//------------------------------// // Chapter 24: Xul's Story part 3 // Story: Prisoner and Savior: Part 2 // by efug25g //------------------------------// What Xul, Trine, Pam, and Vanista saw before there eyes is a massive red orb in the shape of an eye. It was glowing in a ominous gold aura and its orange ray of light was shinning down upon Queen Vanista, making her locked in a trance. Not sure what is going on, Xul tried to make Van snap out of it. In Van's mind, she can see another opportunity to change the future of the Sectanium race through another twist of planning and scheming. She started to make a creepy smile as her eyes started glowing in a bright yellow light. In the next minute or so, Van's eyes suddenly changed back to normal. Not know what just happened, Xul walked up to Van before showing some concern over what that big orb did to her. "Van, are you okay?" "Oh, funny you should say?! Well guess what Xul, I think I have the most brilliant idea ever!!!" Van said as she made a very wide, but creepy grin at Xul and Pam. Later in the afternoon, after Xul, Pam, Vanista, Hampt, and Trine got some sleep after the strange occurrence last night, the young Sectanium Queen came into the meeting room to plan out some wild ideas coming out of her head. At the same time, they all assembled at the meeting room as they sat in front of a huge round table to go over what Vanista has in mind. Vanista is now seen wearing her regal gown once again, while the rest of her guards and Hampt are wearing royal guard uniforms. "Ladies and Gentlemen, it is today that we shall reclaim some of the planets that we have lost control of since our trade routes have been permanently halted." Vanista announced. "I have assignments for everyone of you to carry out this new campaign. I already put your armies on stand-by. They will be waiting for your orders from here on out!!!" As Vanista passed out the flyers of the assignments to all five of her closest friends and subordinates, they quietly read them in private before some of them grinned with another opportunity bestowing upon them. "I never seen Vanista this confident before!!" Hampt thought to himself as Vanista smiled at him. "By the way, Hampt. I suppose you might as well try out your new power first!" "What??" Hampt said, feeling a bit confused before Vanista did something that no other Sectanium could expect. Suddenly, Vanista's right hand lit up in a glowing, yellow light as she aimed it at Hampt in the head. Before he knew what was happening, Vanista fired the yellow light at Hampt's forehead. Instead of feeling pain, Hampt was somehow feeling an yellow energy surge flowing through his body. In the next second, Hampt's body started to undergo a transformation before he was surrounding by an explosion of light that engulfed the entire room, making everyone cover their eyes as they shield themselves away from the blinding light. Just when the light faded away, Hampt is seen again not hurt. However, everyone notices something different about Hampt that none would understand other than Vanista herself. Hampt is now seen with another eye in-between his two normal eyes. In a stranger effect, Hampt's third eye started glowing yellow making everyone surprised in the same room they're all in. "W-W-What just happened??" Hampt said in a confused tone. "You have been granted a new kind of power, Hampt." Vanista grinned with excitement. "Why don't you give it a try on someone?" Before long, Hampt turns toward a low-class servant who is just standing next to the doorway. As he glared at the servant, his third eye started to shoot out a yellow beam at her, startling the target as she froze in place while her body was moving on its own against her own will. When Hampt uses his mind-controlling ability to order the servant to walk out of the room, she actually did without hesitation and without question while underneath a trance. After the servant left the room, Hampt disengages his new-founded ability as he smiled a bit after learning that he can control people with his newfound ability when he walked up to the afflicted servant. "Impressive, isn't it?!" Vanista grinned. "What do you think, Hampt?" "It feels accelerating!!" Hampt said in a positive manner. "You will be the first of our new specialist Sectanium elite guards that can mind-control people to their will, known as the Warriors." Vanista announced as she gave Hampt a silver pin, in which has an eye on it. "I'll also be recruiting more Warriors from the Sectanium army; likely those who happened to be upper-class military officers that is." "You won't regret this!!!" Hampt said as he shook Vanista's hand in a proud manner. "Good to hear. Now let's go reclaim some planets, shall we?!" Vanista smirked in an evil manner. Upon seeing all of this before their very eyes, Trine felt both amazed and startled by what Vanista did to Trine. As much as he wanted to object by a twisted turn of events, Trine knew that if Vanista wanted to use this new power to help the Sectanium Race survive then it will be something to maintain their superiority. However, Xul and Pam felt a dreadful chill that mind-controlling people may not be a good idea. Unfortunately, because they're both soldiers of the Sectanium Army, they either stay silent and follow orders, drop dead, or leave and never come back. "That's a bit of a scare." Celestia murmured in fear. "To think that this strange, red orb would grant your corrupted Empress powers to recruit Warriors before having other creatures bending them to their will??!!" "I know right?!" Xul said. "Well, anyone who feels the pull of those Warriors may or may not feel excruciating pain. It all depends on what the Warrior would want to do to us. However, in the aftereffects of using their powers, they can be a big headache for most of us, regardless." "So, do you think you have any idea of how to counterattack their abilities?" Pam asked, fearing that the ponies may not be any match for the Warrior's mind-controlling abilities. "Well, the bewitching bell is one thing. But I think Mage Meadowbrook and Starswirl the Bearded may also have some tricks up their sleeve as well since they both have the knowledge and experience in taking care of that dark magic." Fluttershy replied with a soft tone of voice. "In fact, Mage Meadowbrook may be able to help out with the plague at your homeland if they give her a chance." "They will help out if Twilight was able to convince them both in helping you guys out." Luna pondered, feel a bit anxious. "If they gained the power of mind-controlling, what happened next?!" Celestia asked before Xul continued with her story with the Empress. "Well mistress, Vanista started to abuse her new powers when we carried out all those mission assignments she handed to us in like, 3 years later." Over the past three years after Vanista, who is now 31 years old, gained the power to recruit Warriors, she had a few of them accompany the Sectanium Guard platoons that Trine, Xul, Dialuria, and Pam are all in. Even though Trine and Dialuria was able to put up with the Warrior's presence, Xul and Pam weren't proud of themselves over such a brutal planetary conquest. Despite how they are meant to serve and protect the Queen of the Sectanium race, Xul and Pam were actually being forced to commit the several sins that may not be that forgiving. So far, about 20 planets have been conquered with little or no effort thanks to the warriors within the Sectanium Army. Unfortunately, Xul and Pam are both starting to lose their honor bit by bit as they ended up crossing too many lines with the innocent creatures they were ordered to neutralize. In one scenario, Xul winded up killing a alien tribal warrior when it was actually just a young woman taking care of a young child that was already dead. Horrified by what her race has become, Xul felt shaken and sad over the fact that Vanista is trying to turn her into a heartless monster. Ironically, Xul never wanted to hurt anyone even as a soldier. She just wanted to fight to help maintain peace and honor to her friends. Back on Earth, Vanista ordered her army to reclaim some of the areas that her father lost his grip on. In an instant, Vanista's army started burning every large city with the aid of her Warriors and her fleet of warships as they fired all sorts of laser cannons, missile launchers, and mind-controlled waves. The human soldiers on Earth were quickly overwhelmed by a massive tide of alien warriors and soldiers; it was a total massacre. Worse, most of the political leaders all over Earth didn't escape in time when the Warriors reached their homes; they were all immediately assassinated after being held under their mind-controlling powers. After that, they blew up most of the government buildings all around Earth, considering that the planet is now conquered and taken over by the Sectanium Army. The rest of the surviving the humans fled into space to parts unknown via space shuttles. Even though the Sectanium Army was already victorious, Xul wasn't proud of herself when she was forced to raze down the very same planet that used to be her home. After seeing that most of Earth razed, most of the human survivors that didn't escape in them were already held under the grip of the Sectanium Warriors as they dragged them onboard their prison barges before hauling them back to Sacreus as slaves. Even though Xul did her best not to show any personal feelings while serving in the Army, she still doesn't think that this was the right thing to do. It may Xul question herself over who is really the villain and who is not. Sadly, Xul was totally devastated by what Vanista is attempting to do. To make matters worse, after reestablishing their territories on Earth. They built their first prison, mining facility in Satria, which is located 12km east of Secreus. Once that is done, the Sectaniums transported all of the human slaves at Sacreus to Satria where they will spent the rest of their lives as brainwashed prisoners working in the mines deep within the planet's underbelly. In just several months later after the conquest on Earth, Vanista reorganized the Sectanium Kingdom into the one and only Sectanium Empire, proclaiming herself as Empress Vanista Rantu. She announced it all to herself so that the Sectanium can remain unchallenged by any other race and remain superior so that no other race can humiliate them ever again. In Xul's horror, Van's powers went way beyond her expectations as her old childhood friend is getting corrupted ever time another planet has been conquered. At the same time, Xul was forced to bear witness of her fellow soldiers experimenting and mutiliating innocent lives in Satria, much to Vanista's insane amusement . Xul realized that Vanista will never stop conquering and enslaving the entire galaxy after they took over most of the planets within 500km of Secreus. In fact, after every unfortunate event that she has been through as the ruler of the Sectaniums, Vanista announced to all those who are loyal to her that freedom will lead to humiliation. Humiliation will lead to frustration. Frustration will lead to hate. Hate will lead to suffering. So in short, freedom leads to suffering. So far, about 75% of the entire Sectanium race agreed with Vanista's decrees. For those that refused to believe it, they were planning to start a rebellion against the tyrannical Empress. However, they were no match against the group of Warriors that were seen guarding Vanista's palace. About 100 Warriors are selected from the Sectanium Army ever since Vanista declared herself Empress. With a group that big, it can only mean one thing. Empress Vanista is no longer a honorable, well-mannered ruler. By conquering the other planets and enslaving its inhabitants, she insisted on tormenting the entire galaxy of every alien creature the way they tormented her. Therefore, there is no one strong enough to oppose her at that time. When Xul turned 32, she can no longer put up with Empress Vanista's massive conquest all over the galaxy anymore. So in the hangar underneath the palace, Xul decides to prep her spacecraft before leaving Sacreus for good as she resigned from the Sectanium Army, fueling it and storing her bags inside its cargo. Before Xul could leave her home planet, she met with Pam one more time. "Are you sure you want to leave us, Xul?" Pam asked, feeling concerned over Xul's future outside of the Sectanium Army. "Sorry Pam, but she's corrupted and I have no intention of following corrupt rulers." Xul said in disgrace. "Besides, I can only hope to start a whole new life away from taking advantage of the innocent and the helpless." "There may still be time to convince Vanista to stop this foolishness." Pam said, not believing that Van is a bad person. "Do you even know what she said to me the last time I faced her?!" Xul snapped at Pam before apologizing for her rude reaction. "I-I-I-I-I can't even......I-I-I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO ON SACREUS ANYMORE!!!!" Flashback: Two days earlier....... When Xul went back to the palace after completing her 12th assignment in conquering the planet Korplanis, she angrily stormed straight into the Empress' office and confronted Empress Vanista up front before she was about to leave. "Vanista, I don't think we can keep us with this!!" Xul said in an angry voice. "Why not?? You should be grateful that our mind-controlling abilities made things more successful in reclaiming all the lands that have been lost ever since my parents passed away." Van replied in confidence. "Wouldn't your parents be proud of you for following orders from your superiors?!" "Yes, but not through such a selfish method. Besides, didn't we try to share our freedom in not letting anyone else suffer?" Xul continued with her protest. "I mean, we just destroyed our second home on Earth!!" "Freedom?! HA!! You don't even know that freedom has its consequences. Ever since we were living on Earth, I was always struggling in trying to find my own freedom when those rotten humans keep harassing me and for what?!" "It's all in the past, over and done!!" "Past or not, do you really think we, Sectaniums, can be accepted when leaving our planet to find a better future?" Van hissed, taken back by what Xul said to her. "Just because they kept rejecting us, that doesn't mean it will be the end of everything. You're going to become just as worse as those that were hurting you and your family's reputation. I know the rest of your parents and your ancestors wouldn't want this to happen, right?!" *SMACK!!!* The only response Xul got was a big smack in the face as she staggered back a few feet away from Empress Vanista. Feeling hurt and horrified by what her old childhood friend has become, Xul held her bruised face by her right hand as she felt a red hand print on it "DON'T YOU DARE MENTION MY FAMILY IN MY PRESENCE, XUL!!!" Vanista shouted out loud, starling most of the servants and guards behind her. "Face it, Xul. We never belonged on Earth, we never belonged anywhere else outside of Sacreus. In fact, if we can't live peacefully with the humans or with any of the other aliens socializing with them without being prejudiced, then they don't even deserve their own freedom either." Vanista hissed as she glared down at the female blue-skinned Sectanium. "They will all beg for mercy once I have the entire galaxy under grip of our Empire!!! After all, they're the real reason why we couldn't save some of our people from succumbing to the plague in Sacreus." "You....You....You can't do this!! You can't blame them for our health problems in Sacreus!" Xul said, pleading the Empress to stop. "If we could just start over again in finding someone who can rid our planet of this plague, we might be able to......" *SMACK!!!* Before Xul could finish her sentence, Van smacked her again but this time with a much hard force of strength. As a result, Xul screamed in pain as she fell to the ground with Van pinning on top of her while holding her gun at Xul's head. "YOU ARE IN NO POSITION TO LECTURE ME, XULIANA LILITH SONA!!! I AM YOUR EMPRESS!! YOU DO AS A SAY WITHOUT ANOTHER WORD, UNDERSTAND??!!" Van shouted as she shoved the gun straight into Xul's forehead. Fearing that Xul will get shot at, she had no choice but to make one simple, positive response. "Y-Yes, your majesty!!" Xul stammered as she was pulled back on her feat by Van who has put her gun away. But Xul knew that her loyalty to the Empress is going to end horrible for her if she keeps carrying out Vanista's deranged campaign. In her mind, Xul had only one thing to do to get away from this madness. "Good. Now then, by morning, we will launch a massive galactic conquest in the other neighboring galaxies." Vanista announced as she smirked sly before heading back to the throne room. "See you at the meeting hall." Right after she sees the Empress disappear, Xul made up her mind. She immediately took off as she left the palace and went back to her apartment. There, she turned her room key over to the hotel manager and packed up her bags. Also, she discarded her military badge and uniform to the barracks where she start her military career at, replacing them all by wearing a blue sweater with a green tank top underneath it, red pants, and brown shoes. Once all that is done, Xul purchased a spacecraft from a nearby military starport as she is preparing to leave Sacreus before anyone could even notice her disappearance. End of Flashback: After telling Pam what happened yesterday, Xul was sobbing uncontrollably as she went on her knees while covering her face in front of a shocked Pam. Unable to say anything else to Xul, Pam immediately embraced her in her arms before Xul looked up to her only remaining friend. "I'm sorry, Pam. I wanted to help save the Sectanium homeworld but with another peaceful approach, not through force, enslavement, or conquest." Xul continued. "I'll even try to show our corrupted breathen the error of their ways. It won't be today or tomorrow, but someday they will need to come to their senses. You might as well come with me too because pretty soon, you will be forced by Empress Vanista to do something you won't be proud of too." "But Xul, this is my home too. I'm not going to give up in saving our country with the Empress' help." Pam said, denying Xul's horrible encounter with Vanista. "Then, you're just going to be digging your own grave, Pamela!!" Xul said, mentioning her full first name. "What?!" Pam gasped, as if Xul spoke a scary word that made her startled out of her wits. "Goodbye, Pam!!" Xul said as she ran towards her spacecraft and jumped into its cockpit. "Xuliana, WAIT!!!" Pam shouted as she tried to run after her. Unfortunately, it was too late as Xul took off while piloting her spacecraft, leaving the hangar at light speed before disappearing into the dark, night sky. "Oh dear." Fluttershy said, feeling horrified by such behavior that Xul's former friend showed her. "I guess I can see why you left your homeland in disgrace." "That is so terrible, darling!!" Rarity exclaimed as she understood Xul's grief. "I-I-I had no idea!!!" "I should've thought twice in determining where would my loyalties lie on, whether it is with my friend Xul Sona or with Empress Vanista." Pam said, feeling bad for not leaving Sacreus with Xul. "Well, I made a huge mistake in not leaving the Sectanium Army when I had a choice to make." "But that doesn't explain why you joined with the UFF as one of our spies!!" Zeck said, not understanding the rest of Xul's story. "I already told you that I was trying to show my twisted kin the error of their ways right. Well, that didn't happen until the UFF was formed by the survivors that lost their homes when Empress Vanista unleashed hell." Xul said, taken back by Zeck's disbelief. "Besides, they were causing all of those sins so that they can gather the resources by force in order to maintain their superior power as well as taking care of the plague that is destroying their planet from the inside." "Well, I'm glad you did the right thing, Xul." Celestia said, making Xul a bit more relieved. "I guess its no wonder why Twilight didn't have you locked up like those other traitors back there." "I never what to hurt my own people because they already suffered from the plague even before I was born. But because they are getting worse and worse every year since that day, I will have no choice but to put them out of their misery, out of their own mercy that is." "So, what happened during you self-exile?" Luna asked, in a cautious manner after taking another sip of Apple Cider. As she took a deep breath, Xul crossed both of her hands on top of the table before resuming her story after dismissing herself from the Sectanium Army. Over the past 2 years, Xul, who is age 34, spent most of her life outside of Sacreus in the Rambon Galaxy as a hunter due to the all the stealth training she received as a spec ops infiltrator. So far, she hunted various space creatures for food, as well as trading its animal skin for quick cash. When not hunting, she did her best to listen or read the news revolving around the Sectanium Empire, the very same Empire she left due to its corruption and greed. She hasn't made any contact with any of her friends lately on social media for Xul feared that the Empire is using it as a means to watch her every move. Because Xul has deserted Vanista's malicious campaign, Xul had no intention of returning to the Empire. Eventually, Xul learned on the news that Trine and Dialuria halted a riot that took place in front of the Sectanium Palace back at Krenthal. It turns out that Pam finally understood of Vanista's evil reign as she was held responsible for leading the riot up to her doorstep. Unfortunately, Pam was immediately arrested after the riot for she was seen right in front of the people attempting to storm into Vanista's palace. Heartbroken for not being there for Pam, Xul wept in tears again. To make matters worse, Hampt, who is made Royal Consort after serving under the Empress at the same time during Xul's exile, executed Piulius for try to expose the Empress of her wrongdoings. For Mrenix, she was arrested and sentenced to death row after being found guilty for handing weapons and technology to rebels that defied the Empire. Fulkrim and Quasi were caught stealing some of the documents from Vanista's Royal Chambers and were both hanged the next day after they are found guilty. Xul never felt so devastated that most of their friends have met their demise, except for Pam. When Vanista built two more prison, mining facilities in Mana and Terram, the Empress sent Pam to spend the rest of her life as a prisoner at Terram for her war crimes. It was thanks to the aid of the Mandors that the Sectaniums are able to build those complexes in Mana and Terram. When the Sectaniums are about to conquer the Mandor's planet, the Mandors immediately gave them the technology and resources they needed to help Vanista carry out her domination plans. What Xul knows is that the Mandors were already notified of how much power is the Sectanium Empire is gaining over the past 2 years. So, they immediately made a pact with them with their own diplomats so that the Sectaniums won't take over their planet by force nor enslave them in extreme prejudice. In response, the Empress agreed to form a fragile alliance with the Mandors only to be used as a minor backup when doing their jobs in most of the territories that the Sectaniums are owning. As much as Xul wanted to find a way to free Pam, she could not come up with any idea on how to go about it. Most of the planets holding their designated prisons are being kept under a watchful eye by the Warriors themselves. In fact, she had to do her best to stay away from Satria, Mana, Terram, and Sacreus so that Xul will not be noticed by any Sectanium vessels or warships there. In just one month of hiding from planet to planet, Xul has learned that a group of rebels have been on the rise from the northern parts of the galaxy. In fact, the rebel leaders have formed up after the surviving refugees have fled from their conquered planets when the Sectanium Empire conquered most of the planets in the south and the west of the galaxy. Xul soon learned that the group of rebel leaders are trying to retake the planets that were stolen from them by the Sectanium Empire, in hopes of fighting for their freedom hence why they formed the United Freedom Fighters or UFF for short. Realizing that this may be the chance for Xul to restore her freedom, she immediately flew straight to one of the planets that is currently housing in the UFF HQ. Once she landed her ship there, Xul sees the planet she is in happens to be a massive wasteland. It was like a huge dessert where most of the buildings are ruins after a brutal war that occurred many years ago. However, Xul sees one building that still remain intact up in the distance ahead of her. When she got closer to the building, Xul sees that it happens to be a huge warehouse with a banner seen in the middle of the structure, hanging from the top roof. The banner has the UFF insignia stamped in the middle as it is painted in bright-red. Unfortunately, as she approached the gate leading to the HQ, she was met with a very disturbing unwelcoming sight. Xul sees that most of the UFF forces are actually humans dressed in gurrella uniforms armed with rapid-fire blaster rifles, shotguns, machetes, and sabers. The moment they see Xul, they all aimed their weapons at her from all directions. The UFF didn't want Xul anywhere near it since they still recognized her as a Sectanium. The one who still remembered who Xul is the most is General Vulren Dominic, the Commander-In-Chief of the UFF himself. He happens to be a human who used to serve in the US Army before the Sectanium Empire struck down this home in the eastern states near the White House. Right after his President was assassinated, Vulren gave the order to evacuate from Earth. In fact, he was able to buy most of the escaping refugees time as they escaped from an underground hangar underneath the White House. Vulren is seen as a tall, muscular man with a green beret, wearing a blue, militia uniform with green epaulets and tall, black boots. His face had a small civil war mustache and is armed with a rapier holstered to his right hip. Before Xul could even say anything to Vulren, she was held up a gunpoint by four UFF rebels as they aimed their blaster rifles up to her face in all directions. "Not one step further, Sectanium scum." Vulren said, as he continued to glare at the nervous Sectanium woman. "Why did you come into our territory?!" "I-I can help you free you fellow humans. They already established prisons inside their territory." Xul said as she stammered a bit before Vulren aimed his revolver at her chest. "You expect me to fall for a trick like that?" Vulren snarled, making Xul fear for her life. "You can't expect us to forget or forgive you that easily. Some of us already saw you in that wretched Sectanium Army during the fall of Earth. You were one of their soldiers, aren't you?!" "No!! I ran away from home. I don't want to have anything to do with them anymore!!" Xul said. "You wish!! Get out of here before we shoot you!!!" Vulren hissed as he pointed his finger out towards the horizon behind Xul. "Please, I can give you anything in return. Anything!!" Xul begged. "I'll help you exploit their weakness if that's what you all want. I want to undo everything that I did...." *CLICK* As Xul heard one of the rebel's gun cocking, she realized that they seriously don't want her anywhere near here. Feeling lonely, Xul was shoved away from HQ before she stood outside of the gates. Regardless of the hate towards Xul by the UFF, she stood there day and night hoping that someone from the UFF HQ would try to give her a chance to redeem herself away from her loyalty to the corrupted alien empire. So far, after 9 days have passed, Xul started to feel the heat burning up from within her flesh as she struggled to stay conscious both day and night. During her military discipline in the Army, Xul did her best to stay diligent out on the battlefield for more than 24 hours. However, it was slowly started to get futile because the UFF didn't trust her, not after during the time she was in the Sectanium Army when they took over Earth. With no way to get in, Xul was walking left and right in front of her spacecraft when all of a sudden, she sees a nearby vendor trading masks and clothes with interesting souvenirs that the UFF are currently wearing. See this as another opportunity to fit right into the UFF as Xul lead the vendor away from the UFF HQ. As soon as she is out of sight, Xul traded some of her food and water with the vendor in exchange for a few clothing items used to blend right into the UFF, granting herself a new identity and a new purpose. Back to the present....... "You disguised yourself as another person just to enter the UFF??" Zeck and Derek gasped as they looked at Xul with shocking disbelief. At the same time, Chmone and Sonja felt aghast after hearing about how Xul got enlisted into the UFF. "Sorry it had to be this way, guys but what choice do I have!!" Xul said, feeling a bit of foolish in pulling off a cunning trick back there. "I know I should've felt guilty for deceiving your UFF superiors. Even though what I did was wrong, I'm only doing this to make it up for all the mistakes I did when I served in the Empress' army. Besides, I still want to bring honor to my family too." "Ooooooooooo. So you're like Mulan, aren't ya?!" Pinkie said, smiling with curious interest. "Well, not exactly." Xul said, feeling a bit embarrassed. "Though, I did managed to do 3 missions while undercover in the UFF before I was exposed. Of course, they weren't too happy that I tricked them after I impersonated a UFF rebel soldier. However, since I managed to help rescue a group of children during this one attack upon a UFF convoy that I was assigned to escort to another refugee planet, their families begged General Dominic to let me stay in the UFF because I was a hero unlike any other to them." "Well, that must've been a lucky relief for you." Zeck said as he took a deep breath. "Now that you mentioned it all, I do apologize for not understanding you on the day me, Twilight, and the rest of my crew escaped from Terram." "Soon afterwards, I have been giving undercover mission assignments as a spy, infiltrating the prisons that the Sectaniums are operating up to this day. Eventually, after doing work in Satria and Mana, I finally made it to Terram where I met Trine again. For Pam, she is still working in the mines as a prisoner, oblivious to my presence. After five years of working undercover, I was trying to find a way to help the prisoners escape without any of the other guards or scientists noticing. However, when I met Twilight, who was being addressed as EQ-3 at the time she was brought here, she was able to free the prisoners all on her own before I can make my move, right after she escaped via teleportation. The rest of my story was history." Xul said, finishing her past story. Before any creature saw it, Xul started to have tears coming out of her eyes again, just like last time after she told Twilight her story. As she looked down at herself, Xul started to weep. "The Vanista that I remembered as a friend so long ago was already gone, replaced by a desperate, frustrated, power-hungry, resentful, tyrannical witch!! Despite everything I did for her, she took her frustration out on me in the end, making my whole life miserable. Because of what Vanista did over the past 25 years, I lost most of my friends, my remaining family is forced to submit to her will, and my homeland has turned into a living nightmare. I LOST MY WAY!!!!" Xul said, before she shouted her last sentence in front of every creature. "I may be the oldest in my own family, with a mom, a dad, two younger brothers, and a sister, but I can't protect them from the Empress anymore. I feel so lost!!!" In a stunned silence, every pony and UFF personal stood on their seats speechless as Xul closed her eyes as tears while placing her hands on both of her knees. "As of now, Empress Vanista Rantu will do whatever it takes to steal every resource after conquering every planet and every power source they can get their hands on just to keep their homeland alive as well as maintaining their superiority, even if their territory kept expanding further into the reaches of space thanks to her Warriors." Xul sniffed as Fluttershy came up to her in a sympathized expression. "Vanista and the Sectanium Empire are currently trying to gain power all to themselves as well as enslaving the weak and innocent for they held a deep grudge against all the alien races the made them suffer, especially to those that aren't aware of their humiliation." "Oh Xul, I'm so sorry to hear all of that." Fluttershy said as she looked at Xul's sorrowful face. The yellow pegasus comforted Xul as she held her cheek with her right, yellow hoof. For the rest of the ponies, Rarity and Celestia felt astonished by such a sad story while Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash looked at each other with horror in their eyes. "That was terrible!!!" Luna gasped in horror before turning towards the UFF officers. "Did you guys knew about what the Sectaniums have been through first before you all were forced to fight them?" "No, we didn't!!" Zeck said, as he scratched his back anxiously. "We all fought with them just to protect our families and our children from being enslaved." "Sorry Xul, we all absolutely had no idea that your ex-friend was having that much trouble back in your homeland before this war started!!" Derek said. "I mean, we didn't even recall discriminating them in the first place." "I can't blame any of you. For all I know, Empress Vanista Rantu is the most fearsome Sectanium ruler ever known in my homeland and is, therefore, the most villainous alien feared by all the creatures in the galaxy!!" Xul said, in a fearful tone. Before any creature could say anything to Xul, Princess Twilight and her Royal Advisor Spike finally appeared before them all at the entrance of the dinning hall. "Princess Twilight!!" All of the UFF officers exclaimed as they were the first to respond to her highness presence. "Hey Twi, did you already knew about all this?" Rainbow Dash asked, referring to Xul's story in connection to the tyrannical Sectanium Empress. "Indeed, I did Rainbow." Twilight said as she took a deep breath. "I already suspected that Xul was feeling pretty bad after how she treated me on Terram, despite her posing as one of those prison guards. Because of what she had been through before I met her as a UFF spy, I just couldn't find it in me to have her imprisoned or punished here." As Twilight approached a devastated Xul and Pam, she makes another statement. "Tell you what ladies, if Empress Vanista finally stands down from her foolish domination, then I will send in Mage Meadowbrook and some of the best doctors from Equestria to help deal with the plague in your homeland." Twilight said, in hopes of bringing light to their corrupted homeland. "I can't say for sure when, but we'll be fighting against the Sectanium Empire for as long as possible until they finally give up, considering that they will understand the error of their ways. Real friends don't make fun of each other, nor do they ridicule others because of their personality." Upon hearing what Twilight said about their story, Xul wiped her tears away as if she was given a second chance to understand friendship in Equestria, making her smile a bit when Twilight smiled back and turned towards Admiral Derek. "So Twilight, what did the other creatures say? What is their verdict?" Admiral Derek asked. "They agreed 9 to 3. You should see the look on Rockhoof's face after I told him what you guys were doing to keep the evil monsters at bay. He was going wild with excitement in attempting to go on another adventure." Twilight replied, satisfying Derek and the rest of the UFF leaders and their allies. "Other than that, Thorax, Ember, and Cadance are willing to get ready for battle before the invaders arrive in Canterlot." "We all understand, your highness!" Derek said. "We want to protect our friends and our families as well, just like you would." "Anyway, I have a huge speech to make throughout all of Equestria." Twilight said as she left the dinning hall and flew to the palace's balcony. At the palace's balcony, every pony and creature in Canterlot has been gathered to the palace square as they are preparing to hear out Princess Twilight Sparkle's speech revolving around her horrified experience in the past 13 days she disappeared. Twilight is now seen by every creature with worried looks in their eyes despite wearing her blue royal gown and her golden crown. Behind Twilight, a huge banner came down bearing an enlargement of her cutie mark which is right above the palace's balcony. Down below in front of the palace entrance, rows of Twilight's Royal Guards are standing tall before the crowd of pony spectators in the palace square while holding up their spears to the sky. Before Twilight can start her speech, several other ponies from within the crowd are using their cameras to broadcast it throughout every city in Equestria. In front of her, Twilight activates the speakers before inhaling and exhaling. From every city around the corner of Equestria, Princess Twilight's face is seen on the broadcasting screens, hanging on most of the tall buildings, by every single pony and creature in the places they're currently living in, including every single filly, mare, and gentlecolt. As she soon begins her speech, Twilight is eager to warn all of her fellow ponies about the new threats looming outside of their entire planet.