All eyes were on Dawn now. She was the only one to discover Heated Wings wasn't who they all thought she was. She was the one to discover a war was being created by a third party. And that it was because of her death and possibly others. She had to stop it. And now they were counting on her.
After the mini interrogation, Dawn bolted out of Wings' makeshift holding cell back into the town with Night Life and that dragon named Lucky following on her tail. According to Night Life, Lucky was put here because Wings told her something about Psera. Now they were both here.
That was immediately rendered a lie. She's been living here for no reason. Dawn had no idea how she was feeling about that. She herself would be boiling in fury.
Night Life trotted in front of Dawn and swiveled around to get her to stop. "Wait, wait!" He pleaded. Dawn slowed to a stop and stared up to him. "Hold on a moment. What... Exactly are you? How are you two ponies right now? I'm so confused about it."
Well he wasn't the only one. Everyone had some questions. Dawn reached up and boldly ran a hoof through his pink mane. "You're adorable when you're confused," she teased. "Follow me and I'll clarify." Dawn quickly walked around him in favor for the edge of town. Whatever she needed was out here away from the little civilization present.
After a whistle through her teeth, Sky Blue fluttered in to land on her head by the time they walked through the shrubbery into the forest. She's been absent with Juniper upstairs back at the house. It was good to see her out and flapping her wings again.
Only when they were deep into the woods and their village was far behind did Dawn speak.
"Okay," she started off. "So... I'm made of magic. Technically, I was overwritten. According to my relatives, my mother was almost assassinated by a pony from her home country of Equestria. In a desperate effort to save my life, she used Dark Magic to keep my blood flowing through my body. However the spell never cut after she slipped into a coma for two months. And it overwrote flesh and bones in favor of full on magic."
Lucky jumped into a Tree's branches overhead and asked below, "So... You're literally a pony made out of magic. You weren't pulling my tail. How's that even possible? Who is your mother again? I wasn't really paying attention the first time around."
Dawn jumped over a thin crevice hiding a stream to the other side and answered, "She goes by many names, but she's commonly known in Psera history as Queen Twilight 'Arcadia Nova' Sparkle, Saviour of Psera. She helped save Psera multiple times. Like a superhero. Then she met my father, settled down, and had me."
When they reached a beautiful clearing with only grass, Night Life trotted to a stop next to Dawn and assumed, "Now she's about to go to war against her home country."
"Because they're keeping her from the Zebras most likely," Dawn clarified. She rotated her body to face him. "If they weren't in the way, this would just be between her and the Zebras."
Lucky jumped down from above and landed with a crunch next to Night Life facing Dawn. The orange sky casted light down onto her reflective Dark Green scales. As far as Dragons went, Lucky wasn't bad. More curious than anything. She asked Dawn, "And what are your views on this?"
Dawn sighed deeply and closed her eyes in dismay. "I... Don't know," she admitted. Her eyes reopened to look into Night Life's. "Of course I don't like to be dead, but I also don't want anyone else to die. However, my mom was hurt during the attack, and she was at the Castle. Which meant something happened at the castle and other ponies got hurt too. But I won't know in here. We have to get out."
"How?"
Sky Blue jumped off of Dawn's back and into the afternoon sunlight bathing their clearing. "I think I know what's going on," Dawn answered. "There's a theory in Psera, centuries old about there being a reality within another reality. Called 'Pocket Dimensions.' Just another one of the crazy theories for the cause of Narmeelah's disappearance."
Lucky queried, "Was it ever proven?"
"None of the theories were proven because no one ever found Narmeelah. But the idea was simple. A pocket dimension and the real world have a specific matter that keep them bound to each other. Like bridges and anchors they're both connected. I could see a rock here that I saw in the real world and that would be our bridge. We would use that point to rip a space in time and get out of here. I know it sounds farfetched, but that's all we have right now. We need to find that bridge."
Night Life timidly asked, "And if we don't?"
"Then we'll be stuck here. Forever."
Outside of all of Psera's cities were plains. In order to get to the next one, the Pserateps would have to fly over these plains in order to get to the next part of the city. Free land was usually unoccupied and Psera would love for it to stay that way. It was the one place where couples could stay and watch the sun rise and set. Where concerts for musicians would be held at mobile venues.
Today they were going to be using them for a different reason. After Queen Arcadia had Gardeen tracked down and a team at the ready, she left Safe Haven in a small escort pod all the way towards the southern edge of Psera near Lavender. The air was thick with silence and humidity. The sky was gradually turning gray. Arcadia had a feeling it was going to rain.
They landed near her old refugee apartments. Reformed into a museum of sorts that was closed today. Arcadia could see Odega waiting for her on the other side of it further from Lavender in the grassy plains. The wind was blowing the grassy strands of grass in waves. She could see the air blow Odega's embers into the air when they landed and rolled to a stop from the gray skies above.
While the Guard escorting her took up their positions, Gardeen asked Arcadia, "Are you sure this is a good idea? Odega is already enough I feel like."
Arcadia adjusted the sword on her hip and hopped out the chariot when her door was opened with Gardeen on her tail. Her violet lace cape flowed in the wind and the darkening atmosphere while she walked to Odega away from her team. Matching the sparkle in her eye.
She looked over her shoulder at Gardeen and answered, "As long as Equestria is willing to upgrade their defenses, so shall we." Then she continued forward to the grass with determination as her engine.
Odega rose to all hooves when she approached and flared her wings out behind her to bow at her shoes when approached. "Your highness," she greeted.
Arcadia didn't respond with a greeting of her own. She instead glanced around and asked, "Where are they Odega?"
Odega rose back up to her hooves and turned around to face the grassy plains leading towards the mountain range of Cop. She cleared her throat of any distortion, took a deep breath and shouted, "Mahloo and Marloo are incredibly gross, Crystaltite is the last pony who should be even considered for anything, Soymenar is greatly annoying, and Leacrope has serious mental issues!!"
Instantly after Odega's rude shouting, the ground in front of them burst up after a pony jumped out from below their hooves. Their physique implied they were male, but he definitely wasn't the average pony. He had a smooth dark green coat with brown spots here and there, a long brown mane that draped down to the middle of his hooves with small pinecones, a tail made only of thin leaves, and completely white eyes as bright as the sun glaring at Odega.
Next a long tube of water shot out of the hole he made and splashed in front of Odega to compress into the form of a female Pseratep. But only made of water. Even her eyes were clear.
Next were two familiar faces. Mahloo and Marloo. Their scales reflected the fading light from above and danced across Arcadia's nonchalant expression. Their fangs flashed with a hiss and the flaps on the sides of their heads expanded and shook like rattles. Those claws could slash a head off.
And finally a great wind from behind rushed over Odega to nearly blow Arcadia over and gathered into a gray twister in between all of them. After a second of high winds, blowing manes, and maybe some lightning, the twister dispersed an older white coated Pseratep mare with a lot of fluffy fur that make her look almost like it was made by hoof. A windswept light gray and white mane and tail resembling a cloud that dances on its own, fluffy white hooves with mist, and sun-white eyes like the green one.
All eyes had zeroed in on Odega and began shouting.
"How dare you!"
"You are the one with mental issues if you think I'm going to let that little comment slide!"
Odega ignored their ranting and instead bowed to Arcadia. "As requested, Your Highness." Then slowly backed away into the silence with the guards and Gardeen watching from behind.
Once she was far enough away, Arcadia focused back on the Legends of Psera staring at her with an unmoving gaze. "I am Queen Twilight 'Arcadia Nova' Sparkle, Saviour of Psera," she greeted. "Psera is requesting your assistance in a war for the massacre of over two hundred Pserateps. The Zebras are guilty, but the East defends and will not hand them over. Psera is going to war with all of the East."
The first pony to speak up was the last one to arrive. The mare with a white coat. She stepped forward and greeted, "I am Leacrope, Queen Arcadia. Commander of the Air. Of what degree was this attack? And the war so far?"
"They slaughtered my husband, King Shimmering Madun. And my daughter, Princess Fresh Veola Dawn. Heir to the throne. We struck back with thirty Marrials and rendered Zebrica a wasteland. Now the East wants to protect their survivors."
"Our loyalty lies with Narmeelah," Leacrope stated. "Not with you, Queen Arcadia."
"I beg to differ." Arcadia moved her eye to the far left. "Isn't that right, Mahloo and Marloo?"
In a stunning turn of events, Leacrope slowly turned her head to see Mahloo and Marloo bowing with their wings raised. "Yes, your highness."
The green stallion gasped and asked, "What is the meaning of this?"
Marloo rose to her hooves and answered, "Queen Arcadia got past us with the world's refugees after Maheera Dark returned in an attempt to conquer Equus. We swore ourselves to her after a very painful defeat. Maheera Dark was defeated by Queen Arcadia herself."
Leacrope and the other two Legends whipped their heads back to Arcadia mildly surprised. The green stallion asked, "Maheera Dark returned? And you solely defeated her?"
"Well I am not called Saviour of Psera merely for my status as Queen. It is because of my protection over my country I was deemed Queen in the first place." Arcadia narrowed her one visible eye. "And I will do anything to ensure my country's safety."
Lacrope made the same glare and scuffed her hoof as if she were about to charge. "Well if your tactic is to coerce us through a fight, then I'm afraid you will have quite the issue on your wings. No one has ever been able to defeat us."
"Until now."
Leacrope blew forward like a rushing wind before Arcadia teleported out of sight. She landed and skidded her hooves through the soil she was in just before. She growled at the spot and shouted, "As long as you are in my air, I will find you Arcadia. Where are those skills that allowed you to defeat Maheera Dark, as so testified?"
The dirt below Leacrope burst up with a long violet wing that slapped her to the side with a loud grunt, and a flinch from the observers. She rolled through the dirt while Arcadia pulled herself from it, and shook off everything from the world below that covered her. She teleported her crown over to Gardeen to hold and focused on the fight in front of her.
"Who said I was in the Air, Leacrope?" She taunted. "The greatest weapon is not strength, but knowledge."
The green stallion grunted and flared his wings out to spin into the air. The pulled them back and shot them forward. "Then I believe it is time you learned I am not so easy," he boomed. His voice sounded as though he was a teenager, or at least that of Odega's age.
The grass underneath him quickly grew in length, and shot towards Queen Arcadia in the form of spikes. It would've skewered a normal Pseratep, let alone any pony.
Twilight was far from a normal pony.
The grass froze in place before it could pierce her skull and was yanked from his control. Then whipped around and flown right back. She smirked and replied, "You're right. It was much easier."
He gasped and ducked from those makeshift blades while the pony made of water made her own attack. She broke down into a pool and expanded as an ice rink that froze Arcadia's hooves.
That was a tricky move in Arcadia's mind. It did in fact make things difficult for her. Especially since the three of them were charging at her now across the rink. But there are a few things Queen Arcadia's learned throughout her life: She was the Element of Magic. And magic existed everywhere.
With a glow in her eye, the ice below entrapping her broke down into snow that was suddenly whipped up from underneath them like a snowstorm. Leacrope's vision was blinded by white particles before she and the rest of the Legends were blasted away by a strong violet wave of magic.
Yards away watching were Queen Arcadia's Elite Security Detail, Gardeen, and Odega. The rumbling of thunder in the sky rolled vibrations onto the ground under their hooves. But it was hard to tell which vibrations were coming from the Queen, or the sound of lightning. Gardeen just went with the more obvious answer.
Odega seethed and commented, "I hope this doesn't become a common thing. Watching a bunch of fighting. I sort of miss watching Queen Arcadia do boring politics than watching her beat the crap out of the strongest ponies I know."
Gardeen flinched when that Legend made of water was suddenly slapped into raindrops by Arcadia's wing. Without ripping her eyes away from the fight, Gardeen replied, "Well you're in luck. Queen Arcadia has a few new bills that are being debated before Congress next week, a briefing at SERL, then after that takes the throne once more in another location during the day. Fire safety, what speed is allowed at some time during this season, and recycling. Very important stuff. She has to go back to Cop. She's clearly been avoiding going back."
"How? Oh Leacrope really shouldn't do that cloud thing." Their spectators covered their eyes when Leacrope attempted to fog the region and pierce Arcadia's sight. Well Arcadia used it to her advantage and created an extremely bright flash on the tip of her horn, and wiped the Fog away with a swipe of her wing. Now there were three blinded Legends stumbling around before Arcadia blew them back on their flanks again.
Gardeen sighed and answered her earlier question, "She's been ordering everyone come to Safe Haven to hold meetings there instead of Cop's mandatory district downtown. This time she has to go to Cop. This is the first time since the tragedy that she's conducting politics outside of Safe Haven."
"I'll definitely be watching that just to get my mind off of all of this. And there they go. Game over."
After a really bright flash of light and a very large boom, the Legends of Psera were sent flying back into a groove their bodies created. At that moment it just had to start raining and ruin coats. The Guards raised umbrellas and held one over Gardeen. The Secretary mustn't get wet. Let alone the Queen.
Arcadia ignored it and let herself bask in the sky's tears. The water was a coolant to her burning soul of vengeance anyway. She slowly walked over to Leacrope eating soil and stopped at her eyes staring up to her. Her glowing eye pierced through the dark atmosphere and into Leacrope's soul. The lightning painted Arcadia in an aura of intimidation.
"You work for me now," she stated. "And you will help me protect my country. Understood?"
Leacrope rose back to her hooves and dusted off her pristine white coat as if it were no big deal. Then bowed gracefully with the other two. "We swear ourselves to you, Queen Twilight 'Arcadia Nova' Sparkle, Saviour of Psera. 'Til death do us part."
The green stallion rose back to his hooves and finally introduced himself. "I am Soymenar, your Highness. Commander of the Earth."
The pony made of crystal clear water pulled herself together and turned into a solid of ice. Her wings were much sharper than they were before and her eyes were as blue as the sea beyond their borders. "And I am Crystaltite, Lordess of the Sea. At your service. I sense the blood of Narmeelah flowing through your veins."
Queen Arcadia nodded sternly and turned around to walk back to the Chariots. "I am her distant relative," she answered. "She and I have similarities. Before we venture further, you must be warned." She looked over her shoulder and said, "We must grab one more creature of strength and power."
Crystaltite stopped trotting behind her and asked, "You make it sound like it is a bad thing."
"For you three, it may be. We must grab Maheera Dark. But not anytime soon." Arcadia faced forward and moved to the Pods with a smolder. "I have to pay my family a quick little visit."
It's been a rather long day in the Crystal Empire. Canterlot was the center of military action in Equestria. So all military leaders of different countries aligned with IHT met there. Including Shining Armor.
Preparing their Fronts, Air Teams, and Special Operations units were all commenced from a chair in front of a very large but round table for hours. Today it was for Equestria. Tomorrow it would be Mount Aris, in case Psera zipped over them.
Once it was over, Shining wasted no time in getting back to the Crystal Empire. Where the crystal ponies waved and smiled his way during the trek back to the Castle. To the security guarding the City's airspace, buildings, and patrolling the streets. If there was going to be an attack, then they were going to have an issue getting past. Pserateps may be fast, but Equestria had its own tricks.
When he made it back, his wife was waiting for him at the steps leading up to the inside. Princess Cadance in all her love and glory. She smiled and leaned into that kiss he placed on her lips.
"Good afternoon," he deeply greeted.
"Good afternoon, Shiny," she replied. Then walked with him back into the quiet tall crystal structure of their castle. Their hooves were the only sound among the silence. Their guards didn't so much as move from their posts.
"Princess Luna wants you to prepare the Fourth Pegasi Air Team," Cadance told him.
"That was the first team we did today. They're placed in Ponyville with close eyes on the Whistling Woods. If the Pserateps were to storm Ponyville, that would be their best bet."
Ponyville. Another reminder. Cadance sighed and thought aloud, "None of this should have to be."
"I know. But Twilight has become adamant. She feels anger and resentment towards the Zebra race and wants to wipe them out."
Cadance quickly added, "I too am a little upset for the tragedy that occured. The Zebras killed King Madun and Princess Fresh Dawn. She wasn't even sixteen yet. So young and full of potential. And had her life stripped from her."
When they reached the lunch hall doors, Shining stopped and turned to face her before they opened them. "The Zebras aren't talking about the attack. They claimed they were never informed and that it was never authorized. Nor would it have been authorized. And get this: The body of Queen Tarsafani was found at the foot of one of their rivers stabbed to death."
Queen Tarsafani was dead? Now that she thought about it, Tarsafani was one of the leaders she hasn't seen from Zebrica. "She was murdered," Cadance assumed. A word normally used on Psera.
"It was dated back to July. Do you know when that was?" Cadance shook her head. "It was when Queen Arcadia sent us back home from Psera. She was under that penalty for her health. When she came back, Tarsafani was killed. And their Shamans had no clue."
"It wasn't a lawful punishment then," Cadance said. "Which meant..."
"Something was going on in Zebrica that involved Psera. She was murdered months before the attack. I have two theories: That Queen Tarsafani was a spy and actually giving them information for an attack like Twilight thought, or she was honestly there to delegate. I'm leaning towards the first choice. There wasn't much delegation."
Cadance sighed and pushed open the dining room doors herself. "Yes, but we have..." Cadance suddenly glared ahead. Their conversation had officially been ruined by none other than the source. "What are you doing here?"
Shining followed her glare and narrowed his eyes himself. Sitting in the chair at the far end of the table facing the door was the last pony that needed to be on Equestria soil. Queen Twilight eating a plate of a Pseratopian delight wearing the same outfit from earlier. The one with the glowing gem in the center that confirmed it. Her mane was thick and flowing with energy, and her crown glistened with the riches of Psera.
She wiped her mouth politely and answered, "Waiting for you." Her one eye glanced up in their direction. "Why else would I be here?"
Shining didn't understand why the guards didn't ring an alarm or something. As of this moment, his sister's appearance was a threat! Then again, they were standing way more still than usual. He glared at one nearby then back to Twilight. "You froze our staff," he assumed.
After another bite and swallow, Twilight replied, "It is better if we're not interrupted by a raging Alicorn, don't you think? I still have a lot of anger building up for watching the murders of my family. I'd rather not take it out on your guards."
"But you'd take it out on us?"
"You're the ones calling the shots."
"Because you're the one declaring war," Cadance sternly reminded her. She used her magic to shut the doors behind her and Shining.
"Only because you're defending the ponies who attacked my country and slaughtered my civilians. For the second time in history, might I add. We were lucky it was only in the castle. The first time it was the entire city of Cop. They flooded our streets and slaughtered our foals. Children." Arcadia pushed her dish through a small portal setup next to her then closed it back.
"You know where the Zebras are. So either Equestria tells Psera, or they step aside and allow us to search. They don't, then we force ourselves in. Well Equestria chose to restrict us from searching for the Zebras. Along with IHT. So we'll be knocking you to the side and getting them that way."
"Twilight, listen..." Cadance made her way towards a seat next to her. This would be the first time she's gotten this close to Twilight since the attack. She wrapped a wing over her back and sighed deeply. "I know this is hard for you. I don't know what it's like to lose your husband or daughter. Let alone watch innocent lives be taken. But you're not alone. We're here for you, Twilight. We're your family too and we love you. Your mother is worried about you. Your parents are grieving for your loss. Equestria is here for you, Twilight. We're here for you and your country. We love Psera because you love Psera, and everything they have done for us.
"And you're right, they were all innocent ponies welcoming you back to the throne. And the Zebras are guilty and will be penalized. But Queen Twilight, now they have nowhere to go. Their land is nothing but ashes now."
"Cadance, this is a war," Twilight pointed out. She swiftly raised a large wing towards the back of the room and shouted, "They knew the consequences of their actions! Yet they still attacked! What do you want us to do, withdraw our soldiers from storming their borders?!"
"We don't want you committing genocide, Twilight," Shining sternly answered. "We just want to reach a compromise. Everyone needs to relax and take it easy. The Zebras had no known motivation."
"They were after my daughter," Twilight informed them. She waved her hoof around in obsoleteness. "Something about a prophecy and Dawn's existence as a sign of the end of Equus."
The end of Equus?! Cadance gasped and asked, "Are you not worried about that? You of all ponies should know that the Zebras have never told a false prophecy."
Arcadia growled in Cadance's face and snarled, "I couldn't care less about their prophecies, or the Zebras that came up with them! Because they still slaughtered my people!! They are still guilty of a mass homicide!!! And I will!..."
Twilight closed her eyes and took a deep breath to quell that rising darkness inside her being. Now was not the time. "But I am not here to talk about that. I am here to tell you that I wish Flurry a happy upcoming birthday, and that you better hope you don't see me again. I am passing the reigns of this war to my generals and Secretary of Defense. I'm needed on Psera with my citizens, not at sea with my enemies. So you better hope you never see me on your shores."
"So what, you're backing out?" Cadance assumed.
"I am sitting on the side," Twilight clarified. "My soldiers will be doing the fighting. If you see me in your country again, it is because I have become impatient. So you'd better hope I don't arrive."
"Twilight, we don't want to go to war with you," Cadance whispered. She reached out and felt a hoof along Twilight's relaxed cheek. Smooth to the touch and a dash of warmth. "We don't want to hurt you. We don't want to fight you, you're our family."
Twilight sighed and internally admitted she didn't want that either. She didn't want to hurt her Equestrian family. She raised a hoof and softly pulled Cadance into a hug. "And I don't want to fight you either. I love all of you. And I don't want to hurt you." She pulled back and sternly glared. "But you're in the middle of a war between us and Zebrica. Fighting against Psera, even though they are the ones who attacked first. We retaliated, and now you want to protect them, despite everything Psera has done for you. I showed you what they did to our king, to my little Veola, and the battle of blood in my castle.
"Yet, you still choose to protect the Zebras. Despite them staring this war. After I put my reputation and my life on the line to make sure you were all protected from Maheera. I had a family back on Psera and I still gave you protection there. I brought your troubles to my country and could have very well endangered my family. I fed you, kept you warm, kept you safe. I gave up ten years of my life to keep all of you alive. Yet you will not help me bring these monsters to justice. Instead you choose to stand side by side with them, ready your borders with them, and prepare for a fight against the ponies who actually died to protect you against Maheera. It is beyond dishonorable."
"Twilight—"
She bounced up from her seat and faced Cadance on the other side of the table. "You are lucky Canterlot still stands. We gave you our resources to rebuild. Yet you use them against us."
"Twilight, listen—"
"And you keep the real monsters from us! To protect them! They don't deserve to be protected! They deserve to die!"
"Twilight! Listen to yourself! This is not who you are!" Shining took up a position next to Cadance. "The Zebras as a whole are innocent! You cannot take your anger and frustration out on the innocent or else you will become like the rest of the creatures in Tartarus!"
"And just what is that, Shining?" Twilight taunted. "Intrigue me, just what are the creatures in Tartarus?"
Shining stomped his hoof and answered sternly, "Vengeful, angry, and prone to make a mistake they will regret, forging the consequence of being locked away. Forever."
They were unmoving. Both Equestria and Psera. They knew they wouldn't stand a chance against Twilight in this room. She could clean the floor with them. Yet they stood tall and firm against her.
She sighed from the back of her throat and took a second to gather herself. Then after a moment said in a much calmer tone, "I am giving you one more chance. One more to make the right choice. To give my citizens the closure they need. To give me the closure I need. So I can go to my family's mausoleums, and tell them that we did it. That their deaths were not in vain and so I can finally sleep at night without reliving the painful experience of watching everyone I love die in my hooves."
Cadance sighed and with a somber regret whispered, "I'm really sorry, Twily. But... We can't. I'm so sorry."
Another tense silence with Twilight staring nonchalantly at them. An unpredictable emotion so thick Cadance was softly shimmering her magic on her horn.
"Then..." Twilight peacefully raised her hoof in their direction that their eyes locked on. "I'm sorry too. But family ends here."
She threw her hoof swiftly to the right and sent them flying off their hooves into the doors. Cadance yelped on impact and dropped to the ground before she and Shining were sent flying back to the table shouting. They rolled across the surface knocking off candles, plates, and dishes before being blasted away by a beam of magic.
After impacting another wall, they lied limply and unmoving on top of each other. Bruised, battered, and overall tired. After only five seconds, they lost the battle. Cadance groaned and shifted her gaze up from underneath her husband to catch Twilight's eye. Only, she wasn't there anymore. She was gone. After she attacked them, she left with destruction in her wake.
The Guards were breathing. One of them gasped and shouted, "Your highness!" Then ran over with the entire room. "Your highness, speak to me! What happened?"
Shining coughed and rose back to his hooves with the assistance of his guards. "We... We were attacked," he answered. "By Queen Arcadia. Tell the Captains to raise their alarms nationwide. They're coming."