*****Dusty’s POV*****
I laid there in my mistress’ arms as she cried herself to sleep, not knowing what else I could do. I felt truly terrible; I promised to protect her from her own emotions, but I never believed that they were as bad as they are. I tried, I really did, to keep her emotions in check, but I was overpowered almost too easily. She has grown so much in such a short time that it is very frightening.
I looked at her sleeping form, feeling a deep pain in my heart. I failed her, I let Kat down and now all of Equestria, no, the entire world will pay the price for my failure. I should have talked her out of this, I should have never let her do this. I knew it would end terribly, but still I let it happen.
The anger deep in heart started to glow. But I wasn’t angry at Kat, no I could never be truly mad at her. No, I was angry with myself. How could I fail this badly? I should have done something, anything that would have prevented all of this, but I waited like a fool. I’m so sorry Kat, I couldn’t save you from yourself.
Then I felt a change in the air; someone was in the castle. I dispersed myself into mist and floated out of the room, stopping a few doors down to see the six ponies Kat had befriended in my absence. Only, they didn’t look very friendly at the moment, especially the leader, Twilight. I reshaped myself in their path, blocking them from continuing. “Greetings, young mares. Can I help you with something?”
Twilight literally growled at me. ”You go get that backstabbing, lying bitch you call a mistress, now!”
“Excuse you?” I demanded. “I will not let you speak ill of my mistress, no matter what she--”
“Shut it you stupid animal!” Twilight yelled in my face. “I want to see that monster now! I am going to drag that bitch to Canterlot where she will pay for all of her crimes! I thought I could trust her, but in my heart I knew all along that you can’t trust a monster like her!”
I don’t know what… no, I know exactly what came over me in the next instant. “YOU CALL MY KITTEN THAT ONE MORE TIME AND I WILL CLAW YOUR EYES OUT OF YOUR SKULL AND MAKE THEM MY NEW CHEW TOYS YOU DAMN PACK ANIMAL!”
That shut her up, also silencing any other retorts from the others. It was silent for the next few moments before another pony spoke, that being one called Rarity. “Um, not to be rude, darling, but what do you mean ‘kitten’?”
My anger had still yet to subside so I continued to scowl at them, specifically Twilight, refusing to take my eyes off her for a single second. “Kat is mine. I have been with her since the beginning, so as far as I’m concerned she is my kitten.”
“Well, you should have taught your ‘kitten’ better!” Pinkie, of all ponies, said back, her mane completely straight and her coat a darker shade of pink.. “She broke a promise to Twilight that she wouldn’t hurt Princess Celestia too bad. Breaking a promise is the fastest way to losing a friend… FOREVER!”
“If you want someone to blame for the loss of Celestia’s horn, then you can blame me. I was supposed to keep her in check, but her powers prevented me from doing so. I was only barely able to keep her from fully breaking and using her most powerful techniques on the solar princess.”
“Oh, I haven’t forgotten about you, Dusty. You're at fault here as well, and I’m going to bring you both in. No doubt you both will be banished for all of time.”
“And who says I’m going to let you harm my kitten? Even if Kat doesn’t think of me like that, I will protect her with my life. And I will not stand here and let you call her a monster!”
“That’s all she is! Kat is a lying, manipulating monster who needs to be sealed away in the darkest depths of Tarta--”
*SMACK!!* Twilight was suddenly slapped from the side, nearly sending her to the floor. Everypony was frozen in place from shock, not just from the act, but by the one who did the act: Fluttershy. The butter-yellow pegasus was staring at her friend with pure hatred, tears threatening to fall from her eyes.
“D-don’t you ever, ever call my grandmother that again!” Twilight was aghast, holding her cheek. “Kat made a mistake, Twilight. She’s probably feeling bad about enough without you making things worse.”
I nodded. “It’s true, she cried herself to sleep as soon as she returned here. Please understand, Kat is not as strong as she tries to make others think. She is more fragile than glass and something set her off at the castle. What that is is not in my liberty to discuss, but it broke her mind. Kat has never been right since she was eight; deep down, she still has the mind of her eight year old self. She’s broken, don’t you understand?! She needs help, she needs people like us to help keep her together!”
Twilight stood, holding her reddened cheek, still scowling. “I don’t care. She’s had enough chances, as far as I’m concerned, Kat Shifter is an enemy of Equestria and most definitely not my friend.”
“I concur!” announced Rarity, joining by Twilight’s side.
“Me too!” Pinkie said, moping by them. They looked at the others, urging them to join, but Rainbow and Applejack hesitated. Fluttershy already announced her position, setting herself down by me.
“Well?” urged Twilight.
“I-I can’t,” Rainbow slumped, shocking the ponies against Kat. “She gave me back my father, girls, and I know the kind of things she’s been through because of my background. I need to stay loyal to her.” She flew without enthusiasm, joining Fluttershy who wrapped a consoling wing around her friend.
“AJ?” Twilight nearly pleaded.
Applejack hung her head, slowly turning away from Twilight, Rarity, and Pinkie. She trotted over to us and sat down on her haunches. Twilight was near tears as she saw the orange mare make her decision. “Why AJ? Why?” Pinkie cried.
She sighed. “Because if Ah turn mah back on Kat now, then things are only gonna get worse. If Kat don’t have her friends by her side, especially during this hard time, then she’s only gonna go further into the darkness.”
“Let her!” Twilight screamed. “She’s already evil! She’s a terrible monster who has destroyed the lives of thousands of ponies! She doesn’t deserve friendship!”
Once again, my anger boiled over. “How dare you--”
“Dusty,” a soft voice calls out, chilling me to the spine. I turned around and I saw her there, her eyes red with tears that still streamed from her eyes. She was holding on to the wall for support, but her eyes… those beautiful red eyes that were usually so full of life, now were those of one who had no will to live. Kat was shaking her head. “Don’t Dusty. I’m not worth it. She’s right. I am a monster. I don’t deserve any of you. I don’t deserve anything.”
“Grandmother,” Fluttershy called out as Kat turned and started walking down the hall. She tried to go after her, but found herself blocked by gravity shields. “Grandmother…” Kat ignored her, her head hung low as she continued to walk. Fluttershy began to tear up, several falling to the floor. She turned to Twilight and the others, her face showing anger and sadness. “Are you happy now, Twilight?! Are you happy that you’ve destroyed my grandmother?!”
“She’s not really your family, Fluttershy!”
“Kat is my family!! Nothing will ever change that and I will always support her and be there for her! As long as I live, I will not let her fall to the darkness!”
“Well said, Fluttershy,” I nodded. I then turned to Twilight and the others on her side. “Now, I must ask you to vacate the premises. You are no longer welcome in this castle.”
“That’s fine with us!” Rarity huffed. “Consider our spa appointment canceled Fluttershy. Neither you nor your grandmother are welcome in my boutique.”
“No cake for you!” Pinkie proclaimed with a strange accent. The three ponies filed down the fall, Twilight stopping and turning to us.
“I will not stop until you and Kat are sealed in stone, Dusty,” she spat at me. “You and her will pay for your crimes, mark my words.” She gave one last dirty look at all four of us and then walked away.
I sigh and turn to the remaining girls. “Thank you for supporting my kitten, girls. It means a lot to me.”
“Anything for you, great-grandfather,” Fluttershy said with a sad smile, which I returned.
“I have a debt to repay her, so I’ll stay with her until the end,” Dash replies with fake enthusiasm. This was obviously eating her up inside, and I only wish I could do more to ease her pain.
“Kat needs somepony ta keep her from fallin’ further. Ah gave mah word to help her and an Apple never goes back on a promise. That’s the honest truth.”
“Thank you, now let’s find Kat before she does something truly stupid.”
*****Third Person POV ~ Canterlot General Hospital*****
Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were not happy ponies right now. After everything that happened with the Gravity Queen, they were battered, bruised, broken, and deeply hurt. Kat had truly broken them, both physically and emotionally. Celestia was feeling it more than Luna, however. The breaking of her horn and her heart was truly devastating to the solar diarch. After coming out surgery, with the doctors being unable to restore her horn from the thousands of pieces, she had yet to say a word to her only sister.
Luna had only just enough power to lower the moon and raise the sun, having to limp back to her bed painfully. “Sister, please, speak to me. I know you are hurt, but I need to know you are ok.” Still Celestia stayed silent, only proving to make Luna even more worried.
“Why did this happen?” Celestia spoke with a pained whisper, surprising Luna. She smiled for a brief moment before the depth of the question hit her. “Where did we go wrong? Why couldn’t we just be the happy family I wished for?”
Luna sighed, reclining back in her hospital bed. “Those are questions that I cannot answer, sister. But we must focus on the problem at hand. Kat is far more dangerous than we anticipated and we paid the price for our arrogance.”
Celestia nodded. “I agree, Lulu. But what is that we can do? I am no longer in any shape to face her, nor are you. Kat just has too much power for us to take on in our present condition. What is it that we can do against the Gravity Queen?”
“Perhaps I could be of assistance,” spoke an unknown voice, surprising the two sisters. They moved their heads back in forth looking for the source of the voice. “Over here.” They look over to a darkened corner of the room, engulfed in shadow. The darkness twisted and turned before a human girl walked out of the shadows. Her hair was black until it hit her shoulders before it turned a deep red as it progressed down to her waist. Her eyes shined a pristine blue, though there was a coldness to them. Her dress was very revealing, only barely covering her breasts, leaving her midriff and shoulders bare, exposing a crescent moon tattoo just above her breasts. The outfit covered her arms and legs like a drape, with an extravagant belt over her waist. Rimmed bands were on her four limbs making it seem as if her boots were a part of her dress. “Greetings, Princesses of Equestria.”
“W-who are you?” asked Luna, slightly afraid of another human in her home.
“There is no need to fear me, Princesses. I am here to help.”
“Help?” Celestia asked with a raised eyebrow. “I don’t think we need anymore of your kind’s help!”
“You misunderstand me, Princess Celestia. I am here to offer my… services.”
“Services?”
“Yes, Princess Luna. I, too, have no like for the Gravity Queen, Kat Shifter. As such, I wish to offer my abilities to you so that she can be brought to justice.”
“Princesses!” exclaimed a guard who burst into the room. The princesses were immediately distracted by the guard, then looked back to where the girl was, only to see that she was gone.
Celestia shook her head clear and addressed the guard. “Yes, what is it?”
“It has returned.”
Celestia paled. “Alert Shining Armor and Princess Cadance, send them there now. Go!” The guard saluted and sped off. “I have feared this day.”
“Sister, what did he mean by ‘it’?”
“The Crystal Empire has returned,” spoke the voice of the girl. The two princesses were startled, looking up to the source of the voice and finding the human standing on the ceiling. She jumped down in a slowed backflip, landing daintily on her feet.
“How did you know that?”
“I have been keeping an eye on that area due to the high amount of energy coming from there. If I may, I suggest sending your pupil to the Empire to assist.”
“Why would I send Twilight there?! I will not lose my precious student to that monster!”
“Because if she goes, so will the Gravity Queen.”
“I don’t follow,” Celestia admitted, feeling both angry and confused.
“Kat and your student are friends. She has befriended all of the Elements.”
“WHAT?!” exclaimed the princesses.
“It is the sad truth. She has blinded them, making them think she is the victim in all of this. When she is only manipulating them further.”
“My poor Twilight,” Celestia said while hanging her head sadly.
“It will work in your favor, though.”
“How so?” Celestia asked with a cautious look.
“Well, if you agree to accept my help, I can get you Kat Shifter.”
Luna and Celestia looked at one another, weighing the benefits and the consequences of this new shifter’s offer. On the one hoof, it could help capture a powerful criminal, but could also turn loose one who could be just as bad. However, Kat was the greater threat and if this shifter could help them, then they would let her. Celestia turned back to the shifter. “We accept your help, Miss…”
Suddenly, a starry black bird cawed from the window as it flew to the shifter’s shoulder. The girl scratched the underside of its beak affectionately. “I am the one who will bring justice to she who has wronged us, the true Master of Gravity. I am Raven, Raven Masters.”