//------------------------------// // — Chapter Thirty — // Story: Finding Friendship // by Kamen-Zero //------------------------------// --- What Nightmares Thrive On --- Twilight couldn't believe her eyes. And based on what she could see in her peripherals, neither could any of the others who had witnessed the atrocity unfold before them. Today was supposed to be a day of joy, a day of new beginnings. The first step into what would hopefully be a new golden age under the rule of Queen Celestia the Second. But that dream had been rendered mute in a most heinous and unspeakable manner. And the one behind it all was standing right there, wickedly laughing proudly over his "achievement," standing over the still-warm body of the alicorn that he had just swiftly murdered. The knife still lodged deep into her throat. Queen Sanctus Solis Celestia the First. Dead and gone. Something once thought impossible, until now. Twilight wasn't able to speak for the others in attendance. Not the royal ambassadors from other nations, nor her two older sisters who had also just witnessed the assassination of their mother at the hoofs of Twilight's father. The only feelings she could currently process were her own, and it wouldn't be long before everyone else knew just exactly what was going through her head. There was a time of grief and of absolute agony. It only made sense, there weren't many other reactions one could have to watch their own mother be killed in such a brutal manner. But now wasn't the time for grieving over the loss of a loved one. And the anguish coursing through Twilight served well as kindling for the flames of unimaginable rage and hatred that were soon to burst to life within her. She pushed herself up to her hooves, flaring the bat-like wings she had inherited from her father as her curved horn ignited with crackling silver light. Bearing her fangs, the cobalt alicorn roared louder than any banshee as she lunged forward into a low but fast flight. The king turned assassin was caught off guard by the assault, and soon found himself being forcibly pushed through the air at alarming speed by his own daughter's armored hooves. Flying at an almost incomprehensible speed, Twilight used the stallion she once called father as a battering ram to break through one of the room's many decorative windows. The glass plate exploded into millions of fragments as Twilight used her superior strength to continue to push against Sombra, adjusting her flight to move at a more downward angle. They landed in the castle courtyard with a thunderous crash, which was soon followed by the calamitous screams of confusion and terror of the surrounding ponies. The spectators who had come to witness her sister's coronation, no doubt, but such things were beyond Twilight's concern at the moment. And as the civilians began to scream and scatter, with all of the nearby guards doing what they could to calm the sudden conclave of chaos, her focus was set entirely on the stallion who had just killed her mother. The two had traveled a considerable distance, but even with the force of an alicorn pushing him along, the fall wasn't far enough to outright kill the mortal stallion. He likely had a few broken bones, among other injuries if the slow stream of blood from one of his nostrils was anything to go off of, but he was going to live. But based on the way Twilight's hooves were pushing into his chest, alongside the sparkling glow of her horn, there was no telling how much longer that would last. But even still, the sarosian king managed to choke out a pained laugh through his clenched teeth, only further serving to infuriate his daughter. "You dare strike at your Father in such a barbaric way?!" The stallion's tone was rich with mock anger, the pain-filled grin on his face proof enough that this was some twisted attempt at sarcasm or humor. "Did your Mother not raise you to respect your elders?!" He choked out another laugh. "Have you lost your mind?!" Twilight screamed in his face, pressing down harder atop his ribcage. She could feel the brittle bones beginning to crack under her unreal strength, though she only let up enough as to not kill him outright. "Do you have ANY idea what you have just done?!" The only answer Sombra gave was yet another wicked laughed, with significantly less strain on his behalf from the sounds of it. The dark crystals that seemed to be growing out of his body began to glow with intertwining tendrils of red and green magic, as did the stallion's crazed eyes. Before Twilight could process what was going on, a powerful pulse of arcane might erupted from him, flinging Twilight off of him with enough force to send her flying for quite a distance. She collided with a decorative pillar with enough momentum to crack the marble structure, leaving her stunned for a brief moment. The concentration on her magic was lost and her silver aura faded away soon after, the alicorn grunting and groaning in a daze for a short period. It didn't take the trained alicorn very long to collect her bearings, quickly turning her attention back to the foreign king. Still draped in the writhing inferno of dark magic, Sombra returned to his hooves with little difficulty. Something that should have been impossible, given the hit he had just taken. It was now that Twilight could see that the window had done more then she expected, large shards of glass protruding from where the stallion's body had been used to break through it. And her mouth fell agape as she watched his body simply push the broken fragments out as the wounds were miraculously healed in seconds. Only the faintest of scars were left behind from the undone injuries. "You're using magic...?!" Rage was temporarily quenched by shock and confusion at the seemingly impossible feat that she had just witnessed with her own eyes. Sombra was a sarosian, he shouldn't have been capable of doing that. Not without help. What in the world was happening? It didn't matter, Twilight soon rationalize as she began to stand, she had to put a stop to stop this menace. "I am?" Sombra asked in mock surprise, examining the sinister aura that still engulfed his body. "Oh, it would seem you are correct! Shall we see what else I am capable of?" With a smirk, the King of Seară jabbed a hoof toward his daughter. Tendrils of dark magic lurched forward from the aura around him, wrapping themselves tightly around Twilight before she could even process what he had even done. Then, with a commanding swipe of that same hoof, Sombra sent his daughter sailing through the air with great velocity. Though unlike Twilight, who had chosen to use Sombra's body to break through a window, the king saw it fit to use his own daughter to break through one of the castle walls. The young alicorn shuddered and coughed from the kicked up dust as she came to a stop in the rubble. Needless to say, being thrown through a wall wasn't exactly the most pleasant experience Twilight had ever gone through in her life thus far. And despite being an alicorn clad in full plate mail, the impact she had just endured was still enough to cause a considerable amount of pain. But not so much to keep her from clamoring back to her hooves, not that she was given a chance to though. Twilight could feel the hoof as it pressed into the side of her head, not enough to cause any kind of damage but it was enough to keep her from getting up. It was obvious enough to tell that it was an intimidation tactic as opposed to an attack. "Now then, my dearest daughter, I would strongly advise you to cease your foolishness while you can." Sombra's tone was that of pure authority and unadulterated confidence. Based on his posture and his voice, it was easy enough to see that he had no doubts about his abilities to face an alicorn in single combat. "After all, I have just proven that you are far from immortal." Twilight gave her answer in the form of a strong pulse of silver magic. Admittedly taking the idea from her father, it didn't take much force for her to fling him up towards the ceiling with unreal force. The structure loudly cracked as the sarosian was slammed into it and he soon began to limply fall back down. And as he fell, Twilight took the opportunity to get back up and quickly spin around in preparation for what was to come next. "Neither are you!" With her powerful hind legs, Twilight delivered a devastating kick to the stallion as he descended. Her strike hit true, evident by the unmistakable "snap" that marked the breaking of Sombra's neck and the subsequent end of his life. Twilight watched from over her shoulder as the now limp body of her father clattered to the floor, the black magic around him fizzling out almost instantly. Breathing heavily as she attempted to calm her nerves, Twilight cautiously approached the fallen sarosian with great intrigue. And as she gazed upon the body of what was once her father, everything that had just happened finally clicked into place. The anger that had overtaken her at the moment began to subside in earnest, and the terror of the situation finally began to sink in. Twilight had just watched the untimely demise of her mother, by the blade of her father no less. There had been a time where it didn't feel real, but now the reality and finality of it was finally beginning to weigh down on her. "And I... killed him..." The alicorn gently prodded at the sarosian with a hoof, unsurprised to find that he was unresponsive. The dread of it all was beginning to overwhelm her, this was the first time Twilight had ever truly harmed another individual—let alone killing someone. She had long since accepted the possibility that she would have to end a life at one point or another, as much as it sickened her to admit it. Such was the fate of a soldier, after all. But never once had she considered that her father's life would be the first she'd ever take. And even after the unspeakable crime that he had just committed, there was still a part of Twilight that found herself mourning. He was still her father, after all. The sentiment was short-lived, however. Just like before, a powerful burst of dark magic sent Twilight careening back with great force. And even though she was caught off guard by the sudden outburst, she was able to land on her hooves this time instead of being slammed into something else. Thus giving her the perfect vantage point to view the horrific sight unfolding before her. Just as before, tendrils of putrid red and green magic began to flow and fester from the jagged shards of black crystals that now decorated the sarosian's body. Almost exactly as they did to Twilight earlier, the arcane appendages wrapped themselves around Sombra's broken form with great care. Like a demented marionette, the sarosian's body was lifted and placed back on his hooves, still hanging slack in the embrace of his own magic. His form twitched and spasmed about—much to Twilight's visible horror and disgust—before yet another sickening snap rang forth from her father's neck. And with a loud gasp, King Sombra could once more be counted amongst the numbers of the living. He stood there for a moment or two as his dark magic faded away, taking the time to collect his bearings and readjust to the state of being alive. He looked to be almost surprised by this development, but that state didn't last long before he turned his gaze back towards his daughter with a wide toothy grin. "Forgive me, would you care to repeat that?" The king took the time to pop the joints in his neck, almost as if taunting his daughter over her failure in killing him. That's not possible. Twilight stood there, now overwhelmed by a looming sense of dread. That shouldn't be possible. Throughout her life, she had been fortunate enough to receive the absolute best education when it came to the art of magic. Like her sisters before her, she had learned under some of the greatest scholars and mages in the world, legends in their own right. And she knew more than enough about the field of magic to know that there was absolutely no worldly power that could bring back the dead in such a manner. Even though necromancy was a forbidden art, Twilight had been taught enough to know how to counteract and dispel those evil magics. She knew enough to know that the dead couldn't be revived that quickly, the rituals involved were meant to takes days if not weeks to be completed. Yet there was no such ceremony for her father. He just simply resumed living, as impossible as it seemed. "What? Are you not pleased to see your Father alive and well?" Sombra's sickening laughter was enough to drag Twilight back to reality. "I assumed it would be relieving to know that you hadn't lost both of your parents today." If the king's goal was to strike a nerve, then it was safe to say that he had achieved it. Despite the unnerving scene that had just played out before her, Twilight couldn't let her fear rule her. The stallion standing before her had murdered her mother and only continued to show his hostile intentions. And no part of her wished to show this monstrous stallion any kind of mercy. On top of that, she was a soldier of the Equestrian Military, it was her duty to fight on behalf of the country and crown. The only thing standing in her way of making this invading force pay for his crimes was her familial ties to him, but this exchange had long since extinguished any sense of love she felt for her father. There was nothing to hold her back from doing everything in her power to make this invading force pay for his treachery and his bloodshed. So Twilight once again lunged forward, her horn igniting with intense silver radiance. This time her father saw the attack coming, and conjured up his dark magic in an attempt at counteracting the second tackle. But before the retaliation could strike, Twilight vanished in an argent flash before swiftly repeating to Sombra's left. This caught the sarosian king off guard, but it wasn't enough to save him from his daughter's next attack. What could only be described as an arcane geyser erupted from beneath Sombra's very hooves, launching him upward with great force. Twilight was quick to leap after him, slamming her forehooves into his now exposed underside and proceeding to fly upward, using her father's body as a battering ram to push him through the roof and onto the floor above them. She quickly reoriented herself and delivered another strong kick with her hind legs, sending her foe flying through the room. The sarosian king was quick to use his own wings to right himself in the air to land with grace. And the second his hoofs were upon solid ground, the dark tendrils of magic surrounding him shot forwards with blinding speed like the strike of a scorpion's tail. There wasn't enough time for Twilight to dodge it, so she was forced to conjure a shield of magic to hold back the piercing attack. And while the barrier did hold strong, visible cracks did form from the sheer force of the impact, but in turn, the dark spears were also dispelled in the process. And the sarosian alicorn chose to take advantage of that fact and spun around to buck at her shield. The wall of magic finally gave up the ghost and shattered like glass under the force of its master's powerful kick. The large jagged shards hung in the air for a moment before lunging themselves at Sombra. The King of Seară was cleanly hit by two of these improvised blades to his right shoulder and foreleg. A third just managed to knick him as it flew, leaving a sizeable gash in his left ear, and a fourth shattered on impact as it uselessly collided with one of the black crystals jutting out of Sombra's flesh. The rest were all blocked by his unusual veil of magical energy. Though Twilight wasn't able to revel in her achievement of dealing damage, however, as it wasn't long at all before Sombra's magic licked at his new wounds, healing them in an instant. Only the faintest of scars were left behind by the attacks, though the adrenalin coursing through her body prevented Twilight from noticing that fact. A roar of mixed fury and pain erupted from Sombra's throat as he took his turn in leaping towards his enemy with outstretched hooves. Twilight took on a defensive posture and took the brunt of the attack, finding herself being pushed by Sombra as he mimicked one of her previous attacks. There was enough force behind the tackle to take both of them through the adjacent wall, and further still through that chamber and yet another wall. The fight went on in this manner for what felt like hours to Twilight. How her father was able to match her, an alicorn, blow for blow like this was a mystery, but she didn't have time to dwell on this mystery for long. After all, she had to focus on winning this fight. The entirety of Canterlot Castle was made into their battleground as the fight dragged on. Sometimes one of them would toss or ram the other through a part of the structure—be it a wall, window, ceiling, or floor—before the battle continued, and other times Twilight had to quickly get her father in some kind of hold so she could teleport them both elsewhere. After all, there were still innocent ponies littered about the castle, and she couldn't risk them being caught in the crossfire. Or worse, used as an advantage in Sombra's favor. It was only during this spectacular battle that Twilight found out that her father was not alone in his attack. As her battle continued, she caught sight of Searăn soldiers clashing with Equestrian Forces at key locations within the castle. She had also taken notice of the slowly growing body counts—both sides of the conflict were taking casualties. This unacceptable development only pushed Twilight to fight harder than she already was. The amount of blood on Sombra's hooves was only growing as time went on. This invasion was his doing, all of this death and destruction was his doing. And Twilight couldn't bear it any longer, he needed to be stopped as soon as possible. It wasn't long before their battle inadvertently led them into the throne room, where at least the two had both conveniently decided to allow the other a brief moment to catch their breath. Sombra stood at one end of the chamber, looking to be quite exhausted but far from being done. There were no notable injuries on his person in the slightest—all of them had been healed as quickly as they had been given. But even still, he looked as if he was beginning to be worn down. Twilight, on the other hoof, was clearly on the losing end of this feud. Her once pristine armor was now little more than useless pieces of scrap metal clinging to her body in a futile attempt to continue the armor's purpose. Cuts and bruises of various sizes decorated her frame, and based on her strained posture it was easy to tell that she had at least a few broken bones. A good deal of concentration on her part had been reserved for magically healing what she could amid battle. Despite being an alicorn, and despite having access to some of the most potent healing spells in the world, she was still nowhere near as quick at recovering as Sombra was. It was enough to let her keep up with him, but she would need to end this fight soon if she were to have any hope of victory. Even an alicorn couldn't keep this up forever. Father and daughter stood several meters apart in the throne room of Canterlot Castle, both of them intently eyeing the other in anticipation of the next attack. But neither one made a move, much to Twilight's relief. This served as a perfect opportunity to get some of her more limiting injuries taken care of in the lull of combat. Sombra didn't seem to care that she was hard at work mending her broken bones, yet even still she remained ready to counter the king's next attack. This was when the tide of the battle shifted drastically, the massive doors leading to the throne room were suddenly thrown open by a burst of golden light. This drew the two combatant's attention towards the entrance and the alicorn that was swiftly approaching them. "Selene!" Celestia the Second bellowed as she charged into the spacious chamber, looking to be doing better than her youngest sister. But the signs of struggle were still evident, despite being far from injured as Twilight was, it was clear that the eldest sister had been doing her part in fighting off this invasion. Most prominently shown by the beautifully crafted dress woven for her coronation, now no more than just tatters of shredded silk. This simple development was all it took to earn Twilight's paranoia and worry. "Tia, NO!" She leaped to get between her father and her sister, not wanting to take any chances after everything that had happened today. After all, Sombra had just killed one alicorn and was fighting on par with another, and Twilight couldn't risk letting her sister be hurt by this monster. At the end of the day, Equestria needed a ruler and the only other suitable candidate wasn't an option anymore. But upon standing her ground between the two rulers, prompting her elder sister to cease her approach, Twilight was quick to notice that Sombra's attention had shifted away from the two sisters entirely. He stood with his back to the two alicorns, appearing to be looking upward at something in the tall and spacious chamber. The younger of the sisters took this as a direct insult and took the opportunity to strike at the distracted stallion. Charging forward once more alongside a series of magical bolts imbued with the intention of snuffing out the sarosian's life for good this time. And it was now that she learned the brutal lesson that her father had apparently been toying with her this whole time. Her blasts of magic were dispelled in an instant by those all too familiar lashes of dark magic, and the alicorn herself was stopped in her tracks by a simple disinterested kick to the snout. Left dazed by the sudden strike, Twilight hardly had the presence of mind to notice as a wave of magic slammed into her left side with tremendous force. She yelped in pain as she was sent flying, bouncing and skidding along the ground like a stone on a pond's surface before she painfully crashed into the distant wall with a resounding crash. "Selene!" Once more, Celestia howled out with great concern for her sister, keeping her eyes on the foreign invader for a time before rushing to her youngest sibling's aid. It was only then that King Sombra decided to finally act upon his apparent discovery. "Her hubris truly knew no bounds, did it not?" He smiled at his question eyes lighting up with unbridled joy as he gazed towards the nation's throne. "The most powerful weapon in the world and she used it as nothing more than simple decore." It wasn't easy, but her sister's help was most invaluable when it came to getting Twilight back up on her hooves. The words of her father struck a chord in the young alicorn's mind, and she was practically overwhelmed with the evaluation that hit her. She traced Sombra's gaze upwards towards his apparent objective. For as prosperous of a nation as Equestria was, it was easy to imagine just how grandiose the literal highest seat of power in the land was. Comprised almost entirely of silver and gold, and adorned with luscious red fabrics and cushions for the sake of comfort, it was truly a throne worthy of the great Queen Celestia the First. But that wasn't what Sombra had his eyes on. No, instead his gaze fell upon the wall behind the throne, to the breathtaking representation of the Tree of Harmony that was the sole reason for this room's immense height. The throne sat at the base of the opulent mural, which stretched up powerful and proud as the symbol of Equestria's peace and prosperity. And near the top of the mural and embedded in the wall, was a simple hoof-sized stone that vaguely resembled the seed of a tree. Glowing with the pure, unfiltered might of the very tree that it came from. And as the two sisters watched Sombra's black magic stretching out to claim his prize, both Twilight and Celestia were left with a powerful and primal sense of fear. For they both knew what that stone was, and what it was capable of doing. After all, it was the weapon their mother had used to strike down the Spirit of Chaos those many years ago. A crystallized embodiment of the unparalleled power held by the Tree of Harmony itself, a relic that they couldn't afford to let fall into the murderous hooves of this madman. The Element of Harmony. There wasn't a single second of hesitation on their behalf at the sight of Sombra's attempt to claim such a powerful relic for himself. They both sprung into action with the utmost haste, Twilight once again going after Sombra while her elder sister took flight and went for the element itself. And while she couldn't speak for her sister's success, Twilight was far more competent in her most recent attack against her father. But it was all in vain, much to their dread. Sombra didn't even give his daughter the time of day as a piece of his dark aura lashed at the ground between the two of them. An immaculate wall of jagged black onyx erupted forth and served as an effective barrier preventing Twilight from interrupting him in this critical moment. Just long enough the king to achieve his goal, brutally smacking Celestia out of the air as the Element was engulfed by his dark power. The surrounding wall was ground to dust as he yanked back hard, swiftly pulling his prize back to him in an instant. Twilight roared like a savage beast as she leaped over the irregular barrier to pounce upon her prey, her fury only growing as she saw the murderous invader leisurely looking over the stone sitting atop his hoof. The smug grin upon his face only serving to rub salt into the wounds. The sarosian alicorn was practically feral at this point, bearing her fangs as she went for the throat. But she would never get the chance to even nick his neck, thanks to the aura of black and red around him twisting into a demented claw and swiping her out of the air. It clasped impossibly tight around her before slamming her into the ground on the opposite side of the wall. "Oh, daughter dearest, surely you didn't think that would work, did you?" Sombra spoke down to her in the most demeaning of ways, not even bothering to look at her as she struggled to get up off of the ground. "It seems you have failed to inherit my common sense." "Common sense?!" Twilight screamed back at him, prompting a small number of bloody coughs on her behalf. "You claim to have 'common sense' after bringing this chaos and carnage upon Equestria?! After killing my mother in cold blood?!" "It would seem you understand very little of the world, my daughter," Sombra finally glanced over to Twilight with a disinterested glare, "I would see this world unified under one banner. A world of true harmony, just as your mother wished. But she would never allow it to happen, and thus I had to remove her from the equation. Though I don't expect you to understand. Not yet." The king's attention turned towards the crystal wall he had previously conjured, taking up the Element in his arcane grasp so he could set his hoof upon the onyx structure. With minimal effort, it cracked and shattered into dozens of pieces. "Not until you've heard them sing." "What in the world are you talking about, you insane cur?!" Twilight roared again, fighting her own body just to get back onto her hooves. It wasn't easy, but she was at least able to stand her ground. "You will see soon enough. But for now, a simple parting gift will suffice." Those were the last words spoken by Sombra before he took his leave. The red and green flames surrounding his form became pitch black smoke that twisted and swirled into a portal just behind him, a smaller version of the one that marked his arrival. One that the sarosian king made use of and was gone in an instant. Twilight made one last attempt to strike him down, but she was too slow and her attack only struck at the smoke itself much to her fury and despair. Although she wasn't given much time to dwell on these feelings for very long. Even in her weary and beaten state, she noticed that the wisps of inky blackness didn't fade with the absence of their master. Curiosity turned to caution as she watched these puffs of smoke moving towards the broken shards of onyx that her father had also left behind, the shattered stones beginning to twitch and rumble as the magic flowed into them. They further cracked and broke apart as Sombra's dark magic went to work, pieces of onyx beginning to float and form something new. It happened too quickly for Twilight to even attempt to stop it. And before she knew it, she found herself staring down what was unmistakably a pack of wolves. Eight of the beasts stood before her in a moment, each comprised of the black crystals conjured by Sombra, held together by nothing more than that black smoke. They each stood there, menacingly glaring down Twilight with piercing eyes of glowing white. Like monsters pulled straight out of a nightmare. The last thing Twilight saw was the glistening of artificial fangs as the first member of the pack rushed her. And then everything went black. --- — --- A loud panicked gasp marked Twilight's return to the waking world, much to her surprise. Still being in a frantic state, she bolted upright in her bed only to be met with a sharp pain in just about every part of her body. A series of loud and pain-filled coughs ripped their way out of her throat in response to her hasty attempts at moving again, prompting the alicorn to finally look and check the damage that she had suffered. Tossing the blanket off to the side with a strained flicker of her horn, she saw that most of her frame was essentially mummified bandages. Very little of her cobalt coat showed through the slightly bloodied wrappings, and it wasn't a surprise to why this was. The ghost of pain still lingered in most of her body, evidence of a hard-fought battle on her behalf. A few seconds of passive observation was enough to notice the slight arcane hue that danced and fluttered about these wrappings, not enough to be considered "glowing," but noticeable enough. Healing magic had been embedded into the gauzes to expedite the healing process as much as possible. But there were other things on Twilight's mind right now. She didn't know how long she had been out cold, but regardless of the exact amount of time spent unconscious, it was enough for the adrenaline rush to wear off. It wasn't just the pain of battle that she was now keenly aware of, but the reality of what had just transpired was now agonizingly clear. "Mother...?" Twilight mournfully whispered out into the ether, but she didn't expect anyone to give her an answer. She had been alone from the moment she had awoken in her bedroom, someone must have brought her up here after the battle had concluded. But there wasn't any part of the alicorn that cared about those little details right now. There was only one thing on her mind, and that was the unfortunate departure of her dear mother. The scene was clear as day in her mind, and the horrid sight refused to leave the forefront of her thoughts. Neither would the sickening laughter from the assassin behind the unthinkable act. It was the only thing the young alicorn could spare any effort in thinking of, and it brought her nothing but torment and tears. Someone she loved was gone, and the longer she dwelled on it the more and more she came to blame herself for letting it happen. She was the first one to notice the Searăn ambassadors acting strangely, and she hated herself for not acting sooner. She hated herself for not doing something, anything, during that storm of smoke and darkness. Out of everyone in that room, Twilight was the one who should have been the most prepared for a crisis like that. She should have done something to try and stop it. It was her duty as a member of Equestria's military to protect Queen and Country, and she had failed. Miserably, in her own eyes. But it wasn't just the fact that she had been trained to act quickly in such dire circumstances, it was the fact that she was an alicorn on top of all of that. She spent her whole life being told that she was far stronger than other ponies, that her magic was far more potent. And yet with all that power, she still couldn't save her mother's life. And it tore her up inside knowing that her failure cost someone she loved with all her heart their life. "Selene?" The question brought a flash of hope to the sarosian alicorn, who believed for the shortest of seconds that her mother had somehow survived the attempt at her life. But the flash faded when it was the sight of her elder sister standing beneath the doorframe. The new Queen of Equestria stood with a weary look of mixed worry and relief, slowly walking towards the bed with painfully slow steps. Like her younger sister, Celestia the Second was also bandaged up to a great degree—though to a far lesser extent. "You're finally awake." There was relief in her tone, her golden magic pulling up a chair so that she could sit beside her bedridden sister. "I was starting to think we had lost you, as well..." Twilight grimaced at her sister's sentiment. Some part of her knew that she had meant well by it, but that didn't stop the reminder from hurting any more than it already had. "How long was I out?" She kept her sour gaze focused ahead of her. She couldn't bring herself to meet eyes with her sister after her spectacular failure—doubly so, considering the close resemblance to their mother. "About three days or so," Celestia responded with a grim cadence, "But it has felt more like a lifetime, in all honesty." Three days. The words resonated deeply with Twilight, the implications that they held hitting harder then Sombra ever could. "And what of... Sombra?" She could not bring herself to refer to that murderer as her father anymore. "Gone. Back in Seară, if I were to guess. But that shouldn't be your concern right now. You need to rest, to recover." "Three days is rest long enough," Twilight growled as she fought to get out of the bed, struggling not to show any outward signs of the pain that lingered in her form. "I am going to Seară. My 'father' must be held accountable for his crimes." "And he will, in due time. But for now, he remains out of our reach." Celestia placed a gentle hoof upon Twilight's shoulder, bringing a momentary pause to the younger alicorn's escape attempt. "The Element wasn't the only stolen treasure of mother's. Sombra knew well what he was doing, and he used the chaos of the attack to claim everything pertaining to the tree. The Element, the travel medallions, even mother's journals. We must move forward with tact and strategy, and you need to rest." "If he has stolen everything, then there is even less time to waste! We must act now!" Without even waiting for a response, she pushed past her sister's hoof and practically leaped from the bed. It caused her a great deal of pain to do so, but she didn't let that stop her as she strode confidently as she could towards the open door. But much to her irritation, a golden light was quick to seal the door shut before she was even halfway there. Angered eyes and bored fangs were quickly turned towards the elder alicorn. "That was not a request from your sister. That was an order from your Queen." "You would let him go unpunished for his treachery?!" Twilight brought her horn to life with a flash of silver, ready to force her sister to stand down if need be. "This is an act of war, Tia. And I intend on bringing that war to him myself! And I won't let you—!" Celestia stood from her seat with great speed and authority, and in an instant Twilight was rendered nothing more than a mewling child. She saw nothing but fire and hatred in her older sister's eyes, and it shook her down to her very core. The silver aura about her horn ceased to be, and the younger sister had to muster up a great force of will as to not cower in fear from just this glare alone. "I understand that you are upset. I am as well. And believe me when I say that I want nothing more than to render him naught but cinders myself." Celestia strode forward with all of the prestige a ruler should possess, if not more. She peered down at her younger sister with authority and wrath. "But we cannot rush into this headlong without a plan. You've missed much in the past days. Already, his armies have begun to act in aggression against our borders. And whatever dark pacts he has made have been extended in part to his soldiers, we're hardly holding them back. The war has already begun, Selene. Right now, we need to focus our efforts on protecting Equestria and her people. On protecting the legacy that our mother left behind. And I refuse to let you kill yourself in this manner. Do I make myself clear?" Celestia ceased her lecture to allow time for her words to sink in deeply. The sheer weight of her words would have been enough, but the fury and passion in which she had spoken resonated deeply in Twilight. As the speech went on and on, Twilight began to feel more and more like the mischievous filly she once was, once more being lectured by her overbearing older sister. If it weren't for the sheer and unbridled sense of intimidation she felt at the moment, Twilight might have viewed this scenario as a nostalgic one. But she had nothing else on her mind other than the revelation that her sister had just bestowed upon her. And the more she thought over it, the more she knew her sister was right. She couldn't afford to be so careless, especially with first-hoof knowledge of Sombra's unprecedented magical prowess. Twilight had been humbled, it was that simple. When no response came to her question, Celestia took it as a positive affirmation. She quickly told her sibling to return to bed and rest before walking towards the door herself. But before she could leave, Twilight had one last remark of her own. "... You can't stop me from fighting... You won't stop me from fighting..." The intention behind those words was one of resolved defiance, but the tone that carried the reply was nervous and quiet. Part of her didn't want to push her sister any further than she already had. The room fell silent as Celestia stopped walking, seemingly taking the younger pony's words to heart for a time. After a time, the elder sibling let out a sigh, followed by I response in a much different tone. A much kinder tone. "I know... and I don't intend to. You were the one who decided to become a soldier, that path was your choice and yours alone. And I don't think I need to tell you just how proud mother was of you for taking hold of your destiny. A sentiment I share, if you must know." Celestia spoke softly, turning back to face Twilight with something of a strained smile. Tears were beginning to well up in her eyes as she went on. "I would not disrespect you, or our mother, by taking that choice away from you. And I do not believe I would be able, even if I wanted to. I can't stop you from fighting in this war, Selene. I know that well enough. But I can stop you from killing yourself. Now please. Get some rest." Twilight was left speechless as her sister left her alone in her bedroom. There wasn't anything else she could do now, her sister had proven with words alone that the order was absolute. She didn't have it in her to try and fight it anymore, and she slowly limped her way back to her bed. No longer restrained by having to put up a brave front, she was free to wince and whine as she begrudgingly got herself back under the covers. And while she had been quelled, for now, the rage and pain and guilt of everything was still just as strong as it had been. But for now, she would comply with her sister's demands and rest. --- — --- The light of the setting sun piercing through Twilight's tent served to wake her up in a gentle and welcoming manner. Calm mornings were a somewhat infrequent yet always welcomed change of pace, and today was going to be no different. Slowly but surely she pulled herself out of her bedroll and began getting ready for the day. Still groggy and weary from sleep, her mind still lingered on the previous night's dreams. The horrid day that had begun this dreadful war was at the forefront, still clear in her mind even all this time. One would think that the horrendous images would at least become less vivid after twelve years at war. Yet still, the nightmares haunted almost every moment of rest that came Twilight's way. But after so many years, they began to bother her less and less. In fact, over the years she had taught herself to use it as motivation. The sarosian alicorn had turned the pain and grief of loss into anger, anger directed at the one who had taken her mother away from her and everything he stood for. And she had sworn upon the nation that her mother had built that she would rain suffering and retribution upon him if it was the last thing she ever did. It wasn't the healthiest coping mechanism, one neither of her sisters would approve of, but it had been years since she had seen either of them. While Twilight's efforts in this great and terrible war were centered on the frontlines, Celestia and Melodia had their plates full with running their respective homefronts. At some point after the war began, Melodia had followed the eldest sister's lead and became Empress of the Crystal Empire and had joined the war against Seară, in Equestria's favor. But even with the two powerful nations working together, Sombra's forces proved more than enough to fight back against the two superior powers. It also meant she had become an alicorn, something Twilight refused to believe until she saw it. That childlike argument was one of the few bits of levity that Twilight was able to hold onto even in these dark times. And as the all too familiar sounds of battle reached Twilight's ears, she sighed as yet another reminder of the nocturnal nation's combative prowess had arrived. At least this time she had woken up before the raid, the memory of waking up to spears at her throat still painfully fresh in her mind. Luckily for her, she was already almost done donning her armor for the day and was soon on her way to join the battle with an almost mundane lull in her eyes. After all, this was almost a painfully dull routine by now. But such was life on the Equestrian/Searăn border. The camp was in chaos. Equestrian and Searăn soldiers could be seen clashing in every direction. Pegasi and sarosians could be seen high in the sky trading strikes, while the unicorns and their nocturnal cousins exchanged powerful blasts of magic upon on the ground. Already the young alicorn caught sight of casualties on either side of the conflict, and that number was only going to grow if this conflict kept ongoing. With a resounding, guttural sigh she strode forward into the fray, a look of barely contained rage strewn about her face. It was about now when a very brave or very stupid sarosian soldier attempted to strike her down. This poor fool was more than certainly filed by delusions of grandeur, wanting to be the hero who fell the immortal soldier who had been decimating the Searăn forces where ever she roamed. The mad fool's dreams were tragically shattered as Twilight took ahold of the lunging pony in her magical grasp, not even giving him the time to scream in horror as she slammed him down into the ground with tremendous force. Twilight didn't know whether or not the would-be-assassin was dead or simply too injured to get up, nor did she spare him the courtesy. The tide of this minor battle began to turn in Equestria's favor soon after Twilight's intervening. The squadron of Searăn soldiers behind the sneak attack was clearly acting on their own accord. No commanders, no backup, and no coordination worth a damn. Likely just a bunch of drunken idiots thinking that they could raze this Equestrian war camp by themselves. Or maybe King Sombra was just that confident in his troops. Twilight couldn't decide which explanation was more insulting, which only drove her to end this skirmish even quicker. The sun had sunk completely below the horizon by the time it was done, with the Equestrian forces victorious once again. The strike team that had begun this raid were all either dead or captured, awaiting their interrogations before being shipped off to the P.O.W. Twilight spent the intermediate time magically licking her wounds, as well as doing what she could for her fellow soldiers, before moving onto the next task in this dark routine she had made for herself. She had been doing this for years now, but it was never any less sickening than the first time. One by one, the alicorn found the names of every one of her comrades who had been slain on this day. Either by recognizing whatever was left of them or by asking around to see who was missing. And one by one, each one of their names was scribbled into a thick leatherbound journal. She had made it her mission to catalog every Equestrian life that this war had unjustly taken, that King Sombra had unjustly taken. Their memory and their sacrifice serving to further fuel Twilight's resolve in mounting her father's head upon a pike. Today, there had been fourteen casualties on the Equestrian side of the conflict. Dwindling their numbers in the camp to just under a hundred, if Twilight's memory was accurate. They were going to need reinforcements soon if they were going to keep going on as scheduled, and Twilight was the one who was going to have to send the formal request back to the capital. She was the one who had to ask for more innocent ponies to march into their almost certain demise. She hated it herself for it, but she couldn't fight this war on her own. A lesson that had been forcibly learned eleven years ago, painfully taught by King Sombra's forces and the boons that he had gifted upon certain members of his army. None of which had shown up in today's raid, much to Twilight's frustration. There was a reason why they had been waiting on the border as they had been, and now they would have to wait even longer. With seemingly no end in sight. "Princess Selene!" An Equestrian soldier frantically called out, running up with as much speed as she could muster. Twilight's journal was slammed shut just as she finished writing down the last name for the day, and her full attention was turned towards the pony who had interrupted her. "They had one!" She shouted urgently through her gasps for air, clearly being out of breath from the long run. For the first time today, Twilight was able to make an expression that wasn't just a grim scowl. "Is it intact?!" An equal amount of urgency was held within the alicorn's tone. She was almost uncharacteristically hopeful that the purpose of their being stationed here was finally fulfilled. "We caught him just as he was about to use it," the soldier explained through her still strained breaths, "The shard is intact! We've set up a quarantine, as you've requested." That was all that needed to be said, Twilight quickly rushing on ahead towards the tent in question. There was an almost childlike glee present in her eyes as she dashed towards her goal. For the whole of the war, King Sombra had granted his soldiers shards of his magical power to use in combat. Twilight had seen dozens of these shards thus far and had seen the effects of hundreds more. And for as long as she could remember, she had been trying to capture one of these dark relics for herself. To try and see how they worked, and more importantly to try and find some way to nullify and counteract Sombra's dark magic. Twilight knew she found her goal when she saw the circle of guards standing around the lone tent's perimeter, located a safe distance away from the rest of the camp in case of an unfortunate emergency. The key to the war's end resting inside, something that filled Twilight to the brim with excitement. A sense of excitement that she had to hide as she approached the guards, quickly beginning a short series of questions to make sure everything was in order. Before going inside herself, she ordered two of her soldiers to go interrogate the pony they had taken this prize from, to get any information he had about his magical tool. By any means necessary, she made sure to emphasize. The rest of the entourage was ordered to return to the camp. To refortify their defenses and tend to the injured as needed. And as they all went on their way to complete their new assignments, Twilight turned to enter the tent for herself. The inside was entirely barren save for the lone wooden table ominously standing in the middle of the makeshift room. And sitting on that table was the object of her desires, though one wouldn't think much of it on at a moment's glance. A simple, poorly cut shard of onyx colored crystal sat there in the dim candlelight. A few links of chain forcefully embedded into the fragment served its purpose in allowing the item to be worn like a necklace or medallion. It wasn't by any means a pretty thing to look at, but Twilight knew from experience that the magic held within this relic was more than potent enough to make up for it. And she knew well enough what that magic was capable of. More times then she could count, she recalled the times where she saw a sarosian soldier remove this makeshift amulet and crush it into dust under hoof. An act that always preceded the black tendrils of smokey magic—spewing forth from both the broken stone and at least a few nearby sarosian soldiers—conjuring up the very same beasts that Sombra had unleashed in Canterlot Castle the day this horrid war began. Sometimes the dark magic would use broken bits of stone and rubble to construct the monstrosity, other times the beasts would be constructed of wood. Regardless, the magic always forged constructs with the guise of wolves with piercing white eyes. Over time, the soldiers of the Equestrian and Crystal Imperial armies began calling them "shadow beasts." And now, Twilight had one for herself to poke and prod at for any possible way of stopping Sombra's reign of terror. And as far as she knew, all she had to do was to make sure she didn't break it. Aside from that, she was free to examine the stone in any manner she saw fit. But even still she exercised great caution, knowing full well what this thing would be able to do if its power were to be unleashed. So ever so gently, she reached out with her magic and plucked the shard from the table. Slowly rotating it with narrowed eyes, she began to cast one of the many spells she had learned throughout her life, a spell designed to detect and identify magical sources and their origins. A lengthy, concentration-based charm that couldn't be cast in the frantic midst of battle. But as Twilight finished casting the unique charm, she was met with a most unwelcome interruption. "Slaves..." A whispy voice murmured, coming from behind Twilight. "Liar." She turned to the tent's entrance to see who had chosen to bug her right now, but to her surprise, there was nobody standing there. Curious, the young alicorn put the shard down and walked to the entrance of the tent. Pushing the flap open, she peered into the dark of night for a time, the only thing of import meeting her eyes being the light of the campfires and torches over in the distant Equestrian camp. "Hello?" She asked out into the night, looking around to see if there was anyone around. But there wasn't a soul to be seen. "Did somepony say something?" "We are... slaves..." "You are liars." The same voice came, again, from behind Twilight. Alarmed, she turned towards the source once again only to again see nobody there. Just the table and the shard, nothing out of the ordinary. There was nowhere to hide in the mostly empty tent, there shouldn't have been any way for someone to hide in here. Yet Twilight was convinced that the impossible had been achieved as she cautiously strode back into the tent. She took the captured relic and held it close to her chest to keep it safe. "Hello?" She called out again. "Who is there? Reveal yourself, now!" "We were summoned." The voice came again, louder this time, seemingly coming from the dark shard embraced by Twilight's magic. "We were stolen." "You were lying." It was now that Twilight noticed the second voice. Her own voice, faded and distant somewhere in the deepest depths of her mind. It didn't seem like a thought though, it felt more like the memory of a dream. And like a dream's remembrance, it faded quickly from her thoughts as if it had never happened at all. It didn't feel real. "What are you?" Twilight asked of the shard, placing it back upon the table. There was no doubt in her mind that this object was speaking to her. It sounded like it was afraid. Or lost. Perhaps both, even. "We can give you power..." The scared voice whispered in her ear, almost sounding like it was beginning to sing. "Just as he stole power from us..." "Liars!" Twilight's own faded voice called out from the back of her mind again, angrier than it was before. This time it sounded closer, more vivid, somehow more tangible than the rest of the world around her. Almost as if reality were the dream, and the distant voice was real. The tent slowly began to distort around her, only adding further credence to this theory. But this was all lost on Twilight as she kept her eyes on the small dark shard sitting before her. Unable to think of anything else but the sweet songs it was wearily singing in her ears. "We can help you kill him." "LIARS!" The calamitous voice of Princess Selene was enough to rupture reality like a plane of glass, and in that instant Twilight was flung away and made to be herself again. The memories of herself—her true self—coming back to her in less than an instant. At the same time, the memories she had been reliving began to dull, with only a few vague details lingering in her mind. Just like the last time this happened, the lavender alicorn realized as she overlooked herself. Her cloak and saddlebags seemed to be missing, but she was herself again. Her lavender coat, her purple mane, and even her pegasus-like wings. Everything was how it should be, and she breathed a sigh of relief. The nightmare was over. Or so she had been optimistic enough to have thought until she noticed the world around her. Just moments ago, Selene's dream had shattered around her. And now, she stood alone in what could only be called a bleak abyss. No matter where one looked, the only sights to be seen was the blacker than black void that made up the sky, and the strange flat terrain that stretched out to the dark horizon. The ground was mostly smooth with a few odd bumps here and there, made up of some unknown greyish-silver stone-like material, with a thin layer of similarly colored sand or dust of some kind gingerly covering the unusual environment. Only adding to the growing list of questions, the ground itself seemed to be the source of what little light could be found in this unusual realm. Pale and silver, the radiance emanating from every physical surface bore a striking resemblance to something Twilight was well acquainted with by now. "Moonlight..." The muttered realization sent chills down her spine, more so than the already fridged environment did by itself. It was almost unbearably cold here, enough to allow Twilight to see her own breath right in front of her nose. "Not once, but twice. Twice now, you have desecrated our dreams," a thousand voices all spoke as one, as loud as thunder yet as subtle as a whisper. "Twice now, you have desecrated our host." Twilight spun around with great haste and alarm, only to see the cloaked figure of the Mare in the Moon standing where she had once stood moments before, the glowing white eyes under the hood still just as piercing as they had always been. She took a step back, away from the threatening figure before her. And in turn, the figure seemed to glide forward the same distance. This kept on going, Twilight slowly reeling back as the Mare in the Moon persuing at the same slow pace. "You will tell us now where you learned to dream walk," the mare's many voices demanded with great authority as clouds of black began to flow from underneath her cloak. The shadows began to twist and manifest into something else until Twilight was met with not one pursuer, but three. On either side of the hooded alicorn now stood a pitch-black Wolf, bearing the same white eyes as the one who had summoned them. They walked side by side with their master at the same slow pace Twilight had set, bearing their equally dark fangs with a low intimidating growl. "Or you shall never wake again."