Unicornia

by Yukito

Chapter 12

Trixie examined her hang glider, huffing as it bent easily in her hooves. One of the wings had a hole through it, and the button that activated it was jammed because she had hit it too hard. In short, the thing was useless to her now. She threw it aside and surveyed her surroundings.

"Trees over there, trees over there, aaaand… trees over there!" Trixie kicked the ground. She was thankful that they had managed to land safely, but did they really have to do so in the middle of one of the largest forests in Equestria?

"I can hear running water," Maud said, her ears twitching as she looked around. "We should follow its current. It will lead us out of the forest."

"Great. Which way?"

"… I can't tell. My ears feel strange."

Trixie clicked her tongue. "It must have been from the sudden freefall and the fast descent. Just great."

Maud turned to Trixie. "I think it might be coming from the east."

"Well, better than nothing. Let's go check it out." Trixie led the way through the forest, Maud following behind her in silence for several seconds.

Eventually, Maud asked, "Why did you drag me down here?"

"It was all kind of sudden up there. Trixie didn't have much time to think," Trixie answered.

Maud shook her head. "No, I mean, why did you even bother? I thought that you wanted nothing to do with me."

Trixie gulped, but she didn't alter her pacing, nor did she turn to face the other mare. She opened her mouth to answer, but no words came. She then closed her jaw, opting instead for silence as they ventured through the forest.

Maud, however, would not settle for that option. She rounded Trixie, stopping her suddenly as she stared into her eyes. "Why did you never come back?"

Trixie gritted her teeth. "There's nothing to discuss. Move asi-"

"No," Maud said. "We will talk now, Trixie. I want to know why you left, and then never came back."

"Maud-"

"I won't let you run away again without answering me."

"I don't-"

Maud held a hoof up. "The truth."

"I… You…" Trixie groaned, and tossed her head to the side. "Fine! I didn't think you wanted to see me! Happy?!"

"… Is that all?" Maud asked with a tilt of her head. "I don't buy it."

"Well it's true! I didn't want you to see me!"

Trixie clapped her hooves over her mouth, and Maud said, "That's different from what you just said."

With a sigh, Trixie lowered her head and stared down at the ground. She debated simply teleporting away, but then she'd be leaving Maud to fend for herself with the Royal Guard on her tail. "… I thought you'd be sad if you saw me again, so I stayed away." Trixie bit her lip. "And… maybe I thought you'd be mad, too."

"I was mad, because you never came back."

Trixie shook her head. "That's wrong. You should never be able to forgive Trixie for what she did! She chose power over you. She took your first time then left with only a letter!" Trixie stomped a hoof into the ground and whipped her head up, glaring into Maud's eyes with tears welling in her own. "How can you stand there and look at me without kicking me in the face?! Why did you go so far to defend Trixie against Prince Charming?! You should want Trixie dead at this point."

Maud's hoof crossed Trixie's face, startling the other mare into silence with a fresh, red mark on her cheek. Trixie rubbed the side of her face, turning to Maud with a look of surprise and terror. "Don't ever say that about yourself. All life is precious, and yours is moreso." Maud stepped forwards and placed her hooves around Trixie's neck. "And I knew what type of pony you were. I wouldn't hate you for making what you thought was the best choice."

"But I… did terrible things…" Trixie's legs shook as she simply stood there in Maud's hold. "I hurt ponies, including your sister."

"You didn't do it of your own accord, and nopony died."

"Trixie chose an amulet and revenge over you."

"We all make mistakes, but your biggest one was not coming back. Not even once."

Trixie teleported out of Maud's hold, staring with pleading eyes into Maud's. "Just stop. You're better off without Trixie. Go find another mare, one who will treat you right!"

"I could find a mare with the wealth to buy an entire farm, or a mare that would stay by my side every hour of every day. But none of them would be you."

"I'm a member of Unicornia!"

"I still love you."

Trixie flinched, her face burning and her ears falling against the sides of her head as she felt her heart flutter at those words. "Y-You're a fool…"

Maud nodded. "At least I'm honest, though. You lie about everything, even your own feelings, but thankfully, I can see through them." Maud stepped closer to Trixie, inching their muzzles closer together. "Do I look sad?"

"No?"

"Do I look mad?"

"… N-No…"

Maud paused, before asking, "Do you love me?"

Trixie opened her mouth, but didn't answer. She simply stood there, ready to give a simple 'yes' or a 'no', but nothing happened. Nothing, until Maud stepped forwards and greeted Trixie's lips with her own. Trixie closed her eyes and shut out all distractions around her, giving in to the situation she had found herself in.

---

"Prince Charming?!"

The guard saluting to Shining Armor nodded his head. "His death was confirmed five minutes ago, and the area surrounding his room has been cordoned off."

Shining Armor glanced over his shoulder. Twilight and her friends were reacting to the news in various ways – Fluttershy had fainted, Pinkie Pie's mane had deflated, Applejack and Rarity simply lowered their heads to hide their faces, and Twilight was shaking as she tried to look strong.

Neither Rainbow Dash nor Lightning Dust made any attempts to hide their rage. Spitfire had ordered them both to be calm as she approached the guard. "Was it the escaped prisoners?"

The guard shook his head. "It was two mares. One matched the description of the female spy, but the other, I did not recognise. She was grey, her mane and tail were purple, and she wore a blue dress secured with a black belt."

"You're sure?" Shining Armor asked.

"I got a good look at the culprits, sir! I am positive. They both fled towards the forest at the base of the cliff, using a hang glider to descend safely."

"Maud…" Pinkie Pie fell to her haunches, whimpering as she turned her gaze to the ground. "She wouldn't…"

"Of course she wouldn't!" Rainbow Dash shouted, clapping her hooves together. "That Trixie must've done something to her! Some kinda spell! When I get my hooves on her, I swear I'll-"

"Keep that temper in check, Dash," Spitfire said. "We can't go rushing into a dangerous situation without knowing more first. Go with your friends back to Ponyville and-"

"Are you kidding me?! You want me to just go after what that bitch did to one of my friends?!"

"Dash," Spitfire said in a warning tone.

"No way! I'm gonna find her and drag her back here, and make sure she pays!"

"Dash!" Spitfire covered her eyes as Rainbow Dash blasted through the air, leaving a rainbow trail behind herself as she flew. "Damnit! Lightning Dust, with me! Captain Armor, I suggest you remove these civilians before things get worse!"

Shining Armor hung his head, and said, "I understand." He turned to Twilight and her friends as Spitfire and Lightning Dust took off after Rainbow Dash. "Please understand, Twilie, the situation is too dangerous."

"Which is exactly why I should help!" Twilight argued. "I'm a princess now! It's my duty to-" Twilight suddenly stopped, falling to the ground as her eyes closed.

Applejack gasped and rushed to her friend's side. Before she could ask what was wrong, Shining Armor said, "It's just a sedation spell, used to calm agitated prisoners or patients. Please, take Twilie somewhere safe."

"But Rainbow Dash-" Applejack began.

"Leave that to the Wonderbolts and the Royal Guard. Canterlot has become too dangerous for Twilight now. She may be a princess, but she's never been in this kind of situation before."

"What are you talking about?" Rarity asked. "We've fought many monsters before! Remember the changelings?"

"Or the Tree of Harmony's roots?" Applejack added.

"But have you ever fought your own kind before?" Shining Armor asked, and was met with silence. "Have you ever seen your fellow countryponies – possibly your own relatives – at each other's throats? Unicornia isn't going to stop here, and I'd feel better knowing that Twilie is somewhere safe."

"… Alright, Shining Armor. We'll take Twilight and go back to Ponyville."

Shining shook his head. "No. At this point, we have to consider that that location has been compromised. Take her somewhere far away. Somewhere remote, where Unicornia won't look for her."

"But where?"

Pinkie Pie raised her head, and asked, "How about my family's farm?" She forced a smile, and said, "That's probably where Maud'll go, too, when she gets away from Trixie."

Applejack and Rarity exchanged glances, and nodded to each other. "That sounds good," Applejack said, hoisting Twilight onto her back. "Rarity, you mind carrying Fluttershy?"

"Not at all." Rarity levitated the fainted pegasus onto her back – her legs shook from the sudden weight of her cargo, but she endured it. "How will we get there? By train?"

"There's an airship that visits that farm now-and-then," Shining Armor said. "I'll arrange for an escort to take you to the docks, and you'll hop aboard the ship as it goes for a 'special delivery'."

Applejack nodded her head. "Thanks, an' ah promise we'll take good care of yer sister."

"Thank you. Sincerely." Shining Armor bowed his head, before turning to the guard behind him. "Escort them to the docks. I have to find Princess Celestia immediately."

"Yes, sir!" the guard responded.

"Find a wagon to put my sister in and tell them that the farm ordered some new machinery." Shining Armor turned back to the group of friends, gave one final nod goodbye, and then turned and bolted through the castle, his teeth gritted together. "Trixie, what have you done?"

---

Trixie and Maud continued through the forest for several minutes before finally finding the river. Trixie pointed out that following the river would eventually take them out of the forest, and the two followed it down through the trees.

"This forest is typically avoided because of the dangerous predators that live inside," Trixie told Maud. "Bears, wolves, manticores… They only come out at night, though, so we should be good if we hurry."

"Bears are nocturnal?" Maud asked.

"Well… Okay, the bears are diurnal, but they're nothing that Trixie can't handle."

"Like the ursa minor?" Maud stopped as Trixie did, and the showmare turned to her with a deathly glare. "Too soon?"

"… Trixie was wondering, how did you find her?"

"I had a feeling and I followed it."

Trixie raised an eyebrow. "A 'feeling'?"

Maud nodded. "My sister always says that you should trust your feelings. I followed mine and watch you entering the prince's room."

"You didn't think to reveal Trixie to the Royal Guard? Not that I'm complaining, of course."

"I didn't want you to be arrested…" Maud looked down at the ground, bringing a puzzled look to Trixie's face. "I didn't think you would be attacked by the prince, though. I… wasn't sure what to do."

Trixie opened her mouth, but she didn't say anything. She knew from her time on the farm that the Pie family were loyal to Princess Celestia and her family, and Maud herself was no exception.

"I froze when I heard that he was willing to sell out his own country, but when I heard him trying to kill you, I had to do something."

"And Trixie thanks you for it… If you hadn't come in when you did, Trixie might have been-"

Maud walked upto Trixie and put a hoof to the showmare's lips. "You're alive. That's what's important to me."

"Even if it means Trixie had to kill your prince?"

"… If I had to choose between you, and a prince that betrayed us?"

"Trixie's a traitor too, you know," Trixie said. "A member of Unicornia, and a spy in the Royal Guard."

Maud took a step back. "I know… It's confusing to me, so I cannot explain."

Trixie nodded her head in understanding. "Trixie must admit to some level of conflicted feelings, too. There are still moments where Trixie wonders if this is truly all worth it."

Maud's ears perked up, and she asked, "Why don't you leave, then? It's not too late. You can go back to your travelling show and-"

"But then Trixie remembers why she's doing it, and Prince Charming's actions have strengthened her resolve. Princess Celestia had her chance at the throne, and she failed. Now it is our time."

"… You're seeking revenge again."

"That's not-!" Trixie stared into Maud's eyes, her ears falling as she gritted her teeth. "That's… That may be part of the reason, Trixie admits. After everything that Trixie has had to endure, the chance to seek revenge only seems fair, don't you think? Besides, what's wrong with seeking revenge? Everypony is different, even in their beliefs, which is why fighting happens in the first place.

"If the loser of a fight were to simply rollover and admit defeat, nothing would ever change! The strong would be free to rule for all of time! At the end of the day, revenge is necessary for somepony to finally bring closure to a fight."

"But think about what revenge did to you last time. How it… changed you."

"Trixie was blinded by her revenge last time, but not here! With Twilight, Trixie was merely grasping at whatever power she could find in her path. Here, Trixie has found a home with Unicornia. Robin Hood, Oasis, and Sunset Shimmer – we're all working together for the same goal, and we're all supporting each other through this fight.

"Besides, last time Trixie sought revenge, it was for herself. This time, Trixie is protecting everypony else that is the same position I was in. To ensure that none ever suffer the same way I had."

Trixie started moving again, Maud following after her. "I can't convince you otherwise?"

"… Sorry, Maud."

"At least you told me this time… Maybe I could join you, then."

"No," Trixie said in a stern tone.

"But-"

"You're loyal to the princesses, aren't you? To join Unicornia, you would have to throw away everything that you believe in… and Trixie does not want you to do that for her sake."

"… Then, at the very least, promise me that you won't change."

Trixie looked over her shoulder. "'Change'?"

"Like you did with the Alicorn Amulet. You're not like that. Promise that you won't let your revenge change who you are… and maybe I'll be able to feel more at ease."

"Well you don't have to worry about that. Trixie's mind is clear this time, and she has no intention of changing. After all, why mess with perfection?" Trixie swallowed a lump in her throat, and said, "You know, if Unicornia wins… Trixie will have more time to spend how she chooses. If that happens, d'you think you would… I mean, if you're willing to wait for…"

Maud shook her head. "I'm not going to wait for you, Trixie. I did enough of that before and it cost me too many days of work."

Trixie sighed, slumping her head as she muttered, "Right, of course you won't…"

"But… I don't think that there's anypony else who I would ever consider myself compatible with, so if you wanted to try courting me again, there would be very little competition."

Trixie's ears jumped, and she turned her gaze to Maud's neutral-looking face. "Right. Trixie will keep that in mind," she said with a smile. Maud smiled back, and the two walked in silence for several long moments. "So… how are your ears doing?"

"They still feel funny… Oh." Maud blushed, and Trixie chuckled under her breath.

"Trixie's guessing that they just popped back to normal?" Maud said nothing, simply nodding her response instead. "… That was a cute gasp you just made there."

Maud's blushed deepened, and she walked faster, passing Trixie and leading the way from there.

Sunlight met the two as they stepped out from the dense foliage of the forest, and Trixie smiled as she held a hoof over her eyes and looked up to the skies. "We got out of there!"

"We sure did," Maud acknowledged as she stopped to look behind herself. She saw Trixie's smile and smiled herself.

Suddenly, Trixie's smile dropped, and she turned to face Maud with a serious look on her face. "… Maud, I'm sorry, but I can't stop now. Not when there are ponies depending on me. Not when I've already come so far." Trixie frowned as she saw Maud starting back with an expressionless look. It may have seemed impartial to anypony else, but Trixie beyond it and into the sadness of Maud's soul. "I-"

"There you are!"

Maud spun around, and Trixie reached into her cape and pulled out a small switchblade knife as she looked up at the blue pegasus descending from the sky. The blade wasn't exactly long, but it was all that she had to work with.

Rainbow Dash landed between Maud and Trixie, glaring at the unicorn as she stomped a hoof into the ground. "You stay the hell away from her! I knew you were trouble, but I didn't think you'd kill somepony, then drag one of my friends into it!"

Trixie huffed and flicked her mane with her free hoof. "Trixie was expecting the Royal Guard, but she instead gets some loud weatherpony from Ponyville? How insulting."

"Shut up! You're goin' down!"

"Wait!" Maud shouted, grabbing Rainbow's waist and pulling the pegasus back.

"Maud, what're ya doin'?! I'm saving you here!"

"I'm not in danger! She saved me!"

"She-" Rainbow Dash gasped, and then shrieked in pain. She fell to her knees, her flank burning as blood poured onto the ground. Struggling to lift her head, Rainbow Dash saw the arrogant showmare standing over her with a wide grin, blood dripping the blade of her knife.

Trixie turned her attention to Maud, who had knelt to Rainbow's side before freezing. "… Don't come after me, Maud," she said as she turned away. She started to walk, and then shouted, "Trixie will release her hostage! Now that she is clear, she no longer needs her!"

Rainbow Dash gritted her teeth. "You… bitch… Get back…" Maud kept Rainbow Dash from getting up, and the pegasus asked, "What are you… doing? She's getting away!"

"It's not what you think," Maud said silently. "Trixie was attacked. She only killed the prince to defend herself, and me, too."

"What are you-"

"Please," Maud pleaded, staring into Rainbow Dash's eyes. "Please just… let her go."

Rainbow Dash wanted to argue, but her flank was really starting to burn. She let out a cry of pain as she fell to her side, clutching the wounded area with a hoof.

Maud looked at the wound and wondered what she should do. Suddenly, an orange hoof moved Rainbow Dash's blue one, and Maud looked up to find Spitfire scrutinising the wound. "This needs to be treated quickly. Stand back."

"Captain, she's getting away!" Lightning Dust shouted from behind Spitfire.

"Then stop her!"

Lightning Dust grinned, happy to hear such an order. "Yes, sir!"

---

Trixie panted as she ran for what had felt like hours across the open plains. In truth, it had only been about a minute, but under the baking sun with zero cloud coverage, it was easy to make such a mistake.

Looking back, Trixie grinned. Nopony was following her. Deciding that she could start walking, Trixie turned around and strolled leisurely across the plains – only to find a turquoise pegasus in a Wonderbolts-esque outfit hovering before her, forelegs folded and a grin across her face.

"Goin' somewhere?" the mare asked.

Trixie gasped and jumped back, holding her knife threateningly in her magic. "A Wonderbolt?! Judging by that outfit… a trainee?"

Lightning Dust cracked her hooves and her neck. "A trainee you'll wish you'd never run into!" She bolted forwards, knocking the knife to the ground with a kick and then spinning to drive her hoof across Trixie's face.

Trixie barely managed to duck beneath the hoof, and then she fired a blast of magic to push Lightning Dust away. The magic missed, followed by the several blasts that followed it, and Trixie gritted her teeth. "What are you, a fly?!"

Lightning Dust flipped in the air to avoid one more attack, and then dived down towards Trixie, her forelegs extended as she spun like a drill. Her body sparked with static and her wings folded as she drew near.

Trixie teleported back, leaving firework in her wake that launched themselves towards the pegasus. She watched as Lightning Dust extended her wings and quickly rolled to the side, escaping with but a single flame on her feathers that was patted out very quickly.

"Your mistake was choosing the Great and Powerful Trixie as your opponent!"

Lightning Dust growled, and said, "Never heard of ya! But I'll bet you've heard of the fastest cadet ever to grace Wonderbolt Academy, Lightning Dust!"

"Bold claim, and one that Trixie calls bogus on!" Trixie used her magic to summon several dark clouds above the pegasus. "Let's see how fast you really are!"

Thunder roared as the clouds rubbed together, and Lightning Dust moved quickly to avoid the first bolt of lightning, and then the second, and the third. These clouds must have been set to the manual setting, as all of the bolts had been trained on the pegasus specifically.

Seeing no end to the storm unless she made it herself, Lightning Dust continued to avoid the bolts of lightning as she curved around and ascended towards the clouds. They moved up, enveloped in purple magic, but Lightning Dust was faster. She caught up to them and kicked cloud-after-cloud, dispersing them faster than Trixie could create them and quietening the storm down.

Trixie stopped, feeling her magic starting to drain her and needing to give her mind a break. She watched Lightning Dust remove the final cloud, and then come back down towards the unicorn, stopping in a hover in the air with her forelegs folded, a smug look of pride and satisfaction on her face.

"I told ya: I'm the fastest."

Trixie didn't want to admit it, but this pegasus was fast. Not as fast as Spitfire, but fast enough to cause the showmare to sweat and feel a tinge of fear.

"So? Ready to call it quits?"

"Actually, Trixie was just wondering if she should stop taking it easy on you!"

Lightning Dust clapped her hooves together. "Bring it."

Trixie's horn flared as she kept her eyes on the pegasus. 'She's almost as fast as Spitfire, but is she as sharp?' Trixie jumped into the air, wings appearing on her sides, and she took flight, charging towards the surprised pegasus.

"What the hell?! You're an alicorn?!" Lightning Dust asked as she dodged Trixie's attack, circling Trixie to get behind her. She rushed Trixie from behind, her elbow extended to ram the alicorn's spine.

Trixie erected a barrier to deflect Lightning's attack, and then spun around and delivered a kick. Lightning Dust blocked it, but was left open to a magical attack that pushed her backwards, through the sky.

"Grrrr! You're too slow!" Lightning Dust lowered her goggles over her eyes and crouched forwards. She propelled herself towards the showmare, creating streaks of lightning behind herself as she tore through the other mare floating in the air as though she were a ghost. "What?!" Lightning stopped and turned around. Trixie was no longer there…

"Looking for me?" Trixie asked as she appeared above Lightning Dust, her horn glowing before unleashing the spell onto the pegasus.

Lightning Dust let out a cry as she was hit by the magical wave, clutching her head as she fell towards the ground… and then suddenly stopped, her eyes wide and all of the wind knocked out of her with a simple, "Urk…"

Slowly, Lightning turned her head to look over her shoulder. A long stream of energy was reaching out from the ground, creating a pole that she had crashed into, and connected to the other end was Trixie, her wings now gone, replaced by the victorious look upon her face.

"You may be fast enough to be a Wonderbolt," the winged-Trixie floating besides Lightning dust said, as it started to fade away, "But you've got a long way to go, if you couldn't even see through that simple trick. Spitfire would've shown much more caution, and may have even broken the illusion altogether."

Lightning Dust groaned, clutching her chest as she tried to flap her wings. She was in too much pain, and could not muster the strength that she needed to in order to rally.

"Give my regards to your captain," Trixie said as her copy faded away. "And let her know that that mare I abducted was merely a hostage with which to make my escape."

Lightning Dust closed her eyes and groaned, unable to do anything but fall as Trixie's magic dispersed. "D-Damn… you…"

---

Platinum stirred on her bed, kicking her legs and tossing her head as she groaned and gritted her teeth, sweating covering her body despite the covers having been tossed off long ago.

She wasn't having a nightmare. No, that would have been impossible, with her not being able to even sleep. The problem was much worse than simple demons haunting her in her sleep. The voices in her head were simply being too loud, their sharp whisperings sounding like cannons firing inside her head.

"GAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" Platinum threw her pillow to the side, heaving as she stared across the room. The voices had stopped, and she held her head in her hoof as she tried to collect herself. "Relax, Platinum. It's all in your head."

She looked down at the bed beneath her and she scoffed. What was she thinking? Sleeping in the middle of a war? Platinum climbed out of the bed and looked around cautiously. The voices were loud, but they were right about one thing: sleeping was not safe, when she couldn't be sure who was out to get her.

Her friends, Commander Hurricane and Chancellor Puddinghead, had both betrayed her. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna both pretended to be her friends so that she would lower her defences around them, and it had cost her dearly. Prince Sombra was missing – rumours had spread of his conquest of the Crystal Empire, but with Unicornia's supply of information cut off, there was no way to confirm this.

"Your Highness, I-"

Platinum gasped, turning around with her horn flared. "Who goes there?!"

General Cosmo froze, raising his hooves and shouting, "It is me, Your Highness! Please calm yourself!"

Queen Platinum sighed, allowing her magic to dissipate as she walked past the general. "Apologies. You startled me."

"I heard screaming and got worried," the general reported as he followed his queen. "Your Highness, forgive my bluntness, but you look as though you have been struggling to sleep again. Are you sure that you are okay?"

"All is fine. There is no time to sleep." Platinum snapped her head to the side, certain that a shadow had just jumped towards her. But it was only the flickering shadow of one of the torches lighting the cave. She cleared her throat, and said, "Besides, we don't know what traitors might be in our midst. We can never be too careful."

The two emerged from the cave, shielding their eyes from the morning's light. Queen Platinum watched as her troops – mostly unicorns, with only a rare few pegasi and earth ponies among them – tending to their duties in their makeshift campsite.

To her left, General Doomsayer was training rookie soldiers to use their swords and their magics together. To her right, Captain Mercy was educating troops in survivalist training, showing them how to live off the land and recycle spent supplies. Another group of ponies past them were inspecting the camp's stock of weapons, and beyond that, two soldiers stood atop a large tower, scanning the distance all around them for signs of enemy troops.

Children help the wounded and the elderly to prepare tents and meals for the troops, and doctors and nurses shouted over each other as they tended to the injured ponies that had returned from the last scouting expedition.

"Your Highness, please drink." General Cosmo offered a flask to the queen, who gasped and batted it out of his hooves. He stared at her questioningly, daring not to speak before she did.

"You know I will not drink anything I have not prepared myself."

General Cosmo nodded, and said, "Of course. Forgive me, Your Highness…"

Platinum huffed, and turned to walk through the camp. As she did so, ponies moved aside for her. The ones that could not move so well were forcibly moved by nearby soldiers. Everypony knew better than to get too close to the queen without her permission. Anypony who did so found themselves dragged to the prison under suspicion of treason… Of course, they were let out soon enough after the queen's back was turned.

'Did that pony just look at me funny? What was that?! An owl… I have to prepare my own meal soon. Can't trust the cook. Don't know her. That soldier is holding his spear. Is he going to turn it to me? Those guards look like they'd easily be bought.'

Platinum bit into her lower lip, her bloodshot eyes scanning everypony around her. She could have sworn that they were staring at her. This wouldn't do. She needed to be somewhere safer. She needed her castle back, so that she could separate herself from those who would try to hurt her.

"General Cosmo, tell the troops that we're heading out soon."

Cosmo raised an eyebrow. "For another scouting expedition, Your Highness?"

"No. We're going to retake Canterlot, and drive out the traitors.

---

That afternoon, before the troops of Equestria could change their shifts and the good soldiers guarding the castle could eat their rations, the western signal tower was ignited. Unicornia's troops has attacked the castle, breaking down the first portcullis with their magics and swarming the courtyard.

Soldiers and civilians alike fell. Those that had surrendered were shackled with magic and taken away, whilst those that fought were shown no mercy. Bodies fell, blood spilled, and smoke rose from the fires started on the castle's supplies.

Queen Platinum led the attack, her soul torn between the joy of reclaiming her castle, and the sorrow of seeing it being defiled by war before her very presence. "We will take the armoury and cut off their supply of weapons! After that, we'll drive out every last traitor and form a protective barrier over the castle!"

Her troops cheered, and a large battering ram was wheeled into the courtyard. It was positioned by the large doors that denied them access into the castle's interior. Soldiers took their positions and operated the device, creating a huge dent that soon gave way to cracks.

"Queen Platinum, stop this at once!"

Platinum looked up to the sky with a bitter look in her eyes. "So good of the regal 'Queen' Celestia to come and join me!" Platinum shouted, watching as the alicorn landed before her. "Sorry, but I'm going to have to ask you to leave my castle now."

"It is not 'Queen' Celestia. I never took up that mantle."

Platinum laughed. "Oh, I see! You think that being humble will make your crimes less severe?!" Platinum drew her sword as three pegasi soldiers landed between the two. "It doesn't."

"Allow me-" Cosmo began, but Platinum cut him off.

"No. Allow me. You three soldiers, attack me with all your might!" Platinum grinned as the soldiers readied their spears. "If one of you can kill me, then my troops will withdraw."

Cosmo's eyes widened, but he kept his mouth closed as he watched with cold nerves. 'Your Highness, surely you are not planning a suicide!'

"Well? What're you waiting for?" Queen Platinum's horn lit, and the air around her began to distort. She began to float, and her body began to spark.

Celestia frowned. "Queen Platinum, you know that that spell will not help you. The eye-for-an-eye spell will injure your opponent, yes, but all it takes is for one brave sacrifice to defeat you."

Platinum grinned. "Go ahead, then. Order one of your troops to be this 'sacrifice'."

Celestia sighed, and said, "Please do not kill her. Doing so would mean your own lives would be lost, too. And besides, I would like to talk to her, after things have quieted down."

"Yes, Your Majesty!" the soldiers shouted as they charged, their spears aiming for Platinum. Two of the soldiers thrust for each of her legs, whilst the first jumped and attempted to knock her out by swinging the shaft of his spear over the back of her head. However, none of the attacks connected.

A green barrier flashed around Queen Platinum, and the soldiers were thrust back, falling to the ground before a surprised Princess Celestia. The two soldiers that had targeted her legs had themselves been left crippled, and the soldier that had aimed for the back of her head was unconscious, possibly suffering from a concussion.

Queen Platinum was left unharmed, and gently descended onto the ground. "'Eye-for-an-eye' leaves the whole world blind. I'd prefer to keep my sight."

"You altered the spell?" Celestia shook her head. "No, that should be impossible!"

"Indeed it is," Platinum agreed. "At least, in such a short duration of time. I did not alter your spell. No, I simply added a little something to it. A barrier. One that absorbs any damage that the caster would usually take. I didn't cast the eye-for-an-eye spell on myself, but on that barrier." Queen Platinum chuckled.

"There's more, though. Since the 'body' that was taking damage was my barrier, it seems that I am able to redirect that pain however I choose." Queen Platinum pointed to the two soldiers that had attacked her legs, and Celestia studied their wounds. Indeed, each one had suffered injuries on both legs, where they each should have only suffered an injury on one.

"It's such a shame that you are turning that talent against your own kind," Celestia said with a frown. "That spell could be the keystone to defeating the griffons."

"They ceased to be 'my own kind' when they chose you over me! You call yourselves Equestria, but to me, that is an insult to all the long hours I sacrificed to make this land great, only to be stabbed in the back by those I held dearest to my heart!"

"They chose the path that would save their citizens," Celestia affirmed. "You have chosen the path that will lead your citizens to their downfall."

Platinum raised her sword to attack, but she never got the chance to. Fresh alarms rang, and a new flame burned to the east. Soldiers froze, unsure of where to go. Suddenly, a voice echoed through the courtyard, screaming, "Griffons! The griffons are attacking the capital!"

Celestia gasped. She turned and took to the skies, finding an army of griffons approaching them. Their numbers were far greater than the small resistance brought by Queen Platinum.

Platinum grunted. "Damn! Those filthy pigeons are attacking Canterlot so soon?!"

"Your Highness, we are not ready to fight with the Griffon Empire and Equestria! I suggest a tactical withdrawal, and then we can come back and face whoever survives!"

Platinum pondered for a moment, and then nodded her head. "Though it pains me deeply, I must agree that we will not be able to take Canterlot this day. Order the withdrawal! We will bide our time, and see how this battle progresses!" A grin crossed Queen Platinum's muzzle as she sheathed her sword and turned away. "Who knows? Perhaps they will finish the alicorns off for me."

Celestia noticed the withdrawal, and ordered her troops to focus on the griffon soldiers. What she hadn't noticed was that the Unicornian soldiers had taken some of their prisoners with them, making a clean getaway as the griffons assaulted the courtyard, engaging the ponies with a ferocity far greater than the rebel group could have ever wrought upon them.

---

Upon her return to the hideout, Trixie was welcomed by both relieved and saddened faces. Relieved that she was alive, but saddened by the recent events that had dwindled their numbers by two whole leaders.

Trixie was escorted to her remaining friends, who were all happy to see her alive. Oasis grabbed Trixie with tears in her eyes, bawling over the loss of Midas and Genesis. Even if the latter had betrayed them, he was still her friend and his death had cut her deeply.

Sunset Shimmer cleared her throat, gathering all attention onto herself. "News has spread that you've been outed as a spy, but it seems that something else has happened up there. Care to explain?"

Trixie told them about how her cover had been blown, how she had discovered that Prince Charming was King Midas' informant, and then how he had tried to kill her and she had to defend herself. She left out the part about Maud Pie, but detailed how she had downed both Rainbow Dash and Lightning Dust.

"I'm glad that you managed to get here safely," Robin Hood said, "But we now have another problem on our hooves: Canterlot is sure to be in an uproar right now, and they won't be happy when they've recovered."

"They have all the reason that they need to focus the entirety of their forces upon us," Trixie agreed. "Their search will become more aggressive, and it won't take long for them to find us. Morale is going to fall here, too, with Midas and Genesis gone."

"That is why we should attack now," Sunset Shimmer said. "Before we lose any of our troops, and whilst Canterlot is in its current state, we should attack and capture the castle!"

"We're not ready for a full attack!" Trixie shouted. "Besides, with Prince Charming dead, the Royal Guard will up their defences!"

"Around the royals, yes," Sunset said with a nod. "Which is why we'll act fast, attack the town itself to draw the soldiers out of the castle, and then attack Celestia when she's vulnerable!"

"It's too risky!"

Robin Hood shook his head. "This may be our only shot at this point. King Midas was the one who brought Unicornia together, both with his funding and his charisma. If we don't act now, I fear that Unicornia will be over for good."

Silence hung over the four ponies for several long moments, each one debating in their minds what the best course of action was. Oasis was the one to break the silence, asking, "What are the chances that an attack will be successful?"

"That will depend on if we can secure the city's gates before more troops come in," Robin Hood responded. "As Sunset has pointed out, the Royal Guard will increase security around the royals. If we can use that opening to secure the gates, the tracks, and the airship docks, then we can stem the flow of soldiers coming into the city. If we can do that, then we might actually pull this off."

"We would have to be quick, though," Trixie pointed out. "And even if we secure the castle, the Royal Guard will still fight us."

"Not if we can take Celestia alive," Robin Hood said. "If we can secure the princess, we can use her to force the Royal Guard to withdraw. They won't fire on us if their princess is our prisoner – at the very least, Princess Luna wouldn't allow them to."

Trixie mulled it over in her mind, and then turned to Sunset Shimmer. She stared into the other mare's eyes. They were filled with courage and resolve. Nodding, Trixie said, "Fine then. Before we lose our only chance, we will stake everything on this one attack."

"I'll go inform the troops," Sunset said. "Naturally, we'll need a leader. I nominate myself – having been Princess Celestia's student, I know a few things about the way her mind works."

"Robin Hood was King Midas' right-hoof," Oasis said. "He was in the Royal Guard before he joined us, and he's got much experience leading other ponies. I think that he should lead the attack."

Sunset turned to Oasis with a glare, but Trixie stepped in before she could say anything. "I agree. Trixie would be happy to lead, but Trixie is more about doing great things herself than ordering other ponies to do them. Robin Hood is also a sneaky little thief, so he knows more about Canterlot's weaknesses than any of us here."

"Thanks… I guess," Robin Hood said, laughing nervously as all eyes turned to him.

With a sigh, Sunset shook her head and agreed that Robin Hood would lead the attack. "Well then, I guess I'll go tell everypony the good news…" As she turned away, Sunset gritted her teeth. 'Enjoy it while you can… you thief.'

---

The battle had lasted several days. Soldiers from both sides had died, and many more had been taken as prisoners by the enemy. The griffons finally retreated when Princess Luna had returned from the Crystal Empire, and had unleashed a terrifying spell that projected fear itself into the soldiers' minds.

Celestia had wondered what could have come over her sister to cause her magic to run wild like that, but when Luna had shared the news of Sombra's complete surrender to the darkness, she understood. A pony that surrenders to the darkness rarely returns, and even if there was a chance…

"Well, I wouldn't try it," Celestia explained to Commander Hurricane. "No matter who it is, the risk is simply too large."

"I feel for her," Commander Hurricane said. "Really, I do. But we have to focus here. The griffons are gone for now, but they've proven that they're not scared of us anymore! The Crystal Empire can't help us now, and Queen Platinum took away most of our mages!"

"My sister and I can continue to raise the sun and the moon for you, and we will still have magic enough to fight," Celestia assured.

"Against an entire nation?"

"… We will manage. We must manage. My only concern is that the griffons this time seemed more familiar with magic than the ones that had attacked us before. Could they be studying the subject? Or could they have allied themselves with a nation that is magically advanced?"

"We gotta take the fight to them!" Hurricane insisted. "But… then we'd be leaving ourselves open to Platinum's rebellion…" Hurricane gritted her teeth and cursed. "Why can't that fool see reason already?"

Chancellor Puddinghead listened to the discussion from afar, his eyes downcast as he studied the patterns on the floor. Usually, letting his mind wander would cheer the stallion up, but this time, his ears seemed to be filtering out any mention of Platinum, which only made his heart sink deeper and deeper.

With a sigh, he turned around. 'I have to do something,' he thought to himself. 'Sombra's gone. Luna's bedridden. Celestia and Hurricane are too busy fighting the griffons. The only one who can reach Platinum is me.' Taking in a deep breath, Puddinghead straightened his face and nodded resolutely. "I have to speak to her, and help her see reason."

Author's Note:

Thanks to Striker for proofreading.

Comments

[Emperor]

So Sombra conquered the Crystal Empire only to be offed by Luna off-screen, huh?

I suppose in the future Celestia and Luna may have kept the events of history quiet as they were to preserve Queen Platinum's good name, but given they allow a winter play that belittles Hurricane, Puddinghead and Platinum as fairly ardent tribalists to be performed, and Sombra's name has been completely lost to history except as a tyrant of the Crystal Empire, they sure don't so much care about preserving Platinum's good name as they do preventing it from being tarnished.

Too bad for Maud that this thing is going to end in more bloodshed, including of the bluehorse kind

I wonder if Sunset Shimmer is plotting her own thing, or just merely expects Robin Hood to fail in leading the assault on Canterlot. Then again, Sunset's motives are more personal than they are altruistic, so I fully expect her to get into a magical duel with Celestia.

As for Rainbow Dash...

Lightning Dust: "So, RD just ran off recklessly. Should I be following the actions of my leadpony now?"
Spitfire: "Shut up Dust."