The End is Not the End

by Hoofprintz

Celestia : Infiltration

"Are you certain she's coming, Luna?" Cadance, Flurry, my sister, and I were waiting in the center of the throne room inside the Crystal Palace. We'd been standing around for what felt like an eternity for the arrival of my wayward student.

In reality, I had brought about dawn less than five minutes ago, but the tension that permeated the air made it seem as if time was dragging on like a disobedient pet that didn't want to go for their customary walk. That was one of the many reasons the only "pet" I was friends with over the last few thousand years was Philomena.

I missed her dearly more often than not, but a phoenix should never be tied down to one place for too long. If she came to visit our home now...

I should've left a message for her... or done anything at all for that matter.

I suppose there were much more pressing matters to attend to, it just felt inconsiderate looking back at how simple a triggered spell would've been to leave behind.

She's a smart girl. It'll be fine.

My little sister looked very annoyed at my tenth? inquiry... possibly more. Last night, Luna had finally found an opening to invade Twilight's dreams. It was not something she did without serious consideration. Her duty had always been to eliminate the nightmares of the citizens of Equestria, to help them deal with the problems that plagued them during their waking hours, not to use her gift to trespass for her own desires.

Her desperate maneuver was a testament to how severe our situation had become, that she'd forsaken her pride and went on with her plan said more than any words ever could.

"As I have said several times already, Tia, she will be here. I am more certain of that than I am of my own ability to raise and lower my moon," she confirmed once again. I'd asked her what she'd said or done to force Twilight's hoof, but she refused to speak a word. That being the case, I assumed whatever had occurred between the two of them was especially despicable, but fully understood her need to utilize such deplorable methods.

We had no other options and our actions were starting to reflect that restriction. Cadance and Flurry had the city evacuated to underground caves far beneath the Crystal Palace. Their entire army was ready to defend their homes and their ponies to the death, should we be defeated and those caves be breached.

However, if it actually came to that, all would already be lost. The Rainbow Guard stood between the caves and any aggressors that might try to infiltrate them. If the elite fell, regular guards would stand little chance against foes so strong. The common pony was adept at common objectives, but today would be as far away from common as one could get.

So much was riding on me, my sister, Cadance, and Flurry, but there was also an immense responsibility on the Rainbow Guard. If what Luna hinted at was true, she'd pushed Twilight over the edge, and she had no reason to lie.

We'll follow her right off that edge and we'll bring her back! Kicking and screaming, if need be.

That being said, if Twilight used some sort of army created from evil magic, the Rainbow Guard would be our last line of defense against such a force. I'd never really interacted with any of them before today, but something interesting had happened during our preparations earlier in the morning. One particular member of the Rainbow Guard had pulled me aside while Cadance, Flurry, and I were setting up defensive measures around the city.
____________________________________________________________________________

We stood facing each other in the cramped guard outpost. The room wasn't so small as much as the two of us were... very large, for lack of a better description. He was a hulking stallion of earth pony descent, his mammoth frame a tad larger than my own, though if I tried my hardest and spread my wings as far as they would open I could probably look larger... possibly.

His steel armor could be contributing to his scale, or at least that's what I initially thought, but when he lifted his helmet from his head and placed it under his foreleg, I could see that it wasn't by much, if at all. His coat was a lime green, mane and tail both pitch black, straight, and very long. Rugged blue eyes shined with a strength of will that I only ever encountered in earth ponies. Guessing his age, I'd put him in his early fifties.

"Ah apologize fer bringin' ya tuh uh secluded place like this, Yer Highness," his farmpony drawl gave the Apple family's a run for their money. Much like that illustrious family, there was a welcoming, friendly tinge to his deep voice. "And fer mah lack of proper royal etiquette," he fidgeted uncomfortably.

"It's quite alright, ah..." I paused, not sure how to continue.

"OH! Right, I mostly go by Stronghold, Yer Highness," he saluted with his hoof that wasn't holding his helmet. "Wait uh tick, that ain't right," he looked down at himself before abruptly cutting his salute short and bowing low instead. I held in a giggle.

"Mostly go by?" He'd piqued my curiosity, though I should have foreseen the reasoning.

"Cap'n Flurry tends to refer tuh me as 'Big Guy'," he stood up straight. I had to hold another laugh in.

If nothing else, Flurry's nicknames are quite accurate.

"An apt description."

"Ah suppose." He didn't seem troubled by the name. "It's who she is. Reckon she's given everypony she's ever met uh peculiar nickname," his face scrunched up as something came to his mind, "cept Violet, but she's uh whole nother story."

"Her friend Spike as well." I ran through all I knew who'd not been given an alternate name by the mischievous alicorn. The list was quite exclusive. He nodded in agreeance.

"True, Capn's very respectful when it comes tuh dragons, or at least tuh Spike," he smiled as he stroked his chin with a hoof. "They're tough creatures."

"Indeed, though I'm afraid we seem to have gotten a bit off topic." His suddenly wide eyes snapped to mine. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Stronghold."

"Pleasure's all mine, Yer Highness," he breathed a sigh of relief as he scratched the back of his head. "Now then, first off, apologies, I don't tend tuh lollygag like this, I promise, though ah suppose ah don't get thuh ear of thuh Princess of Equestria often."

"Former princess," I raised a hoof to correct him.

"Once uh princess, always uh princess, Yer Highness," he smiled. "Second, thuh reason ah had tuh speak with ya. Cap'n filled us all in on thuh mission today," he slowly grew more stoic as he spoke. "Ah wanna know why were bein' put on thuh rear line."

A soldier is created and trained to fight for their ideals. The best place to do that was on the front where the action is.

Does he feel disgraced?

If that was the case it was wholly unnecessary.

"The rear line is not as... dishonorable as you might think, Stronghold."

"Princess?"

"What is the extent of our forces?" I wasn't sure what Flurry had told her guard and so, didn't want to reveal anything kept hidden by her.

"Well uh, not that it matters much, what with Cap'n at thuh front, but as far as I can tell we also have you, Princess Luna, thuh Rainbow Guard and thuh Crystal Guard," he raised a brow. "And ah suppose Princess Cadance too, but like ah said, with cap'n at thuh front our princess will be comfortably watching thuh battle from afar." Such unshakeable faith in their captain was an impressive feat, both for Flurry and her soldiers.

"And you're aware of who our enemy is, correct?" He looked away just a bit before refocusing and replying.

"The capn's aunt and Princess Cadance's sister-in-law, Twilight Sparkle," he declared with all the discipline one would expect from an elite guard. The mask I put on was one of pity. This whole situation was just too sad to take. In reality, I wanted to gauge his empathy toward my niece and granddaughter.

"Then you're also aware that this is not simply a fight to the death?" I asked. He took a deep breath before sighing.

"Yes, ma'am," he kept his reply short.

"What would you do if you were in the place of your captain right now?" His head dropped progressively as I went on. "What would you do, would you feel, if your own aunt was coming to attack you and your citizens and you still loved her dearly?" He remained quiet. I placed a gentle hoof on his shoulder guard. "I don't envy the position your captain is in, but I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that she is a tactical expert without rival." He chuckled. "If she put the Rainbow Guard on the rear line, then it's the most important place to utilize your skills." His head raised to show a satisfied smile.

"It's easy tuh see why ya ruled fer so long, Yer Highness," he looked down at me with admiration.

"With subjects like you, ruling was both a blessing and a joy, Stronghold," I smiled at him.

"Thank ya kindly, Princess, fer whipping this old guard back inta shape," he bowed his head, his smile growing wider.

"Thank you Stronghold, for using your gifts for the betterment and safety of those who need you and not just for yourself," I returned his warm smile.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

It had been a pleasant conversation, one that infused me with a solid confidence in the rest of the Crystal Army. If half of Flurry's guard were as competent as Stronghold, we'd have nothing to worry about in that area.

As the first line of defense for the empire, one that would hopefully prevent any loss of life, the four of us had combined our mana to cast a protective barrier around the city. Even Twilight herself with evil magic would take a fairly long time to bring it down.

Currently, my horn shined with a prepped teleportation spell, one that would take Cadance and I all the way to Canterlot. As soon as I had confirmation of Twilight's presence near the city, I'd transfer Cadance and myself to our destination where we'd begin our part of the mission.

Flurry and Luna should be able to occupy Twilight's time for long enough, but their part was one of precision, not power. Worst case scenario, they overwhelmed or frustrated Twilight to the point where she'd retreat back to Canterlot. That was not acceptable, though I suppose not the worst case scenario, all things considered. The WORST case scenario would be Flurry and Luna getting trounced in seconds and... Guilt gripped me tightly as I surveyed the family around me.

We'll be okay. We just have to stick to the plan.

One member of our family was hurting.

We have to save her. Still...

"Cadance, Flurry!" My niece and her daughter turned their gazes my way, both filled with a confidence I wished I had. "If you don't want to do this..." my own determination wavered for only a second, but they both saw the weakness clearly. My body slumped, the weight of such a foolish display crushing down onto me. In such a dangerous environment any decent soldier would've lost their nerve then and there and abandoned their leader in such a moment of folly. But they weren't great soldiers, they were so much more than that. They were my beloved. My family.

"Don't be so hard on yourself, Auntie." Cadance gave me a reassuring smile.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure we're all nervous," Flurry agreed with her mother. "Not just you, Granny."

"We are in this together, Tia. No matter what may happen," Luna lifted her forehooves to the three of us. We drew closer to one another, embracing in a group hug. "We will see it through to the end."

"LUNA! WHERE ARE YOU!? GET OUT HERE YOU HORSE!" The volume and ferocity of Twilight's yell made the Royal Canterlot Voice sound like a whisper in the middle of a Countess Coloratura concert. The planet itself rocked back and forth at the bellow as the four of us held onto each other so that we wouldn't fall over.
Then the explosions began. The barrier we'd cast was being pummeled by a continuous barrage of powerful spells. "LUNAAAAA!" My infuriated student screeched, sounding like she might be possessed by a demon. Her attacks persisted, not relenting for a second.

"What did you do, Granny?" Flurry looked up at the shaking ceiling in utter amazement and possibly a little admiration. The strength Twilight was employing was something to be marveled at.

"Enough," my sister remained vague. "We must make haste, Flurry. Be wary of her evil spells. Even with your special talent, you must remain vigilant."

"Right!" she snapped to attention. Cadance pulled her daughter's head close to her own, their faces inches from each other.

"Be careful, my little heart." Cadance kissed the younger alicorn on the cheek who blushed crimson, but nodded confidently in response.

"Come on, Mom," Flurry turned to me, a little embarrassed. "Keep her safe, Granny Sola. I love you guys." I nodded, looking over the most important ponies in my life.

"Let's fix this mess, girls."

It's time to bring her back. Time to make everything right.

"It's time for harmony to return to Equestria." I declared confidently. They nodded back in unison.

I casted my teleportation spell on Cadance and myself, expecting to be stopped by the barrier around the city once again, however this time there was no unwanted collision.

"Auntie..." Cadance had better senses than most, including myself, but anypony could see that something was very wrong. The two of us stood in front of Canterlot Castle as if nothing was out of the ordinary. The first thing that stood out to me was the lack of sounds.

No birds chirping, no bugs buzzing, no gentle breeze or wind blowing about. It was as if we were in a painting and not reality. Everything looked correct, but using any sense other than sight immediately made it clear that it was anything but.

"Flurry was right," I remarked. There were no guards at their stations, no delegates from other nations strolling about, no upper class ponies flaunting their status to anypony that would give them the time of day. "There's nothing..."

"Down to the smallest bug," Cadance stared at the ground. The questioning look I gave her asked her to continue without me having to say a word. "There aren't even ants IN the ground, just as there are no birds in the air. There is no love here, not an ounce of it." She sounded disgusted.

"We weren't supposed to appear here," I looked up at the double doors of the castle in front of us. "But I think that's your influence. Did you do something?" She nodded in response.

"When we were teleporting, I could feel the... evil power of the barrier. I coated our bodies with my magic, a simple love spell spread out all over us," she swept her hooves over her body, helping me to visualize. "Kind of like when an earth pony sanitizes their hooves when they're about to do invasive surgery. That was my logic, at least. I guess it was enough because the spell is gone now," she looked closer at her foreleg. Without a word I pulled her into a hug. "AUNTIE?!"

"Excellent work, Cadance! I hadn't even thought of trying something like that." If her spells could be used as a repellent then we had so many more options than I had originally thought. That development would also make traversing the castle much safer as well. She stepped out of my embrace, a contemplative look on her face.

"I'll cast another to give us a last line of defense... just in case," she flared magic into her horn.

"Great idea!" I nodded. "We're already making good time. I expected to spend so much longer on the outside of the barrier."

"You don't think it might've been a little... too easy?" she finished casting her spells. I honestly did, but I decided to stay quiet. What conclusion had she come to? "Why only one barrier to keep us out? And why have it be completely comprised of that particular element of magic?" she stared at the double doors as if they were going to attack us at any moment.

"What do you think?" I had a hunch, but Cadance's intuition and perception were invaluable. If she was getting red flags then I would follow her lead, no questions asked.

"It could be a trap, but..."

"But?" I lifted a brow.

"With how angry she sounded, she was probably overcome by emotion," she examined the double doors even closer. "I think she acted without thinking and we have the advantage now."

"Agreed. If Luna's tactics drove Twilight to act so rashly, then that would explain why her city isn't more fortified." We'd overcome the first defense easily, Twilight's lack of foresight costing her dearly. Now we just had to find that book, but where to look first? We didn't even know what it looked like, much less where it might be located.
"The book could be in her quarters, though that's probably being a little too optimistic," I tapped my chin with a hoof. "Checking the archives first would make more sense, but getting inside the more guarded areas is very time consuming, which can prove costly in the end. Plus, we may have set off alarms when we entered the city as well. Even more concerning, we could be dealing with deadly traps past this point." While I brainstormed she was intently examining the doors, as if there was something tiny that she could see but I could not. "Cadance?"

"Have you ever heard the theory that everything has life..." Her face scrunched up as she casted a spell. "Maybe a better word would be energy," she was using microscopic vision to look at the door now. I started to worry.

"Cadance, I don't think we're really in a position to be waxing philosophical," I walked up next to her, now just as curious as she was about the simple wood of the monstrous doors.

"I'm not, Auntie," she fell to her haunches with a discontented sigh. "I've got... really, really bad news." She looked absolutely dejected.

"What... what is it?"

"There's evil magic all over," she focused her gaze on me, getting her face way too close to mine. "Even on you and me. It's... doing something very slowly. Maybe what Aunt Luna said, stealing the energy of whatever it comes into contact with," she backed away as she began scrutinizing the ground.

I magnified my own vision, my horn humming quietly. Looking at my foreleg I could only see the white of my coat and the delicate skin underneath. Not until I stopped moving and really concentrated did I start to see it. Vibrating and black, it resembled mold that might grow on extremely damp surfaces.

"Cadance, how did you-"

"When I casted the spells on us the second time they immediately started to disintegrate," she quelled her magic after sharing that, staring at the space in front of her for a minute. "Logically speaking, the only cause could be they were already being destroyed by evil magic."

Had Twilight's protections been so lackluster because she had this? Is the environment itself uninhabitable?

"Is there any sort of barrier or spell we co-" she cut me off, shaking her head.

"It's in the air, Auntie. Every second we're here, we breathe more of it in. It could even be entering the pores of our skin. We... we might already..." her ears dropped onto her head.

It can't be...
There isn't magic that strong in all of creation.

Even noxious gasses or poisons could be purified in the lungs or filtered through spells.

What about...

"FLURRY! She came here and she's... fine... right?" I was beginning to hyperventilate as I started to clutch at straws, which most assuredly was not helping keep out the toxic invader.

"Flurry wasn't one hundred percent sure she even entered Canterlot, remember?" My niece's breathing was coming at more calculated intervals. "And even if she did, her special talent is a barrier against ANYTHING that tries to harm her." Cadance wasn't as strong as Luna or myself. I didn't know how long she could endure whatever was happening to us, but we only had this one opportunity.

"Can... can you go on?" We only had this one shot, If the book wasn't here we'd retreat. Cadance's life was worth more to me than any info or strategy could ever be. She nodded, a cocky grin lifting her lips.

"I'm fine, Auntie. I am Princess Celestia and Princess Luna's only niece, after all. Let's go," her breathing was still labored, but the glint in her eyes showed no surrender. I nodded before casting another teleportation spell on the two of us.

Twilight's room was pristine, not a trinket or item out of place... except one.

"I don't want to get ahead of myself or anything," Cadance coughed slightly. "But did we just hit the jackpot?" We both rushed up to the immaculately made bed. Lying on it as if it were taking a peaceful nap was a unique looking book. A tattered ancient thing, it's only distinguishing features were a leather binding and..."Why does it have Twilight's cutie mark on it?" Cadance read my mind. It wasn't printed on or even very clear, but it was there, like it was still in the process of being added.

"I... don't know." I reached out with my magic before abruptly ceasing such a reckless action.

"This has to be a trap," Cadance remarked before covering another cough with her hoof.

"Most definitely," I agreed. She began to cough harder, drawing my concerned gaze.

"Auntie, it's thicker in here," She continued to cough as she backed away from the bed. "I think it's coming from that book," she held a hoof up to her muzzle, but it wasn't helping in the least. She was starting to look pale, the vibrancy of her pink complexion fading fast.

Without hesitation I unbuttoned the clasp of the tome with a hoof and flipped it open. A tremor of horror crawled through me, like millions of insects scurrying around for their next meal.

"It's... it's blank," I flipped frantically, back and forth with nothing to show for it.

"No way..." Cadance's hoofsteps approached from the corner she'd confined herself to. "Auntie, it's not..." she was right next to me, her mouth agape.

"What do you-" the book turned to a page of its own will, lifting into the air and hovering in front of Cadance.

"I'm so sorry, Sis. I love you so much?" she read in a low whisper. The book slammed shut, inky darkness consuming it and flooding all over the bed and our hooves. Cadance breathed in deeply, terror causing her to recoil.

"Auntie!" her coughs were becoming extremely dry, a truly horrid sound. She fought to lift her legs, but the gunk was thick and sticky, like a malicious quicksand. Her horn began to shine brightly, a long tendril of darkness leaping at it. It exploded into sparks as it came into contact with the magic she’d channeled.

"CADANCE!" I summoned energy into my own horn, but as soon as it came to life a large gout of darkness spewed forth from the book and snuffed my light out.

Her love is better suited to fight against this evil.

With all the strength I could muster, I reached out a forehoof for my struggling niece.

The room was already filled so much by the darkness that we could practically swim in it, if it weren't so dense. A horrible fit of coughs racked her small frame as another dark tendril curled around her neck, climbing toward her horn. It wouldn't work, just like the first it would be destroyed.

At least that's what I initially thought until I realized it wasn't aiming for her horn.

NO!

I flapped my wings as hard as I could, barely making a difference, but driving me a few inches closer to her. The darkness plunged into Cadance's open mouth and nostrils, her coughs ending, but the alternative infinitely worse.

I could only watch in horror as her eyes went from wide as saucers to squeezed shut, tears falling slowly from them. The gurgling gasping sounds she was making would haunt my nightmares for years. I was so close, just a little further. Just as I was about to reach her the flow of darkness ended.

"Aun... tie," she coughed weakly as her hoof inched toward mine. She looked like she was on her deathbed. We held each other's hoof, sad smiles on our faces.

What a catastrophe.

Maybe this was the WORST case scenario I had never considered.

"I'm so sorry, Cadance." The darkness was almost above my mouth. How Cadance hadn't been consumed yet, I couldn't fathom. She shook her head, defiance still shining in her eyes.

"It's... not over... yet," as she cast her last ditch effort and we were teleported away from the room, I could swear I heard cackling laughter.

Author's Note:

Cadance with the W again. She never stops and saved them both again.

Comments

[Hoofprintz]

11519929
Thanks so much for the comments! Glad to see the story is resonating with you! Yeah I'm not too sure I agree with Luna's methods either, but I think she feels forced into a corner and she has to do something or a lot more creatures will suffer. Is it okay to become a villain to stop a worse villain? Is Luna a villain for pushing Twilight so hard? To be fair Luna would be dead if Twilight had gotten her way when they fought. I'll always back the princess of the night cause she's my favorite, but I can see the flip side. Again thanks so much for the comments!

[MatTheBook]

11519950
She just made her more angry