Fluttershy let the hidden door close behind her. She stared at the fake wall panel for several long minutes, feeling decidedly miserable. She hated leaving Fine up there, but she didn’t know what else to do; there was just no consoling him. She had to find somepony who could help… but what if that monster was still out there? Nopony in Equestria was going to help Fine if they were still having to worry about that thing.
But she’d been up there for nearly two hours and had achieved nothing, unless she counted getting him from being under the bed to on top of it. Which she didn’t. She needed advice or… or… she didn’t know what she needed, but she wasn’t doing any good staying there.
“Fine?” Fluttershy turned at the familiar voice, mildly surprised to see Princess Luna trotting out of the hall. The Princess came to an abrupt pause at the sight of her. “Fluttershy? What are… is Fine home?”
The urgency in her voice worried Fluttershy a bit. “He’s… not doing too good. Is this about that monster?”
The Princess nodded, her face as serious as death. “Ill or no, I need everypony to be gathered. We face a crisis the likes of which has not been encountered since… since before written history.”
Fluttershy stared at her with wide eyes. “Is… is it r-really that s-s-serious…?”
“Where is Fine?”
The demanding tone, the barely-controlled urgency, the quiet fidgeting… everything told Fluttershy that something truly terrible had indeed come to pass. But Fine… “I’ll show you.”
She led Luna up the hidden stairwell, not uttering a word despite the discomfort of having the princess so close at her back. When she opened the door at the top of the stairs the now-familiar sound of Fine’s whimpering immediately caught her ears. She allowed Luna to pass her at the doorway and followed with head bowed, wishing she could go back downstairs.
Fine was illuminated in the soft glow of Luna’s mane. Fluttershy had tucked him under the covers, where he fretfully slept. His legs kicked in tiny jerks against the sheets, tears dripping down his cheeks. His lips moved swiftly as he mumbled, his terrified words not quite discernible even in the perfect silence. Every now and again his entire body would spasm in a single, small motion, usually accompanied by a tiny yelp.
Luna sat and stared down at her closest ally. Fluttershy went to the other side of the bed and saw, to her alarm, a haunted and lost expression on that royal face. She’d never imagined that she might see such a worried look in the eyes of a Princess.
“Has he been like this ever since the creature arrived?” Luna asked, her voice hollow.
Fluttershy nodded, still staring at her face. “I’ve been trying to help him… but I don’t think he can even hear me anymore.”
Luna’s head turned away from the bed. She set a hoof to her chin and thought for several seconds, her fearful eyes shifting as if to follow some unseen object in the distance. “We have no choice,” she said at last. “We must proceed without him. There simply is no time.”
“Proceed to do what?”
Luna turned to her, and all the doubt that had been there a moment before was gone. “I need everypony gathered here immediately. Not just the Element-Bearers, but Fine’s team as well. You must go, Fluttershy, and quickly!”
Fluttershy winced at the tone, worry eating at her mind as she took a few steps to the door. “Umm… what about Fine?”
Luna turned back to the bed. “His analytical prowess would have been helpful… I will try something, and tend to him until you return. But we cannot wait for him to recover: too much is at stake.” There was a brief pause, and then Luna cast an angry glance at Fluttershy. “Go, Fluttershy! There is no time to waste!”
It had taken nearly three hours for the ponies to gather at the house in the Everfree Forest. They were all in what Fluttershy claimed was Fine’s dining room around a massive table, waiting impatiently for Luna to come down from the tower. When she at last appeared she looked worn out and miserable, her mane slack and its glow dim.
Fluttershy was the first to speak up. “How’s Fine?”
Luna shook her head as she made her way to the head of the table. “There is nothing more I can do. I left him a small token, something I’ve been working on for the past year, but I do not know if it will help. The rest is up to him.”
Rainbow was the next to speak, rising up out of her seat excitedly. “What’s that big monster out there, huh? Where did it come from!?”
“The only pony who might be able to tell us that is mentally out-of-order,” Twilight answered with head bowed, pointing to the ceiling with a hoof to indicate Fine Crime.
“I fear Twilight is correct,” Luna confessed. “I know not what it is or where it comes from, only that it is under the control of Mane Archon and Silma Ril.”
Her audience all exchanged questioning looks. “Who?” Nye asked.
Luna considered them all for a moment, appearing just a bit hesitant. “I cannot say who Mane Archon is. His name is familiar, and what little I do know suggests that he was an important – but unknown – figure in Equestrian History.”
“That’s strange,” Twilight noted, “if he was then shouldn’t I have read about him at some point?”
“Egghead,” Lightning Dust called out, but nopony found the taunt funny.
“Alas, I cannot tell you anything more, because I simply do not know about him,” Luna admitted. “But he works with Silma Ril, so I can only assume he is very dangerous.”
“That’s twice you’ve mentioned this Silma Ril,” Rarity noted. “Who is she?”
“Oh oh, she’s a witch!” Pinkie offered excitedly. “Or maybe a demon. No wait, a human! Oooooh, a human-demon witch!”
There was a long, strained silence. The heavy atmosphere saw Pinkie’s smile fade, and she slowly sat back down with a pout. Luna’s extended silence had everypony feeling on edge; they exchanged looks and waited anxiously for her to respond.
“We have precious little time, so I will spare the details,” Luna said at last. “Silma was an Empress who ruled long ago, before even the founding of Equestria. She was the first great evil my sister and I stood up against. We thought she’d been killed.”
“Killed?” Upper Crust asked in alarm. “…not… defeated? Or imprisoned? Or…?”
“Killed.” Luna’s tone was firm. “There was no other option: it was her or us.”
Another nervous silence filled the room. After a few seconds Luna went on. “My sister and I fought Silma, and it was a desperate battle. We barely achieved victory, and then only through the aid of another. Now she is back and we MUST defeat her as swiftly as possible, before she returns to her full strength.”
“Umm… Princess?” It was Twilight, and she suddenly had a very scared expression. “Why isn’t Celestia here with you? She’s… protecting Canterlot?”
Luna’s face cracked for just a moment, and she quickly glanced away to recover. After a few tense seconds she finally answered. “Celestia… my sister… cannot help us now. She’s been defeated.”
“WHAT!?”
The room erupted in terrified chatter, but Luna reared back and slammed her hooves on the floor, a crack of thunder radiating out of her mane to char a black mark along the walls. In the ensuing silence she spoke. “We can save her, if we act swiftly! As we speak Silma is attempting to enslave the minds of all the ponies in Canterlot, including my sister. This will take up much of her energies, so we have a singular opportunity to do something about it. The Elements of Harmony are our only hope: if we can get you to the Castle and use the spell against Silma she will be defeated.”
“Then what are we waiting for?” Rainbow asked, once again leaping out of her seat.
“Wait,” Jimmy countered, “that can’t be the only option. Princess, how did you and your sister defeat her before?”
“That option is not available to us,” Luna replied solemnly. “I am afraid Rainbow Dash is correct: there is no option but to go in haste to Canterlot.”
“I don’t like it,” Octavia declared. “If this Silma’s so strong we can’t just jump in! We need to form some kind of plan.”
“We will,” Luna responded firmly, “but let us think of it on the way. Every second we waste brings my sister closer to mental capitulation.”
“The Princess would never submit ta some weird mind spell mumbo jumbo,” Applejack announced confidently, but then cast a wary glance towards Luna. “…would she?”
“…we must hurry.” Luna’s answer didn’t comfort anypony.
They marched towards the capitol, hidden under the protective cover of Luna’s darkness. The princess was in an obvious hurry, and nopony blamed her for wanting to rescue her sister. But they were only civilians, and some were not at all physically suited for the trip; she made no attempts to press them. They moved as fast as they could through rolling hills and forest, Canterlot Castle looming high above them as they edged ever closer. Once again she wished the trains had been working, but of course the great sleeping beast had destroyed the train line.
“Luna?”
She glanced back, her thoughts interrupted, to find a very worn out Nye walking swiftly just behind her. He was out of breath and limping, clearly unaccustomed to such constant activity, but he’d not complained all night. For once she wasn’t all that happy to see him. “Yes Nye, what is it?”
He picked up his pace with visible strain so as to come alongside her. “I was…wondering how you’re…holding up.”
If the situation weren’t so serious she might have laughed at the comment; he was the one struggling to keep up. But she knew what he really meant. “I’m fine.”
He didn’t look at her, and his voice was firm. “Don’t lie to me.”
She glanced at him with genuine surprise; that was a tone she’d never heard in him before. He went on before she could respond, huffing between phrases. “I’m a soft pony…everypony knows that…but I didn’t…make friends with you…for the prestige of it.”
She turned her head forward once more, her face becoming regal but her mind lost. “Your meaning eludes me.”
He glanced aside, as if to make sure none of the others were listening, and then leaned close to her. “Talk to me… Let me know what…what you’re thinking…”
Oh, now she understood. He was offering to listen, to be a comfort. “I appreciate the sentiment, Nye,” she managed coldly, “but there is nothing you can do.”
“Don’t give me that,” he hissed angrily. “We’ve been…spilling our guts…in our letters to…one another for…four years now. I know you…Luna.”
She frowned, still refusing to look at him. “What do you want me to say? That I’m scared? That I need a shoulder to cry on?”
“I want you to say what you feel,” he snapped, though he managed to keep his anger bottled down to a whisper. “You’re playing…the leadership role. …I get it. …but you can’t…go in there like this…”
“Like what?” she demanded, tone sharp.
He was abruptly in her way, forcing her to stop or run him over. Her simmering anger was dissipated somewhat by her surprise at his unusually aggressive manner. “Like it’s…all or nothing.” He answered firmly. “I know what…what you’re thinking, Luna.” He took a deep recovering breath before pressing on. “You’re willing to risk it all, even your life if it means saving your sister. That’s why I’m talking to you right now.”
Dear Nye. Sometimes he could be so perceptive. But right at this moment it wasn’t endearing at all. “She’s my sister. What do you expect, subject?”
“Nye?” Twilight appeared at his side, setting a hoof to his shoulder. “…I don’t think now’s a good…”
“Shut up!” He shoved her away and turned back to Luna, who now realized that all the others were watching the exchange. Everyone was clearly worried, both of Nye’s extremely odd behavior and Luna’s potential response. “We’re about to go get ourselves killed. There’s no better time.”
“Nye, what are you doing?” Jimmy asked, his head low and ears tucked.
“I’m making sure we all understand what’s happening here,” his brother responded, eyes locked on Luna.
“I think you need to calm down,” she told him sharply, “and I think we need to keep moving.”
She tried to go around him, but he shifted to get in her way. She considered merely flying over him, but he spoke before she could act on the thought. “I can’t speak for everyone here, but I don’t want you to go into Canterlot with this kind of attitude.”
Such impertinence! “Friend or no, you should know better than to speak to your Princess…”
“I am not finished,” he snarled, and this time her surprise was so complete she actually forgot her anger. “You’re the princess, Luna! What is Equestria going to do without you? You’re ready to sacrifice yourself to save your sister, but have you considered the consequences should you fail?”
“I won’t fail,” she countered vehemently. “I can’t!”
“I’m sure Celestia thought the same thing,” he fired back, “and look where she is?”
There were collective gasps from the onlookers, Octavia whispering a horrified “Nye!”
“Any plan that risks losing Luna is too dangerous!” he snapped, turning to glare at all of them. “We need her! Equestria needs her!”
“Equestria needs Celestia,” Luna countered grimly.
“Just because you do things differently does not make her better than you,” he claimed. “Think about all those ponies who you’ve visited in dreams. Think about every pony who has come to rely upon you to protect us when we are at our most vulnerable. Think about me, about all of us, about Fine Crime!” He reared back to press his hooves against her shoulders firmly, his eyes resolute. “Celestia might rule Equestria, but you are our Princess, Luna, and we need you! Not Celestia, you. So I’m asking you, don’t go in there with plans to sacrifice your life for hers. You’re too important.”
She gazed into his eyes, momentarily stunned not just by their determination but also their honesty. “...Nye…”
“Lay off.” Jimmy abruptly appeared, shoving Nye back. “Stop making eyes at the princess. Rainbow’ll get jealous.”
“Will not!”
“My brother’s an idiot, Your Highness.” He turned to her with a weak smile. “But… this time he’s right.”
“I’m inclined to agree,” Octavia noted as she stepped up behind Nye with a regal air. “Celestia might rule Equestria, but there are some of us who prefer you.”
“Wow,” Twilight noted as she eyed the three in mild amazement, “I wasn’t expecting this.”
Upper Crust and Lightning Dust exchanged telling looks and stepped forward as well. “We’re behind you, Princess,” Upper Crust declared.
“And in front, if that’s what it takes,” Lightning confirmed.
“And if Fine were here,” Nye concluded, pushing his brother out of the way with a soft smile, “he’d be saying the same thing. Heck,” he added with a self-conscious blush, “he’d have probably said it better, too.”
Luna gazed at all of them, the ponies who had just a few years ago been nothing in even their own eyes. And now they were here, ready to fight… and they weren’t even doing it for Equestria. She didn’t understand the strange swelling feeling within her chest. Was this what her sister felt for the Element-Bearers? It was… by the moon, it was pride. She gazed out over her little ponies to the Element-Bearers, who stood nearby in a group to watch with happy smiles, and saw Twilight give a weak nod. “We’re with you too.”
She sat and brushed her eyes tenderly. “Nye Stone… I keep telling you to stop this kind of thing before you embarrass me…”
“Way too late for that,” Lightning noted.
“Alright. All of you, alright.” She beamed at them, amazed at how happy she was at that moment. “You win: I’ll be careful.”
Her team shared a collective sigh of relief, Nye adding, “That’s all I ask.”
There was a moment of pleasant silence as she gave him the happiest smile… and then Rainbow abruptly appeared between them. “This is really nice and all, but I think we’ve got a princess to save!”
Getting into Canterlot itself had been surprisingly easy. All the royal guards had moved to the barracks near the castle and were clearly trying to fight their way in. Luna and the others had assumed that Silma would have tried to brainwash the entire city in one go, just as Sombra had tried in the Crystal Empire. But there were no crystallized ponies in the city, nor any ponies with red eyes. At first this had seemed like a good sign… until Luna realized that Silma must have been focusing most of her energies on Celestia.
Suddenly everything seemed much more urgent.
When they at last reached the castle they found it surrounded by city guards and soldiers, all of whom had their spirits raised at the sight of Luna and the Element-Bearers. Some of Luna’s team felt a bit unappreciated, but they let it slide; there were more important issues at hoof.
While questioning the Captain of the Guard they learned the surprising truth: a small army of griffons and nilgiri tahr had attacked the castle that night from the skies. They’d taken over the highest floors of the castle and were fiercely guarding all access points. When asked the Captain confirmed the worst: all these invaders had red eyes.
“They must have been planning this for weeks,” Jimmy noted as they all huddled into a group to discuss strategy.
“More like months,” Upper Crust corrected, eyeing the castle worriedly. “How are we supposed to get to Celestia?”
“Well some of us can fly,” Lightning pointed out.
“There’s four pegasi and one alicorn. We can’t carry the rest of them up there, Dustie,” Rainbow pointed out grumpily.
“Flying is not an option anyway,” Twilight noted. “The Captain said the griffons are brutally after pegasi, and you’d all be too busy carrying us to defend yourselves.”
“In that case what are we supposed ta do?” Applejack asked. “If the soldiers can’t bust through them defenses, who’s ta say we can?”
“We can still fly,” Luna corrected, eyes upon the castle above them. “We need only a distraction.”
“A distraction?” Nye asked skeptically, “what kind of distraction?”
“The flying kind, of course,” Rarity said.
Luna nodded. “Indeed. Some pegasi can go up and attract the attention of the griffons. If we can lure them out to give chase then those of us who need to can fly into the castle safely.”
Rainbow Dash puffed out her chest with a confident grin. “I can do that! You just watch me, I’ll…”
“Not you, Rainbow,” Jimmy ordered.
“What?” She squinted at him scrutinously. “You need speed, agility and guts for a job like this! Who better than me?”
“The single most important thing is to get the six Element-Bearers to Silma,” Luna declared. “Mr. Stone is correct, Rainbow: you cannot be the distraction. You have to join the others so that the Elements of Harmony can be used.”
“Guess that means I’m up,” Lightning announced with a smug grin at Rainbow, who crossed her legs and sulked.
“And you will not be alone,” Luna told her. “We’ll have the pegasi soldiers help.”
“Umm, Princess?” Fluttershy whispered, somehow managing to catch everypony’s attention. “What about the m-m-monster?”
“Yeah,” Pinkie threw in, “and that Archon guy? What do we do if we run into him?”
“Archon is the smallest threat… I believe,” Luna replied after a moment’s thought. “While the Element-Bearers handle Silma my team will fight Archon. I imagine they will be close together at this early stage in their plan.”
“Sounds reasonable,” Octavia agreed.
“…and the m-monster?” Fluttershy pressed.
An awkward silence passed among them as they considered this dilemma. Several of them cast their eyes to the edge of Canterlot, where the beast’s massive body stretched on in the into the horizon.
“…Silma and Archon learned to control the beast,” Luna answered hesitantly. “Celestia and I will have to learn to do the same.”
They were gathered within a tall building, near the castle but away from the soldiers. Above Lightning and a small swarm of pegasi were circling, diving the castle’s spires with fly-by maneuvers that seemed dangerously close. The griffons couldn’t be seen through the windows below, save for the occasional claw swiping out at a pegasus just out of range. Yet no matter how many times they tried they just couldn’t reach the ponies, and from the sound of their eagle calls it was clear they were getting frustrated.
“How long has it been?” Applejack asked, tapping her hoof impatiently.
Upper Crust glanced at the stars to do a little guess work. “Half an hour.”
“I can’t believe they haven’t attacked,” Rainbow Dash said. “My old friend Gilda always had a hot temper. I thought it was a griffon thing.”
“Just be patient, everyone,” Octavia suggested, though she cast a worried glance to Luna. The Princess hadn’t said anything in some time. Her gaze had been firmly locked on the castle in a manner suggesting determination, but the occasional fidgeting and her deep breathing revealed her anxiousness.
She wasn’t the only one. Twilight sat nearby, mirroring Luna’s studious gaze but unable to hide her fear for her mentor. Jimmy, Nye, Fluttershy and Rarity were farther to the back of the room, where Pinkie was trying to keep their spirits up. Even she didn’t seem to have quite the same bounce in her step, though. All the rest remained near the windows, watching the castle above them and waiting for the opportunity to strike.
The minutes ticked by, and a very impatient Rainbow Dash made her way to Nye and pulled him aside. “You okay?” he asked as they settled in a dark corner.
“No, I am not okay,” she snapped, casting a grumpy look to the others. “…tell me I can’t do anything… I need to fly! Every second we sit here is another second Celestia has to fight on her own.”
He scratched his head, appearing just a bit helpless. “I understand how ya feel, Dashie, but what can we do? They need you with them to take on Silma.”
“I know,” she admitted, sagging a little. “I just… can’t stand waiting like this.”
He eyed her for a moment, a small smile on his lips. “Well, at least the view’s good.”
She rolled her eyes but smiled anyway. “Do you ever stop?” she asked, shoving him the chest playfully.
“Can’t,” he replied, shaking his head. “If I did you might stop paying attention to me.”
That didn’t sound like a joke. “Why do you think I’d stop paying attention to you?” He blushed and looked away, not answering the question. “Come on, Nye, spit it out.”
He glanced at her for just second, and there was genuine worry in his eyes. “It’s just… I’m simple Nye. Nothing special.” He scuffed the ground with a hoof. “I guess I’m afraid some Wonderbolt will show up and steal you away from me, or something like that. Let’s face it, you’re awesome…”
The gained a smug smile and took on a satisfied pose. “I am, aren’t I?”
“…and I’m just me.”
Her smile faded as she watched him for a moment. Clearly he meant every word. The sight of him looking so worried had her feeling fairly crummy, too, and now was hardly the time for that kind of talk. Glancing back to make sure nopony was watching, she edged a little closer and wrapped a hoof around his shoulder. “Hey, you’re pretty awesome yourself.”
He huffed in obvious disbelief. “Flatterer.”
“No, really. That little speech you gave Luna earlier? That was awesome. How many stallions out there can claim to have given a pep talk to a Princess?”
He sighed, for a moment appearing unconvinced. But then he cast a small, wry smile at her. “I was pretty good, wasn’t I?”
“And the way your team rallied behind ya?” she added. “Goosebumps. Oh… and I still remember the Everfree Forest.”
He glanced about nervously. “I thought we agreed not to talk ab…?”His words caught in his throat as Rainbow abruptly nuzzled his neck tenderly. If he’d had wings he was certain they’d have popped open right then; for once he was glad his brother had been the lucky one.
“Now stop talking about me leavin ya,” she ordered with a smug grin, abruptly moving a couple feet away. “I’m not going anywhere, and neither are you.” And with that she trotted her way back to her window across the room, leaving him to stare after her in stunned silence. He rubbed his neck for a moment, recalling her delightful touch, then noticed Jimmy and Rarity both smiling smugly at him. With a blush and a self-conscious cough he turned and made his way to another window.
“They’re goin!” Applejack declared.
All the ponies not at a window rushed to one quickly. Sure enough, above them they could see the griffons lifting off with furious cries. The pegasi scattered at first, dodging the initial attacks, and then began to disappear one at a time behind the castle. They weren’t going to go very far: they didn’t want to risk the griffons turning back for the castle they were charged with defending. Yet even though they were all disappearing from sight the ponies below knew the fighting was just on the other side of the castle, where the pegasi would keep the griffons busy while the team began their infiltration.
“Everypony outside!” Luna ordered, and they all rushed to obey. Fluttershy, despite her earlier protests, was the scout and thus flew up first. Rainbow grabbed Nye and Jimmy caught Octavia and began to carry them into the air. The rest were swept up in a spell created by Luna and lifted into the sky along with her in a thick, dark-blue mist. By the time they were halfway up they saw Fluttershy land on a balcony, and a few seconds later her head appeared over the side and she gave the all-clear signal.
“Whew, that was fun!” Pinkie announced heartily. “Can we do it a…”
A hoof landed on her lips, supplied by disgruntled Twilight. “Keep it down, Pinkie.”
“Oh, right, sorry,” she offered with a big, blushing grin.
Once they’d all landed they took a moment to listen. The sound of fighting nearby made it clear that they weren’t far from the level where the brainwashed nilgiri were holding the castle guard back.
“We need to hurry,” Rarity offered, “before the griffons come back.”
“Or the nilgiri decide to check up on their friends,” Jimmy added.
“To the gardens,” Luna ordered, leading the way through the pearly, gilded halls.
The castle seemed entirely devoid of life. No ponies, griffons or nilgiri ever appeared to block their movement through the hallways and rooms. “What do ya think happened to all the ponies that were up here when the attack started?” Nye asked.
“M-maybe they escaped,” Fluttershy offered with a worried glance at a darkened corridor.
“Or they’re dead,” Jimmy added, making the timid pegasus emit a horrified squeak.
“Not a chance,” Upper Crust declared with confidence. “They don’t want to kill us, they want to control us. You just wait, we’ll find a small army of crystals in the gardens.”
“I sure hope not,” Octavia grumbled. “The last time I was surrounded by those things I ended up with a broken leg, among other things.”
“Whatever we find we’ll just have to deal with,” a determined Twilight said.
“Right,” Applejack agreed. “We’ve got the Elements! There’s nothin we can’t beat with that.”
They all slowed to a stop: ahead of them were the massive doors leading to the castle gardens. Luna paused to consider the doors for a moment, but before she could say anything Twilight appeared next to her and set a hoof to her shoulder. “Princess, let me and the others go. You don’t need to go out there.”
“I appreciate your concern,” Luna told her, “and I know you’re trying to protect me, but I could not live with the shame if I didn’t go to help my sister.” She glanced back at the others and, at their worried expressions, smiled. “Do not fear, my little ponies: I will be cautious.”
They all seemed to accept this, though there was still some anxiety among them. “Caution is nice an all,” Applejack noted, “but if it’s all the same ta you, Princess, wah don’ ya let us Element-Bearers go in first?”
“I agree,” Rarity added. “After all we’re the ones who are supposed to be defeating Silma.”
“Yeah,” Pinkie agreed, abruptly appearing right in front of Luna. “We’re really good at this whole saving-the-world business, lots of experience. You can be our backup!”
“Actually,” Jimmy countered, “I think you would be best placed helping us deal with that Archon guy. We are down Fine Crime, after all, and none of us really know what he’s capable of.”
“Now that sounds like a plan,” Upper Crust agreed.
Luna studied them for a moment, lips cast in a frown and clearly thinking hard on the topic. It was obvious she didn’t want to accept the plan, but eventually she sighed and said, “Very well. I admit I want to confront Silma, but your plan does make much more sense from a tactical perspective. Lead on, Bearers, and be sure you don’t underestimate Silma Ril: she is without a doubt the most dangerous foe you will ever face.”
“Thank you, Princess,” Twilight acknowledged. She cast a confident look at the other Element-Bearers, who’d gathered around her, and together they headed for the gardens. The others allowed them to get a little ahead before moving on as well.
True to Upper Crust’s prediction, the gardens were filled with ponies trapped in red crystals. Guards, servants, officials, all had been dragged there to be trapped in the enslaving prisons. Some were in fighting poses, clearly having resisted to the end. Other appeared to have been begging or attempting to flee. No matter how they responded, though, it seemed nopony had escaped this terrible fate.
“Just think,” Jimmy noted unhappily, “in a matter of hours they could all be released as mindless pawns.”
“Not mindless,” Luna corrected, her tone ominous. “Not themselves, but not mindless.”
“So let’s take care of things before it comes to that,” Nye ordered, casting nervous looks at the frozen ponies all around him.
“Where’s Celestia’s crystal?” Octavia wondered, studying each crystal they passed with interest.
“It will likely be with Silma,” Luna answered.
“Ah, look who finally showed up!”
The team gathered together as a grey-coated, silver maned unicorn strode up between two crystals. “Princess Luna! How nice of you to come back to us.”
“Archon,” she hissed. “I do not know who you are or why you have joined with Silma, but if you wish to see the next moonrise you will surrender to us immediately.”
“Hmmm…” Archon bumped the box hanging at his throat a couple times thoughtfully. “…no, I don’t think so.” A tall, long and thick sword solidified over his shoulder and pointed at them threateningly.
Octavia glanced to the side and noticed that there was no sign of the Element-Bearers. “We’ve gotta keep him occupied while the others do their job,” she whispered. They all nodded their agreement and spread into a line to face the enemy.
“A united front,” Archon noted. “That might buy you some time, I suppose.”
“Where’s Silma?” Luna commanded.
“Busy putting your sister through the mental grinder,” he answered with a grin. “Or at least she was last I checked. She’s probably done by now.”
Luna let out a snarl, eyes glowing white. “Celestia would never succumb so easily.”
He tapped a hoof against the nearest crystal. “You haven’t seen what those stones of hers can do. Oh wait, that's right: you have.”
“Stones?” Nye asked. “What stones?”
“You haven’t told them!” Archon laughed, a deep rolling sound. “How delightful! They have no idea the power they face, do they?”
“You don’t understand it either, Archon,” Luna snapped. “They are too great to be controlled, even by Silma! The power will consume her, but not before she betrays you.”
“She can’t,” he replied with utmost seriousness. “It took ages for us to tame Riptide, and we both must work together to do it. If either of us cut our connection to the monster, all control will be lost. Silma can’t break from me, Luna: it’s too dangerous.”
Many of the ponies shared uncomfortable glances, but Luna remained confident. “You toy in powers far above your knowledge,” she told him. “We will defeat you and let such powers rest, as they always should have.”
He sneered, and as he did another weapon appeared from under his coat: a scythe attached to a chain. The scythe rose up above him and began to spin, the chain whistling through the air. “You wouldn’t dare fight me,” he declared angrily. “You are the one not understanding the powers behind me! It took me seven-hundred years to get back home, and on that journey I picked up toys the likes of which you’ve never imagined.”
“Guy looks damn good for his age,” Nye quipped to nopony in particular.
“More to the point,” Archon continued, “even if you could defeat me, I can severe my link to Riptide at any time. He doesn’t like being tamed, and he’s very very angry. If I lost control of him now? He’d probably destroy the world.”
“You won’t intimidate us,” Upper Crust told him.
“Indeed,” Octavia added. “It is truly the height of arrogance to assume that the beast can only be tamed by you!”
“Your bluff has been called, Archon,” Luna claimed, her tone ominous.
He studied them for a few seconds, expression grim. “So… I guess you won’t be surrendering?”
“Looks that way,” Jimmy replied.
The attack came so quickly after Jimmy finished his sentence that it caught all of them off guard. The big blade sliced down to smash into the ground, and when it did three blue, crescent-shaped blades of energy raced along the ground at them! Even as they all darted aside in alarm the chained scythe went flying through the air, aimed right at Jimmy. He’d gone airborn to dodge the first attack and only barely managed to evade.
Luna rose into the air, her horn glowing darkly in contrast to her shining eyes. A great cloud of pale, shimmering mist appeared before her and, with a beat of her wings, flew towards Archon. By the time it was halfway to him the mist had coalesced into a collection of small, sharp spikes. But before they could reach Archon’s horn glowed and, within under a second, a great dome of ice surrounded him. The spike impaled themselves on its surface harmlessly.
The team began to surround the ice barrier… which proved a good thing, for the entire dome suddenly shattered as a massive glowing blue ball erupted and smashed into the ground right where they’d all been, spikes glinting wickedly.
“Where the hell does he get these things!?” Nye cried, ducking just in time to dodge the scythe as it came flying for his throat.
Octavia charged, but just as she was almost to him something appeared from beneath Archon's coat. It was a massive, metallic looking claw that just barely missed slicing her with an upwards swipe. Octavia jerked to a stop and found herself staring face-to-face with a flaming skull… which promptly exploded.
“Octavia!” Jimmy cried, unable to get out of the way as her flying body smashed into him.
“This is ridiculous!” Upper Crust shouted, jumping just in time to avoid the giant ball as it came smashing down to the earth.
“You don’t have to tell me,” Nye answered, ducking as the scythe came at him once more. He saw the hair of his mane go flying by the brief encounter and was so very relieved when the thing ended up embedding itself into a nearby crystal, just barely missing the imprisoned guard’s neck. “Gotcha!”
“Enough!” Luna cried, a thin beam of energy slicing through the ground towards Archon.
Archon saw the beam coming and, eyes wide, jerked on the chain holding the massive ball. It landed in front of him just in time to block the laser-like attack. The ball glowed brightly and, with a resonating crack, exploded. Archon flew through the air, but before he could hit the dirt something dropped from the sky, smacking right into him and slamming him face-down to the ground so hard dirt and grass erupted into the air.
“Take that you piece of shit!” Lightning shouted triumphantly. Archon let out a pained groan in response.
“Lightning!” Nye cried, “are we happy to see you!”
“I think that takes care of that,” Upper Crust announced. She had a nasty cut on her cheek and was covered in dirt, but otherwise appeared fine.
“It better be,” Lightning warned while grinding a hoof against Archon’s head, “’cause we don’t have time to play around with this guy.”
“Are you two alright?” Luna called to Jimmy and Octavia. The two slowly climbed to their hooves, Octavia smoking and covered in soot.
“Just a little singed…” she answered wearily.
“And sore,” Jimmy agreed in a similar tone.
“I guess him calling on that beast was a bluff after all,” Upper Crust noted as they all approached the downed Archon, Lightning still pinning him. “I had to wonder for a moment.”
“You will take us to Silma Ril, Archon,” Luna ordered. Her tone made it clear that she had no intention of wasting any more time.
He looked up at her with one eye in annoyance. “Already? No interrogation, no torture chamber? Amateur. Fine, if that’s what you want.”
“I don’t like it,” Lightning announced, pressing down a little harder on his head. “For all the hell it looked like he was giving you guys I didn’t expect him to agree so quickly.”
“Time is of the essence,” Luna replied. “Let him up, Lightning. We must find my sister quickly.”
Archon made no attempt to fight once he was allowed back up, though he did take a moment to brush himself off. “This way.”
They followed close behind, Luna’s horn glowing threateningly at his back. He led them past a small forest of crystallized ponies, moving towards the place where he’d first appeared to the Princess that evening.
“You’re gonna have to tell us how to undo the effects of these crystals,” Jimmy reminded Archon sternly.
“What,” the prisoner asked, “haven’t figured out how to do it on your own?”
“Don’t make fun of it,” Octavia hissed. “There are still dozens of nilgiri and hundreds of crystal ponies in mental hospitals around the world because of what you’ve done!”
“Don’t blame me for Silma’s magical gifts,” Archon replied, eyes cold. “In her eyes all ponies are slaves, anyway.”
“And to you?” Upper Crust asked.
He shrugged. “Whether they obey me willingly or not, I don’t care. As long as they do in fact obey.”
“Charming guy,” Nye grumbled. “Where the heck did you get all those weapons, anyway?”
“I’ll tell you after you serve me,” Archon replied with a confident grin, though it faded quickly when Luna pressed the tip of her horn against his back. “Watch where you’re poking that thing.”
“I still don’t like this…” Lightning muttered, hovering just above them with sharp eyes on their guide. But then her tone changed to excitement as she looked up. “Hey, I see them!”
“What are they doing!?” Nye demanded, worry thick in his voice.
Lightning rose a few feet higher to get a better look. “They’re fighting Silma!”
“Go!” Luna ordered, engulfing Archon in a cloud of mist that carried him forward as she galloped ahead of them all. The others wasted no time following.
“Have they used the Elements yet?” Octavia called up to Lightning.
“Don’t think so,” she answered. “I think they’re trying to get together to do it, but she’s keeping them separated!”
“They’ll do it,” Jimmy declared, though the hesitancy was thick in his voice.
“They have Rainbow,” Nye added, more confident than his brother. “They can do anything!”
They emerged into a clearing just in time to see the Element Bearers rising within an aura of colors before Silma, who stood defiant atop a marble fountain that had once been decorated with a statue of Celestia, now reduced to rubble.
“They’re doing it!” Upper Crust cried.
“What do you say to that, Mr. You're-Gonna-Serve-Me?” Nye demanded of Archon.
Luna stepped out into the clearing, watching the scene with sharp, expectant eyes.
“Now that’s a sight!” Jimmy cried as, with a burst of energy, a rainbow arose from the Element Bearers. It bore down on Silma Ril, its might so great that those well outside its path, even the ponies with no horns, could feel its power.
Silma did not run. She did not try to fight. Indeed she didn’t do anything at all… save stand and wait. The rainbow swirled about her, engulfing her in a torrent of colors and magical power.
And then, to everyone’s shock, it arose from her and flashed back across the garden to strike just beneath the Element Bearers in a cacophonous explosion.
“No…” Luna dropped to her haunches, eyes wide with terror. The ponies behind her had similar reactions. Twilight and the others, crying out in surprise and pain, collapsed from the sky into the still-rising debris and disappeared among the dirt and grass. When the dust finally settled the lot of them were lying in a heap at the bottom of a crater.
“I don’t believe it…” Archon whispered, and from his tone the sentiment was genuine.
“Wha…” Rainbow Dash woozily arose from the crater, wincing in pain as she stared in amazement at a completely unharmed Silma Ril. “Why… didn’t it work…?”
“I don’t understand,” Twilight called from below as Silma dropped slowly from the fountain, her wings shimmering brightly and the gemstones close behind. “The Elements should have worked!”
Silma landed in the grass just outside the crater, gazing down at the ponies with an expression both regal and ominous. “I think that settles the matter. Now let us get to the real work at hand.” And then, with her eyes going dark, a red beam streaked its way into the sky and struck Rainbow Dash. She let out a shout, tried to fly… and dropped to the grass, encased in red crystal.
“Rainbow!” Nye was running, terror on his face.
“Nye, stop!” Jimmy went after him.
“Silma, don’t!” Luna screamed, even as two more beams flashed down and caught Rarity and Applejack.
The remaining three screamed and tried to flee; Fluttershy arose from the crater but didn’t get more than a few feet into the air before she fell back to earth. Pinkie darted out of the hole and managed to dodge four different shots before the fifth brought her to a sliding stop at the edge of the clearing.
“Wait!” Twilight shouted, just managing to climb out of the hole. She gazed up at Silma Ril in horror. “You can’t…” She froze mid-sentence, her crystal tipping over and dropping back into the crater.
“No!” Luna arose, tears in her eyes. “It can’t be! Why didn’t it work!?”
“Rainbow!” Nye clutched at the crystal, gazing down into Rainbow’s terrified eyes. “D..don’t worry… w-we’ll think of something. I promise, we’ll get you out of there!”
“Nye,” Jimmy was standing next to his brother, horrified eyes on Silma Ril. “Nye, I really don’t think we should be here…!”
“Shut up!” Nye shoved him away and turned back to the crystal. “I… I have to do something!”
“Luna Luna little Luna,” Silma spoke, turning to the stunned princess. “You did everything just as you were meant to. Thank you so much!”
“W-what…?” Luna asked, taking a cautious step away.
“Princess,” Octavia called anxiously from behind one of the crystals, “w-we need to go…”
“I knew you’d come back with the Elements,” Silma pressed with a smile. “Now all the most powerful threats to my new rule have been dealt with. It’s all thanks to you.”
“No… that’s not true!” Luna cried, showing some defiance at last. “There’s still the Empire!”
“The Empire is mine,” Silma snapped. “It always was, I founded it!”
“Luna, come on!” Lightning shouted.
“You will be stopped,” Luna declared, inching back from Silma. “We will find a way. Equestria will not return to your dark age!”
“Oh come now,” Silma replied as she patiently took a seat. “Don’t be like that. Join us. Your sister would like you to.”
“Celestia would never succumb to you!”
“Don’t be so sure,” Silma whispered with a smile and a gesture of her hoof.
Luna blinked and glanced behind… then let out a surprised shout: Celestia was standing just at the edge of the clearing. “Celestia!” She ran to her sister. “Celestia, we have to… Celestia?”
“Yes, Luna?”
Luna stared at her sister… and let out a horrified shriek at the sight of her red eyes. “Celestia, no!” She shook her forcefully. “Wake up, snap out of it! You can’t have given up that quickly!”
“I’m sorry, Luna,” Celestia whispered, and an abrupt flash of light burst from her horn and sent Luna sprawling back into the clearing.
“Holy mother no…” Upper Crust whispered, backing away into the shadows.
“T-this can’t be happening,” Octavia mumbled, staring at the Sun Princess in abject terror.
“No way,” Lightning said, rising a few feet, “th-that can’t be Princess Celestia…”
“Now that’s how you take over a kingdom,” Archon threw in with glee.
Luna rose to a sitting position, tears in her eyes. “Tia… oh sweet moonlight, Tia…”
“Silma Ril is the Empress, Luna,” Celestia announced softly, walking into the clearing with head held high. “We must remember our old allegiances.”
Luna got to her hooves to confront her sister. “You… you don’t mean that!”
“Of course she does,” Silma declared, “she’s my most trusted apprentice!” Her light tone grew sweet as honey. “You can avoid this fate, Luna. I can spare you the crystal if you would but help me.”
Luna looked between her sister and her former mentor, visibly shaking. “I… I refuse!”
“Come on, Luna!” Lightning shouted, “Fly! Get out of there!”
“Help me, Luna,” Silma whispered. “All I want is the stone. Tell me where you hid the Shades of Night and you can rule as my chief advisor. I’ll even give you a kingdom of your own. That’s what you wanted a thousand years ago, isn’t it?”
“That’s never what I wanted!” Luna shouted angrily. All her horror gone in an instant, she took on an aggressive stance and glared with fury at Silma. “You and everypony else! None of you! Not even Celestia understood what I was trying to do!”
“Is that so?” Silma asked with genuine curiosity. “Then what were you after?”
Luna made a quiet but furious sound, pawing at the soil threateningly. “To prove that I am no mere shadow.”
Silma’s smile faded. She eyed Luna for a moment, like a judge preparing to cast a sentence. “But that is all you are, Luna. You and this… ‘team’ you’ve put together.” She glanced towards Nye, still laboring over Rainbow’s crystal, and Jimmy who cowered next to him. “Really, Luna, this is the best you could muster? But then I suppose they suite you: they’re shadows of the light, just like you.”
“We are not just shadows,” Luna declared, glancing menacingly at Celestia who was walking past her to sit just behind Silma. “We exist just like everypony else. We are the flip side of the bit, Silma! And we can make the same difference as your precious light.”
“So you claim,” Silma responded, rising to her hooves regally, “but in the end you’re just the muck under our hooves. The blatant difference between you and your sister just proves the point. But…” Her tone became sweet once more, “I can make you the better sister, if that’s what you’d prefer. No more being a shadow. You’d like that wouldn’t you?”
“No.” Luna took another cautious step back. “I don’t’ want to be better, Silma. I want to be equal.”
Silma’s face grew dark.“There are no equals. There are only the powerful and the stepped-on. I grow tired of lecturing you, Luna. You know there is no escape.” The gemstones arose slightly, basking her in their powerful orange glow. “You can flee and tell me after I’ve converted you, or you can spare me the trouble and tell me now. It makes no difference. Now where is the Shades of Night?”
Luna glanced back at Octavia, Lightning and Upper Crust, her face firm compared to their fear. When she turned back to Silma she declared, “I don’t remember.”
“Wait,” Nye cried, abruptly turning to Luna. “Luna… no, you can’t be caught too! Luna!”
“If that is how you wish it to be,” Silma said with a sigh, and a moment later a red beam truck Luna directly in the heart. The princess didn’t fight or panic: she merely stood and waited as the crystal swiftly began to encase her.
“Luna, Luna no!” Nye screamed.
She gave him a calm smile before being completely imprisoned.