Chapter one

Divided Destinies Collide

Chapter one

DestinedBrony

It was a normal day at Canterlot air base. Most of the Pegasus troops were frantically trotting around to prepare for an upcoming scheduled storm. The wind was already starting to pick up and the humidity in the air was becoming more and more dense. All of the Canterlot ponies were closing up shops and quickly seeking shelter. Cloudsdale had announced earlier that day that this storm was going to be the worst one this year.

Helping to oversee the preparations was a moderately tall, navy blue pegasus stallion with a orange and turquoise mane and tail. His hide illuminated with an orange tribal pattern. The wings were an ordinary size, however the athletic stallion proved to be one the swiftest flyer in all of Equestria. His cutie mark was that of a thundercloud, which represented his immense stamina and speed. As he monitored the chaotic progress, a slightly smaller pegasus solider approached the focused blue colt.

“Captain Thunder, some of the ponies are concerned that some of the buildings will not survive the heavy winds and they wish to seek shelter in the main palace.” Said the solider.

“Please reassure the ponies of Canterlot that there is no need for alarm and that we have every pegasus officer on duty to help prepare for the worst.” Said Blue Thunder with a reassuring smile.

“Yes sir!” replied the solider, who then saluted his fellow captain. As the solider begin to quickly gallop away, he suddenly halted in his tracks and once again faced his commander. “Oh! And I almost forgot, the princess has requested an audience with you immediately.” This took Thunder by surprise, but he did not hesitate and right away headed towards the largest structure in Canterlot.

As Thunder entered the main chamber of the castle throne room, he noticed there were less guards watching over the entrance. He approached the princess, who was patiently waiting on her throne with a guard stationed on each side. As she noticed him, her expression changed from a relieving smile to that of a look of worries.

He bowed before her royal highness and began to say, “Captain Blue Thunder reporting for duty your majesty. I apologize for the delay princess, but I was overseeing preparations for the upcoming storm.”

She shook her head in agreement and then replied, “It is quite alright Captain Thunder. I understand you have a lot of work to do right now, but I require your service for a secret and dire emergency.” She stood and walked over to Blue Thunder until they were face to face and stated, “Once again, Equestria is facing an undeniable threat that could lead to the massacre of many innocent ponies.”

Thunder was startled when he heard the fearful tone in the princess’s voice. Attempting to comfort her calmly, Thunder said “Now princess, in all due respect we have faced many other threats on Canterlot and all of Equestria before. We have been able to defend our land countless times.” His voice started to fill with exasperation. “And I’ll be damned if we lose Equestria to another eager maniac who plans on taking over the world.”

Celestia didn’t however become any less concerned, for she knew that this threat was unlike any other they had faced before. The princess then exclaimed, “I admire your courage and optimism, however the diabolical mastermind we’re currently facing has unimaginable strength and powers equivalent, if not greater then my own.”

A panicked expression came across the captain's face, forcing him to ask the princess “Just who exactly are we dealing with this time and can they truly be as powerful as you, your majesty?”

The concerned princess lowered her head slightly with her eyes gazed down at the floor. It was difficult to accept, but the princess quietly muttered to Thunder, “His name is Galaxy. He is a very malicious alicorn stallion, who over the years has mastered many dark and forbidden spells. Some of which could easily outmatch my own." Blue Thunder couldn’t comprehend what he has just been told. His eyes widened at the realization that there could possibly be another alicorn who is stronger than Princess Celestia. He was speechless at this point and could only listen to what the princess had to say next. “We have little information about what he is planning to do next, but our sources say that he is trying to retrieve an ancient artifact that contains an enormous amount of power. What he plans to do with the artifact, we are uncertain. Although we do know that he plans on using it to annihilate his enemies. That is why I called you here. I need you to take a squad of your finest soldiers and seek out this missing artifact before Galaxy can get his hooves on it. I’m not sure what it is exactly, but I do know that it will be relatively small, and something that is easy to carry. At this very moment, someone could possibly be carrying the destructive artifact on them and not even realize the power it holds.”

Blue Thunder turned his head and thought about everything the princess had said. His mind raced with the endless possibilities of what a sinister tyrant, like Galaxy, could do with that artifact. He then gave the princess a reassuring smile and said, “You can definitely count on me princess, for as you know, I do not accept or tolerate defeat. We will search all of Equestria for this artifact, and I will not rest until it is in the security of our great kingdom. Princess I assure you that we will not fail this mission.”

The Princess gave Thunder a slight smile and rested one of her hooves on his shoulder. “I’m know I can count on you Thunder, and that is why I have chosen you specifically for this task”, said Celestia. “Now the fate of Equestria rests in your hooves. Good luck Captain Thunder.”

With that remark, the captain bowed once more to the princess and then hurried out the chamber door. The Princess turned toward her throne and whispered to herself, “You’re going to need it.” Then Princess Celestia walked over and dismissed the two guards. Both guards bowed as well and left the princess alone in the throne room. She went to sit upon her thrown and collect her thoughts. She did nothing else the rest of the day.

As the two guards walked down the hallway, one of the guards quickly stated, “Hey! Go on ahead and I’ll catch up with you later.” The other guard shrugged his shoulders and continued to walk down the dark hallway. The mischievous stallion stood there until his partner was completely out of sight. Then he slipped down another side hallway that was engulfed in darkness. He then muttered a few ancient words under his breath which suddenly turned into an out loud chant. The hallway seemed to get darker leaving no traces of light to be seen. A deep and mysterious voice immerged from the shadows, sending a chill up the unusual guard’s spine. The ghostly voice calmly began interacting with the guard, “I assume all is going according to plan my loyal subject.”

The guard had a frightened look on his face as he slowly took a few steps back from the overwhelming darkness. He mustered up enough courage to reply by saying, “Well your majesty, I am happy to report that no one has discovered my infiltration of the castle, and that the princess is full of doubt and worry.

The voice seemed to increase in volume as it announced in frustration, “What action has the princess taken, and will it interfere with my plans.”

The soldier began to shake with fear and softly replied, “Well she just finished assigning a task to one of her royal captains, but I wouldn’t worry about it my lord.

“What was the task?”, demanded the voice in erupting anger. “Will it interfere with my plans you incompetent mule?”

The guard nearly choked when he tried to respond, but spoke ever so softly to the disembodied voice and said, “Well, you see. Somehow the princess knew that you are searching for the relic. She asked one of her best captains to find that same artifact and bring it back here. I think she said his name was Captain Thunder or something like that. All I know is that he’s the current commanding officer for the royal air fleet, and that he is setting out on his mission immediately.”

An explosion of anger arose from the darkness, sending the cowardly guard into a panicked state. His heartbeat rose to an irregularly fast pace, and sweat began dripping down his neck. He was completely paralyzed in fear. The voice eventually lowered back down to a calm and relaxed volume and then replied, “Well then, if that’s the case, I guess we will just have to get rid of our little problem now won't we. I must say, I’m quite surprised that the princess was able to learn this much about my plans, but I guess that should be expected from an alicorn princess.” A bag full of bits and a rolled up letter manifested out from the shadows. “There have been a lot of rumors lately about a certain pegasus who loves to get his hooves dirty. His name is Crimson Sword, and he lives about 20 miles west of Canterlot. The Headquarters, of which he consults his work, is in a cave complex at the base of the tallest mountain. Go and drop off these items at his entrance and simply knock to aware him of my gracious gift. However, you are not to be seen by him or any others for that matter. Once you have completed this task, return back to your guard station and continue to report to me.” The echoing voice briefly paused and then muttered in a deep tone, “Do not fail me Razor, for there will be no second chances.” Then as quickly as it appeared, the darkness started to evaporate, letting light seep back into the dismal hallway.

The once frozen guard moved to pick up the sack of money and letter, and then quietly replied, “As you wish Lord Galaxy.” He then trotted out of the dark hallway back into the main corridor and exited the castle. Razor was now on route to the elusive assassin’s hideout.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

It was an average night in the city of Las Pegasus. Princess Luna’s moon illuminated the starry night sky. The stars were hard to see because of all the city’s lights, and the city echoed with hundreds of business ponies. All was normal, except for one earth pony who was frantically galloping as if he was running for his life. The earth pony ran all over the city, bumping into several others and trashing the streets with spilled food. He made a quick turn down an alleyway, in an attempt to elude anyone that was chasing him. He paused momentarily to catch his breath and let out a relieving sigh. He then quickly turned around to see a pegasus in mithril armor looking at him from the entrance of the alleyway. The pegasus had a blood red coat with black stripes covering his body. He had purple eyes and his pupils were like a dragon’s eye. His wings were longer and thicker than most other Pegasi, but they still gave him incredible speed. His mane and tail were black and red. His cutie mark was crossed swords with a swirl in the background. The earth pony backed up into a corner panting frantically. Trying to get the better of the pegasus, he pulled out a knife and suddenly charged at him. The knife made contact with his armor and instantly bent the blade. The earth pony realized just how much trouble he was in and started to back up. The pegasus advance closer to the earth pony revealing his sinister smirk. “Please spare me. I’ll do anything” the earth pony begged.

“Tell you what, I’m feeling rather generous today so I’ll cut you a deal. I’ll spare your pathetic life if you pay me more than I’m currently getting paid.” Said the pegasus with a sly grin on his face.

“How much are you being paid?” said the earth pony with a sense of hope in his voice.

“Six hundred bits.” announced the pegasus.

The earth pony’s jaw dropped once he heard the amount he had to pay. “I-I don’t have that many bits” said the earth pony with a stutter.

“Well that’s too bad, but because I’m feeling generous I’ll make your death as quick as I can. Well enough talking, time to end this” said the pegasus with a quick laugh. The earth pony tried to beg one last time, but was cut off short as the pegasus rammed him into the wall and then plunged his sword into the victims chest. He then watched the earth pony’s life slowly seep from his body. The pegasus removed his sword from the earth pony’s bloodied corpse. He didn’t worry about cleaning off the blade but instead looked at the blood-coated steel and gave a small chuckle. His eyes then caught the sight of a cyan colored pegasus mare with a flowing rainbow mane and tail, who was also wearing a set of mithril armor. She ended up landing next to him.

“Nice job Crimson. A little bit bloody, but we can fix that.” said the colorful mare.

“Thanks Rainbow.” said Crimson with a satisfied grin on his face, beginning to sheath his sword. He then turned to see a flash of light appear out of nowhere and a brilliant azure colored mare with a pale cornflower blue, and lighter version of the same color, for her mane and tail. She was wearing black armor that looked much like a royal guard’s apparel. “Hello there, Trixie. I’m happy to see you here. You’re just in time to help clean this blood up.”

“Sure no problem Crimson.” said Trixie with an annoyed expression on her face. She then used her magic to clean up the blood around the body.

“Ok. Rainbow and Trixie, time to get back to HQ.” Said Crimson. Trixie then powered up her horn and teleported them, taking the dead earth pony’s body back with them. There was a flash of light before they were instantly transported back to their HQ. The HQ was moderately wide and well lit up despite it being nothing more than a cave. Inside there were different passages leading to Crimson’s, Rainbow’s, and Trixie’s rooms. There was one big chamber that resembled a living room, containing some tables, a bar set up with drinks, a couple couches, an incinerator, and a safe. Trixie didn’t waste any time and took the dead body over to the incinerator to dispose of it permanently. Crimson sat on the couch in the living room and got out his sword, Vengeance, to finally clean the blood off of it. Vengeance was Crimson’s hoof crafted sword. It was a sharpened golden sword with a black titanium handle. There were two extensions that coiled down the handle in the shape of dragons, with rubies for the dragon’s eyes. The extensions made it easier for Crimson to wield Vengeance. When the blood was completely gone, he set the sword down on the couch and got up to walk towards the girls. “Okay time to count the bits.” said Crimson as he placed the bag of coins on the table. “Trixie you will get two hundred bits and the same goes for you too Rainbow” said Crimson as he gave Trixie and Rainbow their share of the bits. Crimson then took his share into his room and placed it in a private chest of his.

After safely putting away his reward, Crimson took a deep breath and headed back into the living room. He sat down over at the bar in order to get a drink. He acquired a martini and simply sipped at the alcoholic beverage, constantly setting it down and picking it up. Rainbow quickly noticed him over by the bar and decided to join the alleged assassin. She didn’t grab a drink of her own but instead picked up Crimson’s beverage and took an abrupt sip. He starred down at the counter without paying much attention to the flirtatious mare. Rainbow started to lean against Crimson, giving him a rather friendly nudge. Crimson, now returning the nudge back to her, looked deep into the cyan pegasus’s rose eyes. She stared back into his eyes. They leaned in closer to one another, eyes closed and lips puckered. Their lips finally connected and each of them embraced the other tightly.

Trixie glanced over towards the two lovers and announced in disgust, “Get a room you two.” She then went to her room to escape the sight of the two locking lips.

Neither of the two distracted pegasi budged, and instead continued to make out for several more moments before being interrupted by a set of loud, rapid knocks at the door. “What the hell was that.” Said Rainbow.

“Don’t know. Sounds like the door.” Said Crimson. He got up from the bar and walked up to the door, but when he opened it, there was no one in sight. There was only a letter and a bag of bits waiting for them on the ground. Crimson picked up the letter and the bag of bits and hurried inside.

Hearing the loud, obnoxious pounding at the door, Trixie poked her head out of her room to see what all the commotion was. Trixie then saw Crimson carry a relatively large sack over to the table. She then asked, “What’s with the bag of bits.”

“Yeah, and what does that letter say.” Rainbow remarked.

“I don’t know.” replied Crimson as he set the bag of bits on the table and began to unravel and read the mysterious note.

Dear Crimson Sword,

I require your assistance in dealing with a certain pony. I hear you and your team are one of the best at making ponies disappear. Your target is the Captain of the royal air force. His name is Blue Thunder, and I want you to eliminate him by any means necessary. My sources say he is making his way towards Ponyville with at least a dozen other soldiers. Civilian casualties are not a concern, but do not underestimate the captain, for I hear he is a spectacular soldier himself. I have sent a bag of money to pay you in advance, so therefore I expect the job to be done soon.

Sincerely,

Anonymous Client

He then glanced over at the bag of money, which had to contain over a thousand bits. “Trixie. Rainbow. Get suited up. We have another job to do.” said the thrilled assassin with a sly grin on his face.

“But we just got back from our last mission.” Rainbow and Trixie said simultaneously.

“Why do we have to leave now? Can’t it at least wait until morning?” Rainbow continued with an annoyed tone.

“Look, were getting paid in advance to do this job soon so we are leaving, NOW!” Crimson said with anger rising in his voice.

“Fine.” Rainbow and Trixie said as they both grabbed their armor.

“Good, time to get prepared and move out.” Crimson said as he also got his gear together. He then trotted back into the living room to grab Vengeance and suit up. Once all three of them were ready, they left their HQ in search of their next target.

^^^^^^^

The sun was out completely over Ponyville, making the day a bit warmer than usual. Birds chirped and flew about the trees, sometimes causing several leaves to fall onto to the ground. Not a cloud was in sight; however there was a cool and refreshing breeze in the air. It couldn’t be a more perfect day. Most ponies would be outside enjoying the glorious weather.

Approximately half a mile away from the calm village was a long dirt road leading into town. It was commonly used for transporting large caravans full of food and supplies. No wagons were currently occupying this wide deserted path, but there was one wandering traveler tiredly walking down the road. He was an average sized white unicorn stallion with a shaggy black mane and tail. His eyes were a bright blue like the sky above him, and he had a Yin Yang symbol for his cutie mark. The only thing that he had on him was a small pouch that contained one of his favorite spell books, and a rare sapphire medallion that he wore at all times.

As the town of Ponyville came into the exhausted colt’s sight, his eyes filled with hope. “Finally, after two weeks of nonstop travelling, I’ve found another town that could possibly have the answers I’ve been searching for.” He continued heading towards the town until the first few buildings started to shade him from the blinding sun. He trotted curiously through the town, noticing all of the various colored ponies. Another thing that caught his attention was the number of shops the town had. His head was at a constant swivel before he muttered, “There’s dozens of shops in this town, surely one of them must have some answers that could help. The only question now is where to start. If I try to search through them all, I could end up being here for days. Where to start? Where to start?” The traveler paced around the wide-open market not exactly paying attention to where he was going.

His distracting intensions ended up causing him to bump into an unexpected mare. Both ponies instantly fell to the ground and were completely dazed from the collision. The white stallion shook his head in order to regain his balance. His eyesight shortly returned to normal, and that’s when he saw the other pony he had bumped into. She was a light purple unicorn mare with a dark violet and rose streaked mane. Next to her on the ground was a satchel that had contained several books, which were now scattered across the ground. “Oh no, I’m so sorry.” said the colt. “Here, let me help you.” He extended out his hoof to her, helping the partially stunned mare up off the ground.

When she got back on her feet, she looked up at the white stallion. She then gave a shy smile and replied, “Oh no worries, in fact I think it was kind of my fault. You see I was trying to read and walk at the same time, but obviously that didn’t work so well.”

The colt gave a slight chuckle and then turned his attention back to the dirt covered books spread across the ground. “Oh, here.” His horn lit up with a cerulean blue aura surrounding it. The books themselves became shrouded by this magical force and began lifting themselves into the air. He then looked over at the satchel, which caused it to hover in the air as well. Carefully, he placed the books back into the leather pouch and then moved it in front of the violet unicorn.

“Oh, um well thank you very much.” said the mare as she wrapped her own bright purple aura around the satchel.

“Not problem at all miss…”replied the traveler.

“Twilight Sparkle” she announced, immediately blushing after she realized how loud it came out.

“Oh well, I’m happy to be of service miss Twilight Sparkle.” he said with a friendly smile. “You may call me Yin Yang if you’d like.”

Twilight continued to blush slightly but then muttered “So, uh, I haven’t seen you around Ponyville before, did you just move here?”

“Oh no, I’m just passing through. You see I’m looking for some, uh, some supplies.” he said while looking around at some of the shops.

For a moment she stared at him in both confusion and curiosity. Then Twilight’s eyes locked onto the dark blue sapphire amulet hanging around Yin Yang’s neck.

Noticing her curious behavior, the stallion started moving passed her and began saying, “Well miss Sparkle, I would love to stay and chat some more, but unfortunately I have some business that I must attend to. It was very nice bumping into you though, well figuratively speaking.”

With that remark, Yin Yang started to walk away, leaving Twilight standing there with a confused expression on her face. “I don’t have time to converse with others right now. I must hurry and search some of these shops before it gets dark.” muttered Yin Yang. “Now lets see, where would be a good place to start?” He looked around at the numerous shops, wondering which store would most likely have something that he could use. After trotting about in desperation for several minutes, a colorful flashing ‘Open sign’ caught Yin Yang’s attention. Above it was a large wooden board that the eager stallion read aloud, “Trav’s Antiques and Artifacts.“ He shrugged and began walking towards the entrance of the shop, his eyes full of hope. “I guess this as good a place as any to begin.” He opened the heavy wooden door and galloped inside. It was slightly cooler than the temperature outside, but Yin Yang gladly accepted that after being outside for so long.

There were thousands of dust-covered antiques lined across the walls. Most of which were old house decorations and kitchen utensils. There were several necklaces and jewels thrown together on the corner of one of the shelves. This caught the colt’s attention, causing him to rush over to this specific section. He looked at each individual piece of jewelry, cautiously studying them in case they had some kind of magical property. The hope he had once before slowly faded away, once he began to realize that a majority of artifacts were just polished rocks. Yin Yang let out a depressing sigh as he made his exit from the misleading business. “Well that was a good waste of my time.” He said with an annoyed tone in his voice. “I should’ve known that most of these shops were just ways for ponies to make a quick bit or two. None of them probably have anything useful to offer.” He sighed once more. “Oh well, maybe I should just find a place to sleep for the night and then head out first thing in the morning.” Yin Yang began walking away from the crowded marketplace with his head hanging low in disbelief.

“Wait a second.” He said to himself as he started to remember about his earlier encounter with the violet unicorn mare. “That filly I bumped into earlier had several books in her satchel.” That would mean that she really likes to read. This would also mean that she has to go to a place that offers her a wide selection of books.” Suddenly his eyes grew wide and filled with everlasting hope. “This town must have a library then. I must find it, for it could very well have the answers that I seek.” Wasting no time at all, the unicorn stallion ran off searching for his last hope in this town. Within several minutes, he had found a tall tree-like structure with a small sign that read, Library. A smile grew across his face as he slowly trotted over to the entrance of the library. He slowly pushed the wooden door open and casually walked in. Much like the other store he had visited, the air in the room was slightly cooler than the temperature outside.

Almost immediately he noticed the hundreds of shelves lined with books varying in size and color. There were even some piles of books on the ground, which could have meant the librarian was running out of room to store. Without wasting any more time, the eager traveler trotted over to the nearest shelf and began to search through the numerous books and scrolls. His horn illuminated once again with a bright blue aura, shrouding the books with a magical force and lifting them into the air. He looked over each book individually, trying to find one that could be of some use.

Currently having several books lifted into the air, Yin Yang was surprisingly startled when he heard a familiar voice say, “Why hello there, is there something I can help you with?” He slowly turned around, spotting the memorable purple and rose mane. Her eyes focused on him, realizing that he was the same colt from earlier today. Twilight smiled and said, “Oh it’s you Yin yang, I didn’t expect to see you here.”

“It’s good to see you again as well Twilight.” said the stallion as he was putting the books back where they belong. “What brings you to the library?”

She gave a slight chuckle and added, “Actually I work and live here.”

“Oh, really. That very interesting.” replied an intrigued Yin Yang.

“Yeah it’s nice”, said Twilight. Both unicorns simultaneously looked around the room, filling the environment with an unwanted awkward tension. Finally Twilight started to ask, “So is there anything I can help you find.”

“Oh right” said the colt. “Well, um, I’m sort of looking for a book that describes different curses and ancient legends.” Twilight had a slightly confused expression come across her face, for she couldn’t figure out why any pony would want a book like. “Or even something that simply shows you how to simply create or destroy a curse.”

Twilight didn’t know how to respond to what she had just heard. Instead she walked over to one of the bookshelves and levitated a thick black book with a blood red hoof print on the cover. She then opened the book slightly, trying to skim through its contents. Still having a look of uncertainty, she walked back over toward Yin Yang who was eagerly waiting for his gift. She stared solely at the book and realized that something was wrong. She preceded to say, “Look, normally I mind my own business when I helping someone find a book, but this one is different. This book is completely beyond dark and creepy. Frankly, I’m surprised I still even have it. Normally I throw these kinds of books in the trash for the fear of doing something regrettable. So unless you explain to me what you plan on doing with it, I’m afraid I can’t let you have it.

Yin Yang looked deep into the mare’s eyes. He noticed that he had frightened her with all that he had said. He let out a quick sigh before saying, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. I will tell you the truth, but in return you must give me the book and promise me that you’ll never repeat my story to anyone else.

Twilight shook he head in agreement and set the book over on a nearby table. She then walked over to the wide wooden entrance, locking it to prevent any future customers from wondering in. Calmly she trotted back over and sat directly in front of the white stallion.

Yin Yang gave out one last regrettable sigh and turned to look her in the eye. “Now where should I begin? Well I guess the first thing I should reveal to you is that Yin Yang is nothing more than a nickname I use to hide my true identity. My actual name is Peace. What I have told you before about me being a travelling pony is for the most part true. However it’s not for the same reasons I have led you to believe. I am not just some simple traveler who wishes to view the world, but instead a traveler who is on an extremely dangerous journey.”

A chill ran down twilight’s spine causing her to shiver ever so slightly. She then briefly interrupted Peace’s story to ask, “What do you mean by dangerous journey.”

Realizing that he had to start back even further in his life, Peace continued his tale. “About 3 years ago, I was given a mission by the princess herself. My objective was to find and bring back a certain unicorn stallion. One who used his dark and sinister magic to torment and harm other ponies for fun. It didn’t take me long to find him hiding in his lair. I caught him in the middle of sucking the life force out of another unicorn. Then I used as much magic as possible to trap him somehow, but nothing seemed to work.” Peace begun to hang his head low as several tears built up in the corner of his eyes. “I was all out of energy and could barely stay awake. He walked over towards me, laughing sadistically.” At this point Twilight sat motionless in both fear and anticipation. Peace was begging to choke on his own words, never expecting it to be this hard to tell his story to someone else. He then managed to mutter, “That’s when he put….”

Suddenly Peace had been cut off by a loud and obnoxious set of knocks coming from the library door. Shortly after the knocks came a deep, and impatient voice that yelled, “By the order of her royal heinous, open the door so we may search the premises.”

Twilight and Peace exchanged confused looks with one another. Then Twilight got up and walked over to locked door. She unlatched the lock and slowly opened the door. Standing there underneath the door frame was two dust-gray pegasus guards. Each of them was wearing a silver, iron platted helmet and chest plate. Trying to avoid as much trouble as possible, Twilight mustered up a friendly smile and asked, “What can I do for you officers?” Neither of them responded to the nervous mare’s question. They instead pushed her aside and made their way in to the center of the library. Once inside, the two guards looked at each other for a brief moment and shook their heads in unison as if they had just read each other’s mind. Within seconds, they began tearing up the place. Books were flying all over the place nearly hitting Twilight on several occasions. The purple mare’s jaw completely dropped for she couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Her friendly tone quickly turned to one full of anger, “Hey, now wait just a minute. You can’t just walk in here and trash up my library. I command to stop this at once.” Both of the guards continued trashing the library, blocking out everything the annoyed filly said.

Peace watched as Twilight sat on the ground, only able to watch helplessly as the two soldiers tore down her library from the inside out. Tears were starting to fill up in her eyes. Peace then trotted over next to Twilight, putting a hoof over her shoulder. He looked down at her and whispered, “These two numskulls are obviously not able to listen to reason. So what say you and I head out to find their commander and see if we can straighten things out?” Twilight looked up at Peace, realizing that there was no way she could possibly refuse his gracious offer. She smiled and shook her head in agreement. Both unicorns then proceeded towards the wide open door, exiting ever so quietly. Although the guards were too busy wrecking the place to notice they had left the building.

Within moments, it became crystal clear that the library was not the only thing being searched. There were dozens of pegasus guards roaming the city and flying up above. They searched every shop, home, and pony they could possibly find. Things were swiftly getting out of hand. As the two unicorns made their way toward the center of the marketplace, they were immediately intercepted by two lofty and muscular pegasi. Each of them was wearing the same style of iron armor. One of the guards spread out his wings and announced, “Halt! No one is allowed outside unless instructed otherwise or until the search is complete.”

Peace had grown very impatient after spending the day walk about and searching hopelessly for an item that he did not expect to find. He walked slightly closer to them until he was face to face with the demanding pegasus. “Look, I don’t know what’s going on here, but I’m not going anywhere until I speak to your commanding officer. I understand he must be fairly busy, but it’s important that I inform him that he’s making a big mistake.

“Is that so” said a distant mysterious voice. Both pegasi guards move to each side of the white stallion, making room for an orange striped, navy blue pegasus. His armor was different from his troops, for it was thicker and made out of a stronger, denser material. He had a sheathed sword on his side that was made of solid steel. As he landed directly in front of peace, he removed his helmet and set it on the ground beside him.

“I take it you’re the one in charge here” asked Peace with an annoyed expression on his face.

"You are correct” replied the stallion, extending out a hoof and giving an amiable smile. “My name is Captain Blue Thunder, leader of the royal air force. And let me be the first to say that this is no mistake, my friend.”

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Peace briefly glared at the blue stallion, noticing that the captain’s hoof was still extended towards him. He then met the pegasus’s hoof with his own and said, “So Captain Thunder, what possible reason could you have to explain why Ponyville is being terrorized by your troops?

The Captain began reaching for a letter from one of his soldier’s satchel. Slowly he opened it and started to read. “By the order of her majesty, Princess Celestia, each town is here by vacated until further notice. Everypony must cooperate during this process or will be taken prisoner if he or she refuses to follow orders. All homes and shops are to be thoroughly searched and no pony is allowed outside the town until the search has been completed. We will do our best to ensure that little destruction is caused and will work as swiftly as possible. Please give us your full cooperation and everything shall go accordingly.” He then rolled up the letter and threw it back into the satchel.

Twilight then stepped forward, “Your soldiers have completely trashed my library, not to mention how impeccably rude they acted when I tried to talk with them.”

“I apologize for the inconvenience miss” stated Thunder, “But I’m afraid that our mission is far too important to waste any time. Once we are finished searching the town, we will leave a check with the mayor to help cover most of the damages.”

Peace trotted even closer to the orange patterned pegasus, nearly butting heads with him. “And what exactly are you searching for?” roared the white unicorn.

“I’m sorry but that is highly classified” Thunder announced.

The white stallion slammed one his hooves on the ground in frustration and replied. “Look, normally I’m not one to question the majesty’s orders, but I can’t let you continue this crusade unless you tell me what you are searching for and why you need it.”

The two surrounding guards stepped closer to the unicorn as if they were about to restrain him. The captain noticed both troops and waved his hoof to stop them in their tracks. He didn’t want to start another problem and deep down he could tell that this unicorn was unlike most. In order to prevent any confrontations, he quietly muttered, “Why don’t we take a walk and discuss this somewhere more private.”

Peace shook his head in agreement and looked back at Twilight, meeting her eyes with his own. He then looked back at Thunder and stated, “Fine, but Twilight here is coming with me. She has the right to know as well, plus I promised her that we would get answers.”

The captain shrugged and waved a hoof at both of the guards. “Okay, you two are coming with me” he shouted “The rest will stay here and continue to search. Now let’s head out.”

Peace and Twilight followed the pegasus stallion to the edge of town, eventually getting onto a long and narrow road that leads to the next town over. By now Luna’s moon was high in the night sky, giving off a luminous glow and allowing the other pegasus troops to continue their rash search parties. The two guards followed behind in order to keep a close eye on the two unicorns. Peace caught up and started to walk next to Captain Thunder and began to converse some more. “So tell me, Captain, what exactly are you looking for and why do you think it’s in Ponyville.”

Thunder looked at Peace and said, “Why don’t we get to know each other a little more before we discuss that. I told you who I am, but I never got to hear your name.”

Peace looked down at the ground, unsure whether or not he should reveal himself to the captain of the royal air force. He then replied by saying, “You can call me Yin Yang.”

Twilight’s head rose when she heard Peace mention his alias, but she didn’t say anything. Instead, she continued to follow the two stallions and listen to their conversation. Thunder smiled and asked, “So where are you from Yin Yang?”

The white colt pondered for a moment, trying to come up with a convincing story. He then stuttered, “Well, um, I uh. I live in…”

“He lives in Ponyville” said Twilight, jumping in between the two colts. “He’s, uh, my next door neighbor.”

Peace looked at her momentarily and added, “Yeah, that’s right.” I grew up right here in Ponyville. Twilight and I have been friends for years.” He quickly cleared his throat and asked, “So now that our introduction is out of the way, can we please get back to why you’re searching the town?”

Blue stopped in his tracks and faced Peace. “Fine, if you must know” he said with a sigh. “The princess has asked me to travel all over Equestria to search for a powerful ancient artifact. We aren’t sure what it looks like or even what it can do. Honestly that’s not what’s important. What is important is that we find and secure it in Canterlot castle before it falls into the wrong hooves.”

“Well if you don’t know what it looks like then how will you know if you found it?” Twilight asked with a confused expression.

The captain continued, “It’s suspected to be something very small and it……” Thunder was cut off short by a thick fog.

The thick fog started to become denser, obscuring the vision of Thunder, Twilight, Peace, and the two guards.

“What’s with this fog?” asked Thunder.

“I don’t know.” replied Peace.

Suddenly without any notice, two knives came flying out of the fog, striking the two guards in the chest and killing them instantly. Thunder, Peace, and Twilight all had a shocked look on their face. They then noticed a figure walking towards them through the fog. They could see that the pony was obviously a pegasus as he came into view. He was a blood red stallion with a black and red mane and tail and wore mithril armor.

“Who the hell are you.” hissed Thunder.

“My name is Crimson Sword.” Said the red pegasus with a grin.

“What business do you have here?” questioned Thunder.

“Oh, I’m going to kill you today.” Crimson said with malice in his voice.

“Ha, don’t make me laugh. Can’t you do the math buddy? They’re three of us and one of you.” Thunder said with an arrogant tone.

“You think so.” Crimson said with a smirk. With that remark, two more ponies walked out of the fog. One was a cyan pegasus mare wearing mithril armor and the other was a azure unicorn mare wearing black armor. Crimson looked over at the two mares. “Rainbow! Trixie! Surround the two unicorns and make sure they don’t go anywhere. I’ll take care of the Captain.” Rainbow and Trixie circled the two unprepared unicorns, blocking their escape route. Thunder then pulled out his sword to prepare for the fight. Crimson also pulled out his sword and said with a sinister grin “I’m going to enjoy killing you.”

“I like to see you try.” Thunder said with smirk.

Both of the pegasus looked intensely into each other’s eyes with a burning fury. They both charged one another with incredible speed. Their swords made contact, allowing the other ponies to feel the impact of the blow. Thunder tried to get the upper hand with a quick slash at Crimson’s neck, but he managed to dodge it with amazing reflexes. Crimson, using one of his hidden blades, managed to surprise Thunder by slightly cutting him in the neck. Thunder quickly flew back, but Crimson was able to close the distance between them in no time at all. Crimson continued to attack Thunder with devastating power causing him to back up. Thunder tried to defend himself, but to no avail and was knocked onto the ground. The red pegasus once again charged at the captain with his sword held high. Thunder was able to get up in time and raised his sword, but his blade was knocked out of his hoof by Crimson’s forceful blow. “Time to die.” Crimson snarled as he raised his sword to finish him off. Peace quickly noticed that Thunder was in trouble. Without thinking, he ran towards Thunder, not giving Trixie or Rainbow a chance to react. He pushed Thunder out of the way as Crimson brought down his sword. However, instead of making contact with Thunder, the blade made contact with Peace’s medallion. The chain around the medallion had been completely cut through, causing the necklace to fall off him.

Thunder had fallen to the ground after being pushed out of the way. He was slightly dazed but swiftly regained his focus and noticed that Peace was on the ground beside him. There was a small but visible cut on his neck, where Crimson’s sword had grazed.

Peace started to rise, unaware of what exactly happened. Almost immediately, he noticed a shiny blue sapphire medallion lying across the ground. His expression filled with fear and terror. He then gazed up towards the bright orb in the sky, letting its’ light fill in his eyes. The feeling throughout his body had started to fade away, causing him to drop to his knees. Shortly after he collapsed, an immensely sharp pain erupted from his horn, making the white colt twist and turn in agony. The other ponies stood motionless, watching him as he shouted at the top of his lungs. Finally he managed enough strength to yell, “Twilight! Thunder! You need to get as far away from me as possible and hurry. There isn’t much time before… before I change.”

Twilight started to gallop over towards Peace in order to try and help, but was instantly intercepted and held back by the captain. The assassins were in awe as they watched Peace flail around the ground. The unicorn stallion’s horn began to glow with a deep red aura and started to shroud itself in a shadowy mass. Peace was able to let out one last shout and said, “It’s starting, you must go now. Twilight this…. This is what I was trying.. ugh.. to tell you before. This is why… I...I wanted that book.” The darkness began to eclipse the rest of his body, turning his hide black and his mane and tail white. His pupils turned into slits, their color turning as red as blood. Crimson and the other assassins began to back up slowly, preparing themselves for anything. The magical red aura soon spread around Peace’s body replenishing his energy to unimaginable states. His look of pain turned into one of joy. He rose up from the ground and stared at the surprised Crimson giving him a sinister smile.

Crimson returned a similar smirk and stated; “Now this is getting interesting.” He held out his sword and took to the air. “Let’s just see what your capable of, shall we?” The red stallion swiftly lunged towards the transformed Peace, expecting this to be a quick and easy kill.

Without any warning, Peace teleported out of Crimson’s path and ended up where the red pegasus had previously stood. He then chuckled and said, “Oh come now. Do you really think you’re going to beat me with brute force.” Crimson turned to face his dark opponent, instantly charging at him once more. Before his blade was able to make contact, Peace’s horn lit up with a garnish red glow and lifted the pegasus into the air. “Is this really all you have to challenge me with? It’s pathetic. Well I suppose I should end you here and now so as to spare you from living another moment of your miserable and worthless life.”

Crimson looked over towards Rainbow and Trixie, giving them a panicked look. “Quickly attack him while he’s focused on me!” he shouted.

Rainbow then shook her head and started to fly at Peace. The black stallion reacted faster than rainbow had anticipated and countered her attack by throwing Crimson at her. Trixie trotted over to the injured pegasus assassins and asked, “Are you two alright?”

While being slightly dazed, Crimson stood back up and replied, “I’m fine, just a bit banged up. Rainbow what’s your status.”

Rainbow slowly got back on her feet. “I’m okay, but ouch that hurt. Who is that pony anyways?”

“I don’t know” said Crimson. “But whoever he is, he’s not your average unicorn.” He looked over to Thunder and smiled. He then spoke with a malice tone in his voice, “Well I can see that this problem will end up working itself out. Have fun playing you two. Trixie get us out of here and back to headquarters.” Trixie’s horn lit up and shrouded the three assassins in a bright magenta colored aura. Then a blinding flash illuminated from her horn and in a matter of seconds, they were teleported far away from the other ponies.

Thunder and Twilight briefly focused on the spot where the assassins once stood. However, their attention was quickly grasped by a slowly approaching reformed Peace. Peace looked over at the two startled ponies and laughed manically. “So Captain Thunder, shall we see who the best fighter in all of Equestria is?”

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