Tales of the Oppressed

by Terran34


47. Princess of War

Luna puts her hoof down, and then she becomes all business. “Tell us everything thou knows about the situation at hoof,” she commands, addressing all of us. “Every detail thou can remember, even those thou considers to be unimportant. In this situation, intelligence is of the utmost importance.”

Holy shit, I'm in a military strategy meeting, for the first time in my life. Well, the closest thing you can get to one in a world of ponies. I do feel reassured though, knowing that we have a princess here that's well versed in battle strategy.

“Um...we're fighting changelings. They can take the form of those you love, replicating them to perfect detail,” Twilight begins. “Though Chrysalis is the only one I've seen do this.”

“It would be safe to assume that all of them possess the same ability,” Luna decides, her expression becoming grim. “Which leads us to question thy identities. We must be certain that none of thee are changelings in disguise.”

All of us look at one another. I don't think any of us here are changelings, considering how I've had my eyes of them ever since coming back. Unless some switching went along behind the scenes that I wasn't aware of. Still, I understand her caution. “But Princess, don't you trust us?” Applejack asks, confused.

“Trust is not a factor here. We are simply being prudent,” Luna says firmly. “Do not worry. A simple test is all that it will take to reassure us of thine identity. Is it safe to assume that changelings cannot replicate memories?”

“Definitely. Chrysalis, when she was pretending to be Cadance, had no knowledge of me whatsoever, even though we'd met in the garden a month ago,” I answer for her. “It's how I knew who she was.”

“Very good. Thank thee for proving thy identity, Seth Rogers,” Luna says to me with a nod. Huh. That was easy enough. “Twilight Sparkle, what did we show thee in thy library, when Celestia and I visited thee over a month ago?”

“Oh, you were showing me heavenly bodies, like the other galaxies. It was fascinating,” Twilight responds eagerly.

“Excellent. Rainbow Dash, what costume did you wear during this year's Nightmare Night?” Luna says, continuing on. I already know Rainbow isn't a changeling, but I guess this is for Luna's peace of mind. I'd probably do the same thing if I was her.

“The Shadow Bolt costume. I went around scaring ponies with lightning. It was the greatest thing ever,” Rainbow answers, grinning slightly at the memory. Luna nods, satisfied by that answer.

In this manner, Luna continues down the line, asking each and every one of the ponies a question that a changeling couldn't answer, until all of their identities are proven. “We art satisfied,” Luna announces after she moves away from Sweetie Belle, the last pony she'd questioned. “Now, continue giving us thy knowledge of the incident in Canterlot.”

In this manner, we told Luna as much as possible, starting from Chrysalis's abilities, to a thorough retelling of the events leading up to the wedding. We told Luna of Chrysalis's control ability, and how she used it to manipulate Shining Armor into dropping the barrier. I also went into detail about everything Chrysalis told me about her race, such as her ability to smell different to everyone she meets.

“Apart from what we just told you, we don't know much,” Rarity admits, looking frustrated. “There just wasn't enough time to get a proper understanding of the situation.”

“We know Princess Celestia is captured, but we don't know where she's being kept,” Twilight adds. “We can't use the Elements of Harmony, either, because Chrysalis knows about them.”

“Therefore they art likely to be heavily guarded,” Luna completes, looking troubled. “That means we art forced to deal with Chrysalis with military force.”

“But we don't have the forces. All we've got is us, and only sixteen of us can fight. Fifteen, if you take out Fluttershy,” I protest. Fluttershy stirs when I say her name, looking up at me. “What? You don't seem like you're cut out for battle.”

“Do not worry, Seth Rogers. We believe it is possible, but we need more information,” Luna assures me. “Fortunately, we possess the means to gather this information.”

“How? Do you have spies, or something?” Rainbow asks. Luna shakes her head.

“Not spies, Rainbow Dash. Our sister is much more trusting than we art, so we took it upon ourselves to set up magical surveillance devices in various locations around the city,” Luna reveals to us. “We should still be able to access them. One moment.”

Luna closes her eyes, her horn flaring a dark blue. Her entire body starts to glow that same color, as she casts some spell that I assume helps her tap into those surveillance devices she mentioned. We watch her with baited breath for a full minute, before the spell dies down and Luna opens her eyes once more.

Without another word, Luna's horn flashes again, and a hologram of Canterlot appears in the center of the room before us, projecting from the tip of her horn. “We hath made our analysis. Here is what we know.”

The hologram of Canterlot zooms in, much like the one Celestia used to show us the Crystal Empire. It zooms in further and further, until the wedding hall where shit had hit the fan is displayed. There is a green dot pulsating in the center of the room. “A strong source of magical power emanates from this room,” Luna starts, pointing a hoof at the green dot. “If thy description is to be believed, this is where Chrysalis is. She appears to be constructing something, possibly some kind of base of operations.”

“Hm, so she hasn't moved since our escape,” I observe. “That works for us. If she stays there, we should be able to move with impunity.”

The hologram zooms out and travels down deep into the mountain, until we reach a set of crystalline caves, where railroad tracks and mine carts tells me that I'm looking at the mines Chrysalis mentioned. The view travels through the mines until it settles in a large cavern, where there are a bunch of strange black creatures surrounding a similarly colored pillar, which is emitting white strands of glowing magic from the upper portion. I assume those black creatures are changelings. Unlike chrysalis, they're like the size of a typical pony, only covered in spiny chitin, with beady eyes and fanged teeth. All of them appear to have wings and horns, which means they're all capable of magic and flight.

“This device is emitting a small magic canceling field. We believe that it is one of three pylons that is powering the field keeping the magic in that room sealed,” Luna describes. The hologram soars through the caves at an extreme speed, revealing two more of these pylons, each of them equally guarded. Next, our view zooms out to show a cross section of the caves, where the pylons are shown with blinking white dots. They're arranged in a triangular pattern, with the wedding hall directly in the center. “We believe that Chrysalis hath remained in her current position because she knows she is vulnerable outside of her magic cancellation field.”

“That makes sense. So we need to do something about that field, right?” Twilight determines, looking at Luna for approval. The princess nods, and then the hologram changes again.

This time, we're shown a blinking yellow dot, located far far underground. “I do not need my surveillance devices to find mine sister,” Luna expresses. God, she keeps changing pronouns randomly. She needs to pick one and stick with it. “She is located underground, in an large cavern. She is likely heavily guarded, and any attempt to rescue her will no doubt attract Chrysalis's attention. If we wish to free her, we will need to distract Chrysalis.”

“Which means fighting her,” I determine, thinking hard about all the information being presented to us. “But none of us can fight her on our own, and I'm the only one that can operate in that cancellation field.”

“Indeed. Lastly, we hath determined the location of the majority of our armed forces,” Luna continues, changing the holograms again. “Captain Shining Armor is no doubt still incapacitated, so control of his regiment falls to his Commander, Stalwart Iron. We require his services, if we wish to use the First Regiment in battle.”

“What about the Second Regiment? I know Rose is still out there,” I query. “I managed to free her from the hall before I teleported us all out.”

“We have located Commander Rose. She, along with Captains Spitfire and Blades, have banded together with the remnants of the First and Second Regiments, and are holed up here, in the Shopping District,” Luna states, adjusting the hologram until it shows the area in question, where each individual pony is marked by a blinking dot. There aren't that many of them at all.

“Spitfire is still out there? Oh yeah, the Pegasus Corps isn't going down any time soon!” Rainbow exclaims exultantly. “The Wonderbolts are gonna kick some changeling tail!”

“They are taking casualties, Rainbow Dash. They require a rescue, if we hope to use them,” Luna corrects her. Rainbow looks crushed by the idea that her idols might be defeated. “Finally, the majority of our forces have been imprisoned in the Canterlot dungeons.”

The hologram proceeds to show us the location of the dungeons, in which there are a great deal of white and black dots. I assume the white ones are ponies, and the black ones are changelings. “So basically, if we want to get anywhere, we need to help out the guard,” I restate, thinking hard about the best course of action. “So far, the outstanding objective is to free Celestia. If we can do that, the battle is ours. But the problem is doing that.”

“We may be able to come up with a plan,” Luna asserts, casting her gaze across the occupants of the room. “Who amongst thee wouldst thou say are the strongest?”

“Magically or physically?” Twilight inquires, even as Rainbow starts to flex her muscles.

“Either. We need to know our assets before devising a strategy,” is Luna's response. “Quickly now.”

“Well, physically, I'd say either Applejack or Rainbow,” Twilight answers, indicating the both of them with her hooves. Rainbow and Applejack look at one another, and then back at Twilight. “Rainbow is more maneuverable, but Applejack is sturdier.”

“That sounds about right,” I respond, looking between the two of them. Interestingly enough, I'd usually expect Rainbow to protest at being compared to somepony else, but she seems to be staying quiet. I guess she knows how serious this is.

“Magically, it falls to Seth and I,” Twilight continues. “Though I...haven't really fought all that much. Seth has more experience than I in that regard.”

“Trust me, we know,” Luna remarks wryly, giving me a knowing glance. I scratch the back of my head. Luna was there when I clashed with her sister, so she knows that I've been in a few fights. “Then...Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Spike, and Fluttershy. What are thy strengths?”

“I may not be as strong as Twilight or Seth, but I do possess a moderate degree of skill in magic,” Rarity expresses, lifting a hoof and gazing at it in annoyance. “Ugh, this cave is wreaking havoc on my hooves.”

“Heavy weaponry!” Pinkie exclaims, and then whips out her cannon, again from nowhere. She also pulls out a set of balloons. “Oh, and balloons too. Hee!”

“Pinkie has that sense of hers, though I'm not sure how reliable it is,” Twilight remarks, facehoofing at her friend's antics. Luna nods, looking at Spike next.

“Uh...strengths? I mean, I've never fought before,” Spike admits, wringing his claws together. “My fire's not that strong yet.”

“But he also can send and receive messages, provided the correct magical link is arranged,” Twilight points out, to which Luna appears interested. That is a good point, now that I think about it. I'm the only one with a cell phone, and it doesn't work. Communication is essential in a battle, especially one like this.

Finally, all eyes fall upon Fluttershy, who shrinks behind her mane. “Oh...I'm not strong at all...I don't want to fight,” she says timidly, shaking slightly. “Chrysalis was so scary...I'm not sure I could face more of them.”

“We see. Now then, we believe we hath gained enough information,” Luna decides. With a blink of her eyes, the hologram reverts, once again showing the entirety of Canterlot. “This will not be an easy strategy. If it is to succeed, we will need each one of thee to give thy utmost effort. Art thou with us?”

“I am, Princess Luna. I want to save Princess Celestia, Cadance, and my brother. I'll fight if I need to!” Twilight is the first to respond. She scuffs the ground with a hoof, a determined expression on her face.

“If it means savin' Equestria, count me in. This is mah home too,” Applejack asserts, cracking her neck and stretching her limbs.

“I've got a score to settle with that Chrysalis jerk. You won't be leaving me behind,” Rainbow joins, her eyes narrowing.

“I made a promise,” I declare, cracking my knuckles. If Rainbow's fighting, then I'm going to be there with her. “I'm going to crush the entire changeling army by myself, if I have to.”

“Just because I'm a lady doesn't mean I can't step up if necessary,” Rarity declares, throwing in with the rest of us.

“Oh! Me too! I wanna say something cool!” Pinkie exclaims, bouncing in place. She attempts to put on a serious face, except all it succeeds in doing is looking ridiculous. “I'll save you, princess! How was that?”

“I'll...try my best,” Fluttershy whispers, her voice barely audible.

“If you need me, I'll be here,” Spike adds. With that, every single one of us has stated our desires and motivations. I guess this is it.

This is the first time I've ever been in a battle of this scale before. It's always been a one on one fights before, but a battle like this? I can't help but be nervous. All it will take is one fuck up, and all of us are dead. I just hope Luna knows what she's doing.

“Excellent. Thy loyalty to thy country gives us solace,” Luna praises us. Right, to this country. No, my loyalty is to Rainbow. That's all. Then, she gets serious. “Here's what we have come up with. Our primary objective, as Seth hath stated, is to free mine sister. That is the victory condition. But there is a line of obstacles to be dealt with. We shalt describe the plan from the ground up.”

We watch carefully as the hologram zooms down to show the Canterlot dungeons again, only this time, a small tunnel is revealed that leads away from the dungeons, through what looks like a sewer system. “One team shalt enter the dungeons through the sewers, with the objective of freeing Commander Iron, and as many guards as possible. It is imperative that this team keep a low profile until the majority of the guards are freed.”

“Good idea. With the First Regiment backing us, we'll have a much easier time keeping the changelings at bay,” I say approvingly. The other ponies are nodding as well, seeing the sense in this plan.

“Another team will form a diversionary force and strike at the Canterlot gates. This team will consist of two of the strongest members here, in order to convince our enemy that this team is the greatest threat,” Luna continues, showing the Canterlot gates in the hologram. “However, this team will be facing the most danger.”

“But it's also necessary, otherwise the dungeon team will get overwhelmed,” I say, even as the other ponies blanch. This seems like it'll be a very dangerous and risky plan, but I can see how it could work, as well.

“Correct. Last, a third, smaller team will accompany the diversionary force, and will split off to rendezvous with Captains Spitfire and Blades, to inform them of our plan,” Luna continues, showing the sector of the city where the most combat is taking place as we speak. “We will need their strength as well, if we are to succeed.”

“Seems like an awesome plan! Who goes where? I assume you want me with the diversionary force, because I'm one of the strongest,” Rainbow asks, somehow managing to stroke her own ego even in a situation like this.

Luna ignores Rainbow at first, instead splitting the hologram into three, showing the areas that the three teams will be going to. She highlights the gates first. “We shalt lead the attack on the gates ourselves, accompanied by my personal guards, as well as Twilight Sparkle and Applejack.”

Okay, so the diversionary team is Luna, Twilight, and Applejack. That seems like a good choice. Applejack has some crazy leg power, and Twilight is the Element of Magic. Plus, with Luna and her guards, I think they have a good chance. Still, I'm surprised I wasn't sent with them as well. What does Luna have in store for me?

“Accompanying us will be the rendezvous team. Spike is essential for this team, as his messages will help bring this whole plan together,” Luna expresses, staring at Spike. “Dost thou understand, Spike? Thou art integral to the success of the plan as a whole.”

“Wow, r...really? I'm important?” Spike exclaims, blushing slightly. “Did you hear that, Twilight?”

“I did. But that means I have to change the spell binding of your messages, so that they go to Princess Luna instead of Princess Celestia,” Twilight responds, beaming at her assistant. “Not to mention teach her the spell needed to send replies back.”

“Not just us. We would also like them to go to Seth Rogers, for reasons we shalt explain momentarily,” Luna decrees. I raise an eyebrow at that one. It seems like she has an important plan for me after all. “Spike, thou shalt be escorted by Pinkie Pie and Rarity.”

“Yes!” Spike says a little too loudly, but quickly covers it up with a cough when he realizes what he said. What's up with that? “I mean...all right. I understand.”

“Pinkie Pie, Rarity, thy job is essential to our success. Thou must deliver Spike to the Captains, and then join the defense against the changelings,” Luna affirms, giving the two mares with an intense stare. “Can we count on thee?”

“Yessiree! I'll keep Spike safer than I keep my baking tools!” Pinkie exclaims. I'm not sure how I feel about this. Pinkie doesn't really seem like she's cut out for combat. Sure, she's got that cannon (wherever the hell she keeps it), but can she last in a battle like this?

“Absolutely. I shan't let you down, Princess,” Rarity says firmly. Hold on, if all of the rest of them are with the diversionary and rendezvous teams, that leaves Rainbow, Fluttershy, and I to infiltrate the dungeons. Great, I have to lug around Fluttershy?

“Fluttershy, thy task shalt be to remain here,” Luna declares, answering my mental question for me. “Somepony must stay behind to take care of the fillies, and thou seems to be the best fit for this role.”

“Me? You mean, I don't have to fight?” Fluttershy asks, sounding hopeful. Luna shakes her head firmly, and Fluttershy smiles. “Thank you. I'll keep these little sweeties safe for you.”

“Hey! There's only one little Sweetie!” Scootaloo pipes up from the back of the room, where the three of them had been watching and listening, quietly. I resist the urge to facepalm.

“I'm not little! I'm taller than Apple Bloom!” Sweetie Belle protests.

“You are not!” Apple Bloom retorts...and I promptly lose my battle, planting my head in my hands. Goddamn fillies. Even at the eve of a battle as intense as this one is likely going to be, they still find a way to be as innocent as ever.

Luna has the most perfect “what the fuck” expression that I've ever seen. A few seconds later, she coughs, and then gets back on track. “Seth, we art placing thee in charge of the dungeon infiltration team. Thou shalt go with Rainbow Dash to find Commander Iron. Dost thou understand?”

“I do,” I reply simply. I look down at Rainbow, who catches my eye and grins. It looks like the two of us are going to be going into hell together. I suppose I'd have it no other way, really. At least then I can keep an eye on her and make sure she doesn't get her stupid ass killed.

“Aw yeah. We're gonna stomp those changelings into the ground!” Rainbow declares, nudging me. Her excitement level is rising. I'm jealous. I wish I could be as hyped about this as she is. I just want to make up for the mistake I made.

“This is the first phase of the plan. Seth, Spike, once thou completes thy objectives, send a message to us, and we shalt begin phase two of the plan,” Luna continues. “Seth, in thine case, thou must send a message to Spike, who will then direct it to us.”

“What's phase two?” Twilight asks, looking uncomfortable. I hope she isn't losing her nerve.

“We begin our counter assault. With our forces on either side of the main changeling force, we can crush them beneath our hooves from all directions,” Luna explains. “However, we that have gathered here shalt be splitting into multiple teams, while our army combats the changelings.”

“The first and most important role is lowering the magic cancellation field on the wedding hall by destroying each of the three pylons in the mines,” Luna details, showing the locations of the entrances to the mines on the hologram. “This is imperative, and as such I will be assigning all of you to this task, save for Seth.”

“Why not me?” I ask curiously. “I could destroy the fuck out of those pylons.”

“That is certainly true, but we need thee here. Thou must rendezvous with me after thy success with the dungeons,” Luna points out. Suddenly, a sinking feeling comes over me. I feel like I know what she's going to ask. “Once the cancellation field falls, thou shalt assist me in distracting Chrysalis.”

“Fuck. That's going to suck. She's really strong,” I lament, though I knew somehow that I'd be facing Chrysalis again. I clench my fist. This time, I'll have Luna's help. This time, I'm going to kill her.

“What? But I wanted to take her down!” Rainbow protests, looking furious. “Let me go too. I want to help you beat her!”

“No. Thy job will first be going to disable this pylon...” Luna begins, showing Rainbow the pylon in question. “...along with Twilight Sparkle and Captain Spitfire.”

“Uh...I'm...okay with this,” Rainbow expresses, much to my exasperation and amusement.

“Then, thou shalt be heading straight down to where mine sister is imprisoned. If everything goes as planned, Chrysalis will be too busy with us to notice thy machinations,” Luna orders. “Once she is freed, victory is ours.”

“What about the other two pylons?” Applejack queries, looking at the hologram closely. “We gotta take 'em all down, raht?”

“That is correct. The second pylon, located here, will be destroyed by thee, Rarity, and Commander Rose,” Luna continues. “We leave the last pylon to Pinkie and Captain Blades.”

“Yippee! Let's do it!” Pinkie exclaims. However, there is something I can't help but notice.

“Luna, why are you only sending two ponies to take down the last pylon?” I inquire, looking at the hologram intently. Sheesh, there's so much to remember in this plan. There's also so much that could go wrong. If Luna overestimates our power, we could end up in some deep shit. I don't know that I'd want to go into battle depending on somepony like Pinkie.

“Captain Blades and his squad is more than capable of taking down a pylon on their own,” Luna answers confidently. “We art sending Pinkie with him as extra insurance, so to speak.”

“All right, I think that accounts for everything!” Twilight determines, looking around at all of us. “Unless you have anything more to add, Princess?”

“No, that is the plan in its entirety. Have thou committed it to memory?” Luna responds. Well, I kinda have it memorized, but there's a lot to remember. I might as well be sure, especially since fucking up is a matter of life and death.

“Go over it one more time for me,” I tell her. Luna nods, and then she launches off into explanation once more.


It's almost time. After running through the plan a few more times, we've started preparations. By that, I mean Twilight has taught both Luna and I the spell necessary to transfer and receive messages to or from Spike. It's an easy spell to learn, so it doesn't take more than a few minutes to learn. Even so, like Luna said, it's entirely necessary for everything to work.

Also, I finally found out how Luna found us in the first place. Apparently the cave that we're in is the entrance to the tunnel that leads to the sewers. That's very convenient. Almost too convenient. I didn't actually choose a destination for the teleportation spell, beyond the vague idea of “let's get the fuck out of here right the hell now,” so I guess the fact that ended up here must have been pure luck.

So, for my own sake, I'm going to go over the plan in my head, before we get this thing started. Basically, what I have to do is go with Rainbow into the dungeons and find the Commander of the First Regiment. Supposedly with his help, we can rally the troops in the dungeon and hit the changeling forces from the flank, while Rose's squad and Luna's squad trikes from all sides. It's a solid plan, but I'm hoping we can get some pegasi, otherwise the flanking maneuver will be pointless, because they'll just fly over us.

Once we free the troops in the dungeon, Rainbow and I will split up (not sure how I feel about letting her go into battle without me), and then I'll be fighting my way to Luna, while the others shut down that field. Lastly, Luna and I will take on Chrysalis to keep her from killing Rainbow and Twilight while they attempt to free Celestia.

“Is everypony ready?” Luna demands, standing at the entrance to the caves, the sunlight reflecting off of her black battle armor.

All of the ponies I'm standing with look at one another, perhaps taking solace in one another's presence before walking into what's sure to be hell.

Fuck, I still can't believe I'm going to be at the forefront of what's probably the first battle in Equestria for a thousand years. Hell, I can't believe I'm going to be in a battle. I'm nervous as fuck, to the point where I'm slightly shaking. It's an odd feeling, knowing that I'm going to be going into battle, not knowing if I'm going to come back. Some of these ponies I'm standing with might not come back from this. There's a very real chance that some of us here will die.

I feel something warm press against my side. I look down to see Rainbow pressing her side against me, looking up at me with a reassuring smile. She must have seen me shaking. If I remember right, what she's doing is a typical sign of support amongst horses. I guess that applies to ponies as well. Hell, at least I know Rainbow will be by my side for most of this.

“I'm...I'm ready,” Twilight stammers. It looks like we're all nervous. I can't blame them. They're fucking ponies. They're all librarians, farmers, bakers, clothing designers, and other jobs that have no need to fight. I respect them for not breaking down, even though I know they must be terrified.

“Let's do this!” Rainbow declares, scuffing the ground in her eagerness for battle. Slowly, the other ponies nod their heads and murmur their assent.

“Very well. Diversionary and rendezvous teams, come with us. Fluttershy, remain here,” Luna commands. Her guards stiffen and clench their weapons, readying themselves for battle as well. “Infiltration team, depart when ready. Keep in contact.”

“Understood,” I respond. My personal feelings don't matter in this situation. If I need to, I'll follow Luna, for now.

I follow the rest of them outside onto the cliff's edge, to see them off. I look towards Canterlot, watching the magical explosions erupt in the air, serving as an indicator for the battle that's still occurring there.

Luna climbs onto the chariot, as does Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie, and Spike. The six guards take their place as the head of the chariot, as they're going to fly Luna into battle. “Depart, loyal guards!” Luna orders, and the guards take to the air, lifting the chariot off of the ground.

Luna powers up, starry darkness erupting from her body and licking up her sides like flame. Her eyes burn a bright white. “Onward! For Canterlot!” she declares, and the chariot speeds towards the city.

“All right, let's get moving!” Rainbow tells me. I nod, and the two of us run back into the cave. We have to find that passage and get to the dungeons.

Fluttershy is sitting on her haunches near the three fillies. She looks up as we pass her, and she gives us an encouraging smile. “Good luck, you two. Make sure to come back to me,” she tells us kindly.

“Kick some tail, Rainbow Dash!” Scootaloo calls after us.

“Teach that bug thing how to behave!” Sweetie Belle cheers.

“Be careful, Seth. Do your best, and don't get hurt!” Apple Bloom calls to me. I smile a bit at her encouragement. That's right. I'm also fighting for her, so that she doesn't end up becoming nothing more than a source of food for a crazed changeling queen.

There's a smaller tunnel in the back of the cave that I never really paid attention to before this strategy meeting, which Luna said leads to the sewers. I'm inclined to believe her. The air smells pretty bad down here, which tells me we're going in the right direction.

We're running at this point, but I'm not winded at all. Neither is Rainbow. After a month and a half of running over a mile every day, a simple run through a tunnel is nothing to us.

The tunnel weaves and winds, until I can hear the sound of a waterfall in the distance. I guess the means we're getting close. Sure enough, the tunnel soon opens up into a large circular chamber that's clearly not natural. The walls are covered with tiling, for instance.

The room itself looks like a water treatment plant, if I had to guess. And no, there's no real technology going on here. Basically the entire chamber consists of a giant pit in the ground, into which multiple waterfalls are pouring. The pit is filled with water that's swirling around in a whirlpool, but that's not even the best part. There's a trail of magic streaming through the whirlpool in a spiral, picking up all kinds of disgusting debris and waste from the water and feeding it into separate pipes, where I'm sure all of that is disposed of. Basically, it's cool as fuck.

There's a circular walkway around the pit, with steel railings protecting us from falling over the edge. There's also a stone overhang above the walkway, from which the waterfalls are coming from. That way we're not getting splashed at all as we run.

“This way,” I tell Rainbow, remembering Luna's instructions. We enter one of the passages that leads away from the chamber, the door opening automatically. We run up a set of stairs that takes us to the real passage, where there's a steady stream of flowing sewage that feeds into the chamber we just left. It also stinks to high heaven.

“Gross,” Rainbow comments, wrinkling her nose.

“Nopony said this was going to be pleasant,” I say with a shrug, even though I agree with her wholeheartedly. “It'll probably get worse when we start fighting. I don't know about you, but I'm not going to leave any survivors.”

“They're like insects, right? So all we gotta do is stamp 'em out,” Rainbow agrees. Hah, so she agrees with me. I can't really picture her doing any killing, but as long as she fights as hard as I do, I'm okay with whatever she does.

We pass through many more similar treatment chambers like the first on our way to the dungeons. These ponies may not be anywhere close in technology to modern humans, but they do have a pretty sophisticated plumbing system. Whatever science can't do for them, magic does instead.

“Hey, Seth?” Rainbow asks as we continue into a flow control chamber, where both clean water and sewage water are directed to their respective destinations.

“What?” I ask, looking around for the next door. Spotting it, I direct Rainbow into it with a hand gesture. “Through there.”

Rainbow looks somewhat nervous as she asks this next question. “Once this is all over, would...I mean...do you think you could tell me more about your family?”

“Why does it matter? They're gone now,” I reply bitterly, wondering why she's bringing this up now, of all times. “I told you as much as I'm comfortable telling you, really.”

“They seem like interesting...uh...people. Is that what you call them? People?” Rainbow starts, cutting off to check her word choice with me. When I nod, she continues. “They seem like they're really important to you, so I'm curious.”

“Like I said, they're dead. It doesn't really matter who they were or what they did,” I return, my mood dropping. “Nothing matters once you die.”

“I think it does matter. I don't think they'd want you to forget them, right?” Rainbow argues as we pass through another treatment chamber. We're getting close to where Luna said the dungeons would be. “I mean, as long as you remember them, they're still alive, in a manner of speaking, right?”

“Of course I'm not going to forget them. I doubt I ever will,” I retort irritably. “What I can't understand is why I should share them with you, any more than I already have.”

“Because I wanna hear about the people that were important to you,” Rainbow says candidly. I raise an eyebrow. I mean, I suppose it wouldn't really be a big deal if I told her a few more things, but I don't see why she's so interested. And, it is Rainbow. I wouldn't reveal these things to anypony else, really. “Hey, I have an idea.”

“This should be good,” I mutter, though I am listening.

“Tell you what, if the both of us get out of this in one piece, we should do that get together we've been planning for over a month,” Rainbow suggests. “It'll be like, an after party of sorts, to celebrate our victory.”

“That sounds like fun,” I reply truthfully. I have been wanting to show her my music.

“Doesn't it? Yeah, we'll get Pinkie to make us some cupcakes and soft drinks, chill in your room, listen to your music, and you can tell me about your family.” Rainbow slips that last part in cleverly just as I'm nodding my head in agreement. Why you little...ugh, clever girl.

“I see what you did there, you little sneak,” I growl at her, through I'm not really all that angry. Rainbow chuckles and looks at me hopefully. “Ugh, fine. You realize I wouldn't do this with anybody else, right?”

“Only because I'm completely and totally awesome,” Rainbow returns, laughing.

Before I can come up with a clever retort, I hear a guttural hiss and a chitter, along with the sound of something like buzzing wings. I immediately cover up Rainbow's mouth with a hand and come to a stop. I put a finger on my lip to indicate silence, and then just as we reach the end of the corridor, I peer around the corner.

We're here. I can see the entrance to the dungeons, but it looks to be guarded by two changelings. Rainbow and I look at one another look at one another, and then nod.

The changelings at the entrance don't even get a chance to scream before Rainbow and I are there. My darkness covered fist smashes right through a changeling's face, just as Rainbow's hoof barrels into other changeling's side, knocking it clear off its hooves and into the wall, where it falls unconscious.

The ground shakes around us, and I can hear the sounds of battle even through the rock. This is it. The Battle for Canterlot has begun.