Ninety three years after first contact.
Celestia's mind was in chaos, her dreams a cacophony of memories and pain. Images flashed through her head as she remembered all those she had seen die over the years. She remembered all the friends who had stood with her and her sister in the past, and all the ways Ra had found to take them from her again.
She thought back to everything Ra had done to her beloved world – the Tree of Harmony reduced to charred rubble; the blood-stained crater where the dragons' nest once was; Canterlot destroyed and rebuilt far away to his design. She remembered the sounds of enormous, violent machines as the Crystal Empire was mined, and the smell of smoke as the Everfree forest was purged. All of it was indelibly marked on her memory, and it had haunted her every night for decades.
She remembered watching from afar as the first Jaffa, Ra's new race of warrior slaves, were born, followed soon after by the birth of new 'gods' – Ra's children. Ponies had given themselves over to be warped and mutilated for the sake of perpetuating a parasitic species that had never cared for them. The happiness in those first hosts' eyes as it happened, and the fact that they would willingly let that be done to them, was the hardest memory of all. Equestria as she had known it was gone. Its inhabitants had been changed beyond recognition. She wasn't sure if she would ever be able to call that world her home again.
"Sister, wake up!"
The voice in her ear was a blessed relief, drawing her out of the nightmare. But as her senses returned, she was only reminded that it still hadn't ended. She felt the camouflage suit pressing up against her fur, and felt the cold rock of the cave they were hiding in underneath her. Luna was standing over her, similarly dressed, with panic in her eyes.
"Were you successful?" Celestia asked as she stood up and tried to shake the dream from her mind.
"Yes," Luna said, nodding. "All the charges are set, but I believe I was seen as I left."
A horn sounded somewhere in the distance.
"We need to go!" Luna said. "Now!"
Celestia nodded, and Luna turned and ran back out of the cave. Celestia's head was still spinning, but she followed after her sister and galloped out into the dark trees, climbing up the slope to the top of the hill.
"It's a long way to the Gate," Celestia said, "but if we can make it before they do, we should be able to get through."
"And if we can't?" Luna asked.
"We will make it," Celestia replied. She was determined to get off this planet one way or another. No matter what happened to Equestria, no matter where she went, something always drew her back there. It was still her dream to one day liberate the world she had spent so long on, and she knew that could never happen if she abandoned it.
She looked up at the strange sky passing by above the trees. Equestria was out there somewhere, orbiting around one of those stars, but from this distance it was lost in the crowd, just another unremarkable point of light.
Of all the promises Ra had made, there was one which he had kept; the revelation of the Stargate had opened up a galaxy full of alien worlds, each more beautiful than the last. There were so many that she had lost count, and she imagined she had only visited a fraction of them. But it had only been a matter of time before this wonder had been spoiled as well.
"How many of those have Stargates?" Celestia wondered out loud. "Around how many of those stars are there ponies suffering right now?"
"Too many," Luna said, her eyes looking forward still toward their destination.
"Too many," Celestia repeated, thoughts of all the worlds she had visited and tried to save blurring together in her head. "This is never going to end, is it?"
"Don't say that!" Luna replied. "As soon as you believe that, they have won."
Celestia lowered her head and continued to push onward. Luna was right. Few others wanted to fight any more, and those that did were too afraid to, but they had to believe that others would one day follow their lead. They had to believe that they were making a difference.
She heard shouts behind them. Looking round, she could make out at least a dozen Jaffa in the distance, galloping towards them through the trees. If the Jaffa hadn't seen them yet, they soon would.
"They're tracking us," she said. Luna looked round as well.
"They're gaining faster than I thought they would, We may not make it in time."
Celestia looked forward, at the endless forest stretching out ahead of them, and down at the soft, leaf-coloured earth flying past under their hooves.
"We'll never lose them on this terrain," she said. "They can just follow our tracks wherever we go. We need to fly."
"Sister…" Luna said, but Celestia cut her off.
"I know the risks," she said. "They know where we are anyway. We just need to break the trail."
Luna nodded. Celestia took a deep breath, and the two of them pushed their wings out from under the covers in their suits and spread them wide; there was a burst of shouts from the pursuing Jaffa at the sudden flash of white in the dark forest. Pushing down on the air with their wings, they lifted themselves up through the treetops, and out into the clear open sky.
"We should go east," Luna said, pointing off to the right. "Head for the cliff."
The two of them turned in unison and pushed onward, skimming the top of the forest and heading for the rock face which rose up out of it ahead of them. If they could reach it, they'd have a clear run along the ridge to the Stargate.
Celestia looked behind her and saw three pegasi clearing the treeline in the distance behind them.
"They're on us again," she said. She turned forward again and the two of them flew on as fast as they could, putting as much distance as possible between themselves and their pursuers. They had the power advantage, but Celestia could already feel fatigue building in her muscles. She wasn't going to be able to keep doing this forever.
They reached the cliff, flying over the edge and plunging straight into the trees that lay beyond. They zigzagged randomly through the trees, their wings tearing through the branches, until Luna shouted "Here!" and dropped to the ground. Celestia banked hard, coming to a halt and lowering herself down next to her sister, who was standing in a small hollow surrounded by thick roots. They ducked under a protruding knot of wood, and Celestia went about covering her wings again.
"Did we lose them?" she said.
"I think so," Luna replied.
They fell silent, listening. In the distance they could hear the sound of hooves and shouting as the pursuing pegasi searched among the trees, but soon after the sounds began to die away again.
"We'll never make it to the Gate before they do," Luna said.
"Should we wait?" Celestia said, sitting down to rest her legs. "Try again for the Gate in the morning?"
Luna lay down next to her. "Perhaps," she said. "Or perhaps we can do so when the explosives detonate, and hope it provides a suitable distraction."
Celestia sighed, and rolled over onto her side, profoundly exhausted.
"How did we end up like this?" she said. "We were princesses once. We were loved, we were respected. Now look at us; sneaking around, hiding in the dark, planting bombs… It feels so cowardly."
"Do not do this to yourself, sister," Luna said. "Nothing has changed. We are – as we always have been – fighting to protect those who need it. Ra is the coward, refusing to face us, throwing his thralls at us instead."
"Thralls," Celestia said. "We should be helping them as much as any other, and yet here we are, blowing up facilities and killing who knows how many of them. I know," she added, before Luna could respond, "there are always casualties in war, and we picked an automated factory so there would be as few as possible, but I don't think that'll ever make me feel comfortable with this."
"I know," Luna said. "And I would be more concerned if you ever did. But we have to focus on the bigger picture. We are fighting for an entire galaxy now, after all. Think how many could die if Ra were to complete the fleet of ships he is planning. We have both seen what just one of them is capable of. As much as I hate to say it, it is much better that the few die now, than that the entire galaxy is left to face the alternative."
Celestia stared blankly at the soft ground. She had told herself all these things so many times already, but even hearing it from her sister didn't make any of it easier to accept.
"How long?" she asked.
"I am unsure," Luna said. "I fear I have lost track of time in the pursuit. We have perhaps ten minutes until they detonate."
"Okay," Celestia replied. "I guess we might as well—"
She heard what sounded like a twig snap nearby. Falling silent, the two of them waited for any further noises. She couldn't hear anything now, but she didn't dare move. Even a silent forest couldn't be trusted.
Luna, her head still raised, searched the trees for signs of movement, but nothing came. Celestia wondered if she had imagined the sound.
Then, at once, six Jaffa burst out of the trees, coming at them from all directions, their weapons drawn.
"Tal'bet!" one of them shouted.
Celestia and Luna got to her hooves slowly.
"Now what?" Luna said.
The Jaffa led them back out to the treeline, where another twenty or so were waiting in a circle. They were herded into the centre, the Jaffa's weapons trained on them from all sides. Celestia glanced up to the sky and saw three pegasi – likely the same from earlier – hovering overhead.
"They've got us," Celestia said. "So what are they waiting for?"
"I do not know," Luna said. "Perhaps they are waiting for their master."
"Silence!" one of the Jaffa shouted. "Our master wishes to speak with you!"
"That answers that question," Luna said.
"I said silence!" The Jaffa shouted again. "You will kneel before your god!"
"I kneel before nopony!" Luna shouted. The Jaffa looked ready to shoot them then and there, and Celestia was about to say something to try and calm her down, when the circle parted and another pony stepped into their midst. Celestia recognised him immediately.
"Typical," Apophis said. "You still do not recognise those more powerful than you. But you are mine now, and you will kneel before me."
Luna laughed. "Apophis," she said, walking towards him, "why are you out here on a planet such as this? Is Ra still giving all the important assignments to his favourite, Osiris?"
"Kek, shol'va!" one of the Jaffa shouted, raising his weapon, but Apophis stopped him with a wave of his hoof.
"You will show respect to your gods!" he shouted, looking like he was ready to explode. "Now kneel!"
"We will never bow before you or any of your kind," Luna said, her voice lowering to a growl, "not as long as a single pony remains enslaved. If you cannot accept that, then you might as well kill us now."
Celestia listened on in silence, wishing her younger sister would stop antagonising him in case he actually did decide to kill them. But at the same time she envied her sister's drive; time had almost entirely drained the fight out of her now, and she just didn't have the energy to stand up to them anymore.
But as she listened, she did find it odd that Apophis wasn't doing anything. He had them entirely under his control, and Luna was certainly giving him more than enough reason to have them executed, but for some reason he was just staying silent. It was like he was waiting for something.
"What's going on?" she said, stepping up next to Luna and looking Apophis in the eye.
"You dare ask questions of me?" he said. "I have captured you trespassing on a planet in my domain, and for a terrorist such as you the punishment will be death."
"Then what are you waiting for?" Celestia said. "And why are you even out here, chasing us in the woods? Isn't this what you have soldiers for?"
Apophis slapped her on the cheek; she thought she could taste blood, but ignored it and looked definantly back into his scowling eyes.
"If it were my decision you would already be dead," he said. "You are becoming more than a nuisance, and dealing with you like this is a waste of my time. But it is not up to me. I have been… asked to capture you so that my master may speak to you."
"Your master?" Luna asked, but Celestia held up a hoof, silencing her. She could hear something approaching fast in the distance. As she listened, she also became aware of a faint tingling sensation in her horn – one which she hadn't felt in a long time.
The noise grew louder and louder, until a glider cleared the top of the cliff, circling the group once before coming to a halt, hovering just above them. A spotlight came on, illuminating the gathering, and Celestia had to raise her hoof to her eyes to shield herself from the glare.
A circular hatch opened on the craft's underside and five rings descended from it, a stream of light filling the space between them. Then, moments later, they rose back into the glider, leaving a single pony behind in their place.
"Ra," Celestia said.
The glider pulled back, the sound of its engines reducing to a distant hum, but the light stayed fixed on them.
"Celestia, Luna," Ra replied, nodding to them in turn, "it's far too long since we last talked."
"Do not pretend that we are friends," Luna said. "Not after all these years."
"Of course," Ra said, sighing. "I dare say you have made your feelings about me clear. I am losing count of how many of my worlds you have attacked. How many of my followers you have needlessly killed?"
"And what about you?" Celestia said, walking up to him. "How many of your followers have you needlessly killed?"
The guards surrounding them started shifting and readying their weapons as she approached him, but Ra shook his head and they stood down again.
"Don't patronise us," she went on. "You've ignored us for so long. You haven't even spoken to us in decades. You've never cared about us. What's changed?"
"Celestia," he said, "please don't misunderstand my intentions. I have always had the utmost respect for the two of you."
Luna snorted. Celestia ignored her, but Ra looked over at her, raising an eyebrow. He turned and began walking slowly in a circle around the two sisters.
"I did once give you the opportunity to understand my motives," he said, "and I did always regret that you chose not to listen. You forced me to take some regrettable steps to achieve what I needed to do."
"Don't lie to us," Celestia said. "Don't try and tell me that Discord's death was our fault."
"Of course not," Ra said. "Discord had no place in this world. For this galaxy to function safely he was always going to have to die. It is having to lie to you which I regret."
Luna laughed. "I find that hard to believe. You have been lying to us from day one."
"Luna," Ra said, stopping and looking at her, "no matter what you may think, I do want us to be able to be allies. I don't wish for any of this pointless fighting. What I want is for you to be working alongside me."
"Why us?" Celestia said.
Ra raised an eyebrow. "Please, Celestia," he said. "You asked me not to patronise you. Surely you understand by now the reason why I have done all this."
Celestia didn't say anything. She didn't understand, and she wasn't sure she wanted to. She hated the idea that he actually considered his actions to be justified.
"You have lived for thousands of years," Ra said, "and you have seen the entire history of Equestria. You are extraordinary beings with extraordinary magic at your disposal. You are, in fact, a lot like me in many ways. Really, we are in a unique position to be able to understand each other."
"We will never help you," Luna said. "Not as long as a single pony remains under your control."
"Oh, I think you will," Ra said. "One day you will learn that your current ways are only hurting others." He turned and approached Celestia again. "Perhaps then you will see that my way is not what you believe it to be. You accuse me of killing my followers needlessly, but one must always remove the spoiled items to protect the store. If you were to stop fighting, and to stop encouraging others to, then there would no longer be any need to do this."
Ra looked expectantly up at her, but Celestia just stared back, her face drawn.
"You might as well kill us now," she said. "We will never change our minds."
Ra chuckled. "We will see about that," he said. "I haven't come here to have a long conversation. I just wished you to know that I haven't forgotten about you. We will talk again soon, and I think you may start to see things differently then. Now, I should be leaving. The loss of this refinery is going to set me back, so I will need to begin implementing my contingencies."
He turned to walk away, but Celestia was getting fed up. After all this time he just appeared out of nowhere and expected them to roll over for him? She hated being talked down to.
"Wait!" she shouted. The circle of Jaffa tensed, and Ra turned to face her, looking curious.
"Answer my question," she said. "What has changed?"
Ra shook his head. "That will have to wait," he said. "You will understand much more next time we meet." He started to turn again. "Now I really must leave. If you have any more questions—"
"Hold on," Luna said, walking up next to Celestia and staring at Ra in confusion. "You said 'refinery'?"
Ra nodded, a grin on his face. "Indeed," he said. "After everything you've done, I couldn't risk you learning the location of my real ship factories. This one outpost is a small sacrifice to protect my greater plans. It will be a shame to lose such a sizeable slave workforce, of course—"
"No!" Celestia shouted. She turned and ran, ignoring the guards, back to the cliff and toward the distant outpost, but all she could do was watch as, before her eyes, great explosions erupted from the facility. She skidded to a halt at the cliff edge, Luna running up beside her, and the two watched helplessly as the entire structure was consumed in flames.
"Your actions aren't saving anypony," Ra said, walking up beside them. "I have given you many chances to see this, but my patience may not last forever. When we meet next, I hope you will see reason."
Celestia said nothing, unable to take her eyes off the sight in front of her. Tears ran down her cheeks as she began to hear screams echoing up from the valley below.
"The Chappa'ai will remain unguarded after we leave," Ra went on, "but if you try to go anywhere other than Equestria, I will know. Until next time."
He turned and walked away. Celestia was only vaguely aware of the sound of the troops marching away as she stood, watching over the fruits of their work. They had been tricked, and instead of protecting anything they had only made the problem worse.
How often had this happened before? How many of their apparent successes had just been Ra misleading them, throwing them off the trail of his true plans? Had they ever actually done any good at all?
It felt like the entire universe was against her. First her own subjects, who she had loved more than anything else, had turned on her. Now, when she tried to do anything to help them, it was thrown back at her and twisted into some act of destruction that was then claimed as her fault.
But all of it, she reminded herself, Ra's doing. He had poisoned their minds and turned them against her. He had lied and manipulated, tricking her into being part of his senseless destruction. As long as Ra lived – as long as he continued to inhabit his stolen body – there was never going to be any good in this galaxy again. He had twisted her world into a monstrosity, a mockery of the peaceful place it had once been. Everything he was – everything he stood for – was unforgivable. There was nothing in him and his creations but evil.
As she watched the chaos below, her thoughts drifted back to Starburst for a moment. For all the terrible things she had seen during the last century, he had received it a hundredfold. If indeed anything of him did remain, then he was trapped in his own body, forced to watch as Ra tortured and killed countless ponies. She couldn't imagine what it would be like to live in that nightmare. Anypony cursed with that would be better off dead.
As the thought washed through her mind, Celestia felt something start to break inside her, and in her tiredness she decided to let it. She felt numb, her anger and sadness fading away as a singular feeling of certainty filled her. In that moment she knew without a doubt that, the next time the two of them met, Ra would die.