Pain. That was the main feeling that Celestia was experiencing. She looked over what had happened over the past week to try to find out where this had started. She had been in the crystal dungeon for nearly a day, and already she was wishing she had chose differently.
Now, she knew where she had messed. She just kept looking back to see if there was another way to have avoided this, but she always came to the same conclusion. She should have joined Lone and the others.
. . .
Everfree forest- one week earlier
"Don't follow me. Any of you. You wish to cause harm to innocents, and I will not stand with you if that is the case," Celestia said before she walked into the Everfree forest. She was surprised when Luna didn't come after her, but she continued walking. The thoughts in her mind were many, but one always came to the fore front: Why did Lone have a slight green aura around him?
Green? That's the same color as his magic. Is it possible he cast a spell on himself that made it to where he could easily sway most ponies to his cause? If so, he may be a bigger threat than the Brotherhood. If the Brotherhood is even a credible threat. If they hadn't caught me and the others by surprise, we could have beaten them without help, one part of her voice thought.
Yes, but you must keep in mind that Shadow Specter was able to easily capture you, and was about to kill you, and would have if it hadn't been for Lone, the reasonable part said.
And what if that was just a trick to make you trust him so he could kill you later, the first part said, which, for ease, we will call paranoid Celestia.
He could have easily made us stay in Canterlot, which would have made us an easy target.
For who? Paranoid Celestia said. For all we know, those that "attacked" us were a part of his team.
And what if they weren't part of the team, and actually wanted to kill us?
"If"! There are too many "ifs" in your life, Paranoid Celestia said.
Shut up.
What 'if' Nightmare had won our fight? What 'if' you had been able to stop her before any of this.
Shut up!
What 'if' you're a terrible ruler, just. Like. Lone. Said?
"SHUT UP!!," Celestia yelled out loud. She took deep breaths and looked around her, her eyes wild, and saw that the few animals that had been there earlier had left. "I am not a terrible ruler," she said to herself, "Everything I did was for my subjects."
She was like this until after she heard the pelicans leave, though she didn't see the direction they took off in. She got control of her breathing shortly after the sound of the engines faded. She didn't deny she disliked Lone, but even she had to admit that he had proved that he was telling the truth, so why did she say he wasn't?
Because, Paranoid Celestia said, he isn't an Element. They are the only ones you trust to the point that you would follow them. In fact, I'm willing to bet that if he was an Element, then you'd be with him, like our dear, traitorous sister.
"She is not a traitor."
Like Nightmare wasn't trying to usurp you and take power, because that's exactly what it looked like to me.
"And how would you know? You're supposed to be me, and I never said she wasn't trying to do that?"
I'm not you, I'm your darkest fears. I'm your hate. I'm your insecurity. I'm the tyrant to your benign leadership. I'm the Solar Flare to your celestial body, and you can not escape me. I will be with you forever, much like Nightmare is with precious, little, traitorous Luna.
"No," she said, "I will not allow you to disrespect my sister."
Don't you mean our sister. I am just as much her sister as you are.
"I won't allow you to survive."
Oh, I'm so scared. It's a good thing the one spell that can purge me from you is in the Crystal Empire. . . . Damn it!!
"Well, thank you," Celestia said smugly before spreading her wings and flying to the Empire.
. . .
Crystal Empire dungeons- present
In hindsight, Celestia now saw that she should have figured out it was a trap before hand due to Solar Flare saying it the way she did. She had arrived at the Empire three days after her departure, and as far as she could tell, everything was normal. Too normal. The ponies all had anger or hate in their eyes when ever they saw her, and when ever she had asked Shining Armor if she could speak with Cadence, he always said that she was in the middle of something, and he didn't know when she would be free. This should have been an immediate indication something was wrong, as Cadence always met her face to face when one of them visited the other.
Yesterday, she had barged into the study, where Shining said Cadence was, to discover she wasn't there. When she confronted Shining about this, she was shot from behind by a beam of magic that knocked her out. She woke up about twelve hours ago, and she had been in the same cell since then.
She was brought out of her thoughts when, from the other side of the cell door, she heard Shining say, "How the mighty have fallen. Tell me, Celestia, what made you think you would be safe from the Brotherhood here?"
"Because I didn't think they were here."
"Why not? We are in every city on Equis. I am simply the latest adherent of the brotherhood."
"But why would you want this? Why would you remove Cadence from power?"
A new voice spoke up. "Now, what makes you think that, Auntie?"
. . .
Lone team main camp- that afternoon
Lone and the others were around the main table in the main camp. The table showed a holographic layout of the Empire. "Our plan is simple," Ken said, highlighting a part of the Empire on the western edge. "Me, Lily, and Maruco will infiltrate here, where the guard presence is at its least, while Chrysalis, Metamorpha, and Chitinia will be here," he highlighted a potion of the Empire to the direct south of the palace, "waiting until Lone gives the signal to move in. Pinkie, Samara, and Liara will be providing support, as well as Zaeed and Garrus with their rifles. The rest will come in from the north, where the main celebration is being held, with Shining Armor and whoever his aide is. Once we get Celestia out of there, we get back here as soon as possible, then leave the area."
"And what if the entire plan gets fucked?" Zaeed said.
"Easy," Maruco said, reaching behind his back and bringing out a pack of C-12. "The fun way." Under his helmet, he was smiling like a psycho.
"An what if we can't get Celestia out'a there," Applejack said.
"We cause as much hell as possible to get in there ourselves," Lily said.
"And we start in a few hours, people," Lone said. "We got a party to crash, and we wouldn't want to be late."
A few hours later- Eastern edge of the Empire
Luna and Lone were the only ones at the eastern edge, along with Garrus, as those providing long range support were at the edges of the Empire to have the best sight lines. So," Garrus said, "what do you think happened to Cadence if she isn't in the dungeons?"
"No idea," Lone said. "Let's just hope that she's all right."
"Indeed," Luna said. "And should she be harmed, I hope for the sake of those that hurt her that they're already dead before I reach them."
"Agreed," Lone said.
A few minutes later, he activated his communicator and said, "Let's crash a party."
Ken, Lily, and Maruco, following the plan, detonated packs of explosive on the opposite edge of the Empire. The cloud was taller than the palace, which meant they decided to blow up some fireworks shops. The few guards that Lone and Luna saw from their vantage point immediately rushed there. "Too easy," Garrus muttered.
"Team two, you are clear. I repeat, you are clear," Lone said. Team two consisted of Applejack, Kasumi, John, Hades, and Sawn. They were the fir to move to the center, where the celebration was. They were to ascertain where Shining was, as well as take out as many guards as possible that remained. "Support, when you get the word from team one or two, light 'em up!" This group was Garrus, Zaeed, Liara, Samara, and Pinkie. "Evac. be ready to move out once we have Sun Bringer, or if the plan goes FUBAR." This was Thel, who had gotten some experience for flying a pelican during the human-covenant war, and Rainbow, who had gotten basic training on it from Ken. "Infiltration, move on my mark."
"Copy," all team leaders said.
Three minutes later, John radioed in, saying, "Singular, we've located Knight. He's at the celebration. Repeat, he's at the celebration."
"Copy, Spartan," Lone said. "Infiltration team, you are a go."
"Understood," Chrysalis said.
It was then Ken radioed in, panic in his voice, saying, "ALL TEAMS, WE HAVE A PROBLEM!! I FUCKING REPEAT, THE SITUATION IS MOTHERFUCKING FUBAR!!"
"What is it, Raider," Lone said, using his codename, which was also the name of his helmet.
"IT'S (static) I REPEAT, IT'S (static) WE NEED TO ABORT NOW!! I REPEAT WE NEED-" the radio cut off, but an explosion could be seen from where Lone and Luna were.
John came back over the radio, "We have sighting of Paramour! Repeat, we have sighting of Paramour, as well as Sun Bringer. Ecav, get-"
"What the hell's going on," Garrus said before the three of them vanished in a flash of light, only yo re appear in the center of a circle of guards. The others had their weapons drawn. By others, I mean everyone but Thel and Rainbow. Applejack had a shotgun pointed at the circle of guards, while Chitinia had a plasma rifle, as well as Metamorpha. Pinkie had her party cannon out. Lone drew out his energy sword while Luna brought out her Battle rifle.
The major attention grabber, though was Cadence holding Celestia in her grasp. "Hello, Luna," she said, "Welcome to the rebirthing festival."
"And just who's it for," Lone asked.
"Isn't it obvious, Lone," Green Mist said, coming in from behind Cadence, as well as Ashley and the others, all og whom had thier eyes closed and were in Green Mist's magical grasp. "It's for Plasma."