//------------------------------// // 17: The Sun's Wrath // Story: Live by the Creed // by FoughtDragon01 //------------------------------// "Come now, Twilight. Keep up the pace. We’ve still got a ways to go,” Star Light said. She and Twilight had been walking through Hoofington for ten minutes, cutting through its numerous alleys in order to keep attention off of them. All the while, Twilight’s horn still surged and crackled with energy, prepared to release it at any given moment. Needless to say, the walk had certainly been a tense one. “If you have any questions, now would be the time to ask them.” Star didn’t even need to see Twilight’s increasingly fierce gaze to feel it settle on the back of her head. Twilight didn't waste another second. “Just who are you?” “I’ve already told you my name,” Star answered, chuckling. Her levity did nothing to ease Twilight’s nerves. In fact, it only made her glare intensify. “That’s not what I meant.” “Then what did you mean?” It was all in her tone, in her knowing smirk. Star knew exactly what Twilight meant; she simply wanted to hear the mare say it herself. The question was right at the tip of Twilight’s tongue, but even amidst their current situation, it just seemed too far-fetched. She wasn’t a mare of superstition, and to think that an organization that died out centuries ago could suddenly reappear out of the blue was simply absurd. But at the same time, stranger things have happened over the past few days. As she struggled with her decision, Star Light snuck a glance back. “We both know what you want to ask, so you may as well come out with it.” Twilight’s stern glare fixed itself back on Star. “And just how do you know what I want to ask?” “Well, given the situation, I can only imagine that you want to know what side I’m on. I also think that it’s safe to assume that I won’t do your racing heart any favors when I answer ‘yes’.” The magic enveloping Twilight's horn faded away as her stern expression slowly, but surely crumbled away into one of disbelief. “So, you’re… you’re an…” A slight nod was all that Twilight needed to see. “But… but how? Every history book that I read said that you all died out centuries ago.” Again, Star Light chuckled. “Yes, that’s what the public wanted to believe. In reality, we only went dormant. When Equestria was a place of chaos and corruption, we were the only ones capable of maintaining balance and order, eliminating the corrupted when needed. But when Equestria became the peaceful land that it is today, the world simply had no more use for us. Unfortunately, it seems that we'll be needed once again.” Twilight gulped down a lump in her throat. “What do you mean? Does this have anything to do with those ponies in the black hoods?” “Yes. They’re members of another organization. The Solar Eclipse.” Twilight perked up at the name. “Wait, I’ve heard of them before. They were the personal guards of King Solaris.” “And the sworn enemy of the Assassins,” Star added, hints of disgust behind her voice. “They wanted to rule over Equestria with an iron hoof. We couldn’t allow that. I’m sure that you can see where the conflict came from. Once Celestia and Luna came into power, the Solar Eclipse didn’t die. They just went underground, plotting to overthrow the two sisters. Of course, that never happened, and after a particularly brutal defeat, they went dormant as well. Now here we are again, going at it like a couple of old, grizzled idiots.” “What’s happening here?" Twilight asked. "In Hoofington, I mean. None of the ponies seem… right.” Star Light slowed to a stop in the middle of the alley, Twilight doing the same. “I was wondering that myself when I first got here, but I have an answer. Follow me.” Star led Twilight to the end of the alley, and the two poked their heads out into the street. The pink unicorn scanned the area, stopping on a nearby group of ponies gathered around a nearby table, idly chatting about the weather. And nothing else. “Look at those ponies over there,” Star said, directing Twilight to the chatting ponies. “Notice anything off about them?” Twilight squinted as she studied the ponies. Nothing looked particularly out of the ordinary, but if they were anything like that store clerk from earlier, then there could’ve been something wrong with them mentally. Of course, without the proper brain scans, she couldn’t tell for sure. “I don’t see anything wrong,” she finally said. “Try again,” Star insisted. “This time, look at their eyes. Closely.” Twilight did as she was told. Looking at their eyes, she did notice something strange. All of their eyes were yellow. Or rather, they all had an odd yellow glow to them. Twilight looked at the other ponies wandering about, taking careful note of their eyes. Again, they all had that faint, unnatural, yellow glow to them. “Do you see it now?” Star asked, recapturing Twilight’s attention. “Their eyes,” Twilight whispered. “What’s wrong with their eyes?” “I have to give these morons credit. I didn’t think they’d actually get a hold of a Piece of Equestria.” While Star Light found some amusement in the situation, Twilight only felt gut-wrenching horror, to put it lightly. “That’s right,” she muttered. “Celestia said that a Piece of Equestria was here. But what did it do?” “Oh, so you already know about the Pieces. Good, that spares me one explanation. Well, one of these Pieces, the Staff, gives the wielder some form of mind control. As long as they possess it, they can make any number of ponies bend to their will. They’ll do what they want them to do, and think what they want them to think.” Twilight took a moment to let that sink in. Mind control. Citywide mind control. Hundreds of ponies mindlessly following the orders of some mad pony. It was simply spine-chilling. “But why use it on an entire city?” “Likely to eliminate the possibility of a stray eye catching them while they did whatever they wished. For example, capturing your friends.” Twilight’s body froze up as her mind shot back to her friends. The mere thought of them being trapped in a cage while a pony did Celestia-knows-what to them made her tremble out of both anger and fear. “We need to hurry!” she shouted. Without waiting for an answer, she darted out of the alley. Or rather, she tried to. She didn’t get very far before she felt something tug against her tail. Looking back, she saw that her tail was gripped in a bright blue aura, the culprit, a pink unicorn leaning casually against the alley wall. “What are you doing?” Twilight demanded. “We need to save them before something happens!” Despite the clear urgency behind Twilight’s voice, Star simply shrugged. “I wouldn’t be too worried if I were you.” She walked past Twilight, releasing the unicorn’s tail. Twilight followed behind her, confusion and anger trying to override one another. “Why wouldn’t I worry? These are my friends!” Star’s attitude was hardly affected by Twilight’s outbursts. “Because the Solar Eclipse made the fatal mistake of attracting Celestia’s attention at the worst possible time.” “What do you mean?” Twilight asked, her voice faltering. “For a very long time, they’ve been trying to bring out the worst in Celestia so that the public could see ‘who she truly was’ or some horseapples like that. Most of their efforts were fruitless. In fact, only when they targeted things very close to her heart did they even make a chip in her exterior. Now, they have a Piece of Equestria, and I can’t think of many quicker ways to get on her bad side.” As Twilight listened, she tried to think back to all of the times when she saw Celestia angry. Not annoyed. Not agitated. Not even cranky or snappy. Truly angry. She came up with nothing. Celestia was the calmest pony Twilight knew; the thought of her becoming angry not only felt alien, but sent a chill down Twilight’s spine. “So, what do you think will happen?” “What I think? Well, the Eclipse have always been trying to bring out Celestia’s bad side.” A dark chuckle left Star Light’s muzzle. “I think that today, they may finally succeed. And I think that we’ll want to get your friends far away from her when that happens, unless you want them to get caught in the crossfire.” Twilight hardly had any words. She could only gulp down the immense fear building up in her throat. “Right.” Star quickly cleared her throat. “Well, I think that will end our chat for now. We’re here.” Twilight looked back ahead. They reached the end of the alley, and right across from them was the towering museum. The two slowed to a stop. As far as secret hideouts went, Twilight certainly could’ve thought of less conspicuous places. “The Celestial Museum?” Twilight asked, head cocked to the side. “Why would my friends be in there? Star Light?” Twilight looked back down at her white-robed companion to find her already trotting towards the museum. “Star Light!” she hissed, trotting after the unicorn. Once she reached the building proper, Star positioned herself next to one its ground windows, peering inside. “What are you doing?” Twilight asked. Star didn’t avert her eyes for a moment. “Give me a sec,” she said. Unfortunately, Twilight wasn’t feeling very patient. “Star Light.” She grabbed the unicorn’s hood, and with a quick tug, yanked her away from the window. “Why are we here?” With an annoyed sigh, Star Light fixed her robes before focusing on the purple mare. Persistence. A nice trait to have, but an annoying one to deal with. “Okay, time is short, so here’s the short version. This used to be the location of a massive castle owned by Solaris. The surface structure was demolished, but the dungeon underground was left untouched. This has to be where the Eclipse are operating out of, and if your friends aren’t down there, then I’ll be hard pressed for ideas.” “Then why are we standing out here?” Star went back to the window, looking back inside. “I’m scoping the place out. If my hunch is right, this place is crawling with goons. Goons that I’d rather not deal with. Now, just give me a second, please.” She didn’t need to look at Twilight to know that she was giving her that suspicious glare that she grew so accustomed to. She must’ve had a lot on her mind, and Star couldn’t really blame her. But whatever questions she had, Twilight thankfully decided to save them for later. “Now, let’s see what we’ve got,” Star muttered. Even just peering through the windows, her eyes stung as she looked into the gleaming interior. Everything, from the white floors, to the display glass, to the wooden furnishing were polished and cleaned to a near blinding sheen. Ancient artifacts such as weaponry, armor, scrolls, and other items rested in the safety of the various display cases that dotted the museum floor. But she didn’t spend long observing the pretty sights. She had her eyes set on the ponies filling the museum, specifically, their eyes. As expected, most of them were yellow. Most, but not all. Though they were tricky to spot at first, Star did manage to find a number of ponies with normal eyes. An alarming number, actually. After her scan, she turned back towards Twilight. “Okay, bad news. More Eclipse goons are inside, mixed in with the brainwashed ponies. In other words, we won’t be able to waltz in without trouble.” Hints of worry crept onto Twilight’s face, but she quickly shook them away. “Well, what's the plan? Do you even have one?” Star tapped a hoof to her chin in contemplation. In truth, she was never very good at coming up with plans more complex than ‘beat up the other guys’ on the fly. Even then, as tempting as it sounded, that likely wasn’t the best course of action for a hostage situation. The place was too brightly lit to take them out one by one, and there wasn’t enough cover to sneak around. A sticky situation, indeed. “Well?” Twilight asked. “Hold on, I’m thinking.” Star looked up. By some inane stroke of luck, most of the museum’s upper windows were cracked open. Starting from the upper floors could give them something of an advantage if used properly. Of course, they'd have to actually get up there first. The beginnings of a plan finally started forming in her head. She snapped her head back down towards Twilight. “Alright, here’s what we’ll do. Do you see those—” She didn’t get very far in her master plan before the two unicorns were blinded by a magnificent flash of light, one that came from inside the museum. Neither hesitated for a second before rushing up to the nearest window and peering inside. Twilight’s heart fluttered at the sight. Star Light’s dropped. Standing in the middle of the museum floor for all to see was the lustrous form of Celestia and a slightly battered Rainbow Dash. “Princess Celestia!” Twilight cried. “Rainbow Dash,” Star Light whispered. Despite the princess of the sun literally appearing out of nowhere, the crowd’s reaction was virtually nonexistent. Twilight’s reaction was anything but. She rushed towards the front door, eager to reunite with her mentor. She only got as far as three steps before she suddenly stopped, feeling another tug on her tail. Glaring back, she saw another blue aura wrapped around her tail. That glare quickly switched over to the pink mare responsible. “What are you doing?” Twilight hissed. Star Light’s horn never ceased to glow, but the unicorn kept close eyes on the princess. “Wait,” was all that she said. All the while her gaze never left Celestia. “What are you going to do?” she whispered. Celestia looked left. She looked right. She took in her surroundings, her eyes not showing a hint of compassion, content, or nostalgia as she stood in the structure that she built with her bare hooves. Instead, they were cold, calculating, and decisive. She said something to Rainbow Dash; Star Light couldn’t hear what. It must’ve been something along the lines of ‘Get down’ because the pegasus immediately did just that, lying flat on the ground, clasping her hooves over her head as Celestia channeled an immense amount of magic through her horn. An intense sense of something shot through Star Light’s veins. She quickly identified that something as terror. To see a normal pony gather up that much magic would’ve been enough cause for worry. To have an alicorn gather that much was an entirely different tier of terror. Star could feel the magic pulsate inside of her own body, pounding against her chest. She felt it resonate within her own horn. Her legs shook uncontrollably, threatening to give in at any moment. The sheer amount of magic she felt was nearly enough to debilitate her. “Please tell me that you feel that,” she said, looking over to Twilight. Even if she didn’t shakily nod, Star would’ve been able to tell that she could feel it just as much as she could. The absolute fear in her eyes spoke that much. “What is she doing?” Twilight asked. Star Light took a single step back from the museum. She could swear her entire body was trembling. “I don’t know, but we have to get away from here, now!” “No! She’s right there. We can stop her!” Without even waiting for a response, Twilight darted towards the front door. By the time Star even made a move, the unicorn was already at the door, ready to open it. “Twilight, don’t!” She rushed forwards, desperate to stop her, but it was too late. Twilight swung the door open, but that was as far as she got. Neither mare saw it coming. First came the light. White, blinding, burning to the eyes. It was as though they were staring into the sun itself. Twilight only stood at the entrance, eyes wide as she stared into the white void. She knew that she should’ve moved, she wanted to move, but her body refused to listen. Fear left her body completely paralyzed. Then came the wind. Roaring gales rushed past Twilight, screaming in her ears and stinging skin, like daggers brushing past her body. She shut her eyes tight, turning away in a feeble attempt to shield herself from the bombardment. She didn’t even feel the tug against her tail as Star Light yanked her back. She wasn’t sure if Star said something; between the gale-force winds and her immense shock, it was hard to hear much of anything. She did, however, hear the distinct slam of the museum door as Star Light threw it shut. The pink unicorn followed up by casting a protective barrier in front of the entrance, pouring as much magic into it as she could. It was as basic as basic could get, but it was all they had. They didn’t have enough time to get away; the most they could do was brace themselves for what was coming. “This is going to hurt,” Star muttered. Then came the blast. ---- Rainbow Dash had long since learned to never go against an order from the princess. That was doubly so if it wasn’t even a request, but a deliberate, unwavering, to-the-point command. So, when Celestia told her to brace herself, she didn’t think twice before hitting the floor. However, it was going to take more than closed eyes and clamped ears to prepare Rainbow for what came next. The blast hit her. However tight she had her eyes shut, she shut them even tighter as she felt roaring winds rush over her body, cutting like knives. She felt the very floor beneath her tremble and quake. She heard glass shatter, she heard the stone walls crumble away, she heard wood splinter and snap. All various sorts of debris crashed into the ground around her, some as close to only a few mere inches from Rainbow’s position. It felt like the entire building was being torn asunder. But just as it felt as though the cacophony was reaching its peak, she realized something. It had stopped. No more shaking, no more wind, and save for a few bits of debris clattering to the ground, all was silent. The entire ordeal must’ve lasted for only a few seconds, but Rainbow would’ve been lying if she said that it wasn’t the longest few seconds of her life. “It is safe to rise, Rainbow Dash.” On shaky hooves, Rainbow finally stood back up. Even that was a harsh ordeal. She flinched at every sudden creak of wood or crumbling of stone, as if the entire place could still collapse at any given minute. When she opened her eyes, she saw, very quickly, that that could’ve very well still been the case. The museum, once pristine, clean, and heavenly, was little more than a graveyard. Whatever elegance the establishment possessed disappeared in a single, destructive flash. Splintered wood, shards of glass, the shattered remains of display cases and ancient artifacts all littered the floor. Several large chunks of the marble floor itself was torn from the very ground it was meshed to, the broken pieces only adding to the mess. So much destruction, and Rainbow hadn’t even seen the worst of it yet. She looked around at the rest of the building. She felt her blood run cold when she saw what became of the ponies caught in the blast. Dozens of broken bodies lay against the wall, thrown violently against it during the blast. That was a terrifying fact within its own right; the fact that these ponies were innocent civilians only made things worse. They still seemed to be breathing, thankfully, but that could’ve been Rainbow denying the reality. She just didn’t know. Somehow, she managed to tear her eyes away from the sight and looked up at the one responsible for the destruction. Princess Celestia. Or rather, Rainbow was sure that it was Celestia, but she had her doubts. Never in her life did she think that Celestia could act so… cold. Even after everything that she saw, she still didn’t want to believe it. Yet the proof was right there. Not only was the proof all around her, but it was also in Celestia’s very eyes. No remorse, no regret. Not a sliver of compassion. There was something boiling inside of Rainbow. There was something rushing through her veins. Something familiar. Something that she never thought would be directed at Celestia. Anger. “What the hay was that?” Rainbow asked, voice low and foreboding. Princess or not, she wasn’t going to let anypony do this to innocents without hearing from her. Celestia picked up on Rainbow’s agitation. She had to. There was no way that she couldn’t. Yet her eyes still showed nothing. “A concussive spell,” she calmly answered. “Anything caught with the blast is instantly rendered unconscious.” She took a quick glance around the destroyed museum. “While the spell’s effects are harmless, the blast from the casting does leave room for improvement.” Rainbow could hardly muster up the senses to speak. The princess’ casual tone was simply mind-boggling. “Room for— You leveled a room full of innocent ponies! Why did you do that?” Celestia didn’t falter for an instant. “Innocent? That type of gullibility will get you in far more trouble than you could ever hope to handle.” That did nothing to help calm Rainbow’s nerves. In fact, it only served to throw more fuel into the flame. “I’m gullible? I’m gullible? And how the hay did you know that they weren’t innocent, huh? What huge sign gave away that these guys weren’t innocent?” “I didn’t know. I simply did not want to take a risk.” Rainbow’s seething glare only sharpened as she took a single step towards the princess. “So you risk hurting a bunch of ponies who didn’t have anything to do with this? That’s a risk worth taking? That’s insane! You’re supposed to protect them!” Sighing, Celestia slowly shut her eyes. “You still have much to learn, Rainbow Dash.” She opened her eyes, her gaze suddenly foreboding and serious. “At times, it doesn’t matter what others want. At times, some morals must be broken. If something must be done, then it must be done, regardless of the consequences.” “Don’t feed me that crap!” Rainbow shouted. She couldn’t even bring herself to look at the princess anymore, trotting away from the alicorn in some feeble attempt to keep calm. Never in her life did she ever even consider the idea of having any aggressive feelings towards Celestia of all ponies. Yet, here she was, struggling to keep herself from flipping into a rage. And the princess wasn’t making that effort any easier. Celestia hardly seemed bothered by Rainbow’s behavior; not the slightest shred of remorse made its way onto her face, not even as she overlooked the destruction that she caused. “Allow me to ask you something, Rainbow Dash.” Rainbow’s eyes snapped back up to the princess. “What?” she growled. “When you were face to face with your friends’ captors, how did you feel?” Rainbow raised a single eyebrow at the sudden question. “What? Wh-what do you—” “Were you angry?” “I-I was… I mean, yeah. But I—” “Did you want to kill them?” The question slammed into Rainbow like a punch to the chest. She couldn’t deny that if she could’ve, she would’ve had blood on her hooves. Back in that house, during that bloodthirsty rage, she would’ve murdered somepony. She wanted to. But she wasn’t thinking clearly. She was lost in the moment. It was a blind frenzy. It wasn’t like she would ever consider killing a pony if she had a clear mind. At least, that was what she told herself. “Rainbow Dash. Did you want to kill them?” Celestia repeated. As she considered the question, the anger inside of Rainbow slowly subsided. Her angry gaze drifted down to the floor. Her body loosened up, sagged. Something else was filling up inside. Something worse than anger. Fear. Fear that she was losing her grip on her morals. Fear that she was losing her grips on reality. Fear that if she didn’t do something about it, she would become the very thing she despised: a killer. Whether it was because she grew impatient waiting for an answer or because she sensed Rainbow’s growing anxiety, Celestia kept the questions coming. “Would you be willing to kill if it meant saving your friends?” Even after everything she’s been through, it still stung to even consider taking another life, even if it meant saving her friends. That was what she told herself. That was what she wanted to believe. “No. There’s gotta be another way, though.” Celestia didn’t miss a beat. “What if there isn’t?” “Then I’ll find a way.” “What if you can’t?” Rainbow stamped a hoof on the ground. “Then I’ll make one up! I’m not killing anything. I don’t care what I have to do.” Another sigh passed through Celestia’s lips. Finally, she hit Rainbow with the hardest question. “And what if that stubbornness, that refusal, resulted in your friends’ deaths?” What if it was her fault? That was what Celestia was asking. What if this stalwart refusal to break her morals ended up getting her friends killed? What if they died because of her? Rainbow tried to look down at her hooves, to try and see if she had the hooves of a killer, but all she saw were blurred waves of blue. It was difficult to see through the tears. “Killing is not something that I take lightly,” Celestia said. “However, it is also something that I am not above if it is for the greater good.” Celestia walked up to Rainbow, using a wing to ease the pegasus’ head up. “I can see true anger in your eyes, and I know that some of it is directed towards me. There is little that I can do to change that. I also know that most of it is directed towards those who stole your friends. We will do everything within our power, the both of us, to ensure that they are safe and that the ones responsible will pay. I cannot guarantee what will happen. All that I can do is ask that you will be able to forgive me after all of this.” Was Rainbow going to forgive Celestia? In all likelihood, probably. But at that moment, Rainbow couldn’t give a rat’s tail about that. She just wanted to save her friends, get as far away from Hoofington as possible, and put the entire thing behind her like a really bad nightmare. They were going to get away and everything would go back to normal. Better than normal, even. Rainbow would spend more time with them. Maybe she could help out Applejack around the farm more. Maybe she could return all of those overdue Daring Do books to Twilight. She could pull more pranks with Pinkie, spend more time with Fluttershy and her animals; she could even pose in some of Rarity’s dresses. They were going to get out of it just fine. Everything was going to be fine. That was how all of this was supposed to end. It was all going to be okay. It had to be. “I understand that this is an incredibly difficult time for you, and it will only get harder from here on out. If you do not want to continue, I understand.” Rainbow wiped the tears from her eyes. She got back on her hooves, still holding in the tears. But through that was a newfound resolve. Now was not the time to get teary eyed, and now definitely wasn’t the time to even consider backing down. She came too far to run away just because things looked tough. She was not going to abandon her friends. “I’m not going anywhere,” she said. Celestia slowly nodded her head. “Very well.” Her eyes drifted over to a wooden door tucked away in the corner of the museum, one of the few things that were still standing. The door that led into the ‘storage room’ of the museum. The pulsating magic emanating from that door was impossible to ignore. The Staff had to be down there. She walked up to the door, Rainbow solemnly following behind. The princess eased the door open, revealing the pitch black stairway behind it. Rainbow, mouth agape, crept up to the newly revealed stairway. “Whoa. What’s down there?” she asked, her voice echoing in the dark depths. “The storeroom.” Rainbow’s mouth curled into an annoyed frown. “That’s it?” “It used to be a dungeon.” “Oh.” Rainbow felt a cold chill run down her spine as she stared back down the stairs. Somewhere in that dark abyss were her friends, trapped in a cage like rabid animals. She wanted to make the ones responsible pay. She wanted to make them suffer. The very though was enough to get her heart racing. But she had to keep her head together. Saving her friends was her priority. Any payback that she happened to get along the way was just a bonus. “Are you ready?” Celestia asked. Rainbow released all of her aggression in a single, long sigh. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine. Let’s go.” Without another word, the two ventured down into the depths of the museum. Now, Rainbow never liked being a pessimist, they tended to be buzzkills, but she couldn’t shake the bad feeling itching at the back of her mind. She didn’t like what was happening, and she wasn’t going to like anything that was about to happen. Regardless, when she said that she would always be there for her friends, she meant it, and she was going to prove it. The nightmare was almost over, and she was going to do anything that she could to end it. Anything. ---- As she regained consciousness, the first thing that Star Light noticed was the gleaming blue sky above, quickly followed by the dull, throbbing pain in her muzzle. Lingering pains were one of the worst parts about losing consciousness. That, and the fact that anything could’ve happened during the time she was knocked out. Judging from the sun’s position, she couldn’t have been out for more than a few minutes. Still, it was a good idea to regain her bearings. A few minutes could be a very long time in the appropriate scenario. Looking off to the side, she spotted one of the museum’s front doors lying next to her. She must’ve taken a pretty nasty hit from that. Solid oak and heavy to boot. Without the barrier that she put up, she might not have woken up at all. Slowly, Star picked herself up off of the dirt. She touched a hoof to her nose, flinching back when sharp sting shot through her muzzle. It was definitely sore, but not bleeding. As far as injuries went, it could’ve been much, much worse. “That wasn’t fun,” Star mumbled. “Twilight, are you okay? Twilight?” She didn’t know whether to be surprised or not when she didn’t get a response. She looked around, expecting to find an unconscious purple mare somewhere within the vicinity, but oddly, she couldn’t find her. “Twilight?” Star called again, louder. Still nothing. Granted, even though both of them had to have been knocked out by that blast, Star took the brunt of it, so it made sense for Twilight to wake up before her. What didn’t make sense was the mare’s wandering off, especially in the given situation. However, Star did have something of a hunch as to where the errant mare could’ve wandered off to. She set her eyes on the museum before her, or rather, what was left of it. Bits of the outer walls were blown clean off, leaving holes that led straight into the interior. Every window adorning the structure was broken open, the shattered remains of its glass littering the ground. And of course, the front doors were blown clean off of its hinges with frightening force, as Star Light painfully learned. Oddly enough, at the very top, the white marble structure of Celestia was left untouched. Star didn’t know if that was mere luck, or if she was supposed to take something away from that. Regardless, peering through the museum’s open entrance, she found Twilight. The unicorn was standing in the middle of the museum, amidst the devastating aftermath of what was essentially a contained explosion. Her eyes scanned over the destruction, not uttering a single word, her face a pit of shock and disbelief. Star Light slowly made her way inside the museum herself, careful not to startle the unicorn. Shattered glass and bits of stone crunched beneath her hooves as she made her approach, her eyes surveying the damage as well. It was a miracle that the building was standing at all, given all that it’s sustained. However, if the crumbling bits of wall were any indicator, it wasn’t going to stay that way for long. The sooner that they got out of there, the better. As she came closer, Twilight glanced back at her, barely holding back the tears welling up in her pained eyes. Star was tempted to try and comfort her, to place a comforting hoof on the mare’s shoulder, but given the volatile nature of their relationship, such things likely would’ve only made things worse. “What happened here?” Twilight croaked out. Star took another quick look around the destroyed museum. “It looks like somepony cast some type of concussive spell. A powerful one, too.” “But who did it?” Star Light failed to stop herself from sighing. There was little point in dancing around the subject. “You know exactly who did it,” she said. “I don’t know why, but Celestia isn’t—” “How do you know it was her?” Twilight snapped, anger suddenly brimming in her eyes. “I’ve known Celestia since I was a filly, and she would never do anything like this!” Just as quickly as it appeared, the anger subsided as Twilight’s eyes drifted towards the ground. “She just… she couldn’t.” Star Light softly sighed to herself. Yelling wasn’t going to do either of them any good. She had to remember where Twilight was coming from. She was a personal student of Celestia. A protégé of the sun princess. She had to have placed the princess in the best of lights, on the highest of pedestals. She was Twilight’s mentor, role model, and likely one of her best of friends. To see and know that someone she held in such high regards was capable of something so callous and destructive must’ve been near impossible to bear. It was hard to accept, yes, but it was rarely ever easy to hear the truth. “You felt the exact same magic that I did,” Star Light said. “Are you honestly going to tell me that there’s a unicorn alive who could ever hope to match that? You don’t really believe that, do you?” For a few short seconds, Twilight considered the possibility of Celestia causing such destruction. However, as she looked at the unconscious bodies littering the destroyed museum, her doubts came rushing back in full. The damage to their bodies, bloodied and beaten, couldn’t have been inflicted by a pony as benign as Celestia. “But there are innocent civilians here,” she said. “Celestia would never do something like this, not if it would hurt them.” “You’re right,” Star said. “There are civilians here. But as I’ve said before, there were also members of the Solar Eclipse here as well, mixed in with the crowd. Celestia knew this as well. I wanted to deal with them in a way that would’ve kept civilians out of the crossfire. Celestia didn’t bother with such a precaution.” Twilight’s angry exterior slowly broke down as she took it all in. She had always been a mare of facts, but these were facts that she didn’t want to believe. She couldn’t believe that Celestia—the Princess Celestia—was capable of such a thing. It just wasn’t possible. Star Light simply stood aside as she watched Twilight break down in front of her. Even for her, seeing the unicorn like that was too much to watch. That was when she decided to place a comforting hoof on Twilight’s shoulder, in spite of herself. Still, Twilight didn’t flinch away, so it must’ve been the right thing to do. “I know that this is all very hard to take it, but if you keep lying to yourself, then who are you helping?” Twilight looked up at her, tears streaming down her face. “But I don’t understand. Why would she do this?” “I don’t know her exact reasoning behind this, but it’s like I said, the Solar Eclipse have spent a very long time trying to bring out the very worst in Celestia. It seems that they’re finally succeeding. If we don’t do something soon, then your friends may end up getting caught in a very deadly crossfire.” Twilight said nothing else. She simply looked back at the ground as she let it all sink in. Star Light gave the unicorn her space and walked over to the exposed stairwell, peering down into the museum’s dark depths. It must’ve been where Celestia went while they were knocked out. More importantly, however, it must’ve been where Rainbow Dash went. She was getting close. Star looked back at Twilight. The purple mare hadn’t moved from her spot, and didn’t look like she was going to for a long while. “Listen, Twilight. I can’t stay here. Your friends must be down in this dungeon. I have to get them out before something bad happens. You can follow if you want, but otherwise, you should look for—” Whether or not Twilight was even listening to her came into question when she brushed right past Star and down the stony steps. “Hey, Twilight! Where are you going?” “To find my friends.” "And what about Celestia?" Star asked. "I'm going to ask her a few questions." Star Light was already following Twilight down the stairs, but had to come to a dead halt when she heard the conviction, the authority, and the anger behind her voice. Somewhere within the past few seconds, something inside of Twilight snapped. Now, instead of slouching around, questioning what was true in her life, she was charging right into the face of danger without so much as a second’s hesitation, which might have been a step too far in the other direction. Whether or not they were friends, Star Light felt some obligation to protect the unicorn. Maybe it was to keep her own conscience clean, or maybe it was for Rainbow Dash. Either way, Twilight rushing ahead made protecting her something of a challenge. “For goodness’ sake. Wait!” she called. Twilight stopped and looked up at her. “If you want to talk me out of it, don’t bother.” Star Light started down the stairs herself. “The thought hadn’t even crossed my mind. But if we’re going to do this, at least let me lead. These guys are dangerous.” “I can handle myself in a fight, thank you,” Twilight retorted, following the white-robed mare down the stairs. Star had to stifle a chuckle. “A young, little bookworm like you? I’ll believe it when I see it.” If Twilight was annoyed by that little statement, she didn’t show it. “Hopefully, it won’t come to that.” “Now there’s something that we can both agree on.” Of course, actually getting through that situation with little difficulty was something that required enormous amounts of luck, something that Star Light had very little of even in the best of times. As treacherous as things seemed, however, the fact still remained. Rainbow Dash was back in her sights. All Star could do at that point was hope that she could find her before anything happened. It was, after all, the least that she could do. ---- “Oh, thank you! Thank you so much, Your Highness! You are too kind! Far, far too kind!” The green pegasus, whom Luna eventually learned was named Wind Gale, practically kissed the lunar princess’ hooves as he bowed before her. Bowing was the absolute least that he could’ve done; it was nowhere near enough to repay her immense generosity. After releasing him from the dungeon’s unforgiving shackles, Luna not only filled his starving stomach with a feast fit for a king, but she also allowed him to clean himself up in the heavenly waters of the royal baths, before finally letting him rest within the incredibly comfortable confines of one of the many guest rooms. That guest room, with its gleaming white floors and pristine white and blue bed, was where he met Luna again. He couldn’t have begun showering her with praise any quicker if he tried. Of course, Luna didn’t see her actions as righteous and as divine as he did. She was simply a pony helping another in need. “Rise, Wind Gale, please. Such actions are not necessary. Bringing you back to health was the least I could have done, given what you’ve endured.” Wind Gale quickly complied, clearing his throat as he regained a more serious composure. As silly as he must’ve seemed, what else could he have done? Simply say his thanks and walk away? Clearly not a proper display of gratitude. “So, am I free to leave?” he asked. Luna nodded. “You may leave if you wish. However, I do have some questions that I would like to ask, if that is okay with you.” “Oh, of course. Anything you wish, Your Highness.” The gentlest of smiles graced Luna’s face. “Excellent. Please, take a seat.” She motioned over to a few nearby seat cushions. The pegasus and alicorn each took their respective seats, but where Luna sat normally, Wind Gale nearly sunk into his seat, soft as it was. Once he was properly composed again, Luna decided to begin her questions. “Now, do you remember anything that has happened within the past few days?” Wind Gale’s face scrunched into a small frown as he tried to recall anything unusual. It was odd. He knew that something had to have happened over the past few days, but actually remembering them was a different story. He knew that they were near the front of his mind, but it was like trying to remember a dream as the events slowly slipped away from memory with each passing second. He just couldn’t do it. Soon, he simply shook his head. “I’m sorry, Your Highness. I can’t seem to remember. The memories are there, but it’s all just one, big blur.” “It is quite okay,” Luna said. “I expected as much. Now, can you remember anything before the blur?” “Oh, of course. Everything from before is crystal clear.” “Do you remember what happened just before this blur in your memory?” Wind Gale took another moment to recall those events. Even those were rather blurry, but he could still remember what had transpired. “Yes. I… I was headed home after a long day’s work. I’m a courier, you see, and delivering packages across Equestria can take a toll on the body.” “Understandable,” Luna said, nodding. She’d be lying if she said that she was unfamiliar with the aches of sore wings. “Please, continue.” “Of course.” The pegasus cleared his throat, regathering his thoughts. “When I returned home, I went straight upstairs to my bedroom. When I got there, I noticed a draft coming from one of the windows. This was odd because I knew for a fact that I locked all of my windows before I left.” “You believe that there was an intruder in your home,” Luna assumed. Wind Gale nodded. “They must’ve snuck up on me. Before I knew it, the entire room was filled with this chilling, yellow light. That’s all that I can remember, I think.” “I see.” Luna took a moment to absorb the information. It wasn’t much to go on, but it was better than nothing. If there were intruders in his home, then perhaps they left something behind. “Wind Gale, would it be of any trouble to you if I arranged a thorough search of your home? These intruders may have left crucial evidence.” “Of course not, Your Highness. Do whatever you wish if you feel it is for the best.” “Thank you.” Luna’s expression, once gentle and kind, suddenly hardened into something more serious. “Now, I have only one last question to ask of you.” The sudden change in her tone made Wind Gale grow tense. “Y-yes?” “You mentioned working as a courier, yes?” The pegasus nodded in silence. “For whom were you delivering these packages?” “I work for the Pegasi Postal Service, rather standard affairs,” Wind Gale calmly answered. “Today, I had to deliver tools to a carpenter in Trottingham. Since the total delivery was too heavy for one trip, I had to deliver them one at a time.” Luna nodded her head as she listened to his answer. However, she wasn’t necessarily listening to his words, but rather his tone. She listened out for the slightest quivers, for any involuntary changes in pitch. His answer, however, was perfectly calm and unsuspicious. But Luna wasn’t done yet. She also kept an eye on his face. Though his voice didn’t falter, the same couldn’t have been said for his expression. For a split-second, the occasional quiver betrayed whatever honest mask he was trying to wear. It was barely noticeable, but it was still enough for the alicorn. Luna sat back in her seat, a small, almost satisfied creeping onto her face. “I must say, Wind Gale, you are a truly excellent liar, and that is not a statement I make lightly." Whatever confident façade that the pegasus thought he had nearly crumbled away in a sharp intake of breath. “What do you mean?” he asked. "I must be honest, though. I thought that we would be long past lying by this point.” "B-but I’m not lying, Your Highness.” “Come now. None of us are perfect liars; some merely have very difficult to spot signs. For instance, your nose twitches ever so slightly when you are deceptive.” “I-it does not!” Wind Gale shouted, though his muzzle thought otherwise. “Ah, there it is again,” Luna teasingly said, pointing at the twitching nose. But as Wind Gale tried to cover his traitorous nose, Luna grew serious yet again. “But in all seriousness, what is it that you are afraid of telling me? Are you afraid that I will grow enraged at the truth? If so, then rest assured, you have nothing to fear. I simply wish to know the details so that I may better understand this plight of ours.” Wind Gale slowly brought his eyes down to the floor. He shifted back and forth in his seat, not so much trying to think of another lie, but deciding on how much he should tell Luna, if anything at all. “I… I’m afraid that I can’t,” he solemnly said. Luna simply nodded. “I see. You do not wish to go against your creed.” The princess could practically see every muscle in Wind Gale’s body tense up. There were no sudden, surprised yelps or attempts to lie yet again. He simply looked up at her, face just as flat and serious as hers. “How did you know?” he whispered. “I did not wish to say anything at first due to the rather grim circumstances we started off in. Now that we are here, however…” Luna motioned towards the pegasus’ neck. “There is no need to hide such a thing from me.” Wind Gale softly sighed in both defeat and shame. Slowly, he brushed aside a bit of his mane, revealing the branded scar, the triangular insignia that forever labeled his allegiance. He didn’t know if the burn he felt came from his shame or Luna’s gaze as she laid eyes upon it. “So, what will you do to me?” “It is as I said, you’ve nothing to fear; I simply do not want you lying to me. Now that we are, as they say, on the same page, I will ask you again. What was inside that package?” Wind Gale fidgeted about in his seat as he came to terms with the situation. He glanced up at Luna; her expression said it all. There was no anger behind her eyes, but rather an unfaltering sternness. He wasn’t going to leave until he told her what she wanted to know. Finally, the pegasus breathed a deep sigh, conceding to the princess’ wishes. “It… it was a map.” “A map of what?” The pegasus couldn’t even bring himself to look into Luna’s eyes. “Of Ponyville.” Luna let out a small breath, her gaze not faltering for an instance. “And why did you have a map of Ponyville?” “It was a part of a recent operation to gather intelligence on the pegasus, Rainbow Dash.” Even though Wind Gale couldn’t see it, the slightest hints of surprise appeared in Luna’s eyes. She still maintained her composure, however. “What does Rainbow Dash have to do with any of this?” Wind Gale took a deep breath. A long, deep breath to calm his nerves. Against his better judgment, he looked back up into Luna’s unwavering eyes, meeting them with his own stern gaze. “Everything.” ---- Despite her numerous paranoid claims and fears, Rainbow had never actually been in a dungeon before. Yes, she saw numerous pictures of dungeons in the odd history book every now and again, but she had never set hoof in one herself. That being the case, she never could’ve expected the chilling sense of eeriness that came with entering one. Even as she and Celestia were descending the stairs, Rainbow couldn’t ignore the lingering chill that traveled up and down her spine. Once they reached the dungeon proper, however, that same chill practically had her shivering. The cold stone beneath her hooves, the chilling air, the dim, claustrophobic, torch-lit halls, it all served to create an oppressive atmosphere that did nothing to calm her nerves. Granted, a lot of effort had gone into hiding the dungeon’s bloody past. At first glance, it did seem to be little more than a storage place for the artifacts not on display. The numerous rooms lining the walls around them were all filled with various dusty crates and barrels, some containing larger artifacts draped over by a large tarp. Signs hung from the walls, reminding employees to handle the items with care, to wash their hooves, and other standard talk. With the drastic makeover, it wouldn’t have surprised Rainbow if the average pony saw this without feeling an inkling of the unease that she felt. But they could tell her that it was simply ‘a place for storage’ all they wanted, it would never change what it used to be: a place of imprisonment, torture, and even worse. Countless ponies, kicking, screaming, bloodied, and beaten, were dragged down the very corridor that Rainbow stood in, taken away to whatever cruel fate awaited them. The rooms, the cells that surrounded the pegasus all contained enough horror stories to last ten lifetimes. And this was where her friends were being held. And then there was Celestia. Rainbow didn’t know what it was, but something about the princess simply wouldn’t stop bothering her. Was it her stoicism? Her coldness? That unwavering, emotionless look in her eyes? Ever since they’d arrived, absolutely nothing has seemed to even give Celestia a hint of concern. Given just how bad things had gotten, Rainbow didn’t know if that was a good thing or not. It just didn’t make sense. Rainbow was supposed to feel safe around the princess; she was supposed to trust her and her judgments. If that was supposed to be the case, then why didn’t Rainbow feel safe? Why didn’t she trust Celestia? What was it about the princess that didn’t feel right? Celestia slowly came to a stop in the middle of the stone passageway, Rainbow doing the same. The princess’ eyes were fixated firmly on the path before her, scanning it for even the slightest sign of movement. Rainbow looked down the passageway as well. Actually looking at it, it seemed to stretch on for far longer than necessary for the museum above it. She couldn’t even see the end. Rainbow looked behind herself as well. The sight was the same: an endless corridor leading into pitch darkness. Had they really traveled that far? And this was only one corridor; it was bound to have countless branching paths that essentially made it an underground maze. If her friends were somewhere down there, blindly searching was only going to waste time. And that was to say nothing of those hooded goons that were no doubt crawling all over the place. “We’re close,” Celestia said. Rainbow peered into the darkness before her, gulping down her anxiety. “Yeah, we have to be. So, how are we gonna do this? This place looks pretty big to me.” Celestia didn’t respond, she just kept staring down the corridor, her face still completely flat. The things going through her mind, the emotions she must’ve been feeling, she didn’t show a hint of it. Finally, she looked down at Rainbow. “I sense a source of immense energy not far from here. I am certain that the Staff is there.” If Celestia was relieved, then she was the only one who was. “What about my friends?” Rainbow asked. Again, she didn’t get an answer. The question didn’t even seem to register to the princess. She merely started down the corridor yet again, not even acknowledging Rainbow’s concerns. Rainbow herself didn’t know whether to be confused or annoyed as she watched Celestia walk away. “What the…? Hey, wait up!” She galloped up to Celestia’s side, the princess not slowing for an instant. “You didn’t answer my question. How are we gonna find my friends down here? This place is huge!” Again, no response from the princess. She didn’t even glance down at the pegasus. What the hay’s her deal? Rainbow got in front of the princess and tried to push her back. “Will you just… slow down… and talk to me?” she strained out through clenched teeth. But no matter how much strength she used, Celestia never slowed, let alone stop. Rainbow may as well have been trying to stop a stampede for all the good it did. Fatigue soon got the best of her, and she had to aside to regain her strength. Celestia, of course, continued on, not batting an eyelash. At first, Rainbow was merely confused by the odd behavior, but it was only a matter of time before she grew annoyed. Very annoyed. Celestia was her best bet of getting her friends out of there in one piece. At least, she was supposed to be. Yet here she was, pretending that Rainbow didn’t even exist. Well, Rainbow no longer cared what she had to do in order to get the princess’ attention. Even if she had to slap some sense into her, so be it. Rainbow shot up to her hooves and darted back in the princess’ path. Just as she started making designs on the fleshier parts of the princess’ face, however, something caught her ear. “You get your hooves offa me, you good-for-nothin’, feather-headed, apple-suckin’ varmint!” That was a voice that Rainbow would know anywhere. A sense of both elation and fear swelled up in her chest as she searched for the source. “Applejack?” She looked down an adjacent hall. She heard Applejack’s voice echo from the darkness. It had to have been coming from that way. Applejack was there; that must’ve meant that the others were as well. They were close. Very close. Rainbow looked back towards the princess. She was still walking, didn’t even slow down. She didn’t bat an eyelash or showed a hint of interest towards Applejack’s shouting. “Princess Celestia!” Rainbow called. “You heard that, right? My friends are right down here!” Something akin to hope was in her voice. Unfortunately, that hope was extinguished when Celestia didn’t slow for a second. She walked right past Rainbow Dash and continued down the hall. “Hey, did you hear me? Where’re you going? Princess!” Celestia continued down the hall towards whatever destination she had cemented in her mind. “It’s close,” she muttered. “It’s close.” Rainbow was speechless. They were so close. Too close to let things fall apart now. Every second that she spent standing there was a second thrown to waste. It no longer mattered why Celestia was there herself; Rainbow was there for her friends. If Celestia wanted to obsess over a hunk of metal, then that was her prerogative. Rainbow glanced down the path that led to her friends. She glanced back to Celestia, glared at her. “She can handle herself,” she muttered. Without another word, Rainbow took the path down towards her friends, leaving the princess on her own. She had her own mission to attend to, and if that meant leaving the princess to her own devices, then so be it. Nothing was going to get in the way between her and her friends.