//------------------------------//
// Symphony of War 
// Story: King Of Queens 
// by ChroniclerOfFantasies 
//------------------------------//








 I blinked awkwardly a gentle hum passing my lips as I opened my eyes, only to be met with a field of golden feathers. I wiggled forward poking my head out of the fluffy crevice and looked around. I was in a forest, the air crisp and cool but without the biting cold of winter. Overhead the tree leaves were just starting to color. Fall had arrived I realized. Below me was a small patch of dead grass and flowers while above seemed to sit under a pile of sturdy rocks carefully stacked together. I could see the roots from the tufts of grass growing from the dirt packed between each stone. This little hovel must have been here for quite some time.
 A rustle beside me lifted some of the fog from my groggy mind. That’s right, I wasn’t alone in this den either. There was something else there too, the one whose body I just removed my face from. She was different than me as she sported wings instead of a horn, but my childish mind could tell we were both the same type of... thing so it was okay. She was lying next to me, her tiny hooves wrapped around my tummy. It was dark out and the ball in the sky, the one that didn’t hurt my eyes, wasn’t anywhere to be seen, making the whole sky black without a single light in the sky.
 Awkward rustling came from her. I looked over to find that the other thing had begun to stir. I cared for this thing, though I didn’t know why. I knew we had been together for as long as I could remember. Together we lived. Together we survived. I used my power to do things she couldn’t. And she used the things on her back to do things I couldn’t. It was a wonderful system.
 She opened her eyes slowly, looking up to find me staring back at her. She smiled before pressing further into me. She looked around and her smile soon faded, turning into a confused frown. Her head began to zip in different directions as she looked for something. I tilted my  head in confusion, trying to find what she was looking for and that’s when I felt it too.
 Something was missing, something that should have been there by now. I looked around but came up with nothing, and that made me realize what was gone. There was no ball in the sky, neither the ball that didn’t hurt my eyes nor the other one that did, to light up the world. This didn’t really bother me. I was sure it was probably just a little late. But it terrified the other thing that was with me.
 I didn’t like it when stuff scared the other thing. It made me sad to see her frantic like this. So whenever she was I always did everything I could to fix it. This would be no exception. Using my teeth I tugged on the scruff of her neck. She was reluctant at first, but I smiled and that seemed to give her the courage to walk out with me.
 We only walked about ten feet from our home, but I figured that was enough. I looked up at the sky and closed my eyes, pulling on my power. I knew the power, the energy inside me, was what rose the sun and moon. I could hear their songs every day and every night, singing to me as they flew through the sky. These songs told me all I needed to know on raising them and so I sang the song with my power..
 As I began to sing, I found the song was harder than anticipated. It required more energy and concentration than any song I’d ever sang before. It was fast paced, intricate, and seemed to last forever with notes flowing in and out in beautiful and stunning ways.
 After what felt like an eternity I felt light peek through my eyelids. I blinked harshly as the song came to an end, and quickly fell to my haunches. I was absolutely exhausted, but the other thing was smiling and running in circles around me, so it was okay.
 Until I heard a twig snap.
 As quick as I could I stood to fight, my horn lighting up at whatever was coming near us. And that’s when I caught sight of something I wasn’t expecting. Two other creatures, ones just like me with horns on their heads, standing there with their mouths open and their eyes wide just… staring at me. The other thing whom I’d known my whole life darted over to me quickly pressing her body into mine as much as she could.
 The other ponies started making strange noises to each other, before turning to us and making even more. I didn’t understand them and was very confused. They weren’t growling or hissing, so they weren’t trying to make a threat. Their horns weren’t lighting up like mine either, and since I couldn’t use my songs, my power, to attack without it glowing, that must mean they weren’t going to either. If that was the case then I just wanted them to leave. This was mine and the other things spot. Not theirs. So I shot a little beam. Not much, but it was the best I could manage after raising the sun.
 The blue big-thing then made a big wall of magic in front of him, and my beam just went around it. I stepped back in surprise and fear before gritting my teeth and shooting again but to no avail. Still I had to try. I couldn’t just let them take my home or the other thing. And so I fired shot after shot after shot, pumping as much power into each one as I could. Unfortunately this didn’t deter the big-thing at all. If anything he was enjoying it. His smile growing wider and wider with each shot I unleashed. Eventually I noticed my eyes beginning to droop, like they always did when I sang too many songs. I was about to fall asleep and I knew it. But what else could I do? 
 Eventually I passed out, the other things screams being the last I heard.


***


 “Am-bro-sia.” said the other pony, for a pony is what we were. A year had passed and the ponies that found us, unicorns they called themselves, were still ‘teaching’ us. They wanted us to be able to do all sorts of strange things like talk, eat with long smooth rocks they called forks, and use the restroom in things called ‘chamber pots’. I didn’t really understand it, nor did I care for it. The only thing they ‘taught’ us that I found worthwhile were the songs, or spells, the one called Clover taught me. They were useful, and I could do all sorts of strange things with them. When the other pony and I were released there wouldn’t be anything I couldn’t protect her from.
 “Very good Ambrosia! Now it’s your turn Radiance. Come now, can thou say Radiance? Ra-di-ance?” I looked at the strange golden maned pony with the purple robe and silver crown. She wore a big grin on her face, though it looked a little fragile. Like she was hoping for something she knew wasn’t going to happen.
 This was something I couldn’t see the point in. Names. There was only one pony whose identity mattered to me and that was the other pony, or ‘pegasus’ sitting next to me. As a result, I never spoke. Not one peep the whole time they spent teaching me. Don’t get me wrong, I could see the use for names given to other things, but not me or the other pony. There just wasn’t any point. Still though in my childlish mind, I wondered what her reaction would be if I actually DID say something. The results were much to my satisfaction.
 “Princess Platinum…” The princess wasted no time in squealing with delight as she gave a little dance about how wonderful it was for me to have learned her name… until the rest of my sentence came out.
 “tis a harlot.” To be fair, I had no idea what the word meant at the time, only that it was a derogatory term for mares such as herself. She never let me live that moment down no matter how much I apologized to her. Still though, the look of utter horror on her face was well worth it.


***


 I was now nine years old. Well, we guessed I was and I had long since come to understand society and the way it worked as well as accepting my position within it. While the mentality I had as a ‘wild child’ as many had come to call Ambrosia and I still swayed many of my actions, I had come to both accept and respect the new path and environment my life had taken. Ambrosia was… slower in that regard than I was. Actually, she was significantly slower than me, at least mentally. And needless to say that worried me.
 I had always known Ambrosia and I were different on some level. I was always the stronger of us two though to us that didn’t really mean anything, just that I could help take care of us more easily in the long run. When I realized the full gap that was between the two of us though I began to grow worried believing something to either be wrong with me or worse… Ambrosia.
 My fears were placated though when I voiced my concerns to my mentor. According to Clover I was something called a ‘prodigy’. I was… special. A genius in magic and… well… just about anything related to the mind. I… didn’t really understand. With a sigh Clover motioned for me to follow him and so I did.
 We walked through the halls silently, the clip clop of our hooves echoing loudly off the walls finally stopping before a common set of wooden double doors. With the glow of his horn Clover gently opened the doors taking a few steps in and calling out to me. I followed, albeit a little hesitantly. My instincts told me I was about to learn a valuable, albeit difficult to swallow lesson.
 And difficult it was.
 To my surprise I found myself in a room filled with other young ponies around my age. Most of them were unicorns, with the occasional Pegasus and earth pony scattered about. They all sat at long wooden tables with small books in front of them. They all turned to look at me and I did the same back. I let a large grin cross my face when I saw Ambrosia waving towards me excitedly. I gave a short wave back before turning to Clover with a questioning look.
 “Master Clover, what is thy purpose in bringing me to Ambrosia’s class?” I whispered.
 “Hark Rade.” he whispered quietly in return as he leaned his head down to mine to speak. “Remain here for the rest of thy friends class. As with every experiment we perform, observe and do not interact. However, after class take the day off and spend time with thy friend, Ambrosia. Do not change thy behavior, but do pay more attention to how you interact with each other. Before the sun rises on the morrow, I am sure you will come to understand my lesson.” With that I watched him leave, giving a slight bow of his head and a quick explanation to the teacher before leaving me alone in the room to watch the other fillies and colts.
 What I saw… at first confused me.
 Everypony was so… energetic. Their eyes darted from place to place and they constantly shuffled their hooves unable to sit still. The teacher talked to them in a high pitched almost bubbly voice, using simple words and phrases to explain even simpler concepts, and that wasn’t even factoring in the length of time she spent going over each subject. An hours worth of time devoted to reading simple sentences, another to basic addition and subtraction, two to basic sciences, these were all things I learned in my first month here. And from the way the students spoke I realized that they went over these things everyday.
 I spent the remainder of my day doing exactly as master Clover had instructed and paid close attention to my interactions with Ambrosia. I realized that while she was clearly pleased to be around me… she had no idea what I was saying at any point in time. Ever since our arrival here we tended to end our days on the castle walls with either me prattling on about my lessons with Clover or simply sitting in silence, doing little more than enjoying the company of the other. Watching her now though I realized that my explanation on Clovers obvious attempt at teaching me something about social dynamics and how I fit into them was something she… just didn’t get. She looked at me, brows knit together in concentration as she tried, and failed, to grasp what I was saying all with a small and gentle smile on her face.
However as this reality sank in for me I became saddened, something she noticed immediately and was quick to call me out on.
 “Rade, what ails thee?”
 “Hm? I am fine Ambrosia.”
 “… truly?” She reached up with her hoof, playing it just below my horn as though to check my temperature. “Thou doth not seem sick… tis it trouble with thy heart?”
 “… in a manner of speaking.” I replied, casting my eyes to the side. Ambrosia’s gaze softened a little as her face took on a look of concern.
 “What troubles thee?”
 “I… Ambrosia… is my behavior… that is do I seem… queer?” Her eyes widened. Evidently that was not a question she had expected me to ask. Her surprise didn’t last long though as she quickly closed her eyes and nodded her head vigorously.
 “Most definitely! Thou are nothing at all like any of the other ponies our age!” My eye twitched at that. I couldn’t help but feel a little irritated at just how quickly and happily she pointed out that I was, in laymans terms, a freak. Not that I could complain, I was the one who asked after all. She looked up, tapping one hoof on the other as I had occasionally seen minotaurs do when listing things. “Thou use big words, thou cast all sorts of silly spells, sometimes thou walk on clouds with me even though thou art a unicorn, thou are strange in every sense of the word!” Her eyes then grew a little sullen while her ears splayed back. “There was a time when… when I felt useless to thee. Like thee was so perfect thou didn’t actually… need me around. I felt as though… I was only getting in thy way.”
 My own eyes widened in surprise upon hearing that. Ambrosia wasn’t getting in my way. She’d never gotten in my way! She was my oldest and best friend and I… cared about her. Before I could think further on the matter though, Ambrosia’s head snapped toward my own and with a big smile plastered on. “But that’s okay! I realized that I don’t need to be needed! I’m completely okay with being useless!”
 “But Ambrosia, thou are not-” I was quickly cut off by a hoof being placed on my mouth.
 “Mm mm.” She said with a shake of her head. “I’m useless to thee Rade. I can’t understand all the big things thou says everyday and I often get in thy way by messing up thy homework and expara… expeara…”
 “Experiments.”
 “Aye, those! And that’s fine. What’s important isn’t that I’m useful to thee, but that I make thee happy. We spend everyday together and even though half the time I don’t understand what thou says, thou always brighten up my day because thou are important to me. And I am important to thee. So long as we are happy, that is all that matters.”
 “And besides, nopony is perfect Rade. Eventually thou will come across something that thou cannot do and knowing thy luck it will be something very important that thou can’t live without and I will most likely excel. Perhaps it will even be my special talent!”
 I smiled, her simple explanation putting my heart at ease. After giving her an affectionate nuzzle, I promised her I would endeavor to make a greater effort to talk and act in a way she could understand, even though she said it wasn’t necessary I still felt as though I needed to since she was trying so hard for me. It was the least I could do in return.
 The next day Clover was greeted to the sight of a far more childish acting Rade and his smile told me he knew I had learned the lesson he wanted to teach.
 


***


 Sometime later I was running with Ambrosia and several of the other children my age through the streets of the city. Since my talk with Ambrosia I had adopted a far more childish personality. Both to help make myself more relatable to Ambrosia and more approachable by others my own age. I figured in the long run it would provide a good balance to my above average mind.
 At that current moment I was the one with the ball and I was kicking it ahead of me constantly to keep it away from the others (as that was the point of the game) when one of them finally tackled me into an alley and got it back.
 I tumbled for a bit, rolling around on the packed stones before crashing into several wooden crates. Rubbing my now slightly throbbing head I looked around in a daze and was surprised to find another unicorn drawing on the ground with a rock. Temporarily forgetting about the game and letting curiosity run its course, I decided to look at the picture he was drawing.
 No.
 Not a picture.
 A BLUEPRINT.
 Well as much of a blueprint as a small child can make.
 Fascinated that somepony my age, aside from myself, could come up with something so complicated, I sat down and continued to watch. And by watch I mean stare awkwardly over his shoulder. I also took the chance to get a better look at him. His coat was a dark ashy color and his mane was swept back and black with streaks of blue. His sharp grey eyes only enhanced his already intimidating look.
 Eventually though I noticed an error in his math and decided to point it out.
 “Thou forgot to carry the two.”
 “Ahh!” he screamed, throwing his rock and scrambling backwards. He stared at me in shock before speaking again. “I… thou… what?”
 “I said thy math is wrong.” He narrowed his eyes at that, though whether it was in anger or confusion I couldn’t really tell. He looked away, before levitating his rock and getting back to work with a solemn expression on his face.
 “And how would THEE know?” he said in a lower tone. “I have seen thee running about town, kicking that ball with the other children. Playing and laughing as if you haven’t a care in the world. You are just like them. Even if you can understand a small part of what you’re looking at you can’t possibly grasp-”
 “Tis an energy construct, no?” The young colts head snapped toward mine with wide eyes, his mouth opening slightly before I continued. “No… tis an energy catalyst. A fracture of a full construct used to increase the speed in which one source of power is converted to another and reinforcing the construct overall, though this is a very complex model so I mistook it for the construct itself for a moment. What surprises me is the materials used. Most of the time magical energy flows through different sets of wires made of differing, sometimes rare, minerals such as gold, silver, copper, I’m sure thou understands. Though here thou has a long list of different elements, all in trace amounts. What is it?”
 “It’s… it’s uh… it’s crystal.”
 “Cyrstal?”
 “Yeah. Crystal. Normally Crystal is used as a battery as it’s known to hold a charge for incredible periods of time, however it’s never been known for doing much else.”
 “Thy blueprint says otherwise.”
 “Well obviously. That’s the entire point. I’m trying to create a better general catalyst.”
 “Using crystal as a base?” I asked raising an eyebrow. He simply nodded. “I see. It certainly seems doable, though it’s strongly bending some of the laws of crystal magic.”
 “Laws?”
 “Yes. The laws on crystal magic first theorized by Singing Hoof the Bard of Dreams and later proven by Smokedust the Failure?” 
 “I am… afraid I know not the ponies of which thee speak.” 
 “Then how dost thee have such extensive knowledge of crystal magic?”
 “I… I am self taught.” Sombra looked rather defected by that, though I couldn’t imagine why. Anypony capable of revolutionizing an entire field of study at our age without any formal teaching was something special.
 “That’s incredible! Oh! I haven’t introduced myself! I’m Glorious Radiance.” I extended my hoof  which he hesitantly took.
 “Sombra… just Sombra.”
 “It is a pleasure to make thy acquaintance Sombra. Tell me has thee perhaps considered trying…” I spent the next several hours with Sombra, discussing and going over the details of this new intriguing idea and project. My game with the other children had long since been forgotten. Eventually however we came to a fault in our designs. One we realized we could progress no further without assistance as it wasn’t that the catalyst wouldn’t work, but that we lacked the sufficient knowledge to complete it. So without thinking or asking anypony else if it was a good idea, I did the first thing that came to mind.
 “I’m going to take thee to see my teacher now.” I said, and began charging a teleportation spell with my horn while his eyes went wide.
 “Wait, wha-” And with a flash we were standing in front of master Clover. We also seemed to have teleported into the middle of the throne room during a major meeting, not that I particularly cared. I was… excited I think. To meet another pony like me my age well… that was just something I didn’t want to give up. Though I highly doubt I myself realized this at the time.
 “Master Clover!” I said and with little thought of anything else in my mind I quickly ran over to Clover and for once my excited childish bouncing wasn’t an act, something Clover quickly took notice of. It was not often that I naturally acted my age and when I did it generally tended to be something legitimately important, thus I had my teachers full attention.
 “What is it Radiance?” I quickly zoomed back over to Sombra and pushed him in front of Clover and Platinum. In my excitement I failed to register the look of sheer horror on Sombra’s face as he realized he was not only in the palace but in front of the greatest and most influential ponies of our day and age… while covered in several weeks worth of dirt and filth.
 “This pony’s just like me!” One of Clover’s eyebrows slowly rose and I took that as my cue to start explaining. Without any hesitation I began recounting my entire meeting and discussion with Sombra. Clover listened intently without a single interruption, so much so that the only indication he was even still alive was the occasional blinking of his eyes.
 “With thy help I think we can get that invention of thees up and running!”
 “I see.” Clover turned his attention over to Sombra. “So… Sombra was it.” Sombra gulped so nervous he couldn’t do naught but nod his head. “Well Sombra that’s quite the impressive theory, especially for a pony who is self taught. All of this being said however I am sure my student in his excitement has pulled thee from whatever thee was doing without consulting anypony else.” He shot me a look and I stopped bouncing only to lower my ears and return a sheepish smile. “Thus before this conversation goes any further, may I ask thee where thy parents are? It would not do for them to worry over a missing child.”
 Sombra’s ears quickly folded as he looked away with a downcast expression. A faint glimmer shone in his eyes, a precursor to tears just barely being held back. “I… I do not have any.” Out of the corner of my eye I could see Platinum’s eyes go wide before becoming misty eyes herself. She truly had a soft spot for children. Clover on the other hoof, gained the same unnerving smile he once gave to me several years prior before turning his head and speaking to Platinum. “Milady, yesterday we were discussing what to do with a small surplus in the budget, were we not?”
 Platinum looked at him confused, but nodded her head anyways. Clover smiled and turned his attention back to Sombra. “Well then I suggest we use that to fund the schooling of my new student.”
 Several hours later found Sombra sharing a room with me. We each sat on our own beds talking about experiments and the like until one of the palace maids came in and told us it was time for bed. Unable to sleep I stared at the ceiling, the smile I obtained after meeting Sombra never fading. “Hey Sombra. Art thou still awake?”
 “… aye.”
 “Art these not a fortunate series of events?”
 “Indeed they are Rade. I rose with Fausts light in an alleyway, and now I sleep under her moon in the palace. I had nothing, no home, no friends, no family. Now… now I have everything. Well I have a home and a friend. I still lack the last.”
 “Mm… perhaps not.” Sombra turned in his bed to look at me, and I returned that look with a happy honest grin.
 “Master Clover and Princess Platinum are not my parents, but in my heart I still feel that way about them. They may not have been my family by birth, but they still are family. At least to me.”
 “And what, pray tell, does that have to do with me?”
 His eyes regarded me like a dullard. I could hardly blame him. My explanation was hardly an explanation. So I turned to him with a smile and elaborated. “If Clover and Platinum are like my parents since I’m clovers student, then they’ll probably be like that for you too! And that would make us…?”
 “That would make us…” He hesitated, his eyes darting around lost and confused before looking at me and offering an unsure “brothers?”
 “Aye!”
 “I-I see…” He stuttered out before a grin as wide as my own took up his face and in his eyes, though he’d deny it till his dying day there was, perhaps, just a glint of a tear. “I see! Brothers! A family! Yes! A marvelous idea!” 
I laughed glad he agreed and he in turn laughed too. Our laughter didn’t stop as it rushed into a a crescendo echoing off the walls and down the hall. We were both so happy for so many things. Finding a place to belong, finding another like us, finding secrets in magic, and knowing we’d find so much more together. It was a truly magnificent moment.
“Silence foals!” We heard a guard through our doors. “Need I call thy master Clover?” With quickly given assurances that such… drastic measures were unnecessary we snuggled into our beds to sleep. Tough I soon found it difficult without one last word.
“Aye… Sombra?”
“Yes Rade?”
“Goodnight brother!”
 “Same to thee Brother!” We both laughed at our foolishness, not really taking the idea seriously. Though in later years that’s exactly what happened.


***


 Ambrosia, Sombra, and I were following Chancellor Puddinghead. We had been eating lunch with him and Private Pansy when Princess Platinum burst through the door raving about children. At first I thought she was just having a midlife crisis. I mean she wasn’t getting any younger after all. Then again what does a ten year old know? Well… at least we thought I was ten at the time.
 Anyway so here we were trotting down the hall to her personal study. Upon entering we found the other founders of equestria, Lady Smart Cookie, Commander Hurricane, and my mentor Clover the Clever, standing around a small whicker basket in which laid two crying foals. I stood there trying to grasp the situation while Ambrosia immediately rushed over to them.
 “They’re adorable!” she, Pansy, and Platinum all squealed at the same time. Myself and the other males in the room could only roll our eyes. After watching them gush over the two foals for a while I looked to Clover for an explanation of them bringing us here but Sombra beat me to the punch.
 “Master Clover, may I ask what the importance of these fillies is?”
 “That’s a wonderful question. Why don’t both of thee take a closer look and tell thy opinion.” We both nodded, walking over to the small basket to take a closer look at the two small fillies. The one on the right was pure white, an uncommon and highly coveted color among ponies, with a candy pink mane. She was curled up in a tight ball under her blanket and seemed to be trying to snuggle down as far as possible. Beside her was another small pony with a dark blue coat and a light blue mane. Unlike the first filly she was sprawled out with her tongue lolling out of her mouth.
 But what was truly shocking was the fact that they both had wings and a horn.
 “Master Clover… they…” I breathed out, incapable of forming proper sentences out of shock.
 “Aye. They possess both a horn and wings and that is why both of thee have been called. Thou shall work with me to help me study these ponies and to determine if this is a birth defect… or something more.” Sombra eagerly agreed, nodding his head faster than I thought possible, but I was slightly reluctant. The idea of experimenting on another pony, especially a newborn, didn’t sit well with me. And I made that opinion known.
 “Of course Radiance I understand. Worry not, we won’t be assessing them the way we do with common animals. No. No matter what these are still young children, and we shall do our best to take care of them and treat them well.”
 “But what of their parents? Why are they not here?” Ambrosia asked. Clovers eyes widened at that, probably because it was rare for her to address him. Ambrosia spent most of her time with Platinum or Pansy and if she wasn’t with them she was normally either playing with friends or pestering Commander Hurricane.
 At her question the adults in the room grew somber expressions and she realized instantly she’d broached a touchy subject. “Ambrosia sweety,” Pansy finally stated after a moments silence. “Listen, why don’t I teach you to mix together food for the little ones so you can help take care of them okay?” Ambrosia looked up at Pansy with a happy twinkle in her eyes before nodding her head and trotting off. Before she left the room though she turned her head to me and gave me a look that I understood meant she knew she was just being kicked out and that she expected me to explain later.
 I soon learned it was an expectation I couldn’t meet.
 Murder.
 A vile crime that in the right circumstances can give birth to the final stage of the most vicious cycle of nature, the cycle of hate. The cycle generally starts out seemingly harmless. Somepony feels something to do with one or more of what is known as the seven sins; Greed, Envy, Gluttony, Pride, Sloth, Wrath and Lust. If the world is lucky, then everything stops there, at just a thought. If not, then whatever idea was held by the first pony gets acted upon. They may hoard all of the gold in an area. They may steal gold that doesn’t belong to them. Eat so much food there’s none left for others, duel a pony to the death because of an insult, refuse to do any work only to end up depressed and die alone, fall into a rage and slaughter everypony in sight, or simply have sex with everything that moves. 
 It doesn’t really matter what happens, only that it does. Those thoughts give way to action, and action gives way to pain. Pain caused by hunger, loss of loved ones, by misery and all it stands for. And this pain leads to hate. Hate for those with better lives, hate of an unfair world, hate for loss of the things one once had. And this hate can hang like a toxic cloud over the masses. It spreads like a disease, seeking out all those who share a similar pain and infecting them. It festers, constantly building up until it bursts forth like water from a broken dam gathering all those it has infected and begins a colossal crusade to incite as much pain as possible and thus breed more hatred.
 That is the final stage of the cycle of hate. A stage that begins and ends with murder.
 The stage known as war.
 And that was exactly what Clover, Platinum, Puddinghead, Smartcookie, Hurricane, and Pansy were trying to avoid.
 It was because of the murder of Celestia and Luna’s, that’s what we had decided to name them, parents. The two of them were a unicorn and earth pony couple, one of the very few mixed race couples in Equestria at the time, whom the stallion held a very high position in the court, and they had been violently killed shortly after the unicorn mare had given birth by a group of radical pegasi. This group of winged ponies had banded together claiming that unicorns were controlling the government and that earth ponies were receiving unfair special treatment from them. This was technically true to some small degree but there were reasons behind this. In terms of running a government, the Unicornian style of politics, while distasteful at times, was the most stable and efficient, a must have for any newly founded country. As for Earth ponies… well there’s a reason that pegasi and unicorns often referred to them as dumb beasts of burden.
 Because they were dumb.
 Like brains full of rocks dumb.
 Sometimes literally…
 So to be honest they needed help to get up to speed on modern ideas. It’s difficult trying to run a country when a third of the population still thinks that leeches are an effective remedy for curing diseases because they ‘suck out the tainted blood’.
 But that is beside the point. This radical group calling themselves the ‘Wonderbolts’ were slowly gaining more and more support within the pegasi and earth pony community. Through thorough investigations Hurricane and Pansy found that they attained said support through a method of shock and awe. Evidently the leaders were incredible flyers and would perform complex aerial maneuvers during secret ‘air shows’ with the promise of making every pegasi that joined just as great as they. I didn’t really understand what was so great about it until Sombra compared it to he, Clover, and I giving magic lessons to every unicorn in the country. At which point I concluded these wonderbolts were full of it. There’s no way a hoofull of ponies can teach that many advanced techniques to such a large group
 Of course as Clover soon explained, that was the point. After all that’s how an army is formed. You take the best of the best, a group of specialists and have them teach as much as they can to a large group until all of those ponies are above average in skills, but below the commanders themselves. And an army is exactly what these ‘Wonderbolts’ wanted.
 The next few years found Ambrosia, Sombra, Platinum, Clover and I looking after the two alicorn foals while the remaining founders fought a civil war not long after our country's founding.
 

***


 “Rade.”
 …
 “Rade.”
 …
 “……… breakfast is ready.”
 “What was that Ambrosia?” I asked sitting up. It was early morning and I had finally gone back to sleep after helping to raise the sun. Ambrosia was lucky to be a pegasus in that regard. Having been found to be one of the most powerful unicorns ever born I am now forced to assist the nobles in raising the sun. This would not be so bad… if only the sun rose later in the day.
 My job is not made any easier by the fact that jealous nobles keep slouching during the ceremony, or worse, actually fighting AGAINST raising it, forcing me to pick up the slack and work that much harder.
 “Ah thou hast finally wakened from thy slumber. Come, we must go to the market.” My ears lowered and my face turned into a pout.
“But… breakfast…” Ambrosia sighed as she picked up a basket with her wing before turning to look at me with a deadpan stare.
 “We cannot eat breakfast without food to fix a meal.” I cocked my head to the side confused. Why would we need to fix a meal? We lived in the palace alongside the unicornian nobility and the other major delegates of each race. All we had to do was speak to a maid and they’d have the food brought to us. And if we couldn’t find a maid, we could always just speak to private Pansy. She not only loved to cook, she was the one that taught Ambrosia how. And good thing too, as she earned her symbol. A silver chalice, with white feathered wings coming off the handle and a halo overtop.
 “Why do WE have to fix it though?” I asked. To which she just stared at me…
 Before her hoof made contact with her face. And alas, we had only just awoken too.
 “Thou hast already forgotten… haven’t thee?”
 “Forgotten what?”
 “Look around thee Rade. Tell me what thou sees?” I did as requested… and immediately became very confused. This… this was not  my room in the palace. This was a strange building that somehow looked familiar yet also seemed completely foreign. Just where was… oh. Right.
 We moved out.
 I had forgotten this. Ambrosia and I, though appreciative of the things Clover and Platinum had done for us, missed living together. Due to customs neither she nor I cared anything for it was not proper for unmarried ponies to sleep in the same room together. As a result most of our palace life had been spent in separate rooms and though some would assume we’d grow accustom to that over time, neither I nor Ambrosia had been able to sleep properly without the other nearby despite years apart and my brother Sombra for company. So saying our goodbyes we packed our things and moved into our new home.
 Of course this also meant that we didn’t have a bunch of ponies waiting on us hoof and… other… hoof.
 And so after ten more minutes of coaxing, and by coaxing I mean Ambrosia biting onto the scruff of my neck and dragging me through the house as I fought desperately to get back to bed, we finally went out into the market.


***

“Come now Rade, I know thee can do this. Sombra, prepare thyself, this will be your first official showing.” Clover said. Sombra and I stood side by side behind our mentor, or should I say former mentor, in a hallway leading out into the castle courtyards. We were teenagers now, Sombra being thirteen and me being fourteen. Well officially at least. Our names were known throughout Equestria as the greatest magical prodigies to ever live. 
Today marked the end of our studies under Clover and the beginning of our own individual lives. After today I was going to continue my own magical studies as well as try to perfect the Light Magic style that Clover had taught me however I had also decided to begin playing a part in our country's government. Sombra on the other hoof had decided to dive fully into his studies of dark magic. Not that I could blame him. When we discovered that Sombra was all but completely immune to the negative effects dark magic typically held on ponies we were ecstatic. Dark magic is famous for its power but has always corrupted its practitioners. To find that Sombra was immune to this meant that he and he alone could study it to his hearts content and the world could finally obtain a true grasp of its potential, and better yet, how to counteract it. Dark magic has, after all, always been the main weapon of choice for wrongdoers. In a few years’ time, Sombra and I plan to bring our minds and magical styles together and run a myriad of test to develop the world’s first guide on Defense against the Dark Arts. 
It also seemed fitting since it was a direct contrast to my own magical abilities. While I was a third generation light mage having learned the art from Clover who in turn learned it from his master Starswirl, Sombra would be diving into uncharted territory. And as hard as the two of us had worked, he certainly deserved it.
My thoughts were interrupted by the opening of the large doors ahead of us. “This is it.” Clover whispered while Sombra and I silently nodded our heads in agreement. Cold winter wind nipped at our faces almost immediately as we exited into the massive courtyard.
I had to resist the urge to look around. We were surrounded on all sides by ponies of every shape, size, and class. Truthfully I shouldn’t have been surprised. That was the point of this after all. The founders had released information nearly a month prior for every pony in the capital to gather here at sunrise if able to see the new way that pony kind would go about raising and lowering the sun and moon.
 And so, after a brief speech from Platinum, Sombra and I forever cemented our place in history as the only ponies capable of raising the sun and moon entirely on our own.


* * *

 
 “Rade this spell is impossible!” cried a little filly. I sighed in exasperation.
 “Thou just watched me perform it. Clearly that is not the case.”
 “Aye! But thou are a super genus!”
 “It’s GENIUS big sister! Get it right!” screamed the other little filly.
 “Leave me alone! Big words are hard!”
 “Only for dumb dumbs!”
 “I am not a dumb dumb!”
 “Yes you are!”
“Am not!”
 “Are too!” 
 “Am not!”
 “Are too!”
 “Am not!”
 “Are too!”
 “Am not!”
 “Are too!”
 “SILENCE!” The sudden outburst along with the slamming of a door caused the two young fillies to immediately shut up and look towards the source of the noise. Standing in the doorway was my younger brother Sombra, his eye twitching violently in annoyance at the two young fillies. “Luna and Celestia, apologize to each other right this instant and get back to work!”
 “Now now little brother calm down. They are just fillies after all.” I said laughing internally as Celestia and Luna made stupid faces behind his back, clearly ignoring everything he said.
 “He’s right Sombra.” Ambrosia called from the other side of the room. She walked over to us and set down a covered platter and several cups filled with iced tea. She hoofed a cup to me which I gratefully accepted before turning back to Sombra and continuing. “Thou hast to be gentle yet firm. Like this.” Ambrosia took a sip of her own drink before walking over to the now wrestling fillies.
 “Excuse me, Celestia, Luna.” The two fillies continued to ignore her far too caught up in their playful squabble. “Luna. Celestia. I’m speaking to thee.” Again the fillies ignored her and Ambrosia began to frown. Sombra and I snuck a look at each other and couldn’t help chuckling a bit at her expense which only caused her frown to deepen. “Celestia del Rosa and Lunalesca if thou do not settle down and listen to me this instant then I swear by Fausts holy light I shall teach thee the true meaning of fear.” Without hesitation both Luna and Celestia stopped their roughhousing and froze in a rather comedic position. Luna let go of Celestias mane and Celestia dropped the stick she was using to hit Luna. Both of them trembled under Ambrosia’s gaze.
 I looked over to my brother and whispered “Why did Pansy teach Ambrosia ‘The Stare’ again?”
 “Because it was the only way to get the two of us to behave when we were younger.”
 “Oh. Right. We weren’t really that bad were we?”
 “I seem to recall us accidentally making several golems out of wood… in the middle of the forest. We were still their age at the time.”
 “Ah! The Timberwolves! I wonder how they’re doing now?”
 “According to reports they’re ruthlessly attacking any and all forms of life they come across and are slowly gaining a type of sentience.”
 “Oh. Whoops.”
 “Aye. Whoops.” He deadpanned before letting out a sigh. “Well, I guess I’d best get back to teaching them. Why not take a moment and relax with Ambrosia? Thou hast been busy of late and I know thee hast seen little of each other. Worry not for me, I can take of them on my own for a while.”
 “Ah, thank you little brother.” I replied with a smile. He gave a nod before walking away and I sat silently for a moment before Ambrosia took her place beside me. She laid her head upon my shoulder, letting out a hum of contentment before deciding to speak to me.
 “Rade… are thou seeing any other mares?” I froze for a moment before stammering out a reply to her unexpected question.
 “I uh… what? Of course no-“
 “Why not?”
“Um… what?”
 “Why aren’t thou seeing any other mares? Rade, both Sombra and thee are the most eligible bachelors in all of Equestria. Sombra doth not court for he wishes to concentrate on his studies. Is it the same for thee?”
 “Er well… no… but-”
 “Then dost thou fear hurting my feelings? I assure thee Rade that is not the case. I am more than happy to share thee.”
 “Well yes I am concerned about that a little but that is not it either.”
 “Then what, Rade? Tell me please.” I looked over to Ambrosia to find her eyes were filled with confusion and something akin to worry.
 “Ambrosia, it is not that I have an issue with courting another. I simply… haven’t found another I feel I could love in the same way I do thee and I do not wish to court another mare when the feelings I have for them dost not properly measure up.”
 Ambrosia stared at me for a few moments trying to find any hint of a lie, when she found none she gave a sigh before shaking her head and snuggling closer into my side. “I understand Rade, but thou misunderstands the essence of courting. When a stallion courts a mare the entire purpose of that is to see if they are capable of developing feelings for each other. Other couples are not like us Rade. They have not spent their entire lives in the company of the other. They must get to know each other, sometimes for years before they fall in love.”
 “Rade I want thee to take the idea of courting other mares quite seriously. As a pegasus I am already naturally frail and my body is far from the healthiest. Were it not for thy enchantments, yes I know of them, I fear I would be bedridden all the time. And while I know thou art a great enough spell caster to help me through childbirth with ease, I still fear for what may befall any of our children. Rade, the founders have named both you and Sombra as the future rulers of Equestria. In a decades time both of thee shall be sitting on a throne ruling over the new Equestrian diarchy. Between ruling a country, thy research and teaching whatever magical successor thou may choose, if I were to perish-”
 “Thou will not-!”I attempted to interrupt but was silenced by Ambrosia’s hoof.
 “IF I were to perish, while I know thou would spend as much time with them as thou could, thou simply would not have the time to look over our little ones yourself. Especially not with thy… grieving. So please, for me, try to find love with others. At least one, so that I do not have to worry.”
 I closed my eyes and took a breath. Ambrosia dying was a topic she brought up often due to how frail her body was and I hated it every time. With all the power I have did she really think I couldn’t protect her? No, that wasn’t it. She knows I can protect her, she’s simply being realistic. Accidents happen and ponies die. That’s just how the world works and she knows that if anything ever went wrong she would want a plan put in place. And I guess… I guess I couldn’t really argue with that.
 But if I had any say, this plan would never have to fall through.
 “Alright Ambrosia. I shall try.” She smiled at that and laid her head back upon my shoulder for a few more minutes until we heard a loud crash. Looking around our eyes came to rest on the sight of several broken pieces of alchemic equipment, two scared fillies, and one very angry Sombra. With a chuckle from us both we went over to rescue the fillies from their terrible fate.
 


***



You are my sunshine


My only sunshine


You make me happy


When skies are gray


You never know dear


How much I love you


Please don’t take my sunshine away


 Ambrosia sang a simple tune as we sat in front of the fireplace. I was older now, around twenty-one. Celestia and Luna were cuddled together to my left. They were eleven years old now, but seemed to age just a bit faster than the average pony so that they seemed closer to mine. But while physically she looked like a grown mare, mentally she was still a child. About two years ago they shocked us all when they tried raising the sun and moon like my brother and I and succeeded. They even earned their Symbols. It was quite the exciting day.
 Looking to my right I could see my younger adoptive brother Sombra sitting a little ways away with one hoof wrapped tightly around his jet black spear as he huddled beneath his blue cape like a blanket. A pang of sorrow swept through my heart. This… this was the last night we would spend in this little home. That’s what it had been since my thirteenth birthday. Our home. We shared it together, me, Ambrosia, Sombra, Luna, and Celestia. We were a family and this was our home and come dawn…we would be leaving it.
 It had been a difficult decision… but it was one that needed to be made. Two years ago a small group of ponies were found practically crawling into the capital. Some were sick and all were covered in grotesque scars. Their ribs were showing, proving they hadn’t eaten a proper meal in years and the few unicorns and pegasi there were had their horns removed and their wings damaged beyond repair, never to fly or use magic again. And that’s when we learned the name of an enemy who would be a thorn in my side for years to come.
 Winter.
 Up to that point he was only a prince, having ascended shortly after his people's failed takeover of all three tribes… or what we thought was a failed takeover. There were many unicorns, earth ponies, and pegasi who had simply refused to look for a new home and remained in the motherland.
 Realizing he wasn’t strong enough to take over Equestria he decided to lay claim to the motherland and not pursue anything more… for right then anyways. With the motherland under his control, he enslaved the native ponies that lived there, turning them into cheap labor. Some had the guts to resist however and managed to escape. Hence the group that was found two years ago. Since then numerous actions had been taken and there was plenty of talk on what to do. Which… sadly… wasn’t much.
 Winter obviously wasn’t a brilliant tactician at the time, but he wasn’t a BAD one either. His forces were just enough that a simple rescue mission was impossible. Any attempt to infiltrate would undoubtedly be caught and a war would begin which would not end well for either side.
 After all, war breeds hate and when your enemies feed off of hate to make themselves stronger… well that’s just a recipe for disaster.
 And so those were our options. Go to war and cause so many deaths it just wouldn’t be worth it… or let them suffer. This wasn’t an easy decision by any means, as there were still ponies who had friends and family being tortured over there. In the end though it was decided that nothing could be done unless some random third party who had no affiliation with Equestria decided they wanted to liberate the motherland.
 And of course, that’s when I had one of my less than mentally stable ideas.
 With all this in mind I asked if we could have volunteers. Anypony willing to fight to save the motherland… at the price of giving up citizenship in Equestria. In essence we would throw away everything we’d strived to achieve these past two decades, put on a bunch of armor and wield weapons we may or may not know how to use, and march straight into the heart of enemy territory knowing full well that if we get into a tight spot we can’t retreat back to Equestria for help. It was an all or nothing plan. Needless to say I threw the country into an uproar.
 Again.
 And so… here we were. Each of us had spent the past year being trained and drilled in the arts of combat. I didn’t want Ambrosia to come, but there was little I could do to dissuade her. Sombra and I had made our choice. Our magical prowess alone would make up for a good chunk of the forces we were missing. And she had decided since I was going, she would come too.
 That… and my brother and I would be miserable during the journey without her since neither of us could cook.
 “Brother.” I turned my gaze to Sombra watching as he stood up and pulled a hoof through his red and black mane one of the few side effects of his experiments. “It’s time.” I nodded my head and quickly stood up with him. Ambrosia gave us both gentle smiles before walking over to Luna and Celestia and nudging them awake. Luna was up within seconds, but Celestia's lazy flank once again refused to rise. Normally she would do this out of laziness, but I had a feeling that this time it was just a reluctance to leave the place she called home.
 Alas, Ambrosia grabbed her pink mane in her mouth and gave a good yank, eliciting a small yelp from the white alicorn and forcing her up. We all walked together as we exited the house. The moon was high in the sky and the roads were lit up with torch lamps. Like us many ponies were beginning to rise, ready to start the new day. And like us, many were turning around, gazing at the homes we would soon be leaving. With a heavy sigh I motioned for the others to follow. We didn’t have any more time to waste.
 Ponies everywhere were watching my brother and I, they’re gazes transfixed on the two ponies who would be performing the ancient ceremony for the final time. We stood in the courtyard of Cheval castle. Surrounding us on every side were unicorns, pegasi and earth ponies who had come to watch my brother and I at work. The turnout was… larger than we anticipated. It honestly felt like everypony from the three tribes had gathered here. Even Clover and Platinum had come to see us work, much to Luna’s and Celestia’s delight. Even though they knew part of the truth on what happened to their parents, they considered Clover and Platinum to be their real mom and dad.
 Ambrosia, Luna and Celestia all flew over to Lady Platinum and sat down near her. I looked back at them, giving them a happy smile before turning to my brother, a serious expression on my face. We had both decided that since this would be our last time doing this for a long while, if at all, we had better make it worth it.
 “Razzle dazzle brother?” I asked. If we weren’t in public I’m sure he would have facehooved. Instead he settled for an amused sigh.
 “Aye brother… razzle dazzle.”
 With that both Sombra and I closed our eyes, pulling on the vast reserves of magic we both possessed. When we opened them again our eyes glowed a brilliant white. We looked at each other, giving a single simple nod before turning our gaze back to the sky. We stood up on our hinds legs, allowing the magic in us to flow as we levitated ourselves into the air. Lights swirled around us, flashing brilliant colors and hues as we climbed higher and higher into the sky. And then the real magic began Sombra held out a hoof, pointing it at the moon and pulling it ever so slowly down. Following his command, the moon did as told and quickly began to descend until finally it fell behind the horizon. One by one the stars in the sky blinked out, and I could hear quiet giggling from behind me. Ah stars, the greatest thing Luna had ever invented, even if it was by pure accident.
 Now it was my turn. Raising my hoof I willed the sun to rise, its golden rays slowly peeking over the horizon as the light basked the world in its warm glow. Higher and higher it climbed, clawing its way to its position in the sky, my magic leading it all the way before finally locking it in its place. Our job done Sombra and I allowed our magic to die down and slowly the two of us drifted towards the ground. We smiled at each other, shaking hooves for a job well done.
 The crowd around us roared into applause, no doubt due to the extra lengths we went for our showmanship. We turned, looking up to the five ponies we considered our closest friends and family. Ambrosia trotted towards us and promptly took her place by my side. I knew Clover and Platinum wanted to come with us, but without them the balance of power in Equestria would shift too greatly and the country would fall from within. Knowing this, we had to make due.
 Celestia came running up to me, her hooves wrapping around me tightly as tears streamed down her face while her sister did the same with my brother. “Stay… please…” she begged. I didn’t want to leave her. Honestly I didn’t. But my powers were needed elsewhere and she was too young and inexperienced to accompany me.
 “Tia. Thou knowest I wish not to leave. But I have little say in the matter. Thy pony brethren NEED me, and it would be wrong of me to stay out of selfish desire.”
“Then let sister and I come with thee! We are powerful as well and you have been teaching us for years! Surely there is something we can do?!”
 “Oh Tia, I understand thy grief, but you lack the experience necessary to join us on this crusade. Power alone will not save thee in war and you have but one life. This is no game of war you play with your friends Tia. When one falls on the field of battle, they rarely rise again. And besides, somepony must raise and lower the sun and moon.” I said with a laugh, trying to ease the situation. It didn’t work though as Celestia only squeezed me tighter as the tears crashed even harder. I looked over to find Sombra in a similar position with Luna. Unfortunately, Sombra had no idea what to do or say so Ambrosia was helping to try and calm Luna down.
 After sometime though the girls managed to… cry less. We were able to pry them off of us and made sure they stood beside the ponies they considered their parents. Platinum came up to us and wrapped the three of us in a hug tight enough to make Chancellor Puddinghead proud. She never spoke, just cried. I couldn’t imagine how it must have felt to her. Princess Platinum had a motherly soul and the bratty behavior brought upon her by a life of aristocracy had long been suppressed by the time I met her, replaced instead by the strong and responsible leader ponies know today. She was there with Clover the day they found Ambrosia and I. Where Clover taught me of science and math, she taught me language and the arts. She spent her days helping Pansy teach Ambrosia the in’s and out’s of being a lady and spoiled Sombra as much as she could after learning he was an orphan. She was our mother, no doubt about that. And like all mothers the day had come to watch us leave.
 If only it wasn’t off to war.
 She let go as slow as she could, reluctance plain on her tear stained face, and backed up to revisit her spot next to Clover and the two alicorn fillies. Clover walked up to us then, his face as blank and unreadable as ever. I didn’t know what to expect from him to be honest. A lecture? A nod? Nothing at all? I honestly had no idea.
 “War.” He said simply. I replied with a nod.
 “Aye.”
 “I… fought in a war once.” My eyes widened and I could only assume Sombra’s and Ambrosia’s had done the same. This was news to me. “It was long ago. Just after I had finished my studies under master Starswirl and long before I helped bring the pony races together. The pegasi had begun pushing their ‘border patrol’ beyond acceptable limits and as such a small war took place over land disputes. They were small skirmishes mostly and the fighting never went very deep into either of our lands. Still though... I wished thee would never have to face such horrors. Nevertheless such a day has come.”
 We all looked at Clover, his usual stoic mask breaking for just a moment as his eyes filled with fear and worry, a sight none of the three of us had ever seen from him, and one we did not wish to see again. But just as quickly as it came, it went leaving only fierce determination behind. His horn glowed and an object appeared in front of us. It was his old brown cloak. Tattered and worn with the occasional patch here and there and a short but thick rope used to tighten the hood, a single glance was all it took to tell it had seen many years. “Radiance. I want you to have this. This cloak originally belonged to MY mentor, Starswirl, back during his travelling days. He bestowed it to me, and now I wish to do the same to you. Wear it well, wear it proud, but most importantly…” He stopped for a moment to place the cloak overtop the armor I was wearing before backing off and looking me dead in the eye. “Wear it home.”
 I stared at Clover for a while and despite my better judgment, nodded my head to a promise I was not entirely sure I could keep. That seemed to be enough for Clover and he gave us a nod before shuffling back towards the girls.
 And so with everything said and done, we bid our final farewells to our friends and joined the rest of the makeshift liberation army. Sombra and I stood at the front, ready to give the order to move out. Every pony turned towards Cheval castle, giving it a final look and salute, before turning back around and beginning the long trek to war.


***


 “Hello there little filly.” I lied on my stomach fighting off the shiver forced on by the snow. We were just outside the borders of the motherland, trekking our way up a wide mountain trail, and had discovered a young earth pony who showed nary a single scar. Upon seeing us she had taken off as fast as her little legs would carry her and dove underneath an outcropping of rock in the mountainside. It was no more than a tiny hovel, but it kept her well out of the reach of the rest of us adults. I would have grabbed her with my magic, but I felt that would only have caused her even more distress.
 Not that I was without distress myself. We were literally on the border of Windigo territory. One or two ponies may not have meant much to them, but a whole fully equipped army on their doorstep wouldn’t require much coaxing to force action. The longer we spent standing around waiting for this child the higher the chances of us being spotted. Something Sombra was quick to point out.
 “Brother, we don’t have time for this.” I turned my head towards him with a frown.
 “I understand that Sombra. But we came to save our kinsman. All of them. Starting with her.”
 “Then grab the child with thy magic.”
 “I told thee brother I do not wish to scare her. She is still young and of gentle spirit. Have patience.”
 “Our enemies shant grant us such a luxury.”
 “The same enemies I do not spy, even on the furthest horizon.” I turned my attention back to the small filly quivering under the rock. While she was still clearly terrified, she seemed to have calmed down slightly.
 “Thee… thee are here to… to save us?” she asked. I couldn’t help but give her a warm gentle smile.
 “Indeed.” That seemed to calm the filly down significantly, even eliciting a small sigh of relief and a tiny smile. That smile didn’t last long however, and was quickly replaced by a teary eyed frown.  
“My dam… she… she told me of ponies. Ponies who… who left to find better quarter in the world. Who left before the windigos came. She said… said she had been a foolish filly. Staying behind out of pride. I… I always hoped… that thou would come for us. That thou would not forget us.”
 “Well then, my heart swells to say we have not. We are on our way now to assist thee and thine fellows.”
 “Wait… are thou heading through Avon’s ravine?”
 “Aye.”
 “If thou headest through there, all shall be met with death.” I blinked in surprise and looked behind me to see the reactions of the rest of the troops. Many were shocked, others confused, most too exhausted to care. Sombra though was like me, a calm face of pure curiosity.
 “And why is that little filly?” Sombra asked leaning his head down to get a better look at her.
 “Mother said the ravine is filled with rays made of sparkling rocks.”
 “Rays?” Sombra asked, tilting his head in confusion.
 “I think she means magical arrays brother. As in traps.”
 “Impossible. We would have picked them up in our scans by now.”
 “Mother also said thou couldst not divine their location with the assistance of thy charm, even if thee were to stare at them in contest.” This caused me to tilt my head in confusion as well. While it is possible to mask a magical array, fully concealing it’s existence from a magical scan is impossible and any can be found if the unicorn, and now the occasional pegasus thanks to a discovery by my mentor, is skilled enough. Or so I thought.
 “Then perhaps thy mother is simply bad at magical scans.” I shot my brother a glare when he spoke and prepared to scold him until the filly spoke again.
 “My dam is gone…” She said and promptly dropped her head to the ground… quiet sniffles leaving her muzzle. I glared at my brother again and all he could do was look away in guilt. I tried to think of something to say that would soothe the child but came up short.
 And so as always with situations such as these, in swooped Ambrosia. She laid on her stomach just like me and extended both her hooves for the filly to take. She looked at Ambrosia for a moment, obviously conflicted on whether to partake in the comfort of Ambrosia’s warm body, or to stay safely in her little hovel where the world could not touch her. Seeing the smile on Ambrosia’s face seemed to make the deal though and the small child quickly found herself in Ambrosia’s golden hooves.
 I stood up as Ambrosia wrapped her wings around the filly and began to sing the lullaby I’d come to love so much. The little one seemed surprised by the wings, but wasn’t at all uncomfortable about them, digging her head deeper into the feathers. I walked over to Sombra and together we began to reassess the situation.
 “What do you think brother?” I asked.
 “About what? The arrays? We need not fear. Tis but a scare tactic employed by the windigos to keep slaves in line. Arrays that cannot be scanned… what nonsense!”
 “I would agree with thee… yet… do thee remember what else was said?” Sombra squinted his eyes thinking for a moment before opening in realization.
 “Ah the ‘sparkling rocks’.”
 “Aye. Thou art the greatest authority on crystal magic. What doth thee make of that statement?”
 “Hmm… crystals can be used to store magic and maintain passive spells depending on the type of gem and the spells intentions. To make a trap, thou wouldst require the ability to convert a passive spell to an active one. A deed impossible without the aid of a runic seal to which even then the chances of success are… slim at best. And since one can make a more efficient trap with none but the seal, it makes the whole process… rather pointless.”
 “But what is the positive of a crystal, if used for trap making?”
 “Seals cannot store a charm for more than a fortnight. A crystal can store magic indefinitely. Where a seal withers away, a crystal may sit for a thousand years and lose nary a drop of magic.”
 “Hmm… I never took an interest in crystal magic, though now I’m finding myself drawn to it.” This caused Sombra to smile.
 “You are welcome to assist me in my experiments anytime brother.”
“Aye. When this is over I think I shall do just that. But back to the matter at hand. It would be one thing for our enemies to say that the ravine is filled with traps, but if for little more than a bit of fear, why say so much? Why not say simply ‘there are traps’ and leave it? Does the filly’s description not strike you as a bit too… specific?”
 Sombra stood silently for a moment with a hoof on his chin, thinking the details over. “I… will admit that does strike me as odd. Aye. Very well, let us announce it to the troops as truth. It matters little, whether there are traps or not. There is no other way into the motherland that offers an element of surprise.”
 Nodding my head in agreement the two of us walked over to the rest of our troops. Ambrosia was sitting around playing with the filly we had found and huddling close to her to keep warm. After a few moments we alerted them to the dangers the filly had told us about the ravine and our plans for dealing with it which were met with many unsatisfied groans and whimpers of fear.
 Evidently ‘watch where you step’ was not the type of genius plan they expected from us.
 “Um… mister… sir?” I turned around, looking back to the young filly who had spoken up when I asked if there were any questions. “Uh… there is… one more way in. Under Everfall, or at least… that’s what they call castle Vitrum now, we found a bunch of caverns. They’re really old and filled with strange blue flowers. But the ooze is little and if thou don’t touch it thou art fine.”
 “And if thou DO touch this… ooze?” Sombra asked.
 “Um… there’s lots of smoke… a sizzling sound… and then whatever touched it gets all sorts of bloated and… well… explodes.” Sombra and I looked at each other with deadpan stares.
 “Tainted magic.” Sombra and I said in unison. The little filly only tilted her head in confusion.
 “What… is that?” My brother opened his mouth to explain but I stopped him with my hoof. Knowing my brother we would be here for the next few hours as he explained the intricacies of magic to a little earth pony who didn’t even have a horn to cast with.
 “Thou see little one.” I said glancing over at Sombra with a look that told him to let me handle it. “Tainted magic is one of the seven classes of magic. They are Light, Harmonic, Astral, Chaotic, Dark, Tainted, and Pure. Tainted magic causes dangerous effects on anypony who comes in contact with it, much like those thou attested to.”
 “Oh…”
 “I’m sorry to say this little one, but a cavern brimming with tainted magic feels little safer than the ravine.” I said as gently as I could. She was trying to help, she just… wasn’t.
 “Yes it is.”
 “How so?” Sombra asked. 
 “Because, that’s how I got out here. I can be thy guide! I can take thee all the way to the room filled with fireworks!” Sombra and I looked at the girl. Blinked. Looked at each other. Blinked again. And then looked back at her one last time before grinning like children.
 “Fireworks brother.” I said.
 “Black powder brother.” Sombra replied.
 “EXPLOSIONS BROTHER!” we shouted in unison as we succumbed to the urge to dance like the little colts everypony knew we were. We both knew exactly what the other was thinking. A room filled with explosives? We literally could not ask for a better entry point. We walk in, take all the boom powder we want, then light it up in specific areas causing mass chaos while we escort as many prisoners out as we can. After that, the real war will begin.
 Also explosions.
 “What did thou say thy name was again, little filly?”
 “Willow. Weeping Willow.” She replied with a smile and a wiggle of her tail. I couldn’t help but grin even wider at the cute little movement.
 “Well then Willow… lead the way!”


***


 “Crystalsssssssssss!”
 “Stop it Sombra.” I said as I shot another beam of magic from behind a wall of snow. This war had made me incredibly thankful for Ambrosias skill at creating snow forts as a child. Between her building and Sombra and I’s spells, we were able to turn the massive amounts of snow the Windigos make into our greatest defense. We had even managed to replace some of our weapons with nothing more than enchanted snowballs that violently exploded on impact. As we’d throw exploding piles of ice at them, they’d do the same to us.
 It was the most extreme snowball fight in the history of Equus.
 This war has been raging for two years now and more than a few lives have been lost. At first we were constantly on the defensive, often times being backed into a corner. At the moment we were locked in a bit of a stalemate. We had freed the majority of our enslaved kinsman and were making a push in an attempt to retake a major city. At the moment things were… calm I guess you could say. Well, as calm as they get on a battlefield. Our enemies were out of range of us, and we were out of range of them. The only ‘attacking’ we were doing were warning shots. Just enough for each army to remind the other that we were in fact still there and VERY much out for blood. Not that windigos have blood… or any other kind of tangible bodily fluid. As a result my family, along with several officers, were sitting together behind a magically reinforced snow fort wall discussing strategies, tactics, and the opposite sex all while eating some of Ambrosias homemade stew.
 Somehow she makes war rations edible and also serves as one of the army’s very few medics, meaning she’s either filling our stomachs or putting them back. It also gives a whole new meaning to ‘the way to a stallions heart is through his stomach’. Something she has been keen to tell me multiple times. Where she finds the ingredients for stew two years into a war with steadily depleting rations consisting of only bread and cheese I’ll never know. 
“I can’t! I mean… just LOOK at these! Fire rubies! I never wouldst hath thought of this! They’re amazing! Capable of igniting the wind on impact, letting loose both a ball of destructive flame and skin melting shrapnel! Thou would know I learned that the windigo who developed these was the pinnacle of crystal magic research for his people! Imagine the progress we could have made in the field from just a simple conversation between the two of us! Together we could do more than simply expand the field! We could REVOLUTIONIZE it! Oh what I wouldn’t give to meet him!” Sombra ranted, ending it with a distant dreamy smile on his face.
 “That is nice brother, but that doth not explain your reasons for sticking out and wiggling thy tongue at the ‘s’ on the end of ‘crystals’ as though thou are some kind of snake.” I deadpanned.
 “Ah. That is merely to annoy thee.” I glared at him as he once again drew out the ‘s’ in ‘crystals’.
 “Sombra.” Willow called, and we all looked down at her. “Why dost thou want to meet the windigo?  Aren’t they evil?” At that my eyes softened. Willow had remained with us this entire time and though she rarely had anything to do with actual battles, her small size had made her absolutely invaluable for reconnaissance. Was I against using children as tools of war? Of course. In fact, I never did. Every time we tried to make Willow stay with the rest of the civilians, she would sneak out, sneak INTO the enemy base, find out as much as she could, and come back to report to me, much to my chagrin each and every time.
 I can’t really stay mad at her. More often than not she came back with something that saved our lives or gave us an incredible advantage. There was rarely a time when she came back with info that we couldn’t use. To say she had been a valuable asset in this war would be the understatement of the century. She had even received her Symbol out of all of this, by helping with emergency first aid for various troops. Needless to say I was happy to find her talent was in healing rather than infiltration and intelligence gathering. As useful as that may have been, the world doesn’t really need more soldiers.
 “Willow…” I said, calling her attention to me. “The windigos aren’t evil.” She tilted her head in obvious confusion. Even some of the officers did. “Willow, the windigos aren’t evil at all. They have about as much say in this as we do. Probably less. Thou must understand, the windigos feed off of hate. Tis more than just a means of gaining power, it is their sustenance. They can’t survive without it. If nopony in this world hated anything, the windigos would soon find themselves meeting the gray pony. Being unable to feed off their own hate only makes matters worse as they can’t have a nation of their own. Because of that, throughout history the windigos have come together time and again to conquer the land of another and enslave them so that they may live in comfort.”
 “But…” Willow began. “That’s… that’s just so wrong!”
 “Is it?” Sombra asked. “Is it really so wrong to desire more than thou have? To wish for a better life? Surely thou remembers the tales of that earth pony seer thee hast listened to on so many occasions. The one who has seen visions of a golden city resting on the side of a mountain? Of metal buildings scraping the sky? And surely you have found yourself wanting for those things? The windigos aren’t that different from us. They are individuals, just like us. Have families, just like us. They run, jump, laugh, fight, cry and play just as we do. They have dreams and ambitions, terrors and fears. They are living creatures who live in the same convoluted world as thou and I, not a faceless evil entity that kills and tortures with impunity.”
 “Aye but… that’s… that’s different.”
 “How so?” I asked.
 “Because I wouldn’t do it at the cost of another!”
 “The windigos don’t have a choice in the matter. They feed off hate. If they are to have a country, then they need a source for that hate and what better way to obtain it than to enslave another species and treat them with the worst brutality?”
 “So what… we ponies are nothing more than… than a FARM to them?” Willow asked. I slowly shook my head.
 “No Willow, we are a LIFELINE. Without us ponies living under their icy hooves, they can never live the comfortable happy lives we ponies have almost always known.”
 “So wait… what will happen to them if we win this war?”
 “They will be forced to hide in the shadows once more, constantly hunting for whatever scraps of hatred they can manage. And if they can’t manage to gather enough hate…”
 “They’ll… they’ll die won’t they?” Willow asked, though it was more of a statement than it was a question. “If they win, they’ll get to live happy easy lives. But if we win this war, they’ll be forced to be little more than stray dogs digging through our trash, begging for scraps from our table. Scraps that, since we hate them, we won’t be willing to give. And if we don’t give them… they’ll die. If they lose they lose it all… literally.” I could only nod my head in acknowledgement as the weight of the situation seemed to click for the young filly.
 “How can thou live with thyself for that, Rade?”
 “… I can’t.” It was a simple answer… yet so difficult at the same time. “I can’t live with it Willow. Tis a horrible thing to do. Not only will I have killed many of them during this war, but I know that my killing won’t stop there. Thousands more will die due to the aftermath of my deeds. However just as many ponies will live in suffering and die should I do nothing.”
 “Then how are we to know we’re doing the right thing?” Willow asked. I took another deep breath and stared deeply into her eyes.
 “We’re not.” Willows eyes widened. “We’re not doing the right thing. There IS NO right thing. If we leave them alone, people suffer and die. If we fight them, people suffer and die. There is no right or wrong here, there’s not even a choice between the lesser of two evils. No matter what we do, the same number of people will be taking the eternal sleep. The only thing this war decides is whether those people will be ponies or windigos.”
 “Are we… are we… evil?”
 I gently hugged the young pony who respected me so much as I whispered the honest, but cruel cruel truth. “It matters not why we fight, only that we do. When war breaks out…” I pulled her away so I could look at her.
 “Both sides become evil.”


***


 A powerful gust of icy wind sent my body tumbling through the throne room like a ragdoll. before slamming me into the wall and leaving a Rade sized crater. Instinct alone prompted me to cast inertia inhibitors during my flight, spell matrices made to look like gates that slowed one’s movement, and without them I would likely be dead. Though to some, that may be preferable to the situation I was currently in.
 Sombra and I were now locked in heated battle against Winter, the Windigo Prince. The court hall that once held priceless objects and art that showed the beauty and grace of ponies and Windigo’s alike, now mirrored their rage and fury. Once pristine pillars were now crumbled on the ground either cut to ribbons by blades of ice stronger than steel, or blasted apart by magic of cataclysmic force. Jagged pillars of black ice pierced the floor and roof, sticking out haphazardly, ready to impale any reckless enemies. A dark mist flowed through the whole room, adding to the already eerie feel.
 I shook my head, trying to refocus my now bleary vision. I was exhausted, bleeding, and were I not fighting for my life, would readily slip straight into unconsciousness. From the sounds of battle not far away, my brother was faring little better. I took a few steps forward, still blinking out the last of the dizziness when I heard a sickening squelch, followed by a gut wrenching scream.
 “SOMBRA?! SOMBRA ART THOU ALRIGHT?!” I was glad to finally have my eyes refocus at just that moment… only to see my brother heading straight towards me. Quickly standing on my rear hooves I caught him and the two of us went skidding across the icy floor. As we skimmed across the ground I could feel it quickly growing colder. I shoved my brother to my right just in time to meet the business end of Winters weapon, a giant club easily three times my size made of enchanted ice that would never melt. Knowing another such blow would soon be coming I threw up my custom shield spell. It was a favorite of mine. Where most shields were simply a dome or sphere around the caster, mine were crafted by combining small hexagon like plates that I could reinforce individually, letting me use less magic to stop bigger blows. 
That and it looked cool. 
Sadly I didn’t have enough magic anymore to stop the blow, but it reduced the force enough for me to retain my bearings. Within an instant I found Winter was back to dueling me again, swinging away with reckless abandon as I dodged and deflected his attacks to the best of my ability. I had to watch my step, as alongside his mace he would forge small blades of ice in the air with his wings and shoot them at me, forcing me to jump away and either into his club, or some other frozen trap he had laid about on the ground.
To be honest, Winter himself wasn’t that great of a fighter. He was rather slow, especially for a creature not two heads taller than myself, and his movements were easy to read. Had this been a straight hoof to hoof battle, we would have won long ago.
No, what made Winter so formidable was his magic. He could create ice virtually anywhere near instantaneously. Stand still for too long and spikes will either rain from the ceiling or burst through the floor and impale you. Fail to watch your surroundings, and you’ll find yourself a pincushion for all the icy needles he likes to make and throw from the air. And the only warnings you got were minute body movements. A certain turn of the hoof meant spikes from the floor or wall, a certain swish of the tail would mean icy death from above, and a twitch of the eye would mean little ice missiles of death.
Sadly they only told me they were coming, not exactly where they’d be coming from or when they’d get there.
I jumped back a bit as Winters club slammed into the ground, blow breaking the floor and the shockwave sending me slightly into the air. A quick look at my adversary told me I was far from out of trouble. Lighting up my horn I teleported away only to watch as the spot I had been standing in mere moments before was filled with sharp points of black ice. I had no time to think about how close I had come to death however, and quickly turned around to take off and look for my brother.
A few brief seconds of frantic searching later and I found him slumped against the wall, unconscious but alive with his right fore hoof clearly not sitting in its appropriate position. As I rushed towards him I heard a cracking sound under my hooves. Thinking fast I tried to dodge out of the way only to be smashed in the side by what I assumed to be Winters club. Faster than I could blink I was imbedded in the roof of the throne room.
Winter came floating up towards the ceiling landing gracefully a few feet away from me as he slowly walked over with no more difficulty than he would have on the floor. He forced an extra bit of magic to flow through his veins, giving his icy black body a subtle yet harsh ghostly glow.
 “Slutligen , det är över . Du ... hästar går in i min borg , slakta mitt folk och du har fräckheten att kräva sin för fred! Du gör mig sjuk!”
 “Aye,” I replied. “I would LOVE a plate of… whatever thou said.” 
 “Sluta jävlas!” My snarky comment was met with a blow to my left foreleg from his club.
 “Gah! Then speak Equish!” Winter let out an indignant snort, but complied nonetheless.
 “I said… that I have been waiting for this moment… for quite some time.” I watched as Winter brought up his club, only to bring it back down again on me. I lacked the magic for another teleport and could only brace myself with skintight shields that only just kept the wound from being fatal. I watched through blurred and bleeding eyes as Winter said something my ears could no longer comprehend before dragging the club backwards for another round with my face.
 I can’t remember how long that went on. It seemed like an eternity. I would get hit, Winter would scream something in rage, and then he’d drag the club back to do it again, over and over in an endless cycle of rage and pain. Each blow would ramp up the pain and sap my magic forcing me to reinforce the most important parts of my body. Soon I barely had enough magic to protect even that and as the protection dwindled the damage could only increase. What started out as the equivalent to doing belly flops on a pool of ice water, soon turned to dislocated joints and broken bones.
 To others, I can only assume that my ability to keep my shield up for as long as I did was a testament to my magical prowess. To me it was nothing more than the delaying of the inevitable. Finally after what seemed like an eternity that would never come to an end, I heard a particular sound that could not be mistaken, the sound of shattering glass.
 The sound of a broken shield.
 My pupils shrank to pinpricks as I watched my magical barrier fall apart. I tried to summon another, but the light of my horn only glowed for a moment before flickering out and dying. Winter broke out in a grin and chuckled darkly at my situation.
 “Is this it? The mightiest crusade turned conquest in a millennium, and thou are the champions who stand as its face? The anima of thousands of troops have passed to the Aether on THY words? And THIS is the result? No… no this is not enough. I have lost too much to thee for it to end like this. I will have my revenge. I will not allow this battle to end… not until you are begging for death!”
 Ice so cold it burned slowly encased my left shoulder and I soon noticed a strange pinpoint pressure pushing on the joint. The pressure built, pushing harder, stronger. Suddenly the point of the pressure grew sharp and I felt my skin and some of my bone give way. I screamed in pain as I now realized the ice had stabbed me through and was sluggishly forcing its way out towards the other end of my shoulder.
 It continued to grow, the thin cone of ice gradually getting bigger as it tore its way through my body. On occasion Winter would force it to grow several inches in an instant causing me to scream even louder while he cackled away.
 After it burst through the opposite side of my shoulder it began to expand. Now as it grew taller it also grew wider. I felt my forehoof being ripped apart, cords of muscle snapping in two while bones cracked and broke away from one another. I cried out in mind numbing pain as my shoulder was mutilated from the inside out. Eventually I realized that my entire limb had given way save for a few strips of skin and fur. Winter moved to stand overtop of me and slammed one hoof into my chest, breaking my ribs as he grabbed my left arm in his cold grip. So exhausted was I, I couldn’t muster the energy to scream as he ripped what little remained of it off. I could only stare wide eyed as my hoof hung loosely in his grip. He held it in front of me for a moment, taunting me with it before tossing it aside.
 “And now… the oth- ARGH!” Winter shouted, his threats interrupted by shards of black crystal stabbing him in his side sending him flying across the room. Within seconds my brother, Sombra, was next to me prying me out of the ceiling with his scythe. Luckily for me he remembered to dull the edge with magic before using it as a makeshift crowbar.
 I fell face first into the floor and would have groaned were I not feeling pain far more intense elsewhere on my body. Still far too exhausted to scream, I looked to my left to find Sombra casting a fire spell to cauterize my, or rather what was left of, my left hoof. When he was done he shoved a small crystal in my mouth and pulled back my head, forcing me to swallow. A sudden torrent of energy both physical and magical shot through me and I willed myself to stand.
 “Hmph, and thou said storing our energy inside these crystals at the start of the war was a bad idea.” My brother gloated with a smirk on his face. I shot him a glare before standing on my hind hooves. Luckily both my brother and I had learned the art of fighting on our back hooves. It’s not commonly done, as our bodies aren’t well built for it, but those who manage to master fighting like this for long periods of time gain major advantages in a fight. Aside from just freeing up two hooves, it also makes you a smaller target, shifts your center of gravity forcing your opponent to use completely different tactics against you, and grants a wider range of movements and motions with which to attack, defend, or dodge. It’s a bit of a big deal.
 I myself am not much of a fan of the style, but now that I’m missing a whole hoof, I need all the advantages I can get.
 “We can’t keep going on like this Sombra.” I muttered. Sombra’s attack had managed to blast Winter through the wall, exposing us to the chaos of the battle going on outside and sending Winter tumbling to the bottom of the tower. It wouldn’t kill him, but it would take time for him to dig his way out of the rubble and fly back up to us. It wasn’t much of a reprieve, but we would take what we were given.
 “I… am aware.” He said, slightly out of breath. That spell must have taken more out of him than I thought. “We… need to end this… now.”
 “Easier…” I let out a hiss of pain from my shoulder. “Said than done!”


***


 As I gazed down into the darkness of the ravine I almost couldn’t believe it. I’d lost. I’d well and truly lost. After everything we’d been through together, all that we’d struggled to achieve, Sombra had betrayed me. Admittedly I couldn’t blame him as much as some probably thought I ought have. Our relationship had been deteriorating ever since we defeated Winter. After that victory the people had lauded me, placed me on a pedestal due to how instrumental I was in the victory. They slowly came to fear Sombra due to his negative attitude and his magical practices. Meanwhile I was seen as some lord of light and righteousness. I tried to get them to stop, I truly did, but they just wouldn’t listen. Between dealing with the aftermath of the war, running a kingdom, and helping Ambrosia through the trauma of yet another miscarriage I simply hadn’t had the time for him.
 At least that’s what I told myself.
 Oh Rade you’re such a fool. You should have MADE time. That’s what brothers DO.
 But the past was the past and I had to focus on the present. And the present consisted of the sounds of battle cries, the explosions of blasting powder and incendiary spells. The garbled gurgling of soldiers choking on their own blood and the despairing wails of the innocent. The mechanical thud of crystal golems as they marched emotionlessly towards their enemies and the clanking of armor as the living dared to stand against them.
 There was magic in the air, more magic than I’d felt since the Winter Rebellion. Magic which flowed off every citizen, every armor clad warrior and mechanized monstrosity. And as always that magic was like music to my ears. Each spell a song, each regiment a section in the orchestra. The thumping of hooves and the pounding of steel on shields made for the percussion, the drums and cymbals. The dying wails of mares and foals made for the twisted sound of woodwinds. The sliding of metal from its sheath like a bow pulled across the string of a cello or violin. The war horns sounded out the tones of brass instruments and battle cries made up the chorus. It was a symphony. A terrible symphony. One he’d hoped to never hear again.
The symphony of war.
I hadn’t managed to get into the city proper, but I had managed to cut a hole in Sombra’s defenses. One that allowed the innocent ponies that had been trapped by my brothers attempt at a coup a means of escape. They poured out of the city in droves, a flood of ponies stampeding out of the capital. Some of my troops fought desperately to maintain that meager advantage. If I looked hard enough I could occasionally catch a glimpse of Willow, barking orders and crushing skulls, whatever was necessary at the moment. I wanted to go down there. To protect her and all the other ponies fighting and running for their lives.
The bolt of magic I deflected disavowed me of that notion.
I was in a fight with Sombra now on the edge of the city. Despite his actions he wasn’t my real goal, at least not at the moment. No my goal was the strange device he had in the palace, the one I could see even from here and the ritual he was using to power it. I knew I didn’t have long before that thing did whatever it was trying to do. But Sombra stood in my way and refused to budge so much as an inch.
I saw the device flashing in the distance and my panic grew with Sombra’s twisted smile. With no time to waste I made one last desperate assault. I threw everything I had behind it, teleporting this way and that, throwing about spears and swords made of light. Blinding flashes and superheated lasers.
Nothing worked.
A beam of crimson light shot into the sky from the palace and a dome, a shield of some kind, began to make its way ever so slowly down. Ponies rushed like mad at the sight, desperate to escape whatever fate awaited those stuck on the wrong side of the dome. I tried to stop it, shot beams and wrote arrays in the air and ground in an attempt to at least slow it down but nothing worked. I cast a glance towards my brother, glared at the triumphant grin upon his face before turning away a dashing to where the fighting was the thickest hoping to save as many as I could with what little time still remained.
Five minutes later the dome came down. Willow and Ambrosia each stood at either side of me, both doing their utmost to breach the barrier just like myself and everypony else. I knew deep down, however, that it would do no good. And so I was forced to watch as the once translucent shield became more and more opaque, the light from within glowing brighter and brighter until finally I was forced to look away lest I go blind. When my head turned back I couldn’t believe what I saw.
Or rather what I didn’t see.
It was gone.
The whole city.
It was all gone not a trace of it to be found.
In the coming days I would ask myself a great many questions. Chief among them being ‘How did it all go wrong?’ I already knew the answer of course. Yet I couldn’t help but reminisce. To think about the great things we did, and how it all started with Winters defeat.
After years of fighting we’d finally won. And what a fantastic victory it had been. Everything had seemed so hopeless, so impossible. We had thought it was truly over. But in our darkest hour I’d had an epiphany one that started a chain reaction leading directly to our victory. One that had been the catalyst to a burst of unparalleled strength. One that had led to our ascension.
We had become Princes, my brother and I. 
Perhaps though the greatest accomplishment of all was gain i̵n̸g̸ my s̴̡͓̆̓͛͆̕ ̵̙̘͊̓̏͆̔̍͂̂͆̎̈̃̚͝ ̶̝̼̗̣͍̘̐̍̓͒̍͋̎̈́̒ơ̷̮͂͛͑̅͒͝l̵̨̡͎̯̩̫̱̯͙̱͇̏̚͘͜͝͠͠. Learning that the t̶̛̲̖͉̝̻̰͋͑̌͂̿̾͝͠ ̴̛̝͚̃̾̋̈́̽́̐͝i̷̧̧͖͕͖͚̰̙̦̥̊̓ ̴̗͔̹̤̞́̉͗̐͗͝͝g̶̗̝͖͍̞̪͍̗̤̠͐ t̸̠͈̓́h̴̲̔̀a̷̦̕t̷̳̏̀  ̶̰́͊́ ̶̛̝̩̍̏̅̏ ̸̻̲̥͙͛͒̎͝p̷̼̦̥͊ ̷̨̮̩͙̝̻̾̇̏̔̒͜ ̶͉͕̠̟͖̈́̓̓̒̚ͅe̸̝̫̪̼̥̙͖̾ḑ̴̧̟̻͇̻͙̏̄̇̎̐̕͠ me, t̵h̷a̶t̷ p̶͎̃̀̑ü̴̘͊̇͘s̸̡̲̠̹̆͊̈́̚ḣ̸̺͍͈e̶͉̬͇̙̎̓d̷̜̀̓̋̽ ̶̟̺̟̪̬̄̽͂̍a̶̻͊̌̅̈̈́ṇ̷͎̻̕͜ͅd̵̮̲́̐̑̌ ̴͙̦̓͠d̶̬̖̠̟̖̅̎́́r̸̠̣̦͈̀̄͊̋̐ͅo̸͔̟͉̥͉͒͒̏̚v̵̻͔͎́̂̔͝ė̷̲̳͚̲̆̆͜ ̶͎̫͈̣͠ͅ me was none o̴̡̥͚̲̳͋t̸̛̘̰̽̕h̸̢̜̳̦͆̽è̶͚̀̾͆͜r̶̨͖̤̜̋t̸̞̲̬̙̘͓̀̌̊͜h̵̩͉̓̎̎ä̴̩̲̦͎̈̅̄̆̆̚n̸̤̒͌͗͊̽ ̶̝͉̟̳̩̮̈͐̔͗̍t̵̨͚͈̲͇̗̕ͅh̵̹̫͖̯̙̻̱̅́̑̚͘͝ę̸̰̞̠̦̇ͅm̸͍̽͆̀̓̍̔̓͑͆͗̌̇͝͝͝a̸̧̨̛̳͇͕͎̫̖̩̗͇͇̖͉̲̦͖̤̙̓̈́̅̃̕͠g̶̨͓̫̖͙͍͕͙͎̟̼̙̳̩̉̈́́̂̃̊̅̂̄̈́̄͂͑͌̆̕i̶͕̖͍̱̠͇̜̬̋͊̃̈́̃̿̂̍̓̔̈́́̂͑̇̄͠͠͝c̷͉̳̣̩͚̹͑́̓̉̌͝ ̵̡̜͖̗̪̬̤̯̳̱͈̥͎̼̝̖̍̓͂̊͑̔̋̉̐̍͋͒̒̚̚͘͜͠͝͝ȫ̶̢̨͍̗͍͙͔̘͙̬f̵̳͉͓̼̳̣̼͉̫̖͍̙͖̼͗̀͊͑̉͋̀̑͌̎̎͛̏͗̀̅͘͘̚ ̸̧̢̫̗̬͕̹̠̻̜̥̪͙̘̖͈͕̱̏̂̒̀͌̐̊͘͠h̴͚̘̟̞̣̩͙͍̠̠͉̭̜͓̿̎̋̆̇̊͛̕͜͜͝ ̸̡̨̘̤̱̬̲͎͕̲̩̋͋ ̵̧̧̨͍̱̟̖̟̣̜͙͓͔͎̪̥̮̜͔̈́̓́̓̃̄̈́̌́̄͒͘͝ ̴̛͖̩͚͈̹̟͌̈́͌͐́̋̿͊͑͛̿̒̑̏͊̄͑̂̏͑͠͠.̶̨̛͇̟̝̜̱͍̯͔͚͇̻̦̦̞͈͇̗͔͆̏̐͗́̓̂̇̈́͐̀́͆͊̽̉̚̚̕͝.


***


The crowd around Rade looked up at the screens depicting the memories of his life. Some cried in despair of his pain. Others glared hatefully at the actions against their ‘father’. And some merely gazed on in remembrance, their faces a mask of indifference. But all, big and small, marveled at him. Especially those who didn’t know him at this time as it was with the majority of them. What they witnessed was the changing of an age, the start of an era and they were well and truly enraptured.
And then the screens turned to static.
“Hey! What’s going on?” A voice called out from the crowd. The dissatisfied grumbles of countless thousands echoed out among the crowd. Pinkie’s eyes narrowed, quickly realizing this wasn’t part of the plan.
Somepony was interfering.
“Papa!” Bluebelle’s scream was the first of many. Pinkie’s eyes darted towards Rade a gasp leaving her mouth at the green flames suddenly licking his prone form. They were hypnotizing in their twisted beauty. Disgusting and repugnant, filled with a terrible despair that put her days on the rock farm to shame. She reached out a hoof to do… she didn’t know what. But something, anything was better than just standing around and watching him suffer in… whatever that was.
“Don’t bother miss Pie.” The sound of her name took her out of her trance and she glanced over her shoulder to see none other than princess Ebony walking toward her, her face set in a mask of stoic neutrality. “You can’t free him from those flames. Besides your job here is done. His majesty has regained the necessary memories to get himself out of this crisis. That Queen will be there soon to ensure his survival so we no longer have anything to worry about.”
Pinkie didn’t like the sound of that. “Are you sure there’s nothing we can do? Nothing at all?”
Ebony nodded her head, her face slowly becoming a very pronounced grimace. “Indeed. He’s in HER clutches now after all and she has more power than all of us combined.”
“Who?”
“Nirvana.”


***


 I looked around in my dream, once more finding myself in that strange green stoned throne room, only this time it wasn’t crumbling. Instead the walls stood tall and strong. Now that I could actually look at it I could see that it wasn’t just huge… it was MASSIVE. I could easily fit three of Cadences throne rooms in here and still have room left over. It was circular, with giant crystal columns that sparkled with an array of colors as numerous jewels of varying shades and hues glowed from the magic inside of them, casting a slight kaleidoscope effect around the area stood at its outermost edges. The floor was separated into seven levels which were further cut up into small islands connected by stone bridges built over the streams of water that flowed through the room. They spanned out from the back center of the room where on the highest level was a great throne made of white crystal with cushions wove from spider silk. On each side of this magnificent throne were two massive alicorn statues embedded into the walls spewing water from their horns and down into the rivers below. Only a single emerald staircase forced its way through every level, slightly breaking the rooms theme.
 On every level and every island were tables of different shapes and sizes, covered in all sorts of various food just waiting to be eaten. The food was piping hot fresh out of the oven and the drinks were so cold that every glass fogged over. Like before there was no natural light from a sun that didn’t exist here, instead there were glowing white orbs made of magic that drifted around the room like jellyfish in the air. While normally they’re slow and erratic movements would be frightening in a place like this, giving it a look of spirits drifting among the living, the light effects of the vibrantly colored columns surrounding the room mixed with the orbs perfectly, changing their color and even sometimes giving the illusion of changing their shape. When I let my imagination go a bit, there were occasions where I could make out images with the lights, much like I could when looking at clouds but far more… lucid.
 “Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree.” A voice sang. It sounded like a young mares, not quite fully grown but not a filly either and seemed almost… haunting. I looked around, trying to find the source of the voice, my eyes growing wide as I looked back at the throne.
 “Merry merry king of the bush is he.” There sat a pony I never wanted to see again. She was an alicorn, but it was obvious that she was a much higher caliber than any I’d seen. Her entire body shimmered in the same way as Luna’s or Celestia’s mane. Her onyx and violet ethereal form never sitting still as it swayed in a nonexistent breeze. It sparkled constantly, thousands of celestial bodies filling her form. She had on an ash colored raiment, much like the ones the princesses wear, with a large dull amethyst in its center. Her eyes were gentle and serene, her mouth turned in an almost motherly smile. There was no doubt about it. It was Nirvana.
 “Laugh kukaburra.” In a flash of bright light, the world around me vanished only to be replaced by the same scene as before, minus the burning ponies. Nirvana had appeared directly in front of me. Her face half melted to reveal pulsing muscles and charred bone that she kept situated in that motherly smile of hers.
 “Laugh kukaburra.” The scene changed again in a swirl of green flames. I was now standing atop a cliff looking out over the most gruesome scene I could ever imagine. I was in the badlands and below me was a field that stretched out to the horizon. A field littered with corpses. Pony, griffin, dragon, diamond dog, all the sapient races of Equus slaughtered on what I could only assume was a battlefield unlike any other. I felt a pair of hooves wrap around me from behind and fear shot through me like bolts of lightning. I turned my whole body around, ready to fight off my attacker, only to find nothing but air. My ears flicked as I heard a snap from behind me and I turned around once more… only to be met by Nirvana and her twisted features. Her soulless eyes with shrunk pupils sang of dementia and madness. Her motherly smile now twisted into an insane and terrifying grin. She stood up on her hind hooves and I watched as the field of the dead rose quickly with her, all of them turning their eyes towards me as they sang the final line of her song.
 “Grand your life must be!”


***


 I inhaled sharply as I returned to consciousness. Another dream. Though I now realize that they’re actually memories instead of dreams. I just… I can’t believe it… I’m over a thousand years old. Or at least I was around a thousand years ago. Sombra was my brother. He was a little crude, but he was still a good stallion at least up to that point. I wonder… just what happened to him? Luna and Celestia… they lived with me? If that’s so shouldn’t they have recognized me in the papers? You’d think they’d remember an old friend from their childhood. Yeah… an old friend. That’s all they ever saw me as right?  Well that and a mentor. Right… they considered Platinum and Clover their parents. Sombra, Ambrosia and I were just the ponies they roomed with.
Ambrosia. Having my memories of her back… it hurts. We’d been together since literally the beginning. Hell my earliest memory is waking up with her at my side. If that doesn’t drive the point home I don’t know what does.
And now… now she’s gone. There’s no way she could be here. A thousand years? In the future? By now there wouldn’t even be dust yet. And I’m practically the same age now as I was in the memories I just received. Whatever happened to me that sent me here couldn’t have been long after defeating Winter.
But… no. No I can’t give up hope. Sombra’s here, as am I, Luna, and Celestia. If we made it… maybe… just maybe… she made it too. Yeah. I’m going to keep hanging onto that hope. First I’ll save the Crystal empire, and then… then I’ll search for Ambrosia. I WILL find her… I have to. Wherever you are I’ll find you.
Ah… but to say that… don’t I have to survive this ordeal first? Right. To search for a pony, you have to be alive to do the searching. What if I don’t make it though? I’m no fool, the wounds Sombra gave me will kill me rather slowly, but are still too severe and can’t be fixed easily, even with a full staff and high grade medical equipment. Ruptured organs aren’t the same as broken bones or torn skin. They’re complex systems that don’t just heal overnight, even with potions and magic.
“Don’t die please…” I heard a voice call. I opened my eyes slowly and looked around as best I could. I was in the old crystal caverns, the ones below the empire that I used so long ago to infiltrate the city. It looked both very different and incredibly familiar. It brought a smile to my face to be able to feel nostalgic about something and actually understand WHY for once.
“Uh… how do I do this? Damnit! I’m the best doctor in the empire and I can’t remember a little first aid in an actual crisis?! I should be ashamed of myself. I know you will be if I don’t fix you up. Alright alright uh… just… just apply pressure here… NO here! There we go! Stop bleeding oh please by the goddess stop bleeding!” The voice called again. I looked down and was met to a gruesome sight.
My abdomen was cut clean open, blood pouring from my wound at a rate that was painful just to watch. Willow’s normally white hooves were slathered in my blood as she worked furiously to keep me alive. As for any actual pain, well to be honest I couldn’t feel a thing. No… that’s not right. To be more accurate the pain was there I just… didn’t care.
In this moment I want to say I felt something akin to… enlightened. Maybe that’s not accurate… acceptant perhaps? Yes I think that’s a bit closer. I was dying and there was no way for me to stop that. Soon I would be with Platinum and Clover and maybe even Ambrosia. That I couldn’t change. And she needed to know that too. I lifted a hoof and gently placed it on Willows shoulder, eliciting a gasp from her as she turned her head to look at me.
“Willow… stop…” It took a moment for her to get over the shock of me being awake before my words sank in, to which of course she made her protests fairly obvious as she got back to working on me.
“NO! I… I just remembered you! I remembered you and everything you did for us. I remembered you saving me as a filly, saving the empire! You took care of me during the war! Reunited me with my friends and family! Gave us hope! Gave us a life! But they’re… they’re all gone now! You… you’re… you’re the only friend I have left! You’re all I have! Your brother he… he killed the rest! All of them! I-!”
I put my hoof around Willows shoulders and with all the strength I could muster pulled her down to me, gritting my teeth through the pain all the way. She was crouched beside me now, my hoof gently stroking her mane as she cried. “I know Willow. I remember too. It… must have been a spell of some kind. Something to make the world forget me… for whatever reason. It doesn’t seem to be fully lifted either. I can tell, there’s still more missing. My memory stops right after beating my brother. Well… if you call forcing him to seal away an entire empire a defeat. Strange though, as I recall you were with me when the city was sealed. So how come you were in the seal? And how are you all grown up?”
“I… I don’t remember Ra… uh… your majesty.” I couldn’t help but let out a little chuckle. A hacking blood filled chuckle, but a chuckle.
“Don’t… don’t start that crap now Willow. I’m dying. Call me by my damn name.”
“No… you… you can’t be dying… I won’t… I won’t let you…” So she claimed, but she had long since given up on trying to revive me. Choosing instead to lay next to me, her tears pouring into my fur.
“Willow… I’m dying… and that’s okay. Nothing lasts forever Willow. We all have our time. You. Me. This whole wide world. Everything has to come to an end eventually. And that’s fine. What matters isn’t how long we live, but what we do with that life. And even without the rest of my memories, I can tell that I’ve done more than enough.”
“But…” She sniffed, pressing my head into my chest. “You’re supposed to show us the way. You’re supposed to give us hope. Who are we going to turn to if you die?”
“But I AM giving you hope Willow, just as I always do.” I started fiddling with the pouch around my neck, struggling as I tried to open it. Unfortunately it seemed that my motor skills were dying fast, and I lacked the coordination to get the job done.
“Willow…” I wheezed. “Listen to me. You see the pouch around my neck. I know you know what’s inside. I need you to pull it out. It’s our last weapon. I need you to find Twilight, Cadence and Sunburst… oh and Smart Cookie too. I have a feeling there’s more to her than she realizes. Anyhow I need you to free them and get together to form some kind of plan. Winter may be free now, maybe even fully regenerated, but having a healed body won’t make him any less exhausted so if you hit him and Sombra with this at the same time you should be alright. Be careful, you only get one shot understand?”
“No I… I can’t do this. You saw me earlier Sombra wiped the floor with me. I can’t stand up to a standard Prince, much less a KING! There’s… there’s no way we can do this! Not without YOU!”
“You CAN do it Willow! I KNOW you can! You’ve done things way harder than angering a couple of royals and throwing something at them. You should be fine. I have the utmost faith in you.”
“NO!” She screamed and shot back up. In a flash she was back to work, doing her best to treat my wounds. “I’ll save you! I have to save you! I’ll do anything! Just… just please don’t die!” I couldn’t help but sigh as I laid my head against the ground and shut my eyes waiting for the inevitable.
“That determination… it’s something I love about you Willow.”
“I… *sniff* I got it from you, ya know?”
“Did you now? Well that’s good.” I paused, taking a few shaky breaths. “You’ve grown to be a wonderful mare Willow.” I coughed, blood dribbling out of my mouth. “I’m proud of you.”
“And you can keep on being proud of me once we both get out of here ALIVE!”
“You can’t save me Willow. Nopony can.” Willow was about to retort, when another voice suddenly joined us.
“Oh really?  Well then, what if they’re not a pony?" Came a voice from the darkness. Willow quickly spun around ready to defend me to the death if need be. Both our eyes widened however at the... creature that crept out of the darkness. Slit eyes and tattered hair. Black chitin skin filled with holes. And a voice that just oozed seduction.
"Queen Chrysalis." I said. "To what do we owe the pleasure?"