//------------------------------// // II.23 - Powers of Two // Story: II // by adcoon //------------------------------// Celestia held up the small piece of paper, gazing at the map in the light of the late sun as they trotted across the courtyard of the castle. The paper seemed almost transparent against the warm golden light. “This is an overlay map, or map key,” she said. “It is intended to be used with another map, one which the intended receiver no doubt possess, and we don't.” “Then it's of no use to us, is it?” Dash looked around at the princess. Celestia held the map a little closer and shut one eye. “Not quite useless, I hope,” she said and lowered the map again. “Lieutenant, bring me the map of the Rambling Rock Ridge.” One of the guards following them bowed swiftly and turned to search his saddlebags. While he did, Celestia continued. “My sister may not have been able to make much of this. She spends her time with her eyes in the night sky; had it been a map to the stars, I have no doubt that she would have recognized the patterns even without the other map, while I would have been lost.” “Your Majesty,” the guard said and held up a map. Celestia took the map and spread it out in the air. “Thank you, Lieutenant. Now …” She scanned the map quickly, then placed the note with the drawing next to a patch of barren land. Twilight and Dash both trotted along next to the princess, looking at the floating map. “I however have spent millennia making myself familiar with the land that I rule,” Celestia said and swiftly marked several different locations on the big map. “These mountains and known Diamond Dog mines form a pattern remarkably similar to your map.” Twilight narrowed her eyes as she compared the map from the book with the points Celestia had marked on the other map. “Diamond Dogs? Are they involved with any of this?” Celestia shook her head. “I doubt it. There are not many points of interest in the Rambling Rock Ridge, and these are simply reference markers. No, the real point of interest is this,” she said and pointed at a mark on the small map. “It appears to correspond with the very caldera where the meeting with the Dragon King is scheduled. It was supposed to be known only to him and my sister, as well as their closest aides. One close to my sister must have intended to communicate these plans to someone on the outside, but for what purpose I can not tell.” Dash spread her wings, eager to rush off. “Doesn't matter, we have to warn them!” Celestia stopped and looked out across the horizon. “I shall send a letter to inform my sister immediately. Meanwhile, you two must warn the dragons. Sending armed guards would make the wrong impression, as would my own presence.” She turned and looked at Dash and Twilight. “A war with the dragons would ruin Equestria, and my sister has been working hard to ensure a peaceful agreement with the Dragon King. If anything were to happen to the king or his aides, all hope of peace will surely be lost.” Twilight sank a lump and took a deep breath before straightening up. “You can count on us, Princess!” “Just remember, they may not trust you, and sending you is a risk in itself. Only my sister and her personal guard are supposed to be there for the meeting, but they must be warned. So be careful—” She glanced up at the sun “—but make haste!” Twilight bowed swiftly and took another look at the map before rolling it up and putting it in her saddlebag. Dash took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She could feel the gentle warmth of Twilight's magic surrounding her, right before the sudden feeling of being sucked through empty space. *** The world flooded back into being around her. Dash fell several feet through the air before she managed to catch herself. “Whoa!” “Ah!” Before she had time to analyze what was going on, Dash spun around and swooped down to catch Twilight, swiftly bringing them both down to the ground safely. “Off by a bit there, Twi?” she grinned. Twilight blushed and returned the grin as she settled her hooves down onto solid rock. “A little, maybe.” She looked around at the barren stones and mountains around them and pointed a hoof behind Dash. “But not that far. Look.” Dash turned around and gazed up the side of the mountain. Light clouds shrouded the peak, making it hard to see what was up there but no doubt easy for someone standing at the top to spot anyone approaching long in advance. “That it?” “I think so.” A bright light surrounded Twilight as she concentrated, weaving a complex spell around herself. The light grew brighter and lifted her off the ground, wrapping around her body like a cocoon before unfolding like a flower in bloom. It was a beautiful display, as were the dark gleaming wings that now graced Twilight's back. The unicorn let out a breath and wiped her brow. “Whew. Did—” She looked around at her wings and smiled. “Ooh!” “Awesome! You should totally use that spell more often. Then we could fly together and lounge on clouds all day.” Dash grinned and joined Twilight in the air, supporting her slightly as she wobbled. “Are you alright?” Twilight blinked and took a few more deep breaths. “Yeah, I just … need a moment. That was a bit much after just teleporting all this way.” Dash nodded and looked over the wings as she allowed Twilight a moment to catch her breath. Rarity's had been more fancy, more colorful like butterflies, as she recalled. These were more like those of a wasp and a gleaming dark purple. They fit Twilight stunningly well. “I think I'm ready,” Twilight said and looked back up the mountain. “We should be able to reach the top before the dragons arrive ahead of their king, but we should be careful. We don't know what plot might have been prepared for the dragons.” Dash looked around the empty plains of rock and soil before following close behind Twilight as the unicorn headed towards the mountain peak. They flew at a slow pace for Twilight to keep up, but it would have been much slower to climb the mountain by hoof. Way too slow if they wanted to make it there in time. It took them about twenty minutes, as best as Dash could judge, to reach the summit. Neither of them said much in that time, keeping their eyes on the surroundings for signs of dragons or anything else alive or moving. Nothing much caught Dash's attention. If anything was lurking down there on the mountain, it was well hidden. The actual meeting place was a huge open caldera, the ancient remains of a volcano long since collapsed into a wide bowl with a shallow lake in the middle. Plenty of room for a meeting with full-grown dragons. It was quiet there as Dash and Twilight landed on the edge, gazing out over the Rambling Rock Ridge around them. Dash's last memory of the place was when they had gone to save Rarity from diamond dogs. It looked larger from up here. She held up a hoof to shield her eyes as she scanned the horizon all around. “I don't see any dragons anywhere. Are you sure this is the right place?” “I am sure. It fits Celestia's mark on the map,” Twilight said. “I expect the dragons will be flying very high to avoid being spotted before arriving. They should be here soon.” She squinted at the sun. “Fifteen minutes, maybe less.” Dragons could fly pretty fast, which meant they could still be a few miles away. Dash didn't let her eyes off the horizon, however. “Where will they be coming from, do you think?” Twilight trotted down a path into the caldera itself. “South, I expect.” Dash nodded and settled down to keep watch while Twilight explored the area. She glanced Twilight's way occasionally, but nothing seemed to threaten them here yet, and after a while she relaxed a little. A few minutes passed. Dash rubbed her eyes tiredly and blinked. She blinked again and held up a hoof, narrowing her eyes to see. “Hey Twi! I think something is headed this way.” “Dragons?” Twilight called from below and appeared an instant later next to Dash. “I don't think so.” Dash pointed roughly south-west at where two figures were approaching the mountain. “Too small to be dragons, unless they're not much older than Spike or something.” They sat for a minute watching the two figures getting closer, until Twilight broke the silence again. “I think … It's the two Shadowbolts.” “Weren't they with my double?” Dash could make out the uniforms now too. “Yes. They must have been freed earlier today. Perhaps Luna sent them here ahead of her when she got Celestia's letter.” Twilight climbed down into the caldera. “Or it could be the two changelings again. Let's hide and see what they do.” Dash nodded and followed Twilight. They found a large rock and knelt down behind it, peeking out from behind. Another minute passed before the two pegasi appeared and landed at the summit, not far from where Dash and Twilight had been a moment earlier. “I dinnae see any dragons yet,” Frostfell proclaimed, shielding her eyes from the low-hanging sun as she surveyed the caldera. “How long, ye reckon'?” Blaze gazed at the horizon. “Five minutes maybe. Let's settle in and wait.” “Aye.” Frostfell looked around in search of something. “Ye think them dragons be up to foul play?” “I couldn't say.” Blaze pointed a hoof towards a large rock overgrown by dense brambles. “But the princess is counting on us to find out.” Frostfell followed towards the hiding place and sighed quietly. “Dinnae expect we'll be havin' that vacation anytime soon, will we?” Blaze smiled at her. “We will, I promise you that.” Twilight stood up and stepped out from behind the rock. “Uh, hello?” Dash followed suit. The two pegasi turned around swiftly and fixed Dash and Twilight with a suspicious look. “We weren't told there would be others here,” Blaze said cautiously. “Why are you here?” “An' be ye who ye seem, or be ye more bloody changelings?” Frostfell added. Twilight paused in confusion which turned quickly to suspicion. “Princess Luna did not tell you we would be here? Then why did she send you here?” Blaze's eyes narrowed a little further. “I believe we asked first.” “Aye,” Frostfell concurred. Twilight hesitated, glancing at the skies. Dragons could arrive any minute. “Princess Celestia sent us to warn the dragons. We think something might happen to them before their king arrives. Celestia should have informed her sister, so why are you here if she didn't send you to assist us?” The two Shadowbolts glanced at each other briefly. Blaze shook his head. “We were sent to make sure the dragons are not up to anything before the meeting. The princess never mentioned a letter.” “Perhaps she didn't get it yet,” Dash suggested, watching the sky. “She did seem in a wee bit of an ill mood,” Frostfell noted, still looking suspicious. “An' that be an understatement, let me tell ye. She was sendin' oot half the royal guard on some search or somethin'.” “Probably a certain two changelings escaped somehow,” Blaze said with a grim look at Twilight and Dash, the accusation obvious. He glanced up. Dash followed his gaze and caught a gleam of scales in the distance. “Damn,” he cursed and looked at Frostfell. “What do we do with them?” She frowned in thought. “We cannae hide noo, or they might rat us oot to them lizards,” she concluded. “An' if they be sayin' the truth then we dinnae want tae be fightin' either.” Blaze gave a nod and turned back to Dash and Twilight. “We'll be keeping a real close eye on you both, then.” “Yeah? Don't think we won't be watching you either.” Dash glared at them. Twilight sighed and turned to watch the gleam in the distance. “Let's just make sure the meeting goes according to plan. We can resolve our own conflict later.” *** Dash had seen many dragons aside from Spike, most of them during the great dragon migration and Spike's quest afterwards. As majestic and awesome as those dragons had been, none of them could hold a candle to the graceful figure circling down towards them. He was not as big as some of the dragons she had seen, not even as big as one of the other two that accompanied him, but his scales gleamed like polished silver and diamond in the reddening sun, and he carried himself with an obvious air of importance. Dash watched him land at the edge of the lake, flanked by a richly decorated blue dragoness with a sly look in her eyes and an older rust-red dragon with obvious scars from many battles. “Is that the king?” Dash whispered to Twilight. “I thought he was supposed to arrive later.” “I … don't know,” Twilight admitted, watching nervously as the three dragons looked around. The possible king tilted his head upon spotting them and leaned over to converse quietly with the blue dragoness. After a moment he turned to the red one, who gave a curt nod and flew off to keep watch at the other end of the caldera. The first dragon beckoned them forward with a claw. Twilight gulped and approached with Dash close behind, watching the two dragons closely. They watched Twilight and Dash curiously in return. Twilight stopped and bowed. “Greetings, Your Excellency,” she began, choosing her words carefully. “Forgive us if we have been misinformed, but are you the King of Dragons?” The dragon smiled brightly, showing off rows of razor-sharp teeth gleaming like diamond. It might have been enough to strike terror into a pony on most any occasion, except he seemed quite pleased at the greeting. “Not yet,” he said, his voice smooth and sharp as a blade. “Alas, I am only Prince, my father's eldest. He will be along as planned.” He lifted a claw to gesture at the dragoness by his side. “The lovely dragon by my side is Lazuli, First Enchantress of the Sapphire Regency—” She merely smiled in response, a glint in her eyes which was returned by the prince. “—And behind me, Lord Rust of my father's personal guard.” Twilight smiled politely. “It is an honor to make your acquaintance, Your Highness. My name is Twilight Sparkle, and this is Rainbow Dash,” Twilight said with a smile to her side. “The one and only, yes?” Lazuli murmured, sneaking the words off of Dash's lips. It seemed as much directed at Twilight as Dash herself. “And none other than the Shadowbolts, if my memory serves me yet,” the prince added and looked around the wind-blown caldera as if expecting more ponies to poke up out of the ground. “I must admit, I did not expect such a welcome. Do indulge my curiosity by telling me why you have come.” “We are here to warn you of a possible plot against you,” Twilight explained. “We fear someone may wish to attack you before your father the King arrives.” “Oh? How curious,” the prince said, brushing a claw over the scales on his head. “What evidence has led you to this conclusion? Surely we must not draw hasty conclusions, you understand.” Twilight searched her saddlebag for the notes and map. She levitated it out for the two dragons to see. “We found these notes hidden in a book. The map appears to mark this location, and the notes together with the book gave a time, ten minutes before the King's arrival.” The prince picked the notes up between two nails and inspected them. He looked at Lazuli and held out the notes for her to see before turning back to Twilight, lowering his voice. “I see. Thank you, Twilight Sparkle, for bringing this to me. I have good reason to believe that this is the work of my father, part of his move to lead us into war with you.” “The king?” Twilight looked up at the prince in surprise. “Understand, my father does not wish peace. He is an old wyrm, out of touch with the times, but he is crafty. He has promised your princess peace and a gift to show that his intentions are genuine. He will arrive soon, bringing with him the Moonstone which reflects your Luna's moon.” The prince glanced around. “But it is merely a ruse, the sole purpose of which is to lead her out here. She will bring with her four of her guards, just as he has chosen four of his, but tell me truly if four ponies against four dragons seem fair to you?” Dash scowled at the sky. “That lying snake!” Twilight looked more thoughtful. “But what does that have to do with these notes? Surely he would not make secret deals with ponies to attack his own guards. That makes no sense!” “Doesn't it, though?” The prince smirked. “Think about it. Not all dragons are eager to see a war, many of them are old and content with their life and need convincing. He enters these discussions in what appears to be good faith, only to arrive to find his guards and even his eldest son have been viciously attacked, maybe even killed by ponies. He gets a perfect excuse to call off the deal and declare war, with one of your princesses right there in a vulnerable situation. No dragon could claim it is not justified. Appearances is everything in these games of politics, miss Sparkle.” “It is also of note that your father does not much like you.” Lazuli smiled thinly. “Right as always, dear,” the prince said and straightened up, glancing once again over his shoulder at where Rust was watching the horizon. “I do not think we need worry about an attack by ponies now, thanks to you four. I would be obliged to offer you a deal in return. My father intends to harm you and your princess and bring war to your land. Help me kill him, and as the new rightful king I shall gladly offer you what he would not: Peace and the Moonstone for your Princess.” Frostfell glanced up at the dragon suspiciously. “An' just how do we ken that ye'll keep yer word any better than yer lyin' snake of a father?” “You have my word as a noble and honorable dragon,” the prince said, raising his head importantly. “And besides, it is not like I don't benefit from my father's death, is it now?” “Contemptible,” Blaze muttered. “You have no compunctions about killing your own father?” Twilight questioned. “Our cultures are very different. As a noble dragon prince it is practically expected of me to take my father's place by force or trickery. What kind of king would I be if I did not earn my place? No, no proper dragon would accept the authority of a king who simply sat on his tail and waited for the old wyrm to die of old age, which by the way could take a very long time.” “I will not assist with murder,” Twilight said firmly. “Don't think of it as helping us.” The prince smiled. “See it as a necessary action to ensure peace. My father will find a reason to attack you and your princess, even if he has to straight-up lie about what happened. In fact your mere presence will likely be enough, as it is a breach of the agreement that was made to have only four guards on either side. Furthermore, it was hard enough for me to ensure Lazuli here a spot among the four dragons to accompany him. Lord Rust back there is as loyal to the king as they come, so it's two against three for me, and my father is no stranger to battle.” Dash looked around. “Who's the fourth dragon?” “My father likes to keep his personal guard somewhat uncertain, to better foil schemes against him. In other words, I do not exactly know who will be at his side when he arrives.” “Your cousin Ice Vein,” Lazuli said with a thoughtful shake of her head. The prince gazed up at the sky, then smiled at the dragoness. “Wishful thinking, dear?” Lazuli considered her reflection in the clear blue surface of the lake. “I'm sure he would think it was poetic. Your father always had a soft spot for such thinking, as well as for your cousin.” “Indeed.” The prince turned back to the four ponies. “So there you have it. Given that I do not have the advantage of numbers, I intend to strike first and to strike hard. But I need to know that I have you on my side.” Dash didn't feel too certain about it, and it seemed the others shared her feeling. Twilight's brow furrowed, but finally she said, “I guess we don't have much choice. We must avoid a war.” The prince smiled. “Excellent. Just follow my lead, and focus on the guards. Lazuli and I will deal with my father. Once he is dead, the loyalty of his guards will be to me.” Dash frowned. Some loyalty. *** “The princess is on the horizon,” Blaze called from his position atop the caldera. “So is my father,” the prince said more quietly. Dash looked up at the sky above, where a large silhouette of gleaming scales and metal was descending towards the meeting place. A smaller figure hovered behind the king, holding a massive pearlescent stone aloft in its claws. The semblance between father and son was uncanny. Dash mused that perhaps to dragons they looked completely different, but if it wasn't for the king's greater size and crown of spikes she would have had trouble picking them apart. The dragon behind him carrying the stone was light blue and white and looked like cracked ice, translucent spikes and jagged scales jutting out at odd angles. Ice Vein seemed an apt name. “I bet he doesn't get many hugs,” she whispered to Twilight. Dash watched as the king landed and looked around the barren mountain top. Behind him, Ice Vein settled down and carefully lowered the rock onto the ground. The king's eyes settled first on the ponies, then on his son. “Plans changed, son?” Dash wondered it the king had indeed expected to find a battle, but his voice revealed nothing. “Oh, one could always hope for better,” the prince said blankly. “But as these things go, I'd say the plan is going well enough.” The king looked bored, gazing at where the princess was slowly approaching the meeting while he humored his son. “Indeed?” “Quite.” The prince paused and followed his gaze. “My plan, at least.” Dash had seen fast—Dash was fast—but the sudden swiftness was startling for such massive creatures. In a lightning move, Lazuli had lunged for the king, teeth bared for his throat. Surprisingly, the king rolled to evade just as swiftly and brought himself around to face the dragoness, whose tail was already sweeping through the air for a second strike. A wing deflected the attack with apparent ease. “Don't think I didn't have my eyes on you, witch,” the dragon growled as he snapped at her neck. He was interrupted as his head was locked in a stranglehold and pulled backwards. The prince swept his large membranous wings around his father to blind and tightened his grip around the larger dragon's neck. “Never turn your back to any son of yours. First rule of kingship—Ponies!” Rust was barreling across the caldera to tackle Lazuli. Dash set off and crashed into the dragon's face, hind hooves first. The combined momentum of them both sent the dragon staggering back while Dash was thrown across the sky. Dash recovered midair in time to see Ice Vein crashing into the lake by a well-placed bolt from Twilight's horn. Meanwhile Frostfell and Blaze were doing their best to harass Rust. An explosion of lightning from Lazuli singed Dash as she shot back down towards the action, aiming for another kick, this time at the guard dragon's eye. The battle-scarred dragon spotted her in time and spun around, swinging his tail like a heavy flail. Dash grit her teeth as she rolled to the side, briefly gracing the surface of the water before pulling back up. Her eyes briefly glanced towards the horizon where the princess was approaching fast, having clearly seen that something was going on on top of the mountain. Down in the caldera, the king had somehow regained his freedom and sent his son crashing to the ground in a cloud of dust and stones. Lazuli rose out of the cloud in front of the king, claws crackling and mouth aflame as she struck. Twilight appeared in a sudden flash beside Dash, her horn burning as a wall of purple energy flashed into being around them both. Dash flinched as a spiked tail smashed into the barrier, making Twilight reel back and grit her teeth at the force. “Concentrate on the guards!” Twilight gasped. Dash gave a grim nod and dove out from under the magic field. She made a sudden turn and shot right back up, spinning around mid-flight. Her hooves connected with the underside of Ice Vein's jaw as he lunged at Twilight. The dragon roared and shook his head, but Dash was already gone, weaving in and out among swinging tails and stray magic bolts. A crash of thunder barely broke the noise of the battle. Princess Luna's voice, uncharacteristically low, echoed across the caldera. “What is going on here!?” “Princess!” Twilight jumped out of the way of a snapping jaw and caught the offending dragon in the eye with a lance of energy. Ice Vein cried in pain and lashed out with a claw. Twilight was caught by surprise, but a timely kick from Blaze deflected the claw. Dash roared past Ice Vein's face, distracting the dragon from Frostfell's attack. She caught a glimpse of the princess as she took in the scene, her eyes burning with a cold anger and horn glowing. With the princess on their side, they could totally win this battle yet, she thought. Dash swerved away from a claw and raced to help Twilight. A cry from the prince made her spin around, feeling a stinging pain as a powerful blast of magic narrowly missed her. A green light lit up her face as she turned to the source, staring at the princess. Four royal Night Guards were already racing towards Blaze and Frostfell. “Princess! What are you doing?” Twilight cried out and stumbled as her force field was wrecked under the weight of Rust's massive body. Dash felt her heart drop as the dragon collapsed on top of Twilight … … or where Twilight had been. A flash of purple next to Dash and the appearance of a gasping Twilight kicked her heart back into action. “What the buck is going on, Twi?” “I don't know!” Twilight cried. Dash groaned and pulled Twilight down just in time to evade another blast from the princess. “Damn it!” she cursed, looking around frantically. Frostfell and Blaze were frantically trying to evade Luna's guards as well as Ice Vein's razor-sharp claws and cold flames. On the other side of the caldera, the prince was on the defensive against his father's relentless assault. A loud explosion shook the mountain. Dash spun around and saw Luna under a green dome of light as rocks rained down around her. Lazuli was baring down on the princess. “Help the prince!” the dragoness roared. Twilight was paralyzed, staring at where Luna was holding back the flames and claws of the dragoness. Dash grabbed Twilight and pulled her towards the battle between the prince and his father. “Come on, Twi! Forget the Princess! She's gone crazy or something!” “But—” Dash shook Twilight hard. “Twi! I need you!” Twilight stared at her, then her face set in a determined frown as she nodded. “I'll cover you,” she said, her horn flaring with renewed energy. An explosion of purple shocked the ground and drew the attention of the king as he waved off the magic flames, only for Dash to impact with his face and a second bolt of magic to hit him in the gut. The king grunted and wiped a trickle of blood from his mouth. “You are outnumbered and overpowered, son. Surrender, and maybe I'll show you mercy.” The prince wheezed flame as he got back up. “I only have to kill you,” he growled. A shock wave of green lit up the sky. In the emerald inferno, Dash thought she caught a glimpse of the princess and Lazuli locked in a grim battle. The light made her realize how dark it had suddenly become on the mountain. She was not the only one who had noticed, as a stillness settled over the battle. Dash backed up next to Twilight. “Why's the sun setting?” Twilight glanced at Luna and the dragoness, still oblivious to anything but the destruction of the other, then back up at the swiftly darkening sky. “It's too early,” she said without emotion. A thunderous roar shattered the relative silence. Everyone's attention was drawn to the prince, his jaws locked around his father's neck. The elder dragon struggled, but the prince had him in an a deadly hold now. With a final crack of his tail, the king crashed to the ground. The prince let out a roar of triumph to the skies and grabbed his father's head in both claws. With a sickening sound, he sank his teeth back into the other dragon's neck and tore at the scales and flesh. Dash looked away from the savage display, and vaguely heard Twilight throw up next to her. “At last!” the prince declared, holding up the head of his father as blood gushed onto the ground. “I am King at last!” He lowered the grim object of his victory, then casually threw it away. Even the princess and Lazuli had stopped their fight to watch. The dragoness spared Luna a glance before joining the prince. Ice Vein and a battered Rust both bowed to their new king, the former with visible resentment. The newly crowned king looked around at the battered mountain top, his eyes lingering on Dash and Twilight. “You have my thanks.” He smiled for a moment, then glanced at Luna. “Unfortunately it seems our esteemed host attacked us most viciously,” he said and looked at Rust and Ice Vein. “You both saw it, did you not?” The two dragons nodded obediently. “Lazuli?” “Indeed, My Liege. Most distressing.” Luna looked like she was smoldering, then swiftly gathered herself back up and stepped forward. “I was merely defending the king of the time, Your Highness, as your own guards would. Let me reaffirm our commitment to peace between our people,” she spoke smoothly. “Well said,” the king said and smiled. It was not a pleasant smile, even aside from all the blood. He gestured at the corpse of his father. “But my people will demand answers. They will demand retribution. As their king, I am obliged to serve my people.” “What!?” Dash jumped into the air and pointed an angry hoof at the king. “You promised!” The king looked up and flashed her a smile. “Appearances, miss Dash.” He leaned forward and said in a low voice, “My father was a fool. He didn't like my vision, or the stone that I gave my people, but not a single dragon will question me now! Since I owe you for your help, I shall be nice and let you live … for now.” Luna was smoldering again, glaring at the dragons. The king smiled at her. “I hope you enjoy it, because when I return, it will be as conqueror. Dragons shall rule the world, with me as their King!” “We'll see about that!” The princess hissed. “We'll see about it when I crush you beneath my hooves, lizard!” The king pulled himself up, looming over the princess. “I can very quickly change my mind, princess,” he growled. “I might just kill you right here and save time.” Luna's horn glowed and her eyes flashed dangerously. “Bring it!” “Gladly!” “Um …” The voice came from Twilight. Dash looked at her, then followed her gaze upwards. The moon had almost reached its highest point in the sky, shining brightly in the growing darkness. The dark silhouette of a mare's head graced its surface, her eye seeming to linger upon the mountain top and the gathering of dragons and ponies. Blaze and Frostfell looked at each other and seemed to pale. Dash frowned and looked at the supposed princess, then at the king. “Oh yes … do us a favor and eat her.” “An' may ye choke on her too,” Frostfell said coldly. The princess stepped back, her horn glowing a sickly green as her eyes darted between those gathered. Her guards gathered closely around her. “Your precious princess is dead,” she hissed with malice. “I didn't mean for her to die, not yet, but it no longer matters! Because I already fed on her love, and I possess the Elements now!” A mad look crossed the changeling's face as the six Elements materialized around her. “You can't just take the Elements like that!” Twilight almost shouted out loud. “Oh, we'll see about that!” Her lips twisted into an insane distorted expression between a grin and a sneer. “Nothing will stop me this time! Not you and your little friends, not your brother and not Celestia! Not anyone! It is my destiny to rule this world! If you will not love me, then you will bow to me or die at my hoof!” A shiver ran through the ground as she spoke, and a chiming whisper filled the air. Chrysalis snarled and looked up as a light gleamed across the sky. Her gaze fell again to settle upon the stone still left on the ground near the lake. Dash looked at the stone. It was glowing with reflected moonlight, white flames visibly licking the air around it. “W-what's happening?” she whispered, but received no reply. Somewhere, Lazuli opened her mouth to speak, “Oh s—” The stone sang, a single rising tone before reaching a peak too high to hear but deeply felt, and the moon … exploded. There was no other way to describe the wave of light, reflected and magnified by the stone for one brief second. A ghostly blaze of white flames exploded across the mountain top. Dash threw herself on the ground, pulling Twilight down with her. It all happened too fast. She held her wing out above Twilight and shielded her own head with her hooves. It was all she could do. Somewhere in the field of blinding light, she thought she heard screams. Then it faded, and Dash looked up to see a ghost-white figure hovering above the stone, reflecting in its surface and casting strange shadows in the dimming light. The figure spoke, facing the dark silhouette of a dragon standing against the tide of light. “Leave,” she commanded. The dragoness lifted her head to glare at the glowing figure. Her voice came out in a hiss, “I will return, mark my word. You will come to rue that day.” Dash watched the silhouette of the dragoness spread her wings and disappear on the horizon, followed by two other dragons. She blinked and turned to stare at the figure still hanging above the stone. The light dimmed and night quickly flooded back in. Princess Luna landed beside the stone, eyes fixed upon the fleeting forms of the dragons. “Kindly stick a sock in it, Lazuli,” she said tiredly. *** Dash helped Twilight back up and looked around. Blaze was supporting Frostfell, who had earned herself a nasty gash across the side of her head and was looking dizzy. The corpse of the old king still lay where it had before, his blood slowly draining into the lake. There were no signs of the other four dragons, but Dash only remembered seeing three of them leave. The Elements lay scattered across the ground where Chrysalis had been, with no sign of her or her guards. “What happened?” Twilight said uncertainly and leaned a bit unsteadily on her legs. Princess Luna closed her eyes and rubbed the bridge of her nose before looking around. “I got tired of them all. Lying bastards every last one,” she said. “The old king is dead, and good riddance. The new king and the changeling queen will have a few centuries together in this lovely piece of stone. It should be an experience for them both, I dare say.” Twilight looked up at the moon. The mare was gone from its face. “How do we know you're the real Luna?” she asked, giving the princess a scrutinizing glance. Luna turned back around. “I shall demand every pony in the castle give a blood test to prove their identity, no exceptions,” she said, her voice hard. “That includes myself, and you as well. I will send my sister a letter first thing when we get back, to request that she or her guards verify my identity in public. Will that satisfy, Twilight Sparkle?” Twilight nodded. “But I don't understand. Chrysalis claimed that you were dead, and we all saw the Mare in the Moon. What happened?” “This is not the first time I have died, nor will it be the last, if you remember,” the princess said. “I shamefully left myself vulnerable and would still be the changeling queen's blood-slave had I not been able to slay myself. Last time, I was prevented from restoring myself in physical form for a thousand years, but not this time. The dragons were even foolish enough to bring their Moonstone out in the light of my moon.” “The other Rainbow Dash tried to tell us about Chrysalis,” Blaze said quietly. “We didn't believe her.” The princess shook her head. “You did nothing that was not expected of you. This whole incident is my mistake, and I shall deal with it in due time.” “What now, then?” Dash looked around the mountain top. “What will happen now?” Luna straightened herself up. “Now we must prepare ourselves. With their king dead and his eldest son missing, I have no doubt that Lazuli will move to take immediate control of the Regencies and launch a concerted attack on us.” Seeing the confusion on their faces, Luna cleared her throat to explain. “The dragons are ruled by a king, but the Regencies reign in his absence. As a First Enchantress with a close tie to the missing new king, Lazuli is going to have no trouble getting her will hammered through, especially given all the lies she can feed them about the old king's death and the fate of his missing son.” Twilight looked down. “We came here to bring peace, not … this.” Luna placed a hoof on her shoulder. “There was never much hope. We were only trying to stall for time, Twilight Sparkle, not ensure lasting peace. War is inevitable as long as Eden pulls the strings. It is a question of when, not if. And we can't stall her any longer, I fear.” Twilight scowled and looked at the Elements scattered on the ground, and at where she had left her saddlebags against a large stone. “Then I have no time to waste.”