Tales of the Oppressed

by Terran34

94. The End of Peace

I stand there, frozen in confusion and unease for the next few seconds; such that I don't even notice the other ponies looking at me in worry until I feel Rainbow brushing up against me. “Seth? What are you talking about? What was what?” Rainbow questions anxiously, her muscles tensed and restless. I don’t respond at first.

I don't let myself relax until the sound of crickets chirping take back over the night, and no sign of any impending threat shows itself “I don't know. I just...I felt something. I don't know what it was,” I admit, letting out a confused sigh. Rainbow blinks, letting herself relax as well. You know, it speaks for her trust in me if she's ready to kick some ass the moment I notice something wrong.

“I'm sure you're just imagining it,” Lyra assures me. Bon Bon nods in agreement next to her. “We're in the middle of Ponyville. Nothing is going to happen here of all places.”

I disagree with that, considering there is a certain changeling queen with a grudge against me, but there's no point in bringing that up now. After all, there's no way I felt Chrysalis. I've felt her magic, and that wasn't it. I still don't know how to sense magic from far away like Celestia and Luna do, so I can only feel it when it comes into contact with me.

Maybe I was just imagining it. This is a magical world, so I guess I shouldn't be too surprised if an errant breeze passes through containing a little bit of magic. The seasons did just change. Yeah, that makes sense. I let out a small sigh of relief. “Yeah, you're right,” I reply, shaking my head. “Whatever. Anyway, let's get to that party.”
'

“You don't have to tell me twice!” Vinyl exclaims, running past us. “I can already hear it! Looks like it's a big one this time!”

What, as opposed to the parties that Pinkie usually throws? Oh gee, I can't wait to see this. Octavia trails behind, staying with me as we approach the town square, where I can see party decorations already set up. Hell, this is happening in the square? I guess this one is a big deal. Pinkie can't have just set this up for me.

“Can I expect a similar experience to the reception at the royal wedding?” Octavia asks me hesitantly, as she looks up at the banners stretched between houses. Emblazoned on the banners are basic spring related words, as well as slogans celebrating the passage of another Winter Wrap-Up.

“Maybe, but not to the same degree. I think at the reception, we were all still freaked from the invasion, so we were letting off all that steam,” I reply. “This time, we're probably just going to settle down and have a good time.”

“That makes sense. Back then was a very trying time for all of us,” Octavia responds sagely. She winces as the sound of party music fills the air. “Honestly, this music.”

“Just ignore it. Half the time, I don't even know what I'm listening to. It has a beat, and that's good enough for me,” I advise her with a chuckle. Occasionally there's a good song, but I doubt what I consider good is the same as what Octavia considers good. She's unlikely to be a fan of rock.

“Seth, Hurry your flank up! They're playing a good song and I need my dance partner!” Rainbow calls from up ahead. Her voice is muffled, however, by the sound of the amalgamation of ponies in the square. Holy hell, it's like every single pony in the town is there.

“I'm coming, hold on,” I complain and plunge right into the crowd. I don't know why I keep saying this, but Pinkie really went all out for this one. The square is filled with tables covered with enticing springtime foods, in addition to the ever present sweets. “Scratch that, food comes first. I am hungry as hell. I skipped lunch because of you ponies.”

“Bon Bon and I are going to go dance! I'll see you all later!” Lyra announces, leaning her head against her new marefriend. Bon Bon looks at her in surprise.

“Wait, we are?” she asks, but then Lyra grabs hold of her hoof and drags her to the dance floor situated just in front of the town hall. “Waaah! Slow down you crazy mare!”

“Think I'm gonna hit the dance floor myself. It's not often that I'm not making the music, so I'm gonna milk the opportunity!” Vinyl asserts, eyeing the flashing multicolored lights dancing across the open floor. “You bring Rainbow and join me once you're finished eating.”

“Sure, sounds good. Now go dance or something while I chow down,” I dismiss her with a wave of my hand. Vinyl chuckles and disappears into the throng of dancing ponies herself, leaving me with just Rainbow and Octavia. “Are you two coming with me?”

“Nah, I think I'm gonna go see what's up with Fluttershy and them. I feel like I should spend a little time with them. I keep coming back to you!” Rainbow responds, giving me a playful shove with her side. Yeah, that seems fair. She has been spending an awful lot of time with me recently. I'll let her go then. Maybe I'll try socializing a bit...as unlike me as that is. I might just end up sticking to the ponies I know. “You better come dance with me when you're done. Later!”

“You have fun then,” I call after her. Finally, it's just Octavia and I. The mare looks rather uncomfortable at the party atmosphere, though she does seem to be making an effort to enjoy herself. When we reach the buffet table, for lack of a better word, she peers over the different food choices. “What, is that not the gourmet food you eat on a regular basis?”

“Not quite, but I think I can...” Octavia replies normally, much to my amusement. Then she pauses and gives me an accusing stare. “Wait, you're making fun of me, aren't you?”

“I might be,” I remark with a grin. Octavia huffs, but I don't see her expression because I'm already picking out my first plate of food. “Would you look at all of this? Plants as far as the eye can see. I've never seen a spread so unbelievably healthy in my life.”

“Are you used to otherwise?” Octavia questions as she delicately picks up a plate herself. I shrug, because it usually depended on the location. She smirks and indicates the other table with her head. “If you'd rather have something worse, head over to the next table. I think I might be getting cavities just looking at it all.”

“Oh, quit being such a Rarity. There's nothing wrong with having a few sweets,” I retort. Unluckily for me, Rarity happened to be passing by the moment I said that. As such, I promptly receive a light tap on the back of my head by a plate. “Wait what the...oh hi, Rares.”

“I heard that, dear,” Rarity admonishes me with a smirk, returning the plate to the air in front of her. “By the way, did you just call me 'Rares?'”

“I did. It's less syllables than Rarity,” I respond. Rarity shakes her head, annoyed.

“I must protest. I adore my given name. It's elegant and refined, and thus suiting for a lady such as I,” Rarity beseeches me. Next to me, Octavia shakes her head with a knowing smile, because she too had gone through a similar conversation to this with me before.

“That's great. Still calling you Rares, though,” I tell her uncaringly, much to her frustration. I snicker at the despairing groan Rarity gives upon hearing that. “It's so easy to mess with you ponies.”

With that, the three of us split up and gather our own respective plates of food and return to the merriment in our own way. It's a Pinkie Party, and while the setup or the reason for its existence may be different, they're usually executed in the same manner. The only thing that varies is the intensity. Tonight the energy is higher than usual, because Winter Wrap-Up is a major holiday, as far as I've gathered.

I also hear from some of the other party goers that this is nothing compared to the celebration that occurs during something called the Summer Sun Celebration. Apparently for that, Celestia herself visits Ponyville and literally raises the sun while everypony watches. Huh. I hope I'm around for that. I've heard over and over that she raises the sun, but I've never seen her do it.

I make sure to drop by some of the other ponies, I know, like Applejack and Apple Bloom, who I haven't just stopped to talk to in a long time. So you can imagine how super affectionate she was.

“Whoa, whoa! Hello to you too, Apple Bloom!” I say with surprise as I suddenly find myself with a happy filly in my arms. Funny how that keeps happening. Applejack watches from her position in front of me, smiling fondly at the sight of her little sister nuzzling up against my chest. “I think she misses me.”

“Ah think she does too,” Applejack agrees. The three of us then proceed to hold a decent conversation, though Apple Bloom never does leave my arms until I decide it's time for me to move on.

Eventually I end up joining Rainbow and Fluttershy for a dance...though what Fluttershy calls a dance is really just her shyly shuffling her hooves because she's too petrified by the idea of everypony looking at her...even though nopony is except for Rainbow and I.

“Come on, Fluttershy! What do you even call that?” Rainbow urges her. Fluttershy mumbles something so quiet that we can't hear it over the crowd. Eventually Rainbow gets impatient and grabs Fluttershy's front hooves, causing the quiet mare to squeak in surprise and rear up on her hind legs. “Come on, dance with me! Even Seth is dancing better than you are right now, and he's terrible!”

“Fucking thanks, Rainbow,” I snap back at her with a wry grin. Eh, I never held any illusions that I was a good dancer. I've got rhythm and it's fun. That's all that matters. “I didn't hear you complaining at the royal wedding.”

“That's just because I was happy to be alive, thank you very much,” Rainbow returns, jabbing my leg with her hoof. I chuckle and watch in amusement as Rainbow tries to get Fluttershy dancing better.

Eventually, I find my way over to Twilight and Spike. Twilight is standing against the sweets table and nodding her head in time with the music as she works her way through a slice of cake. Spike, for some reason, has a lampshade on his head and is closer to the dance floor, moving his tiny body to the beat.

“Hey, Seth. Having fun?” Twilight greets me after she swallows her current mouthful. I nod and recline against the table next to her, choosing to chomp into a cupcake in lieu of a verbal response. “I'm glad you showed up. Pinkie was planning to do something drastic if you stayed home.”

“So I figured. But I came because Rainbow and the others were going. Also, why wouldn't I go?” I say once my mouth is empty. Twilight nods understandingly, watching the dance floor with a smile on her face. “By the way, what the hell is up with Spike?”

“I really don't know. He just does strange things at times,” Twilight admits, referring to the lampshade on Spike's head. “But he looks like he's having fun, so I'll let him be.”

“Right...fun.” I mean sure, if you find prancing around with a lampshade on your head fun. But hey, it's entertaining to watch at least.

After that, Twilight and I settled into a comfortable silence as the two of us eat and watch the festivities unfold before us. I chuckle upon seeing Fluttershy squealing and holding onto one of Rainbow's hooves for dear life as the latter tries to teach her to dance properly.

Spike stops dancing all of a sudden, clutching his stomach. I raise an eyebrow at the sight, wondering if he'd eaten too much cake or something. That image is shattered when Spike quickly takes off the lampshade just in time to spit out a scroll of parchment in a burst of emerald flames.

The flash of light gets Twilight's attention, and she stands up straight, her eyes wide and curious. She and I both notice with interest that the scroll is fastened by Celestia's royal seal. “Letter for you, Twilight!” Spike announces casually, approaching us with the claw holding the scroll outstretched. Right, I know he does this kind of thing all the time, but it's still weird to see it.

“Thanks, Spike. But I wonder what it says? Princess Celestia doesn't usually send me messages this late at night,” Twilight muses, bringing the scroll over to her with magic. I shrug and look back to the party. It's not my business what letters Celestia wants to send her student.

There's another silence as Twilight opens up the scroll and starts to read. I nonchalantly reach around her shoulder for a particularly delectable looking cupcake, which I start chomping into. It's only when I hear Twilight gasp that I realize that something is wrong. “Twilight? What is it? What does it say?” Spike asks, looking over at her. I watch her closely as well, curious. Twilight's eyes are wide and she looks panicked. I start to feel a little worried myself just looking at her.

“Seth, it involves you too. Here!” Twilight reveals, shoving the scroll into my hands with her magic. “Read over that. I need to go get the others!”

“Others?” Both Spike and I question, but she's already galloping away, heading first for Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. Spike and I look at each other and shrug. Still, Twilight looked worried as hell.

“Well, what does it say?” Spike asks impatiently. Remembering the scroll in my hands, I unroll it and take a look at the message myself. Sure enough, that's Celestia's hoofwriting. Er...hornwriting. Mouthwriting. Whatever.

“My dear student, Twilight Sparkle

I apologize for contacting you so late during what I am sure is Ponyville's annual Winter Wrap-Up celebration, but I'm afraid I must request the services of you and your friends. I am not sure how much time we have, so I am sending a chariot to Ponyville immediately with a contingent of pegasus guards to expedite your speedy departure to Canterlot. You can expect it to land next to your library within the hour.

I need you to gather your friends and be ready to meet the chariot as swiftly as possible. I am afraid the Elements of Harmony may be necessary in the near future. In addition, tell Seth that he absolutely must accompany you. This concerns him a great deal, and it would be a disservice for me not to include him in this endeavor.

I apologize for not being able to tell you more, but this is a matter of national security.

Your loving mentor and friend,

Princess Celestia.”

“Holy shit, the Elements of Harmony? Now?” I exclaim in shock, my hands starting to tremble. Whatever Celestia is talking about is so important that this country's magical superweapon may be necessary?

“The Elements? Is something going on?” Spike asks anxiously, his eyes wide at the mention of the superweapon. “Seth?”

“I don't know. Celestia doesn't say anything except that Twilight needs to bring her friends to the library, where a chariot will soon arrive to pick us all up,” I say, rolling up the scroll again. I squeeze my eyes shut and clench one hand into a fist. “And she said that I have to be there as well. Please god, don't let this be another battle. Not now!”

“Okay, calm down. You're one of the strongest magic users Equestria's got, right? Whatever it is that has Princess Celestia so worried, you'll be able to handle it, okay?” Spike assures me, resting a claw on my knee, the highest part of me he can reach. “But not if you're freaking out.”

“I just..I thought I was done with this shit. At least for a few months or so....” I lament, and then I slam my fist into the table out of frustration. “But now? I'm supposed to be relaxing and enjoying life with my friends!”

Before Spike can say anything further, Twilight returns, only this time she has Rainbow, Pinkie, Fluttershy, Applejack, and Rarity in tow, each of them looking about as confused and worried as I feel. “Seth, did you read the letter?” Twilight demands as she reaches the table.

“I did. I'm not happy about it, but I'm ready to come with you. Whatever Celestia wants, it concerns me,” I reply darkly, giving her the message back.

“Twilight, darling, what's going on? We're in the middle of a party,” Rarity beseeches Twilight, looking loathe to leave the party so soon. And then there's Pinkie.

“It's just unheard of for the party planner to leave the party before it's over! I don't suppose this can wait just a teensie bit longer?” Pinkie attempts to persuade, but Twilight shakes her head.

“No, we have to get going. Princess Celestia said it's a matter of national security!” Twilight informs them all. I guess she didn't tell them much when she was rounding them up. Her revelation serves to shut down any further protests from them. “Hurry. We don't have time to waste. The chariot will be here within the hour!”

Twilight moves around the table and starts to gallop down the street towards the library, the rest of us keeping up as best we can. “Is it Chrysalis? Because if it is, I'm really going to beat the hay out of her this time!” Rainbow declares, punching her hoof at midair as she flies alongside me.

“I certainly hope not!” Rarity asserts, shuddering. “Those changelings were monstrous and revolting!”

“Oh, I hope it's nothing dangerous,” Fluttershy fusses. “Will my animals be okay while I'm gone?”

“Whatever it is, it can't be good, if it's got the princess callin' us to Canterlot this late,” Applejack reasons, much to Fluttershy's dismay. “Plus, she wants Seth too? He's a magical powerhouse, so it don't make sense to bring him unless she needs that power.”

“It has to be Chrysalis. Celestia told me that the business in the north wasn't my responsibility,” I return, even though I know that none of them apart from Rainbow and Twilight know about the undead massing in the north. I punch my palm with a fist. “This time, I'm fucking ready for her. I'm not as weak as I was then.”

“Aw yeah! And this time, I'm going to fight her with you!” Rainbow asserts. I shoot her a stare. Yeah no, I saw what happened last time you tried to fight someone with comparable strength to Chrysalis. You nearly died.

However, before I can protest, we reach the library, the eight of us huddling around the front door. Twilight looks up at the sky, keeping an eye out for the chariot. It doesn't take her long to spot it. “There! It's already coming!” Twilight reveals, pointing a hoof in the sky. We all follow to where she's pointing, and sure enough, I can see the golden dot approaching through the sky, visible only through the light from the party reflecting off of its smooth metal surface. “Spike, you should stay here. What's coming is probably going to be dangerous, if she needs the Elements of Harmony.”

“Are you kidding? There's no way I'm staying behind. You remember my role in the changeling invasion? Without me, the plan would have never worked!” Spike protests hotly, looking offended that she'd even suggest he stay behind.

“He's right, Twilight. In the worst case scenario, that message transferring ability is invaluable,” I remind her. Twilight looks like she wants to argue, but she closes her mouth, recognizing the truth in my words. “Trust me. With you and me here, he'll be perfectly safe.”

“I suppose. I just don't want to see him get hurt. He can't exactly fight,” Twilight admits, blushing a little.

“Yeah, well, Rarity's not the best fighter either, and look how important she was in the changeling invasion!” I shoot right back at her. I don't know why I'm arguing so much for Spike, but honestly, we need that skill of his. I hate that we're talking like we're going right back into hell, even though we don't actually know what Celestia is talking about.

“Let's just calm down, all of us. There's no sense in jumping to conclusions before we even know all the details,” Rarity sensibly interjects. She still looks worried, but I'm glad that she can at least keep a cool head.

“Rarity is raht. We shouldn't panic before we know what's goin' on,” Applejack agrees. She angles her head to look up at the sky. “The chariot's almost here. We'll be in Canterlot in no time, and then we kin ask the princess all the questions we want.”

“Yes...yes...sorry. I'm just really worried,” Twilight admits, forcing herself to take a few deep breaths. “Princess Celestia sounded so serious in her letter.”

“Like Applejack said, we'll ask her when we get there,” I reply, just as the chariot is finally touching down. I don't recognize any of the guards pulling or accompanying the chariot, however.

“Climb aboard, Elements of Harmony. We've been instructed to carry you to Canterlot posthaste,” the guard at the front of the formation states in an official manner. I'm the first to step into the chariot. Even though I know it would be much faster to fly there myself, not all of us can fly, and Celestia likely intends to give the details to all of us at once.

Rainbow, Twilight, and the others clamber into the chariot as well, strapping themselves in and clustering together in the tight space. Rainbow ends up squished between Twilight and I in a comical fashion. In any other situation, I would be making fun of her. Right now, all I can think about is what waits for us in Canterlot.

Once the guards make sure we're all inside and situated, they take off at a gallop, and soon I feel my stomach fall as we suddenly rise in altitude. The warm night winds rush over us, drowning out anything else we try to say. That's probably a good thing. We're all confused and anxious, and if we keep talking without answers, we'll just start snapping at each other.

It isn't long before Canterlot comes into view. The twinkling lights from the city look beautiful from above, but its hard to appreciate them with everything that's going on. As always, the chariot bypasses the city itself, heading directly for the castle. A quick glance over the side lets me know we're heading for the same landing strip as before.

The difference this time is that when the chariot's wheels bump across the runway's surface, I see both Celestia and Luna standing just outside of the entrance back into the castle, waiting for us. Both of them are wearing expressions telling me that this certainly isn't a social visit. The other thing I notice is that there's an airship parked just above us. I couldn't see it before due to the dim light. I guess that makes the pony standing in front of the gangplank Gilded Skies. Yup, I can see the coat and everything.

“Princess Celestia!” Twilight calls out, jumping out of the chariot the moment it comes to a stop. Despite her grave expression, Celestia manages to put on a smile and give Twilight a warm welcome, dipping her head to nuzzle her student and friend. “Is everything all right? What's the trouble? Why do we need the Elements? Why...”

“Give her a chance to get a word in edgewise, Twilight,” I cut her off, hopping out of the chariot as well. Behind me, Spike and the other ponies also get out of the vehicle and look around at the airship and all of the guards.

“Thank you, Seth. I am glad you came.” Celestia greets me next with a respectful dip of her head. “All of you, come with me. There's no time to waste.”

With Twilight and I at the front of the group, we all follow Celestia and Luna into the castle, where they lead us through the hallways to a part of the castle that I've never seen before. Soon, we enter a long hallway with stained glass windows and a plush red carpet covering the floors. On each of the windows are...hold on, are those pictures of Twilight and her friends? IS THAT A PICTURE OF ME!?

I'm not kidding. A few of the windows depict Twilight and her friends facing off against a dark blue and black alicorn, while others show them facing off against a fucked up looking creature that can only be Discord. A third set of windows shows them facing a horde of changelings, while a small version of Luna and I are fighting against what looks to be Chrysalis herself. Is this some kind of historical hallway? I'm not sure how I feel about being engraved in this country's history like that.

“I am sure those of you attuned to magic noticed the wave of magical energy that passed over the entirety of Equestria just recently,” Celestia states seriously, turning her head to look back at us as we near the end of the hallway.

“I did...but I thought I was imagining it,” I reveal with surprise. So I wasn't crazy when I felt something wrong in the air, just before we left for the party.

“Me too. I was worried, but nothing seemed to be happening, so I forgot about it,” Twilight admits, looking over at me. I suddenly realize how stupid I was for not asking Twilight about it. If anypony would have felt it, it would have been her. “So there was something to it after all?”

“Magic like that does not come from nowhere. Usually a surge of magic like that results from the dispelling or failure of a curse,” Celestia explains. I raise an eyebrow, wondering where she's going with this.

“We had our suspicions, and thus we sent the Stealth Corps to investigate,” Luna continues, just as the ten of us come to stop just outside of a crystalline door with a strangely constructed keyhole in the center of it. “The cause was plain to see.”

“The Crystal Empire has appeared once more, in the wastelands of the north,” Celestia reveals. A bolt of hot adrenaline rushes through my body at the revelation, even as a mixture of cold dread and anger seep into my heart and mind. Twilight's jaw drops, as she is the only one here besides me that knows the full story of the Crystal Empire.

The other ponies look confused and exchange glances, not knowing much one way or the other. Rainbow knows a little, but not much. Nevertheless, she can tell just by looking at me how this makes me feel.

“How is that possible!? You told me that the whole place was tied to Sombra's life force, and such it was destroyed when he perished!” I demand angrily. I see now why Celestia insisted that I come too. This most definitely concerns me. “How can it be back?”

“Tis not quite certain as of yet. However, the city hath reappeared, and seems to be in the condition it was before King Sombra's conquest,” Luna admits, revealing that she and Celestia know about as much as we do on the matter. I clench my fists. Did Celestia screw up in killing Sombra somehow? It's tied to his life force. The only way it could come back is if he did...but that's impossible. He's dead. You can't just come back to life. “Here, see for thyself.”

Luna's horn flashes, and from its tip streams a projection of the Crystal Empire, easily recognizable by the massive crystal tower in the center of the city.

“This is a live image taken directly from our outpost established by Princess Cadance and Captain Shining Armor, who had already been in the area to monitor the growing undead menace,” Celestia explains grimly.

“My brother is there?” Twilight asks excitedly, despite the situation. Celestia nods.

“There is no telling what the return of the Crystal Empire may mean. As such, we are not taking any chances,” Celestia assures us. “At best, King Sombra's curse may be wearing off. It would not be the first time such a thing has occurred.”

“Sister, dost thou truly think such a powerful curse could simply wear off?” Luna questions skeptically. I find myself agreeing with Luna. Sombra tied that shit to his life force. Hes supposed to be dead, so the Crystal Empire should have stayed gone.

“I do not. It is wishful thinking at best, I suppose,” Celestia admits, causing me to sigh. This is turning into a huge mess. “However, the worst case scenario is that King Sombra has found a way to return, and therefore brought the Crystal Empire back with him.”

“Okay, that's impossible. You told me you killed him!” I burst out, unable to restrain myself. Celestia looks at me with an odd expression...and suddenly I start to fear that perhaps Sombra isn't so dead after all.

“I never said I killed him, Seth. To tell you the truth, King Sombra's power was worlds above our own abilities,” Celestia admits, shaking her head. Luna nods sagely, while Twilight and the other ponies here look utterly shocked that there could possibly be something in this world more powerful than Celestia and Luna. As for me...I'm starting to get angry fast. “Therefore, Luna and I were forced to use the Elements of Harmony to deal with him.”

“With them, we dissolved his body into nothing and sealed what little of his essence was left into the northern glaciers,” Luna finishes. Finally, I lose my ability to hold back my temper.

“So what, you're telling me that he's been alive this whole fucking time!? Are you saying you lied to me, back in the library!?” I snap at them, my voice steadily rising.

“I never lied to you, Seth,” Celestia assures me firmly, orienting herself so that she's looking at me and me alone. “I told you the absolute truth, back when we first met. We defeated Sombra and sealed him away. Going after him would have been pointless, as there was nothing for you to fight. Even if you did manage to free him through some improbable means, he would have destroyed you in an instant.”

“And you didn't think to tell me that, instead of the bare fucking minimum!?” I shoot back, hardly satisfied. So what if he's sealed away? If he's alive, I want to kill him. I'm a lot stronger than I was then, stronger than Chrysalis.

“Would you have listened to me, Seth?” Celestia returns calmly. I open my mouth to answer, but then I pause, remembering exactly how I felt at the time. “I understood how you felt. It would not matter what I told you. You would have gone after him, even if it killed you.”

“I'm sorry, but are you sure it's King Sombra that we're dealing with?” Twilight interrupts just as I'm about to argue further.

“The possibility cannot be ruled out. However, I feel it is unlikely, as I have not sensed him,” Celestia answers seriously. “King Sombra's power is immense. Even if he were weakened from being sealed away, I would still be able to feel him.”

“No offense, Princess, but we keep talkin' about what maht be or what ifs,” Applejack interjects, joining Twilight and I at the front. “So far, all ah've understood is that some ancient empire is back, but we don't really know why.”

“That's correct,” Celestia confirms, looking at Applejack with curiosity.

“Before we start jumpin' to conclusions, why don't we go find out?” Applejack suggests sensibly. I sigh and attempt to calm myself down. As angry as I am about the revelation that Sombra might still be alive (sealed away or whatever), Applejack is making sense. There's something to be said about keeping a level head, I suppose.

“Of course, Applejack. That is exactly what I intend for us to do,” Celestia responds, smiling at the farm pony. She turns around and faces the large door, her horn lighting up. She inserts her long horn into the keyhole just long enough for it to sense her magic, and then she steps back. The door slides into the ground, revealing a gilded chest that emanates with visible magic power. “But before I explain what measures I have taken, I would like you all to equip your respective Elements of Harmony.”

Luna's horn lights up, and then the box opens to reveal five golden necklaces as well as an engraved crown, each piece characterized by a different colored gem. I'm assuming that those are the Elements of Harmony that I've heard so much about.

With her magic, Luna distributes the Elements to the six ponies. Applejack receives the necklace with the topaz apple, the necklace fitting around her neck and fastening itself there as if it were made for her. The necklace with the amethyst diamond goes to Rarity, while another with a morganite butterfly fastens to Fluttershy's neck. An aquamarine balloon finds its way to Pinkie's neck, while a ruby lightning bolt goes to Rainbow. Lastly, the crown, fixed with a rubellite star, rests atop Twilight's head.

“Now, come with me. We are leaving immediately for the Crystal Empire,” Celestia commands, shutting the vault once more. She passes by the nine of us and moves through the hallway back the way we came. “A significant number of our military forces are already there.”

“Aren't you worried about Chrysalis attacking if we leave behind a weakened Canterlot?” I question her, walking behind her with my hands in my pockets. A mixture of emotions are running through my mind due to what I've learned here, but at the same time I want to make sure Celestia knows what she's doing.

“Queen Chrysalis has no doubt felt the outflux of magic herself, and is likely attempting to discern it's source as well,” Celestia tells me. I scoff, finding that a rather dumb assumption to make. “However, in the event that she chooses to invade, I have temporarily distributed members of the Earth Pony Regiments here to reinforce the missing troops. In addition, I have established a mass teleportation glyph here in Canterlot. Should I be contacted in the case of an invasion, I will return immediately and deal with her myself.”

“Mass tele...you mean like the spell I used in the first changeling invasion?” I ask, taking back my earlier judgment. If you can control where that shit takes you, that's useful as hell.

“Yes. However, your casting of the spell was premature. Usually, two glyphs must be established in order to choose the destination of the spell,” Celestia informs me. Yeah, well, I wasn't really thinking about a destination. The only thing I had on my mind was getting the fuck away from Chrysalis before she wrecked our shit. “Do not worry, Seth. I know full well the dangers of stretching my forces too thin. But the Crystal Empire is too great of a potential threat to simply send a task force.”

With that, the group falls into silence as Celestia leads us back up to the runway. I'm assuming we're taking that airship moored up there to the Crystal Empire. It's slower than chariots, but no doubt Celestia is bringing more than just us over there.

When we reach the runway, Celestia leads us up the gangplank, past Gilded Skies, who follows us as soon as we're on board. “Now, it will likely be early morning by the time we arrive at the Crystal Empire,” she informs us. “I suggest you all get some rest.”

“That sounds like a good idea. Who knows what awaits us up north?” Twilight agrees, heading for the door that lead below decks. “Princess, where do we sleep?”

“Pick any of the empty rooms below decks. I'll send somepony to wake you when we arrive,” Celestia answers. With that, she turns away from us, instead moving to speak with Gilded Skies. “Mr Skies, prepare to cast off.”

Gilded Skies nods and heads for the balloon holding up the ship, no doubt getting ready to get this thing moving. That leaves the eight of us alone as we head into the lower decks of the ship, looking for someplace to sleep. There are a lot of rooms occupied by soldiers, but soon we start to find some empty ones. As we find them, the others start to split off, getting their own rooms.

“Hey, are you alright?” Rainbow addresses me once it's just the two of us, nudging my leg with her side. She looks up at me, looking a little worried. “I dunno all the details, but you were pretty mad back there.”

“Gee, I dunno, maybe it's because I just figured out that the fucker who killed my race is still alive,” I snap back, causing her to flinch, her ears flattening. “I don't care if he's sealed away. Now that I actually give a fuck about my race, I want to kill him.”

“But if he's sealed away, that pretty much means he's gone forever, right?” Rainbow questions. “You heard the princess. He doesn't have a body anymore. The Elements got rid of him.”

“Then why is the Crystal Empire back?” I demand. Rainbow of course doesn't have an answer to that, because none of us do. “Fucking hell. I don't know, Rainbow. None of this makes any sense. If it was tied to his life force, then why did it disappear in the first place if he was alive the whole time? But of course you don't know that.”

“Just stop thinking about it. It could just be the curse wearing off; you never know,” Rainbow advises me with a shrug. I scoff, finding that unlikely.

Once we find out own room, we step inside and shut the door. Then, Rainbow leaps up and hovers right in front of my face, looking serious. “Chill out. We're gonna be fine. I'm telling you, we're gonna laugh about this over a cup of cider later,” she attempts to reassure me. I sigh and look away from her, sitting down on the single bed. I'm not convinced..

Rainbow huffs and gets back in my field of vision, pressing herself to my chest. “Hey. Look at me,” Rainbow orders me, pressing against my cheek with a hoof so that I have to look at her. She's looking at me with a small reassuring smile. “I love you. Okay? So cheer up and let's get some sleep.”

I blink at her, not expecting the random declaration of love. I don't know why, but that makes me feel a little better. God, this is sad. “I don't know why that makes me feel better,” I admit, shifting aside and laying down such that Rainbow has room to curl up beside me. Rainbow snickers, bringing her face close to mine. The two of us share a loving kiss.

“Because being sappy is the only way to get through to you,” Rainbow complains, grinning. I scoff at that, even though I think she's partially right. Every time she's convinced me of something, she's always had to be sappy. “Good night, Seth.”

“Good night, Rainbow.”

Author's Note:

It feels weird to be writing this part of the story. But finally, we're on our way to the Crystal Empire. I was surprised how many comments the last chapter got in comparison to the others, but then again...as you've all rightly guessed, shit is about to get real. But I won't rush it. There's still so much to cover, after all.

Also, I will be pulling out all the stops as far as music goes. The best of all the songs I know will be used. I've been saving certain songs for the events of this arc, to the point where I can't hear the song without thinking of the scene. I hope you all like my choices (for those of you that actually listen to them )

Anyway, thanks to Triage for editing this, and make sure to leave a comment and tell me what you think!

Comments

[GalacticTNT]

I KNEW IT!!!! PREPARE THY ANUS SOMBRA FOR SIR SETH IS GOING TO DESTROY THOU!!!

[Brave-Hooves]

WOOOOOOOO
SH IS GOIN' DOWN!!!!!
and poor spike, getting lost in all this exposition and confusion

[GalacticTNT]

Also whenever I think of Seth's electrical powers I think of Electro (specifically from the movie spider-man 2). Every time he uses it I hear the dub step that plays in the movie whenever Electro shoots lightning.

[Lord Despair]

Where's the popcorn

[HoneyBadgerTheGhoul]

5757935
Sombrero's anus won't be prepared enough for this level of ass-kickery.

[Silver Page]

Calling it now: Seth's old gal-pal was corrupted by Sombra, and he'll have to face off against a 3000 year old woman whose probably been stewing in resentment and evil juice, combined with new found jealousy (?) towards Seth and Rainbow.
$#!t gonna get real.

[Pontiac56]

Holy crap, shit just got real!

Starting off, we have Seth recovering from the random surge of magic he felt. I'm surprised that Lyra didn't sense it, being a unicorn and all, but perhaps she simply doesn't have enough magical power to detect it. Anyway, after being reassured it was probably nothing, the group make their way to the party. While it is a brief section of the chapter, the party is rather fun. Vinyl, Lyra nad Bon Bon go for some dancing, while Octavia, who is till a little nervous and uncomfortable at the celebration, stick with Seth as they head over to the tables to get food. We have a brief run in with Rarity, who has now been given her nickname 'Rares' (to her consternation) befer the three disperse for their own activities. We get Apple Bloom joining Seth for a cuddle, while he chats with Applejack. It really has been a while since he has spent any time with Apple Bloom. Even longer with the full Cutie Mark crusaders. Actually I don't think he's spent any time with the full group since the invasion. I wonder how Scootaloo still feels about him. She had at the time decided to accept him, so she could still be with Apple Bloom and Sweetie Bell who both loved him, only for his betrayal to occur and become very painful for her idol Rainbow. However now not only has he redeemed himself, but he is dating Rainbow. Scoots is probably confused as all heel about it. Be interesting to see what the crusaders think now.

Anyway, after Apple Bloom and Applejack head off, he does sosme dancing with Rainbow and Fluttershy, before Rainbow dismisses him so she can teach Fluttershy how to dance properly (that is a funny thought, Rainbow dragging a cringing and terrified Fluttershy about as she tries to flee ). Finally he meets up with Twilight and spike (with Spike wearing his iconic lampshade hat. Damn, without alcohol being around, that is a really weird thing for him to do, but it is still funny). However the cheer is stopped as Twilight gets a message from Celestia telling them all to get the fuck to Canterlot toot sweet.

Seeing the hall of fame is kind of funny. I can just picture the 2d image of the mane 6 in a fight with changlings and a weird stickman like image of Seth and Luna fighting Chrysalis. Anyway, upon learning of the return of the Empire, Seth is justifiably angry. Hell I'm actually surprised how restrained he is hear. Only Twilight knows the full picture of why, though Rainbow likely knows enough to work out the details, but the others are all completely unsure what the hell is going on. Deciding to get over there quick, we get a real alteration from the canon, as not only are they taking the elements of harmony, they are flying there by airship and Celestia and Luna are going too. This final act is going to be very different from the canon Sombra attack, especially as we have the threat of chrysalis and the friggin dark magic necromancer to deal with as well. Holy crap this is going to be insane.

The chapter ends on a nice note, as Rainbow manages to somewhat calm Seth down by telling him she loves him and the two settle in. It's a cute scene and with all the battle to come, scenes like this will need to be savoured, as they will likely not be as common as the slice of life portion of the arc.

Man I cannot wait for what comes next, great work!

[GoldenCyclone4]

Oh dear. We'll be seeing some Fairy Tail- worthy battles soon!

[BrianPony]

I know this will be enjoyable and epic but kinda sad the slice of life ended.

[Kichi]

Chapter 94, the video of Crystal Empire, it seems there is a problem it say it's not available

[Terran34]

5900575

Fucking....I hate youtube. I hate it so much. Fixed.

[silvadel]

And poor Octavia's Cello is locked in Seth's house.

[Terran34]

6155101

archive.desustorage.org/foolfuuka/boards/mlp/image/1418/55/1418550035949.png

SEEEETH!

[Cereal-Killer]

The Sombrero master returns!

His fortress filled with Mariachi bands, Taco traps, maracas and worst of all...

STAIRS!

[SOG AVENGER 225]

It's time sombra had a taste of what the true dark side feels like

[Scornas]

(for those that actually listen to them)

You mean able to listen to them?

[Mr Swanky Hat]

7467715 mean*

[QCosmic Derp]

Hey, I listen to the songs! Sometimes... if the mood is right... and it's fitting...