstrong Luna. It was at times a detriment in her character. Others, she stood her ground well enough, as she did now.

Perhaps when the Reindeer had arrived at the Hall, she ought to have accompanied them to Luna’s room all the way back then. Sint Erklass could have provided support to her argument. Or maybe he wouldn’t have.

Then a cold chill invaded the room where the Mirror was being kept, and Galatea blinked hard. Lifting her goggles, she gazed into the mirror once again, to find it blurred. She heard voices. Saw silhouettes. Ancient magic in the crystalline void. The Elements?

She paused. Of course. The Mirror was offering her four different angles to see the gallery with. And wherever she looked, there were always three crystalline pillars in the gallery’s corners. She was being shown the gallery through the pillars.

These were magical conduits. A crude design, but they went multiple ways. Connected not just to each other, but forming a sub-spatial bridge between Earth and Equestria.

‘Totem-proles…’ Galatea thought. ‘The Empire’s response to humanity’s own network of inter-connected monitors… but so much worse. How did I miss this?’

There was something else in the void, she felt. Something within the crystalline pillars. No, she corrected. Something that was the crystalline pillar. She let out a soft gasp.

Whether the voices were there or she’d only imagined them, even Galatea couldn’t tell. It did not matter. Her priority was to help Luna. Somehow.

“I’m sorry,” Galatea whispered. She turned away from the Mirror. There was nothing else she could do. Celestia would have to be informed.

Marching towards the door, Galatea let her wings melt into her back and her horn retract into her forehead, her whole stature grow smaller, as she assumed her earthpony disguise, on the off-chance one of the visiting delegates should be wandering around the Watchtower. One should always play it safe, even at the best of times, and this was not playing it safe, nor the best of times.

She had turned from Luna, but when she glanced back, gone was any sort of warmth in her weary eyes, or her voice.

“Shown us the truth, more like it,” Luna said, her tone laced with ice, and Discord nodded smugly. The Guards around them resumed their watch, their harsh glare searing through their visors. “The world gathered, and I took the liberty of presenting them his unvarnished memories.”

“You’ll show your respect in the Archmage’s presence, Discord!” shouted the saffron pegasus besides Rainbow Dash.

“At ease, Starstruck,” Twilight said, ignoring Discord. “Forgive the young one,” she told Luna. “She’s a little impulsive. But, Reiner… I guess he peddled you the same old story, then, Princess Luna?”

She now stood before one of the covered paintings in the gallery, tracing a forehoof across the cloth under her horn’s light.

“Poor, victimized humanity in a brave, heroic stand against the forces of darkness? Perspective counts for a lot, you know.”

“Aye, it does,” Luna agreed. Twilight glanced back, and her expression remained impassive. “But dreams show a person’s truest self, and what I saw in Alexander Reiner were tales of a cause most desperate.”

Her sister never could have understood her night-time journeys through the dream realm, for these were journeys only she could make. Many times had she seen beauty her sister would have loved to behold for herself. And many times she had witnessed nightmares her sister would not have envied.

She took a step forward. The Guards drew their swords, and Discord hopped off his chair, his claws poised.

“‘A cause most desperate’?” Twilight echoed tiredly. “Indeed, yes. Humans are a desperate case by their very nature. That’s nothing to do with us.”

“You may think otherwise, Twilight,” she said firmly. “But I’ve witnessed what Alexander Reiner has lived through. And you know it, too.”

“You’ve torn their world asunder, rained fire upon their lands,” Luna continued, undaunted. “Burnt their legacy until it was naught but ash and nothing more…”

“This should be good,” Discord whispered, lying on his stomach in mid-air, his chin propped by his forelimbs. “But you’ll need a better audience than this bunch, Luna.”

Adding actions to his words, he split, if that was the right word, into about ten clones of himself, each in the same lying position in a circle around Luna. Twilight and Rainbow frowned at seeing this display, yet stayed where they were.

Luna sighed. “I shall be brief, and I shall be frank,” she said. “I refuse to believe that any Equestria which believes in Harmony could do what the Solar Empire does to humanity. What Reiner told us… those sound more like the actions of Equestria’s worst enemies… and I know… I was there…” She closed her eyes, in pain. “But I do not think I would have ever have condoned this…”

In all their gruesome and visceral glory, Reiner had feared to show her his deepest dreams, for concern they may attack her sanity as they had his, turning the soldier’s curse of into an infectious disease of the mind. Yet Luna had assured him it was for the better if she beheld, and beheld his mind well. So too had it been for the assembled delegates, caught in wonder and terror by the vision she’d presented at the Hall.

She didn’t need dreamweaving skills to present what must have been familiar to Twilight – this Twilight, at least. Her task at this time was to uncover how an Imperial saw and thought, for Reiner had told her much of their puppet-like qualities – she shivered – their mindless words, their soulless eyes. How day by day, battle by battle, they seemed to become more like the Newfoal abominations they kept sending out in greater droves.

Here, though, she stole a glance at Twilight Sparkle, and saw nothing of the sort. Impassive, perhaps, but Luna’s story was something she must’ve known well enough to pay it no heed. More curiously was that, if she concentrated, Luna thought she caught a glimpse of something that stirred behind her weary visage, something beneath the surface.

It was hard to interpret precisely. But Luna thought there had to be a tinge of regret in those sad, weary eyes of hers.

Soon, Luna had finished her retelling, and despite the vigorous, enthusiastic applause from Discord and his copies around the room, nothing came from Twilight, who regarded her with what looked like pity and longing.

Once the last of Discord’s clones had reformed into him, all remained still and quiet – with only the distant booming of the continued human assault to fill the ambience.

“You didn’t actually think we’d erase all of mankind's legacy, do you?” said Twilight. “Reiner may have made this clear about our mission. Yes, for the betterment of their kind, we sought to turn them to Equestria’s Light... And for that, we need to remember what they made of themselves. Look around you, Princess Luna, and tell me what you see.”

Her horn shone brightly, and all at once, all the cloth covering the paintings dropped, exposing them fully. And Luna saw that they weren’t paintings at all. They were giant framed photographs, either of many colours, or black-and-white.

Even Discord remained silent, as she stepped forward to look closely at the photographs. The Guards parted before Luna, allowing her to gaze upon the first and nearest one, and she was presented with an eerie sight.

Against a ruined backdrop sat a human child, smaller than those she’d seen in Reiner’s memories. It sat by train tracks, burnt and injured, but most of all, alive. Around it lay debris and ruins of what could only have been the train station. The child was alone, crying out for its mother, frozen in time.

“They called this one ‘Bloody Saturday’,” Luna heard Twilight say. “The baby lost its mother, killed by the enemy. Just one more victim of the wars that have ravaged mankind for centuries.”

“And who is this enemy?” asked Luna. But somehow, she already knew the answer.

“Themselves,” said Twilight. “Well, here it’s the Japanese, but the difference is… academic. There’s nothing one side in their wars wouldn’t do to the other.”

Her horn glowed, and in the chandelier above, candles were lit. Luna turned her gaze to another photograph, and was met with a horrific sight.

A mass of human corpses, strewn across a staircase in black-and-white. Naked, stripped bare. Blood pooled beneath them, necks twisted in unnatural angles. Luna’s heart skipped a beat when she saw some of them were children, small children barely out of infancy.

“The same war... a different story,” Twilight’s voice echoed in her head. “These ones were killed in a stampede, a rush to avoid death when the bombs started to fall.”

The chandelier finished alighting, and another black-and-white photograph came into view... There stood three half-clothed men, skeletal and decrepit. Their eyes spoke of unfathomable hardship, and yet they couldn’t have been older than Alexander Reiner.

“They once called Japan the Empire of the Rising Sun,” Twilight noted. “Curious coincidence, isn’t it? Same with the similarities in some of our languages, and mythologies… I wish I had more to time to properly study this phenomenon. But anyway. This Empire, like us, promised prosperity to the downtrodden masses they sought to take under their wing... Unlike us, they never followed through, another empty promise given, and never kept.”

Luna turned to face Twilight, who was waiting in front of another photograph. A lone man stood there in the frame, shot from a distance, facing a long line of bulky metal carriages Luna remembered from Alex’s memories, ubiquituous machines of modern warfare. An odd detail was that in both hands, he seemed to carry shopping bags.

It was less disturbing than previous content, but stuck in the mind just as much.

“At first glance, this one’s somewhat more inspiring,” Twilight acknowledged, yet she wasn’t looking happy. “The man you see here stood before a regime that sought to silence its people... But a slaughter had already passed the day before. Would you believe the human regime responsible is still in rule, Princess? Thirty-five years ago, thousands of students marched, hoping for their nation, their rulers, to step aside and usher in a new, better era of freedom. And how were they answered?”

She gestured towards a few vivid photographs by her side, and Luna could not ignore it.

Streets stained with crimson red. The same metal carriages, their tracks bloodied. Corpses strewn left and right. Crumpled remains of what had once been a person, mashed with twisted metal. Visceral, sickening. Foul to the sight, stirring the other senses in dark ways.

“They never took responsibility,” Twilight said, harshly. “Thousands dead, and their memory hushed away. The men who ordered it… long gone, but their legacy remains. Oh, the traitor Heartstrings pushed hard for its recognition, but her efforts, like her so-called PHL, have been wasted on humanity.”

“And they never will answer for their crimes. How could they? They’re one of the greatest of all human nations still fighting. And if they win… well, what’s a massacre of thousands, to the hundreds of millions of their own citizens still alive? It’ll be ignored. They did it easily even before we offered them redemption. What’s to stop them from doing so again?”

She pointed at another picture, and Luna’s eyes followed where she pointed to see another lengthy set of photographs lining the walls. And her gaze was drawn in, while all the candles were set alight to cast the same, dim lighting.

“Would you believe this isn’t even the worst of humanity’s doing? They were killing the planet, Princess Luna. They still are.”

A forest, stripped bare of greenery, the undergrowth turned to mud and ash, the last trees blackened and rotting beneath the sulphurous orange skies, with only one healthy tree standing tall amidst its fallen brethren.

A blackened sea and beach, birds pecking away at their tarnished feathers, made unrecognizable by whatever covered them in that same, oily sludge..

Derelict homes, but not abandoned, with emaciated humans staring out from their crumbling, primitive doorways. Children playing amidst mountains of trash reaching up into the sky.

A human city covered in a dense, sickly smog. Its citizens going blindly about their days, their mouths covered in masks.

An abandoned city, its windows hollow and its walls cracked. An abandoned playground lay before rows upon rows of the same building, long forgotten by the children that once lived there. A huge Ferris wheel loomed on the horizon, like a perpetual-machine gone forever still.

Another picture, another story, but before her, Luna saw a dirtied, tarnished world.

And for the first time since she’d arrived here, on this Earth, Princess Luna found that she had nothing much to say. But the Archmage waited patiently for her to speak, Guards at attention. Even Discord looked somewhat perturbed, and was staying quiet. By choice, it seemed.

“All these pictures you’ve shown me…” Luna said slowly, realising that she could not look at them. It felt too hard, just then. “From what you say, they were pictures taken by humans…”

“Yes,” Twilight said softly. “Thaumon-seeded, so they can pass safely to Equestria. It only works on inanimate objects, not living tissue, but it has its uses.”

“But why would humans keep memories of their own sins, if not to learn from them?”

Shakily, Luna looked at Discord. He gave her a small nod, nothing more, as if to say, ‘nice one’.

“In centuries, millennia of existence,” she said, “did pictures and accounts make a difference? You know how most humans react when they see suffering in a picture, Luna? Sometimes, they think about it for a bit. They say, ‘oh no, that’s horrible’. And then they go on eating their dinner.”

Luna stared at her. “I don’t believe you. What would be the point? Why would anyone take–”

“Fame? Prestige?” Twilight suggested. “Money? Awards used to be handed out for the most beautiful depictions of suffering in this world, you know. Rewarding the audience’s brief flash of cathartic emotion, soon lost to the wind...”

What else was a nightmare, if not the mind’s frantic attempt to purge itself of its fear and hurt, brought about in a terrible, awesome paroxysm of fright? For the briefest moment, a nightmare can bring sweet release, when you awaken and find it wasn’t real...

Yet the fear comes flooding back in, and the mind is once again gasping like a drowning soul.

“What about Lyra?” Luna said again, her sights on Twilight. “When she saw what your Empire was doing, would you say she ‘went on eating her dinner’? And when you caught her, did you have to kill her? She was your friend, Twilight.”

“Yes…” Twilight said quietly. “If only Lyra saw it this way. She should’ve… she never should have left. But Lyra… Lyra Heartstrings was a pony who developed a messianic obsession, believing she knew better than the collective will of Harmony…”

“I must admit,” said Discord, crossing his arms. “I do find it most uncharacteristic of Tia to have one of her dear little ponies put to death… she didn’t even want to kill Sombra, and that caused her a lot of grief with the Crystal Realm, a thousand years ago…”

“Not a mistake she repeated, Discord,” Twilight said, turning back to face him, her face an unreadable mask. “And not one she made with Lyra… although many of us debated on letting Lyra live… I was one of them.”

“Of course,” Twilight said sadly. “But, in the end, Lyra was just one pony… one equine. Even if many of her followers wouldn’t agree. If you were ever to meet the PHL, don’t be surprised to hear them say ‘By the Golden Lyre’...”

Discord snickered. And the indignant look Luna shot him did nothing to dissuade him.

“Ah…” Discord sighed blissfully, conjuring a box of match-sticks and crossing two of them. “My pardon, Luna... but it’s just so funny, what the punters will make cults out of! Did you know I’ve had worshippers who made me into some sort of martyr?”

“Yes, Discord,” Luna said impatiently. “Because we’ve spent a good part of our reign batting them off. They are a pain. But how do you know about them?”

“Oh,” Discord said airily. “Tia would come by sometimes and read me their fan-mail. She is considerate like that… Really, I don’t see what you’ve got to be jealous of. I’m sure twice as many people saw Nightmare Moon as a wronged victim…” He paused. “Oh, that’s right. Sister-darling never sent you mail on the Moon, did she? Maybe you should be jealous.”

Twilight gave a polite cough. “Pardon my interruption, but… I imagine Reiner told you what happened to our Luna.”

“That as may be,” Twilight said. “Her Majesty has hopes of releasing her sister one day, once this war is over. It pained her deeply to lose you a second time, Luna. Believe me.”

Luna looked into her eyes, and amongst other things she saw, there seemed to be no lie...

“We’ve all had to make sacrifices in the name of duty,” Twilight said, glancing at Dash, who momentarily bore a softer look. “Duty is our first loyalty, even ahead of friendship… Like Queen Celestia and you. Like me and Lyra.”

“But our cause is just and true, Princess Luna. You care much for your subjects... I know this from my Luna. Her heart went out to the children who had to live through the Crystal War. It’s for them that we’ve given our fellow equines a future they deserve, and I know those who are grateful for the work we’ve done.”

“Sergeant Shearwater, step forward,” ordered Twilight. The hippogriff who had opened the door for her, a mare with sleek, teal complexion and turquoise eyes, nodded and moved to her side. “How is your family faring at Mount Aris?”

“They are well, m’lady,” said Shearwater, solemnly. “The Storm King has yet to rear his head once more, but we are most thankful for your protection over Hippogriffia.”

“And we are glad to provide, Shearwater,” Twilight replied sweetly. She next turned her gaze to the zebra who had greeted Luna and Discord, a tall and mighty stallion, and she beckoned him to step forward, too. “Lieutenant Khulsewa. You are of the Punda Miliashariki. Tell us about how they’ve been doing since joining our Co-Harmony Sphere.”

“Yes, m’lady,” answered Khulsewa. “Peace reigns over the Punda Miliashariki and so many neighbouring tribes… and, though the last embers of distrust remain, old fears of enslavement by the Saddle Mareabians are finally being put to rest. Abraxas, the false Prince of the Ezebrantsi, may have turned against the new order, but we’ll ensure that his trible accepts the Sphere anew. For the good of all equine people, Lady Archmage.”

“At ease, soldier, you’ve done more than enough,” Twilight said approvingly.

Finally, her gaze landed on the saffron pegasus who’d stood by Rainbow Dash’s side the whole time. The young mare stepped forth, without prompt, and bowed.

“As you know, our dear ‘Starstruck’ here was born with stunted wings,” Twilight continued, and Luna noted her fond gaze towards the Guard. “Yeah, that’s what we call her. Guess why.”

Not that Luna needed to. She’d seen the way ‘Starstruck’ held herself around Rainbow Dash.

“But we’ve given her a future as well, and she has served us faithfully ever since.”

The mare’s cadet light armour, Luna noted, had a crystalline shine to it, glistening under the dim light. And just as Luna had previously spotted, while her wings did seem too small even for a mare of her short size, they were supported by a crystalline construct shaped like a pair of wings.

With a jolt, Luna remembered a small pegasus of her exact same colours, fearful and afraid, trapped in a nightmare, until she herself came to the filly’s aid.

But it was impossible. Scootaloo was a filly, a mere nine years of age. She was not a soldier. She dreamt of impressing Rainbow Dash, to conquer her fears and stand proud, and to fly. She had no mark yet to show her destiny, how bright she could shine and…

And neither did this pegasus, Luna realised. Though a full-grown mare, her exposed flank bore no cutie mark.

“I have, m’lady,” said Cadet ‘Starstruck’. “And I’ll continue to serve as well as I can and should. You can count on it, Tw– Lady Archmage.”

There was nothing in the air, insofar as Luna felt, that indicated a spell or a thrall over these Guards, and Scootaloo least of them all. She could, if she wanted to, enter their minds. And yet what good would it do, if they had come to Equestria’s service of their own free will?

But then she remembered, There had been something in Redheart’s mind, something that had interfered with her attempts to delve into it. A mind coated in something twisted, blackened and unmalleable like tar – too much like that image of the beached birds covered in oil, victims of human pollution.

Something else wasn’t quite right, either. There were no sign of Spike, who was surely an adolescent by now. Was he not her faithful assistant? From the way Celestia had told her about him, he’d always been by Twilight’s side, through and through.

Perhaps, she reflected uneasily, he had been discarded. Cast aside, by her own will, or by her Queen’s. Bound, enslaved, or worse, perhaps...

“The Empire provides, Princess,” Twilight said, and her eyes were fixed on Luna. “We’ve given hope to Equus. Humanity had its chance. A hundred thousand years, and what do they have to show for it? Alexander Reiner was just one of many hopeful young men in their armies. They fought bravely, proudly... and what do men like him have to show for their service?”

“A lifetime of scars none wished to touch,” Twilight hissed. “Men like him result from a broken meat-grinder society, one that leaves its poor and disabled to die in the streets. And on what basis? ‘They didn’t work hard enough’! His people treat their celebrities like gods and their teachers like pond scum. They make a show of venerating their military, but are unwilling to help them mend, when those poor souls come home… Caitlyn North was most helpful in showing us that out of the richest human nations, Reiner’s had the most people willing to convert… tired, huddled masses, cheated of a promise as well.”

The venom Luna heard in her voice spoke of someone who has had a long time, a very long time to think such things over, and always reached the same conclusion.

“The world of humanity is one built on lies,” said Twilight. “You know it, Luna... You can turn away now and speak nothing of this world. Keep to your realm. And forget you ever crossed paths with Alexander Reiner and his endeavour.”

Her expression turned softer, gentler. Her large, pretty eyes were… pleading, begging perhaps.

“Don’t make this harder than it already is,” Twilight finished. “Let us do our duty. For the sake of Equestria, and mankind both. Don’t make me do it.”

Luna looked at her. There was something genuine behind her words. But the question of Redheart nagged at her.

“You speak of the Barrier as if it purifies...” Luna began. “Aye, maybe it does cleanse the human world of pollution... but I have seen images of people– children, fleeing from it, and they would crawl over one another, or die, before letting it dissolve them to shreds. You did not bring salvation to this world or its people. You’ve sentenced them to unjust death, and called it mercy... Even if your Empire is a utopia to equines, does it warrant such a cost?”

The bile rose in her throat, but Luna held it back. She gave Twilight a spiteful glare.

“Did you show the Reindeer this so-called mercy, Lady Archmage?” she said. “Did you give them a chance? Did little Lucie deserve a fate so dire and unforgiving?”

“Do not insult my intelligence with your feigned ignorance, Twilight Sparkle,” Luna cut her off harshly. “Did Redheart know? Did you know?”

The bitter, biting words brought pause to the Guards surrounding her, even Rainbow Dash. But Luna wanted answers from only one pony in the room.

She took a step forward, her eyes narrowed. Twilight did not, in fact, wilt under her gaze as so many would have. And for that Luna felt some very grudging respect.

“It’s not true,” Twilight said slowly. “Whatever Reiner told you, it’s not true. Neither she nor I were there when Adlaborn turned their eyes awa–”

“That’s enough.” Luna interjected. “Am I speaking right now to Twilight, my sister’s faithful, beloved student? The mare that… that did come to my aid on Nightmare Night, out of the kindness of her heart? Do you hear yourself speaking? Do you honestly believe Grandf– Sint Erklass would turn away from whatever travesty your Empire is wreaking?”

There was a twitch in Twilight’s eye. Her expression grew increasingly worried… but something else felt off about her.

“The Queen’s words are final,” she said icily. “It’s… it’s what she’s told us.”

And Twilight’s eyes were sunken, exhausted, but defiant. “I don’t need to.”

Discord giggled malevolently. “Oooh, how very irrational, Twilight! People’s capacity to believe things they don’t see, and not believe things they do see… it’s just craaaazy!”

“I agree,” said Luna. “Even if Reiner didn’t tell us enough…” Her gaze, full of pity and sorrow, took in all the pictures one last time. “I know that the suffering you’ve brought is no better.”

“Our doors are open to humanity at any time,” Twilight said simply. “Our only request is that they leave behind their rot, but they cling to it, even now.”

“And what about Reiner himself? Are we supposed to give him over to you? Or do we keep him, left alone, far away from his world as it dies?”

“That is your choice,” Twilight shrugged. “A single human is no threat to the Queen or her Empire. All we ask is that you do not take in more humans…”

On cue, a miniature Discord materialised upon his own shoulder, clad in a white robe and a halo atop his head, to give an approving nod.

“It would be cruel,” she continued. “If we did that, we truly would be shrugging, and going back to eating our dinners. Forgive me, but I doubt your sincerity, Lady Archmage. You had no problem sending Redheart after Reiner…”

“To kill him?” Twilight snapped. “Certainly not! He had an object of great value in his possession that, if wielded by a human, may be as dangerous to your Equestria as to mine… but if it’s just him left standing, even with that locket, we’d have little to worry about. Redheart’s mission was to take it off him and destroy it, no more. I should know. I sent her the orders only two days ago.”

Twilight considered her. “Interesting…” she said, a spark of her scientific curiosity showing through again. “Time’s passing must be malleable between our two realms… though I expect, now a crossing has been performed both ways, that our time-streams will have synched. At least so long as the bridge remains open…”

Luna went cold. Discord had spoken, and he was giving her an unfriendly look. The replica on his shoulder had turned into a red devil.

‘Luna, you damn fool…’ she told herself. ‘Galatea warned you not to mention the locket in front of Discord…’

Cadance was puffing out these words even as she trotted, Shining and she barely keeping up with Celestia’s unusual hurried pace. She had summoned them to the hidden room in the Watchtower where the Crystal Mirror was stored, but given no further explanation than that.

“Galatea gave me a warning,” Celestia breathed. “We don’t have much time.”

They arrived at the panel which hid the entrance to the room, an odd fresco depicting a model of the solar system with the Sun at its center, a long-disproven crackpot theory. Cadance wondered just how old the Hall was to feature such a fresco.

Then Celestia lowered her horn, slotting it neatly into a small keyhole at the dead centre of the painted Sun itself. And much like her private compartment at the Palace, this answered to her, opening up the door. It swivelled back to reveal what lay beyond.

Galatea was already waiting, with Twilight and the wheelchair-bound Reiner. It unnerved Cadance to grasp what this meant. The door responsed to her as well.

“I took the liberty of hauling this from your coffers, Cadance,” Galatea said by way of greeting, pointing to a metallic case emblazoned with Cadance’s mark. “Once you hear what I have to say, you may find yourself requesting it.”

“You mean to say, they didn’t tell you about the locket, Discord?” She was smiling. It was the kind of smile made by one who doesn’t know if they should – yet smiling seems the best thing. “But that’s what it was all about… if Redheart had got the locket, we wouldn’t even be having this conversation…”

“What?” Discord whispered, stroking his beard. “Deceitful? Surely not your precious Twilight, Luna… And I know deceit. I can sense it. Not one thing she’s told us was a lie… or at least, less than a half-truth.” He narrowed his eyes. “So. If you won’t tell me, I’ll ask her. What is this locket, Archmage Twilight?”

“Something that should be in no human’s hand. A power older than our Harmony, which can be turned on any creature in Equestria… even you.”

“I suppose that’s just why they didn’t want you to know…” Twilight continued. “Alexander Reiner was getting ready to use it upon the Barrier, but it could just as well be used on you, Discord. They don’t trust you.”

“Did you?” Luna said harshly, trying to regain hold. “We were told what your Empire did to their Discord.”

“Yes, but we were upfront about it,” Twilight said calmly. “True, the Queen told me she had considered siccing Discord upon the Krampus. In the end, she decided it was better to take on both, rather than keep one as a pet and hope for the best. Well, as you can see, it worked...”

Seeing Discord’s face, Luna knew she had to step in. Either way, this could end very badly.

If Discord had been about to snap his fingers, he lowered them. As she’d known he would. Even he felt curious about this.

“Try me,” Luna shot back. “Tell me what you know. At our council, Father Krampus and the Chaoskämpfer told us much.”

Twilight chuckled. “And you’d take their word over mine?” she told them. “The father of monsters, and a wyrm as old as sin? I can guess what they told you. That the legends of Firefly crossing the Rainbow Bridge were true. How she came back accompanied by a human, and together, these friends vanquished the Lord of Midnight Castle… The last of the Old Race, the Krampus’s younger son, Spykoran’s former master, bringer of Night Eternal…”

Her gaze softened momentarily. Beside her, the silent Rainbow Dash actually looked thoughtful. Luna searched her face to see if the name ‘Spykoran’ had evoked anything.

“Tirek, yes,” Luna said coldly, ignoring the last comment. “The Night That Never Ends. I do not need the reminder. Or the comparison. I’ve heard it once too often over the morning paper. His legend can stay buried, for all I care.”

“But you should care,” Twilight said sincerely. “Weren’t you surprised to learn Firefly’s human friend wasn’t some mighty warrior, like Alexander Reiner… but a mere child?”

Those words caught Luna. “Not really…” she said. “I mean... look at you, Twilight Sparkle.”

“Yeah… I guess,” Twilight said, checking herself, then exchanging a glance with Dash. “We were all younger back then…”

“Oh, enough with the mushiness!” Discord had crossed his arms, and he was growling. “If you have something to say… Say it, Lady Archmage.”

“So you can then dissolve the ship, with nothing to hold you back?” Twilight told him casually. “On second thoughts, perhaps I won’t, Discord.”

“Nice try,” Discord sneered. “But it’s transparent as your pathetic attempt to turn me against Princess Luna. You’ve not yet told her anything she doesn’t already know… I see it in her face.”

The saffron pegasus took a defiant step forward, only for Dash to gently block her way. Meanwhile, Twilight shrugged with a resigned air.

“Actually, there is one thing you can explain, Twilight,” Luna said, staring at the streak of grey in her mane. “Reiner told us the Solar Empire’s ponies tend to look eerily youthful, but… you seem to have let age take hold on you…”

“Yeah,” said Twilight, threading a hoof through her hair. “Well, I thought it looked distinguished.”

There again, Luna wondered how much of the Twilight she knew was left in this one.

“That’s all beside the point,” Twilight said, letting her hoof fall. “We’re talking about things even older than you, Luna, though maybe not Discord… and he doesn’t know much about it either. I mentioned the human was a child…”

“I’m getting to that,” Twilight said testily. “Luna… you really believe a mere pegasus would cross into another world, just to get help from a child against some evil overlord? Does that sound like it makes sense to you?”

“There’s more at stake here than you understand,” Twilight said grimly. “Someone had their own reasons to want Tirek defeated. Their reasons to call upon the Thirteenth Family against him. Why it had to be a child, and why that child should be given a specially-crafted locket.”

They still stood there, all around. Yet their expression had gone distant, absent, even Rainbow Dash’s. It was a look Luna knew from those who, while seming awake, have briefly slipt into a waking dream – and when they come back from it, never remember they dreamt at all.

Twilight’s lips thinned. “The very reason why Tau Sunflare made Celestia and you, Luna,” she said. “The wellspring of the misery that was the Windigoes’ Blight, and the reason our souls are tied to the land’s more than any other Family on Equus.”

Past words came back to Luna. Words spoken by a figure encased in a crystal prison, from a being of deeper malice and insanity than Discord who glowered beside her.

“The Architect…” The Krampus’s words echoed in her head. “The Architect! She brought forth the human child… It all unfolds…”

“May I ask you something?” said Twilight. “How did Reiner arrive in your Equestria?”

Twilight nodded. “An archaic work of crystal, and a link to the Rainbow Bridge… it’s just as I thought,” she whispered. “History repeats… Again a human is brought to our world, to learn of a heart-shaped locket that’ll grant them great power. Power straight from the Rainbow and the Prism which refracted it…”

“The last time a human came to our world, it was to help us,” Luna said, her breathing heavy. “Back then, the enemy lay without. Now, Twilight… I look at your Empire, and it seems you have become the enemy.”

Twilight shook her head sadly. Around her, the Guards’ eyes also swam back into focus, slowly.

“Luna,” she sighed. “Don’t you understand? That locket was made by the Architect. The same Architect whose Prism had nearly destroyed the world, causing the Old Race’s final demise, bringing about that first pitiless winter…”

“In that time, Tirek was the last survivor of the Old Race,” Twilight enunciated, “and Firefly, she was granted help by... someone else. Not one who acted out of altruism, but one who had a vested interest in finishing the Old Race off.”

“Tirek was a monster, yes,” she said. “But Firefly was tricked into going to a human for help. A pony might have sought to redeem him, or perhaps confine him. The locket’s maker knew they needed a human. Humans think differently. A human would destroy him. Because that’s what humans do. It’s all they do!”

Slowly, then quickly, then finally it was joined by the joyous, mocking laughter of none other than Discord himself.

“Very, very good, my dear Twilight,” he smiled. “Quite the nice little piece of self-delusion you’ve crafted for yourself there… And, well, this has been most instructive. I didn’t know the Architect had survived that long into the new age… Always nice to hear again about old Tirek, too...”

“So, I guess it’s historical revisionism like this,” Discord said leerily, “which is how you justify the things you do to yourselves… And dare I use that ambiguous syntax deliberately? Brainwashing… the charming Captain Reiner explained your Empire is really into that. Though I’ll give you points, Twilight, for trying out some good old-fashioned emotional manipulation…”

Surprisingly, it was Rainbow Dash who’d shouted that. Luna glanced her way, and saw the prismatic pegasus was seething.

“Who are you to lecture us about brainwashing…” Dash hissed. “Oh, forgot that, did you?”

Discord goggled at her. “What… No? No, quite the opposite. I remember it very well, and my, do I regret it. You, on the other hand...”

‘The very reason Tau Sunflare made Celestia and you…’ Luna thought, recalling Twilight’s words. ‘She didn’t mention Galatea… but she can’t not know about Galatea. She doesn’t think I know. She doesn’t want you to know, Luna. She’s got no way of knowing if I’ve met Galatea. She’s still being deceitful.’

“Discord is right,” Luna said sternly. “I’ve heard enough. We both have.”

Twilight stared at her inexpressively. “From the way you’re saying that…” she said slowly. “I take it you’re unconvinced?”

“I am certainly thankful to you for offering your… perspective,” said Luna. “Especially when it comes to the legend of Firefly. However much your views may have coloured it, there remains a side you’ve revealed that I was not familiar with… Yet it will not change my mind. And you know why? For one thing. One thing I have seen, unquestionably, with my own eyes.”

Twilight made no response. Dash was listening intently, and the saffron pegasus by her side raised an eyebrow.

“What happened to Redheart,” Luna intoned, “can only have resulted from the very sort of mental manipulation Captain Reiner tells us you use on more than humans. You and your Queen. She would have served you faithfully, loyally,” she said, looking at Dash. “But you still saw fit to play around with her mind. Just in case. And yet she died, after all her service, her loyalty to your miserable Empire. You, who talk of mending broken souls... You can keep your offer, Twilight. But know that you’ve squandered a loyal soldier’s life on a whim.”

She could not forget how, there in the assembly, it had been her voice to carry out the sentence. The Queen’s will had been channeled through her own words, tainted and vile, delivering the words that flicked a switch in Redheart’s enslaved mind.

Yet she couldn’t have known, Luna told herself. How was she supposed to know what they could have done? Celestia had reassured her it wasn’t her fault, that it was never her fault. But what difference did it make, really? Her voice was what had carried out the sentence. Her voice had issued the Queen’s will.

She should have protected her subjects, no matter where they were from. And she’d failed.

Luna turned to look at Twilight, once more. The mare stood her ground determinedly. Was that empathy in her sad, downtrodden eyes?

“I… didn’t sentence her,” Twilight said quietly. “It wasn’t my call to make. She… was… I didn’t make the call. I didn’t carry it out, Luna. I didn’t.”

“No, you did not,” said Luna, biting back a grimace. There was no way to deny it. “I did, another unwilling pawn in your dear Queen’s board... And that’s all you are to her, as well.”

There was a cold, eerie calm in the air. She watched the Archmage’s movements, carefully. A flicker of the tail and ears. Her eyes narrowed and expression hardened.

“So...” Twilight said softly. “You’re turning down my peace offering?”

Luna nodded. “I believe I speak on all Equestria’s behalf, that I find no grounding in your reasoning, Lady Archmage, neither shall we surrender Captain Reiner to your custody.”

“You’ve asked for my blessing to your cause. But I am not your Luna, and my answer is ‘no’. ”

Something passed beneath Twilight’s cool, steely mask. Something that might have been regret, longing or want.

Silence. Nothing but the distant booming of whatever futile assault was carried out against the mighty airship.

“Very well,” the Archmage whispered. “I regret this, Luna…” Her lip quivered. “Now!”

From the corner of Luna’s eye, she saw the four crystalline pillars shine bright and colourful at those words.

Colours of the rainbow, all of them – and those of the four other Elements of Harmony. And she saw Discord in the centre of the room, vulnerable and exposed. She cried out, but it was far, far too late. His confused gaze fell upon one of the pillars, as it emanated a butter-yellow shine.

Four beams shot out, each of the four different colours, soon joined by those of Magic and Loyalty, the Elements worn by the Archmage and the Captain glowing in resonance with the pillars.

If Discord had been about to scream, it went unheard, in the thunderous noise and outburst. The Elements of Harmony had struck the Lord of Chaos.

When the gallery became visible once more to a blinded Luna, there stood a statue where Discord had been.

Unbalanced, the statue toppled over, landing face-up with a bone-racking ‘thump’. Discord’s stone facial features were frozen in a cry of heartbreak and betrayal, his forelimbs raised futilely to defend himself.

The pink tuft of mane he’d wrapped around his claw, stark against the grey of stone, fluttered to the floor.

However the Archmage had managed to call upon the Elements from such distance, Luna did not care, for she braced herself to strike down the Archmage at once. A magical cage was hard to breach but not impossible. Luna stomped her hoof, ignoring her headache as her horn shone bright through the armour.

But then she felt something both fiery and cold brush against her wing, slicing off a feather. It made her gasp in pain, and she found herself face-to-face with a thin, grey longsword, its tip holding her visor from closing entirely, inches from penetrating her forehead

“Like I said,” the Archmage said. “Please, Princess. Don’t make this any harder than you must.”

Brought at short notice, and she regretted not having it fitted out properly before the Concordia Maxima was called. But this was the least of her concerns as she stood beside her aunt and husband both. As well as Twilight and Reiner.

Of course, Galatea knew to keep those in the know limited, and had only called for the five of them. It hadn’t calmed any of them down when she broke the news of Luna and Discord’s capture.

Celestia was not pleased. Shifting uncomfortably in her armour, Cadance glanced up to see Celestia’s uncharacteristic glare towards Galatea.

“Wait, um, Galatea?” Twilight interjected. “Why can’t you just… I don’t know, get them back?”

Galatea shook her head. “That shield-barrier around the ship does not permit those without its maker's signature and permission, so to speak, to pass through. I cannot open a doorway directly within its boundaries… they must have learnt from my counterpart’s defeat.”

Reiner let out a groan. Celestia’s frown deepened, and Cadance shared a look with Shining.

“Galatea,” said Celestia. “You mean we cannot retrieve our sister and Discord safely?”

“No, I’m afraid not,” said Galatea, her gaze soft. “I’m truly sorry, Celestia, but trying to pull them back through the Mirror would be unwise.”

Something passed Cadance’s mind. “Aunt Galatea,” she said. The words were still foreign to her tongue, but the grey alicorn’s ears perked up. “You said it was Shining Armor, well, their Shining, who set up the shield, right?”

“Well, a unicorn’s trace never changes,” Cadance said, more confident. She saw Twilight looking very surprised. “I know how to get through. I’ll make sure it responds to me.”

“You mean to actually appear aboard the ship itself, Cadance?” said Celestia.

“I’d assume the good captain has anticipated his wife attempting to do that,” Galatea warned. “I would not advise it, Cadence.”

“She’s right,” Twilight added. “Cadance, breaking into this shield directly… that, that’s a huge, huge effort. It’s too risky, nopony’s ever done it like this!”

Cadance’s mind raced. She felt Shining’s hoof upon her shoulder, comforting, yet also a reminder of who she’d have to lose.

Her gaze went to Alexander Reiner, still wheelchair-bound, bearing an expression of intense scrutiny.

“... Alex, you said I wasn’t an alicorn? My other self?” Cadance asked quickly.

“But I am,” said Cadance. She lit her horn, and tightened her gauntlet’s straps. “So, I guess we’ll have to do this the hard way."

“It has to be me," she said. “It’s why you brought me an extra suit, right? You said we’d have to be ready for anything. And this is that moment, Shining. I know it is.”

“I will be,” Cadance replied, but then she saw Twilight, eyes wide and mouth agape.

“I’m the one that knows his magic best, Twi’,” replied Cadance, waving an armoured forehoof. “It has to be me. Aunt Galatea... do it. The sooner, the better."

“Very well,” said Galatea. She pulled her goggles down, over her eyes. “Take care, Cadance.”

But here Celestia stepped forwards, between her and Cadance. The frown that had been etched across her face had long faded, and Cadance saw nothing now but worry.

Galatea’s horn brightened and the Mirror began to glow, reflecting off the lens of her goggles. “On your command, Princess.”

And Cadance stepped past her aunt, sharing one final look with them all. Then she slammed down her visor, and stared upon the Crystal Mirror, seeing nothing else.

Cadance took a deep breath. She had to be honest with them, and herself, too. Now or never.

“Put the Lord Discord in the cargo hold... My brother will handle it from there.”

“You got it, Twi’.” Rainbow Dash replied to the Archmage, chipper. “Let’s go, Starstruck, let’s not keep ‘em waiting.”

Her protegée nodded, pushing against the cart. They had swiftly placed Discord into a big wooden box lined with straw and nailed the lid shut – an ignominious fate for the draconequus, but of course there were such spare boxes in an art gallery, especially for statues. And Luna, resentful as she felt, was all but helpless with the long, thin longsword holding her visor open.

As the doors closed behind them, and Luna could no longer see Discord’s statue, she turned her glare, through her half-closed, jammed visor, to the Archmage.

“Good to know using the totems as a conduit worked beautifully… do you know what this is?”

The longsword’s metal was cold as ice and yet burnt when it brushed against Luna.

“Yes,” she said through gritted teeth. “Orichalcum, is it? From the Tauren Isles? Or… Adlaborn?”

The metal was exceedingly rare, Luna vaguely remembered. Perhaps this sword was made from whatever was left in those mines, or was an heirloom. The metal’s anti-magical qualities, Celestia had theorised, would nullify the natural magical aura infused within their bodies, and could cut through an alicorn’s skin like paper.

And the burn on her wing proved it was a theory she’d rather not see proven now, of all times.

“I see you remember your history well, Princess,” said the Archmage lightly. “Discord is so inherently disharmonious, the Elements would never fail to work on him… but you’re a little more complicated. However, this sword…”

“I won’t make the same mistake twice,” she whispered. The sword remained dangerously close to Luna’s forehead, but it lowered ever so slightly. “I cannot let you return from whence you came. If my– our Luna turned… maybe I’ll… we’ll make it right with you. This is your final warning.”

“I have given you my answer, Archmage,” she said. “I will not stand by your side. Ever.”

With Discord gone… At the very least, she’d go down fighting. No matter how short or how long, the Archmage deserved no satisfaction.

“Then I’m sorry it has to be this way, Luna,” said the Archmage mournfully. Magically, she split her sword in two hovering pieces, each comprised of six shards. One remaining trained upon Luna’s forehead, and the other shard poised to strike her wings. “I... didn’t want to do this... I really didn’t. But your sister awaits your presence. Let’s not wait any longer– Cadance?”

There, from the corner of her eye, Luna saw a brilliant pink flash. As the Imperial Guard stood their ground and the Archmage’s eyes widened, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza stepped forth, clad in armour of the Crystal Realm. Her eyes were narrowed, her horn was brightening, and Luna knew to brace herself.

Spectrum

by Sledge115

Act II ~ Chapter Fifteen ~ Two Faces