The evening was settling as the sun descended closer to the mountains, shining down upon the chaos in the city below. Everywhere, fires erupted and burned throughout Canterlot, like torches, illuminating the violence as it carried on. Smoke hung over the city like an ominous cloud, practically blotting out the sun with its enormity.
Monsters rampaged through the streets, buildings crumbled to ruin here and there, and every player inside fought to survive. The most notable of the onslaught was a particular section of the fighting players; they were the ones who were deliberately hunting down the defending players.
The entire scene rang out with shrill cries, the roars of rampaging beasts, and the clang of swords against sword. Even from outside the city, the smell of the smoking city was almost unbearable.
I scowled in anger as I recognized a few of these players. No doubt the rest of our group recognized them as they came into sight as Westfalia neared the city. A few of these players were the ones that I had personally helped lock up in the castle’s dungeons. It was the Haters’ Guild, and somehow they had managed to break out.
“Kusō.” Cinn swore under his breath, “Of course those bastards found a way out of the dungeon.”
Cinn, as well as the rest of the group save for Swift, stood at the railing of the ship, looking down at the raging battlefield the city had become. Our pilot stood at the helm, making Westfalia descend quickly so our ‘grounded’ members could join in the action as soon as possible. They all had their weapons drawn and at the ready, though most of us held a look of disgust and anger at the sight of the Haters destroying our old home city.
It was obvious that the Haters had escaped the dungeons, albeit we weren’t sure how, but that still left another question. How had the monsters been let into the city? The game was supposed to prevent that, even under Discord’s set of rules… unless he changed those as well.
Was it that? Had Discord just spontaneously changed his own rules at the drop of a hat? Or maybe…
The hacked items, like Ezekiel’s sword that I had experienced firsthand, came to mind. Perhaps the King of the Haters’ Guild, the one Ezekiel had said he got his sword from, had also hacked into the game to release the boundaries for the monsters, in order to execute a prison break for the majority of ‘his’ guild who were locked in the dungeons.
Shaking my head in confusion, I realized that both of them seemed just as likely possibilities. However, there was someone who would know what the heck was going on: Jupiter. I needed to find him quickly… that is, if he was even still alive.
“Shadow!” Lexus called out, “It looks like all of the Haters are more concentrated towards the castle. It seems like the rest of our guild is putting up a fight up there.”
I nodded, before turning to the rest of the group on either side of me, “Anyone who can fly follows me to the castle to help the rest of the guild. Everyone else make their way through the city and help anyone who needs it. Do not let the Haters catch you alone or off guard!”
“Right!” “Yes, sir!”
“Got it!” “Affirmative!”
I spread my wings, “Alright, let’s move!” With that, I dove over the railing of the ship, not far behind me, the other pegasi, and Sky in cloud form, flew off to the burning castle, right into the heart of the battle.
As soon as we breached the city limits, I was nearly suffocated by the overwhelming amount of smoke in the air. Coughing out the stifling fumes, I realized that there was a lot more than I had first anticipated. It was as if the whole of Canterlot was burning to the ground. But I was at least thankful the smokescreen would cover us from anyone who happened to be looking up, whether they were Hater or monster.
Seeing the wreckage and fighting below up from the airship’s deck was one thing, but seeing it up close was another thing entirely. I could barely recognize it at all, even after having lived here for months.
Down below, I could make out the figures of two players running with a horde of zombie ponies after them, making it look like a ponified scene from the movie, World War Z. Just around a corner, the zombie stampede chased down the two players, passing an alley where a skeleton pony archer rode on a manticore mount, sniping off anypony in its sight. Two giant dragons, just shy of adult age, ran through the streets, spewing constant streams of flames out of their gullets to buildings and gardens alike, sending them up in tendrils of fire, much like they had to the rest of the town.
And everywhere we passed, any players we saw seemed as if they were on the verge of panic; I could understand why. What do you think you would do if your home, the place completely devoid of monsters that you’ve been fighting for months at a time, suddenly had a roaring kraken walk through your front door and it attacks when you’re completely defenseless and lying on the living room couch? Yet despite being able to fight the monster off, a murderer from the county jail escapes his prison and shoots you from the back window.
… Okay, maybe that was just barely in context with this mess, but you get the point. This was our home. This was my home too. We were attacked without warning, and everyone in the streets was stranded in the midst of monsters, without any help or organization from the higher-ups. They were literally all on their own, unless they could find another friendly face.
I seriously hope Jupiter is still alive I though, pushing myself to fly faster towards the castle, If we lose our Head Admin, our leader, everything could just go south from here.
But there was also another thought that had been constantly racing through my mind.
Where was Frostlight? Is she alright? But then, the castle came into sight, and I felt my heart skip a beat.
It was a full on battle at the front gates alone. It seemed like the Haters and monsters were actually working together, sieging the castle, barred by only a few Knights of Harmony. And by the looks of our numbers, we were easily out-numbered. The outside walls, the only things separating the bulk of the monsters from entering, were burning more viciously than the rest of the city.
I grimaced, tucking my wings to drop myself into a full nose-dive towards the horde of onslaughters, Please let Frostlight be alive.
________________________________________
Jupiter
Jupiter stood at the window of his study, looking down at the chaos below him. From there, he saw everything; the jail-broken Haters, the monsters attacking the castle, and all of his players, fighting, defending, dying....
Seeing their pain was like a stab to his heart. It urged the Head Admin to jump out the window to help in cutting down the Haters with his own sword. But despite his want to help, there was one other pony in the study with him, barring his path out of the room.
Jupiter closed his eyes in despair, sighing, “You know, this is awfully cruel; having to watch your allies die in front of you, without being able to help.”
“… How do you think I feel?” The pony behind him spoke, her feminine voice devoid of emotion.
Jupiter glanced back over his shoulder, towards the mare standing at the door. It was Chess Queen, the proclaimed Queen of the Haters Guild, white coat and black mane, carrying her usual tower shield. She must have reacquired her weapon when they all broke out of the dungeon.
Jupiter kept his face stoic, but he could feel a tint of sadness in his own eyes, “If I may, I wish to go down there and fight with my own blade. I do not want to watch from the sidelines while my friends die in this chaos.”
“You truly are the same Jupiter I had chatted with down in the dungeon below, always strong and eager to throw himself into harm’s way for another.” Chess Queen paused, “I’m sorry, but I cannot let you do that for them.” Her face remained emotionless, though Jupiter expected that from her.
Jupiter sighed, “I know you have friends down there as well. They are dying too, and I know you wish to help them as well.”
Chess Queen laughed bitterly, “No, I only have one friend down there, and no one could possibly kill her, that’s if they even wanted to.” Her head lowered, so much that her mane obscured her eyes from Jupiter’s, “If you consider those killers, those wannabes, or those players we tricked into this game of survival, to be my friends, you’re a greater fool than you let on.”
A thin smile crossed the corner of Jupiter’s mouth, “Thank you for the compliment. One man’s fool can very well be another’s genius and master.”
Silence crossed the room, neither leader of the two divergent forces speaking a single word. Chess Queen kept her eyes hidden, but Jupiter never took his gaze off of her, in fact, not wanting to. Not because he awaited his inevitable demise from her, but because of… something else… he couldn’t quite explain it…
Chess Queen broke the silence, “But before anything else happens, Jupiter, I… must thank you for those chats we had in the dungeon together.” She chuckled lightly, “Being secluded with the nuts of my guild isn’t great for a social person like me.”
Jupiter sighed, a smile at his lips, “You’re welcome, my dear.” He glanced back out the window, towards the ruined city that gazed back at him with eyes of embers and tears of smoke, “We both knew this day would come, didn’t we?”
Chess Queen wordlessly nodded.
Her response made Jupiter sigh again, saddened. He spoke again, “I just wish it didn’t have to come this soon. If only we had more time… we wouldn’t have to do this.”
“But He would kill us if we defied him.” Queen quietly objected.
Jupiter slowly nodded, “Right… typical of you, always strategizing to find the way where you survive.” He sighed, “Why must this all be so difficult?”
Queen kept silent, but that was enough to give Jupiter her exact thoughts: He couldn’t agree more with them.
Jupiter turned away from the window, making his way towards Chess Queen, before stopping just in front of her. He smiled, though the facial feature seemed hollow, “I’m ready. My time as Head Admin has ended.”
Chess Queen simply nodded, finally taking her eyes up to meet his. Her horn began to shimmer white, preparing a spell.
But as she did, Jupiter chuckled, “Looking back, when I had first received your guild’s threats towards bronies as a whole, I guess you were right. ‘We will first kill all the admins, and then the element bearers.’” He let out a small, sad laugh, “Though I don’t like it, I guess you were right.”
Chess Queen shook her head, a sad smile coming to her features, “No. I couldn’t possibly bear to be right at the moment. Fortunately, you won’t be an admin anymore…”
That’s when she released her spell. The glow of her horn blinded both ponies in the room, but not enough to keep Jupiter from seeing it.
It was a single tear rolling down her cheek; one that spoke out a simple thought;
‘I’m sorry.’
____________________________________
Shadowflame
Moments later, we found ourselves at the heart of the battle. We stood at the drawbridge leading into the castle, holding off the horde of monsters and Haters trying to barge their way inside. There was a ruckus inside the castle though, as many pegasi and flying monsters easily flew over the castle walls, though they were quickly being dealt with our own airborne fighters.
I swung my flaming sword again at the crowd. The Haters closer to me were smart enough to back out of the way, but the monsters, one in particular being a wookie monster, failed to acknowledge the threat and received the full blow. This happened again and again, though the Haters were using hit and evade tactics, making them particularly annoying.
The other players defending with me had to back off and regenerate their health, leaving me to hold off the horde. I flared my magic, and instantly a wall of fire rose at the horde’s feet, blocking their entrance temporarily.
I took a breather as I pulled out a health potion and began drinking, before the horde could break through my makeshift barrier. Meanwhile, I found Sky running up beside me, swords drawn and breathing heavily.
The demonic unicorn groaned slightly, “We need to get rid of all of these monsters. It’s bad enough the Haters are thrown in the mix, and I’d rather not have to kill them… yet.”
I nodded, knowing full well how that was like. I had killed a Hater once before out of self-defense… they were trying to kill me at all costs, but I still didn’t like the fact that I had taken a human being’s life. Heck, looking back on it, they could have been someone who was deceived into joining the Haters’ ranks.
Shaking off the thoughts, I picked up my weapons again, ready to disperse my fire wall again.
But before I could, I single voice rang through the castle, “Silence.”
The voice hadn’t been loud or a shout, but calm, cold, and commanding. As if lightning had struck in the courtyard, every single Hater and monster instantly stopped in their tracks. All of the fighting came to a screeching halt, and every head turned towards the voice.
I glanced in the direction everyone was looking, only to feel a burning in the back of my skull as the hateful memories came back at the sight of her. Chess Queen stood up upon one of the balconies of the castle, completely emotionless, a cold look in her eyes.
“The queen!” “Get her!”
“I swear, I’ll kill that heartless bit-“
“I said, silence.” The ice behind Chess Queen’s words could have frozen an erupting volcano. Instantly, every player shouting death threats at her was silenced, mostly caught off guard by the fact that there was no hostility or anger in her voice, nor even a slight bit of jubilation. She seemed… dead, in a sense.
Chess Queen stood her ground, addressing everyone in the silence, “To every player, Hater, and fool. This is the day of reckoning, the day planned from the very beginning by the King of the Haters’ Guild.
“You all thought you were safe with our forces behind bars. But some of you must recall that not all of us were imprisoned. Out in hiding, our remaining soldiers took up their positions for our plan, to turn the tides in the favor of our king. First, we would break out of our prison, and unleash ruin upon Equestria with the monsters our king has provided. Then we would dispose of every admin in this game.”
Chess Queen’s eyes narrowed as she gazed at the crowd, her horn glowed, before her magic pulled out a massive sword and raised it high into the air for all to see. Many gasps echoed through the players, as well all recognized it; the sword had been Jupiters.
“Do you not see? I have already dealt with Jupiter, and here is his sword, no longer with a wielder to carry it. He will never be able to help you from beyond the grave. Even now, our members are assassinating the admins in the other cities.” She opened her player menu, opening a vast number of messages at once.
Her eyes scanned over what seemed to be reports from her subordinates, “Even now, Fillydelphia, Dodge City, Appleousa, Hollow Shades, Trottingham, and so many other cities have all fallen under our control. Every admin in these cities has been killed, and every player within each town has either died to our monsters, or are being held hostage.
“And now…” Chess Queen paused, letting her player menu close. She cleared her throat, her emotionless face not even showing a glint of satisfaction, “… now Canterlot has fallen.”
“Screw that!” Someone called out from the crowd, “I won’t let this city go to you bastards until I’m dead!”
“Where is your so called king anyways?” Another shouted, “I want to mince his balls with my axe!”
The players’ cries were instantly silenced as the castle courtyard was plunged into darkness, lighting flashing and thunder clapping across the sky.
A disembodied voice crept through the silence, sending a chill down everyone’s spines, “Oh, what’s this? I didn’t believe I had fans looking for an autograph.” A familiar chuckle echoed in the darkness, “Oh, well. I believe I can spare a few.”
“… Discord.” Not here! I swear, the last thing we need is him here to just add to the problem.
Lighting illuminated the area as the draconequus appeared in the courtyard, his serpentine body weaving through the air like a snake in water. Every player in sight, including the Haters, had fires burning in their eyes, ready to jump the draconequus at a moment’s notice.
Discord laughed at the display, “Ooh, those are some nice, shiny tools, but I think the local dentist would like them back.”
An arrow flew from someone’s bow, but the projectile never met Discord’s flesh as the draconequus simply caught it in midair. Instead, he proceeded to pick at his snaggle-tooth with the tip of the arrow, before retrieving a piece of lettuce the size of his head out from between his teeth.
“Oh, there’s the rest of my garden salad! I wonder how long that’s been there.” Discord chuckled as he chowed down the leaf again.
As he munched, Discord glanced around at the scene before him, “Well isn’t this a delight to see! For a bunch of players set on restoring harmony to the game, you all ‘done goofed’ excruciatingly hard.” He laughed so hard, he had to wipe a few tears, which I’m pretty sure were eggnog tears.
Discord sighed as his laughing fit came to an end, “Oh well, I guess that’s bound to happen, especially after you consider that half of the players here are actually under my command.”
“Wait, what?” I blinked in surprise. Many of the others were asking the same thing, including the Haters.
The being of chaos just rolled his eyes, “What? Isn’t it obvious?” He proceeded to snap a floating blackboard into existence, as well as some chalk, “Let’s review what we’ve learned along the course of our journey, shall we?”
Discord dawned a graduate’s square cap and monocle, before beginning to work away fervently at the board with his chalk, “We all know the Haters’ Guild has access to several hacked weapons, only because their king knows how to hack the system without being affected by my rules. And from what we can see now, the king of the Haters was able to lift the boundary lines I set for the monsters.
“But you must ask yourself, how did he bend the rules without breaking any of mine? Why has no one, not even the Haters, ever seen this king? How many dogs does it take to raise an ice cream to become a lawn mower?” Discord blinked, “Setting aside that last question for further study, you all must have figured the rest out by now.”
Discord moved away from the blackboard, revealing a crude depiction of himself wearing a crown and holding a scepter. He smirked at the crowd, before his chalk drawing screamed to the heavens, ”I am the king of the Haters!”
Every player stood there dumbfounded, even the Haters as they looked at their said king.
Discord laughed at our faces, “Don’t you see now? The only one who could ever change this system would be me, myself, and only I. I gave the Haters their weapons, because what better way to kill your enemies than to raise an army out of a few of them and then kill the rest?” Lighting struck behind him as he did a little loop through the air, grinning at ponies below him with a twisted smile.
“Right from the start, I’ve been gathering an army, and it was all thanks to my dear Chess Queen up there.” He pointed a claw towards the unicorn standing on the balcony. She looked indifferent, as if she didn’t even care. “Because of her, I could continue my little ruse with the rest of the players. Right from the start, you all have been fighting on two different fronts, even though the two enemies you thought were separate have always been one and the same.” The draconequus sneered in delight, “And now that my coup to turn this world over to me has been carried out, I can finally take my place on the throne as the supreme lord of Equestria!”
Discord snapped his fingers and instantly he appeared sitting on a throne floating in midair, “But now that this surprise has been sprung,” He turned his eyes towards the general mass of the Haters and monsters, “Kill every last player you find in the city!”
The Haters protested. One stallion shouted out, “To hell with that! I wouldn’t have joined this guild if I knew it was run by the abomination that trapped me here in the first place!”
Discord merely let out a sigh of annoyance. He snapped his talons, and instantly the eyes of the one who spoke out glazed over with a now vacant look.
As the Hater’s comrades noticed he was now in a trance, proceeding to try and shake him out of it, Discord wiggled a finger at them, “Tsk, tsk. I’m sorry, but I’m afraid you’ve already been enlisted in my army. Anyone under the Haters’ roster is under my control, and if that means I have to turn every last one of you into mindless slaves, so be it. None of you can escape the guild now.” Discord grinned maliciously at the rest of the Haters, who were all gaping up at ‘their king’ in shock, “Now, what was it I asked for?”
The Hater now rendered mindless was the first to draw his sword, raising it to the air, “Kill the players! For Lord Discord! Kill the players! For Lord Discord!”
Fearful that they might share their comrade’s fate as a mindless follower, the rest of them silently decided they’d rather keep their own minds intact. Instantly, every Hater and monster rushed us again.
I cursed to myself as I brought up my weapons, trying to push back the oncoming force of dozens of weapons, fangs, and claws. But now, with the added fear of Discord breathing down their backs, they surged forwards with more force than before. It didn’t take long before they had forced us back from the drawbridge, gaining more ground towards the castle.
I grimaced as I cut another monster down to pieces, only to get nicked in the leg by a Hater’s spear. My mind was still trying to wrap itself around Discord’s announcement, But… how? How could Discord be the king of the Haters’ Guild?! From the way Chess Queen spoke of him, I would have at least thought the rest of the Haters would know who he was. I can’t believe, this whole time, Discord was the one behind the Haters. No wonder they were hell-bent on killing everyone else; Discord himself must have been the one who was feeding them lies!
The line of attackers continued to push forward, faster than I would have ever estimated. I cursed, Crap, we need to do something, before we get overrun by these guys! But… how?
I glanced around, only to find the situation worse than I had thought. The airborne enemies were bearing down over the walls, barely held back by the pegasi and my group members who followed me from Westfalia. Behind the advancing wall of monsters and Haters, even more were waiting to instantly take their place in case one of their own was killed.
There seemed to be no end to them, though that wouldn’t have been a problem in of itself, looking back at our battle against Chrysalis and her changeling hive. But the difference between then and now consisted of two things; one, I still didn’t want to have to kill a Hater, especially since now they seemed more like victims than ever before; and second, they were rapidly gaining more ground on us. We were losing our defensive position.
The only way I could see us getting out of this mess would be by using up all of our magic at once in a powerful spell to push them back. But even then, that’d be temporary, and we’d all be left without magic to defend ourselves with.
I grimaced as I found that every thought I came up with just made it more apparent that Canterlot Castle was falling… But didn’t it already fall? Jupiter is dead, we’re outnumbered, the admins in the other cities have probably been killed, and Discord has put a full leash on the Haters. It’s all going downhill from here…
A certain phrase echoed in my mind, Make the choices you have to, so that everyone you fight alongside survives.
I didn’t like it, but there was only one way we could get out of here mostly alive. We needed to retreat.
Putting away my weapons so they wouldn’t be a hindrance, I flared my magic, the spell I began charging causing it to glow a blinding red, up to the point where it burst into flames altogether. I shouted out to the other players near me, “Take cover!”
Seeing my horn alight like this was a good indication as to what I was about to do, and if you’ve been in the same guild as me for long enough, you’d know what was coming too. Everyone at the front of the defensive lines dove off to the side towards any form of cover, and just in the nick of time too, as my spell reached the peak of its build-up.
With one wave of my horn, I released it, ”Inferno Blitz!”
I winced as I watched all of my magic power suddenly evaporate from my magic meter, but the results were exactly what I had hoped for. A giant plume of fire erupted from my horn, racing skyward and spooking, or incinerating, any monsters up in the air. But once high in the air, the plume broke apart like a cluster bomb, and the raging fireballs from it rocketed back down towards the ground towards the point I directed them towards: the attacking monsters and Haters.
The ground seemed to quake as mini explosions riddled the way before me. Monsters were blown to pieces, Haters were cast aside like ragdolls, and the road leading out of the castle was now suddenly wide open.
Before the attackers had any time to regroup, I shouted out to the others, “Retreat! Get out of the city!”
Most of our players saw the opportunity and rushed out of the castle perimeter, either by wing or on hoof across the drawbridge. However, I was instantly confronted by two members of our guild. One of them shouted, “I’m not letting these bastards take the castle, not so long as I’m still alive!”
I narrowed my eyes at him, grabbing his shoulder harshly to shake some sense in him, “The castle has already fallen, and unless you think you can take on Discord and his monsters yourself, get out! We need everyone to live to fight another day!”
The guy looked at me, exasperated, before hesitantly nodding and running out of the castle with his buddy.
Satisfied, I gazed around quickly to see if anyone was still left behind, only to find the courtyard was clear of anyone on our side. Noticing that the monsters and Haters were getting back to their feet, I spread my wings to take flight again, but not before another voice stopped me in my tracks.
“Wait, Shadow!” My eyes widened as I recognized the voice. I quickly turned around to see a teal unicorn in white leather armor galloping towards me, carrying a cocked bow and arrow in her grasp.
I gasped, “Frostlight!” I closed the distance between us quickly, embracing her in my forelegs.
She gave me a quick nuzzle, “Phew, I thought for a second you were going to leave me behind. I came running from my perch in the castle after you called the retreat order.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted the massive army of Haters and monsters making their way into the castle courtyard, heading straight for Frostlight and myself. I glanced back to Frost, “We’ll talk later. First, we need to get out of here.”
I stepped alongside her, wrapping my arms around her barrel, before spreading my wings and taking the two of us to the sky.
Instantly, we were on the run from a few pegasi who could follow us. I flew Frostlight and myself away from the castle as fast as I could, but they were right on our tails. It didn’t help that I had used up all of my magic to let the others escape. Plus I couldn’t try anything too fancy, for fear of letting go of Frostlight by accident in midflight.
The city below us raced by in a blur, and thankfully, Frostlight seized the matter at hand. Gripping her bow in her magic, she drew back her bow and sent arrow after arrow at our pursuers. I glanced behind us to see a few of the shots embed themselves in the pursuing pegasi’s wings.
Within moments, the pegasi began dropping out of the sky as their wings failed, down to the crumbling city below. They were no longer after us, and now Frostlight and I were home free. Before long, she and I glided outside the city limits, far from the reach of any monsters or Haters.
From the surroundings I found out that we had exited the city from the south-east side, while Westfalia remained waiting at the west side, where everyone would no doubt rendezvous after they left Canterlot. I banked right, following the city walls as I flew to the ‘getaway ship’.
Meanwhile, I hugged Frostlight closer to my chest, “Hey, I’m glad you’re alright. That was some nice shooting back there.”
Frostlight smiled back up at me, “Thank you. I’m glad you made it back safe and sound, too.”
I was glad, to say the least; glad that she was safe, glad that we were back together again after being apart for the past few days, especially counting all of the huge battles between then and now. If nothing else, I couldn’t have been happier…
…But right now didn’t include the best of circumstances. Both Frostlight and I found ourselves glancing back towards Canterlot, the burning city shining like a flare. Players and Haters alike scurried about in the streets, the former running for the city walls. Even more were pouring out of the city already, abandoning the already fallen city.
Our home was gone. Our safe hideaway in this game had been reduced to ruins, all caused by our one and only enemy. Discord now sat on a throne in the Canterlot Castle, probably laughing his head off while he lets the rest of us watch the city burn. Without Canterlot, I had no idea where we were supposed to go.
I let a sigh escape me, “I never thought this would happen, not in a million years.”
Frostlight paused, before nodding sadly, “Yeah, neither did I.”
My train of thought continued rolling down its track as I gazed at the city, and at the Haters that were now enslaved by Discord, “After all this time… the Haters weren’t the real villains. It’s all been Discord from the very beginning.” I shook my head, “You know, now I actually feel bad for them. A lot of them were just lied to by Chess Queen and Discord… I wish I could help them.”
Again, Frostlight nodded, a sorrowful look on her face, “… yeah.”
I glanced down at her in my arms, only to find her gazing at the city in sorrow. That is, until I saw a tear fall from her eye.
“Hey, what’s wrong?” I asked.
She sniffled, replying, “Oh… it’s…” The unicorn paused, as if she couldn’t find the right words to say.
I asked again, more concerned by her silence, “What is it? Did something happen down there?”
After another moment’s pause, Frostlight spoke, “Shadow… can you take us back down to the ground?”
I was hesitant at first, but I nodded, “Okay. Hold on.” The two of us descended downwards, until we were at safer place. I landed behind some bushes just outside the southern wall of Canterlot. Nobody would be able to see us unless they were looking in the bushes themselves.
I released my hold on Frostlight and landed in front of her. The sorrow on her face was evident, but what surprised me was the fact that she was trying hard not to look me in the eyes. It was as if… she couldn’t…
“Shadow,” She sighed, “I-I have something to tell you… I j-just worry that you’ll hate me for this.”
I just looked at her in surprise, wondering what it could possibly be.
Frostlight bit her lip, her eyes locked towards the ground while she spoke, “I’m… not who you think I am. I-I…” Whatever she was about to say, it only died in her throat, as if she couldn’t bring herself to say it.
We stood in silence, not saying a word to each other. But after a while, Frostlight sighed, “Back at the beginning, I came into this game with one of my best friends. We were both pegasisters, though she preferred to be called ‘brony’ more. We thought it’d be fun to just try out the game and hang out here, maybe try and get a few of our other friends into it too.
“But then Discord showed up, and you pretty much know what happened from there. The whole search for the elements and everything in between, including the death in real life part.” She cast her eyes upwards, towards the sunset sky, “From that point on, my friend and I began like everybody else, and we tried our hand at searching for the elements too… but with every day that passed, we grew more afraid. More players died every week, almost every day in the first week, and we couldn’t help but wonder if we’d be next.”
Frostlight’s eyes grew dark, frowning in memory, “But then… someone came to my friend, offering her the chance to be able to survive this game, no matter what happened next. He said he’d guarantee her survival if she agreed with his plans for her. All she needed to do was set up a guild for him and run it herself.
“Once she found out exactly what this guild’s purpose was, she wanted to reject… but she’s always been a strategist. She believed that if she took his offer, she and I could survive this game, even if everything went downhill for us.”
Frostlight paused, wincing as she lifted up her gaze to meet mine, “My best friend is Chess Queen, and the one who made the deal with her was Discord.”
My mouth seemed incredibly dry after that. The sudden revelation left a lump in my throat and a pit in my stomach, “Wait… you…”
Frostlight looked pained to say it, “Ever since then, I’ve been working as a spy for the Haters’ Guild. I’d collect information from inside the Knights of Harmony and send it to Chess Queen for her use. I’d find out the routes of travelling teams, so the other Haters could ambush them.” She visibly shuddered, “Because of me, dozens of players died at the hands of the Haters, and I hated every second of it.”
I felt my breathing grow ragged at that, You’ve… you’ve helped the Haters kill? B-but… why?
Her gaze dropped back down to the ground, “Sometimes, I wished I could just run away, but I couldn’t. I knew Discord would dispose of me before I got the chance to tell everyone else about his rule over the Haters, so that they would still be marked as a minor threat in everyone’s eyes.
“But another reason why I wasn’t willing to quit the plan was Chess Queen. She and I have been friends for years, so coming into the game, the two of us were really all we had. She’s almost like a sister to me, so I couldn’t leave her behind… so I just did my part with no complaints… that is, until I met you the first time.
“Before then, I’d just carry on through the motions, spying and gleaning what information I could, while keeping my usual façade around the rest of the guild. But on the inside, I was completely miserable.” She looked back up at me, a small smile on her face, “That changed when you asked me out for the first time. I really enjoyed myself for the first time in weeks, and I hoped that… just maybe I could keep you and our relationship away from the Haters.”
But as soon as she said it, her pained expression returned, “Right after that, though, Chess Queen wanted to use my new relationship with you for the guild’s gain. You were basically Jupiter’s right hand man, so you had access to the more secretive information that I could never hope to get on my own.”
A few tears began to peek their ways out of her eyes as they watered. She sniffed, “Shadow, you have to believe me, from the moment Chess Queen ordered it, I didn’t want to use you for information. I-I… I did it anyway, but I hated it worse than everything I did before then.” Her crying escalated into sobs, “I was falling for you the whole time, but I was going behind your back the whole time for my best friend. I was at war with myself every second of every day, conflicted between you and Chess Queen…”
She voice cracked as another sob came, “But after you left for the crystal empire, Chess Queen asked me to do the unthinkable.” She quickly opened her player menu, withdrawing a tiny dagger from her inventory. It was a sickled blade, meant purely for stabbing purposes, reminding me of a certain Hater’s sword that had stabbed into me once upon a time.
Frostlight clenched her teeth as she held up the dagger for me to see, “This is a hacked weapon, one that’s supposed to instantly kill anyone three seconds after they’re cut by it.” She sniffed as she tried to stop her tears from flowing, “Chess Queen gave it to me while you were in the empire. She gave it to me for the coup on Canterlot, with one order to carry out with it.”
Her shoulders shook violently, unable to hold back her sorrow anymore. Tears streaming from her eyes, she cried, “She ordered me to kill you and leave the players without the Element of Courage!”
I gaped at her, my mind a complete blank as I tried to wrap it around what she just revealed. It was a lot to take in, and I didn’t know how to respond. I just stood there, watching her cry, as I tried to piece my thoughts together.
She… s-she was ordered to kill me… I glanced down at the knife, which she had let go of, letting it fall to the grass. Its blade just seemed to stare back up at me, like the grim reaper himself, an omen of my coming doom. Was she… Was she really going to do it? Sh-She’s… killed before… no… no, it can’t be…
I felt hurt, even betrayed. She had the knife, but just by looking at her, it felt like she had already plunged the dagger through my chest. “I-I… I don’t-“ I shook my head, stammering out, “Please. Please tell me that isn’t true.”
Frostlight winced, answering quietly, “No… it’s the truth.”
I stared at her in shock, But… no! It can’t be true! She wouldn’t kill me! She wouldn’t have let the Haters ambush all of those people. That’s… That’s not the Frostlight I know…
Seeing the conflict written on my face, Frostlight started towards me, but her even lifting a foreleg made me flinch backwards, unsure if she were reaching for the knife or not. But as soon as I recoiled from a single motion, a hurt look passed over Frost’s face. She gingerly sat herself down on the ground, letting her tears drip down from her eyelashes.
She sobbed, her shoulders heaving with each gasp of air she forced, “I-I don’t- I don’t want to leave you, but I have to. I can’t abandon Chess Queen, not right now. She and I are just.. t-trapped, just like the rest of the Haters.”
Frostlight looked up and met my eyes, her warm eyes soaked in dew, “I- I don’t want to go. I want to leave with you, but I can’t!” She sniffled, “I… I love you. I love you, but…” She choked a bit as she tied to bite her tears back, “I’m afraid… I can’t ever see you again. The next time I see you, I-I… I’ll have to k-kill you!” She broke down into weeping again.
My feelings were torn. I felt relief that she wasn’t going to kill me, joy that she said she loved me, anguish from seeing her collapsed to the ground crying, and outrage towards Discord for causing her pain. I felt my eyes water, and before I could stop myself, I found myself dropped to the ground hugging Frostlight close to me. Her forelegs wrapped around me as soon as I touched her, and she buried her face into my neck.
I held her tightly, letting myself cry freely, “… I don’t… I don’t want to leave you…”
“But you have to!” Frostlight cried, “For everybody’s sake, you need to use your element and defeat Discord. It’s the only way!” She shook her head, “No, if you came with me back to the castle, you’d be a dead man. And if I went with you back to the rest of the players, Discord would… k-kill me.”
I bit my teeth together hard, mumbling, “I know…” Sniffing a little, I nuzzled her deeply, “but… I love you too.”
Frostlight pulled herself away from me, looking at me with narrowed, tear-streaked eyes, “Then you have to fight with the others.”
She gave me a sad, but determined look, “If you really love me, I want you to prove it. I want you to regroup with the others, find the last Element of Harmony, and come back to defeat Discord.” She gave me a quick nuzzle, “Once he’s gone… we’ll be free. We’ll all be free…”
I paused for a moment, gazing down at her. Even still, I felt conflicted. I wanted so badly to just pick her up and fly away together, but… there was truth to what she said, and I couldn’t deny it.
I brought a hoof up to Frostlight’s chin, bringing her face up to mine. I leaned in close and pressed my lips to hers. She moaned slightly at the action, pulling herself into me for a few seconds before we broke away.
I gave her a weak smile, “I promise.” I kissed her again, just a quick peck, “I’ll… I’ll come back for you.”
A smile crossed her face, one that seemed to brighten my soul as I looked it. She nodded, “And I’ll do everything I can to help you guys, but it won’t be much, lest I blow my cover.”
I nuzzled her again, “That will be more than enough.” She laughed bitterly, before kissing me one last time.
She glanced off towards the burning city again, seeing most of its smoke die down again, “You better go, before someone finds us.”
I nodded, pulling her into one last hug, “I promise, I’ll come back.”
Giving me an affectionate nuzzle, the unicorn smiled back at me, “I know you will.”
Soon, we broke our embrace, and I quickly took to the sky. I was high into the air in less than a few seconds, before I changed my course back towards Westfalia.
But, as I flew, my thoughts kept repeating themselves, I’ll be back, Frostlight. I promise, I’ll be back. Just then, a tear escaped my eye, only to be blown away in the breeze. Please… stay alive.
_____________________________
When I rejoined the others, they and all the survivors from Canterlot were already sailing away on Westfalia. With Canterlot taken by Discord, we needed a new base of operations, so we decided to head towards the closest city nearby. We would sail south, back to Ponyville to regroup and see if any other players survived in the other towns.
We weren’t sure if the town had been overrun by monsters or not, but if it was, we were going to drive them out if we had to. Both Canterlot and Ponyville had been my homes for a while in this game, and with Canterlot gone, I wasn’t about lose the other, even if it was this close to a Canterlot overrun by Discord.
But as we flew away from Canterlot, we looked behind us back towards the city, only to see a sight none of us would forget, one that would loom over us for many days to come ...
Discord had taken Canterlot, and to prevent just anyone or anything from leaving or entering the city, the draconequus had thrown the city itself up to the skies. Now all that remained of Canterlot was the rubble on the ground, and the floating city under the control of the tyrant.
We had lost this battle, but only time would tell if we had lost the war as well.