Era of Harmony

by Gambling_Sam


Chapter 60: Divine intervention

*Ronin POV*

"Ugh...What hit me?" I thought as I slowly woke up with a splitting headache and opened my eyes slowly.

As I did, I shot up to a sitting position quickly as I realized I was in a jail cell...again.

"Why the hell am I back in jail?" I exclaimed as I heard a snort come from my leg. I looked down at my left leg to find Twilight snuggled up on it, her hooves curled around it like she was climbing a pole while her face was buried into my thigh.

Great...Raidens nerdy crush is smothering my leg. Guess she must've got caught in the teleport then.

I sighed and poked her nose, making her sneeze like a kitten, but still stay asleep. Giving up on that for now, I looked around, hoping to find something used to escape the cell.

The cell itself was almost exactly like the one I had been in at the castle, except it had no bed, the toilet was right there in the open, and once you looked outside it there was just a small room with a door that had a symbol of the sun on it.

Wait a tick...a sun?

Looking around the room ahead of me, I noticed that the room had orange walls with white pillars lining the corners of the room while a red carpet led from the door to the cell. The carpet itself had another sun symbol on it in blazing colors.

Where the heck did we end up? The last thing I remember happening was the trial scene with Grimbeak and the girls. I thought as I remembered what I had been told by Redheart during the trial. Pinkie was pregnant..I'm going to be a father.

Was I even ready for such a thing? I had been admittedly careless in my more romantic ventures believing that I couldn't give children to anything here, but obviously that isnt true.

I looked at my hands as I pondered this further. Was this because of my changeling blood somehow making me compatible? And if so, could Chrysalis be...

A moan brought me out of my funk as Twilight started to stir. She yawned and stretched her neck a bit before nuzzling my leg futher as she opened her eyes, her face looking straight up at me.

"Howdy." I said with a smirk.

"AHHH!" She yelled as she hopped up from her previous position like a cat on water. She stepped back several inches before narrowing her eyes at me as a pink hue was across her face.

"What was I doing in your lap?" She demanded as I shrugged.

"Don't know. I woke up and you were treating me like an armoured build-a-bear." I said with a laugh as Twilight finally took notice of our surroundings.

"Wha-Why are we in jail?! We were just in the throne room before that big light surrounded us and..." She said before her eyes widened. "Oh no. Don't tell me I got teleported with you!"

I frowned. "Yeah, ya did. And I aint to fond of it myself, bookworm. Especially since I'm in another cell for who knows why!"

She glared at me. "Considering everything you've done at this point, you shouldn't be suprised."

Oh hell no, I was NOT being talked down to by some pony from gifted section of Equestria.

I stood up and gave her a glare of my own, making her original look die away as fear replaced it with her ears splayed backwards on her head.

"Now listen here, you. I'll admit I killed a couple ponies when I shouldn't have, but any other actions I did were justified. I already went to trial for that anyway, and YOU spoke for me!"

She frowned and stood straight up, meeting me with a stronger glare than before.

"I did what I needed to do to help my best friends coltfriend. And what about princess Celestia? Thanks to you, she's been swapped for a nightmare!" She stated as I huffed

"For your information, Celestia was a huge part in the near execution of changelings, which are MY people. And Daybreaker isn't even that bad anyway." I retorted lightly as she opened her mouth to argue.

"Well, it looks like the two lovebirds are awake." A familiar sultry voice said as a door opened from behind me. I turned around to see none other than Daybreaker walking through the door that was in front of the cell and towards us with a smirk on her muzzle.

"Lovebirds?!" Twilight exclaimed incredulously with a tomato-red face as I realized what she had said about us.

"Oh hell no! I ain't romancing anypony who's attracted to my brother! That's just weird!" I yelled with my own face heating up as Daybreaker laughed.

"Oh, your always so easy to tease, Ronin! But that's not what I saw earlier when I locked you two in there." She said as her smirk vanished. "Imagine my suprise when I find my favorite human hurtling through the magic fields with my second least favorite pony."

Twilight frowned. "Least favorite? Why? And where are we?"

Daybreaker waved her off with a wing. "Yup. None of your business. And as for your last question...your dreaming."

I frowned, not expecting that answer at all. "Soooo, We're both asleep right now?"

The princess shrugged. "Wherever your destination was, that's where your bodies are. Your minds, however, are currently entwined with my own."

Twilight gasped. "A mind link! But one of this power and range..." She turned her head up at me. "Where were you being sent to?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Griffonia...why?" I said as Twilights eyes bugged out.

"That's a whole country away!" She turned back to a very bored looking Daybreaker. "How are you keeping that connection stable?"

At this, Daybreakers facial expression darkened. "I'm not. Ronin and his brothers have managed to piss off something very powerful. Something that even I know not to fight back against. That's who's keeping this link together."

I clenched my fists as I thought about what she said. Who the hell is strong enough to make Daybreaker think twice? And if they are going after all three of us...

I placed a hand on the bars in front of me. "Breaker, you've got to let us out. I need to be in Griffonia to stop Grimbeak, and I can't do that here."

Daybreaker looked at me for a second or two before bursting out In laughter. After a minute she stopped and looked me in the eyes.

"Ronin, let me make something clear." She said as she used her magic to slam me into the bars, causing my face to be inches from hers. "You don't tell me what to do. The only reason your even alive right now is because I need your bonds to stay in power."

I frowned. "Bonds?"

She cackled slightly. "Indeed. When you and I...connected a while back you gave me access to your rather darkened soul. And with that, I was able to set myself in your heart, just enough to allow me to drain power from you all the while make your mind wander back to me from time to time." She turned away from me and started to walk off. "After all, I only needed you to harbor feelings for me to give me power."

SLAM!

I flinched slightly at the door as she slammed it shut before sitting on the floor, staring at my hands for a moment before feeling a hoof on my shoulder.

"Ronin..." I heard Twilight say as I sighed.

"Save it, bookworm. I know I messed up. I let some fire horse into my soul and now not only are we in danger, but quite possibly my herdmates and the hive as well."

I turned to see Twilight frowning. "How are they in danger?"

I took a deep breath, recalling what I knew about the hive mind. "All changelings are linked through a mindscape called Eureka. Chrysalis and I have the biggest influence to this area and can allow outsiders access by connecting with them. It's a two-way street though, and now that Daybreaker has access to it..."

"She could mentally attack everypony that's connected to it." Twilight finished as her eyes widened. "Wait! That means Pinkie is-

"In danger, thanks to me. And after finding out she's pregnant too." I said as Twilight gasped.

"She's WHAT!" Twilight all but screamed at me as I flinched from the volume of her voice before standing up and looking out the cell door.

"Yup, pregnant." I said as I looked at the lock, which was one of those locks that are inside the cell door that need a key to be stuck in them. But before I could figure out anything, I felt myself get spun around to face a slowly freaking out Twilight.

"How can you say that so casually! It's a NEWBORN FOAL, AND YOUR THE-"

I snapped. I really tried not to, but this bookworm was really pissing me off.

"YOU THINK I DON'T KNOW THAT!" I yelled, causing her to fall back on her flank and stare at me like a deer in headlights. "I've never had a kid before, Sparkle. I haven't the foggiest idea how to care for one and, quite frankly, I'm worried I might not even be there to see him or her grow up."

Twilight frowned. "Wait, why?" She asked as I face-palmed while giving her a dry stare.

"Twi, you can't raise a family if your executed." I stated as Twilight let out an "oh" snd rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "Not only that, but this while situation as well. Daybreaker, Dadiolus, and whoever else wants my head on a silver platter!"

Twilight sighed before she walked over and looked out the cell, placing her front hooves on the door. "Ronin...I'm sorry."

This caught me by suprise. "Uh...why?"

She turned to me, a rather sad frown on her face. "When I heard about the things you did a while ago, I honestly couldn't see you as anything but a threat to the kingdom." She sighed. "But, Raiden and Pinkie wanted you free, and I wasn't about to go against my friends."

I crossed my arms, but nodded. "Go on."

She looked away as she sat down, placing her back against the bars. "Now, however, I know its not that simple. Anything you did was either due to a lack of information and orders being given, or for the sake of those you love. And it's not like I'm not guilty of those sort of things as well."

I snorted. "And what has the great and powerful Twilight Sparkle done?"

For some reason, she narrowed her eyes at me while looking VERY ticked for a second. "How did you-nevermind that. Lets just say I've almost given up on my friends before due to a certain problem or almost destroyed towns due to overthinking a problem."

I shrugged. "Guess we're both a bunch of goofs that either overthink or don't think at all, huh."

Twilight laughed a bit at that. "Yeah, I guess so." She said as I noticed her dawn a sadder face all of a sudden.

"Hey, whats with the sad look." I asked as she looked up at me.

"It's just...do you think Raiden actually likes me?" She asked suddenly, but not suprisingly. I groaned inwardly as I realized I'd have to be the one to tell her this.

The entire time I had watched the two interact, I could see (Hell, I could feel) the varying emotions between the two. Twilight always had a puppy dog romantic interest in him, but Raiden didn't seem to have the same spark for her that he had for Luna. Yes, he deeply liked her as a friend, but I never really sensed much more from him in that aspect.

"Honestly, I wouldn't count on him turning around." But before she could get mopey or retort, I raised a hand. "Let me explain. Raiden is quite possibly the most 'set in his ways' person I have met. I doubt he'd ever herd or even make that decision."

She frowned. "But you did almost immediately! And we both know half the fillies have a crush on Nicholas." She said as I blinked in shock. Half? What type of Casanova has he turned into while being here?

"Well, I've always been the most open to try stuff of the three of us. As for Nick? He's got a heart of gold." I said with a laugh as I realized that if Nicholas was an adult, neither me or Raiden would have a chance with the ladies here. "But Raiden? He's a tad more difficult."

As I finished speaking, I noticed Twilight now looked downright miserable, and I couldn't blame her. She been teleported alongside someone she doesn't like to another country, mentally trapped in a cell, and now is being told her crush might never like her back.

I sighed and knelt on one knee, placing a hand on her shoulder as she looked at me with tears in her eyes. "Now, just because it will be difficult doesn't mean you give up. You want him, right?" She nodded as I smiled. "Then when we get back, tell him that. SHOW him how much you want to be his!" I stated before an idea came to mind.

I stood and turned to the cell door and kicked it, suprised that in return the door blasted off its hinges and fell to the ground in a heap. Twilight jumped up and looked at the door in awe.

"How did you do that?" She exclaimed as I shrugged.

"We're in a dream, so I figured normal rules don't apply." I said as we walked out of our prision and into the hall. Eyeing the sun-crested door ahead I sighed. "Twilight...stay out here."

She looked up at me in shock. "What?! Why?!"

"Because behind that door is your mentor, nightmare or not. And if things get violent, I need you to stay in peak condition." I said as I went to open the door, but was stopped by a purple glow surrounding me.

"We're in this together, Ronin." She said as she walked up beside me and released me from her hold. "And besides, when we wake up, I'd rather not be in Griffonia alone if something was to happen to you."

I laughed lightly and placed my hand on the door and pushed it open. "Well then, lets go and save a princess."

*****************
Diamond Tiara POV
*****************

After the...argument with Applebloom everyone had decided to leave the caves and return aboveground to get something to eat. Silverspoon and Zexion went back to the uptown district while Sweetiebelle and I would go around town and keep an eye out for Applebloom while Scootaloo stayed behind to help some of the changelings with some sort of "Retrieval strategy"...

...Whatever that meant.

"Where do you think Applebloom went?" Sweetiebelle asked me as we had just gotten some apples from Appleblooms sister who had pointed us in the direction she had seen Applebloom run.

"Either back to her farm...or that clubhouse of yours. Unless she's simply sitting somewhere and pouting." I speculated as Sweetiebelle frowned.

"Now thats not very nice, Diamond Tiara." She said as I sighed and looked at while we moved out of the way of some hooded stallion that walked by.

"Look, I hate to be blunt, but what she's angry about is out of my control. Nicholas didn't have to agree to my mothers contract, but he did. The sooner Applebloom realizes that the easier things will be for her." I stated as I stopped and looked up, just now noticing the sunset. "When did it get so late?"

Sweetiebelle tilted her head as she did a three-sixty while looking at the stars. "I guess we spent more time in the caves than we thought."

I groaned at that, realizing that mom and dad were gonna kill me if I didn't get home soon. But just before I could tell Sweetiebelle about it, I noticed something in the distance.

"Sweetiebelle...does that look like a chariot to you?" I asked her as I pointed a hoof at the approaching object in the sky. Sure enough, it flew over head and continued flying by us...

...straight to the hospital.

Sweetiebelle gasped. "Omigosh, Diamond that chariot had Princess Lunas mark on it!"

I frowned. "And how did you see that? I could barely make anything out on it!"

Sweetiebelle smiled sheepishly. "Being Raritys sister forces me to be able to pay closer attention to the small things. Its part of how my sister makes such good clothes."

"Huh. That's actually pretty cool." I stated as I turned towards the hospital. "C'mon, lets go and check it out. If it is the princess, then they may have info about Nicholas and the others!"

"Right!" Sweetiebelle agreed as we ran off towards the hospital, barely noticing another chariot or two fly overhead towards the same place.

******************
Ronin POV
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Walking into the room, I could tell that something bad was gonna happen. Its just one of those gut feelings, ya know?

The room itself wasnt too fancy. It had white walls and simple decorations that resembled the castle decor, all the while that same carpet cut a line down the middle straight to a desk at the back of the place.

And who else but Daybreaker would be waiting for us in said desk.

"Ah, so you decided to finally break out. I thought I'd have to leave a key nearby or something for you to do so." She stated as Twilight stepped forward.

"Let Princess Celestia go!" She demanded as I crossed my arms while keeping eye contact with Daybreaker. Unlike a few minutes ago, she seemed less...headstrong. Almost as if she was afraid of something.

The solar nightmare sighed and shook her head. "I'm afraid that's not gonna happen. You see, I don't feel like letting her go, and besides, I'm much better than her anyway." She stated as she smiled at Twilight. "What kind of mentor lets a young girl face a world threat?"

She then turned her head to me. "Oh, and Ronin? You should know that while Celestia's rage at Nightmare moons birth fueled my existence, It was I who slaughtered most of your kind. I told you otherwise just to get you to side with me."

I clenched my fists as I was reminded of that fact. Chrysalis had said something similar before the trial, and now it was obvious I had been duped. But there was something else I needed to know before I could go and fight her.

"Daybreaker! You said Celestia had sinned greatly, as bad as Luna...what did she do?" I asked as Twilight frowned while Daybreaker chuckled and went to answer.

"That's none of your concern, child."

The smug look on Daybreakers face disappeared as her face paled and her flames dimmed greatly. Twilight and I turned around to see the origin of the voice, only to be speechless at the sight.

The being front of us was certainly a female, though her body shined like it was made of pure gold. Her mane was a blue color similar to Luna's, though it flowed just as well as theirs as well despite there being no wind. Her eyes were a golden shade that seemed eerily familiar, yet I couldn't place where I had seen it before.

"F-Faust?! You've come early!" Daybreaker stated as she got up and walked up to the mare, pushing past us to stand in front of the golden female. "As you can see, I have the boy and Celestia's student right here!"

Twilight looked up at me, a look of shock on her face. I put a finger to my lips and nodded as Faust spoke back to Daybreaker.

"My child, you have done wonderfully." She placed her horn on Daybreakers as a golden glow surrounded the fiery mare. "Now, I shall finally free you from your prision."

Daybreaker smiled big and even cackled a bit. "Finally...its been far too long to-AGH!"

With a slight golden flash, Daybreakers whole body was turned to dust by our golden visitor.

"What the hell?!" I exclaimed as Twilight jumped back in shock before getting close to me.

"W-What did you do to her!" She yelled as Faust looked at us, both bored and unaffected by the murder that just took place.

"I vaporized her." She stated plainly, as if she was talking about the weather. "She did her job and wanted to be free, so I freed her...of life's burdons."

I stared at the ashes in shock as my mind reeled. Daybreaker was a manipulative ass, but this? No one deserved to be vaporized like that!

Faust sighed. "Relax, Celestia will wake up her normal self. As will you two when you awake." She then walked straight up to me, inches from my face as she spoke in a whisper.

"And Ronin? Let those ashes be a warning. If you or any of your brothers try to interfere with my will, then your fate shall be far worse than death."

With that, a golden flash showed that she had left us alone in the room. For a moment, neither of us said anything until Twilight looked up at me.

"Ronin." She said as the whole room started to dim. "I think you and your brothers just ticked off a god." She said just before all went dark again.

********************
Diamond Tiara POV
********************

We rushed to the hospital just as the second chariot landed. As we approached, Sweetiebelle pointed ahead.

"Tiara, look!" She said as she pointed to a stretcher that had...

"NICHOLAS!!" I yelled as we ran up to the strecher, just as Tak and the other two changelings stepped in front of us.

"Guys, I know you want to see Nicholas, but some bad stuff happened in Canterlot and he needs to rest." He said as another stretcher went by us, this one had Nicks brother on it. (Wasn't his name Raiden?)

Sweetiebelle gasped. "What happened to them?" She asked as Luna galloped into the hospital as well, though she looked bandaged up pretty bad.

Axel sighed as he scratched the ground with a hoof. "They fought some ice queen that had it out for the night princess. Raiden got stabbed while Nicholas..."

"He apparently passed out, so we found him and brought him to the princess. She then gathered us up and brought us here." Roxas stated as he yawned, looking pretty tired.

Something seemed off about that though. "Why didn't Luna take them to a hospital in canterlot? And what happened to the queen?"

Tak frowned. "Luna said it would be better to being them here for some reason. As for the Queen, the only thing we found were some blue ashes nearby Nicholas."

I tilted my head. "Ashes? from a fight against an ice weilder?"

He shrugged as he walked over to the back of the stretcher. "I don't know, but for now lets get Nicholas inside. When he wakes up we can get answers." He and the other changelings then pushed Nicholas inside as Sweetiebelle and I followed close behind.

Could this had been why Nicholas teleported us? I thought as we entered the hospital. And if so, how could he have known? We were there for Ronin, not to hunt some sort of queen!

I shook my head, clearing the thoughts away. Enough of that. My coltfriend is hurt, and that is my top priority right now. We can learn more about that other stuff later when Nick wakes up.

At least, I hope he does.