They called this strange unseen island Founder's Island. Why? Because apparently Narmeelah founded it herself. An island tucked away in a different time zone and dimension inside of the actual time and dimension. It seemed to be endless as far Dawn could see from her bedroom window. But her goal wasn't the size of land. It was the mountain in it. Literally a landmark in between this valley.
It was early morning and the sun was just rising into the blue sky, bathing those sleeping below in its warming embrace. Was the sun the same here as it was in Dawn's actual world, or was it entirely different? Who cares, Dawn' goal was to get to the mountain. She was on her own now and she had to find a way to get back home.
At the first sign of light, Princess Dawn grabbed her pets, her bag of books and empty notebooks, and stepped out the door into a cool and quiet serene atmosphere. There's no telling how long these ponies, dragons, and more have lived here, but it was clear that they've been here many many years before her own grandparents were born. Both of them.
Dawn quietly shut her home's door and adjusted the crown to sit on top of her head straight. Then with Juniper and Sky Blue on her back, she ran towards the woods angling for the mountain with her short red mane dancing in the wind.
She didn't catch the pair of Forest Green eyes peering down to her from a second floor window next door to her own home. Heated Wings squinted her eyes and glared in suspicion. She may be a filly, but fillies were also very smart. Not to mention, there was no other place to be in the middle of nowhere for any creature to be out in the cold like this so early.
She reached up to the top of her head and flipped down her goggles. "Where you goin', Red?" She murmured. "Just where are you goin'?"
The forests of Founder's Island reminded Dawn of the parks in Psera. Tame, deserted, filled only with bugs and birds. But it held evidence that this place had seen some damage in the past. Maybe a Hurricane. There were trees clearly knocked to the ground and scattered in different directions. It made the journey a little difficult and messy when climbing hills, but Dawn had gotten much better at traveling over rough terrain over the years.
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" First Light asked.
Fresh Dawn ducked under another downed tree and waited for her pets to catch up before replying. "There's something here in this mountain that holds answers to this place. I know you can feel it, First Light."
Once her pets were safely with her, she continued her journey through unknown territory.
"Of course I can," First Light deadpanned. "I'm you. But I don't think if the locals go to this place that we should either."
One more jump over debris and Dawn finally landed inside a clearing. It took at least thirty minutes to climb this mountain, and she only made it to the middle. It reminded her about how limited this place was. Even the mountains were small.
She turned around to look over the valley. To peer through the trees and down to the small homes in this smaller word. One of them had smoke coming out of a chimney that oddly made Dawn hungry. Someone was cooking.
She'll get something after traveling this cave she turned around and faced. Her movements ceased and she smoldered at its strange placement. First Light saw it too. She asked in Dawn's head, "Is that..."
Dawn swallowed hard and whispered, "Yes, we're here. This is what we were looking for. Stay close, girls." Dawn pulled Juniper and Sky Blue into her large wings protectively to the point where only their heads were sticking out. Then bravely walked towards the cave. She could feel the cool draft it gave off.
"I wouldn't go inside if I were you, Red." Dawn gasped and shot her attention above to one of the standing trees over the cave. Heated Wings was staring at her from a branch looking down to her with an apple in her hoof munching on it.
Where'd she come from? Dawn scanned for a source of entry but gave up when she didn't even see any rustling leaves. She was here, that's all that mattered.
Dawn queried her statement, "Why not? And why are you calling me Red, you know my name."
Heated Wings jumped down from the tree and glided down to an elegant landing in front of Dawn. She flipped up her goggles and explained, "Well there's a creepy cave here at the top of a mountain that is surrounded by debris. No thank you."
Dawn dropped her curious look for a deadpan. "Seriously?" She drawled. "You guys have never been inside? After all this time?"
Been inside? Puh. Heated Wings walked around Dawn and answered, "Well it's the most creepiest place here. Like it glows at night, Red. Do you really want to go into a cave that glows at night?"
Glow? Dawn looked back to the cave and guessed that it did make sense to stay away from something like that. Heated Wings placed a wing around Dawn and next thing she knew, she was back in front of her place. Wait...
Dawn looked around her and quickly surmised that this wasn't the cave. She turned to Heated Wings and assumed, "You brought me back home, didn't you?"
She smiled and let her departing hooves do the answering for her. "Well I couldn't let such a pretty filly walk into a dark spooky cave all alone. Her boyfriend would kill me if he found out I knew about it. Sleep in, kid. Relax. There's nothing else you can do."
It wasn't until after Heated Wings walked into the home and closed the door next to her own did Dawn catch on. "I DON'T HAVE A BOYFRIEND!"
Tense was a word Celestia didn't think would apply to Equestria. Not after Queen Arcadia first took the throne in Psera. All was forgiven and the past was buried for a better future. A family was created, life was born, love was there.
But now? While Celestia was staring out at the occupied field of Mount Aris from Novo's castle balcony packed with white tents and crying Zebras, she couldn't help but go back to that time and mumble, "We are in some serious trouble."
Novo placed a wing over her back and asked, "So what are we going to do? Fighting Psera is the same as asking for a Death Wish. We all saw their fleet of Aquatas, we don't have anything like that."
Celestia sighed and answered, "Well we both know Twilight isn't going to destroy Equestria. She's not heartless, and her family and friends live here."
Novo withdrew her wing and pointed it out to the land beyond full of wounded Zebras. She asked incredulously, "Not heartless? Foals are dead! An entire continent has been rendered to ash! We may have saved them from Arcadia's Marrials, but according to my doctors and nurses, Zebras are still dying here thanks to blood loss! If we don't do something soon, we're all next in line protecting them and she'll blow a hole straight through us all. She may not attack Equestria, but she will indubitably attack the rest of IHT."
Celestia couldn't say Novo was wrong. She knew it, Luna knew it, even Flurry Heart—bless her heart—knew it. That Queen Arcadia has enough influence and power to get to those zebras.
She looked to Novo and said, "I want to ask her a few questions."
Novo tilted her head down with disbelieving eyes on Celestia. "Now?" She asked. "During all of this?"
"She will listen, I assure you." When Novo didn't reply, Celestia looked back out to the distance. How exactly could she contact her? Well... Maybe she was watching her right now. No, she was definitely watching them now.
Celestia sighed with a lowered head and whispered, "I know you can hear me, Twilight. and I know you're listening." Back in Psera, Queen Arcadia stopped typing on her Comp System and glanced up to the empty table with a smolder. Celestia. "I wanted to speak with you personally about... Everything. Whenever you have the time."
Celestia opened her eyes back up and looked to Novo and that curious face she was making. "Do you think she could hear you?" She asked.
"Queen Twilight's magic has surpassed every last single powerful living creature's. I'm getting to the point that there are many things we considered impossible that she can do at this point. I'm certain she heard it." Celestia focused back on the issue in front of them and asked, "Now what are we going to do about these Zebras?"
Novo had no clue. Their Shamans were still recovering and could barely breathe on their own, let alone talk. It would be some time before they could tell their part of the story. All they had now was Queen Arcadia's.
"Aunt Celestia? Queen Novo?" They turned around to refer to Flurry Heart. And that look of panic on her face. She motioned with her head back inside. "Aunt Twilight's here."
Celestia made a face at Novo reading "See?" Then urgently trotted past Flurry leading into Mount Aris' quiet castle halls. Abandoned of any pony life. Her hooves reminded her of claps before they brought her to a stop at the entrance of the Mount Aris Trade Room. The room where all of IHT's members meet to discuss topics and hold their meetings.
But right now, none were speaking. Due to the Alicorn-Pseratep positioned directly in the front of the room inside of the round table all the members were seated at and glaring. Even Shining and Princess Cadance. Meanwhile, Queen Arcadia was seated behind her desk looking at something inside of it.
Princess Celestia smoldered at her and stepped into the room with Flurry and Novo. But her eyes never left the Queen.
"Fancy desk," she commented.
Queen Arcadia tapped at something inside of it and commented, "The more to watch with." Then finally sat back so she could stare at them and crossed her hooves on the top of it. "I do not need it, but I make use of what I have. You called for me?"
The three sat in their seats with their eyes on Queen Arcadia. She seemed stern; more violent and aggressive. Celestia asked, "What happened?"
Arcadia blinked at her and sighed through her nose. Only then did she change her expression to that of sadness. Her voice lowered to that of a whisper.
"The worst day of my life," she mourned. Her horn glowed and their environment slid away like sand. A spell that Celestia, Luna, and Cadance recognized immediately as a spell holding memories. The round table was no longer there. Now replaced with marble flooring, the ceiling with beautiful designs, and a banner of Twilight's cutie mark.
They all recognized the Throne Room of the Castle of the Gods and all the Pserateps talking and walking around through the Queen's eyes. The real Twilight stared straight at the image of Molten before she spoke.
"This was the day I would be accepted back on the Throne. Where all Pserateps would rejoice and be happy that their Queen has returned. But while I was in that room, the sense of danger I was put on a probationary period for increased. We were all in danger. But I could not pinpoint why. I soon found out after I held a conversation with Molten Ice."
Molten was wearing a dark red dress drinking that red Lovely Cherry wine Twilight couldn't stand and waved a hoof her way.
"Queen Arcadia," she called out. Twilight's ear flickered before she turned to face her. Then trotted over to hear what she had to say. Molten started by sighing and fixing Twilight's mane. "I wanted to check up on you. To see how you were feeling."
"I'm fine," she answered with a bite. Then sighed and double backed when Molten flinched. "I'm sorry, your majesty. I shouldn't have said what I said."
"Don't be," Molten told her. She placed a wing on her back and led her towards the thrones with her family. "I know you feel disrespected and hurt from your parole. I had the vote placed to assure your recovery, but I never thought how much it would affect you after being locked away for ten years. I am sorry, Arcadia. I never meant to hurt you. I just didn't want you to turn into me and live your life with less stress."
Molten says that a lot. Turn into me. What did she mean? Twilight shrugged it to the side and nodded to her. "Well I accept your apology, Molten. Although a little late, your feelings were still behind it. Thank you. Now I have... To..." Queen Arcadia blinked and focused IHT's sight back on Molten. "Wait, what did you say earlier?"
Molten raised her right eyebrow and repeated, "Earlier?"
"Yes, about the stress?" Something about those words made her mind pulse. Something she was forgetting. The answer was in those words.
"Oh, I wanted you to live your life with less stress."
The real Queen Arcadia focused back on the room and changed their environment to darkness before white lines began scribbling around them. "And that was when I realized the problem. Life. The danger. It was... Dawn."
Shining took his eyes away from their environment and repeated, "Your daughter? How?"
Queen Arcadia sighed and stood up from her desk to walk and drag her long wings around to the center. "For those that don't know, I was almost assassinated in Psera on the same day I was to be married. I was pregnant with Dawn at the time and she would have died. But I was desperate to save her life. I used Dark Magic to keep her heart pumping and flowing with life before I dropped into a coma. But the spell never cut, and the darkness took over to overwrite what she was supposed to be into something else.
"The filly you see is my daughter, but she has been fabricated entirely as magic. She is a living breathing form of dark magic. Her existence has several advantages, such as not getting sick. But it also comes with several disadvantages."
Queen Arcadia created a big white circle in place of the darkness in front of her so they all could see. "Dawn's body is literally negative life. It creates a sort of undetected interference to the senses. Mine included. For example, I cannot detect her in my Magical Aura." Queen Arcadia lifted a hoof and poked a random hole in the white circle in front of her to create a block spot with small tendrils. "She literally sucks the love and life out of everyone into what I call Negative Space that leads somewhere. I cannot detect her in a room full of ponies. It's like black paint on a board of white. The nagging feeling in the back of your head. That undecipherable taste in your mouth of an ingredient you know you didn't cook in your meal. That's Dawn."
Queen Arcadia changed their entire environment to white. "And that was not there." The white changed back to the room and focused directly on the filly sitting in Dawn's throne. " The air, the scene, it was too pure. That pony in my daughter's seat was not my daughter."
The image skipped to Madun offering her a sword and crown. Then to the moment, Queen Arcadia was to take her seat on the throne. She walked up to it and asked, "But I do have a question, sweetheart." Her sight moved from the throne to her daughter with a distrustful eye. "Where is my daughter?"
Madun looked to Dawn then to Twilight like she was crazy. "Really?" He drawled. "Twilight, are you okay?"
The real Queen Arcadia shook her head and said, "He didn't believe me. But then I proved it to them."
Twilight's hoof lifted in front of her face bearing a small blade that she slashed across Dawn's left rear hoof closer to her body. Twilight growled, "Dawn doesn't bleed."
A small river of red poured down Dawn's hoof before it hit the floor. Then Madun's facial expression changed to one of anger and frustration. He lunged out and grabbed "Dawn" by the dress and hoisted her into the air. "WHERE IS MY DAUGHTER?!!"
The shout was full of fury and anger that Celestia flinched. She's never seen Madun angry before, but right now she can tell he's furious.
Dawn grinned and reached into her dress to pull out a black block with a rapidly flashing red dot. Then she flashed into the last creature any of them were expecting. A Zebra.
The real Queen Arcadia heard the gasps before the Guard shouted, rushed forward, yanked him out of Madun's hold and wrestled him to the ground. She sighed and said, "And that's when... Everything changed."
Their eyes shifted back to the scene when Zebra said something. The scene rotated rapidly to Madun and a violet hoof grabbed him. "EVERYONE RUN!!" Then a huge blast made everyone's ears ring and turned the scene entirely white.
Cadance blinked and asked, "Wha... What happened?! What was that?!" She referred to Queen Arcadia but she had tears running down her face with a red eye on the memory. Cadance could tell something awful happened.
The white faded back into Arcadia's memories. She was on the floor facing the opposite direction with ears still ringing while screams echoed around her. Then she seethed in pain that grew into a scream of agony. A sound that made the viewers feel what she felt: A burn on her eye.
Queen Arcadia turned her head to the side to reveal the horrors of what Cadance was asking. What happened? They weren't ready to see it.
Celestia gasped and quickly covered Flurry's eyes with a wing while the others avoided the sight of blood, body parts, and danger. Queen Arcadia sighed and explained, "It was a suicide bomber. A literal walking bomb in my throne room taking on my daughter's form. We're going to skip the disturbing bits because none of you can stomach all the gore and suffering that happened in my home. I lost a close friend in that explosion. And Madun. He died in my hooves. His last request was for me to go after Dawn. So I did."
The scene lowered to that of an aerial view high above Lavender. Of Queen Arcadia soaring away from the escort chariot moving her and Psera's royal family to Safe Haven for treatment and protection. But she wasn't going anywhere without that filly on that Zebra's back.
"YOU LET MY BABY GO RIGHT NOW" She screamed. She flipped and maneuvered around the shots they fired up to her and retaliated with one of her own that blew a hole under their hooves. When she passed over, something snagged her hoof and pulled her down to the ground hard enough that something definitely broke.
She pulled out her sword to fight the Zebra who snagged her, but Odega flew in and wrapped them in flames until only ashes and bones remained in less than two seconds. Odega landed on the concrete and pointed past Twilight.
"Go!" She ordered. "Go get your daughter! We'll handle the Zebras!"
Despite the pain in her rib, Twilight was back on her hooves and zipping for the Zebra nearing the edge of the cliff like her life depended on it. Then teleported over to land directly in front of her. The Zebra, clearly a mare skidded to a halt and backed up to hold a stare with the Queen. A stare so intense, neither mares blinked.
Twilight growled, "You let my daughter go..." She threw off her chest plate into the ocean behind her. "And I'll at least send you home with your head intact and the bodies of your allies. You don't, I'll pull your heart out through your mouth and feed your body to your starving friends I'll be keeping prisoner."
Shining gawked and slowly turned to stare at his sister in shock. Her glare ahead and ignorance to his reaction was her response. They could see Fresh Dawn strapped to the back of the Zebra with a horn inhibitor on. They managed to keep her still.
"In the end," Twilight said. "They threw her over the ledge. But I caught her on the way down unharmed except for a small bump. She was fine. She was scared, but she was fine. But..." The scene changed to that same cliff. This time with Medical Pods and a bigger team escorting the Royal Family to their pods. "Dawn began complaining about everything being hot at the bottom when I rescued her. When we bounded over the cliff... She was glowing gold."
Gold? Celestia and Luna shared a look before directing their sight back to Twilight's memories. Her eyes shifted to Fresh Dawn and the state she was in. She was clearly weak. She stumbled and fell against Molten that stopped all movement.
Twilight bent low and used her head to try and help Dawn to her hooves. But she was too weak and fell back down. "Hold on baby, we're gonna carry you to the chariot okay?" Twilight told her desperately. She referred to the Guards at the escort chariot. "Get the seats ready!! Hold on Dawn!!"
Dawn was clinging desperately to her mother by the time her entire body was gold. Hanging on as tight as possible. Staying as strong as she could. But...
"Mom..." Twilight looked down to Dawn and her glowing body. Into her golden eyes that were filled with warmth less than two minutes ago. But now filled with pain. "I... Can't hold on." Then the worst thing they have ever seen in their life happened.
The real Twilight closed her eyes when Dawn burst and the room gasped. She blew in her hooves. Falling through her fur like golden sand from the beaches. Luna looked back to Queen Arcadia then to the image. Then back to Queen Arcadia.
"What was that?" She asked. "What happened?"
Queen Arcadia opened a tearful eye and trained it on Luna. "We don't know," she answered. "I've never heard of it, I've never read about it, and I've never seen it. But either way... Dawn was no more. My daughter died in my hooves shortly after my husband. Burst. Blew up in my face. Collapsing into Gold and forming a puddle at my hooves. She. Died. Thanks to the same ponies you are protecting."
The image changed to an image of Twilight sitting in a dark gray atmosphere outside in the exact same position in the front row at many fading funerals. "I had attended the funerals of all of the ponies lost in that attack. There was no way I wasn't going to honor them. They didn't have to die. It didn't have to be. And finally..."
The image faded to Twilight closing the doors on her husband's mausoleum. Then lighting the torches on Dawn's. "I had to say goodbye to my own family. I would never see them again. Odega was kind enough to take the Gold of Dawn, and compress it into a ball that I now where around my neck. But it still wasn't my baby. It wasn't my filly. The Zebra had killed her and Madun.
"As I stood there sobbing in front of their dark and lonely tombs, I vowed, upon my very existence that the Zebra will pay. They all will die. And absolutely nothing will stand in my way. This was the second time Zebra attacked my country and took lives. The first time we nearly wiped them out, but Molten had enough heart to leave a few alive that unfortunately grew in numbers. The foals, the families, the innocent. Those numbers attacked Psera once again. Over two hundred Zebras crossed over into Psera and attacked my home, killed my husband, my daughter, my friends, and my citizens and you seriously think I'm just going to stand down? That I am going to allow them to get away with a slaughter of innocent ponies again? No!"
Everything was wiped away to welcome in the Mount Aris Trade Room once again. Queen Arcadia turned around and walked back to her desk in a tense manner that Cadance could tell was fueled by anger.
This theory was confirmed when Queen Arcadia smoldered at all of them from her desk chair and said, "So my warning still stands. Hand over the Zebras you are protecting so I can protect my home from another senseless attack... Or we will mop over every last thing standing in our way and get to them ourselves. And Princesses... If any of you are in my way... I personally will see to it that you are no longer. You have fourteen days to hand them over. If you don't, expect a fleet coming this way."
Luna smoldered and stood up to say, "You do not possibly think you are strong enough to take us all on. Your numbers may be great, Queen Arcadia. But challenging ponies older than you would be your mistake."
Mistake? Not strong enough? Queen Arcadia's eye glowed neon violet before a dangling vine behind Luna shot out and wrapped around her neck. Then loudly yanked her back out of her seat into the wall to dangle above.
IHT bounced up from their seats and looked from a struggling Luna begging for air to the pony responsible watching with a collected yet cold expression. Queen Arcadia had her hooves in front of her mouth put together to show only that eye. The one glowing with anger and distaste.
Celestia pleaded desperately, "Let her go, Twilight." She was unmoving. Her eye never left Luna struggling and her sounds of a struggle. Or the blasts of magic they were shooting at the vines freezing before contact. Luna began turning purple from lack of oxygen.
Cadance joined Celestia and shouted, "Twilight, let her go!"
Twilight looked from them back to Luna. After three more seconds, she granted their wish and let Luna fall to the floor gasping for air. Her face was nearly violet, but her brain still alive.
Twilight shook her head and commented, "Oh Luna... I do not think any of you are strong enough to take me on. You may need some help."
Luna waved a hoof to the ponies glaring at Arcadia around the room and commented through her intakes, "We have enough."
"Not enough to stop a maleficent attack."
"We'll be ready for one."
Queen Arcadia narrowed her eye and asked, "Are you refusing to hoof over the Zebras now?"
Celestia covered Luna's mouth before she could make a grave mistake and answered, "We will let you know of our decision within fourteen days, Queen Arcadia Nova."
Arcadia nodded and informed, "And only fourteen days. In my place, there will be a representative. I am needed here on Psera with my citizens. My absence from the public has made Psera a little... Sloppy. You will find Sunset, Rainbow Dash, and Spitfire back in Canterlot inside of Sunset's office. I was very lenient with their spying because I know you were worried. However, now that you know the truth, anymore spies will be dealt with a more lethal response. No matter who they are."
Queen Novo asked her, "Are we in the midst of a Cold War, Arcadia?"
Her answer? "Let's hope that's all this will be and not a bloodbath. I've already watched my friends and family die. I'd rather not watch any of you follow. Make the right choice. I am going to get those Zebras one way or another."
Then without so much as a goodbye, she and her desk whisked away into the air like blowing sand.