Hours Earlier
It took many hours to get that statue out. But soon, after using nothing but their hooves, claws, talons, and whatever they could find, the statue was unearthed. It's reflective luster bounced the sun's rays into their eyes. But Dawn stared on, for it wouldn't hurt her.
Standing tall before them all was a statue of an alicorn. Strange to say the least. Why was a statue of an Alicorn buried here?
Lucky walked up to Dawn and asked, "What does this mean?"
Dawn's eyes stayed upon the statue. Breathlessly she answered, "I don't know."
First Light's eye poked replaced Dawn's left. In her voice, she said, "Quite the mystery. But it is not why we're here."
She was right. Dawn took action and lightly touched her horn to the chest of this marvel. A cold disappointment found her heart. "No," she whispered.
"I feel it too," First Light added.
Lucky and Night Life approached from the line of ponies behind them. The latter asked, "What is it?"
"There's not enough." Dawn pulled her horn back and faced them with worry and confusion. "There's not enough of the contained spell to open the doorway."
Groans of disappointment and disbelief lifted from the crowd.
"What?!"
"Then what did we just dig for?!"
Dawn raised her hooves to the crowd of agitation behind her. "Please, every creature. Give me a moment to figure this out." She turned to Night Life and poked a hoof into his chest. "Please, keep this crowd under control until I get some answers from my books."
Once he nodded, Dawn raised her wings and took off into the sky. Leaving him with the problem. "Everyone, please listen. While Princess Dawn studies what she can—"
"How can we trust her?" Someone asked from the far back.
"She's the only one here with the access to this magic. We must trust her. It's a timely process."
They backed down with understanding and began to disperse. The tower was abandoned and the ponies followed their own tasks instead of Dawn's. But how long would that last?
Dawn's flight brought her back to her home-turned-prison cell. The silence of the town was interrupted by the flapping of her wings. She landed gently at her doorstep and stepped into her home, the prison of one of their own.
”Let me guess...” Dawn stopped and directed her attention to their prisoner, smirking at her knowingly from in front of the fireplace. “You let them down. You didn’t find your little doorway.”
“Oh no, we did.” Dawn walked over and sat in front of Shaoloh. “It’s right there, atop the mountain overlooking this quaint town. But there is a problem that you can solve. All of us can leave, but Narmeelah made it a little difficult.”
“Duh,” Shaoloh replied. “She’s not going to make it easy for anyone to leave. Although, I respect your persistence in escaping."
"Oh, we will escape. Narmeelah won't keep us in here. We'll find a way out." She turned her back to Shaoloh and proceeded back out the door, ignoring the comments behind her back.
"Do you seriously think there is anything you can do to stop the inevitable? Many have tried and now live among you in this pocketed world. There is nothing you can do! There is nothing you—"
Dawn shut the door and cut off Shaoloh's incoming retort before she could even finish. Those were the words of a quitter. She wasn't a quitter. Dawn always had a plan.
"So what do we do?" First Light asked.
"We have to resort to the next best thing," she answered. "We need some outside help. Think we can get in contact with mom?"
"If Narmeelah is as smart as she's recounted, then she probably forbid us from exiting through the dream realm, if that's the path you're thinking of taking."
"We don't know unless we try." They had a plan. A small one, but still a plan nonetheless. A plan that had to put into action.
No way. No way she could be alive. Queen Arcadia hasn't been around as much as Dawn's been alive, but even back when she was a filly, Dawn had absolutely no control of that kind of magic. She could only travel the dream realm when she was deep in her sleep. And based on testimonies from her family, as well as her own mother, Dawn was a restless foal. It would take her a while to go to sleep, unlike her father. The King of a country would be sleeping if Dawn didn't want to "hang out." Her mother would have been too, were she around.
Oh, the mistakes made in the past would forever be the bane of her existence.
Queen Arcadia cursed herself and her family by imprisoning both Maheera Dark and herself. Now, here she stood, watching the sun rising over the horizon by herself inside the comfort of Safe Haven. Behind thickened glass, she was a treasured artifact to history and one of the most strongest Alicorns in existence. But was it truly worth anything if her family wasn't around with her? All the studying, trials, theories, all of it? Was becoming Queen truly worth being alone?
Twilight sighed and looked back to Gardeen standing behind her, patiently waiting. "What is on the agenda today?"
Gardeen answered, "Not much. You have a meeting with the Force Guard General at 3 before returning back here by 6."
Twilight turned back to the window. "Quite the hole in time we have."
"Yes, ma'am. Not much to fill it with."
"Well I know what we can fill it with. I recently encountered a small sum of information that could... change the tide of this war. But I need to confirm its legitimacy."
Gardeen didn't like where this was heading. Queen Arcadia has been known to be pretty cryptic, but as of late, her plans seem to take on a more endangering tone.
"And how exactly do you intend to do that?"
"Simple. I need to visit my notes and texts. I must return to the castle."
"The castle?" Would that even be allowed? The repairs were going slow as per recommendation because of the building's ancient state. That, and... "Queen Arcadia, I strongly urge you do not visit the location of your... Family's demise."
"That's just it, Gardeen." Twilight stepped away from the window and approached her assistant, stopping only when she was near her ear to whisper. "It has been brought to my attention that Dawn may still be alive."
"What?" Gardeen whispered.
Arcadia didn't respond. This wasn't news one speaks of in the halls. To keep the Guard at ease, she lead Gardeen back to her office without a single word spoken until the door was sealed shut. A spell was placed upon them, preventing any noises from escaping. Garden recognized the shimmering of Arcadia's horn.
"How? Why?" She asked. "Wait. Who told you this?"
Arcadia dropped down into her seat and folded her hooves from in front of her face. "Princess Flurry Heart. She came across a dream last night and said that my daughter sent her a message. She implied that Dawn and others were trapped and that they needed outside help. At first, I didn't believe her. Then she said something that struck a chord."
"A good one, or a bad one?"
"It fit with the song of my life's work. She said that I was right and wrong. That Narmeelah wasn't just coming back. But that she was already here."
Arcadia's deeply kept theory. Gardeen stalked closer to the Queen's desk. "How did Flurry know?"
"Because she spoke with Dawn in her dream. " Arcadia tapped along her desk. "If Dawn is in fact alive, then that means there are greater forces at play here, and we are all in grave danger. She said we were being manipulated."
"And you believe this," Gardeen assumed.
"I'm not sure what to believe yet, which is why I have to go to the castle. Get it set up, Gardeen. I have work to do."
Gardeen nodded. Then with a firm bow, left Arcadia to think and work. She had more to think about than just the war, and how her daughter may still be alive.
They were close, Sunset could feel it. So close she could practically touch it. But nay, she would not. There was no telling what would happen should her hoof make contact with any of these Elements lying before them.
Like the judges of life themselves, Each Element was placed in their proper throne. Should Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, or even Twilight return, they will be greeted by their amulets.
They lied upon metallic structures that held them in place, weighed down by the stone connected. They would not move unless they were met with a force strong enough to move castles. Now that they had all of them connected and set, it was time for the test. Or, at least it would be.
Due to the presence of Pserateps in the country, Princess Celestia had ordered them to pause their work, abandon the castle, and instead, watch it from afar. Understandable, yet still unfortunate. Now here Sunset sat in the home of Rarity, the last pony she would ever hang out with. But tough times called for tough measures. She was busy sewing, ignoring the noise Sunset was creating during her research.
Across from each other they sat, minding their own business until Rarity ceased her sewing and glanced up.
"Busy day?" She asked.
"Yes," Sunset answered. "I may not be in the lab, but the war is going to start."
Rarity continued sewing. "Ugh. Don't remind me. I was hoping a solution would be raised weeks prior."
"Solutions were raised. Twilight just didn't take any of them."
Rarity stopped her sewing once more. "Well why in Equestria wouldn't she?"
Sunset stopped her writing and sighed in distress. She set her pen down and stood up to stretch. Sitting for that long would do her no good.
"IHT thinks that Twilight has lost her way of friendship, and, word on the street, some of Psera does as well."
Rarity couldn't imagine what was flying through Twilight's mind at the moment. "She's stricken with grief. I heard about what happened at the Castle of the Gods. I am so sorry to hear about Princess Dawn and Madun. Neither of them deserved that."
"Queen Twilight has a lot to work through in her own life. As the queen, she's been putting on a strong front, but IHT knows she's raging in anger. She attacked Cadance and Shining Armor. The entire city had to be put under lockdown. IHT is fearful that she may send her soldiers in this direction. The only ones who can stop her would be her country herself."
Hopefully they would if the chance arose. Silence covered the room again. The talks would end soon and something would be reached. It had to be.
In the midst of Queen Arcadia's work, a knock on her door pulled her from the grueling paperwork before her. Without so much as a glance she ordered, "Enter."
The door was opened and in walked two Elite Guards and Gardeen. She smiled and reported, "Your visit back to the castle has been approved."
Excellent. She had a lot of books to retrieve. She could transport them with magic. Not these kinds of texts.
Queen Arcadia rose from her seat and smoothed out her suit. "Excellent. Let's get a move on then. Time is of the essence."
The ride was short, the tension thick. With little to be known of the full extent of the COTG's true damage, there was no way to prepare for what lied beyond those doors, beyond the walls of the greatest structure known to ponykind.
Twilight could barely contain her frustration, anger, and sadness. When the structure entered her view upon entering the city of Cop, she looked away and faced the inside of her Limo, aware of the pairs of eyes watching her.
Gardeen reached over and lightly touched her hoof. "Everything is going to be okay," she assured.
Oh, if only words could make dreams a reality. In which case, they wouldn't be here in the first place.
Gardeen managed to setup this event quickly. Cop's police force stood outside of the COTG, fenced off from the rest of the city, the press taking pictures of their crown's first revisit to the castle since it's assault. A structure that held so much weight among their society that even children would stand at the gates hoping for the king or queen to greet them.
Now? Flowers, melted candles, and pictures of the family littered the fences. So many that the guards at the gate had to sweep some at the entrance to the side so their Pods could enter the gate. Construction crews working on restoring the castle's exterior stopped what they were doing and bowed when their pods rolled past and soon to a stop at their destination. The steps leading up to the roped off entrance. Twilight could see the external damage done by the Zebras. She could see the holes brought on by Psera's retaliating gunfire, shattered windows, scorch marks where fires were set ablaze...
Twilight looked away and straightened her crown. She wasn't the only one here to see the castle. Molten tagged along with Twilight and Gardeen. They had no idea why they were really here. If Twilight had a choice, she would not visit this castle simply because the damage was too great. She could still see the stripes taking control of their way of life. She could see her husband take his last breath, followed shortly by Dawn melting in her hooves.
The door for the pod was opened and Queen Arcadia stepped out first. The shutters of the cameras began flashing from the fences. Like questions, they battered against her ears demanding an answer.
While her associates left the vehicle, Twilight calmly gestured for Gliding Sword. Upon reaching her she requested, "Please have the press refrain from taking photos. This is a more personal matter and the crown would appreciate their respect upon these grounds."
Gliding Sword bowed briefly. "Yes, ma'am." She made her way to the fence with three more guards. "No pictures! No pictures, please! Thank you!"
That should buy them enough privacy while on these forbidden grounds. Just before they start spitting out their rights and freedom. Queen Arcadia would never get enough of that in this position. Let alone all of it. She was tired of it all. This crown upon her head would be the death of her before any other threat.
Gardeen met at her side and suggested, "It isn't too late to turn back from this, you know."
Arcadia didn't remove her eyes from the structure. The past so close to the present. She could still hear the fighting. The gunfire, explosions...
Arcadia turned to Gardeen. "It was too late decades ago, Gardeen. There's no going back from here."
She faced the steps of the castle once more. Like a mountain ravaged by a storm filled with memories, Twilight slowly and safely traveled up them with her guards and entourage.
She could hear the construction going on indoors. While they wore helmets and reflective vests for their safety, Twilight merely summoned a thin shield. She would not need much if any protection from physical elements.
Memories of a more innocent time poured from Twilight's mind and into her eyes. The destruction of the castle was repaired, swooped back into place as if it time reversed. The doors were on the hinges, the bullet holes were plugged, and the scorches from fires were no more. The sounds of her current world drowned out in favor of the moaning and groaning of little Fresh Dawn being carried by her father up the stairs of the COTG.
He looked as if a day had never passed. His red coat shined through and glistened with the sun. The crown atop his head sparkled like his outlook on life, and his smile, oh stars above, his smile could uplift the hearts of millions.
He walked alongside the real Twilight, keeping his head high to support Dawn's lying on his neck. "That's what happens when you eat too much ice cream," he kindly berated. He glanced over to Twilight with a sneaky smirk. "Your mother has gotten her fair share of migraines from too much ice cream.
Did she seriously eat that much ice cream back then? Was that why she was taller? Madun silently chortled and leaned over to nuzzle her cheek. The chill of the winter wind tickled her skin.
"Relax," he whispered. "You know I'm kidding. Come, let's put Dawn to bed."
Twilight matched his speed, but in the end, only she entered the castle out of the three of them. The serenity and beauty of her home disappeared to show what truly lied in its foyer. Blast marks, darkness, bullet holes in the ceiling, and voided areas where statues and priceless artifacts once lied. Physical memories preserved as a life now destroyed.
Molten Ice stopped next to Queen Arcadia inside the building and whispered, "It doesn't get easier."
"How could you possibly deal with this?" Twilight walked into the foyer and spread her wings out to motion to the destruction. "Each time I see this, I see . . . them. Then I see how they perished. I relive the day over and over again, trying to figure out the motivation. Yet, the answer is always the same." She turned around to face them with anger in her eyes. "It was senseless evil. There was no motivation. They just wanted to win."
Molten walked past Twilight and nudged at a forgotten shard of glass. "It was senseless," she acknowledged. "But... maybe we should also be aware of our own mistakes."
What? Our mistakes? Twilight whirled around and faced Molten. "What are you talking about?"
The time has come. The discussion they've all been preparing for. Molten Ice shared a look Gardeen. At their nods, she told Twilight what she needed to hear. "We believe it is time for you to come to peace with the Zebras, and move on with your life, Twilight."
Twilight pointed at herself. "You want me to reason with the same ponies who mercilessly murdered my civilians?"
Oh boy. Gardeen glanced over to any construction staff watching and gestured for them to leave. They didn't need to be here to witness what would transpire. The Queen has been known to be rather reclusive involving her tirades, but lately explosions have been known to occur in Safe Haven.
The Guards standing by glanced between the two of them. The heat in the castle seemed to rise. They needn't be here, but were required.
Molten stepped forward and answered, "As much as retaliation begged for our attention, launching the Marrials across seas was enough. You and I both know that Zebrica is already very little in quality. IHT can barely keep up with us. What could they possibly give us that would make us happy? More land? We have enough, more than enough."
Twilight walked up to Molten and replied, "In case you have forgotten, Your Majesty, IHT is defending the same ponies who murdered your son and Granddaughter."
"And I have forgiven them. Because that is all I can do. Even if we did unearth the survivors, they won't return. No matter what we do, we cannot raise the fallen. We can only prepare to ensure it never happens again. However..."
Molten set her hoof on Twilight's shoulder and looked her deep in the eyes, hoping her words would reach. "Whatever your plans are with the Zebras is not the way. We already took everything they had, they have nothing now. All of them no longer have a home. Allow IHT to do damage control and fix their wounded while we fix ours. This Cold War must come to an end."
Twilight said nothing. She stared into Molten's face in tranquility. The tense silence ate at their nerves before Twilight finally took a breath with a shake of her head.
"Oh you poor pony." She reached up and slid Molten's hoof off her body and turned away in favor of walking the stairs.
"Arcadia," Molten reasoned. "Please."
"How old are you Molten?"
Where was she going with this? "I'm sixteen hundred and twenty-six years old."
"I am decades younger than you Molten. But I have seen evil. I've looked it in the face in my years as a foal and it has never left my shadow, constantly following me around everywhere I go. I have a target on my back because of my intelligence and magical abilities. I have been shot at and held back by ponies older than me more times than I could count. I've seen towns, entire states, held under siege by the same ponies who claimed to be doing the right thing. Just like the Zebras, all for power. What did I do?"
Twilight turned around and glared at them. "I saved them. Liberated them. Even when betrayed and against the ropes, I managed to break away and free those who were held back. But you can only save so many ponies. Those that committed the crime? Those who enslaved, assaulted, and hurt others? They had a choice to come to the side of good. You have those who will take that chance because they have nothing to hold them back.
"Then, you have those who choose to stay as they are and try again. Again, and again, and again, because they are influenced by their past and just want to make it in the image that they envisioned. They will continue to push and fight until finally they win. The Zebras are the very example of this ritual. Until they put their flag in the ground of Psera and take their pain out on all Pserateps in the name of power will they cease their path of destruction and death. Until then, this war will continue. Its been decades since the last Zebra attack. Yet, it's clear that this has been planned for quite some time. They waited until the right moment and the right excuse to enact their plan."
"Queen Arcadia," Molten tried.
"They slid in directly under our noses..."
"Arcadia."
"Infiltrated our castle..."
"Twilight."
"And killed our ponies directly in front of us!" Twilight shouted. She snapped around and gestured with her wing out to the space around them. "They killed our children, they disgraced our home and tore apart our family with no remorse to what they've done."
"Twilight!" Molten trotted up to Twilight and turned her back around to face her. "Are we no different?"
"The Zebras and the Pserateps are worlds apart. The Zebras attacked us first for power. We're only trying to defend ourselves. I was only trying to defend myself." Twilight turned back around and let the silence engulf them again. "It's funny isn't it? Decades before this I could save everyone I never met before in my life. Yet here I am, alone, because I couldn't even save my own family."
"That's not true," Gardeen inputted.
Twilight swiveled and spread her wings out. "Then where are they now? I'll tell you where. Here's Fresh Dawn, my daughter." She snapped the necklace and lifted the golden ball in between them. Then the marriage ring. "And here's what's left of my husband, your son, Shimmering Madun. They're gone, and nothing will be the same. Everything I did was for them. I wanted to watch my daughter grow up alongside my husband, I wanted to see her grow into the mare she was always destined to be, I wanted my filly to be great! But instead, she's gone!"
"I know how you're feeling Twilight," Molten acknowledged.
"No, you don't. Because you had something. You had a life here. You were born and raised to keep your citizens happy and safe. I, however, was always in danger, and I had to learn to defend myself and those around me, to protect them over myself. I didn't want to become the strongest pony in magic, but I knew it was my destiny so I fulfilled it. But at a cost. I could never settle down or I would have been destroyed, taken captive, or seen my friends and family hurt. Soon enough, my reason became protection. Then I came here after I was done protecting and being taken advantage of and found peace, happiness, and love.
"Being Queen?" Twilight scoffed. "I was always prepared to be the ruler of any world, nation, or town. I practically already was. The mayor of my hometown directed most issues to me in her absence because of my skill. I lowered my guard when I met Madun. It was a struggle getting out of that warrior-like mindset, but I eventually put down my blades and shields in favor of my family. I put aside what I once was to create who I became: a mother, a wife, a queen. I grew sloppy. Which in turn cost time, the lives of my citizens, and my own happiness and peace until eventually it was stripped from me."
Twilight sighed. "My reason for being the greatest, my reason for becoming Queen, the reason for Queen Arcadia Nova's existence . . . They're gone. They were stolen from me because evil never rests. They target power, something I have in massive amounts. As long as I'm alive, evil will come for me, and I can never be happy."
Twilight glared at Molten. "So, no, Molten. You know nothing of how I feel. You were targeted because this is Psera and it happens. But I've always been targeted. My hooves have been wrapped firmly around all I love to protect them. But in the end, I can never truly let my guard down because ponies will come and find me, no matter where I am. They will see an opportunity, and they will take advantage until eventually, they take something from me.
"And now, here I stand, with nothing because they have finally taken everything I had in one go. My family. The ones I always fought for. Now I can never get them back. No one will get a second chance to do this again. Not as long as I am alive."
Molten asked, "So what is your resolution to this? Massacre? Imprisonment? Slavery? What is the angle here, Arcadia?"
"The angle?" Twilight smirked and walked for the stairs. "The angle is control. The Zebras are too free. They have no governing body to keep them in check."
Molten had a bad feeling about that. "Twilight, whatever you're planning, Psera will not allow it to happen. You can't control another species. You do not have that kind of power."
Twilight flapped her wings and flew up to the second floor of the castle. She looked down upon her extended family and replied, "I don't need military strength to fulfill my wishes. I have enough strength to wipe out any military attack that takes centuries of nonstop fighting and I would barely break a sweat. I will do whatever it takes to take back my life. Even if I have to leave Psera to do it."