//------------------------------// // Chapter 19: Returning a Favor // Story: The Bridge: A Godzilla-MLP Crossover // by Tarbtano //------------------------------// Xenilla NotSpoilerIfYouRead (flashback only) Melody Chime (flashback only) Lead Choir (flashback only) Key Ring Blade Dancer Princess Cadance Shining Armor Flash Sentry King Sombra ================================================ 23 years before present, Terran realm; Outside of Solar System ================================================ The black void, deep space. It was a quiet place, devoid of sound. But far from empty of essence. This system's star was dying, shrinking into a pin point of its once enormous span. Any of its remaining orbiting planets were sucked into the growing gravity well. But the vortex pulled something else in as well. Tumbling out of a small wormhole, an isolated fragment of crystal drifted through the void. Floating into the tip of the star's gravity field, the crystal just barely entered the range's fringes when the star's heart gave out. The star had shrunk down to a speck, but upon its death throes, it came back in all its glory with a crash. The resulting, silent explosion was as brilliant as it was powerful. The remains of its child planets crumbled and shattered instantly before being engulfed by the super nova. What would be but a pin prick of light from Pluto was a blinding eclipse for hundreds of millions of kilometers. All matter within a million kilometers was blasted beyond recognition. The crystal however was far beyond that range. And the fragment of energy from the blast wave did far from destroy it. Something inside the crystal absorbed the energy like a siphon. Deep inside the crystal was a cluster of cells, torn off in a traumatic battle. After drinking in the soul of a deceased star, those cells came back to life and jumpstarted the regenerative prowess of their donor, albeit on an exaggerated scale. Within moments, twelve cells became twenty four. Twenty four into forty eight. Ninety six, seven hundred sixty eight, four thousand; to the innumerable. The cells recited their genetic code like an oath. Twisting matter in the cold void, a massive skeleton was breathed to life. Muscle cells and tissue sprang up from the bone, forming a full system in a second's lifetime. The crystal that holstered the cells was split in two, growing alongside it before resting on the shoulders as twin spires. The host body grew around the crystal, altering to accommodate its form as the body rebuilt itself in divergence from its predecessor. Diamond hard scales emerged from the thick skin, coating the bare body from head to tail. There was silence as the massive form drifted in the shattered void. And then, a heartbeat. Red and yellow eyes snapped open as a crystalline crown glowed. But as their conscious flickered awake; the windows to the outside world did not show the current space. Nor did they show the current time. What happened that day, in that dark corner of space, no one may fully understand. Maybe it was some leftover magic from the cell's carrier. Maybe it was an extension of the new soul's psychic abilities. Maybe it was just fate. One way or another, its eyes saw not the darkness of the void. They only saw ages past, and nightmares yet to come. There was a planet, a small terrestrial world of blue oceans and green continents. The newborn being couldn't help but smile at the distant vision. The world looked so tiny, like he could hold it in his hands. It seemed so fragile, but he knew what it was. Terra, earth; home. It was his home. And it would soon be in danger... A flicker of red lit up from the orbital view, coming from an archipelago out at sea. The visions grew into a planet's view. Sights of peaceful oceans and calm days shifted to burning nights. Everything was on fire, everything was dying. Hell had come to earth, and all was being destroyed. A tall figure, dozens of meters tall stood in the blaze. Burning lights streamed from its maw as it towered over the murdering flames. He couldn't make out its features, beyond large spines and a long tail. It trampled any still living underfoot, scorching others with omnicidal flames from its maw. Everything turned to white. The visions ceased, their owner floating alone in space's vacuum. His mind was a frantic mess, eyes still wide with shock and fear. It would come soon, the destroyer. And everything on Terra would die because of it. It would murder his planet, his home. Everything should fear the destroyer. It was inevitable to fear the unstoppable... A clawed hand balled into a fist as a sneer slithered across a fanged maw. -No... You don't scare me...- The titan turned itself around in the dark void, shoulder crystals glimmering with raw power. He was rusty at first, but in time a cloak of psychic energy formed around his body to guide his flight. Rage broiled inside the core. -You don't, you doooon't!- Crystalline spikes lining a two hundred meter long spine flickered with red light before a crimson glow ignited across their surface. Enraged eyes glared at a floating fragment of a dead planet, before crimson coronal wrath spewed out of his maw in a silent roar. The fragment was completely obliterated from the oncoming energy beam, and the new life form cut off the torrent of energy. He was shocked, feeling at his throat as he looked at the nothingness that had once been a chunk of a planet. -...Did I just do that?!.....- The titan calmed his heartbeat, refocusing himself at a passing small comet. Using the same method he used to right himself, the kaiju extended his hand and focused his mind at the comet. He grit his fangs, forcing the near invisible strands of energy out of his crystals, through his arm; and out his palm like a giant grasping hand. The comet ceased its movement, frozen in space like it was a ball caught in a catcher's mitten. Snarling, the kaiju spun around hurled the celestial body off on a new course like a fastball. The being watched the comet fly away into the darkness in silence, before the comet crashed into an asteroid. Both bodies were shattered into dust and debris, some of it harmlessly floating past the creature or bouncing off his skin. The kaiju looked down at his taught fist. Red strings of energy crackled across his body's surface. He grinned. -So... this is my power?... Well then, if the beings on Terra are too feeble to stop the inevitable, perhaps I might have better success...- The hybrid monstrosity turned kaiju looked to the wormhole that swirled behind it. The visions he'd seen showed him the way back home, having memorized all he'd seen previously. This wormhole was a shortcut there. He didn't know why he saw these visions, or when they'd come to pass. He didn't even know how long it would take him to fly home. All that mattered was he hurried to get there. The kaiju psychically flung himself forward and flew through the wormhole, cutting across hundreds of thousands of kilometers in the span of a few seconds. His long voyage home had just begun. Stars and planets blurred as they flew past him, while he crossed the cosmos. It was a beautiful sight to say the least. It would take him several years to approach that terrestrial planet, the third from its sun; but his goal remained the same. He'd arrive on his home, and find this destroyer whenever it chose to crawl out of whatever hole it came from. And to defend his territory; he'd kill it. Before it could kill everything. Didn't matter how hard the fight was, how many minor lives were sacrificed in the crossfire; or how close he'd come to dying. Whatever it took to save his territory, his home. As he flew through an asteroid field, Xenilla sneered as he spotted a large, metallic object heading towards him. He knew harmful intent when he saw it, the beast of metal was trying to stop his advance. Then it was in his way.... -Whatever it takes...- Xenilla's back spines crackled with energy as he fired his corona beam at the mecha called M.O.G.U.E.R.A. ============================================ 23 before present, Equestrian Realm, near Hallow Shades ============================================ It was dark, and it was storming. Deep in the wilderness, a single light shown through the pouring rain. A cabin, owned by a young couple, stood on an isolated patch of a dirt road that weaved for a few miles before heading into town. Its aged lanterns dimly illuminated the outside forest as the storm raged on. Inside the living room, Melody Chime strummed her guitar and ran her hoof over the strings individually. The earth pony mare was the humble sort, having been a traveling musician during her younger days alongside her husband. Now, she was just wanting a quieter life in the back country with little excitement. Maybe even start a family? Success had been so far restricted to the latter wish. She'd just finished her chord when a series of loud, forceful knocks, almost the level of banging; rang out from the front door. She instinctively looked over through her window, but found the outside lantern had either burned out or been blown out by the wind. All she saw was a massive shadow peeking out from the side, meaning something large was in front of the wooden door. More knocks rang out, much more hurried this time. A slightly muffed but nevertheless strong voice called out from the outside. "Is there anyone in there?! Please!" Melody bit her lip. A stranger at the door was never something that put her at ease, much less someone coming in the middle of the night in this weather. She'd heard enough spook stories with this kind of opening. Still, she couldn't dissuade her guilt. Whatever poor soul it was out there was surely getting drenched, and their voice sounded urgent. The musician couldn't sit there and do nothing. "Dear!" Her husband, a blue earth pony stallion named Lead Choir; strode out of their bedroom. He nodded to his wife before looking cautiously at the door. The rapid knocks had not ceased. "Yeah I heard it." The couple tentatively approached the front door, which was near rattling at this point. Once they got close enough, the knocking stopped and they heard something else. Very deep, labored breathing. Almost like bestial wheezes. It sounded like someone who'd been to exhaustion and onward. The voice of the newcomer was as desperate as it was tired, haggard huffs spilling out between its words. "Please...Help..." Biting her lip, Melody Chime twisted the door knob after Lead Choir unlocked it. The front lantern might have been snuffed out, but they only needed one look at their guest's tall, shadowed form to know it was no pony. It was panting for breath in the darkness, not stepping forward through a door frame that barely would have fit it as it looked at the couple with reflective red eyes. In the low light, Lead Choir could just barely make out that the...thing, was down on one knee. Long claws and sharp teeth gleamed in their home's light as it stood outside in the storm. It was cradling something in its arms, shielding it from the pouring rain. Despite its fearsome but still heavily obscured appearance, its voice was gentle and calm, not threatening. "Do not be a-fraid, I mean you no h-arm..." It lurched down a bit weakly, clearly exhausted. A-Are you ok?" It took in a deep, labored breath to try and quell the pants and gasps its lungs demanded. "Do n-not worry about me... b-ut please..." The creature shifted, beginning to extend its arms. The ponies slunk back at first at the sight of broad paws, but stopped upon spying a bundle of cloth carefully held in its grasp. Moreover, they paid more attention to the bundle when it began to move. A tiny mumble called out as the source was revealed. Melody Chime didn't pay any heed to the recurved talons mounted on the beast's fingers when she reached forward. She only cared about the little pink hooves poking out of the cloth. After looking up at the newcomer and seeing it nod at her, she carefully picked up the bundle in her teeth before placing it in her arm. The face of a sleeping, little pink pegasus, snuggled into her blanket was what greeted her. The little one looked very new, only a few weeks old at most. She was bubblegum pink, with a soft mane composed of cream, magenta, and purple stripes. Even just looking at her, the couple felt something in their chest begin to glow with a soothing warmth. Melody cradled the baby, before looking up at the mysterious visitor. "Where did she come from?" A saddened, tired, low voice responded. "Her mother was.... a very good friend of mine..." A tear joined the rain drops that were drenching a leonine snout. Lead Choir put a hoof on his wife's shoulder before looking up at the shadowed face that towered over him. "Where is she?" "... Gone..." The being looked down for some time as it braced one of its hands on the doorframe to steady itself. It never made a move to enter the house. "Please... I don't know the father either other than he is deceased. I ca-n't explain much, I don't have much time... I beg you!" The creature looked up at the couple. Even in the dim light, its red eyes looked full of one emotion. Grief. It looked at the sleeping child. "She must be cared for, but I cannot-" Melody Chime walked up and fearlessly put her free hoof on the creature's lowered arm, balancing on her hind legs. She looked up at the tall figure, a small but honest smile forming on her face. She knew what was being asked, and nodded. A tiny squeak diverted all three adults' attention. The baby was awake, looking up at her surroundings with curious eyes. She looked at her audience, before giggling gleefully and reaching up past her wrappings, reaching out for them all. Lead Choir couldn't help but smile at the tiny tot. Her eagerness to reach out and show affection to complete strangers was a strong tug on the heart strings. All of what was happening was sudden and demanded investigation later. But for now, he was more than content at what was being told to him. And the words of a soul clearly pushed to desperation's threshold were rarely lies. Besides, the couple was already adoring the infant that squealed with joy as they looked down at her. Lead Choir couldn't avert his gaze as he rubbed his head against his wife's. "She will be loved here..." The figure shifted, slowly extending one of its long arms. Sharp claws were carefully held away as it offered up a gentle paw to the infant. After a few looks of amazement and curiosity at a hand that dwarfed her, the little pegasus foal was soon rubbing her head up against its soft palm with a sweet smile. She snuggled up to the creature for a bit, before letting a drawn out, content yawn and curling up against it to nap. The stranger, the infant's protector, smiled as another tear flowed down from his eye. He very slowly pulled his paw back into darkness. "It is well then... Be good parents to her..." Before either of the couple could respond, the beast turned tail and bolted off into the storm. Melody, not wanting the child to catch a draft, was quick to carry the baby into the living room as her husband got the door. Lead Choir had just managed to grasp the handle when lightning flashed and lit up the forest. He spotted the newcomer standing almost a hundred meters down the road, standing up and looking up at the sky. It was not any creature or being he'd ever seen before in his life, but looked like it had a crown of some sort on its head. It was standing there one moment, and it was gone the next. It didn't run off the road or dive into the trees. It just, vanished. Wanting to get one occurrence out of the way before he brought up a new one, Lead Choir closed and relocked the door before seeing to the baby they apparently just adopted. He found his wife sitting in her chair in the living room, gently rocking the newborn while inspecting the babe's wrappings. "Dear, have you seen anything like this before?" She hoofed over the cloth. But before Choir could ask why fabric would be so interesting, he saw his spouse's reasoning. It looked like a blanket and felt soft as cotton, but its reaction to light was completely distinct. It shimmered and gleamed in the house's lights, almost like it was coated with glass or gemstones. But a quick rub down confirmed it felt no different than normal cloth. Heck, it was actually incredibly soft. Lead Choir cocked an eyebrow and shrugged. "Can't say I have." He looked back down at Melody as she gazed lovingly at the sleeping baby, who was curled up against her new adoptive mother snuggling in as she slept. The stallion's heart swelled. Suspicious circumstances or not, he already knew an unbreakable bond was being set. Helped that the baby seemed to almost radiate joy and love to all those around her. Melody looked her husband in the eye as a joyful tear ran down her face. They'd been wanting a child for so long, now it seemed that nature itself wouldn't stop them. The two earth ponies beamed at the sleeping pegasus foal. "What should we call her?..." Melody looked over to the song she'd just been playing. It was a foreign piece, but one she held very dear. It was her wedding song. "...Mi Amore Cadenza." =================== Crystal Empire Library =================== Key Ring packed away his notes as the class left the premises. New job was coming along well, excursion involving some oversized foreigner withstanding. Key Ring shrugged as he took down one of his historical displays. -Still, it's been an ambassador-free day so far and- Not one second after the door closed behind the last crystal pony did a broad hoof kick it back open. "Key Ring!" The brown unicorn couldn't help but roll his eyes, recognizing the voice. "Oh no..." He turned around to see 'Ambassador' Xenilla and a tall guardsmare walking through the door and into the now emptied class room. A glow ushered out from the white patch that crossed the stallion's back and shoulders, something glowing with a similar light through his saddlebag. "Mister Ring, I have a sample I need you to have a look at." The guardsmare, a pale colored pegasus with rose red hair stepped out from behind Xenilla, rubbing the back of her head in embarrassment. Her grumbles were barely audible. "I told you to not barge in like this!" She looked to Key Ring, chuckling a tad nervously. "Sorry about intruding, I'm Colonel Blade Dancer. I have the unfortunate of babysitting the ambassador here... We found some... odd crystal yesterday, and despite him barely talking about it he seems dead set on you having a look." Key Ring perked up a bit at the word crystal. Given the empire, every type of gem stone could tell a story or hold a new power. Always the curious type, especially with any historic type of magic, his face softened a bit. "Well, let's see it then." The glowing light in Xenilla's bag hovered free, revealing a pointed strand of white crystal about as long as a ruler. On its creator's mental command, the pale casing cracked and shattered into dust; leaving a single shard of black crystal suspended in the air. Xenilla set the dark fragment down on the table before the trio, all eyes upon it as the black gem pulsed with a low light every few seconds. Despite the gemstone's small size, the two ponies could have sworn they felt the room grow colder upon its reveal. Key Ring adjusted his glasses, looking at the gem with a wide eyed stare. He had read his history and magic books. He knew full well what he was looking at. Didn't mean he liked it one bit. "Do you recognize this gem type?" "Yes..." Blade Dancer shrugged off a shiver as she stood beside the two. Spell casting or not, she could feel the magical radiance the crystal had. It was giving her one really bad vibe that made her skin crawl. "Wha-what is it Ring?" "An aerenth crystal. A pure one too." "Strange. I am quite proficient in gem alterations myself, but in my own effort and days in the empire; I've never seen a crystal this color before." "There is a very good reason it's so rare..." "What?" Key Ring averted his eyes from the aerenth and dug through his books. After pulling out a particularly archaic looking tome, he turned to a familiar page and read over a batch of details to reaffirm his memory. "Key Ring, what is the reason it is so rare?" Key Ring read over the targeted passage, not liking what he'd just confirmed for himself. "Crystal creation magic is a skill native to the Crystal Empire. Each type of crystal has a specific spell tied to it that leads to its creation. Of all the gem stone types however, Aerenths are the only ones to be explicitly banned from generation through artificial means." "Why so?" Key Ring looked up from his ancient history book, exhaling a few times to slow down his heart beat. "First... Where did you find this? Was it in the crystal fields outside of town?" Blade Dancer and Xenilla both shook their heads side to side in unison. "No, we found it near the marketplace on the way back to the palace yesterday." "Key Ring, why are aerenths banned?" "Because, all crystal creation requires magic when artificially created. If it wasn't from the fields, then that is not a natural aerenth. Someone must have made it. And if so, they made it with dark magic. They are banned because Aerenths are the only type of crystal that requires dark magic to act upon them and create them." "Dark magic, normal magic. What makes the difference?" Key Ring spilled out several of his history books and spell books onto his desk, reading through both the authors' and his own notes. "Good magic, no matter the species of pony, is fueled by concentration and positive emotions such as will, hope, love, and happiness." "Quaint.." "DARK magic on the other hoof is the other side of the coin. It is fueled by wrathful intent and negative emotions like greed, anger, hatred; etc." Blade Dancer's face was beginning to become more pale than it typically was. She looked at the aerenth with a worried expression, backing away from it slowly. The vibe she and Xenilla got from the crystal yesterday, that cold feeling of being near the aerenth. It all must have been some subconscious warning. She was thankful Xenilla refused to let either of them touch it now. The stallion accompanying her only gave a bemused glance at the aerenth before looking over one of Key Ring's books. "Hardly seems to be anything worth worrying about. Some pony just grew negative and created a black gem, everyone feels wrath's lash from time to time." Key Ring caught his breath, the ambassador's words reminding him of some logic that helped calm the situation in his mind. If only slightly. There were far too many harsh facts that flew in the face of anything resembling peace. "Well, it is indeed true that dark magic can be used responsibly and reliably if kept under the proper control. The problem is very, very few outside of the princesses or top mages can pull the proper amount of control off. And if they don't..." Key Ring rose from his book and looked down at the still pulsing aerenth. "Understand this, good magic works easier because by its nature, it is controlled. Dark magic on the other hoof, has a controllING nature. If you don't keep a lid on it, it WILL take you over." There was a point of contention Xenilla would have made about the emotions that fueled good magic. Quite a few sounded like the opposite of controllable. Then again, with a certain pegasus present he didn't feel the need to spark an old argument. "And what happens if that occurs? If the 'dark magic' takes over?" "Well, thankfully there is only one or two historical examples. The princesses keep a pretty tight lid on dark magic. But as the influence grows, the darkness brings out more and more of the emotions that spawned it. If you felt prideful and wrathful when first abusing the dark magic, you'll grow more prideful of yourself and more enraged at everything around you. It grows with time. First few hours it might just look erratic to others, but in a few days you might be completely consumed." Key Ring's expression grew dimmer with each passing moment. The crystal almost seemed to be aware of their presence, something the unicorn was not fond of. "Once you are completely overtaken, your mind is nothing but those negative thoughts. Hate, lust, envy, and pride. It all magnifies your hexes greatly and allows you to cast dark spells that require a completely black heart. Making aerenths is one such spell. It means someone in the empire has gone way off the deep end.... Still-" He rose up and rubbed his chin. "If they could only make this much, it means their magical prowess might not be the greatest." "Um..." Blade Dancer bit her lip and took off her helmet. "There was... a whole chunk of that stuff at the market. Xen here just broke off the tip." "The... the ti-..the tip?" Blade Dancer nodded slowly. "H-How big was the crystal mound?" Xenilla only shrugged, forming another crystalline casing around the aerenth fragment. "About as tall and wide as myself. I destroyed the rest of it after taking the sample I brought you." Now it was Key Ring's turn to try and compete with Blade Dancer on who's face could go paler. He gave her a run for her money as his eyes shot open. "By Bonnie's pen..." "Let me guess... size indicates something?" "S-Size scales with power... If you are telling the truth, whoever made an aerenth crystal that big had enormous magical potential." "And allow me to guess..." Xenilla applied more layers of his own crystal to cloak the aerenth, not wanting to take any chances. "To fuel that potential in dark magic in the creation of large aerenths, they had to have been experiencing large amounts of malefic thoughts or emotions at the time." "Enough greed to pillage, enough hate to murder." Blade Dancer had managed to get a hold of one of Key Ring's history books, flipping through some of the pages about dark magic use. She was quickly becoming glad the most magic she ever used was shoving a cloud or two. "Who all could do something like this in the past? What sort of ball park are we talking about with our suspect?" Key Ring chewed on his lip, pulling up some slides he'd been using for his class. The young stallion whipped out the pair he'd been looking for and flipped on the projecter. The photograph of a dark alicorn with ebony fur and a starry mane illuminated one half of the white board, the illustration of a malefic looking unicorn in steel armor covering the other half of the board. "Well if we are talking just straight up dark magic usage, the most powerful and notable would be the scourge of the Everfree, Nightmare Moon. In terms of crystal magic use, that would be the former ruler of the empire, King Sombra." Xenilla studied the two images, the ancient illustration in particular. Something about the way the eyes were drawn in seemed vaguely familiar. However it was something Key Ring said that got his attention first. "Wait... 'King' Sombra?" "Um, yes?" "He was a king, and yet ruled over, an empire?" "I... don't see how that's important right now..." Clad across Xenilla's face was the most blank, annoyed face one could possibly imagine. His neck and expression drooped somewhat, entirely dumbstruck. -Then why wasn't he an emperor-.... oh Good Tanaka the male rulers aren't any better..- Xenilla grumbled, shaking his head to try and clear away his annoyance. "Never mind, move on. What can you tell me about them." "Well, thankfully if you are suspecting what I think you are suspecting, don't. Both of them are out of the picture. Nightmare Moon was purified and Sombra was killed not long ago." "Oh? Who or what killed Sombra?" "The crystal heart so I'm told, by Spike Sparkle and Princess Cadenza." Something in Xenilla's mind snapped to attention, making him quickly turn to face Key Ring. The gears in his head were turning. Something about the placement of the aerenth in the market place was beginning to make sense. "Wait... It was Empress Cadenza who killed Sombra?" "Through her rallying the nation into fueling the crystal heart, yes." Xenilla turned and studied the ancient illustration. His eyes were beginning to narrow, as if staring down an opponent. Something told him he wasn't far off. "And this, Sombra. He ruled over the empire prior to the Empress, correct?" "Indeed, though they might not tell you much of that unless you dug for information. King Sombra ushered in the darkest age in imperial history. Almost all living crystal ponies lived during his rule and have a taboo about speaking of him." -Hm... only lead to go on. If Terra's wars taught me anything, it's never assume an opponent is dead..- Xenilla couldn't have possibly been more in the right to carry such a methodology. Though even he was unaware of the dark energies flowing into the library's roof as a shadowy form materialized from a blackened haze. ============ Crystal Palace ============ Princess Cadance groaned as she turned in her bed, waking at the eve of noon. The ascended alicorn rubbed at her temple and grimaced, rolling her eyes at the time. Her sleep schedule had been all over the place lately. Between that and the wave of dizziness she could feel washing over her upon sitting up; it looked like another rough, sick day. After waiting a moment to let the haze in her vision fade, Cadance noticed the lack of a pale form beside her. Given the time however, she didn't find her husband's absence surprising. A note left at her nightstand confirmed the alicorn's suspicion. -"Noticed you seemed to be having a rough night so I left you to sleep in. I'll take care of the morning courts and routines. Hope to see you soon. -Shiny"- Unable to fight a smile but unwilling to leave her spouse to face the dreaded morning court alone, Cadance hauled herself out of bed. Ruling an empire, let alone with the benefit of its citizenry in mind, came with no small amount of paperwork and court rulings. Stretching out her wings and cracking her back, the pink mare slipped on her small crown and flew out of her chambers and into the halls; making her way to the central hall. Hopefully the workload today was light and could be dealt with as fast as possible without skimping on the nuts and bolts of the matters. Her surprise visit to the marketplace yesterday had been fantastic for bolstering the citizenry's morale. She had physically felt their spirits rising upon her arrival. With half of Equestria still living scared of titans in their midst, they needed every reassurance they could get. Maybe their trip this time could be to the ewe stables, that was always a popular attraction. Besides, the stables were only a block away from the library. And there was a secretive visitor she wanted to keep an eye on in light of recent events... ==================== Library, two hours later ==================== Cadance wasn't the only one thinking about the empire's newest member. Unfortunately, where she felt caution; the other observer could only look down at the blue unicorn with hate filled eyes. King Sombra fully materialized on the library roof, peering down through the crystalline structure at the trio down below him. He'd come here following an energy source, hoping it was that witch of a princess so he could tail her. What he found was a rival and threat. -That blue unicorn again of all places!- Red and green eyes narrowed, purple smoke billowing from their seams. The newcomer was imposing and completely alien to the tyrant king. Sombra sneered, firmly stomping his armor covered hoof into the roofing and cracking some of the crystal underfoot. -Can't have any interferences...- The unicorn's hellish horn crackled with a bright glow, green and black energy pouring down from it and into his hoof. The dark magic burst free from his body and flew across the roofing in a wave. Streaks of energy crisscrossed the crystalline structure like a spider web. In their wake, the roof began to crack.... Xenilla turned the page on his book, studying its contents. His theory was becoming more and more grounded with every passage of the historical records. King Sombra was back, this he was sure of. And considering it's widely hypothesized the dark unicorn was the one who killed his predecessor, 'Empress' Amore, and that he'd have a vendetta against Cadance for her hoof in his death; Xenilla could only think of one motivation the tyrant would have. He would be going after Empress Cadenza, which would explain him spying on her yesterday in the marketplace. -Sombra is a stalking predator. And a stalking predator is soon to strike... He's one to attack when she is more vulnerable, isolated to avoid as big a conflict as possible. He won't attack her in public.- He shifted his attention to some schematics of the castle that happened to have been close by, possibly part of Key Ring's curriculum or study. He pulled a few out and looked over the layout, memorizing each detail. -If he strikes in private by slipping into the castle after nightfall when most are asleep, he might be able to pull off an ambush with minimal interference... Yes, he'll likely try that soon. And if I remain close to the Empress's chamber I'll be able to sense him coming...- Xenilla crackled a smug smirk, chuckling lowly. He'd been wanting to let off some steam since he got here. Now there was but one question. When Sombra attacked the Empress, a given truth, how long would it take for him to intervene? The pink alicorn was no ally. Perhaps he should let the tyrant off a potential thorn in his side before he stepped in? Was all a matter as to what be more useful to him or what would impede his progress more. The alicorn living, or the potential disarray a leaderless empire might have, which one was worse? -Decisions decisions...- Something caught his attention after it bounced off his nose. The tiny, hard object tumbled down to the desk he stood beside. Averting his attention, Xenilla soon found himself looking at a small crystal fragment rolling across the hardwood. The tapping on the desk and blur of movement heralded another crystal shard's decent. Xenilla's point of focus slowly trained up and looked to the source. "Yes, but regardless of who it is practicing it, if there is a dark magic user on the loose the Princess must be inform-...." "...Xenilla?" The kaiju didn't reply, causing both parties to look up at where he was. And what they saw caused both of their eyes to be wide as dinner plates. The entire section of ceiling above them was cracked and all but shattered, as small fragments of it began to rain down towards them. A crumbling roar sounded off and a large chunk of crystal jostled loose from the roofing and tumbled downwards. Noting its course, Blade Dancer was the first to snap into action and charged at Key Ring. Flapping her wings once to give her a boost, Blade Dancer grabbed the unicorn by the leg. "HEADS UP!" Using her momentum, she spun around and tossed the stallion to the side just as the cabinet sized hunk of gemstone that used to be roofing impaled itself into the ground they once stood on. Unfortunately due to the dust and fragmentation of the falling and then shattering gemstones, neither of the two saw a second, much broader chunk following its sibling. It fumbled through the air, heading right for a certain guardsmare. Key Ring struggled to get to his hooves and concentrate on a levitation spell to try and catch or slow down the killer debris. "BLADE DANCER!" The guardsmare looked up just in time to instinctively put her hooves up and try to dart to the side. However, not even she was quick enough to get out of her current position. Someone else however wasn't in such a bad spot. A large blotch cloaked the pegasus mare's vision and an audible boom reverberated through the floor. Blade Dancer's face was caught in a grimace as she stood still for some time. A stray thought managed to shine through as the seconds passed. -Wait... shouldn't I be crushed?- She opened her eyes to something not quite expected. Xenilla snarled lowly, holding up the carriage sized hunk of gemstone on his arms and shoulders. His horn and patches glimmered, adding powerful telekinesis to hold up the crystal in addition to brute force far exceeding most others. Red and yellow eyes slowly looked down at the pegasus the unicorn stood over. "You should be more careful with your heroics little dancer.." Shrugging, Xenilla threw his shoulders and tossed the crystal away, crushing a row of desks under it. Key Ring ran over to the duo, helping his rescuer up to her hooves. Blade Dancer coughed to clear her lungs of some dust, brushing herself off. Her face was feeling very hot. "What was all that? The ceiling just crashed down randomly." Key Ring's attention cast itself to the large chunk Xenilla had set down. Upon leaning in and giving it a closer inspection, the glimmer of black radiance told him enough. Embedded within the crystal proper, were dozens of tiny aerenths. "This was no accident, someone used dark magic on the roof." "So someone was trying to collapse it on us?" "I'd say so." Xenilla's eyes narrowed as he looked up at the roof. A flash of light birthed itself from his shoulder patches and traveled down into his hooves before shooting into the floor. Through the flooring, into the walls, and up across the ceiling; he scanned anything that was or was touching something crystalline. He only needed a glance at the echo of a large form standing on the roof to figure out the situation. The dark presence shifted, apparently noticing him. It began to fall back. -Coward...- "An accurate judgment Key Ring. HE is here..." Energy crackled and wrapped around the kaiju turned unicorn, his large form beginning to levitate up towards the now room sized hole in the ceiling. Key Ring and Blade Dancer could only shoot each other an odd look before the latter stretched her wings and flew up after the 'ambassador'. "He who? Ambassad- Xeni! What's going on?" Xenilla didn't look to her as he hovered up higher and higher. "Something I intend to finish now that the opportunity presents itself." "Wait you're going after-" "Don't get in my way Miss Dancer...." Xenilla hovered above her, briefly glancing down at the pegasus. He shrugged, his tone mellowing somewhat. "This is between me and them. Go to the Empress if you must. See to any wounded if you will it. You two just stay out of the crossfire..." With that, the kaiju's eyes glimmered and the speed of ascent spiked, the unicorn flying up and out the ceiling. For the briefest moment, Blade Dancer saw what he was pursuing. A large, dark mass departing from the rooftop. ========== Ewe Stables ========== The prince and princess' heads both shot up in unison as a loud rumble ripped through the air. Averting his eyes to the origin of the racket, Shining Armor's pupils contracted as his eyes widened upon seeing a large column of smoke billowing out of a roof top. The pillar of black was not two blocks away, and towards the library. His wife saw it too, Cadance's wings shooting out on instinct. It didn't take either of them to suspect what was going on, the distant flicker of a blue figure gliding across a rooftop near the smog only confirming it. "Oh no...." Xenilla 's mane flickered with a red light before a ray resembling fiery lightning shot out from his maw and raked across the roof of a nearby restaurant. The stallion was shouting something between attacks, but between the screaming crowds and distance, neither royal could quite make it out. Like it even mattered. -I knew he couldn't be trusted!- Cadance broke into a full sprint alongside her husband, fanning her wings and taking to the air. The alicorn briefly looked to Flash Sentry before flying after the kaiju. "Scramble the guards quickly! I'll try and slow him down!" Xenilla flew through the spire of smog in pursuit of the fleeing darkness. Sombra held himself in his shadowy form, racing across the roof tops and melding into the crystals to dodge the enraged kaiju's onslaught. Briefly turning around, the tyrant's eyes and horn flashed with a green light before a cabinet sized ball of emerald and black hellfire shot at the blue unicorn. Not having time to dodge, Xenilla threw his hooves in front of himself as transparent panels of psychic energy formed a shield in front of him. Despite the sheer force blowing him back a few feet and slowing him significantly, the barrier held and soon Xenilla came charging out of the resulting black cloud. Shifting his will to the rooftop itself, Xenilla snarled and flicked his wrist to alter the crystals. Numerous shards ripped free from their foundations and formed into barriers of spear-like missiles that hovered beside their master. Weaving out of the way of another pulse of hellish magic, Xenilla launched his energy charged lances at his rival. A spear managed to land in front of Sombra, rapidly pulsing with a red and yellow light before the glow consumed it. The crystal exploded with imposing force, knocking the crystal tyrant out of his shadowed form and sending him tumbling off the roof and dropping into an alley. Xenilla hovered over to the edge of the roof, catching sight of Sombra as the unicorn got to his hooves and glared back at him. Before the kaiju could will the rest of his lances to fire however, a bubble of blue energy swallowed him. "ENOUGH!" Cut off from their master, the crystalline spears became inert and tumbled onto the rooftop before harmlessly rolling off the edge. Xenilla's eyes widened in surprise, the world around him becoming tinted blue as the barrier encircled itself around him. Snarling, the kaiju smashed his forehoof against the edge of the bubble shield. The magical construct hissed and flashed with energy, noticeable cracks beginning to form along the surface. Princess Cadance flew up from behind Xenilla as Shining Armor poured more of his magic into their shield from the street. Neither royal could see the fleeing shadow. Cadance, a pretty pink princess of love, was giving a glare that nightmares were made of. "We welcomed you into the empire, we grant your requests, we allow you your study; and THIS is how you repay us?!" The alicorn yelled out, motioning to the still smoking roof top of a restaurant. Xenilla didn't even look at the structure, too focused on diverting energy into his forehoof to try and smash through the bubble shield with a nuclear pulse charged punch. What he was looking at however, gave him thoughts for pause. The fleeing shadow stopped momentarily, casting its eyes at the alicorn who unknowingly had her back to it. It's eyes were filled with so much hatred it was obvious from a glance's inspection. The kaiju's theory as to his attacker's identity had just been confirmed to him. Xenilla canceled his attack, recalling his energy and standing motionless inside the magical prison. -Patience Xenilla, you need just bide your time now...- Cadance was not amused by the lack of reaction, still flustered at seeing the wreckage of the city block. Roof tops were either smoking, cracked, or had crystals impaled into the surface; debris littered the streets, and emergency crews were piling in from all angles to tend to some fires and the wounded. Cadance lips trembled in a mix of sadness and rage. ".... You don't even care, do you..." "Princess Cadenza wait! A second form flew up to the alicorn. Blade Dancer quickly saluted her monarch before spouting out what she knew. "He was chasing after something that attacked him. Someone tried to collapse the library roof on us!" Key Ring took a moment to catch up, racing up to the group and standing next to Shining Armor. "He, might have wrecked some buildings in the process; but this was a counter attack. Blade Dancer is telling the truth. Someone in the empire is practicing dark magic and tried to kill us just before you arrived. The ambassador was giving chase!" "By, 'giving chase', do you mean blowing up half the buildings by two square blocks?" "W-Well..." Cadance raised an eyebrow at what was trying to be sold to her, hovering down to the group whilst towing Xenilla's prison along with her. "Do you have proof of this dark magic?" "Yes, we found an artificial aerenth crystal!" "Where?" "Uuuuum..." Key Ring bit his lip, looking back down the street at the damaged library. Namely at the crumbled mess he could see through the wall that used to be his classroom. "Not, with us sadly. It must be buried under the debris in my office. We'd have to excavate it first... Please Princess, you can't just lock him up like this. What happened to innocent until proven guilty?" "That law applies to Equestrian, not... " Her voice just barely trailed off at the world 'monsters'. The youngest ruling alicorn shrugged, remembering duties ahead of personal views. "If you’re telling the truth and he was chasing somepony, then when I see the evidence he’ll be free to go after the reparations for the damages are paid. I’ll also have some guards scouring for anypony suspicious in the meantime." Princess Cadance rubbed her temple, trying to stave off a short spell of dizziness that chose the opportune time to strike. She held firm and kept herself orderly, though the venom in her voice upon looking at the unmoved Xenilla was evident. Given all that was happening, the poor mare was beyond stressed out. She refused to address what she was glaring at as an Equestrian. The alicorn stumbled slightly, her head spinning a bit. Her husband quickly walked up to steady her, putting a hoof around Cadance's shoulders. "Whoa, you alright?" Cadance's voice mellowed significantly as she cast a sweet smile to her prince. The alicorn caught her breath, the dizziness fading and was soon able to hold a stable stance. "I'll be fine. Can you stay and direct the relief effort okay until I get back?" "Alright, just take a few guards with you. I'll see you back at the castle alright? Listen, you've had a rough day, why don't you take the evening off and let me handle this once you lock him up. Bonnie and Faust know you'll need the rest for tomorrow. If anything happens I want you to-" "Nothing will occur, Consort." Just as Shining put his hoof to his wife's cheek and was going to finish his sentence, a loud grumble sounded off beside them. Xenilla, still standing in the bubble that floated beside them was rolling his eyes in annoyance. He was so incredibly tempted to bring up a certain philosophy had Blade Dancer not been standing less than two meters away. The amount of gushing he felt rising in the immediate area was disgruntling. "I am helplessly imprisoned in this spell. Couldn't do anything if I tried." The royal couple collectively narrowed their eyes, not believing it for a moment. Good thing there was something more potent back home. "Now do you two plan on locking me up, or does the Empress intend to tow me along like some sort of kite?" Cadance took in a deep breath and followed with an equally deep grumble. "Prin-cess... I'll be back later." "Cadance, let me handle this. I insist." "Okay... Just, get me if anything bad happens ok Shiny?" "You too Candy." "Awww." "Oooye...." Cadance turned and departed with an escort, heading back to her homestead. A yellow and blue form glided down from above and landed before Shining Armor. Flash Sentry saluted his commander, the latter nodding in return. "Report." "No fatalities thankfully, but a couple thousand bits worth of public and private property damage." "Injuries?" "Some concussions, few bruises and fractured bones from falling debris. It's good you and the princess caught him when you did sir, looks like we lucked out." Blade Dancer stood still as she watched the ever shrinking forms of Cadance and her captive move further and further away. Key Ring walked up next to the tall pegasus, quickly noticing the puzzled look on her face implied some questioning. "Bit for your thoughts?" The guardsmare kept her voice low as she could, not averting her eyes. Xenilla almost looked like he was smiling as he was being taken away. "You may not know it, but if he's anything like his brother then that guy is on par with Princess Luna in power. He cracked the shield with brute force, he easily should have been able to free himself with some power thrown in." Key Ring rubbed his chin, chewing at his lip. She had a point, some things weren't adding up. "So he lied about the shield and let himself be captured?.... Why would he do that?" "I don't know..." Blade Dancer shrugged, her conscious yanking her forward as if on a leash. She glanced at the still talking Flash Sentry and Shining Armor, confirming they wouldn't notice her departure as she started down the street. "But he's up to something..." ========================== Hours Later, Crystal Castle Jail ========================== Blade Dancer warily flew down the dark hall at a slowed, steady pace. She'd timed herself accordingly, but still wanted to avoid the jailer if she could. Less ponies to try to work around in-person the better. She passed by empty cell after empty cell, many of which looked like they'd been barren for ages. After Sombra's fall, there was far fewer desperate ponies out there. Crime rate plummeted once order took hold, so there was likely only one individual imprisoned at the moment. And as she reached the end of the hall, and down a flight of stars to an isolated portion of the prison, she soon found herself standing before a large cell. That one prisoner was whom she'd come to see was before her. Xenilla sat in the back of his cell, leaning against the back wall. From his limbs to his neck to his midsection, the kaiju turned stallion was covered in an almost ludicrous number of shackles and cuffs. He held his head down, not reacting to the mare's presence. Swallowing her breath, Blade Dancer looked around to ensure she was alone before tapping her armored hoof to the bars of his cell. The rapping noise along with her voice caught Xenilla's attention. "...Xeni!.. Hey over here." He looked up with an amused smirk. "Ah, Miss Dancer I presume." Xenilla got up and walked up to the other side of the cell doors as Blade Dancer sat down. The constant rattling of his restraints caused her ears to instinctively flop against her head. Her face drooped into a sympathy filled frown. "Hey..." Xenilla could only chuckle, nonchalant about the entire matter. "Still showing concern or sympathy for my behalf? Adorable, but a waste on a monster like me," he bemused while patting at his chest, rattling the frankly ludicrous amount of chains he was bound in. "Didn't expect them to put on so many chains.." "A quaint matter, pay it no heed." "But still, if I had spoken up more in your defense maybe Cadance wouldn't have gone so far." "She's merely guarding her citizenry, a mark of a good empress.... And Miss Dancer-" "Hm?" The two looked each other directly in the eye. "You mentioned the attack on the library earlier when they were taking me away... So I take it you saw our assailant as well?" "Yes, briefly. Couldn't tell who it was, just a black mass on the roof that ran away and you took off after." "....hmm...." "....Xeni?" "...Firstly, do you intend to make that a nickname Miss Dancer, or are you trying to jest?... Secondly.... If you must know the dark magic user is King Sombra." The guardsmare's eyes widened and she shot up slightly. "What?! How is that possible? He was destroyed, blown to bits when the empire came back." Xenilla merely rolled his eyes and rested his cheek on his hoof. "Don't know, don't care. If fighting wars back home taught me anything though, it's never assume someone is gone for good without very good reason. Given the magical shenanigans your realm has I'd say there really isn't any good reason for one to assume to begin with." Blade Dancer did not share her audience's calm behavior. "How do you know?" "Caught some glimpses of him during the fight, matched the illustration Mister Ring showed us. And behavior lines up as well. He's been stalking near the castle for a few days now since I first sensed him. Yesterday, he was spying on Empress Cadenza at the marketplace just before we arrived. And today, he reacted negatively to the empress's presence when she approached. He's just biding his time until she is alone, then he'll attack." "She must be warned then! If you were going after someone like Sombra she might free you and-" Xenilla's slow laughter took away her drive to become frantic over assassination plots. "Little Dancer, Little Dancer... Not only do I intend to kill that mongrel by the end of the night, I'm exactly where I want to be." "....You're what?" Xenilla looked up at the crystalline ceiling as pulses of near invisible energy poured out of him and sailed upwards through the roofing, flooring, and walls. He sensed large amounts of love and magic a little over a dozen stories up on one of the spire's chambers. Looks like the good empress stayed home after all. "I can sense from most crystalline structures in the castle and memorized the blueprints back at the library. The empress herself is sleeping in her chambers. It just so happens the jail is 15 floors directly below her." "And.. how does that matter?" "Sombra knows I am aware of him. He wouldn't go after the empress if I was possibly in his way. That's why he attacked us at the library, thought he could off me with some collapsed roof. Now that I seem imprisoned, and her husband and guards are away; he'll see this as an opportune time to strike. The rook, knight, and pawn pieces are all away from the queen. He'll think it an easy take. And when he comes..." "You'll be right where you need to be to see him coming and kill him... You're using the whole castle as a trap." "And Empress Cadenza is the bait... You catch on fast Miss Dancer." "But... what about breaking out?" Xenilla held up one of his chained hooves, looking at the restraint with a bemused expression. "Fine craftsmanship, very likely to hold any normal pony short of an alicorn. But, as I mentioned earlier..." Biting down on the chain, Xenilla grunted for a moment before a loud snap sounded off. The broken shackle dropped to the floor as the kaiju casually tossed the torn off link over his shoulder. "A quaint matter.... There is however one technicality I didn't anticipate." "What's that?" "Magic is rare back on Terra. I didn't account for an enchanted cell." Xenilla answered her by extending his forelimb. Just when it was about to pass through the bars of his cell, it came to rest against an invisible force. He pulled back and tried to reach out again in a different spot, but to the same result. Squinting her eyes, Blade Dancer could just barely make out a sheet of near invisible, glass-like magic between every bar of the cell. Unless one knew it was there, they'd never have noticed it. At the top of the cell she just now noticed several noticeable crystals embedded on the roof. They pulsed and hummed with a bit of energy whenever Xenilla touched the barrier. "Some kind of barrier the jailer informed me about. It's connected to an alarm system rigged up to the top of the cell doors. Already tried telekinesis to disable it, but it must block out magic-like energy just as well as it does physical force." "Can't you still break free or blast your way out?" "Likely, but given the system, doing so will set off an alarm across the entire castle. And for this plan to work I need the element of surprise to catch Sombra off guard." "Any way you can get around it?" "Aside from the key the jailer had, I am still figuring it out." Xenilla shrugged, sitting back and puzzling as Blade Dancer stared at him with unsure eyes. There was easily a thousand reasons she shouldn't trust him or believe a word he said right now. He could just be trying to escape. He could be trying to toy with her sympathy. He could want out just so he could kill the Princess himself. She held her breath, thinking through the ramifications. He spoke of an enemy she knew existed. He didn't bust out despite being able to. He could have laid ruin to her or the entire empire if he wanted to. But he didn't. And right now, with the life of one of Equestria's most beloved leaders possibly in the balance and her duty being to protect the crown and country; there were some risks maybe worth taking... Blade Dancer looked the kaiju right in the eye and he looked back. "Why did you do it?" "Do what Miss Dancer?" "Back when the ceiling was crashing down, why did you save my life?" "Simple." He reclined back a bit, and closed his eyes. The tone in his voice lost its typical smugness, but the attitude being projected was as clear as a white out blizzard. "I don't dislike your presence, you don't spur my annoyance. And in this bizarre case of polymorphing I'm taking anything I can get that's not a detriment. Call me a pragmatist. Besides, you have a sharp wit and firm attitude; something I respect. You certainly have made the past two days more interesting and staved off boredom. More than the last dull clod the Empress assigned as my 'babysitter'." He peeked out of his right eye, the red in his iris gleaming in the low light. "Though tell me, why does it matter to you?" The sound of hoofsteps echoed down from the halls towards the entrance. Shadows stretched across the floor and around the corner as two forms made their way towards the cell, coming down the stairs. Blade Dancer sighed, trying to slow her heart beat the best she could. She stared right into Xenilla's red eyes. "Because, you did me a favor... If you promise to save the Princess, I will return that favor..." "So, you want me to go out of my way to not just ambush Sombra, but head him off and halt his assassination attempt of a monarch I have no affection for?" Blade Dancer refused to falter, her stern look bordering on a confident glare. "Promise.Me..." Xenilla put his forelimb across his broad chest, before slowly bowing his head. Signs of respect aside, he did it to hide a humorous grin forming across his lips. This female was impeccable. "If that is what you wish..." Blade Dancer slowly turned to face the oncoming forms. Armor glinting in the nightly light, two crystal ponies in guard-like attire approached her. One was a decent sized crystal earth stallion, about equal to her height. Beside him marched a crystal pegasus mare, about a head shorter. They were about ten meters out when they noticed her, approaching a bit more rapidly. Blade Dancer spoke to the kaiju behind her, glancing back. ".... You sure just telling them the truth wouldn't help?" Xenilla grumbled audibly, holding up his chains with a heavily unamused look on his face. The message was clear. "Well it was worth asking!" She straightened up as the guards halted two meters away, looking at her with mildly confused expressions. "I don't remember you being on the shift. What's your name and rank madam?" "Colonel Blade Dancer of the Celestial-Lunar guard. You?" "Colonel Lockdown. I'm the warden for the royal prison." "Lieutenant Dusk Shift, second in command of the jail house. What are you doing down here?" Blade Dancer took in a deep breath, snorting out her nose. -Here goes nothing...- "I was ordered by Prince Shining Armor to release and escort the prisoner to Princess Cadance for interrogation. May I have the cell key, the prince demanded he be moved twenty minutes ago." She reached out, hoping the sound of urgency might cause them to slip up. Unfortunately Lockdown wasn't sloppy, even in front of a pretty face or risk of a superior. The fact he could see the prisoner had freed themselves from some of their shackles already was most definitely not putting him at ease. Dusk Shift picked up on her officer's body language as he reached behind himself for his hoofcuffs. She slyly moved and circled around Blade Dancer, keeping her distance as Lockdown approached. "The princess or prince would have directed such orders over to me if one was made... Mi'lady, this is a very dangerous prisoner and I'd like to escort you to one of the royals to verify that order. Just following protocol." Blade Dancer tensed up slightly, even if she didn't show it. She stared at the approaching stallion as her ears kept track of the circling pegasus despite not hearing any more steps. Even quiet wing beats still gave off noise. "I am sorry, Sir. But that cannot happen. There is a matter of grave importance to the empire and Princess, whether you'd believe me or not. If you don't give me the key, I will need to take it by force." Lockdown kept his voice calm as he unbound his hoofcuffs from his belt. "Now now madam, no need to get hasty. I understand you and the subject probably spent some time together and every mare has, emotional needs... But I can't just let him out willy-nilly without it coming straight from a ruler's mouth... Let's just, take you to the Princess, and get this sorted out before it becomes a dangerous situation." Blade Dancer could hear Dusk Shift drawing closer, knowing the duo was trying to sandwich her between them. Her eyes narrowed as her wings flared out, briefly giving Lockdown thought to pause. "I... am not.. shallow... This has nothing to do with me or him, and everything to do with my duty." "And what's that?" Blade Dancer tilted her head down as she felt the air shift on her wings. Dusk Shift was diving at her right now. "To protect the monarch and citizenry..." The red and white mare whipped around and drew her wing blades. Twisting out of the way with the grace of a ballerina, she dodged Dusk Shift's lunge and smashed the blunt of her weapon into the back of the smaller mare's head. It wasn't enough to knock her out as intended, but the stunned pegasus then colliding helmet first into a nearby cell was enough to accomplish that. Blade Dancer was about to take to the air when Lockdown bit down on her long tail. One harsh yank later and she fell to the ground back first and crashed onto the floor. "TRAITOR!" Blade Dancer yelped in pain, her helmet rolling off from the impact. She barely had time to try and roll out of the way when Lockdown hurled Dusk Shift's spear at her. The sharp point of the spear that had been aimed at her shoulder instead raked across her face from her right cheek to her right ear. The pegasus flapped her wings to spring off the ground while lashing out with her leg, kicking Lockdown square in the jaw. Using the rest of her momentum to continue before he had the chance to counter, she brought down both of her wing blades side first onto either side of his head. The flat metal smacked into Lockdown's helmet with a loud crash before he dropped to the ground, out cold. Not wasting a moment, Blade Dancer dropped back down and dug through Lockdown's belt and satchel to yank free a large, gleaming key. She looked at the key, then down to the unconscious guards and let out a loud sigh; shaking her head with a sad expression. -If this is somehow a farce, I am so getting banished for this..- Slow clapping caught her attention as she approached the cell. Xenilla sat behind the bars, free of his now demolished restraints; slowly applauding what he'd just seen. "Quite impressive..." Blade Dancer ignored his remark as she tinkered with the lock. After some trial and error she managed to slide the key in right and turn it. A clicking sound seeped out from the bars and the crystals in front of the cell ceased to glow. She'd turned the spell off. Xenilla got up as Blade Dancer opened the door. He stopped upon noticing the large cut across her face. "You are injured..." The guardsmare, still surging on endorphins, hadn't felt her wound yet. She touched her forelimb to her face, pulling it away to see blood staining her pale fur. Didn't feel too bad to her. "Oh it's nothing, just a scratch. I've had-" Xenilla put his forelimb to her chin, silencing her as he looked over the slash. Blood trickled down more and more at every twitch of her eye and facial muscles. Blade Dancer, her natural pain killers beginning to subside, began to wince. It was pretty deep. "Hmp... First time anyone has been harmed on my behalf..." The unicorn's shoulder patches flickered with light as energy surged out of them, down his free hoof, and into the ground. Emerging from the floor was small, brightly glowing blue crystal no bigger than a small pen. It freed itself from the floor and levitated up towards the mare's face. Instinctively she backed away, but a firm grasp around her shoulders and chest by Xenilla held her in place. Telekinetic energy constricted and shattered the glowing gem into a shimmering dust. The dust glittered with brilliance as it gently poured into the wound. Blade Dancer, still frozen in place, felt a slight tingling and numbing sensation go across her face. The wound pushed itself back together from the inside out, and within moments; closed without as much as a scar. Xenilla let go of the mare as she ran her hoof over her face. Other than some dried blood clinging to her fur, it felt no different than the uninjured side of her face. The unicorn walked past her a few steps, heading for the exit. "How did you?... Do that?" "Healing crystal, hyper accelerates cellular regeneration... Call it a favor." Blade Dancer couldn't fight a smile as she turned around, picking up her wing blades before starting after her cohort. "Thanks.... Now, let's go save the princess!" Xenilla stopped dead in his tracks and stood still for a moment. Blade Dancer raised an eyebrow as she walked up behind him. Unexpectedly, the unicorn whirled around and threw out his hoof as his mane and shoulders glowed. Strands of telekinesis grabbed the guardsmare like a giant hand and lifted her off her hooves. Eyes snapping open in shock, Blade Dancer struggled and kicked out best she could but to no avail. The hold was not crushing, but unfalteringly firm as it levitated her back into Xenilla's former cell. The door slammed shut behind her and the key popped out of the lock. Blade Dancer, landing on her hooves, tried to grab at the key as Xenilla hovered it towards him, only for a re-actived force field to keep her from reaching out of her cell. "XENI WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" "I appreciate your aid Miss Dancer, but I can sense my opponent is closing in. I have engagements to keep that I cannot be late for. I would much rather you not risk yourself foolishly in some crossfire..." "F-Fine but what's with throwing me in here?!" Xenilla glanced at the key, inspecting it. "I do not take unnecessary risks Miss Dancer, I simply do not. Dungeons are built strong, as hard to break into as they are to break out of. You will be... secure, here." With that, he turned and walked down the long, dark hall, putting the key down behind a weapon's closet he passed by. He waved back at the mare, not bothering to turn around. He could already feel dark energy beginning to intrude upon the castle grounds. "I will return to free you in a few hours, entertain yourself until then or something I don't care." Silenced passed after he walked up the flight of stairs and exited the jailhouse. Blade Dancer was more than infuriated, her face as red as her mane. "XENI!? XENILLA?!.......... TYPICAL STALLIO- KAIJU!-THING! GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" She slumped down and crossed her hooves, pouting. ========================== Crystal Castle, Royal chambers ========================== The air shifted, becoming cold and dank as a darkness settled in from a cracked window. A blackness, so dark that it cast a shadow into the very night, spread out from the walls and into the floor. Purple and black smoke seeped out from the crystals that composed the castle itself, mending together to reconstitute their master's form. A red cape flowed in the small breeze that seeped in from the window as an ethereal mane and tail crackled like a silent flame. Chilled mist seeped out of a fanged maw as a tyrant king sighed before chuckling. Cadance lay in her bed alone, occasionally twitching or groaning in her slumber. She'd never see him coming. This was far too easy. King Somba's blood red horn crackled with malefic light, aerenth crystals silently tore free from the floor and slithered across the bed like serpents. The obsidian black gem stones coiled and grabbed at Cadance's hooves, creating chains and bonds to hold her still. If Sombra had any sense of it anymore, he'd almost call it a shame. Alicorns were a very rare breed, with magical potential far exceeding the normal breeds outside of extraordinary circumstance. In olden times, such a creature would be considered special, a demigod perhaps. Sombra grinned, standing at the foot of the bed as Cadance's eyes slowly began to flutter open. He held up a spire of aerenth with his magic, hovering it above the bed and aiming it at the pink mare's heart. -Always wanted to assert myself over a demigod, but running one through the heart will do...- The split second the young alicorn's eyes were opened and she saw who was looming over her, she was sure she was still in a nightmare. But as the cold air stung her coat, the aerenth binding constricted her limbs, and Sombra's slow chuckle resonated into her mind; she knew a nightmare wasn't bad enough. She'd woken up into Tartarus itself. She struggled and lashed at her bindings, her horn glimmering with magic as she managed to crack one of the aerenths. Sombra's chuckle matured into a maniacal laughter as he raised his spear, about to bring it down. If he stopped relishing the moment whilst mentally gloating, and focused more on the loud footsteps bearing down on the front door, he might have been able to get out of the way. Xenilla rammed himself through the chamber's entrance, knocking the door off its hinges so hard it flew across the room and shattered the would-be-spear. He said nothing, he did nothing. He just kept bulldozing forward towards the very startled and confused crystal monarchs. He slammed chest first into Sombra's midsection full force and knocked the wind out of the tyrant with his tackle. Xenilla roared and kept charging forward, throwing both of them out a presently shattered stained glass window. After tumbling through the air for a hefty distance, the two crashed through the roof of the main hall. Rolling apart, dark magic and regenerative prowess mending any broken bones; the two stallions glared each other down. Xenilla looked his opponent over, chuckling as he matched a now clear view of the being before him to the illustration Key Ring had shown him. He loved being right. "King Nuestro Odio Sombra I presume? And just when I was beginning to think you wouldn't show up too.... I was getting bored." "You again!?" The dark unicorn narrowed his eyes in a sneer, slowly pacing forward as small aerenths sprung up around him with every step. The green glow in his eyes was only increasing, as more smoke billowed from his orbs. "Who... are you supposed to be... to challenge ME!?" The blue unicorn kept a stern glare, meeting the pace with his own as white quartz pierced the floor, flanking him during his advance. Red energy gathered in his mane and shoulder patches, sparks of crimson light dancing across his body like electricity. "Well, if you go with the good empress's cover story with a false identity, I am Ambassador Damien Nassir Xenilla... But since you royals seem to have no immunity to imbecility, I'll make it easy for you to remember. My name however is Xenilla. You may think of me as Mordred." "You dare to call me an imbecile?!" "No, that would be a compliment..." "Enough talk!" Sombra lunged forward, raising a small pillar of aerenth crystal and swinging it down like a club. Reacting quickly, Xenilla stomped a hoof on the ground and brought up his own quartz to block the strike. Like locked blades, the crystals shuddered and stressed as they tried to push their foe away. "Funny. From what I'm told, you've already spoken more than you did first time you returned. Progress." Sombra's eyes became eclipsed in a green and black light as red energy built up in Xenilla's maw, licking out from his lips and fangs. Malefic magic and plasma born wrath collided point blank. The entire hall was covered in a flash of light before all the condensed energy flared out. The resulting explosion rumbled the entire castle like a seismic tremor, throwing both King Sombra and Xenilla in opposite directions. Fel Unicorn and kaiju slammed into opposite walls, cracking the surface significantly before struggling free. His shadow magic mending his wounds, King Sombra barely had time to look up to see Xenilla charging at him like an oncoming freight train. Kaiju grabbed tyrant and kept moving forward through the wall, despite taking several magic blasts to his chest and shoulder The castle shook and trembled from the ongoing battle down below. Cadance, still tied down, took in a deep breath as she felt her strength returning. She didn't know how Sombra was back, why Xenilla attacked him and saved her life; or what exactly was going on at the moment. All that didn't matter. She was a princess of Equestria, a protector of its people. And two juggernauts throwing it down in her kingdom, even if one's threat was more ambiguous than the other, and putting her citizenry at risk was something she'd never tolerate. Her earth pony strength reaching its apex, she tore her right hoof free from its bond and shattered her left hoof's tomb. Not wasting a moment, she flew from her bed and towards an aged cabinet in the back of the room. It was an ancient piece, even more so than most of the time-lost empire. The cabinet belonged to someone very important before her, as did its content. Cadance just hoped the one modification she made wouldn't cause any detriment to it. Throwing open the cabinet's doors, Cadance was treated to the sight of ancient armor gleaming in Luna's moonlight. She just hoped she was going after the right unicorn.