“I'm still alive!” the tricorn roared triumphantly. He stomped the rubble and flexed, causing his horns to crackle hotly with energy. “I'm still alive!”
Princess Celestia left the platoon of bots and swooped down to him, extending her hooves out. “Do not move! Who are you!? How did you get inside my castle!?”
“Stay back, Celestia! I answer to nopony!” he said. He leaped down off of the ruined wall and started sprinting toward the battlefield. Celestia dive-bombed after him, but he turned on a dime and faced her. He hunkered down and charged up his magic. Celestia detected his move, and barrel-rolled out to the side. Unable to cancel his mounting attack, the tricorn threw his head up and discharged a wide beam of blinding light so immense that Celestia stumbled in the air and nearly fell. The earth-shaking ray burned straight through the clouds as it rose, allowing a feeble pillar of sunlight to shine down upon the snowy combat zone.
“Everypony focus your efforts on that thing!” commanded Celestia. “Do not let him live!”
Many of the troops were so stunned by the advent before them that they payed no heed to the ruler's orders. The bots, however, were listening. Dozens of red-eyed automata bulldozed through the droves of living soldiers in hot pursuit of the uncanny target.
Salvator screeched in anger. “Don't just stand there!” he yelled at his troops. “Keep fighting! Send these Equestrian swine straight to hell!”
The Halcyonites slowly regained their composure and lifted their weapons once more. As a whole new chorus of gunshots and clashing armors began, Salvator turned and grabbed Twilight's shoulders. He looked at her with wild eyes and an insane smile.
“Do ya know who that is, kid? That's Cian! He's made it!”
“What do you mean 'made it?'” shouted Twilight. “You told me you had no idea where he was! How can that be Cian? A creature like that isn't even natural!”
“I lied!” he said, laughing maniacally. “I told him to pay a visit to the castle's underground labs! Looks like it was worth it!”
Underground labs?
“This is great!” he continued. “C'mon! The poor boy is probably tryin' to find me!”
Twilight frowned. “I'd just slow you down, Salvator. I'm way too weak to fight. My back is killing me right now. Without my brother, I'm defenseless out here. He was the only one protecting me until we got separated. That medicine you gave me is already losing its potency.”
“Damn. It must not be as effective on alicorns.” His thoughts were on overtime. “Just try and relax. I won't let ya die. Stay behind me. We're gonna get Cian, then Luna, then we'll storm the castle and take Celestia.”
“I'm not on board with that,” Twilight protested. “I'm still not okay with your 'kill Celestia' scheme. As long as you're against Equestria, you're my enemy.”
Salvator pressed forward. He motioned for Twilight to follow closely. “Okay then. We're enemies. Now shut up and follow me if ya want to live.”
Being eclipsed in Salvator's shadow didn't ward Twilight's mental terrors. She tried to shrink down and disconnect herself from the gnashing teeth of a dark and impersonal universe. Coiling pain radiated from her back, limiting her breath and nearly paralyzing her.
“Salvator,” she breathed, tapping his back. “I can't keep walking. My back hurts too much...”
“Really?” he snapped impatiently.
She scowled through the pain. “I'm sorry, okay! It's not my fault I was attacked!”
“You want me to carry you or somethin'?”
“No. That's not necessary. Just give me a minute here. Why are you suddenly so keen on helping me? I'm an Equestrian too, you know,” she said while rubbing her back.
“I dunno. Maybe it's the last little bit of good in my heart tryin' to do its part. Maybe I already have too much emotional investment in ya to see ya die. Whatever it is, don't make me regret it. Are ya gonna be okay?”
“I should. Just let me recuperate. Can't you just lead me back inside?”
He grunted in annoyance. “No! I need Cian! Do whatever ya want, but don't treat me like a damn foalsitter if ya decide to come with me.”
Twilight clenched her teeth and followed him again. “Fine. Not like I have much of a choice right now, anyway. I'll be skewered the second I leave your side. In fact, I still might.”
“Keep yappin' and I'll see to that myself,” retorted Salvator. “Now c'mon.”
Closer to the castle, the reluctant companions saw a Helper bot erupt into flames. Shining oil sprayed from the bot's exposed insides, carrying streams of fire with it as it went. Cian viciously slashed at the bots. They were beginning to overwhelm him, yet he took them all with no letup. His horns were live wires ready to terminate anything unlucky enough to approach. The bots flew at him from every angle. Even from a distance, Twilight and Salvator could see his body taking bullet after bullet. Every couple of seconds his white coat would grow another blossom of red. Somehow he acted as if the rancorous onslaught was nothing. He pointed his head toward a group of galloping bots and fired another devastating beam of light. It burned right through the metal ponies, alighting their oil and causing several violent explosions.
“How is he possibly staying alive?” asked Twilight, doubting her own perception. “He's being torn to shreds!”
“They must have fixed him up with some kind of extreme regenerative power!” said Salvator. “Ain't no other way he'd live! He must be healing as fast as he's dying! Just look at the way he's sweeping those bots up! Not even Celestia could use spells like those!”
They watched him punch a hole straight through one of the bots. His hoof dripped with slick black pitch.
“I'm pretty sure he's not using spells,” said Twilight. “Casting a spell takes knowledge of how to bend magic into what you want it to. You'd have to get every detail just right. He's just... letting it flow. Unfiltered.”
“I don't care. Let's just hope he keeps it up!”
An imposing entity obscured their view. It was a buffalo. Chief Thunderhooves.
“You! Gray pony!” he sneered. “You are the poison that befouls our lands! I will not let you pass!”
Salvator reached to his tunic and wrenched an intimidating dagger out of its sheath. “Twilight, go to Cian,” he said lowly. “I'll meet up with ya.”
“But-”
“No buts. Go.”
Twilight inched away from Salvator. Safe ground was in sight. Cian fought voraciously beyond the rim of warriors. When she finally emerged, Twilight glanced over her shoulder to see if Salvator was holding his own. The King was charging the gallant buffalo with his dagger held backwards. Thunderhooves produced a pile of fine powder and inhaled it into his mouth. As Salvator rocketed towards him, the chief lowered his staff down to face level. The staff's fire wavered in the chilly breeze. Thunderhooves blew furiously in Salvator's direction. The powder spewed into the fire and out the other side in a growing vortex of dancing flames. Twilight's breath caught.
Did that catch Salvator? Is he in the flames!?
The sound of metal sizzling reminded her that another battle raged just behind her. Handfuls of bots lay on the ground, reduced to burning scrap metal. Twilight located Cian about thirty feet away. He caught sight of her and galloped over.
“Twilight Sparkle? I never thought I'd see ya again! Are ya okay?” He knelt down in front of her. “Ain't lookin' too hot there, Princess!”
“Neither do you,” she retorted. “You've been shot so many times... I don't understand how you're still alive!”
Cian made sure they had a moment or two before the next round of bots tried to jump them.
“Me either. It's weird. I'm not quite numb, but the pain isn't any more than a tingle. Maybe the magic I got is givin' me all this pep.”
“Speaking of magic,” Twilight said, “what in Equestria happened to you? Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought I'd see a pony with three horns! You're almost like a mythical creature!” She lifted a hoof up to his forehead. His horns surged slightly, singing her hoof. “Ouch!” She buried her hoof in the snow.
“I dunno about mythical creature, but I couldn't be happier,” Cian said. “I love all this power! It's amazin'!”
Overhead, Celestia and Luna both flew back toward the castle. They bickered intensely as they entered.
“Goin' AWOL, eh?” said Cian.
Twilight shivered and dusted herself free of snowflakes. “They have their reasons. Salvator says he's going in there after them as soon as he catches up with us.”
They both checked for approaching bots again. “Well alright then,” said Cian. “Now all we gotta do is stay alive until he gets here. I assume you're not gonna try and fight me, right?”
Twilight shook her head. “No. I don't know what side to be on right now, really. Until I sit down and talk with Celestia, I'm staying cautious of her. I want my answers before I make any more decisions.”
Cian popped his neck joints. “Now you're talkin'. Help me clean up the rest of these bots? Cheap Equestrian piles of junk go down easily! Just be glad we aren't fightin' anythin' from Halcyon.”
“I can't,” said Twilight. “I'm going to have to stay back for now. It's my back. I shouldn't have even come outside in the first place. Salvator gave me a shot of medicine to boost my stamina, but it's already worn off.”
This upset him. “Am I supposed to be your bodyguard, then?”
“No no, I'll make myself invisible. Hold the bots at bay until Salvator gets up here.”
He groaned. “Gee, I wouldn't have thought of that.”
The last collection of bots had seeped up to the castle's foreground. Twilight allocated her paltry reserves of magic into forming an invisibility spell. Cian galloped over to his robotic opponents. Instantaneously, the bots fired their pistols in unison. As if gravity had intensified, Cian dropped to the ground just under the projectiles. They whizzed over his head and grazed the top of his horns. He sprang upwards at an angle, impaling one of the bots on his head. He whipped to the side, throwing the squirming enemy into the group. He then seized his chance by firing his beam of plasma into the small group. All but one of them were instantly incinerated by their own flammable lifeblood. The last Helper bot crawled forward out of the bonfire. Only its upper half and gun were intact. Its red eyes flickered as the fire coated its body. Cian laughed as it pitifully tried to terminate him.
His eye darted to an approaching pony from the side. A new player had joined the game. He quaked with fear in every step he took.
“Cian?” this newcomer said. “Is that really you? My grandson...? Could that honestly be you in there? Oh mercy, what's happened to you...? You've been shot... and your colors are different... and... and your head...”
“Granddad!” Cian yelled. He zipped to the tan stallion. “It's not safe! Granddad ya need to leave right now!”
“Cian,” Neeson said as he touched his grandson's cheek. “Tell me it's really you...”
“Yes! Yes it's me, ya old fool! How did ya find me here? Why aren't ya back where it's safe? Don't worry about me!”
“There's somethin' I gotta tell ya, boy. It's been a long time comin'. I can't wait anymore. Ya need to hear this now.”
“Really?” asked Cian in exasperation. “Right this second?”
Neeson nodded. “Yes. You're a grown stallion. Ya deserve to know the truth. There's somethin' I've been keepin' from ya for years, and it's time I confessed.”
Heavy snowflakes coated the males' faces.
“I'm ready, Granddad. If ya came all the way up here and fought through a war just to tell me, it must be pretty important then.”
Neeson gulped and nodded. “Aye, boy. It's about your parents.”
Cian was taken aback. “M-my parents?”
“Yes. You're probably gonna hate me now. You'll probably never wanna see my face again, but I'm ready for that.”
“That's stupid!” protested the tricorn. “I'd never think that of ya! Just tell me already!”
“Cian, there's no easy way to say this. Ya aren't my real grandson.”
Cian snorted. “What the hell are ya talkin' about? Of course I am! I've lived with ya ever since my parents died!”
“That's not entirely true. One of your parents may still be alive...”
“Really!? You're serious, Granddad!?” His face lit up. “That's amazin'! Plus, that doesn't mean ya aren't my real grandfather! Do I need to give a lesson on how genealogies work?”
Neeson was growing restless and had no time for Cian's sarcasm. “No! Listen to me carefully! I – I only put this together a little while ago, but I've figured out who ya really are. Y-”
A booming gunshot shattered their conversation. Cian froze, unsure of what happened. Neeson on the other hand, made a choking noise and fell onto Cian's shoulder. A stream of blood trickled down the old stallion's hide. Some fifteen feet away, the very last Helper bot's gun barrel smoked. It lay inept in the snow, having now expended all its ammunition. Neeson slumped further into his grandson's embrace. “Boy... lay me down...”
“Oh mo dhia... Le do thoil aon...” Cian set him down on the ground. “No no no no no...”
“Listen to me!” Neeson breathed. “You were a gift. I raised ya from the time you were just a baby. I found ya on my doorstep, asleep in a basket. You had dazzling white fur, and the most beautiful golden eyes...”
“I-I'm adopted?” Cian choked out. He began to cry. “Don't leave me now, Granddad! I need ya! You can't just tell me all this and then die! Don't leave me!”
Neeson smiled weakly. “It's okay. You've always been my grandson, and nothing will ever change that. Even if not by blood, you're still mine. I'll always love you just the same.” He shivered and took his hat off.
“I love you too, Granddad...” Cian whispered. “Please don't leave me...”
“It's okay, boy. It's okay. I accomplished what I set out to do. My mission is complete. Now the rest of the story is up to you, ya see? Ya haven't gathered all your rosebuds yet. Ya need to look ahead to the many great years ya still got.”
Cian struck the ground. “Not without you! Don't make me go through all this alone! I should never have left without telling you! I'm sorry! Just hang in there! You can pull through! I know ya can! Twilight can heal ya right up! Just let me find a unicorn real quick!”
Neeson wasn't having it. “Stop. We both know that when it's time, it's time. I'm just glad that my last moments get to be with the one I love more than anypony in the world. Thank ya for giving my life color, Cian. You'll never know how many times ya saved me.”
Cian's voice cracked. “Granddad...”
Neeson clutched the back of Cian's mane. “You're a good stallion, Cian. I wouldn't change a single thing about ya.”
“Please hang on...”
“It's okay boy, it's time for me to go home. Keep fightin'. Finish your story. Let it be known that I raised a true warrior. You'll always be my grandson, Cian. Always...”
Cian grabbed Neeson's hoof and sobbed silently. When the tired stallion's chest stopped rising, Cian softly closed his eyes and placed his hat over his face. By now the snowfall had thickened. Cian uttered a few personal vows and stayed with his grandfather for another minute. When he stood at long last, he slowly walked to the last Helper bot. He grabbed it by the neck and lifted it up with one hoof. Red eyes. Two burning halos. Cian cocked his arm back and loosed two lightning jabs at the thing's face. The glass eyes shattered, releasing ionized vapor into the air. A mounting well of primal emotion bubbled in the tricorn. As he looked back to Neeson and back to the destroyed automaton, the pressure inside built. His three horns sparked and glowed.
“You killed my granddad,” he stated out loud.
As a new power boiled inside him. Small objects around him levitated off the ground. The snowflakes around his body stopped falling and instead rose ever so slightly.
“You killed my granddad,” he said again.
His horns grew white hot, and the very air around him boiled. His eyes drained of all color and instead filled in with light. Still holding the bot's neck, he screamed. His cries of unadulterated lament saturated the air. The soldiers stopped fighting. Cian continued to scream as his horns and eyes grew brighter. In all of a split second, a white sphere expanded outward from his horns. The bot was instantly turned to dust. The miniature sun grew. It encompassed the the battlefield, the castle, and eventually all of Canterlot. Twilight fell as the wall of light passed over her. It carried her far away and washed her into darkness.
---
Salvator was pulling her up to her hooves.
“Get up! Hurry!” he urged. “That giant purge knocked everypony out! Everypony out here is either dead or unconscious!”
Twilight heaved dryly. Her mouth was dry and cracked. “Do you have any more of those medicine shots?”
“Not now, druggie. We gotta move while everypony is still asleep.” He trotted as quickly as he could over the heaps of bodies. “Hope they wake up before they all freeze to death,” he added.
Twilight followed slowly. “What happened? Did Cian cause that light?”
“Yeah. Crazy. I've never seen anythin' like it.”
They exited the plains of bodies. A white figure lay against one of the drawbridge's stone pillars. He looked ragged and on the verge of fainting.
“Cian!” Twilight shouted. She and Salvator ran to him and knelt down on both his sides. The majority of his three horns were gone. What remained were scorched red stumps, still smoldering from the exertion.
Salvator softly patted Cian's shoulder. “Your horns are gone. They must have disintegrated when you used that last magic blast.”
Cian only nodded. He was much too fatigued to speak.
“I'm terribly sorry about your grandfather,” Salvator went on. “He was a valiant stallion with a heart of gold. He shouldn't have died. But, I think there's a silver lining in all this.”
The two looked at each other. Salvator reached into his tunic and pulled out a faded locket no bigger than a coin. He delicately opened it and gave it to Cian. The picture inside was so miniscule that he had to squint to see it. In the photograph was a tiny foal. White and gold.
“There's no conceivable way that a normal earth pony would have lived through a transformation like that, let alone harness all that power,” explained Salvator. “This just proves what I first thought when I saw you break out of that wall. You're not a normal earth pony, Cian. Ya must have been born with something extra. It all makes sense now. Do ya understand what I'm saying?”
Cian nodded. Salvator leaned in and hugged him lovingly. “You're my son. After all these years. I've found my son... You're my boy!”
Cian didn't smile. “I-” He coughed several times and after much working up, “I'm not sure what to think about that...”
“Try not to speak,” instructed Twilight.
“I want my Granddad...”
“Sorry, Cian. I'm so sorry...” Salvator whispered. “My life ain't worth your grandfather's. I'd trade him places if I could. I should never have given ya up... I hope you'll be able to forgive me one day... Just know that I love ya... beyond words...”
Cian closed his eyes and passed out.
“Twilight,” said Salvator with tears in his eyes. “Jeez, I – I'm so happy and sad that I can't even think straight right now. My feelin's are all mixed up. I can't believe I finally found my boy... Anyway, let's uh, let's move him and Neeson somewhere safe. Somewhere warm. Back with Cadance maybe. Then we'll seize our chance. We'll confront Celestia.”