A Guardian's Hope

by Last Satisfaction

Chapter 13

Author's Note:

Hello there.
Fair warning, the battle of this chapter is a reason why this fiction is tagged [Gore]

Thanks to Schattendrache for proofreading the chapter and Duvet for double checking.

The afternoon was coming to an end. Autumn had done its work, exposing the branches of the trees of the forest juxtaposing the Macintosh hills. Their previously green foliage now lay on the ground, yellow and withered, giving this place a gloomy appearance.

Swift, in his assuredly impeccable armour thanks to Antares' daily inspection, was wearing his requisite daytime vision goggles, like every other bat pony that stood watch during the day, to protect his sensitive eyes from the sunlight and looking off into the distance.

Another bat pony, Dauntless Halberd, came in to landing near him, his full attention focused on the forest in front of them. "Swift, we have an intruder, get up, we'll make him turn back together before I replace you."

Swift stood up and turned around to see what Dauntless was looking at and talking about. When he did, he noticed that there, at the border of the woods, a stallion wearing the mail pony's outfit, consisting of a uniform and a blue kepi, was walking in their direction. Swift had a sudden nervous laugh. "First the Regicide, then the changeling, and now the mail pony. I’m thankful that the worries in the area are getting lighter."

Without waiting, the duo flared out their wings and took to the air, and with a few flaps of their wings, landed in the middle of the stallion's path. Dauntless was the first to speak up. "Please turn back, there are military manoeuvres being conducted here and as such, the area is restricted to the public."

"Oh, don't worry, I wasn't planning on staying," the stallion said calmly, looking up at Dauntless with his lemon yellow eyes, The stallion’s horn suddenly lit up in a yellow aura.

Not even a second later, the large bat pony collapsed, asleep.

At first surprised, Swift did not hesitate in taking his blade out of its sheath and holding it to the unicorn’s neck to hold him at bay.

Bitter Truth merely remained quiet as he looked at the latest blade to threaten his throat. He then looked up at Swift. "My hooves are covered with moon blood."

Swift remained silent for a moment as he examined this stranger in front of him who apparently knew one of Antares' secret codes. His mind began to gallop at full speed, from disbelief to misunderstanding, unable to arrive at a logical explanation for the situation he’d just found himself in. He eventually regained his composure, or at the very least the best he could muster, to act as if the words the stranger had just spoken held no meaning to him. "Go back, last warning."

"Sir Swift, I'm Bitter Truth, the oracle. Three years, five months and a few days ago, I met with the late Lieutenant Antares and asked her to write a few letters, one of which was for you. I borrowed this outfit to come and give it to you today, but I'm not convinced that the concept of a mail pony, so slow that he delivers the mail five years after receiving it, is all too funny."

Swift's heart wanted to believe what he was being told, but his mind just could not accept it. "She would have told me about it."

Bitter Truth looked down, sadly. "And yet, just like Princess Celestia, she did not do so. Your friend by loyalty, the princess by generosity."

"I can't believe it. There’s no way that Antares, knowing what awaited her, would do nothing to change that!"

"Yet she did so in the end, and no, I’m only an oracle, it’s not up to me to decide who should live or die, every creature is the master of their own destiny. If I hadn't approached her, she would have never had the chance to confide in me her last thoughts so that I could deliver them to the right pony. So if you really consider yourself her friend, so as not to disturb the rest of her soul, respect her decision."

Hearing these words reopened a wound Swift had been trying to hide behind an eternal smile. He almost immediately dropped the sword, which fell heavily to the ground, after Bitter Truth finished speaking. "Give me that letter," he ordered in a dry tone.

Bitter had a fine smile. "One moment, I must first give you her last words." Upon saying this, he suddenly put his hoof on his throat, put on a shocked expression, and began making disgusting gurgling noises as if his throat was filling with blood.

The expected reaction did not take long, the bat pony entered into a blood rage, and with all his strength, he bucked and sent the oracle flying into the nearest tree. Without losing a second, Swift galloped to Bitter and pressed his front hooves into the stallion’s throat, half strangling him. "Do you think you're funny?!"

Despite the pain of the blow and the difficulty in breathing, Bitter did not lose his smile. "How does it feel to be in the Major's sabatons?" he asked between laboured breaths.

Swift blinked, and when he realised that he had been caught in one of his own traps, one that was certainly much more morbid than he would allow himself to direct towards Cute Bite, he could only nervously laugh, taking a few steps back before sighing and sitting down, smiling, yet ashamed to not have seen it coming.

As he straightened up, Bitter’s smile disappeared as he used his telekinesis to take out an oiled envelope that had protected its contents through years and handed it over to Swift. "I asked her to write to you with all her heart."

The bat pony took the letter, cautious about the last statement. He remained still to contemplate the royal seal he was seeing adorning the letter. Antares was the confidant and Lieutenant of Nightmare Moon, so it frightened him that a unicorn could have entered the castle so easily without any sentinel noticing them, made even worse by the knowledge that said unicorn had also been able to approach the royal assassin directly and in private. Using the thumb of his right wing, he broke the seal and gently began to pull the sheet out of the envelope before suddenly freezing. He felt Antares' ghostly presence, her hooves around his neck, hugging him with tenderness. The sensation hit his guts as the weight on his heart formed from her absence fell. Taking a deep, wavering breath to block the tears that came to his eyes, he hurried to read the letter.

<Swift, my unrecoverable tactician,

I am writing this letter knowing that I will never see you again. My future has been revealed to me, and that of our revered Queen too. And I accept it with a smile on my face.

Without Bitter Truth's intervention, I would have died leaving nothing behind. But our forced meeting with him gives me the chance to leave a farewell letter to my loved ones.

Why did I die defending the throne of our Queen despite everything? For fate had decided so, that I would be the last of the royal assassins. And I have so much blood on my hooves. I never fully recovered from all the murders I carried out at the request of our Queen. There is a scar on my heart for each of the lives I have stolen, each one healed from its previous condition as a gaping wound by you to the best of your ability, and even now I thank you for it. My public life, in the end, was only a pretty facade to hide the murderer who was raised for a fight that will never come. So I prefer not to defy fate, that my life should end as it should have ended if he had not approached me, defending the throne of our Queen at the cost of my life.

I would like to die as I lived. Loyal to our Queen, even after the last day of her reign.

However, I am constrained this night during which you read this letter, to beg you to grant a last request. Save our Queen, help Bitter Truth. Knowing that I was going to die, and that I was going to take the secret to the grave, he told me everything, explained to me what he expected from you. Such devotion to our Queen and the Princess of the Sun, deserves my trust.

I release you from your promise to watch over my sister, the answer to my question gave me a glimpse of her future, a future I didn't expect, and yet one that satisfies me on the eve of my death.

I end this letter on this simple note, now live your life as you wish to live, nothing is holding you back, my friend. It is time to look to the future, to move forward and to leave myself behind as a memory of a past that is now over.

Tenderly,
Your Antares >

Halfway through, he realised that by closing his eyes, he could see her writing this letter, serene, with a peaceful smile on her face. He had to pull the thumb of the wing several times on his day vision goggles so that his tears could finally run down his cheeks. When he finished reading, he put the letter back in the envelope and tucked it under his left wing causing the ghostly presence that had manifested to immediately disappear. "I'm listening," he said dryly, the sense that he had lost his friend once again rendering him unable to be his usual comedic self.

Bitter first took a white silk handkerchief out of his bag and motioned to Swift. "Close your eyes." When he was sure that Swift had done so, he removed the bat pony’s glasses and used his handkerchief to make sure the bat pony's eyes were properly dried. Once that was done, he put the handkerchief away and put down a parchment case he had attached to a shoulder strap. "The enchantment on the late Lieutenant Antares' letter is psychometry, the spell in this case is a more advanced version. Ask your queen to use it on the helmet in the command tent and wear it until the end of the night. Only the helmet, it will be useless for her to wear the armour. No one can know except for you and her, and at no time talk to Pepper Chilly about me. Prescience is both a power that she covets at all costs and that she fears even more. Revealing my existence to her would be like betting the future of this world on a coin flip."

"If you've finished your monologue, leave." Swift’s voice was brittle, his words no longer having their tell tale soul.

"Indeed, it is time for me to take my leave." The tone of the oracle’s reply was neutral, an even tone that lacked the previous humour and sympathy he’d been using. As he turned around, he turned his head back towards the bat pony to add one last thing. "When the time comes, you'll be the only one who knows what to do, come up with a good enough story so that everypony will believe it. Goodbye until our next meeting, Sir Swift."

Swift watched the oracle slip noiselessly into the woods before turning to look at his comrade, who was still sleeping peacefully. He then went over the information in the letter and the request in his mind, taking a guess as to what would be happening tonight. He didn’t understand how the spell would be useful in saving his Queen, but it seemed obvious that it wouldn’t be long before the regicide attacked again. To imagine Nightmare Moon as the next victim of the soul eater, the very thought caused a chill to run down his spine.

After waking Dauntless and claiming that the mail pony and him had been having such a boring conversation that he had fallen asleep on the spot, Swift returned to the camp to see it in turmoil. When he arrived outside the command tent, he understood why.

Princess Luna was there, a sheathed rapier against her left flank, lowering the sun to better raise the moon.

“It is too soon to do that.” Nightmare Moon pointed out as she came out of her prison of flesh. With eagerness, she opened a rift into the world of dreams, and allowed the clone she had left at Twilight’s library to emerge and join her. She was shocked at first when she felt her clone merging to her and increasing her magic pool, but when she read her clone’s memory, she knew why that was. The clone left at the library had called all the clones left in the dream world to her after learning Twilight would not intervene. Now, she was the last bulwark protecting the changelings from Luna.

“Maybe, but if I can grant an edge to my soldiers over the changelings’ army, I will act accordingly.”

Swift quickly ducked into his tent to store Antares' letter, and after finishing that, he proceeded back outside and moved closer to his friend the Major's side. Discreetly, while the latter followed the Princess and Queen on their way to the command tent, Swift drew Cute Bite's attention and silently asked what was going on, however, to Swift’s dissatisfaction based on her reaction, she knew as much as he did about Princess Luna's presence. Swift mentally sighed, asking why Bitter Truth had not mentioned that fact. There were now too many possible scenarios and not enough information for him to know where the threat the late Antares had feared so much would come from.

Major Antares, who wore the dorsal sheaths holding her sword and Nightmare Moon's claymore, was too concerned with the presence of the Princess of the Moon to worry that Swift was still wearing day vision goggles, or to notice the parchment case he had under his right wing.

Once in the tent, when Luna saw the map of the area with pawns placed on it depicting the balance of power between the army of bat ponies and changelings as being in the latter's favour, a deliberate misrepresentation, she flew off the handle, blaming Nightmare Moon's incompetence for her inability to pacify the Badlands due to these insects.

Nightmare Moon turned a deaf ear to her alter ego’s irrational rant, instead choosing to stare at her while remaining silent. Behind the Tantabus' blank mind, something she discovered a few weeks ago she could use as a mental shield, she was internally fuming at the fact that Luna was so close to the Badlands. She knew couldn't try anything, not yet, but to protect Aglowing Shell, even without Twilight’s permission, she was ready to be frozen for a thousand years alongside Discord, because that was the only possible way out if the elements of harmony were used against Luna. And unfortunately, said alicorn was no longer an immature child. She would not surrender her body to the Queen of the Night, not again. If Nightmare Moon tried to possess Luna, it would turn into a battle of wills, and if she failed, Luna would undoubtedly trap her forever. Luna would then force Nightmare Moon to watch her end the life of the helpless little Cæsar. She had to act in the presence of Chrysalis, so that the Queen of the Changelings could fully understand the situation and act accordingly if Luna emerged victorious. She had for now to wait for the right moment.

Luna announced that she was going to end the changelings tonight. She would be leading an assault consisting of every bat pony force presently deployed in this outpost, and having fully mourned Celestia’s death, it was time to avenge her, so she would personally be taking care of Pepper once she had her hooves on her.

The worried eyes of the bat ponies turned to Nightmare Moon, who had to give up her physical appearance so as to not let her emotions show through.

But as the two alicorns left the tent, Swift intervened: "Lady Nightmare Moon, I have a report for you regarding the reconnaissance mission you gave me last night."

Everypony turned to Swift, neither Nightmare Moon nor the major understood what he was talking about, but Luna could not have known that it was a lie. "You have an urgent report and you wait until now to bring it up, soldier? What's more, ’Lady’? Is she not a princess to you?"

Swift bowed, unfolding his wings and lowering them and his head so that they were touching ground. "There is only one Princess of the Night, and that is you, my Queen. I didn't want to bother you with this mission report because it's up to your subordinate to handle this. If you permit me to make a suggestion, I am sure Major Antares will make it a point to assist you in preparing the troops while I give my report."

Luna considered Swift's words for a moment and, her ego sufficiently flattered, appropriated the suggestion as her own idea. She turned briefly to Nightmare Moon, looking down at her. "Don't keep me waiting." she ordered before leaving the tent. "Major, after me."

Overwhelmed by events, Cute Bite left the tent in a hurry, following in the princess' hoof steps.

Verifying that Luna was far enough away that she wouldn't suspect anything, Nightmare Moon regained a physical appearance before creating a magic bubble in order to assure that the conversation that followed would remain private. "I'm listening."

Swift didn’t dare move from his curtsy. "My Queen, I'm sorry I had to-"

Using telekinesis, Nightmare Moon clamped his mouth to cut the apology short. She forced him to raise his head and removed his glasses so she could look him in the eyes as she pleased. Upon doing this, she could not fail to notice how red and swollen they were. "I understand, Swift. You were supposed to see me in private and you did the right thing, I won't hold it against you. However, if you waste my time by tying yourself in knots with excuses again, I won't forgive you. Now, speak," she ordered before releasing her grip, and waited for him to explain himself.

"Bitter Truth came to see me just before the end of my shift. He brought me a letter from Antares, our late Antares. She..." he sobbed as he thought back to the letter. On the verge of a nervous breakdown, he unconsciously felt the need to laugh about it. "Can you believe it? A unicorn came to the Moon during your banishment, all the way to your castle, to the royal assassin, to tell her everything that was going to happen tonight. It doesn't make any sense." He released an uncontrollable laugh. "No s-"

Nightmare Moon slapped him with the back of her hoof. "Focus, Swift. The rest." Certainly she was shocked to learn of this, moreso given the revelation that it had been her royal assassin who had hidden such an encounter from her, but this was not the time to lose sight of the situation.

He calmed down, keeping his head down. "I immediately recognised her writing, the nickname she gave me, it was even sealed with your royal seal. In the letter, Antares asks me to help the oracle, because your life is threatened. He told me to use a spell on your helmet. The spell would allow you to sense the feelings of a person who had touched an object, the oracle says it is called psychometry," he explained, removing the shoulder strap to give the case to Nightmare Moon while pointing at the armour in the corner of the tent with his left wing. "He said you'll only have to wear the helmet for the rest of the night. That I would know what to do when the time comes. That the regicide should not learn of the presence of an oracle in Equestria. Then he left."

The summary confirmed Nightmare Moon’s suspicions. "It seems that the confrontation with Luna is inevitable. I don't really understand how this spell will be useful to me, but if Antares felt that this plan would work the best, I will put my trust in her judgement."

After seizing and opening the case with her magic to take out the scroll, Nightmare Moon walked over to the front of the armour display, facing her armour, facing her past. She had it transported to this tent to have a constant reminder of the mistake she had made.

She had underestimated Celestia, and because of that, the elements of harmony had been used against her.

She scanned the scroll for a moment, finding it to be rather complex, a spell that Star Swirl would probably have liked to study. However, she didn't currently have the time to ponder such things. From what she could tell, there was nothing wrong with the spell’s formula. Concentrating, Nightmare Moon applied the enchantment to the helmet.

She had underestimated Twilight, and the elements of harmony had once again been used against her.

Grasping the newly enchanted helmet in her magic, as she brought it down onto her head, she swore a promise to herself.

Tonight, she would not underestimate Luna.

She slid the spell back into its case and threw it to Swift, who reflexively caught it. "Swift, no matter what happens, I know you'll do the right thing. I intend to do just that in order to protect the changelings." She headed for the exit. "Whatever it takes," she added before dispelling the magic bubble.

As Nightmare Moon made her way out of the tent and through the camp, nearly every set of eyes towards her.

Luna, who was just finishing going through the last of the bat ponies returning from patrols and other surveillance posts, noticed this shift in attention and turned to look at just what was drawing everypony’s eye. When she did, she saw her alter ego, and couldn't help but move closer to satisfy her curiosity regarding her current appearance. "What's the point of wearing the helmet?"

Nightmare Moon didn't need very long to come up with the excuse she needed. "You heard the soldier, there is only one princess of the Night, and by wearing this helmet, I admit to being only a soldier at your service, as I proposed five months ago. Is there a problem with that?"

Luna looked at the soldiers, at the Major, to Swift, then returned to Nightmare Moon. "None. It's time to go."

Luna and Nightmare Moon flew away, followed soon after by Antares and her second, and the army after them. A black cloud of roaring thunder began to form above the advancing army, growing bigger and darkening the night sky as Luna drew closer to the Badlands. A cold silence of nervousness was also growing within the army's ranks. Every soldier knew how much their queen cared about the life of the changelings, so the fact that they were following Luna into the Badlands on their current mission caused more than a few to exchange uncomfortable glances.

[br]

Earlier that day, as Luna was travelling from Canterlot to the south of Dodge City, Pepper was taking a nap in the shade of a rock, leaving Trixie with the three changelings.

Fortunately for the mare, after presentations, Aglowing Shell’s attention was fully focused on the great and wonderful illusionist. The unicorn had started by performing her entire repertoire in an effort to assure she would keep the child entertained, but gradually, after being won over by the enthusiasm of the young hybrid, she used all the tricks given to her by Bitter Truth for the sole purpose of putting stars in Algowing’s eyes.

Gamine forced Pepper to open an eye, squealing an "I want to see!" every time the only spectator exclaimed a little too loudly, disappointed that she couldn't also attend the show, but she had to keep the promise to let Pepper control the body, and the monster had her habits.

Chrysalis and Chitin would have enjoyed making a snack of Trixie, their current diet of these fruits of love filled their bellies, but as it stood, their respective magical powers did not exceed those of the average unicorn. However, seeing the little Cæsar so happy during the day, compared to her usual languid sadness she expressed as she waited out the night, seeing the big smile she was wearing, it discouraged them from listening to their primal instincts.

The gathering was shocked when the sun and the moon shifted places in the sky.

“Trixie didn’t see the passing of time.”

Pepper stood up. “It is too soon.” As Trixie resumed her performance to keep Aglowing entertained, Pepper, now alert, jumped on the rock and started to monitor the surrounding area.

A strong wind carrying a dark cloud rumbling with thunder began to howl as it enveloped the badlands.

"Who is it?" whispered Gamine.

"I do not know yet, but there are quite a few of them, and their intentions are not friendly," Pepper replied.

"You protect them, or I will!" Gamine ordered.

Pepper jumped off the rock, and the sound of her hooves landing on the hard ground attracted every creature’s attention. It didn’t take them long to notice where Pepper’s attention was focused, and they too began to observe the developing situation.

Only Aglowing smiled, jumping on the spot. "It's Nightmare Moon! She's here!"

Trixie’s fur began to prickle up when she heard this. Certainly she was aware that the alicorn was once again roaming Equestria, but at the same time, she had been more than happy to chalk said information up to merely being a bad dream.

Chrysalis, however, was sceptical. "She usually arrives two or three hours after the sun and the moon switch places. Something's not right."

Pepper approached Chrysalis while keeping their unexpected guests within her sight. "How much do you trust Nightmare Moon?"

Chrysalis was going to answer her, but Aglowing Shell jumped on Pepper's face to give her a stare. "She's my friend! Mother trusts her completely!"

Gamine had a shy laugh. "This habit of hers adds some weight to her words."

Pepper, dislodging the child via telekinesis for the third time now after being silenced by her, turned her eyes to Chrysalis as she gave her back the one who so aptly deserved the nickname Facehugger.

"She won't hurt my daughter in any way whatsoever," Chrysalis said.

For Pepper, this statement eliminated a few scenarios she’d conceived of given the situation she was facing. It remained to be seen though who she would have to fight. "Trixie, stay with Aglowing Shell. No matter what happens, the changelings will protect you. Me, however, this is really not the time for you to get in my way," she said, walking a few steps forward.

This was counter to the instructions her employer had given, but in view of the general atmosphere, Trixie knew that it was better not to make things more complicated.

Chrysalis clicked her tongue and Aglowing went to hide behind her mother. She knew that her child was safe because of Bitter Truth's prediction, but that didn't prevent her from taking precautions.

Pepper was five hoof steps in front of the changelings, close enough that they could hear what she would say, and far enough that it left a margin of safety.

Luna landed ten steps in front of Pepper, Nightmare Moon by her side, Antares one step back and to the right of the queen, and Swift to the right of the major. The army, meanwhile, was standing as a single unit behind the one they pretended to serve.

Pepper observed Nightmare Moon for a moment before turning her attention to Luna. "What is the Princess of the moon doing so far from Canterlot this early night? Do you not have any bad dreams to chase away, Luna?"

"Insofar as you are responsible for many, especially mine, I have come to end your life, so that I can dream again and again of your last gurgling while you drown in your own blood. At the same time, I would finish pacifying the region of the extant vermin, since the mare to whom I have entrusted this duty is incapable of doing so," Luna said, taking a brief reproving look at Nightmare Moon.

The latter preferred to look away when she felt Luna's eyes resting on her, clearly nervous, not knowing how to turn the situation to her advantage with Pepper standing right there in front of them.

Pepper laughed wryly. "I have already pacified the area, behind me are the only three changelings left. I was planning to eat the soul of one of them, but your hooves on my plate bother me. You want me dead? Let the taller black mare take care of them, you and I have a friendly duel to finish."

At the mention of this duel, lightning struck the ground less than a dozens metres away as Luna's gaze darkened. "I will inflict on you the humiliating defeat you should have received. Nightmare Moon, make sure that the changelings are dead by the time I finish with her," ordered the Princess of the Night, moving eastward with Pepper while keeping an eye on her and remaining at a safe distance.

A two-eyed storm started spitting lightning bolts.

Nightmare Moon now knew that Pepper was on her side, as she knew the human through interactions with Luna. The proposal she had just made was too perfect to just be a fluke. And if the fight weakened Luna enough, it would greatly facilitate her attempt to take possession of her alter ego.

When the two duellists were too far away to hear anything, Chrysalis approached Nightmare Moon. "What is she doing there?" she asked, while Aglowing Shell jumping into her friend's forelegs, happy to nest in her embrace and scared by the thunderbolts.

Nightmare Moon was relieved that the child was fine, but the mother's question caused her to release a quick and heavy exhalation out of her nostrils out of frustration. "Blame Bitter Truth. A guard came to peddle the words of the oracle to her in the middle of the morning, one thing leading to another, now you have the result before your eyes. And you won't have to rely on Twilight Sparkle. She doesn't consider your lives important enough to defy Luna's will."

With wide eyes, these words engraved themselves in Aglowing's mind. With her heart once again shaken by powerful feelings, Aglowing’s horn briefly crackled with energy.

Chrysalis rubbed her cheek against her daughter's to calm her down while reflecting on what had just been said. "Pretty sure he would approach her himself, not through a proxy." She turned her gaze to Pepper in the distance. "What's this about the duel?" she asked, watching Nightmare Moon.

Pepper concentrated on her shapeshifting magic, and once she finished visualising what she needed, a golden halo ran through her body from her horn to her hind hooves. The first thing to change was Pepper’s torso, shifting to become humanoid while maintaining her wings, immediately followed by her pushing on her hind legs to reposition them to allow her to walk like a biped. After that, her forelegs, transforming into fur covered arms and began warming up the muscles of her fingers as soon as they appeared, stopping once she was content that everything was working properly.

"During her first stay six months ago, Luna wanted to test Pepper’s combat skills. At first, it was supposed to be a mock fight to pass the time, nothing very serious," explained Nightmare Moon.

Chrysalis turned her eyes to Nightmare Moon, amused. "How bad did it get?"

Nightmare Moon was split between enjoyment and annoyance just thinking about it. "Celestia had to separate them, and forbid them from fighting each other in the future. Canterlot Castle would have been left in ruins without her intervention."

"Pepper? Why this hybrid form? Why not become totally human?" asked Gamine.

"Because the laws of this universe do not so easily allow such," Pepper replied. "Not impossible," she continued, summoning her katana into the palm of her right hand. "But it would require that I continuously infuse every cell of my body with the magic that allows me to travel from one reality to another to maintain my true form. Certainly I would be able to fight at my full potential, but it would be worse than burning a candle at both ends," she explained before facing Luna. "This body is currently a good compromise to allow me to fight as I usually do while dealing with the laws imposed on me. Now shut up."

The two eyes of the storm merged, the meteorological phenomena was now a cage for the two opponents.

Luna, with her legs bent, kept her wings pressed against her sides to provide the smallest surface area for an attack. Using telekinesis, the princess drew her rapier. It was a work of art, forged with Cloudichalcum, the bell guard finely carved to represent a starry night with the princess' Cutie Mark sitting in the middle of the stars. It would have been customary for her to greet her opponent, but tonight she had no respect for the one facing her.

With the back of her left hand on the handle, as if she was presenting a gift in the palm of her hand, Pepper moved forward slowly, calculating each of her steps as she circled Luna, looking for an opening that didn't come.

But unlike her, Luna did not have the patience to wait for the right moment, and based on the first skirmish, Luna knew that a frontal attack would inevitably be countered. So she opted for a sudden teleportation behind the regicide's back and went for the head.

Pepper did not expect Luna to use such a technique, and it was only out of pure reflex when she saw the alicorn disappear that she rolled to the side. However, she did not come out unscathed, the rapier cut the string that had been holding her mane in a heavy braid until now.

Luna lowered her guard for a moment as she contemplated the result.

Pepper would have preferred it remain a secret, but if it could give her an advantage over Luna, she might as well seize it. She shook her head from left to right to get her mane to start rippling as her magical power began to make it wave, like a river of blood. "A gift from your late sister, do you like it?" she asked with a sly smile.

Utilising her Canterlot voice, Luna unleashed all of the air in her lungs out of rage in a deafening scream, and in return, the storm unleashed an equal frenzy upon the land, discharging a heavy rain of lightning bolts down in a cacophony of explosions. Unconcerned about the consequences, Luna threw herself into a flurry of successive attacks. Her sole desire was to inflict a thousand cuts upon Pepper’s body. Her resolve was to induce so much suffering that Pepper would beg for a quick death. To Luna’s irritation though, Pepper simply lept out of her reach, just enough to encourage her to try her luck once again.

As Luna was so focused on taking revenge, Pepper noticed an opening, and immediately switched to the counter-offensive. With a movement of her arm and wrist, she caught and parried Luna's last attack, adding another chip to the edge of her rusty, pockmarked blade, before following up by moving to execute an overhead strike. While the katana was completely caked in rust and appeared to be only one or two counters away from breaking in half, it was still sharp enough to claim another life.

Luna, caught off guard, and with her eyes focused on the blade, felt like an attempt to raise her guard would be too slow to make it in time.

However, the blow never came, Pepper was fighting another battle, one to keep control of her body.

Gamine couldn't stay inactive, she was restraining the body’s arms to prevent Pepper from delivering a deadly blow. "What are you doing?!" The guardian shouted in shock.

"I am protecting the changelings!" Pepper barked back.

"I never asked you to kill Luna! There have been enough deaths!"

"What?!” Pepper tried to get away, but was unsuccessful. “Let go of me, you stupid fool! Now is not the time to-"

The storm vanished as Luna seized the opportunity to claim victory with a swift thrust.

Monster and Guardian in unison screamed out in pain as they both felt most of Luna’s rapier sink into Pepper’s chest. Gamine gave up control of the body to Pepper, unable to bear such physical suffering. Pepper, meanwhile, fell on her rump, her breathing unsteady, with each exhalation being a weak cough that brought with it just that little bit of blood.

Luna’s rapier was still lodged through the regicide's chest. The princess enjoyed the view for a moment, she knew that with a compromised lung, it was only a matter of minutes before Pepper died, drowned in the same crimson liquid within her that she so eagerly took from others. Like a cat who caught her prey, she used her magic to pull back and twist her blade with the slowest pace she could muster, simply for the sadistic pleasure of inflicting the most suffering, watching Pepper in pain for the longest time possible, engraving it into her memory. When the point of her blade was extricated, a large sheaf of blood spurt onto her face. "If memory serves, ‘Vae Victis’, Pepper," she said after using Pepper’s white coat to wipe the blood from her rapier. "And I'm going to enjoy every second you have left to ensure you suffer before you draw your last breath."

By removing her blade, Luna had deliberately aggravated the internal bleeding, it was no longer a matter of minutes, and Pepper knew it. Bringing her hands to the wound to try to stem the flow of blood, Pepper attempted to warp away, but without success. The fits of bloody coughing prevented her from concentrating, and her eyelids were becoming heavier and heavier. "Gamine, help me reach and break the prism in the pillow of my hideout."

"I can't do it! The pain is too much," whined the guardian.

Pepper felt too weak to fight any longer. She felt the end coming. "What were you saying this morning? Power must be used to protect others? If you do not do something..." She couldn't hold on, her eyes were closing slowly. "... the changelings will also die because of you. In the end, you are not up to your mother's lessons, she died for... nothing," she whispered as she disappeared from Gamine’s sight.

Luna raised an eyebrow, somewhat disappointed by the ease with which the mare in front of her had let herself die.

Time dilated as Gamine’s humiliation burned her to her core. Humiliated to be pointed out that she was failing at her self given duty. Infuriated that it was pointed out by the one who killed her mentor. Despite the pain, and with great difficulty, she took control of the dying body, refusing to let Pepper have the last word, and fought back. She gasped for fresh air as she regained consciousness, greatly startling Luna, and after only a few seconds, the guardian had warped herself to the hideout.

"Honestly Pepper, I've known less stubborn cockroaches," Luna said as she teleported to the two sisters' castle with a smile on her face. But that same smile quickly disappeared when she found herself alone in front of the ruins. She turned around, once, twice, looking for the slightest drop of blood, but to her shock, her prey had vanished under her nose. "Very well! Die alone in total indifference, no one will regret you!" She said before teleporting to the Badlands, far from suspecting that the fugitive was only twenty metres below her hooves.

Gasping for breath, and spitting blood with each exhalation, Gamine dragged herself to the bed, grabbed the pillow, and searched it for the prism Pepper had hidden there. As soon as she got her hands on it, she broke it, and the spell contained within instantly teleported her out of Equestria, unceremoniously dropping her in front of a bonfire.

She found herself on a large half-spherical surface made of stone slabs, in the centre of which was a recess where the flames of a fire oscillating between opal and jade were dancing.

Exposed to this fire, Gamine felt strangely better, her breath gradually returning as she felt the mortal wound seal up, before disappearing without a trace. It didn’t take her long after this to realise that Pepper's body had regained its human appearance, and the only explanation was that she was in another dimension.

Looking around her, Gamine could see to the left of her dozens of rows of tiered seating carved into the side of a stone hill and illuminated by the light of the fire beside her. The rows rose so high into the sky that they looked as though they could accommodate thousands of adults without difficulty. The manner in which these seats enveloped that side of the stage she found herself on gave her the impression of a dragon jealously guarding his hoard.

To her right was a wall that rose as high as the stands, adorned with finely chiselled carvings depicting the culture and beliefs of the people who called this place to which she had been thrown by the spell imbued in the prism home. Just in front of the fire was a doorway, and from where Gamine stood, she could only see darkness on the other side of its frame. She tried to decipher the figures engraved upon the wall, but turned her head away as soon as she realised the morbid nature of the place.

Looking above her head, it initially appeared as though it was night. The sky was clear, yet not a single celestial body broke up the infinite void that was the firmament above her. Additionally, Gamine was unable to pick up a sound nor feel even the barest caress of a breeze.

This place was the definition of a dead land.

The landscape was not the same, but the young guardian was convinced that the fire she was standing in front of was the same one from Pepper's dreams. Why was she fixated on this fire? With Pepper still unconscious, Gamine was left with no answers. She could feel the body building up more and more energy, but the knowledge that the changelings were still in danger of dying still weighed on her.

---

As Luna abandoned Pepper to her fate, Chrysalis, who was keeping her daughter held against her to reassure her as the lightning stopped striking and parcelling the sky, suddenly became nervous when the scent of blood reached her nostrils.

When Nightmare Moon saw Luna coming back with the face covered with blood as if nothing had happened, she knew that it was ultimately her responsibility to protect the changelings: "I will try to reason with her, but don't get your hopes too high. She's the stubborn type."

"Is she too stubborn to die?" Chrysalis said, smiling despite the situation.

Nightmare Moon, hesitating at first after hearing this wit, could not help but smile back. "Impossible, I need her alive, but if it comes to that..." Determined, Nightmare Moon spread her wings, flew in front of Luna, not too far from where Pepper had been not that long ago, and stood in her way.

Chrysalis knew the situation was out of her control, if Nightmare Moon failed to defeat Luna, Aglowing would be an easy target. She needed an excuse to send her to the safety of the hive. As she was looking for one, she realised that Bitter Truth had provided her with one without her knowledge. He had once again manipulated her, a fact that brought her no small degree of displeasure. Without warning, she turned around and stuck Aglowing in Chitin's forelegs before pushing Trixie to their side.

The illusionist did not dare to react.

Aglowing did not understand at first. "Mother?"

"Do you remember the promise? The sword you received to protect? You must go and get the sword, to help me protect the hive and all the changelings that still sleep," Chrysalis said.

"I don't need the sword, I'm powerful, I can fight without my weapon!" replied the little Cæsar.

But Chrysalis turned a deaf ear to her daughter. She concentrated, and cast a spell, causing a circle of green flame to form around Chitin, creating a bubble that imprisoned the warrior, child and mare together. And slowly, the prison sank into the ground, taking the captives with it through the maze of the hive.

"For the survival of the hive, don't come back. Without a queen, the sleeping changelings will be abandoned to their fate," Chrysalis ordered.

Chitin lowered their head and looked away, accepting what seemed to be their queen's last order.

Aglowing refused to obey though. She tried as best as she could to free herself, but she did not dare hurt Chitin, and her voice could not pass through the bubble, which disappeared completely a few seconds later.

Chrysalis was relieved to know that her child was safe, she could turn around and face the enemy with peace of mind, even if it was her last fight. She could see that Nightmare Moon was trying her best, but Luna wasn’t making it easy.

"No, I will not only avenge my sister's death, I will eliminate this teeming threat and thus perpetuate peace in Equestria," said the Princess of the Night.

"We have already killed enough changelings as it is. What little remain are no longer a threat. Celestia would never have endorsed this. And you know that." It cost Nightmare Moon mentioning Celestia, but it was the only way to get Luna to focus on something other than the fight.

"Listening to your whining, I would think you’ve started to care about the lives of these vermin," said Luna, suspicious.

Nightmare Moon briefly turned her gaze to Chrysalis before impertinently responding to Luna. "Aren't you aware of the latest news? Friendship is really magic."

The princess of the night felt the need to call her alter ego to order. She concentrated for a moment, forming her magic into a small sphere that quickly burst like a soap bubble.

To the common mortal witnessing the scene, there was no impact, but the spell spread through this reality and that of the dream world of which Luna was the guardian, and Nightmare Moon felt the effects, the link between the Tantabus and Luna had been severed, and for the Queen of the Moon, this now meant that her magic pool was all that remained before the Tantabus would disappear like a bad dream.

"Kill the changelings, and I'll restore the bond. If not, prepare to die with them," declared Luna as an ultimatum.

Nightmare Moon had already made her choice. Without delay, she engaged Luna in a duel of magical power, shooting forth a beam from the form she still had left. Taken slightly off guard, it took Luna a fraction of a second to respond, fireing her own beam in order to counter the attack. When these two beams hit each other, a sphere of magic began to form. It required great spiritual concentration for Luna to maintain this riposte, and was the fastest way for Nightmare Moon to weaken her in order to take possession of the body, but it was a deadly gamble to see, which would yield first, her power or Luna’s spirit?

Luna held Nightmare Moon in respect, and her gaze turned to the army of bat ponies in the face of the situation. "What are you waiting for?! Protect your Princess!"

But there was no reaction.

"Bat ponies! A step backwards," Nightmare Moon ordered.

And all obeyed, in perfect synchronisation.

"Did you really believe all this time that the bat ponies were committed to your cause? You're so naive, you poor filly."

Luna became enraged, resulting in the duel turning in her favour.

Seeing this development, Chrysalis moved to join the fight. It was now the Queens' fight against the Princess, and the balance was restored, for a time. "I don't know what you have in mind, but I know you have to win."

"If she grows weak enough, I could possess her body again," explained Nightmare Moon. "But my power is limited. Your help is welcome," admitted the alicorn without shame.

"Don't mention it, I haven't had a good meal in forever. I wouldn't last long on my own," Chrysalis conceded before her mischievous mind developed an insidious thought. "By the way, Pepper made Aglowing Shell cry this morning."

The words echoed in Nightmare Moon’s skull, and she snapped. It was not just mere anger, but visceral wrath that consumed Nightmare Moon. Her pale blue magic turned green and purple as any form of restraint was incinerated within Nightmare Moon’s brain.

Luna was pushed back several metres, but the distance between her and the sphere remained unchanged.

Nightmare Moon, with her eyes clouded by hatred, did not see this fight ending in her favour. She had to fall back on something she could rely on. "Chrysalis, if you still want to taste the darkness of my heart, it's now or never."

The changeling was initially surprised by the sudden proposal, but quickly realised the reason for this offer. She stopped supporting Nightmare Moon, and without missing a beat, collected and devoured the thousand-year-old heart. Unfortunately though, her stomach could not stand such a meal. In no time at all, she collapsed as she was seized by a severe coughing attack as her body tried to vomit up what it was having difficulty assimilating.

Neither Chrysalis nor Nightmare Moon had expected something like this to happen, and being caught so off guard, Nightmare Moon struggled to keep the sphere at a distance. The exertion leaving her feeling more and more hollow with each passing second. She had overestimated her capacity, and was about to receive the full force of the consequences.

---

Gamine had just used the marker created by Pepper to return to the Badlands, her body instantly becoming that of a bipedal alicorn again upon arrival. When she saw the situation unfolding before her, she began looking for a way to help, and couldn't help but think back to her mother's fighting technique. She had never been able to do it perfectly, but she knew, because of her prisoner, that it was now possible. She began to run, concentrating, her magic covering her right hand like a thick glove. When she reached the sphere of magical energy, she extended her arm and whipped the sphere with the back of her hand, sending the sphere of magic high into the sky where it exploded, made unstable by the intervention.

Nightmare Moon felt divided at seeing the hybrid she thought to be Pepper standing there in perfect health. Above all, it was a surprise to see the hybrid's mane now pulsating with power. In the end, she preferred to see the bright side of this situation. Even if possessing Luna had recently been rendered an impossibility and Chrysalis was still lying on the ground, said changeling was not hurt, save for her coughing attack, which was finally seeming to calm down, and with Pepper back, that meant that Luna was outnumbered three to one.

Luna was the most displeased with this surprise. "How could you survive the injury I inflicted on you?!"

"Silence." Gamine ordered without raising her voice. "Promise to leave the changelings alone, and never come back to the Badlands, you're not welcome here."

"And if I refuse, what are you going to do Pepper, kill me like you killed my sister?" she asked, talking down to her.

Luna had barely begun to laugh at Gamine's words when a potent projectile of green and violet magic struck her head-on, pushing her several dozen metres before finally exploding. "I can not speak for her, but as for me, certainly." Chrysalis said, a purple mist emanating from her now entirely green eyes.

Gamine and Nightmare Moon turned to the Queen of the Changelings, the latter of which incensed by this development. "Are you brainless?! If you killed her, I'm doomed! And no one will be able to protect you if Equestria seeks revenge," Nightmare Moon shouted at Chrysalis.

"Be happy you haven’t suffered the same fate already!" the changeling shouted back, her mind clearly tainted and consumed with hatred.

Gamine didn't understand. "How could Equestria find out?"

Nightmare Moon turned her gaze to the guardian. "Twilight knows we're here. And she is far from being stupid. When Luna's absence gets noticed, she will make the connection, and as she is a princess, she will accordingly be elevated to the head of the kingdom. I am convinced that she will not seek revenge, but if she informs the wrong pony of where Luna disappeared... The grumpy insect here -" she pointed at Chrysalis with a hoof before quickly removing after an attempted bite "- is going to have to answer for her crime."

Gamine's mind was analysing the facts. There was a possible alternative. "I have a solution." she said as she flew over to Luna.

Luna was in a bad state. Unable to dodge in time or move to safety while Chrysalis’ attack pushed her back, she had tried to protect her face with her front hooves. The cloudichalcum sabatons absorbed most of the impact, but the bones of her forelegs were now broken. Seeing Gamine landing in front of her, out of fear, the alicorn used her telekinesis to begin slashing the air with her rapier in an effort to defend herself. "Back off! Back off! Back off, Pepper, or I'll kill you!"

"I am the only one around here who does not want you dead. Kill me, Chrysalis will be happy to have you for dinner, if she does not kill you within the hour," said Gamine, her eyes colder than usual.

Luna considered her options. She could try to kill her again, but she was not so insane as to think that stabbing her with her rapier a second time would end any different from last time. Neither Nightmare Moon nor the bat ponies would help her, and she had no doubt that Chrysalis would capture her before she managed to drag herself out of the Badlands. She surrendered, releasing the rapier, which thusly fell to the ground.

Gamine became so irritated that she went into a state of rage shift. Her previously crimson mane turned an ethereal blue.

Luna was used to this vision, which had become common enough to have tormented Pepper’s dreams every time the human played a bad trick on her.

Gamine put a knee down, to better stare into Luna's eyes. "Listen to me carefully, Luna. The changelings are now under my protection, if I find out you have made a move against them, directly or indirectly. I will come for you, and I will methodically break your horn and every bone in your body. Then I will destroy Equestria. When I am done, all you shall have left is a scorched wasteland, one you will be forced to look at as all you will be able to do is cry. Have I made myself clear?" She remembered that Pepper said that her long threats would easily be perceived as the lies they were, but right now she didn't care.

"What if they're the ones who attack us? Will you help them?" mocked Luna.

"Of course not, but unlike you, they do not kill.” Gamine replied as she calmed down, the effect of the Rage Shift dissipating. “Unless they are forced to, I guess," she murmured to herself.

"The changelings have nothing to fear from me if you stay in Equestria, Pepper, because once I recover, I intend to find an effective way to kill you permanently." She blew through her nostrils. "What's next, am I going to have to walk on both hind legs to Canterlot, or are you going to have the kindness and generosity to open a gate directly there?"

"Actually, I am not done with you yet," she said, grabbing Luna’s rapier off the ground and putting it in its sheath. She did so with great respect for the weapon, her mother having taught her that some swords could be symbols of hope. "Do not dare to try using it." With these words, Gamine used her telekinesis to pick up Luna. She visualised the place where Pepper and Luna duelled earlier, then used her magic again to grab and return her katana into its saya before grabbing it in her left hand.

When Gamine arrived and placed Luna in a sitting position, Chrysalis was ready to emulate the late Celestia and send the Princess of the Night to the Moon.

But the young guardian stood in the way, spreading her wings to intimidate the monster that was now Aglowing’s mother. "Chrysalis, you calm down or I shall give you a hug!" she threatened. "If you wanted her dead, you should have gone pick her up yourself."

Chrysalis found the ultimatum so stupid that somewhere deep down she wanted to laugh about it, but her corrupt mind was content with a growl of frustration.

Gamine then did what had to be done so that the changelings could live in peace. She turned to Luna, drew the misshapen blade, and cut the Princess' cheek with a small cut, making sure that the blood pearled on the edge of Pepper's weapon. Then, she turned to face everypony else, brandishing the murder weapon high. "You are all witness, that I, Pepper Chilly, am the one responsible for the state that the Princess of the Night is in. If one of you dares to say otherwise, I will find you, and nothing will protect you from my wrath!" She turned her eyes to Luna. "This goes especially for you."

Major Antares was confused. "Couldn't we just lie?" she whispered for herself.

"It's semantics." explained Swift. "In inflicting the last wound, the state which Princess Luna is in is her fault. It's not the strictest truth, but it's not a lie."

"It's... twisted as a concept," said the bat pony staring at Gamine, dubious.

"But it's a very convenient way to lie when it's necessary," the bat pony replied with an older brother's look as he watched his friend with a smirk.

Protected, and at the same time manipulated by the one who had killed her sister, forsaken by her subjects for her alter ego, and worst of all, at the mercy of all, Luna could only describe herself as humiliated.

"Moony!" Aglowing Shell carrying her claymore in her telekinetic grip, closely followed by Chitin and Trixie. The little changeling, seeing that the situation had visibly improved, dropped her weapon and jumped into Nightmare Moon's embrace. "I was so afraid something would happen to you," she squealed. Relief enveloping her features as she clutched her friend's chest as tight as she could with her four little legs.

Chitin explained in a few clicks that despite their efforts, preventing Aglowing from returning was impossible.

Following her explanations, Chrysalis, grumbling, brought her face closer to her child, then blew through her nostrils, a criticising look towards her own daughter.

Aglowing turned her gaze to the queen of the Changelings, and took fright when she saw her eyes filled with violet mist. This fright passed quickly though as a look of understanding passed over her features, jumping on her face to offer her a hug as well. "Of course I was also worried about you mother!" chirped the misunderstanding and smiling child.

The love the child offered was a drop in an ocean of hatred, but yet Chrysalis found a semblance of a smile, all fangs outside, too frightening to Trixie's taste.

Nightmare Moon suddenly felt the Tantabus react to an order from Luna, and she barely had time to turn her eyes towards Luna before her body betrayed her, once again becoming a piece of a dream outside the world to which she belonged. With Nightmare Moon no longer being a physical entity, the helmet fell to the ground. The Queen was now incorporeal, a ghost in all but name. The Tantabus seemed to compress in on itself, as if the enormous dreamlike mass of which it was composed was collapsing in on itself to an impossible degree. Nightmare Moon, a prisoner in a sense, struggled against this, her silhouette emerging in an attempt to escape her fate, as if the ice of a frozen lake had just shattered under her hooves.

The sight was horrific, leaving every creature present other than the princess frozen on the spot

"Moony?" Aglowing said in doubt.

Gamine immediately turned to Luna. "What is going on?"

The princess responded with a subtle, satisfied smile. "Nothing serious, I'm just getting rid of a part of myself that's no longer needed."

Upon hearing this, the bat ponies ran, led by Major Antares, to surround the Princess of the Night, weapons in their mouths, to hold her at swordpoint.

Swift, on the other hand, went to secure the helmet, borrowing Trixie's hat without asking for it, to avoid touching it directly, for fear of contaminating it with a part of his memories.

"Moony?!" Aglowing shouted worried.

The young guardian was livid at seeing Luna treat Nightmare Moon's life so dispassionately. Keeping her calm with difficulty, she grabbed Luna by the horn. "Stop it!"

"I promised not to touch the changelings, Nightmare Moon is not a changeling," she calmly reminded whom she thought was Pepper. “Besides, it's only a matter of seconds now.”

"Moony!!!" shouted Aglowing in terror.

Gamine, orange wisps trailing from her eyes, realised that she would not be able to save Nightmare Moon. She smashed Luna's head against the floor in rage, and started to run towards Nightmare Moon.

The shock was too violent and Luna lost consciousness.

The bat ponies kept an eye on her.

The Tantabus was barely larger than an apple, and the presence of Nightmare Moon was barely visible, a leg or horn desperately trying to reach freedom.

Gamine, not knowing if the destruction of Nightmare Moon would be complete, wanted to make sure that her soul would survive the Tantabus. She was forced to use her native magic. Her eyes and the golden halo around her horn turned into a deep shade of purple and green as she threw herself on the Tantabus to tear Nightmare Moon's soul away from it.

The ethereal body disappeared like a soap bubble, only a powerful opalescent flame remained, which flickered in silence, weakly illuminating the guardian's face, who held it the palm of her left hand, gloved with a purple halo.

In tears, the child approached first, observing the flame that reminded him of a star that had fallen from the sky. "Pepper! Where's Moony?!"

Sitting on her rump, Gamine replied, fascinated by the soul. "What I hold in my hand... is all that is left of her," her gaze was glued to the soul. The power that emanated from it, she felt it pushing through her arm.

Pepper woke up. As she witnessed the situation, she frowned, yet remained silent.

"What do you mean, all that's left of her?" asked the child.

Never before had any creatures in Equestria seen a soul, but it was enough to know what kind of monster was standing in front of them to quickly come to the conclusion of what this luminous white flame was. Trixie, Chitin, Chrysalis, Swift, Antares and all the bat ponies present understood that the situation had just degenerated into the worst possible scenario. If nothing was done, Nightmare Moon would suffer the same fate as Celestia.

The tension in the air quickly became palpable, and captivated by the soul in front of her, Gamine confused the ambient uneasiness for hostility. Every second she spent like this, simply holding the soul in her hand, using magic that required embracing her true nature, her heart was closing on her mother's lessons while her nature took over.

Pepper could feel the strength of the soul pulsating in the palm of the hand. It was among the top four she ever handled in her entire life. "Would it be this easy to ruin everything she taught you?" she whispered to herself.

With a click of her tongue, Chrysalis ordered her daughter to step back. The changeling could imagine the hunger that the human being must have felt at that moment only too well, and it was better for her child to stay away from her, because the bat ponies would surely not stand by and do nothing.

The little hybrid complied with the order, but asked for an explanation on Gamine's answer, which did not come. Her look of concern remained on the strange white flame throughout this entire exchange, because according to the one holding it, it was a part of her friend.

Antares, on the other hand, could not see how she could force a soul eater to abandon a potential meal. Seeing Swift standing there, she assumed in more than one respect that he did not want to confront the regicide again, given how their first meeting had gone. “Pepper Chilly, the city state of Broncoliande is grateful to you for saving our Queen's soul, but your only option now is to let her become a star to guide our people," she ordered firmly.

But Gamine refused such an option, instead of answering, she growled while spreading her wings to intimidate the soldier and tightened her fingers on the soul, not allowing it to leave her sight for a moment.

The tension went up a notch when several bat ponies, swords still in their mouths, began to move slowly towards Gamine. However, considering that this would only worsen the situation, Antares signalled to them to hold their position until further notice.

Frustrated, Pepper sighed. “Gamine, stop being foolish.”

Chrysalis, the corners of her eyes still exuding purple and green wisps because of the hatred that refused to release its hold on her, watched the scene with detachment, until she noticed her daughter's yellow and green eyes pointed at her. And when she read the beginning of sadness in her big eyes, she looked down, and came to offer her a caress on the cheek. "Don't cry, she died to protect us."

However, this was small comfort for the young changeling who was still reeling from the notion that the flickering white flame being held by Pepper was all that was left of her friend. She remained staring at her mother with tears of fear and confusion in her eyes, seeking a more comforting answer. The air suddenly became so heavy that the little Cæsar began to have trouble breathing, her heart beginning to race with a feeling of helplessness, causing tears to roll down her cheeks and wet the arid soil of the Badlands.

The tears of a child, tears shed for a loved one forever lost, reached Gamine's wounded heart. This song of despair distracted Gamine from the soul she was holding. The purple wisps that filled her green, iridescent eyes were driven away by orange wisps as she regained control of herself due to her aching heart echoing Aglowing’s. She coughed as she faltered to hold back tears, wincing in disgust of herself as she tore herself away from the monstrous thought that had almost devoured her. As she stood up, a tear rolled down her cheek as flashbacks of her mother's death raced before her eyes. The unscrupulous feral monster that had stood there a moment prior was now walking towards the child, animated now by more noble intentions.

Pepper sighed again, out of relief this time. “At long last.”

Except for mother and daughter, all could see Gamine's attitude had changed completely, moving now like a model of rectitude.

Antares was not left in awe, remembering the words exchanged two months ago, she wondered if it had anything to do with the so-called call she had been talking about.

"Despite all the magic I have, there is nothing I can do to bring your friend back to life, and believe me when I say, I regret it, Aglowing Shell."

The child, still in tears, left her mother's cheek, who until then had offered her little comfort to turn to her friend's soul. "Moony? Moony, please come back, I don't want you to leave, we haven't played yet tonight," she begged.

Chrysalis, Gamine, Antares, who was now following her closely, and the other bat ponies who had come closer, all clammed up in a cold silence following the plea. Only Swift, who was standing next to Trixie while they both stood behind Antares, his hooves still holding the hat which contained Nightmare Moon's battle helmet, had any hope that this scene could end with a better outcome than the current situation suggested.

"She can not hear her," Pepper whispered.

Gamine only then realised Pepper's presence. "You're back? Since when?" She noted the whole situation, and turned pale. "It's not what you think, I-"

"You saved her soul. I am aware, now repeat my words," Pepper ordered before explaining why.

Each word Pepper said was repeated by Gamine as she stood up straight, focusing her attention on the child. "She can not hear you. A soul is not conscious, Aglowing Shell. A life is composed of a body, a soul, and a spirit. But without the latter, she will not be Nightmare Moon. Just an amnesiac mare."

Swift was sure that was the whole point of Bitter Truth's spell. "Then there's still a chance. Our Queen Nightmare Moon, anticipating such a possibility since she never had her own body, enchanted this helmet to keep a copy of her memories. Would that be enough?"

"It could work if she had a body," Pepper sighed, with a shrug.

Antares was surprised. "How do you know that? Even I didn't know about it."

"I got it from your sister, she was our Queen’s lieutenant where you are only her aide de camp," Swift explained.

Antares was sceptical. "Why would my sister have shared such information with a moron like you?"

“She didn’t.” The comedian could not help himself from capitalising on such an opportunity. "She talks in her sleep."

"Oh." Antares said before it clicked in her mind. "Wait a minute, when did you sleep with my sister?!"

The glimmer of hope offered by Swift and the playfulness between the childhood friends was all it took to ease the mood, the bat ponies burst out laughing, embarrassing Antares to the highest degree.

After the laughter was over, Aglowing used mimicry to take her adult form. "Use my body! I want my friend back!"

"Impossible..." whispered Pepper.

And again, Gamine repeated the explanations. "Impossible. It is a thousand-year-old soul, yours would be crushed by its weight. You would not survive it." She turned to Luna. "That leaves us with only one solution."

"Me," Chrysalis intervened, no longer wanting to see her daughter in such an eager state despite the wrath fuelling her.

Gamine gave a shy laugh. "About 30 years older than your daughter would not make much difference, Chrysalis."

"I am nearly one thousand and one hundred years old, ignorant. Concerning Nightmare Moon, either we rely on Luna, who is a little less than one thousand one hundred and fifty years old, or on the fact that Nightmare Moon was born on the day of her banishment, which makes her one thousand three years old. What's more, I ate Nightmare Moon's heart during the battle, and the icing on the cake is,” she used her changeling magic to shapeshift, "I can use mimicry to make it easier on every creature.” Despite being fuelled by Nightmare Moon’s heart, Chrysalis wouldn’t waste her life force replicating the ethereal mane, but the mane she designed with her mimicry gave Nightmare Moon a look as regal as the original. “Anything to complain about?"

"Too perfect to be real," Pepper commented incredulously before explaining the procedure to Gamine.

"Yes and no. Is it possible to keep the appearance, but the eyes remain unchanged?" said Gamine.

Although frustrated, Chrysalis complied. "Can I at least know why?"

"The eyes are the gates to the soul. In this way, it will be easy to tell which soul is in control of the body."

"Anything else, Lady Soul Expert?" Chrysalis mocked.

"Just to put your mind and soul into a deep sleep with the spell of the Frozen Flame," replied Gamine.

Feeling her life somehow threatened, Chrysalis hissed, spreading her wings to make herself appear most impressive.

The sight of their queen hissing and pulling her tongue in an attempt of intimidation was not something the bat ponies were prepared for.

Gamine remained serene as best she could. "Calm down, it is just to avoid a spiritual conflict between you two. When you wake up, you will remember everything she did as if you dreamed it."

Chrysalis hissed again, not loving the idea, but when she saw all the hope in her daughter's eyes, her maternal instinct prevented it from turning into big tears. "Make it quick," she spat.

"Lay down, you will fall asleep and your body will fall if you stay standing." said Gamine.

Chrysalis turned her eyes to Chitin. "One month, no more." Then looked at her daughter. "During that time, make sure that your friend quickly finds an alternative." She sighed, closing her eyes. "I look forward to receiving some sweet dreams,” she punned under her breath

Gamine put her left hand on Chrysalis' forehead, letting Pepper cast the spell. Chrysalis struggled for a moment against the sudden state of fatigue, but quickly sank into a magical sleep.

At the request of Gamine, all of them, without exception, took a few steps back, Swift took the opportunity to get closer and, with the agreement of Gamine, put the helmet on the head of the sleeping mare. Gamine immediately lodged Nightmare Moon's soul in Chrysalis' chest after Swift moved back away.

Bitter Truth's spell took effect, Chrysalis' memories were supplanted by Nightmare Moon's, and Nightmare Moon awoke with the freshest memory. She jolted in a scream of terror, rearing up to escape her imminent death.

Swift and Gamine barely had time to drag themselves out of reach of the alicorn to avoid an errant kick.

The shortness of breath, the alert senses, her light blue eyes surrounded by purple wisp, she observed her surroundings, realising quickly that the situation had suddenly changed.

"Moony?" Aglowing Shell said, holding her breath and restraining her tears.

The alicorn turned her gaze to the child who had not left her adult appearance. She leaned forward, frowning and glaring, her wings spread to assert her status as Queen. "How many times must I tell you, Aglowing Shell, my name is Nightmare Moon! Not Moony!"

This scold made the little Cæsar cry with joy, immediately embracing her friend who had come back from afar.

Nightmare Moon was a little lost, but returned the hug.

"Nightmare Moon, we have a problem to solve as soon as possible," said Gamine.

The queen noted Chrysalis’ absence, and saw Swift nodding discreetly. "And what's the problem, Pepper?"

Gamine searched for the right words, but she lacked the empathy to formulate it in a subtle way, so she decided to be blunt. "To sum it up very roughly, you are dying."