> The Princess of Themyscira
>  by iowaforever
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> A Gift From The Gods
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


A Gift From The Gods


The first thing Soarin’ was aware of was that his head hurt. Yes, the rest of his body hurt too, but his head more than anything. He tried to open his eyes, but the attempt left him feeling like somepony had stabbed him in the face. He groaned and rolled over, burying his face in the loose sand beneath his head.

Wait, sand?

Soarin’ managed to open his eyes and pulled his head up. He was lying facedown in fine white sand, small grains cascading off his body. He blinked again and looked around, trying his best to determine where in Equestria he was.

He was lying on a beach, a calm breeze causing waves to lap at his rear legs. Up the beach was a forest, large trees blocking out most of Soarin’s vision. He groaned again, pushing up against the ground and steadying himself on achy legs.

“Well... This is definitely not Manehattan.” he muttered. “I suppose I should get flying if I want to-” he was interrupted by something blunt slamming into the back of his head. Soarin’ tumbled forward, his fatigued body unable to support himself as he tried to regain his balance. Face down once again, he groaned and tried to get up, but stopped when something pressed into his back right between his wings.

Soarin’ looked back as best he could and gasped. Standing over him was a mare, her hoof pressed into his back to prevent him from moving. She had a red coat and black mane, and she was dressed in a white tunic that covered much of her body. On her forelegs were two metal bracelets, and a bronze tipped spear was resting in the sand just out of reach. He tried to say something, but the mare pressed into his back with her hoof before speaking.

“What are you doing here, stallion of Equestria?”


...................


One thousand and one years earlier

She was born in the temple of Athena. It was long, drawn out, and had thrown the moon cycle into flux, but in the end she was born strong. Now, her mother was resting, and while she rested others came to pay their respects. As gods came and went, guards from Themyscira’s Amazons, some of the greatest warriors in the world, stood vigilant and alert, ready to defend the resting goddess and her new daughter.

However, one of the guards, a tan unicorn dressed in armor befitting her station as Queen, had allowed her mind to wander. Every now and then she would look back towards the temple, a sad smile gracing her lips. She was careful not allow her fellow Amazons to see her break her composure, less they think ill of her intentions.

Mi Amore Cadenza, Daughter of Luna, Hippolyta thought as she stood before one of the pillars of the temple. It has a nice sound to it, I guess. She sighed and allowed her gaze to wander back towards the temple, columns of marble blocking much of her view.

“Strange, to see one’s attention so rattled by a single foal.” Hippolyta snapped back around just as a white alicorn with grey eyes landed in front of her, a small owl joining it’s master soon after.

“Lady Athena.” Hippolyta said, kneeling slightly. “Forgive me, but it has been some time since-”

“There is no need to apologize, Hippolyta. I am not an enforcer of proper etiquette.” The Goddess of Wisdom chuckled as she took a place next to Hippolyta.

“Should you not go and see if Luna is alright?” Hippolyta asked.

“There will be a time for that, my friend. She has just birthed a wonderful little filly; the last thing she needs is for me to come and rouse her just to make sure she is ‘alright’.”

“I suppose.” There was silence for a few moments before Athena spoke.

“Why are you upset?”

“Upset?” Hippolyta turned towards Athena. “I am not upset, my lady. A good friend of mine has given birth to a healthy filly, so why should I be upset?” Athena was not convinced.

“You always were a terrible liar, Hippolyta. Now tell me, what is upsetting you?” Hippolyta started to speak, but froze. 

“... You know of the circumstances of my arrival, do you not?”

“Of course. You were the first of the Amazons I recruited, after all.” Athena looked away. “And I am sorry that I could not save your daughter.”

“I know.” the Queen of the Amazons sighed. “For many years I never thought of it, but when Luna learned she was with child... I could not hide from it any more. At times I would wake up expecting to see a foal curled up against my body, but when I did not... it was terrible. I-I hate to admit it... but I think I am jealous of Luna.”

“Jealous?”

“Yes. I feel awful just thinking about it; Luna is a good friend of mine, and I have no reason to hate her. But... At times I have caught myself wondering why she can have a foal and I cannot. It is a foolish grudge, but it is still there.” there was another pause. “I... I am sorry for troubling you with my petty desires. I shall return to guard duty.” Hippolyta turned to leave, but stopped when she felt Athena’s hoof touch her shoulder.

“I cannot allow you to continue on like this, Hippolyta. Your misery will only spread, and soon it may come to dominate you.”

“I know. But I cannot abandon my sisters and run off to fulfil my own selfish desires; that would be dishonorable and against all that I stand for as Queen.”

“I never said that was what you must do. Now sit and listen to me, for I have a way to alleviate your suffering.” Hippolyta paused before sitting. Athena fluffed her wings before continuing. “Fast for seven days, and then leave Themyscira. Travel alone, and do not tell anypony else of where you are going.”

“Why? Surely my sisters-”

“Would only try to stop you.” Hippolyta started to object, but Athena raised a hoof to silence her. “I do not doubt the trust you have between your fellow Amazons, but this is a matter that you must handle alone. Now, collect enough clay and other pliable materials to make a sculpture, and you must collect enough by the time the sun is at it’s highest. Sculpt the clay into the shape of a filly, and then pray for the gods’ guidance and favor.”

“But-”

“No more questions, Hippolyta.” Athena rose and turned to leave. “I must return to Olympus. I shall be back for Luna once she recovers.” With that Athena took flight, disappearing into the night sky. Hippolyta stood in silence for a few moments, watching the spot where the goddess had vanished, before groaning and sitting down once more.

“I am an idiot.” she muttered, resting her head in her hooves. “What kind of ruler am I if I allow my personal issues to interfere with how I lead my sisters?” She sighed and hung her head, her eyes closed. She stayed like that for some time before turning her head back towards the temple, straining her ears for any sound. In the back of her mind she saw the image of a sleeping filly, snuggled up against her mother’s side. She sighed again and stood, returning to her guard position.

“I will try Athena’s plan. Hopefully it will bear fruit.”


....................


Hippolyta started out just before dawn on the Seventh Day, armed only with a bowl, some water, a small shovel, and a bottle of wine as an offering to the gods should the process fail. None of her fellow Amazons took notice, so she was able to slip into the forest surrounding the city with little difficulty. She avoided using any of the major paths, instead slogging through the woods and brush. She walked for almost an hour before reaching a small dirt clearing, a collection of stones off to one side.

“This will do.” She said to herself before setting her supplies down. Grabbing her shovel, she began to dig small holes in the clearing, searching for clay and moist soil. Hours dragged by as she worked, and soon a small pile of clay and soil was collected in her bowl. Hippolyta wiped sweat and dirt off her brow before sinking her hooves into the clay, mixing and molding the substance as best she could.

Time dragged on, and Celestia’s Sun was high in the sky. Hippolyta was not the best at sculpting, and several times she had to start over from scratch. A lesser mare would have given up by now, but Hippolyta was an Amazon; she would not be deterred by such setbacks. Just as the sun reached its zenith, she finished her work; sitting before her was a foal shaped lump of clay and silt, not the most elegant of crafts but it would be sufficient. Wiping away more sweat, more from nervousness rather than fatigue, she took the sculpture and placed it upon the flattest rock she could find, setting the wine down next to it in preparation.

“Gods of Olympus,” she prayed, her head turned skyward. “Hear me now, your servant, and grant me this one request. For many years I have served you faithfully and without rest, through many trials and tribulations. I thank you for giving me the strength and skill to be the Queen of Themyscira, and I thank you for the knowledge and camaraderie I have drawn from my sisters.

“But now, I ask you for one thing. Before I was brought into your service, I was struck down in a fit of rage... as was the filly resting inside me.” Hippolyta closed her eyes and hung her head. “I do not wish to judge your will, O Gods, but was not that foal also lost to the rages of stallions, much as I was? Should she not be given a second chance at life, in service to you?

“If I am deemed worthy of your favor, send this child back to me. Give her a chance to serve you in all that she does, and let me raise her as my own daughter. Gods, I beg of you, send her back to me.” there was silence, with only a small breeze rushing through the leaves. Hippolyta opened her eyes and looked to the sky, seeing nothing. She looked down at the sculpture, which had begun to dry in the sun. Sensing that the process had failed, Hippolyta sighed and hung her head.

“I suppose I have been deemed unworthy.” She said, rising to her hooves and reaching for the wine. “I should be heading back before the others begin to-” Hippolyta stopped when she noticed the breeze getting stronger. Above her dark clouds began to form, Celestia’s Sun disappearing behind them. Hippolyta searched the clearing for some kind of weapon, but saw only the shovel she had brought. Rather than running, Hippolyta planted her hooves and drew upon whatever combat spell she could think of as more clouds began to gather, the wind whipping up dust and leaves around her.

Above her, the clouds had grown dark, save for six lights. The lights briefly took the shape of six objects; a star, an apple, a butterfly, a gem, a celebratory globe, and a lightning bolt. The lights collected into one single ball before shooting towards the ground in a solid column, the force of impact knocking Hippolyta halfway across the clearing. Instinct took over and Hippolyta curled herself up into a ball to shield herself from the blast, rock and dirt raining down upon her. The beam held position for several seconds before disappearing, small bolts of energy winking out of existence.

Hippolyta rose, shaking the dirt off herself. She searched around for signs of danger, but all she saw was smoke from the blast... and she heard crying. Hippolyta rushed forward, dropping most of her defenses before she reached the crater. Lying in the crater created by the blast was a newborn filly, crying in confusion and fear. She had a brilliant red coat and raven-black mane, and a pair of sky blue eyes cloudy from tears.

“By the gods!” Hippolyta leapt into the crater, scooping up the filly once she reached the bottom. The filly’s crying dissipated slightly once she was tucked in Hippolyta’s forelegs, but even then she tried to squirm away from the older mare. Hippolyta began to stroke the filly’s mane, trying her best to calm her down.

“It’s okay, little one; I am here. Your mother is here for you.” She stroked the filly once more, and soon the young pony began to calm down. “Be at ease. I am here, and you are safe. Please, little one, there is no need to cry... Please.” the filly’s crying had been reduced to sniffles, and she was now staring up in wonder at Hippolyta. “I promise you, I will guide you and love you with all my heart. You are my gift from the gods...” she leaned down and nuzzled the filly, the young pony smiling. “And I will always love you, no matter what.”


................


Two months had passed by. Surprisingly the other Amazons had welcomed the filly, whom Hippolyta had named Diana, and none had raised major objections. Some held reservations, and others had issues with a curious little filly running around Themyscira. Still, Hippolyta was able to keep Diana’s antics in check, and she always made sure that at least two of her guards were watching the filly if she was not present.

“If you don’t mind me saying, my lady,” said Hippolyta’s captain of the guard, Phillipus, as the two watched Diana as the filly explored the armory. “But policing your daughter has put some strain on the others.”

“I know, but the other alternative is leaving her unattended.”

“Or you could just keep her with you at all times.” Hippolyta turned towards Phillipus, one eyebrow raised. “... That is what I would do.”

“That would be repressing her too much." Hippolyta said, shaking her head. "She needs a chance to explore and learn what is right and what is wrong.”

“She might hurt herself.”

“We are watching her, and it will take a lot to hurt her.” Hippolyta was interrupted by a crash. She and Phillipus turned to see that Diana had knocked over a stack of spears and was now tugging at one, lines of slobber dripping down the shaft of the weapon.

“If she did inherit something from you, my lady, it was not your grace.” Hippolyta swatted Phillipus with her tail and hurried over to Diana, using her telekinesis to pull the spear out of the filly’s mouth.

“No no, Diana; you are too young to begin weapons training.” Diana blinked before sitting back on her hind legs, pouting. “Do not give me that look, Diana. You are still young, and I do not wish for you to seriously injure yourself or one of your sisters.”

“I thought you said it would take some work to hurt her.” Phillipus muttered.

“That’s enough, Phillipus.” Hippolyta turned her attention back to the pouting filly before her. “Now Diana, do not act like this. I promise you that I will train you all that I know, once you come of age. I promise that you will become one of the finest mares in the world, and I will guide you and nurture you throughout your life.” Hippolyta smiled. “Would you like that?” Diana blinked again before smiling, getting back on all four hooves and running over to hug Hippolyta.

“That’s better.” Hippolyta said, picking up the filly and returning to Phillipus. “See? She is not too much trouble.”

“You say that now, my lady, but wait until she comes of age.”


.......................


Ten Months Later

Themyscira lay in ruins. In the central plaza Amazons clashed with the Forces of Nightmare, the invaders grinding against the defenders in arduous melee. Wanton acts of destruction had slowed the enemy advance and allowed the Amazons a chance to regroup.

Hippolyta stood alone on the steps of the Temple of Athena, her sword clutched in her magical aura. Her armor was split in several places and she was covered in blood, most of it not her own, and her right foreleg bore a deep gash just below the shoulder. Hovering before her was the enemy, a black alicorn in silver armor who sneered as Hippolyta prepared herself.

“Why do you oppose me, Hippolyta?” Nightmare Moon asked. “You know that you cannot win here.”

“An Amazon never surrenders!” Hippolyta shouted, raising her sword into a guard position. “And I would rather die than see you desecrate this sacred ground!”

 “You know that the destruction of Themyscira is not my goal. You know what I want.” Nightmare Moon summoned her own sword, aiming it at Hippolyta. “Give me my daughter. Now.”

“I cannot do that.” Hippolyta growled, causing Nightmare Moon's eyes to flare with rage.

“You dare to defy me?”

“I have defied enemies much more powerful than you, and I tell you I cannot release Princess Cadenza to you.”

“Then I shall have to take her away by force.” Nightmare Moon lunged forward, swinging her sword in a downward arc. Hippolyta dodged to the side and parried, pulling back as Nightmare Moon swung at her head once more.

“Please, Luna, I beg of you; cease this foolishness.”

“Do not. Call me. Luna!” Nightmare Moon bellowed, firing a spell at Hippolyta. The Amazon Queen raised her forelegs, the spell reflecting harmlessly off her bracelets. “I am Nightmare Moon, the true heir to Equestria’s legacy. For too long you and the others have shunned me, and now all of Olympus shall fear my wrath!” She launched another spell, more powerful this time, but again Hippolyta deflected the attack. Nightmare Moon charged forward once more, but Hippolyta was able to leap over the mad goddess and land a strike on her leg. Nightmare Moon wheeled around and kicked, her hooves catching Hippolyta and knocking her back. “Now, release my daughter!”

“I cannot.” Nightmare Moon snarled and raised her sword, but Hippolyta kept speaking. “I cannot release her... because she is not here.” This caught Nightmare Moon’s attention. She stopped her strike, lowering her sword and glaring at Hippolyta.

“... What?”

“Princess Cadenza has not been on Themyscira for almost two days. Celestia came and spirited her away when she was informed that you were looking for her. She is with ponies who will actually care for her rather than squandering everything on petty grudges.” Hippolyta smirked. “How does it feel, ‘Nightmare Moon’, to know that your entire invasion of Themyscira was a complete waste of resources and time?” Nightmare Moon ground her teeth together, failing to suppress her rage.

“I grow tired of your insolence. You die now!”

“No!” a third voice called out before a red streak pounced on Nightmare Moon. Startled, the goddess twisted around as Diana clambered over her back, swatting and kicking. “No!”

“What?! Get off me!” Nightmare Moon shrieked.

“No!” Diana cried again as she began tugging at Nightmare Moon’s wing.

“I said get off!” Nightmare Moon flared her wings and bucked, but Diana had a death grip on the mare’s back.

“No!”

“Get! Off!” Nightmare Moon finally managed to dislodge Diana from her back, sending the little filly flying. Hippolyta reached out with her magic, catching Diana before she hit the ground and placing the filly gently next to her. Once she was sure Diana was safe, Hippolyta rushed forward and slammed into Nightmare Moon, her sword clashing against the goddess’ armor. Nightmare Moon tried to grab at Hippolyta, but the smaller mare ducked under the attack and kicked her opponent in the side. Enraged, Nightmare Moon began to swing wildly, Hippolyta parrying and blocking as best she could. Finally she saw another opening and kicked, nailing Nightmare Moon in the chest and knocking her back.

“It would have been wise if you had kept your little parasite away from here.” Nightmare Moon growled.

“Diana is as much an Amazon as I am,” Hippolyta countered, standing over the filly to shield her. “She is defending her home and her sisters, and I shall not deny her that chance.”

“No!” Diana snapped, glaring at Nightmare Moon.

“... Very well. I shall have to kill you both!” Nightmare Moon raised her sword once more, but before she could attack she was struck by a bolt of grey magic, her weapon shattering into thousands of shards.

“ENOUGH!” Athena bellowed as she descended from the clouds. “Cease this foolishness, Luna!”

“Oh, you would like that, Athena.” Nightmare Moon sneered. “You would like me to just give up and apologize, so you can better assert your control over me.”

“I just want you to be safe, Luna.” Athena took a step towards the dark alicorn, Hippolyta and Diana staying behind.

“You say that now," Nightmare Moon said, her glare intensifying. "But I know better. You always loved Celestia more than me-”

“How can you say that?" Athena asked, her voice filled with hurt. "I raised you two since you were fillies. I saved your lives during the War in Heaven. I would never show any favoritism toward either you or Celestia.”

“Do not lie to me!” Nightmare Moon planted her hooves and flared her wings. “I know the truth. You don’t care about me, you don’t even care about Celestia! We’re all pawns to you, are we not?”

“Nopony is my pawn, Luna. I love you as my daughter, and I would never try to harm you or manipulate you.”

“More lies.” Nightmare Moon began to draw in power of an attack. “You know that I am not your daughter, and you have already harmed me by stealing my own daughter from me! I am tired of being manipulated in this way!” Nightmare Moon fired her spell, but Athena easily reflected the spell back at the dark alicorn. Nightmare Moon had little time to react before being struck by her own attack, tumbling down the steps of the temple.

“Did you really think you could face me in combat, ‘Nightmare Moon’? Your corruption has made you weak, not to mention delusional. Please.” Athena descended towards Nightmare Moon. “Stop this now... for all of us.”

“No...” Nightmare Moon pulled herself back to her hooves. “No! I shall not be drawn in by any more of your lies! I will show you that I cannot be defeated so easily!” Nightmare Moon’s horn shimmered again, but instead of attacking she and her army disappeared, Themyscira growing quiet as the sounds of battle died.

“No.” Diana chirped, fixing her gaze at the spot where Nightmare Moon had vanished. Hippolyta allowed a small chuckle, but quickly set those thoughts aside as she looked to Athena

“If she was really trying to prove herself, why didn’t she attack?” Hippolyta asked.

“Most likely she is pursuing Celestia; after all, Nightmare Moon believes that she has Princess Cadenza.” Athena sighed. “I only hope that Celestia can use the Elements of Harmony and redeem Luna.”

“I hope so too.” Hippolyta looked down, finally noticing the wound on her leg. “I should find an apothecary before this wound gets any worse.”

“Indeed. I cannot linger, less my presence draw Nightmare Moon back to Themyscira.” Athena spread her wings and rose up into the air. “I must say, your daughter has a great fighting spirit for somepony that age.”

“And I was dreading the day when she learned to say 'no'." Hippolyta replied. "Hopefully she learns to keep her spirit under control.”

“You are her mother; I have no doubt she will.” Athena vanished, leaving Hippolyta alone with Diana. The older mare looked down at her daughter, the little filly smiling widely.

“That was very dangerous, Diana; you could have gotten yourself hurt or worse killed.” Diana blinked in confusion. “... But you were also very brave; few ponies would willingly risk their lives to save somepony else, and I am proud that you possess that spirit.”

“Ma.” the filly squeaked, nuzzling Hippolyta’s leg. Hippolyta chuckled before scooping Diana up in her good foreleg and placing the filly on her back. Once she was sure Diana was secured, Hippolyta left the temple and headed into the main city, searching for any other Amazons that might also be injured.
> Of The Past and The Future
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Of The Past and The Future





One thousand years after the “Nightmare Moon Incident”


        It took most of Diana’s upper body strength to keep herself from falling off the cliff, no small feat considering her natural strength as an Earth Pony. Wind lashed at her mane and tunic, and one slip would send her plummeting into the ocean below. She grunted and reached up, finding another hoofhold and pulling closer to the cliff.

        It had started off as a simple boast; some of the other young Amazons had been bragging about their skills, and Diana was forced to step in and defend herself. Most had backed off once the Princess of Themyscira entered the conversation, but Diana had allowed her confidence to get to her head, and one dare later she found herself hanging from a cliff, searching for phoenix eggs.

        “I should have listened to Phillipus and backed down while I was still ahead.” Diana muttered as she continued to climb. “... Mother would understand, though; I had to defend my honor.” She pulled herself up onto a small ledge, taking a moment to catch her breath. Diana brushed her mane out of her face once more before looking up the cliff, trying her best to see beyond the ridge above.

        Rested, Diana reached into her saddlebag and pulled out a small length of string. Quickly, she tied her mane back into a ponytail before continuing her climb, her visibility much improved now that her mane was out of the way. Soon she could see the signs of birds roosting, the rocks covered in scratches and droppings. Some of the rocks were a little loose from the various nests, and Diana nearly lost her footing as she neared the top.

        Next time I’m going to bring more rope. She thought as she pulled herself up onto the highest ledge. From here she could see for miles, and she easily spotted the many buildings of Themyscira. Diana smiled; her mother had always told her that Themyscira was more beautiful from above, but never before had she had the chance to see it. With Celestia’s Sun high in the sky, the city seemed to shine, enough so that Diana had to squint now and then.

        But she was not here for the scenery; she was looking for phoenix eggs.

        Diana tightened her saddlebag and moved on, keeping her head close to the ground in search of scorch marks. She could have tried to move through the nearby forest, but her observation of phoenixes showed that they were very attentive towards heavily wooded areas. The approach from the sea, however, was unguarded, and despite the difficulties of climbing Diana was able to approach undetected.

        Diana’s search soon bore fruit; a series of rings had been burned into the rock, radiating away from a large tree near the edge of the forest. Smiling, Diana crept forward slowly, hugging the ground in order to stay out of sight. She did not see the nest, much less the parents, but she knew that she was close. When she reached the thickest of the rings, Diana reached back and pulled a small vial from her saddlebag. The vial was filled with manticore urine, and if her mother’s teachings were correct the phoenixes would attack the source in order to defend their chicks, making it a perfect distraction.

        Diana placed the vial in her right hoof before hurling it into the woods, away from where she guessed the phoenix nest was. There was the shattering of glass as the vial broke, and soon after dozens upon dozens of sea birds took flight, shrieking in fear and confusion as they flew away from the “manticore”. As the birds flew away, Diana caught the sight of two majestic raptors diving out of the sky towards her distraction, flames dancing off the tips of their feathers as they flew. Once she was sure that the phoenixes were occupied, Diana raced towards the treeline, ducking to avoid the occasional errant sea bird.

        She spotted the nest high up in the trees, tucked away amongst two thick branches. Diana leapt up and grabbed the thickest branch she could find, climbing the tree being much easier than the cliff. She checked around to make sure that the phoenixes had not spotted her, quickening her pace so she could leave before they returned. She slipped through the branches as best she could, tree sap collecting on her hooves as she climbed.

        Finally, she reached the nest. It was large, almost as big as she was, and resting in the center was a cluster of six red and gold eggs. They must have been close to hatching, for Diana could feel the heat radiating off the eggs. Diana reached into her saddlebag and pulled out a length of rope, tying it off into a small lasso while checking for any sign of the parents. She gave the lasso a small toss, groaning in frustration when the rope landed short. Several more times she failed to snag an egg, and several times she thought she heard the adult phoenixes returning. Her persistence paid off, though, when she managed to snag the nearest egg with what she felt was not the greatest of throws.

        As she began to pull the egg towards her, though, a thought came to mind. Diana thought of the adult phoenixes, and how they would react upon finding the egg lost. She shuddered; from her experiences with her own mother she had a good idea how an enraged parent might react to finding their child missing, and phoenixes were known for causing destruction when angered. Diana sighed and relaxed tension on the lasso, the rope going slack and freeing the egg.

        “I... I can’t do it.” She pulled the rope back. “Honor isn’t worth it if I have to live through that.” She returned the rope to her bag and began to climb down the tree. “I suppose I could just explain to the others about what I-” she was interrupted by a gout of flame striking the tree just above her head. Diana lost her balance and tumbled out of the tree, the impact driving the air from her lungs. Above her the male phoenix circled her before releasing another blast of flame, which Diana deflected with her bracelets. Diana rolled back on her hooves and began running, the male phoenix right on her tail.

        Diana darted away from the phoenix as fast as she could, saying a silent prayer to the gods to provide her strength and speed. She ducked and weaved through the underbrush, flames from her pursuer missing her by inches. Diana looked back, spotting the phoenix as it pulled away and stopped pursuing her.

        However, when she looked back she did not see the female phoenix flying ahead of her. Diana had barely enough time to raise one of her forelegs as the phoenix attacked, flames washing over her body and leaving her tunic slightly charred. She rolled to one side and ran off in another direction, galloping as fast as she could while the phoenix pulled away.

        She slowed down only when she reached a clearing, the dirt floor of the forest giving way to grassy fields. She looked behind her, scanning the trees for signs that the phoenixes were pursuing her. When she saw none, she sighed and stopped to rest.

        “Diana?” a voice asked. Diana turned and saw Hippolyta near the edge of the clearing, the older mare resting beneath the shade of an olive tree. “What are you doing?”

        “Running.” Diana replied, trotting over to where Hippolyta lay.

        “I can see that.” Hippolyta shifted her gaze to Diana’s tunic. “I can also see that you had a run-in with the phoenixes. Were you trying to steal eggs from them?”

        “I was going to give them back, mother." Diana replied quickly, digging at the ground with her hooves. "It was just a dare between me and some of my sisters, nothing more.”

        “Be careful when taking dares, Diana; while an affront to honor is terrible, you may end up losing your life or offending the gods, both of which are not worth whatever you gain in regards of honor.” Hippolyta smiled. “However, I did see you leaving the city early this morning, and judging by the time of your return I would say that you’ve managed to reach the nest and get back quicker than I ever did.” Diana blinked in surprise for several moments.

        “... You were waiting for me this whole time?”

        “No. I just thought this would be a good place to rest from my duties.” Hippolyta chuckled, Diana joining in after a brief pause. “You know, I’m proud that you didn’t take the eggs.”

        “How did you know-”

        “I know, Diana. That was one of the challenges Athena put me through when she was determining if I should be Queen, and I didn’t take the eggs either. As a pony who hadn’t had a chance to be a mother, I didn’t think it would be right for me to spread my misery to others, no matter what species they were.”

        “Well... you still have me.”

        “That was several hundred years before you were born, Diana. But yes, I am glad that I have you.” Hippolyta stood and nuzzled Diana, the younger mare resting her head on her mother’s shoulder. “Diana?”

        “Yes mother?”

        “Is something troubling you?” Hippolyta pulled away. “You seem more tense than normal.”

        “I don’t feel any different." Diana shrugged. "Maybe it’s just me recovering from my encounter with the phoenixes.”

        “You may be right. Go and get a fresh tunic, and maybe you can relax a little.” Diana nodded and trotted off while Hippolyta returned to her spot under the olive tree. Diana heard the sound of civilization long before she saw it, and soon she spotted other mares going about their duties at the outskirts of Themyscira.

        “Hello Diana.” a cream colored mare called as Diana passed by. “Run into a little trouble?”

        “Phoenixes.”

        “Ah, say no more. Well, better luck next time, I guess.” Diana chuckled and kept walking as the other mares returned to their work. By now Diana could see dozens of her fellow Amazons, mostly earth ponies and unicorns, all of them working or honing their combat skills. Most were too focused to notice her, but she did receive a few friendly nods as she walked towards the baths.

        “Ah, Diana.” Diana turned her head just as she was joined by Alexa, a red maned unicorn who had been initiated into the Amazons shortly after Diana was born. “I see your phoenix hunt didn’t go so well.”

        “It went fine, I just didn’t think it was worth it in the end.”

        “A wise decision." the other Amazon nodded. "I do not mean to lecture you, Princess, but you must focus on other pursuits before playing foalish games such as this.”

        “They have their place, Alexa.” Diana chuckled. “Maybe my mother was right; you are too serious about your position.”

        “I am not serious, I am just dedicated; there is a difference.” Alexa sighed before continuing. “But enough about duties. What is troubling you?” At this, Diana frowned.

        “My mother asked me the same question. Why do I seem troubled?”

        “I cannot say. You seemed happy yesterday, but now..." Alexa looked her up and down. "There’s just something off about how you carry yourself.”

        “Why shouldn’t I be unhappy? The gods have blessed me with a wonderful mother and great companionship with you and the others. I have no reason to be unhappy.”

        “Maybe it’s not unhappiness but rather... longing.” Diana paused to consider Alexa's words. She had everything she needed in Themyscira: friends, her mother, a place to sleep. What more would she need...? Then again, there was always the other matter the others had spoken of, besides the phoenixes...

        “Right. I suppose I should speak to my mother about it later.”

        “That is probably the best course of action. I must go; I have other duties to attend to.” Diana nodded as Alexa departed, just outside the baths. The baths themselves were an open air complex, with three large pools of water separated by what amounted to small slides. Diana shed her tunic and set it aside for the younger Amazons to clean, sliding into the first pool and sighing as warm water seeped into her coat.

        “I did not expect to see you here, Diana.” Diana did not look towards Phillipus as the older mare joined her in the pool.

        “I could say the same about you,” Diana replied. "I had thought that you were still overseeing training for the new guard patrol."

        “One of the new mares started fighting dirty during training; started flinging sand and got a little too overzealous.” Phillipus explained.

        “Sounds like she has potential.”

        “Oh yes. Once she gets her temper under control I’m considering asking your mother to make her one of the royal guards.” Phillipus smiled. “How did the phoenix hunt go?”

        “Funny how many ponies know about that.” Diana said, furrowing her brow.

        “Small island, mares talk. So?” there was a pause before Diana spoke again.

        “I couldn’t go through with it. It just did not seem worth it.”

        “Wise choice." Phillipus said. "I was there when your mother decided against it; you should have seen Athena beaming with pride when Hippolyta returned and explained herself.”

        “I imagine it was magnificent.” Diana dipped below the surface of the pool to wash the soot off her face before surfacing and continuing to speak. “Just as well, I don’t think I’ll do something like that again... well, the climbing wasn’t bad.”

        “I bet.”

        “Although...” Diana hesitated. Should I really tell Phillipus that there might be something wrong with me? “Others.... Others have been saying that there’s something off about me.”

        “Oh?” Phillipus asked, raising an eyebrow.

        “Yes. I think it’s absurd; I feel fine, and I haven’t had any disagreements with the others or with my mother.”

        “Interesting.” Phillipus moved closer to Diana. “When did this start?”

        “Well, my mother brought it up when I was coming home from the phoenix hunt, but nopony has ever said there was anything wrong with me before.”

        “Hmm... Maybe you are just subconsciously reacting to something that happened to you. I remember your mother being on edge for a year after the Nightmare Moon incident.” Diana shuddered; she had only been a filly when Nightmare Moon attacked Themyscira, but the stories that the older Amazons had told her were enough to give her bad dreams for weeks. “Perhaps it was something you heard?”

        “Maybe... There was the dare, and I did hear some of the younger girls talking about the mortal realm-” Diana stopped when Phillipus pulled away from her. “I-I am sorry, Phillipus; I forgot how touchy you were on that subject.”

“Being murdered by my commanding officer for ‘fraternizing’ is a perfect reason to be ‘touchy’.” Phillipus growled. “Why would they even talk about the mortal realm? Is Themyscira not good enough?”

        “I don’t know what they were talking about exactly; they could have been supporting Themyscira for all I know. But...” Diana sighed. “Maybe that’s what you were talking about, the subconscious reaction. I mean, I wasn’t brought into Themyscira in the normal fashion, so I don’t really know a lot about what to expect in the mortal realm.” Diana hoped that Phillipus would understand her point; unlike the others, Diana had been made in Themyscira instead of reincarnated from an abused soul, so her being a bit more naive would not be all that surprising.

        “I... guess.” Phillipus shuddered. “Please, I would recommend discussing this with a seer, or better yet, your mother. I am not sure if I can keep myself in check.”

        “But she might react the same as you did.”

        “Diana, your mother is the last pony I would expect to lose her temper over something like this. Sure, she might be startled by your new... ‘interests’, but she adores you and would do anything to help you.”

        “You really think so?” Diana asked.

        “I have served your mother faithfully for many years; I know her well.” there was a pause before Diana smiled.

        “Thank you, Phillipus. Your council has proven wise.” Phillipus had returned to her normal stern demeanor, but did not seem too hostile to Diana.

        “You are welcome, Diana.”


.................


        Soarin’ had to admit; Manehattan looked much better at night. The lights from thousands of stores and clubs made the city shine, adding a liveliness that was absent during the day. The thickest of the crowds had departed, so he and the others were free to walk without much impedance... a blessing, considering that some were more inebriated than others.

        “Hey Soarin’!” Rapidfire called from the front of the group.

        “Hmm? What is it?”

        “We pulled straws, and you choose the bar this time.” there was a chorus of approval from the other stallions in the group.

        “Uhh... That one?” Soarin’ pointed to the first club that he could see. There was silence from the others before Nightshade laughed.

        “Why not? We’re going to hit all of them anyway. Forwards, gentlecolts!” there was another cheer as the roving bachelor party made its way across the street, with Soarin’ picking up the rear. It had started off fine, but the insane antics of some of the others had made Soarin’ willing to ditch them at the nearest opportunity, if it meant saving whatever remained of his sanity. Rapidfire was not in on Soarin’ thought process, so he had looped back to confront Soarin’.

        “So, what’s your problem Soarin’?” the other Wonderbolt asked.

        “Me? I don’t have a problem.” a lie, but Rapidfire did not seem to pick up on it.

        “Sure. C’mon, cheer up; one of our teammates is getting married in a few days, so we might as well enjoy ourselves.”

        “Oh, I am all for enjoying ourselves.”

        “Sure. Hey, we need to practice for when you and Spitfire finally decide to get married.” Soarin’ failed to suppress his blush.

        “Uh, what? Spitfire and I-”

        “Yeah, we know. We all see the way you two look at each other. Hey, I’ve got a better idea.” Rapidfire pulled Soarin’ in close. “Neigh Orleans’ got a great bar scene; we could go there for your bachelor party!”

        “But Spitfire and I-”

        “You’re not talking us out of this, Soarin’." Rapidfire chuckled before continuing. "I’d try to get Firefly in on it, but, well...”

        “I’m not dating Spitfire!” Rapidfire blinked.

        “... You’re not?”

        “No, I’m not. I’ve never even thought about dating Spitfire. For Celestia sake, we’ve known each other since we were kids, and I’m pretty sure she’s got a coltfriend in Vanhoover. She even said to me ‘Soarin’ if you ever try to go out with me, I’ll hit you so hard Nightmare Moon’s banishment would seem like a short nap’. I have no interest in dating Spitfire.” there was a long pause.

        “... I heard Echo’s still single.” Soarin's ears flattened against his head.

        “Oh, just shut up and go get drunk.”

        “Gladly.” Rapidfire left Soarin’ to join the others, Soarin’ following slowly behind. Why doesn’t he get married? He sighed before entering the club, surveying the room as best he could due to the spastic lighting.

        The place was an example of controlled chaos; ponies were everywhere, drinking and dancing without a care in the world. There was some kind of weird dance music playing in the back, and Soarin’ watched as numerous drunk ponies stumbled their way into the back of the bar to partake in activities he did not want to know about.

        And now the prospects of me getting married ever have officially been shot to Tartarus. Sighing, Soarin’ stepped further into the bar, clinging to the edge of the building so as to avoid as much trouble as possible. Already he could spot the rest of the group partying, and fortunately for him they seemed too focused on celebrating to drag him in.

        “Hey you.” a pony said before leaning on Soarin’s shoulder. “Y’know you really look like Soarin’?”

        “So I’ve been told.” Soarin’ passed the drunk off to another pony. The others still had not noticed him, so he found a seat at the bar until they decided to leave. As dance music played and ponies drank, Soarin’ sat alone, his mind focused on not getting beat up by some drunk... and pie. There was always room for pie.

        “Hey, buddy.” Soarin’ turned and saw the bartender standing behind him, the stocky Earth Pony looking at him with a raised eyebrow. “Ya gotta buy a drink if'n ya want to sit here.”

        “Oh, uh...”

        “He obviously isn’t interested.” a second voice said. Soarin’ was soon joined by a well built Pegasus with a blond mane and crimson eyes, who fixed the bartender with a cold stare. “However, I am willing to cover his costs. Now, make yourself scarce.”

        “Hey, listen here-”

        “Make. Yourself. Scarce.” Soarin’ thought he saw the Pegasus’ eyes glow for a second, but passed it off for the reflecting lights.

        “Uh... Y-Yes sir.” the bartender smiled sheepishly and slinked away, the blond Pegasus tracking him as he left.

        “Pathetic waste of flesh.” the Pegasus muttered. “There seem to be too many of them in this gods forsaken city.”

        “I wouldn’t necessarily say that.” Soarin’ said. “I mean, there are some good ponies here.”

        “Sure, and I suppose you’re one of them?” the Pegasus asked, eyeing Soarin'.

        “Uh... I don’t actually live here.” Soarin’ let out a half-hearted laugh. The stranger was not impressed.

        “What are you doing here?”

        “Well, one of my... friends is getting married, and since we have a little time off she asked me and some of the others to take her fiance out for a night or two.”

        “Ah weddings." the Pegasus snorted and looked away. "I was never too fond of them.”

        “Uh... Okay.” Soarin’ really hoped that the stranger would leave it at that and be off, but he was not that lucky.

        “But you do not seem to be among the group.” the stranger turned back to him, raising an eyebrow. “Why is that?”

        “Um... Well, they got kind of annoying after the second bar we went to.”

        “Drunkards then.” the stallion looked away again. “One of my colleagues could be considered the patron saint of idiots and drunks. I must say, Mister Soarin’ you and I are very much alike.”

        “We are?..." Soarin' blinked. "Wait, how did you know my name?”

        “I like to keep myself informed, and as second-in-command of the Wonderbolts it is rather hard for you to live in anonymity, is it not?”

        “Yes.” Soarin’ slumped down into his seat.

        “As I was saying, you and I are very much alike" the stallion continued. "We enjoy discipline, order, and we are not drawn in to these petty things. Do you have a military background?”

        “Two years in the Royal Guards before I joined the Wonderbolts.”

        “Is that so?” the stallion smiled. “I’ve always been fascinated by military matters; the discipline, the skill, the thrill of battle and conflict. It’s a... hobby of mine.” the stallion turned Soarin’ to face him. “I know,How would you like to do me a favor?”

        “... What kind of favor?” Anything to get you away from me would be very much appreciated.

        “Oh, nothing much," the stallion shrugged. "Just a small favor that might just relieve you of this tedium. It does involve a bit of travel, so you may have to miss out on any upcoming engagements.”

        “As long as I’m back in time for Fleetfoot’s wedding.”

        “Oh, I can’t guarantee anything, but you may just be able to make your friend’s wedding. Who knows, maybe you won’t go alone.” Soarin’ regarded the stallion for a moment. He was not sure what exactly was wrong with the other pony, but there just seemed to be something... off. Soarin’ looked back to the other members of the bachelor party, who were now gathered around Rapidfire as the Pegasus tried his hoof at a drinking game.

        Well, what have I got to lose?

        “Uh, yeah, I guess that’d be nice. So... what exactly is this favor.”

        “Oh, it’s quite simple.” Soarin’ was about to inquire further when something heavy hit him in the  back of the head, casting him into darkness.

        “Enjoy your trip, Mister Soarin’.”


...................


        Diana stood in one of the smaller courtyards of the Royal Palace, waiting for her mother. It was late, and Hippolyta should have been finishing up her duties as Queen right about now. With most of the royal attendants gone home or elsewhere, the courtyard was eerily quiet, enough that Diana was slightly nervous as she waited.

        After what seemed like an eternity, Diana heard the sound of hoofsteps against stone before Hippolyta came into view. “Oh, Diana. I thought you would be asleep by now.”

        “I had some things on my mind, mother. I couldn’t rest until they were settled.” Diana replied.

        “Well, I am always willing to help." Hippolyta gave a heavy sigh before continuing. "It would also be a welcome distraction from other things; apparently one of our seers noted that there were some tensions between the griffins and the minotaurs that might spill over into open war.”

        “And you think it might affect us?”

        “Somewhat. We are far enough away from the belligerents that asides from a few ships passing close by we should be unaffected." a pause. "But that does mean we will have to put more effort into hiding Themyscira from sight, and that might put more strain on the others than I would like.”

        “I’m sure you could do it, mother," Diana gave Hippolyta a smile. "You are one of the greatest unicorns I know.”

        “Thank you, Diana. Now enough about my troubles; what seems to be bothering you?”

        “Well...” Diana pawed at the ground. “Phillipus said that I might be reacting subconsciously to...”

“To what?” Diana chewed her lip, uncertain of how to best approach the subject.

“... Some of the others were talking about the mortal realm.” Hippolyta frowned and back up a little. 

“Wha... What did they say?” she asked.

        “I don’t know, mother, I was too far away to hear what they were saying of it. But... well, I guess I might have gotten curious.” At this, Hippolyta frowned.

        “Diana, one does not simply ‘get curious’ about the mortal realm.”

        “Why not?" Diana took a step forward. "It’s not like I want to abandon Themyscira for the mortal realm; I’m just curious about what it’s like.”

        “I would advise you to keep your curiosity to a minimum, Diana, or do you forget about how most of your sisters arrived here in Themyscira?” Diana's spirits dropped. The paths that most if not all of her sisters and mentors had fallen on their path to becoming Athena's chosen were... unpleasant, at best.

        “Alexa was stoned for being too intelligent, Phillipus was killed unjustly by her commanding officer-”

        “And I was murdered in a drunken rage, as you were to an extent." Hippolyta gave another sigh. "Diana, I do not want to discourage you, but this is an incredibly delicate subject for everypony here. I would suggest giving up on this... ‘interest’.”

        “But mother-”

        “No, Diana, I won’t have any more of this." Hippolyta shook her head and moved past Diana. "Understand that I am doing this for your own safety, but you must not mention your interest in the mortal realm to anyone. Do you understand?” In truth, Diana did not understand. Her mother had always been open to her about everything, but seeing her react this way towards mortals was almost unheard of. She opened her mouth to protest, but something at the back of her mind held her back.

        “I... I guess I do.”

        “Good. Now, get some rest and I shall make it up for you tomorrow morning.” Hippolyta smiled and headed off to her own quarters, Diana watching her go before turning and leaving.

        Maybe mother’s right... Diana thought. Maybe I should just leave the mortal realm alone... still, it would be interesting to know more about it. She shook her head in an attempt to clear her thoughts, but to no avail. She groaned in frustration as dozens of thoughts about mortals entered her mind, not helped by the fact that her mother’s hostility towards the idea had only piqued her curiosity.

        Gods, why did I have to start prying?
> The Wonderbolt and The Amazon
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


The Wonderbolt and the Amazon


In an attempt to distance herself from Phillipus and her mother as much as she could, Diana had started out early in the morning and traveled to a small cove on the western side of the island. It was not much, just a beach with some rocks, but it was quiet and allowed Diana some privacy. Of course, like any good Amazon she had brought a spear along just in case she decided to practice.

However, practicing did not seem all that attractive right now. Instead she was resting on one of the larger rocks, allowing Celestia’s Sun to warm her as she mulled over her conversation  with her mother. She had said it was for her own good, not talking about the mortal realm.

Then why am I not convinced? She sighed and closed her eyes, opening her mind as best she could.

“Gods of Olympus, hear your servant’s prayer.” she said. “I am conflicted, lost, confused. I ask you to provide me with guidance and strength. My mother wishes for me to avoid the mortal realm, and I am not sure if she is right. Please, O Gods, grant me clear sight so I may overcome these challenges.” it was not the best worded of prayers, but it would suffice. She opened her eyes, watching as clouds drifted silently across the sky, before pushing herself back up on her hooves. After fetching her spear she surveyed the beach, her eyes tracing every single rock, branch, or pile of plant matter she could see.

As she prepared to leave, she spotted something at the very end of the beach; something white, almost invisible against the sand. Curious, she walked towards the object, spear resting on her back in case she needed it. As she neared the object, it grew in size and shape until Diana could confirm that it was a pony, a Pegasus with a light blue coat and a darker blue mane. Diana quickened her pace in case the pony was injured, but froze when she was about four yards away from the newcomer.

It was from there that she could see that the pony was a colt.

Instinct and training caused Diana to panic a little, and she ducked behind a large rock to hide herself from view. The colt had not noticed her, as far as she could tell, but he could have been lying in wait for her to get too close. If this is the Gods’ answer to my prayers, then my mother was right about their sense of “amusement”... Don’t panic, Diana; you are an Amazon, one of Athena’s chosen warriors. You can handle this. Diana peaked around the edge of the rock, watching the colt for any sign of life.

The colt had rolled over, and was now lying facedown in the sand. He had no weapons that Diana could see, and from his vocalizations she guessed he was probably in pain. Seeing how badly he was hurt was not very high on Diana’s list of priorities. Grasping the spear as best she could, Diana snuck forward, sticking close to the water to approach the colt from his blind spot.

“Well... This is definitely not Manehattan.” the colt said. Diana did not know what this ‘Manehattan’ was, so she deemed it as irrelevant as she drew the blunt end of her spear back for a strike. “I suppose I should get flying if I want to-” He never finished, for in that moment Diana struck. There was a crack as the spear collided with the colt’s skull, pitching him forward into the sand. The blow might not have been too hard for an Amazon, but Diana had no idea of gauging how durable the colt was. She set the spear down and pinned the colt to the ground with her hoof, pressing right between his wings to prevent him from moving.

“What are you doing here, stallion of Equestria?” she asked, pressing into his back with her hoof.


..................


Soarin’ blinked. His mind was running into overdrive, and he found himself stammering in confusion. The mare was not impressed, and pressed harder into his back. “Answer me.”

“I-I, Uh... Where is ‘here’?” he asked, causing the mare's scowl to deepen.

“Are you dense? Why else would you be sent here?”

“I don’t know where here is!” Soarin' cried, causing the mare's features to soften as she blinked in surprise.

“You... you really don’t know?” she aksed, her voice soft.

“No. I was in Manehattan last night and now I’m here... wherever here is.” there was silence as the mare pulled her hoof off of Soarin’s back.

“You have truly never heard of Themyscira?” the mare asked. Where the heck is Themyscira? Soarin’ thought, rubbing the back of his head.

“No, never heard of it before.” he pushed himself up from the ground and faced the mare. “I’d love to stay and chat, but I have some things I need to do. Which way is the fastest way to get to Manehattan?”

The mare raised an eyebrow. “Where is this ‘Manehattan’?”

“You... don’t know where Manehattan is?” Soarin asked, shocked that this mare seemingly had absolutely no idea what he was talking about.

“Should I?” The mare asked, raising an eyebrow in suspicion. Soarin was not really sure what to think right now. Here he was, talking with some pony who had never heard of Manehattan... Then again, he had never heard of ‘Themyscira’ before.

“Okay...” he said, shaking off some sand that clung to his coat. “Well, do you know where I could find a map or something?”

“The maps we have may not be suitable for your needs." the mare replied. "Also, I am not fully sure about why you are here, so I must take you to see my mother to find out what that is.”

Soarin’ nodded. “Okay, that sounds good. After that, I can leave?”

“That is not my decision to make; my mother will decide what is to be done with you.” the mare said. Soarin raised an eyebrow. Why does that not sound good? Then again, this mare seemed very isolated, or at least confused; perhaps clarifying it with her mother would make things go better for all of them.
        
“... Fair enough.” he said. The mare meanwhile, nodded and began walking towards the forest, but stopped and faced Soarin’ once more with a glare.

“But know this. Themyscira is very hostile to ponies like you. Stay close to me and I shall protect you as best I can.”

“When you say ‘ponies like me’, what do you mean, exactly?”

“I’ll explain on the way in.” The mare kept walking, Soarin’ following closely behind.

“So... We kind of got off on the wrong hoof.” he said. “My name’s Soarin’.”

“Pleasure.” the mare responded.

“Um... What’s your name, if you don’t mind me asking?” another pause.

“... Diana. My name is Diana.”

“Well, it’s nice to meet you, Diana. Well... except for the part where you tried to kill me.” Soarin' gave a weak chuckle. Diana did not join in.

“That was only to gauge whether or not you were a threat.”

“Oh... Well, good thing I’m not a threat, right?” Again, the mare did not seem amused.

“I cannot determine that at this moment; you could just be waiting for me to let my guard down. My mother will be the final judge on what you are capable of.”

“And, uh, if she thinks I’m a... threat?”

“She’ll either imprison you or have you executed.” Soarin winced. I was right; this is bad.

“Yay me.” he said weakly. They kept walking, Soarin’ watching as Diana navigated through the forest. There was something about her that Soarin’ could not quite put his hoof on, but she seemed much more exotic than she had first appeared to be; softer motions, unmatched composure... good looks.

“So... Themyscira." he started, just to kill the silence between them. "Where is that in relation to Equestria?”

“It varies, depending on the time period. Sometimes it’s been close, other times it’s been far away. As I am not a unicorn I am not the best to describe the specifics behind the spells.”

“Ah... so, what’s it like?” a pause, Diana looking back over at him.

“Understand that I am a bit biased, but I think that it is one of the greatest places for a mare to live in. My sisters and I-”

“You have sisters?” Soarin' asked. At least we have something in common.

“Not by blood, but all of the mares here are my sisters, more or less." Diana looked away for a moment. "We live in peace, harvesting, training, and crafting.”

“Ah... so, what do you do?” another pause. Diana stopped walking for a moment to better address Soarin’.

“Many things. I am a warrior, first and foremost, but if called upon I can take care of most of my mother’s duties.”

“And your mother is?”

“My mother is Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons and ruler of Themyscira.” now it was Soarin’s turn to stop walking.

“Wait, queen? You’re a princess?”

“Yes. Is there something wrong with that?” Diana asked.

“Uh, no, but... Well, most of the princesses I know are... alicorns.” Diana raised an eyebrow.

“You have actually met one of the gods?”

“You mean Princess Celestia?” Soarin’ scratched his head. “Well, I guess she’s kind of a god. But still, if you’re a princess, why don’t you have any... well, guards or attendants or something?”

“I can take care of myself, and my mother trusts me enough to allow me to go off on my own. Besides, there is not much on Themyscira that can harm a good warrior.” Diana kept walking, and Soarin’ trotted after her in order to catch up.

“So, uh, Diana... should I call you Princess Diana?”

“No.” she said quickly.

“Uh, okay. So, Diana, when you said that ponies wouldn’t really like somepony like me, what exactly did you mean?”

“Colts and stallions are not allowed on Themyscira; it is one of the laws set down by the gods when Athena first created the Amazons.” Soarin’ began to sweat.

“So... Why didn’t you just kill me when we met?”

“I have my reasons.” Now Soarin’ was wishing he had just left Diana on the beach and started flying. Here he was, stuck on some island he had never heard of, surrounded by mares that were instructed not to like him, and he was in the company of their princess. Soarin’ swallowed; he wished he had just ignored the creepy stallion at the bar and stayed in Manehattan, but fate had not been on his side.

Of course, my wishes don’t really seem to end all that well.

“So... if I’m not supposed to be here, then what happens when we meet up with everypony else?”

“Most likely they will try to kill you before my mother passes her sentence; after that they will obey her commands, be it to set you free or kill you." Diana said, as casually as a Pegasus would explain a weather schedule. "Stay close to me and you may yet survive.”

“Terrific.” the two exited the forest, with Soarin’ sticking closer to Diana than ever before. Up ahead was a small grove, with a few mares tending to it. One of them looked in their direction and spotted Diana, smiling as they neared.

“Diana, some of the others were talking about your phoenix hunt yesterday and we... were... thinking...” the mare trailed off when she saw Soarin’, her face dropping into a worried frown. “Diana, i-is that a colt?”

“Yes.” Diana said. “I found him on the beach this morning. I am taking him to my mother so that she can decide what to do with him.”

“Oh, o-of course.” The mare gave a half-hearted smile and pulled away, eyeing Soarin’ with suspicion. “W-We’ll just leave you to it, then.” Diana nodded her thanks and lead Soarin’ past the grove, the other mares watching as they left.

“That was better than I anticipated; like I said, some of my sisters may try to kill you.” Soarin swallowed as they entered the city. He was not focused on the beautiful architecture, the hanging gardens, or the numerous statues. All he was focused on was the large numbers of mares, many of them armed, and how all of them seemed to stop what they were doing and stare at him as he entered the plaza.

She said it’d get worse... How bad is worse? His answer arrived in the form of a spear flying through the air and stabbing into the ground right at his hooves. Okay, that’s worse.


..................


“Diana!” Diana turned and saw Phillipus approaching through the crowd, the older mare heavily armed and very angry. “What in the name of the gods do you think you are doing?!”

“I found this colt on the beach.” she answered, stepping between the angry captain of the guard and Soarin’. “I brought him here so that my mother could decide his fate.”

“You should have just forced him to leave, or better yet killed him." Phillipus snapped. "You know the laws say that no stallion must enter Themyscira!”

“I know, but I do not think he means us any harm, or has the capability to do so.”

“‘You don’t think’.” Phillipus pointed a hoof at Diana. “That is an easy trap to fall into. I did not think my commanding officer would stab me to death for accepting his son’s advances. And now you have let a stallion into Themyscira, who knows what kind of trouble may arise. Now stand aside so I may remove him before he can cause any more damage.”

“No.” Phillipus’ anger rose.

“Stand aside now, girl!”

“Enough!” Hippolyta shouted as she stepped between Diana and Phillipus. “Stand down, Phillipus, before you hurt somepony.”

“... Yes, my lady.” Phillipus backed down, still glaring at Soarin’. Hippolyta looked at Diana.

“Diana, would you care to explain yourself?” Diana looked to Soarin’, the colt focused on the hostile mares surrounding him.

“Well, I was resting on the beach when I saw this colt had been washed up onshore. I brought him here so that you may judge whether he should be killed or not.”

“How do you know that I won’t just order Phillipus to kill him?” Hippolyta asked.

“Mother, you’re a better mare than that. Yes, it’s a breach in our laws, but wouldn’t such a wanton act of violence be unbecoming your status as queen?” Hippolyta paused, her eyes darting from Diana to Soarin’.

“Step aside.”

“Mother-” Diana started, but Hippoyta waved her off.

“Step aside, Diana.” Diana opened her mouth to object, but hesitated.

“... Yes mother.” Diana stepped away from Soarin’ while Hippolyta approached him. She sized up the colt for a moment, and Soarin’ shrunk back whenever the two made eye contact. They stood like that for some time, and Diana was beginning to get nervous form the tension.

What happen next caught everypony off guard. Hippolyta’s horn shimmered with magic before a golden lasso appeared next to her. With a quick flick of her horn, Hippolyta sent the lasso flying and snagged Soarin’s forelegs, pulling him to the ground. Diana started to move forward to help Soarin’ but she was held back by Phillipus.

“What is your name, colt?” Hippolyta asked, tightening the lasso.

“Uh, Soarin’.” he replied.

“Why are you here?”

“I don’t really know. Last night I was in Manehattan with a couple of ponies when this weird Pegasus came up to me and asked a favor. When I said I’d help him I blacked out and found myself lying on that beach where your daughter found me.” Soarin’ seemed surprised that he was saying this much, but Hippolyta remained unfazed.

“This Pegasus, describe him.”

“I... Well, he was white and had a blond mane, and I think red eyes.” Hippolyta frowned, looking to Phillipus and Diana before continuing.

“Have you any military experience?” she asked.

“A little.”

“He’s a spy!” Phillipus shouted. Hippolyta turned and glared at the other mare.

“I am the one passing judgment, Phillipus, not you. Now,” she turned back to Soarin’. “What exactly was this favor he asked you to complete?”

“He didn’t say; I blacked out before he could explain.”

“Does this ‘Manehattan’ know of the existence of Themyscira?”

“Never heard of the place before in my life.” there was a pause. Hippolyta looked to the other Amazons, then to Diana, then back at Soarin’.

“I do not believe you are a spy.” she leaned in closer. “That does not mean that I trust you. I wonder what other thoughts are drifting through your mind right now.”

“Dear Celestia, your daughter’s got cute flanks.” Soarin’ said, not realizing what exactly he had said until it was too late. There was a collective gasp from the assembled Amazons, and Diana’s coat faded to a deeper shade of red as she blushed. Yes, she knew she was an attractive mare, but being told that by a mortal, a colt no less, caught her off guard. Soarin’ noted his mistake and tried to backtrack. “I didn’t mean for that to come out, I was just-”

“I know.” Hippolyta interrupted. “That is one of the disadvantages of the Lasso of Truth; it shows everything, wanted or otherwise.” She turned to her fellow Amazons. “This colt speaks the truth of his arrival here, and I do not find him to be a threat to Themyscira.”

“So... Can I go home now?” Soarin' asked before the Lasso tightened.

“No. Consider yourself my prisoner until tomorrow. Then, I will set you free and see that you are taken safely back to ‘Manehattan’. Phillipus,” Hippolyta dismissed the Lasso of Truth and pushed Soarin’ in the direction of the royal guard. “Take him to the palace, and make sure he gets there unharmed. After that, come meet me and Diana in the temple; I wish to speak to you both about a very serious matter.” Phillipus nodded and advanced towards Soarin’ followed closely by several guards. The other Amazons began to disperse, going back to their normal duties. Diana, unsure of what to do, decided to follow her mother.

“Mother, I thank you for showing him mercy.” she said. Hippolyta did not respond at first, eyes focused on the temple before her.

“I shouldn’t have, but this situation is much more dire than I thought. Once Phillipus joins us, I shall explain.”


.................


The temple of Athena was unoccupied save for the giant statue of the Amazon’s patron deity. Before the statue sat an altar, on which rested the Lasso of Truth, a golden tiara with a red star set in the center, and a folded leotard based off the crests of a fallen ally of the Amazons. Diana had often asked her mother about who the ally was, but Hippolyta had been evasive and never gave her a straight answer. Much was the same with many of the older Amazons, and Diana became increasingly frustrated as she failed to get answers.

Now, she was standing before that altar with her mother and Phillipus. As per Phillipus’ insistence, Alexa had joined the three, and now they waited for Hippolyta to speak what was on her mind.

“I know you are wondering why I called you here before Athena.” Hippolyta said.

“Well, it is definitely strange.” Alexa said. “I think that addressing all of us at once would have been more sufficient.”

“I have my reasons." Hippolyta replied. "Our ‘guest’ provided a very interesting piece of information regarding who he contacted before arriving in Themyscira, and if my suspicions are correct then both us and the mortals are in grave danger.”

“Why, mother?” Diana asked. “He seems like just a normal Pegasus.”

“You would think that, Diana. But the Pegasus he contacted happens to fit the exact description of one of Ares’ avatars.” a deep silence hung over the three other Amazons, Diana looking to the two older mares for guidance.

“Hippolyta,” Phillipus said. “You can’t be serious. Ares is behind this?”

“Who else? He is one of the few gods we have recognized as a foe to the Amazons, it makes sense that he would try to destabilize us.”

“But deception is not really Ares’ method.” Alexa countered. “He is focused on strength and brutality, not planning and trickery.”

“That does not mean he cannot improvise. I have no idea what Ares’ plan is, or why he chose to send a colt here, but I do know this; whatever his plan is, it does not bode well for Themyscira.” Hippolyta sighed. “Which is why I am sending one of us to guide this colt back to his home.”

“My lady-” Phillipus began, but Hippolyta stopped her.

“The mortal realm cannot stand on it’s own against Ares, but we have turned him back before. We can stop Ares from destroying the mortal realm, and ensure goodwill between us and them.”

“Who will you send?” Diana asked. Hippolyta paused for a moment.

“That is not for me to decide. It will be for the gods to judge who is worthy to be our champion.” Hippolyta smiled. “A tournament shall be held tomorrow to determine who the gods have selected.” Diana perked up; her mother reserved tournaments for special occasions, and Diana had enjoyed them immensely, both observing and participating. “Phillipus?”

“If you do not mind, my lady.” the captain of the royal guard said. “But I would like to abstain from this tournament; I do not believe I could keep myself reigned in if I were to visit the mortal realm.”

“I understand. Select twenty of your best warriors for the tournament, then report back to me so we may decide what the challenges shall be.”

“As you command, my lady." Phillipus saluted before looking to Alexa. "Alexa, with me; I shall need your knowledge and skills.”

“As you wish.” Alexa and Phillipus turned and began to leave. Diana watched them go before turning back to her mother.

“I suppose I should go get ready for the tournament.” She began to leave before Hippolyta spoke.

“No, Diana.” Diana stopped and looked at her mother. “I... This mission is incredibly risky, and most likely whoever wins the tournament will not return to Themyscira alive... Which is why you will not be competing in the tournament.” Diana’s spirits dropped.

“What?" she asked. "But... But that’s not fair! You said the gods would choose the champion; what if the champion is me?”

“Diana, you are young compared to most of the mares Phillipus will likely choose." Hippolyta started. "Ares isn’t just some monster that you can kill without a second thought; he is a god, and he will destroy you with ease. I cannot risk Ares killing you.”

“You stood up to Nightmare Moon," Diana countered. "Who’s to say I cannot face Ares?”

“Luna had been driven mad with her rage, and Athena saved both of us before Nightmare Moon could unleash the full of her power.”

“Then it doesn’t matter who you send. So what is it? I’m not expendable, but my sisters and friends are? That is the most selfish thing I have ever heard!”

“It may be selfish," Hippolyta's brow furrowed as she continued. "But I do not want you to compete in the tournament tomorrow.”

“But-”

“I said no, Diana. I don’t want to hear any more of this.” Hippolyta turned to the statue of Athena. “Now go. Make sure that Phillipus has not killed our prisoner.”

“But-” Diana stopped, glaring at her mother. She saw that arguing now would be pointless, as her mother was too set in her mind to back down. “Fine.” Diana turned and stormed out of the temple, brushing past several other Amazons that had come to pay their respects. She scanned the buildings in search of Phillipus, but the only pony she was was Alexa, the unicorn weighed down by several scrolls.

“Diana!” Alexa called. “I was just searching for your mother and... Are you alright?” Diana looked at Alexa. She wanted to stay mad, but the unicorn did not deserve any of her ire.

“My mother won’t let me compete in the tournament.” Diana muttered, looking away from Alexa.

“Really?” Alexa pawed at the ground. “That’s unlike her. I thought she loved to see you compete.”

“She’s worried that I might get myself killed if I went after Ares.” Alexa blinked in surprise.

“That’s... that’s a bit paranoid, don’t you think?”

“That's what I told her, but she didn't listen..." Diana sighed. "There must be some other reason my mother is holding out against me.”

“She is a mother; they tend to be very protective of their children. Why else do you think I avoid the phoenix nests as much as possible?” Diana paused, mulling over Alexa's words.

“I guess... I guess that makes sense.” Alexa nodded before continuing.

“Even so, she’s placing her own wishes before the will of the gods; doing so will only lead to her failure.”

“But what am I supposed to do?" Diana asked, tossing her hooves in the air as she turned away from Alexa. "I’ve already tried convincing her that she’s wrong, but she won’t listen to me.”

“Try harder?” Diana looked at Alexa, who merely shrugged. The two stood in silence before Alexa spoke again. “Actually, I am supposed to be competing in the tournament tomorrow.”

“You?” Diana laughed. “No offense, Alexa, but you are a scholar first, not a fighter. You told me that yourself.”

“True, but Phillipus chose me regardless. Anyway, I know a spell that will disguise you and allow you to compete in the tournament in my stead.” Diana raised an eyebrow, intrigued. Magic was a topic that she had long neglected for several reasons, not being a unicorn first and foremost. Perhaps now there was clear weakness in ignoring that aspect of knowledge.

“I never knew such spells existed.”

“I learned of it when I first began my journey as a seer. Athena herself learned it from a wise pony, a master of the sciences and a friend of gods. You will remain unseen, as long as you do not want to be seen, and this way you will be able to compete.”

"Really?" Diana all but hopped on her hooves. "How?"

"That I cannot say, for fear that your mother might overhear us," Alexa replied. "But trust me when I say that you will have no issue in competing tomorrow."

“I... I don’t know what to say.” Diana threw her forelegs around Alexa, hugging the unicorn. “Thank you so much!”

“It pleases me to make you happy.” Alexa broke away from the hug. “Now get some rest; you need to be strong for the tournament tomorrow.” Diana nodded before galloping off to the palace, her mind awash with thoughts about the upcoming competition.

As she neared the palace, though, her mind began to drift to the colt, Soarin’. Despite being a reasonably average mortal, there was still a sense of unnaturalness that surrounded him. The entire encounter had left Diana confused and intrigued, and she wished to know more about what was running through Soarin’s mind.

It would not hurt to ask him.


...................


Soarin’ was not in as much pain as he had been earlier in the day. If anything, he was more uncomfortable, but that was probably because his quarters were nothing more than a glorified broom closet. He had something soft to sleep on and a small table, but it was still a far cry from his home back in Cloudsdale.

Hopefully I’m not gone too long. he thought. Fleetfoot would be pretty upset if I didn’t show up to her wedding, and Firefly would probably kill me if I missed a practice. he paused. Well, she’d probably have a bunch of other reasons too. he sighed. Hopefully whoever gets to take me home tomorrow doesn’t try to- Soarin' was interrupted by the sound of somepony knocking at the door. He opened it and found himself face to face with a familiar red Earth Pony mare.

“Diana? What are you doing here?”

“I was just curious about you and wanted to ask a few questions.” she looked past him. “May I come in?”

“Oh, uh, of course.” Soarin’ stepped back and allowed Diana to enter. “What exactly was on your mind?”

“Many things.” Diana turned to face him. “You are the first colt I have ever met in my life. I just want to know more about you.”

“Oh, okay. Uh... anything specific?”

“You mentioned that you have had military experience.” she cocked her head to one side. “Does that mean you are a warrior?”

“Uh, well...” he searched for the right words to say. “I was in the military for a little bit, but I’m not anymore. I’m a member of the Wonderbolts now.”

“What are these ‘Wonderbolts’?”

“We’re a bunch of Pegasi that perform stunts for other ponies to enjoy, and occasionally we do rescue work.” he shuffled his hooves. “We’re... still working on the last part.”

“So, you perform tricks? You’re an entertainer?” she asked.

“I... I guess you could call us entertainers.” Soarin' replied. "It's a bit more complicated than that, but it seems like you get the basic idea."

“I tried my hoof at something similar when I was first trying to earn my cutie mark.” she blushed and looked away. “I... was not very good.”

“Hey, there’s a first time for everything.” Soarin’ chuckled. “You know, I never got a chance to see your cutie mark.” At this, Diana stiffened, and nervously pawed at the ground.

“Oh, um... well, it wouldn’t be very appropriate of me to show it to you. My mother told me that it was only appropriate for close family... or lovers.” Soarin’ blushed.

“Well, I guess that makes sense...”

“Is it different in Equestria?” Diana asked.

“Well... most ponies don’t wear clothes, and if they do it’s usually for special occasions.”

“Oh.” Diana was silent for about half a minute. “Do you have any other family?”

 “I have a younger sister and mother who live in Canterlot. With my schedule with the Wonderbolts always being so hectic I don’t really get a chance to see them all that often.”

“That’s a shame. You must miss them very much.”

“Yeah... Yeah I do.” Soarin’ sighed. “I was going to ask for some leave to go visit them, but-”

“You ended up here?” Diana finished

“Well... yeah, more or less. I would have them come and visit in Cloudsdale, but my mother’s got a bad wing and can’t really fly that far.”

“Have you tried visiting an apothecary? I remember once I snapped my leg trying to jump over a large rock, and the apothecaries healed it so I was back to running within two days. Could they fix your mother’s wing?”

“No, I don’t think they could. It’s... I don’t know, some kind of genetic thing. My sister and I don’t have it, but it’s hard to see her struggling all the time.”

“I see.” more silence before Diana continues. “I hope you are not offended, but your homeland seems like a very strange place to live.”

“Yeah, Equestria can be pretty strange.” Diana chuckled.

“Well, I suppose I shall be seeing you at the tournament tomorrow.”

“Don’t really have much of a choice, do I? Are you competing?” Diana gave a wry smile.

“I’m not saying; you may tip off some of the others as to who they are up against. But I will say that the mare that wins will be a very lucky mare indeed.”

“Well, as long as it isn’t Miss ‘Throw a spear at my face’-”

“Who, Phillipus?” Soarin’ nodded. “She’s not competing; too many bad memories. And she’s a very nice pony once you get to know her.”

“I certainly hope so.” Diana chuckled again before opening the door. “Hey, Diana?”

“Yes?”

“I-If it isn’t too much to ask.” he paused. “Um, before I leave, do you think we could, y’know, talk again?” there was a long pause. Diana frowned in contemplation, looking away from Soarin’ before smiling.

“Yes... I would like that.” she smiled again and disappeared down one of the halls. Soarin’ closing the door behind her.

Whatever happened tomorrow, Soarin’ had no doubt that it was going to be exciting.
> The Tournament
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


The Tournament


Soarin’ was awoken by the sun beaming down in his face. He groaned and rolled over, burying his face in his pillow to try and block out the light. When that failed, he propped himself up on his hooves and blinked, hoping that somehow the sun would be less bright.

He was about to try and go back to sleep when the door opened. Four Amazons entered, followed by Hippolyta and Phillipus. “I trust you slept well?” Hippolyta asked.

“More or less; kind of hard to sleep somewhere where everypony doesn’t like you.” Soarin' replied. Hippolyta nodded in agreement.

“Come, we must make our way to the stadium before anypony begins to worry.” Hippolyta and Phillipus began to leave, and Soarin’ fell in step behind him. The Amazon guards gave Soarin’ odd looks as they walked, as if they expected him to do something irrational.

“So, where’s Diana? Is she competing?” he asked.

“My daughter’s whereabouts are none of your concern.” Hippolyta said, probably harder than she meant it. “As such, I am not allowing her to compete.”

“Why?”

“I have my reasons.” Again, several warning bells were tripped in Soarin’s mind, but then that had been a regular occurrence since he had arrived in Themyscira. Do these mares always have to be so cryptic? Soarin’ set those thoughts aside as they exited the palace and made their way towards the stadium, soon joined by other groups of Amazons. All of them were talking about the upcoming tournament, and a few were taking bets on who they believed would win.

“Tell me, colt.” Hippolyta said. “Do they have tournaments like this where you come from?”

“Uh... sort of. We do have races, but... well, I have no idea what kind of competitions you have here.” Soarin' said.

“Understandable. I would tell you more, but all of the tests must be kept secret until the time comes; my sisters are most honorable, but then tournaments often bring out the worst of a pony.”

“Oh, okay.” they walked in silence for a few moments before Soarin’ spoke again. “So, uh, do I have to sit somewhere separate from everypony else?”

“You will sit with me, so that I may keep an eye on you.”

“Wonderful.” Soarin’ deadpanned. “And Phillipus won’t kill me, right?”

“As satisfying as it would be, colt,” Phillipus said, shooting Soarin’ a glare. “Killing you without direct orders would only create problems for everypony.” Soarin’ decided not to respond to that. Instead, he nodded and looked to the other groups, most of which ignored him save one or two curious ponies.

“My Lady,” Phillipus turned to Hippolyta. “I must take my leave and brief the contestants; I shall return once that task is complete.”

“Very well. We will be expecting you.” Phillipus nodded and left, disappearing into the crowd. Hippolyta turned to Soarin’. “Stay close to me, colt; if you wander off your safety will be forfeit.”

“Pretty sure I forfeited it when your daughter brought me here.”


.................


“Do I have to wear this?” Diana asked, trying and failing to make her helmet fit properly.

“Don’t complain, Diana." Alexa said before pushing the helmet back. "The spell does not work on manes and coats, only clothing. Besides, everypony else will be wearing helmets.”

“Well, yes.” Diana tugged at the cape that Alexa had brought out. “But this thing is too heavy. How am I suppose to move quickly if I am weighed down by this thing?” At this, Alexa scoffed.

“You rather that everypony see who you are, or worse expose your cutie mark to some colt?”

"That is not what I meant at all!" Diana shot back. “And Soarin' is not that bad compared to the colts that the others have told me about.”

“I have no doubt that he is, but tradition is tradition.” Diana sighed; Alexa was right, and Diana felt like she was being overly fussy. She would have passed it off as nerves, but Amazons were supposed to be unbreakable under any adversity.

Maybe it’s because I’m competing in front of a colt... That’s ridiculous, Diana; he’s just a colt, not a god.

“Okay, I am finished casting the spell.” Alexa stepped back, using her magic to grab a nearby mirror. She held the mirror up in front of Diana, and Diana blinked in surprise. Standing before her was a completely different mare; she was still an Earth Pony, but her coat had shifted into a light grey, her eyes had gone from blue to amber, and her mane was much more ragged and unkempt.

“I... Very impressive.” Diana said, before stopping and placing a hoof to her mouth. “What’s wrong with my voice?”

“Another aspect of the spell; not only is your appearance affected, but your voice as well. In a few moments it should adjust so you’re not confused as to who you are.” As Alexa was saying this, the pony in the mirror faded away until Diana was looking at herself once more.

“How long will the spell last?” Diana asked.

“Until you undress, or you allow somepony to see your true face.” Alexa poked Diana on the forehead. “It’s all mental suggestion; the spell is making the unwelcome mind see something else.”

“Interesting.” Diana smiled. “Thanks again for helping me, Alexa.”

“My pleasure. I believe you are capable of great things, and I shall pray to the gods for your success.” Alexa gave Diana a small hug. “Now hurry; Phillipus will be on her way to debrief you.” Diana nodded and trotted into the main waiting room, where the other Amazons were waiting. Some were talking with one another, while others took the time to pray or brush up on their combat skills. Diana would have joined one of the groups, but Phillipus entered and all conversation in the room died.

“Today,” Phillipus began. “You are to compete before the gods for the privilege of being Themyscira’s representative to the mortal realm. Take courage, and compete with honor. For the first trial, you will each be allow one weapon of your choice, which you will choose once you are called upon.” Phillipus looked right at Diana. “You.”

“Um, yes?” Diana asked, trying her best to blend in.

“Congratulations, you just volunteered to go first. Follow me.” Diana blinked a few times before stepping through the crowd, the other mares watching her as she left.

Do not have fear, child, a voice said at the back of Diana’s mind. I shall be with you throughout these trials.

Who are you?

That does not matter. For the first test, choose the rope.

What?

Choose the rope. Diana shook her head in confusion, not realizing that Phillipus had led her to the arena armory. Set on a table were a collection of weapons, ranging from small knives to Germane style longswords, and Phillipus eyed her as she approached the table.

“Well?” the older mare asked. “What will it be?” Diana looked over the weapons once more. She would have gone for a short sword, but the voice’s suggestion caused her to eye the coil of rope lying on the table beneath a stack of spears. She looked to Phillipus, then to the rope, then back to Phillipus.

“The rope,” she said. “I shall use that.” Phillipus raised an eyebrow.

“Really? Just some rope?”

“Yes.”

“Either you are very overconfident... or there is more to you than I can see.” Phillipus smirked before pulling the rope out from under the spears, tossing it to Diana. Diana caught the rope and hooked it on to her tunic, looking up to Phillipus once the rope was secured.

“I am ready.” she said.

“Good.” Phillipus crossed the room and opened a gate leading out to the arena. “I would suggest praying to the gods; you will need all the help you can get.” with those words of “encouragement” Diana stepped out into the arena. She was greeted by a wave of cheers, every single Amazon present calling out to her, and Diana hoped that Alexa’s spell would hold out long enough. She stopped in the center of the arena and turned towards the northern end, where her mother and Soarin’ would be seated. The cheering died down as Hippolyta raised her hoof and began speaking.

“Welcome, my sister.” the queen of the Amazons said. It was weird, hearing her mother call her “sister”, but Diana ignored the feeling as best she could. “Have you prepared yourself to face the challenges before you?”

“I have.” Diana replied.

“Good.” Hippolyta smiled, although from down in the arena Diana could not tell if it was a genuine smile or a smirk. “As you may have already guessed, the first trial you shall face will be one of strength and endurance; you must be ready and able to face the challenges of the mortal realm, as well as the might of Ares.” Diana heard the sound of another gate being opened off to her right. She turned and saw two Amazons pushing a cage out into the arena, in which sat a sleeping manticore cub. As soon as they stopped pushing the cage, the cub stirred and looked up, eyeing Diana as she watched it.

“Um...” Diana approached the cage, undoing her rope and allowing it to dangle in her mouth.

“Oh, that’s not the challenge.” Hippolyta called. “That’s only bait.”

Bait?! As if on cue, a second gate opened behind Diana. She turned just as two fully grown manticores, a male and a female, charged into the arena, roaring at her.

“Defeat the manticores by whatever means necessary.” Hippolyta raised her hoof once more. “Begin!”


................


Soarin’ watched as the two manticore parents circled the mare below. It reminded him of the cat his sister had owned when she was little, and how it enjoyed its little games of “tag” with mice and other rodents. Only now, instead of being mildly creeped out, he was actually scared of the beasts before him.

“Isn’t this a little dangerous?” he asked.

“I suppose.” Hippolyta said, her focus directed on the fight unraveling before her. “A swipe from a manticore’s paw can break bones if it hits in the right place, but I’ve had a few dampening spells placed on them; yes, the attacks will hurt, but other than potential bruising there should be no lasting damage.”

“Uh... Okay.” Soarin’ looked back down at the arena. The manticores were still circling, but the mare had distanced herself from the cage containing the cub and tied her rope into a lasso. Soarin’s attention drifted from her to the manticores, his anxiety rising as they stared each other down. He looked up at Hippolyta, but the mare did not show any signs of sharing his concerns.

“What happens if the manticores knock her out before she knocks them out?”

“Then she fails the test and is disqualified.” Soarin’ mentally smacked himself; it should have been a simple answer, but his nervousness had done away with his rationality. He shuffled around in his seat, waiting for any change in the situation below.

He would not have to wait for long.


.....................


The female manticore struck first, roaring and rushing towards Diana. Just before the beast crashed into her, Diana leapt up into the air and spun to one side, tossing her lasso towards the manticore’s tail. She missed, but the action had caught the manticore off guard and it tripped as it tried to face this new threat. As Diana retrieved her lasso, the second manticore rushed forward, swiping at her with a massive paw. She dodged and bucked her attacker in the face, knocking the manticore back and giving her more room to maneuver.

Now it was Diana’s turn to go on the offensive. Twirling the lasso she rushed forward, tossing it towards the approaching female manticore. Again her shot went wide, but this time she managed to snag one of the beast’s wings, giving her a bit of leverage. She pulled her lasso taut, yanking the manticore to the ground with a crash. As the female struggled to get back up, Diana retrieved her lasso and rushed towards the male, who had backed up to prevent Diana from outflanking it. Diana tossed her lasso once more, but the manticore pounced before the lasso could connect.

All the air in Diana’s lungs was driven from her as the manticore tackled her. Alexa’s spells held, but Diana lost hold of her lasso as she landed. With her one free leg she kicked the manticore, and once she was free she rolled away and rushed towards her lasso. The two manticores formed up while she fetched her rope, cautiously sticking together to better block her potential attacks.

Okay, I need to find some way to calm them down. She looked back to the cage with the baby manticore inside. Bad idea, Diana; approaching the cub will only anger the parents. The manticores advanced slowly, waiting for Diana to throw her lasso. While they crept closer, Diana widened the loop and began walking sideways, tracking the manticores’ every move.

Move now; this is your last chance at victory. the voice whispered in her head. Diana hesitated for a second, and the manticores spotted this before charging. Diana darted off to one side, swinging around her opponents before tossing her lasso.

Somehow, either through fate or pure luck, she managed to get her lasso around the neck of the farthest manticore. With a tug the loop closed and pulled the beast towards her, causing it to collide with it’s mate. The two manticores tumbled over each other, and Diana dug her hooves into the ground to avoid being dragged along with them. The rope pulled taut, almost to the verge of snapping, but it held long enough for the manticores to come to a stop, both knocked out from colliding with one another.

Panting, Diana released her grip on the rope before turning towards where her mother sat. There was silence in the arena as the Amazons waited for Hippolyta to pass her judgement. As she waited, Diana looked to Soarin’; the colt seemed to be on edge, looking nervously between her and Hippolyta. Diana was too exhausted to think more on this, so she focused her attention on her mother.

“Very impressive.” Hippolyta said, once again concealing her emotions. “Return to your quarters and prepare for the next challenge.” Diana bowed and turned, stepping past the manticores as several other Amazons prepared them for the next contestant. She retrieved her rope and stepped back into the armory, giving Phillipus a nod as she passed by.

You have done well, child. I was wise in choosing you as my champion.

Who are you, and why do you want me to win? there was a pause.

I merely wish to halt Ares’ plans, and who better to do it than the daughter of one of my most loyal servants? Diana froze in place.

... Athena?!

Please, do not overreact, child; it will only throw off your effectiveness. The goddess of wisdom said.

But-

No, child, no more questions. You must focus and clear your mind, and trust that my favor will help you in the challenges ahead.Diana knew better than to argue with Athena; her legs ached from digging into the ground, and she was still breathing heavily from the fight. She nodded again and continued on inside, clearing her mind as best she could.


..................



Time seemed to roll on very slowly. The test of strength was finished, with most of the contestants having passed save for four who had been knocked out. Phillipus had not informed them who had won, but it did not matter; Diana still had a chance at winning, and that’s all that mattered. Her rope clutched in her hooves, she sat in the center of her room, her eyes closed in meditation. She barely even heard Phillipus as the older mare entered.

“You’re up for the next test.” Phillipus said. Diana sat in silence for a few more moments before nodding and standing up, tucking her rope away in a fold of her tunic. “You know you can return that thing.”

“I know.” Diana said as she stepped out into the main hallway. “I just find it comforting.” Phillipus gave Diana a weird look before shaking her head, muttering something about young mares and their “odd habits”. Had this been any other situation Diana would have retorted, but she bit her tongue and kept walking so as to not betray her identity. Phillipus pushed her out into the arena, and once again she took her place in the center facing her mother.

“You have passed the test of strength, dear sister.” Hippolyta said. “Now, though, you will need more than strength. Ares is a cunning opponent, and there are more threats in the mortal realm than those that can be defeated through physical force.” Hippolyta nodded, and there was a small pop of magic behind Diana. She turned and found two logs bound in a cross, a tight rope wound around them.

“Undo the knot in five minutes. Failing will not force you to concede, but it will still be remembered. Begin!” Diana approached the knot, inspecting it as best she could. It was tied tightly, and if Alexa was not supposed to be competing then Diana would have guessed that she tied it. She turned it over once more, searching for any loose ends that she could exploit.

Whoever had tied the knot was a genius, because she did not find any loose ends to speak of. She tried tugging at the rope, but all that left her with was a small sliver of wood between her teeth. After she spat out the wood, she tried wiggling the two logs, but they barely moved even as she threw her weight behind it.

Interesting... She thought. She toyed with the idea of whacking the logs against the ground, like a foal would with a toy or rock, but decided that the champion of Themyscira needed more poise than that. She stepped back for a moment and analyzed the rope once more, now searching for weaknesses in the fibers that she could exploit.

“One minute remains, sister.” Hippolyta called. “Best think of something.” Diana began to sweat as she approached the rope once more, she tried tugging again, but that seemed to only make the rope tighter. She growled in frustration, and for the briefest instant she let herself get flustered.

“Sword!” she called, turning to one of the Amazons still in the arena. The mare looked to her compatriots in confusion for a moment, before walking towards Diana and pulling out a bronze short sword. Diana thanked the mare and took the sword, turning it around in her mouth and placing it against the rope. Quickly she began to saw into the rope, not even noticing that the arena had fell silent as she worked. Finally the rope gave way and the logs separated, and Diana tossed away the sword once she was finished.

“There,” she said, turning to her mother. “The rope is undone.” There was a long period of silence. Hippolyta was giving her a cold gaze, while the other Amazons looked to each other in confusion. Diana began to sweat again, only this time it was less from anger and more from nervousness.

“... Very impressive.” her mother said, finally allowing a smile to slip past her lips. “Return to your room and await the next trial.” Diana nodded, and it was then that she realized just how much her legs were shaking. She made her way back into the waiting room, collapsing once she was certain she was alone.

I’m an idiot... Diana banged her head against the wall. I should have just remained calm... My mother will never choose me after something like that.


................


“That last one,” Hippolyta said, more to herself than Soarin’. “I think she has potential.”

“Uh, didn’t she cheat... sort of?” Soarin’ asked. He knew enough about competitions to have a general idea about what constituted as cheating, and cutting the rope certainly seemed like cheating. Hippolyta turned towards him and smirked.

“I said she had to undo the rope, not untie it. It was a little loophole I snuck in to see which of my sisters were smart enough to see it.” Hippolyta turned back to the arena, where several unicorns were busy setting up the next test. “Although, her anger did slip through there... that might be an issue. Oh well, it shall be resolved in the next trial.”


.................


It was quiet, and not just because Diana was alone. Nothing around her was moving, and she could not hear any sound from the arena above. Once again she sat with her rope clutched in her hooves, her eyes closed as the perused through her thoughts.

One trial remains... hopefully Athena’s favor is enough to carry me through... If that even was Athena. She took a deep breath and delved further. It could have been one of Ares’ agents trying to get my hopes up... But Ares does not have much power here... right? She was pulled from her thoughts by the door opening once more.

“Time for the final test.” Phillipus said. Diana stood up and followed Phillipus down the hall one last time.

“If you don’t mind me asking,” Diana said “But do you have any idea who the queen might choose?”

“Remember, child, that it is not Hippolyta’s decision; she is merely here to see who the gods have chosen to favor.” Phillipus looked back. “Although, they do seem to favor you, being as you are the only mare who managed to undo the knot in time.” Diana perked up at this.

Maybe I was wrong in doubting that Athena is on my side. Diana pushed her thoughts out of her mind as she stepped out into the arena one last time. As she entered, she noticed several unicorns hand formed up at different points in the arena, their faces hidden beneath light pink hoods. Once again she stopped in the center of the arena and faced her mother, waiting for the cheering to die down.

“Sister,” Hippolyta said. “You have performed admirably today, and I feel that the gods smile upon you. As I have said before, the mortal realm has many tests, but none like what we shall ask you now.” Hippolyta nodded and the unicorns surrounding Diana raised their horns, and soon a large outline in the shape of a butterfly formed around Diana.

“This is a Seal of Kindness,” Hippolyta explained. “It will tell us whether or not your heart is pure when I ask you this: What do you want?”

Diana frowned. There were many things she wanted, but she was not sure if any of them were relevant to the mortal realm. Diana looked to Soarin’ hoping that the colt might provide some kind of inspiration, but he seemed more focused on Hippolyta than her. She looked to the ground, raising a hoof to her chin in contemplation.

What do you want?

Diana considered saying success; being able to reach out to the mortals effectively could help Themyscira greatly. But success could also been seen as her trying to curry favor from her mother and the others, and success for Themyscira could have adverse effects on the mortal realm.

What do you want?

Diana frowned once more, and she was tempted to pace if it would help her think. However, doing so would break the spell, and that might ruin her chances at winning. She tapped her hoof against her chin, her eyes darting to the ponies around her.

What do you want?

Then she began to think about why she was competing in the first place. It was more than just getting a chance to see the mortal realm. Her mother had held her back. Her mother would not allow her to compete, saying it was dangerous. Her mother did not trust her skills or abilities, or even the will of the gods.

That’s it.

“Trust.” Diana answered, looking up to where her mother sat. “I want trust. Not just between Themyscira and the mortal, but between me and my fellow sisters, between us and you, my queen... and mother.” With that, Diana reached up and pulled her helmet off, and she could feel Alexa’s spells falling away as she revealed her face. There was a collective gasp from the crowd, and Hippolyta and Soarin’ stared down at her in shock.

“Diana...” Hippolyta said, her voice having lost a bit of it’s authority.

“Mother, hear me out. You know that what you did, barring me from today’s competition, was wrong. If the gods were the true judges, then what right did you possess in forbidding me? Do you not trust my abilities, or the gods’ abilities to judge who is worthy and who is not?

“I do not mean to sound disrespectful. I love you, mother; I love you more than anything else in the world. But I cannot allow yourself to be consumed by your own pride, for that may end up taking you away from me and my sisters.” Diana lowered her head. “I hope that you understand my reasoning, and that I have not blackened myself in your eyes.” there was a long pause. The Amazons looked to Hippolyta, who was still staring at Diana in shock. Soarin’ was darting back and forth between Diana and Hippolyta, unsure of who he was suppose to support. Eventually, Hippolyta composed herself and said something to Soarin’ and the two left their seats to head down into the arena.

Gods, show mercy upon your servant.


................


Soarin’ decided that silence was probably the best course of action at the moment. He knew how mares reacted when their children talked back to them, and anything he could try and say would most likely make things worse. The Amazons being as against colts as they were, it had an equal chance of getting himself killed. Then again, there have been a lot of things that could get me killed today.

The arena was still silent when they entered. Several guards formed up around Hippolyta, one even glaring at Soarin’ as they walked. He swallowed and sped up, trying and failing to look as calm as possible.

“Diana.” Hippolyta said as they approached. Diana turned and faced the entourage, her head held high. Soarin’ admired her composure; had he been in her position, he would have been begging for mercy right about now. There was a long pause as the two mares sized each other up, and Soarin’ found himself digging at the ground and looking around the the other Amazons. They were all focused solely on Diana and Hippolyta, with one or two turning to each other and whispering.

“Diana... You truly are the gods’ favored child.” Hippolyta’s horn shimmered, and she removed her tiara and placed it on Diana’s head. Diana blinked in surprise as Hippolyta turned to the crowd. “My sisters, I give you your champion!” There was a brief pause before the Amazons began cheering, Diana still looking confused as to what had happened.

“Diana,” Hippolyta said above the cheers. “I would like you to meet me in the temple for your final preparations once you have bathed and rested.” Diana nodded and Hippolyta left, leaving Soarin’ alone amongst the Amazons.

“I... I did not expect my mother to react in that way.” Diana said as she stepped towards Soarin’.

“Since I don’t really know her all that well, I can’t really be the judge on that.” Soarin’ shrugged. “But hey, you won right?

“I... Yes, I guess I did.” Diana smiled. “I should probably go make myself presentable before I face my mother again.”

“Yeah, You’re probably right...” Diana nodded and began to leave, even as more Amazons entered the arena to sing her praises. “Wait! What am I supposed to do until then?”

“I would say nothing, as you might get yourself killed if you are not careful.” Soarin’s ears folded against his head.

“Why does everything here have it out for me?”

“What? Did you think we sat around and braided each other’s hair all day?” Soarin’ blinked before trying to answer, but Diana had disappeared. The other Amazons were ignoring him for now, and he was okay with that.

And far away, upon her throne in Olympus, Athena smiled as her champion prepared.
> Farewell to the Sun and Stars
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Farewell to the Sun and Stars


Diana walked up the steps of the Temple of Athena, her head hung low and her eyes closed. Behind her stood Soarin’, Phillipus and an entourage of guards. All save the colt stood quietly as Diana entered the temple. She only looked back once she had crossed the threshold into the temple, searching in vain for something to reassure her.

“Diana, do not keep me waiting!” she heard her mother call. Diana swallowed and walked further into the Temple, towards Hippolyta and the altar.

“Mother, please, I didn’t mean to-” Diana began, but Hippolyta raised her hoof to silence her.

“No, Diana. I realize now that you were right.” This caught Diana off guard. She stood in silence for a few moments before speaking again.

“... You do?” She asked, confused at her mother’s response.

“Yes.” Hippolyta turned back to the altar while Diana moved closer. “I did allow my personal preferences to get ahead of my judgement, and that would have only caused me pain.”

“So... You are no longer mad at me?”

“No. I still am, but it’s for different reasons than your defiance. And I do not wish my anger to get in the way of the task you must complete.” Hippolyta stepped away from the altar, allowing Diana to see the three items set upon it. “I take it you know what these are?”

“Most of them.” Diana pointed to the tiara. “Athena gave that to you as a gift after the War in Heaven.”

“She entrusted it to me for safekeeping. It may appear to be a normal tiara, but in the hooves of a skilled warrior it is a deadly weapon; a well placed throw can take the head off a mortal at forty paces.” Diana nodded as Hippolyta moved to the next item, the Lasso of Truth. “And this one?”

“The Lasso of Truth was forged by Hephaestus from a fragment of the Element of Honesty. It forces the target to tell the wielder the truth and will not break under any force.” Diana answered.

“I see that Alexa has made sure you were well versed in the history of these items.” Hippolyta said, smiling.

“Yes, mother.” Diana looked to the last item, the folded leotard. “But I cannot say I am all too familiar with the last one; no one has ever told me a clear story about what it is. Even you have been rather elusive about it.”

“That is an interesting story, my daughter.” Hippolyta brushed the leotard with a hoof before continuing. “Many years before you were born, a mare washed up on Themyscira. She was a mortal, an Equestrian if you were interested, and I made sure that she was taken care of when I saw what condition she was in.

“Eventually she regained her strength, and we prepared to send her on her way. Before we could, however, some of Ares’ worshippers found Themyscira and attacked. Without hesitation she grabbed a weapon and fought alongside us, and with her skill and determination we were able to win the day. Sadly, she was fatally wounded in the fighting and died soon after. She is buried next to that olive tree you used to nap under as a child.” Diana perked up a little at this.

“I remember... she was the unmarked grave?”

“Yes, Diana.” Hippolyta sighed. “I would have made sure that she was remembered, but as she was not an Amazon, so much has been lost... save for this.” Hippolyta nodded towards the leotard. “I had this made shortly after she was buried. I based it off the crests she had been wearing when she arrived, in honor of her sacrifice for Themyscira.” Hippolyta turned back to the altar, grasping the leotard, lasso and tiara in her magic. “Remove your tunic.”

“Uh, mother?” Diana shuffled around, looking back towards the entrance to the temple. “Are you sure that’s the best course of action with a... colt standing outside?”

“Diana, I have never seen you this nervous before." Hippolyta frowned. "You are an Amazon, not a recruit about to receive her first bracelets.”

“I know, but there is still tradition to worry-”

“Diana, he cannot see you from here. If it really worries you,” Hippolyta’s horn shimmered before a disk of light surrounded the two mares. “There’s a cloaking spell. Now remove your tunic.” Diana looked around for a few moments before nodding and pulling off her tunic.

“You know, sometimes you act too much like a foal.” Hippolyta said as Diana set her tunic aside.

“Well sorry if I try to maintain a sense of decency, mother.” Diana muttered.

“Says the mare who was overly protective of the colt she is now scared of.” Diana’s face flushed red while Hippolyta passed her the leotard and tiara. “Now, Diana: do you accept the responsibilities that the gods have charged you with?”

“I...” Diana stopped herself from arguing with her mother. “I do.”

“Do you promise to defend and guide the mortal realm as the gods’ champion, to follow and uphold their laws as well as ours?” Diana thought it over.

“If it all possible, yes.” Hippolyta frowned.

“That wasn’t exactly the answer I was expecting...”

“I know, but suppose I come across a country where it is law to sacrifice slaves and children to appease their warlords? Am I supposed to go along with that?” Hippolyta opened her mouth, but stopped.

“You might be right.” she sighed. “Very well. Do you promise to defend and guide the mortal realm as the gods’ champion, to uphold and defend their laws without compromising your morals?”

“I do.”

“Then Diana, Princess of Themyscira, my daughter and heir,” Hippolyta placed the tiara on Diana’s head. “I now crown you our champion and Envoy of the Gods. And I give you my blessing.” Hippolyta leaned in and kissed Diana lightly on each cheek. When that was finished, she pulled Diana into a tight hug.

“Mother...”

“I’m sorry, Diana, I just...” she pulled Diana closer. “I never actually thought something like this would happen.” Diana reached up and placed a hoof on her mother’s shoulder.

“I’ll be fine, mother.” She said, giving Hippolyta a smile.

“I know.” Hippolyta broke away from their hug. “Now get dressed; we'd best not keep the mortals waiting.”


.............


“... So then I said ‘No Spitfire, just because Firefly said ‘right’ does not mean we have to turn right’.” Soarin’ laughed at the memories of Spitfire and his’ one last screw up; it had been mostly his fault, but it was still a good way to kill some tension. A few of the Amazons at the back of the group chuckled while Phillipus and Alexa gave him an off look.

“I... do not understand.” Alexa said. “Could you explain it again?”

“Don’t push him, Alexa.” Phillipus said. “It might damage your intelligence.” Soarin’ frowned and looked back towards the temple.

“How long until they come out?” he asked.

“Patience, colt,” Alexa said. “You should know better than to rush royalty.” Soarin’ opened his mouth, but was stopped when the Amazons snapped to attention. Soarin’ looked up with them just as Diana and Hippolyta exited the temple.

Gone was Diana’s white tunic; she was now clad in a blue and gold leotard, marked with the image of a golden eagle just below the neckline. The leotard clung close to her body, but still managed to hide her cutie mark from view. A lasso that glowed at the slightest movement dangled from her hips, and a golden tiara with a red star rested on her head. She stopped before Soarin’ and smiled, and Soarin’ found a small bead of sweat forming on his brow.

“Well?” Diana asked. “What do you think?”

“I...I...”

“Diana, you are a representative of Themyscira, not some mare of the streets.” Hippolyta snapped.

“Sorry, mother.” Diana turned back to Hippolyta. “Well, I think we’re ready.”

“Good. It’s a long flight to Equestria; you should get started so you can reach the first of the barrier islands by nightfall.”

“Uh, not that I don’t want to sound like a pessimist here,” Soarin’ said, raising a hoof. “But if I’m going to be carrying you, that might take a lot longer.” Diana raised an eyebrow before jumping up into the air. Soarin’s mouth dropped open when she failed to come back down.

“Is something that matter?” she asked as Soarin’ tried to regain his composure.

She can fly?! How can she fly? Why didn’t she fly before? Why am I freaking out over this... why am I not freaking out over this more? Soarin’ blinked a few times as he tried to regain control of his mind.

“Uh, no, nothing’s wrong... is there something wrong?” Diana did not seem convinced, but said nothing as she turned back to Hippolyta.

“I shall contact you as soon as I can, mother.” she said.

“I know.” Hippolyta gave Diana one last smile. “Be safe, my Sun and Stars.” Diana smiled and flew over to Soarin’ who was still trying to get over the idea that there was an Earth Pony flying around in front of him.

“If you are going to keep staring, I’ll have my mother cast a spell that would keep your eyes open forever.” she said.

“Uh, no, I’m good.” Soarin’ spread his wings and rose up into the air, bringing himself eye to eye with Diana. She smiled and took off towards the west, Soarin’ trailing behind her as Themyscira and the Amazons shrank from view.

“So, uh...” he began. “You can fly.”

“Yes.” Diana replied,

“Right.” he paused. “And, uh, you’ve been able to all this time?” Diana looked back.

“I guess so. I’ve never found any reason to try, as I am not a Pegasus.” She looked forward again. “Now that I think of it, there aren’t many Pegasi among the Amazons.”

“But you can fly.”

“Yes.” there was silence as Soarin' tried to think of a new line of discussion.

“‘Sun and Stars’?” he asked. Diana shot him a glare.

“Is there something wrong with that?”

“No!” he said, raising his hooves in defense. “Nothing at all, just... well, different. I know I haven't known you or your... family all that long, and your mother didn't seem to be the most affectionate-”

“What’s so different about it? Shouldn’t a mother be allowed to show affection towards her daughter?”

“Hey, there’s no need to get defensive!” Diana stopped talking, looking away as she thought over her response.

“You’re right. I’m sorry for how I acted.” she looked ahead again. “It’s just a nickname, anyway.” Soarin’ raised an eyebrow.

“I figured. Something special, then?”

“Yes.” Diana looked back at him. “When I was a little girl, my mother used to take me stargazing. I’d sit out upon the hills and marvel at the thousands of lights, and my mother used to tell me stories about the great heroes that were immortalized in those stars.” She sighed. “I used to think that those stars were the most beautiful things in the world.”

“But...?”

“My mother used to say that they were beautiful, but I was even more beautiful than all of them.” she looked forward again. “She called me her little Sun and Stars, and that I outshined them all.” Soarin’ smiled and nodded.

“That’s a nice story.”

“Thank you.” Diana broke through a cloud bank. “I’ve always had issues with the night, and my mother helped me immensely.”

“Why do you have issues with night?” another pause.

“I don’t really know. Something from when I was very little, I guess.” She sighed. “I don’t really wish to discuss this right now. I need to stay focus for the task ahead.”

“Right.” there was silence as the two flew, dodging through the clouds. “What will you do once you get to Equestria?”

“I promised to escort you back to Equestria, and after that I should try and find Ares and put an end to his plans.”

“Okay, but...” Soarin’ searched for the right words. “Have you ever been to Equestria?” Diana stopped flying for a moment and turned towards Soarin’.

“No. Why does that matter?” she asked, cocking her head to one side.

“Well, what if you get lost, or something? What if you need to find a place to stay and can’t find anything?”

“Amazons never get lost.” Diana turned around and kept flying. “And I am capable of taking care of myself in the wilderness. If the need arises, I can always ask for help.”

“Well, I don’t mean to sound rude, but you come from an island of militant mares with amazing trust issues. You might end up hurting someone if you’re not careful.” Diana looked back as Soarin’ kept talking. “All I’m saying is that maybe you could use a guide, or liaison, just to keep you company until you get settled in.”

“And you are volunteering your services?”

“Yes.” Soarin’ blinked when he realized what he had just said. “Wait, what I meant to say was-”

“You’ll do." Diana smiled and looked ahead. "After all, you’ve had the most contact with me and the others; it seems only fitting you follow me.”

“I, uh... I’m not really good at the whole guide thing.”

“As I said: you’ll do.” Soarin’ opened his mouth once more, but Diana had ducked through a cloud bank and was now out of earshot. “Hurry; at this rate we’ll never reach the islands by night.” Soarin’ sighed and followed her, his mind racing with different bad outcomes that might be in store for him.


.............


On a cloud not far from Diana’s position, Ares stood, watching the Amazon and her colt flying towards Equestria. Had he been so inclined, he could have revealed himself and knocked the two to their dooms, but he was not like Poseidon, so wrapped up in his rage that it blinded his foresight.

“I should thank you, Athena, for bringing me this great turn of fortune.” he said, more to himself than anything. There was a pop of magic before the grey-eyed alicorn appeared on a second cloud.

“I am not one to tempt the wills of fate, Ares.” she said, her eyes narrowing to slits.

“Then why manipulate the Amazonian Princess into fighting for your cause?” Ares looked back towards Diana, the Earth Pony only a small speck among a sea of clouds.

“The Fates told me to cast my favor upon her. I can only fathom that it was to stop you.”

“Or hasten my revenge.” he smirked. “I was planning on paying your little pet Hippolyta a visit, but now you give me her daughter? Why, that’s more than what I hoped for.”

“Diana is not a sacrifice, Ares.” Athena flared her wings, light flickering off the tips of her feathers. “She is a strong warrior and good friend.”

“If she’s such a good friend why do you send her to oppose me?" Ares turned to face Athena. "Why not just fight me here and end my plan now?”

“You know I cannot do that.”

“Then why are you here?” Ares’ smirk grew even wider. “If you are here to prevent me from blasting Hippolyta’s daughter from the sky, you are wasting your time; I intend to string out your little pet in a merry chase, and show you what happens when you send your 'servants' to do what you are too much of a coward to achieve.”

“You forget, it was I that broke the back of the forces of Apokolips, not you. And unlike you I do not manipulate the mortal realm to my own ends; I try to push them towards their greatest potential.” Ares barely contained his laughter.

“That only works to help you in the end, doesn’t it? Face it, Athena, you are no better than I am.” Athena scowled and looked away for a moment.

“At least I don’t revel in the murder of innocents, be they minotaur, diamond dog, griffin or pony.” Athena was bathed in light as she prepared to return to Olympus. “We are not finished, Ares.”

“Oh, I never doubted that.” he said as Athena disappeared. He turned back and spotted  the Amazon once more, picking her out from among the clouds.

“Unlike you, I still have a few more pieces to bring into play...” Ares smirked before vanishing into a cloud of smoke, drifting off towards Equestria.
> Arrival in Equestria
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Arrival in Equestria


The two had landed just south of Manehattan. Diana had insisted that they land closer, or within the city itself, but Soarin’ managed to talk her out of it. Now though, she took a moment to examine the city, all of its buildings, streets, any visible monuments, what few ponies that were close enough to be recognized, and she was able to come to a conclusion:

“This city is hideous.” she said. “And huge; you really can’t have that many ponies living here to warrant buildings of that size, can you?”

“You’d be surprised how many ponies you can fit in one building.” Soarin’ said. Diana nodded, but she still did not like how the city looked.

“The least they could have done was make the buildings a bit more... tasteful.” she sighed and began trotting towards the city. “Well, there’s no use complaining. I suppose I should find some government official and alert them to Ares’ plots. I suppose you would know where I could find a suitable magistrate.”

“Uh, wait up, Diana.” Soarin’ flew past Diana in order to come face to face with her. “I know you’re really into this whole ‘save the world’ thing, but you might just want to hold back on it for a little while.”

“But every minute I wait, Ares gets stronger!”

“I know, but wouldn’t you rather get used to the ponies you’re helping before you accidentally offend somepony?” Diana paused, looking away from Soarin’ for a moment.

“That may be a wise course of action. Very well, lead on.”

“Okay.” Soarin’ landed and walked towards Manehattan, Diana following close behind. “We’ll stop by the hotel I was staying at before... well, before I met you. If we’re lucky, the others haven’t left yet and we might be able to get a ride to Canterlot.”

“I do not wish to sound like an ignorant pony,” Diana said, picking up the pace slightly so she was now walking alongside Soarin’. “But a ‘hotel’ is...?”

“It’s... a really big building where ponies go to spend the night when they’re away on trips.”

“Oh.” Diana was silent, looking back towards Manehattan. When Ares is defeated, I must do a thorough analysis of all the differences between this realm and Themyscira. I’m sure my mother would not mind. She placed that thought aside as they reached a road. Like the others it was narrow, too narrow for Diana’s tastes, but it was functionally the same. With less uneven ground to worry about they were able to move a little faster, and soon they were nearing the city limits.

It was then that Diana was able to get a better view of the ponies of Manehattan. The state of undress most of them were in was disturbing, but Diana was willing to set that cultural difference aside for a moment. What she really noticed was how relaxed everypony was; Themyscira being a warrior culture, Diana was always told to be on alert, but these ponies showed little in the ways of discipline or alertness. Artisans, merchants, farmers maybe, but not warriors. She did not know whether to worry for the city’s safety or admire Equestria’s security if they were so calm.

Also, as they neared she noticed quite a few ponies, mostly mares, looking towards them as they walked.

“Is this a normal occurrence?” she asked. “To have so many ponies watching you?”

“Um... Yes?” before Diana could respond, a small group of mares, most of them teenagers, approached Soarin’.

“Um, I don’t want to sound... rude.” the lead mare said, pawing nervously at the ground. “But... are you Soarin'?” Diana raised an eyebrow at this.

“Yes,” Soarin’ responded, turning to face them. “Why do you ask?” As soon as he turned around, Diana noticed, all the nervousness in the mares seemed to vanish. Shy looks were replaced by beaming smiles, and they seemed to lean in very close.

“Soarin’!” the assembled mares squealed, a grating sound that caused Diana to take a few steps back. Several other ponies noticed it as well, but for whatever reason decided to move towards the source of the sound rather than away from it. In their rush, several pushed Diana out of the way, Diana’s patience running rather thin as they failed to apologize.

Even if she felt that her situation was less than satisfactory, she was thankful she was not in Soarin’s position; the colt was mobbed from all angles by excited ponies, all of them were assaulting him with a barrage of questions, most of them frivolous comments about his looks. As she looked on, Diana’s ears flattened against her head and she frowned, her annoyance at the delay growing.

“I take it this also is a common occurrence for you?” she asked, surprised to see that Soarin’ actually heard what she had said.

“Uh, sorry for not warning you?” he gave her a rather weak smile. Diana paused for a moment before giving a snort.

“Colts; one mare bats her eyes at them, and they can’t even think straight.” she groaned before noticing that all the mares were now looking at her. “... What?” Diana’s emotions went from frustration to shock when all the mares began to swarm her too.

“Are you Soarin’s girlfriend?” one asked.

“Why are you wearing that outfit?” another said. “Are you a dancer?”

“I really like your mane!” a third cried. “Who’s your stylist?”

“What’s Soarin’ like?”

“Isn’t he just adorable?”

“Are you two getting married?”

"Uh..." Diana backed away, eyes darting between the mares and the distressed looking Soarin'. She was alone, alone against the tide of questions and intrusions from a culture that she barely even knew. Just from standing next to one pony, and they automatically assumed she was his... consort?! Hera, I beg of you; please make this stop!

"Uh, excuse me, yeah, just coming through," Soarin' pushed his way through the mob, finally reaching Diana and taking her by the hoof. "Don't try to fly, just hang on."

"'Hang on'? I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself-" Diana never finished, for Soarin' had spread his wings and taken flight, leaving the crowd of mares behind save for those Pegasi foolhardy enough to try and give chase. For all of his other faults, Soarin' was certainly swift, easily leaving the mares behind until he found a suitably "quiet" spot further in town.

"I had no idea they'd be so aggressive," Soarin' said, letting go of Diana's hoof. "The Wonderbolts are popular, but ponies don't get that close so often."

"Uh..." Diana started before shaking her head. "It's... well... it's ridiculous. You are just one colt; shouldn't they seek pleasure elsewhere rather than just fawning over you alone?"

"Well, they can be a bit much at times, but it's not much different from when you have a champion back on Themyscira, is it?"

"That's entirely different." Diana shook her head. "And the inanity...  my mane is fine! What is a 'stylist'?"

"Diana, just calm down," Soarin' placed a hoof on her shoulder. "I know it's a bit much, but I promise that things will make sense soon. So just stay calm, we'll get inside, and you can get to defeating Ares." Diana regarded Soarin' for a moment. It was overwhelming, sure enough, but... having someone like him was rather comforting, she guessed.

"Very well," she said. "Lead on."


...............


Soarin' looked over to Diana, watching as the Amazon took everything in. Other than the incident with the fans, she seemed to be calmly taking everything in as they walked, her eyes darting from one feature of the city to the next. No panicking, no insistence that Equestria was insane, and no violent Amazon rampage... yet. While Diana was much calmer than her fellows, Soarin' was not eager to see how far her patience stretched.

"So, Manehattan's one of the bigger cities in Equestria," he said. "I don't really know how many ponies live here, but it's got to be several hundred thousand if I remember correctly... maybe more." Diana did not say anything. "Yeah, it can be a bit intimidating, but you get used to it after a while." Soarin' looked over at Diana, stopping when he saw that she was not walking alongside him, but had stopped half a block down at a pretzel stand. Soarin' chewed his lip and trotted over.

"... and then you wrap them up like little arms?" Diana asked.

"Yes," the stall owner said. "It's a bit tricky, but when you've been making pretzels as long as I have you pick up a few things. Care for one?"

"Oh... thank you." Diana took a pretzel in her hoof before frowning. "Oh, I'm sorry... I just realized I don't have anything to pay you..."

"Marry me?" Diana's face flushed just as Soarin' stepped in.

"I'll take care of it," Soarin' said quickly, tossing a few bits to the pony. "You have a nice day now."

"You too. You have a very beautiful marefriend!" Soarin' gave a fake smile and gently nudged Diana away before she became more flustered.

"Is that really all you ponies think about?" she started.

"He was just joking, Diana," I hope "Things are a bit more relaxed around here, sure-"

"But he did not even ask if my mother would speak on the matter..." Diana mumbled, taking a small bite from her pretzel. "By the gods, this is tasty. I should have asked how to make these so I could teach the bakers of Themyscira."

"I think I can find you something to help with that." Soarin' looked away from Diana for a moment, spotting their hotel just up the street. "Great, we made it."

"Is that where we will be staying?" Diana asked. "Good. Now, I need to find a magistrate and alert them of Ares' presence." Diana started off, but Soarin' moved to intercept her.

"Easy, Diana, there's no need to run off and get lost," he said. "Besides, I'm exhausted from the flight here. What I really need right now is a shower and some food, then we can save the world."

"Well, enjoy yourself then. Have one of those 'pretzel' breads."

"Diana," Soarin' stepped around her again before speaking. "Remember what we talked about, about getting to know Equestria before you become its savior? What ever happened to that?"

"Well..." Diana started before giving a frustrated sigh. "Fine. I suppose I'll put up with your insanity for a little while longer... but we must remember we're here to defeat Ares, nothing more." Soarin' started to protest, but stopped himself. Diana wanted to get her mission done, and who was he to fault that?

What happened to all that curiosity she had, though?

"Okay. Well, come on; let's rest for a little while and then we can get moving again." Diana nodded, falling in step behind Soarin' as he made his way across the street. It was, surprisingly, a lighter day of traffic, the two not having to dodge carts and hurrying ponies on their way to the hotel. The bellhops at the front of the hotel did not pay him much mind, but they did seem very interested in Diana as she followed after him.

“Hey, Soarin’!” a voice called out. Soarin’ looked up and he saw Rapidfire and a few of the others hurrying towards him. “Where have you been?”

“It’s a long story, I’d rather not talk about it.” Soarin’ stood up straighter. “But why are you guys still here? Shouldn’t you be in Los Pegasus getting ready for the wedding?” there was a pause.

“Uh, well...” Rapidfire massaged the back of his head. “Yeah, um, Fleetfoot was trying out some of the hors d’oeuvres and... well, one of the cooks whiffed a batch and Fleetfoot got food poisoning... bad.”

“... How bad?”

“Like, ‘hungover Princess’ bad.”

“Ooh.” Soarin’ grimaced as another bad image came to mind. “So...?”

“They pushed the wedding back a few weeks, and we decided to spend a day or two more here.”

“Oh.” there was a pause. At the back of his mind he thought he heard a voice whispering You can thank me for that later, but passed it off as stress.

“But seriously, where were you?” Rapidfire asked. “You disappear for three days and then you just show up again? What were you up to?”

“Nothing, really.” Soarin’ shrugged. “I just... was out of town for a few days.”

“Where?” Soarin’ was about to answer with some kind of half-truth when his thoughts were rather forcibly derailed by one outraged Amazon.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY TO ME?!" Soarin' whipped around to find Diana towering over one of the bellhops. The pony tried to slip away, but Diana reached out and yanked him forward before he could escape. “Would you like to repeat what you said to me, colt?” she snarled, pulling the colt up so he was eye to eye with her.

“I-I-I-” the colt stammered.

“Speak up!” Yeah, I’m doomed. Soarin’ thought before rushing over to Diana.

“Put him down, Diana.” he said.

“Do you know what this colt said to me?” she asked, still not letting go of the pony in question. “He said I had a nice flank. Coming from you I can understand it, as you were under the influence of the Lasso of Truth, but he said it so casually! I am willing to respect your culture’s lack of clothing, but are these things always treated so... lightly?”

“Uh...”

“That’s all anypony has said to me since I stepped into this city: ‘Nice flanks’, ‘Where did you get your coat cleaned’, ‘Who’s your specialist’, ‘Are those real’, ‘What’s your sign’. I don’t even know what that last one means! Do you obsess over signs as well?”

“Diana...”

“And then there were the proposals of marriage. Seventeen of them! And they didn’t even speak to my mother and ask for her permission to court me... not that they could, but the effect is still the same! And you... you never once questioned why ponies were doing this! Are you that used to mares being subjected like that? Are all mares just objects that you drool over?”

“Diana...” Soarin’ raised a hoof to try and calm the angered Amazon. “I know it’s a bit of a shock, but trust me, most colts aren’t like that. So you hit a rough patch, but you can’t judge everypony just from one experience, can you?” Diana’s gaze softened and she released a bit of her grip on the other colt’s neck.

“I... I suppose you’re right.” she released the colt and got back down on all four hooves. “I am sorry. I guess the stress of arriving in a new culture is getting to me. I will try to adjust as much as possible.”

“That’s better.” Soarin’ smiled, and after a pause Diana returned the smile. That vanished when she looked back to the colt she had tried to strangle.

“Apologies for the trouble. Next time, though, show some respect for visiting mares.”

“Y-y-yes ma’am.” the colt stammered before running away, and once he was gone the other ponies in the hotel returned to their business. Diana looked back to Soarin’ cocking her head to one side.

“Well?" Soarin’ could do nothing else but sigh.

“Look, just forget about this. Relax a little, and we’ll get back to saving the world as soon as possible, and... And I'll try to keep the more intrusive ponies off your back, okay?”

“Fine.” Soarin’ nodded and turned back to Rapidfire and the others, Diana walking up beside him.

“So, Soarin’...” Rapidfire said after a brief pause. “Who’s your friend?”

“My name is Diana. I am visiting from...” she looked around. “Outside of Equestria. I apologize if you saw that outburst back there.”

“Oh, no need to apologize.” Rapidfire looked to Soarin’. “So, we were planning on hitting up a few clubs we missed last time; maybe you’d like to bring your friend along?” Soarin’ raised an eyebrow.

“Do you really think that’s a good idea, after... well...”

“Why not? It’d make things more exciting.” Soarin’ sighed; it was just like Firefly said, Rapidfire had less than average survival instincts.

“We’ll probably skip tonight. Diana’s still tired from the trip, and...” Soarin’ nodded his head back to where the (probably) traumatized young colt was talking to a manager of sorts.

“Eh, suit yourself.”


.............


Diana could not sleep. It was not because to the earlier incident; rather, it was simple curiosity. She stood on the balcony of the room she was sharing with Soarin’, her lasso wrapped around her right foreleg, looking out over the city. She had to admit, at night the multitude of lights was an improvement (she made a mental note to ask Soarin’ just how they were maintained), but it was nothing compared to Themyscira.

Furthermore, she had not gotten a chance to speak with a magistrate; the mares and colts that waited for her at the front (some kind of slave, she guessed), had told her that all of them were busy with meetings of sorts. Even saving the world was not enough to sway them, and once more she found herself having to be escorted away by Soarin', the colt imploring her to stay calm.

Calm... In a city that seemed obsessed over everything and yet incapable of worry about anything, was there such a thing as calm?

“Mother...” she whispered, closing her eyes. “I wish you were here right now. You were always best at keeping me calm.” Save for when I earned my cutie mark; I was the voice of reason then. She sighed and looked on, watching the ponies below as they went about their business.

She spotted quite a few couples among the crowds. Even from up here, Diana could see them, walking and talking without a care in the world. She would have assumed that most colts were like the ones she had met earlier, obsessed over a mare’s body rather than anything else. But from up here, she saw things differently; yes, those old feelings lingered, but she saw enough kindness and genuine love to balance that out.

Mortals... Alexa used to say. Always changing, always moving. Diana set that thought aside before securing her lasso to her waist. That task completed, she jumped into the air and flew over the city, silently looping between the buildings.

She saw many things. She passed by a building wherein several aristocratic-looking ponies were sitting down for a meal (a ridiculously small meal, but a meal nonetheless), and then another where an older couple were sitting silently, smiling at each other. She passed an industrial yard, pulling up to avoid being spotted by a brown Pegasus in a blue flight suit and cape, before turning right and flying out towards the edge of the city, slowing down so she could see more of Manehattan. From above, it was like the stars themselves had descended from Luna's night, resting gently against the darkened earth like birds settling in their nests.

Maybe there was calm in this crazed world after all...

Something caught her eye as she passed over one street. She looped around and saw a mare standing beneath a lamp post, talking to another pony and a griffon, both males. By their body language Diana could tell that the other pony and griffon were on the verge of violence, so she moved closer to see what was wrong.

“I already told you, I don’t owe anything!” the mare snapped, making to leave. She was cut off by the griffon sneaking behind her and forced back to the lamp post, and Diana found herself inching closer.

“Right.” The other pony said, moving closer to the mare. “You keep saying that, but somehow I don’t believe you. Now, are you going to play nice, or do we have to convince you?” the mare opened her mouth to speak, but received a slap from the griffon before she could say anything. As she collapsed, Diana landed and stepped into the light.

“Hey, leave her alone!” she said. The pony and griffon looked towards her.

“Stay out of this, lady.” the griffon growled. “This isn’t your business.”

“I think you will find that it is.”

“Look, we don’t want to have to deal with any distractions.” the pony sized her up. “Unless... you’re willing to make it worth our while.” Diana’s ears flattened again. Before the griffon or pony could react, Diana lunged forward, punching the pony in the face. The griffon tried to strike, but Diana deflected his claws with her bracelets before slamming her hoof into his stomach, knocking him to the ground. Her enemies incapacitated, Diana turned to the other mare.

“Leave, now.” she said. The mare nodded and sprinted off into the night while Diana pulled her lasso out and tossed it around the griffon’s neck. “Now, who do you work for?”


................


It had been a slow night for Officer Golden Star, which was saying alot considering that she worked in Manehattan. Her shift at the station was almost over, and she had received no calls whatsoever, not even somepony apologizing for not paying their taxes on time. The only saving grace was that her cousin in Canterlot had sent various pastries for the chief’s 10th year on the force, and some were still left over when Golden Star got on her shift. So she sat in silence, nibbling on a donut while she waited for her shift to end.

I think next time I should ask Chief for a daytime shift. She thought. It would certainly add to the excitement around- she was interrupted by the sound of the door opening and something being thrown into the lobby.

“Hello? Is there someone here?” a voice called. Golden Star set aside her food for a moment and stepped out of her office.

“Sorry, there should be somepony up there.” she said as she entered the lobby. “With how slow things are around here we tend to get a little-” she stopped when she saw the situation. Hog-tied in the center of the room was a griffon, heavily scarred yet fairly well dressed. Around his neck was a second rope, this one glowing gold with some kind of magical energy, and standing on his back was a red Earth Pony wearing a tiara, bracelets, and leotard.

“What is your name, and what are your crimes?” the mare asked the griffon, pressing into his back with a hoof. The griffon hesitated, but started talking when the rope around his neck glowed a little brighter.

“I’m Josef Ironclaw. I’m wanted on several dozen accounts of murder, theft, kidnapping, and prostitution.” the mare pressed into the griffon’s back once more. “... I’ve come to turn myself in.” Golden Star blinked; Ironclaw was one of the biggest criminals in Manehattan, and here he was hogtied and spilling his guts out to her. She looked up to the other mare, who merely smiled and jumped off the griffon.

“Sorry for the intrusion, officer.” she said. “In the future, I hope we can cooperate more closely in ensuring the safety of your homeland.”

“Uh, okay?” the mare smiled again and exited the building, flying off into the night. It took five minutes for Golden Star to register that not only had she just been given one of the most powerful criminals in Manehattan, but she had seen an Earth Pony fly.

“... Or maybe I’m just going crazy.”
> Leaving Manehattan
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Leaving Manehattan


        Soarin’ smelled food. At first he thought he was dreaming again, but when the smell failed to go away, he rolled over from his spot on the floor and saw Diana sitting against the far wall surrounded by several plates of fruit and baked goods. Soarin’ blinked a few times before sitting up, Diana looking up at him and smiling.

        “I assume you slept well?” she asked.

        “As well as I could.” he stretched and turned his attention to the food. “Where did this all come from?”

        “Funny that you should ask.” Diana smiled a little wider. “This building has a function called ‘room service’ and I was able to procure these various pastries. It's much more efficient than anything on Themyscira.” she reached over and picked up a plate. “I believe these are called scones. Would you like one?”

        “Uh, how much did all this cost?”  Soarin' asked as he got out of bed.

        “I’m not sure. I saw that the initial serving was a little sparse, so I gave the colt most of the gold you had in that pouch and he was kind enough to give me an extra helping.” Soarin’ blinked a few more times, his mind slowly piecing together the fact that Diana had just spent almost all of his money on breakfast. He sighed and stood up while Diana helped herself to a bowl of blueberries.

        “Next time, do you think you could order a little...” Soarin’ looked over the multitude of food. “Less?”

        “I suppose so. I would have asked you first, since I do not know your eating habits, but you were asleep and I did not wish to wake you.” Diana turned her attention back to the blueberries. “So? Where do we head next?”

        “Uh... Well, I guess the next best place would be Canterlot." Soarin' said as he took a seat across from Diana. "Maybe the Princesses could be of help.”

        “I have no doubt they will. My mother hosted Princess Celestia several times during her travels and-” she stopped. “Do you know of Mi Amore Cadenza, Daughter of Luna?”

        “You mean Princess Cadance?” Diana nodded, popping another hoof-full of berries into her mouth. “I met her at that wedding a few months ago, but other than that-” Soarin’ found himself pulled in, Diana eye to eye with him.

        “Cadance got married?” Diana cried before letting go of Soarin’. “Why didn’t she tell me? We grew up together... I helped make her an Amazon!”

        “... Cadance is a Amazon?” Diana seemed to calm down, looking away and taking a few deeper breaths.

        “Technically... she is not a full Amazon like me or my mother, but she has undergone most if not all of the training necessary to be an Amazon.” Diana raised her foreleg and pointed to the bracelet that adorned it. “This is the mark of our service to Athena, and of our sins in our past lives. If she were Amazon, she would bear identical bracelets.”

        “Couldn’t she have just taken them off?” Soarin' asked.

        “Removing an Amazon’s bracelets is very dangerous and foolhardy, unless you wish for us to go into a rage and kill everypony we can find.” Soarin’ sat in shocked silence as Diana shook her head. “That’s not important, what is important is why Cadance did not tell me of her wedding.”

        “Nopony’s ever heard of Themyscira before and your invitation didn’t get delivered?” Diana glared at Soarin’.

        “Cadance is the daughter of a goddess. I think she would have been able to contact me than simple invitations.” Diana looked away for a moment. “... Perhaps I am overreacting. I shall have to contact her as soon as Ares is defeated.” She continued eating, pushing a small plate towards Soarin’ with her free hoof. “You best eat. It should be a long trip to the next town and I don’t want to have to carry you the rest of the way.” Ignoring the insult to his stamina, Soarin’ pulled the plate in closer while Diana finished off the last of the blueberries.

        “You know, if you’d saved a little money we could have just bought a train ticket to Canterlot and saved us a few days of travel?” Diana paused, looking at Soarin’ and raising an eyebrow.

        “Why would I want to do that? I wish to learn more about your culture here, and I doubt I’d learn anything if I am contain in some... machine..." she shivered before continuing. "And before you ask, I did a survey flight last night; I know what these trains of yours are and, to be honest, they’re rather off-putting and wasteful.” She grabbed another plate of fruit. “Trust me, walking and flying is better.”

        “Uh... Okay.” Soarin’ looked down at his food before looking up at Diana. “Wait, you said you did a surveillance flight last night.”

        “Yes.” Soarin’ blinked.

        “No one saw you, right?” Diana paused for a moment.

        “Well, aside from the mare of the town watch and the criminals I had arrested I don’t think anypony saw me. Is there a problem with that?” Soarin’s mind short-circuited for a moment.

        “Town watch... criminals... Diana, what exactly did you do last night?”

        “I was flying along and saw a mare being assaulted by two rabble rousers. After defeating them I traced them back to a griffon who seemed to be in control of quite a few organizations,  and although there was a brief struggle I managed to overpower him and bring him to local law enforcement, and I am sure they can handle him properly.” Soarin' sat there for several moments, doing his best not to let his jaw drop open.

        “And... the idea that somepony might be freaked out by a flying Earth Pony never came to mind?”

        “Soarin’, it’s not like I turned into some demon and began ripping ponies’ souls out." Diana looked up at him. "Your kind needs to know of what else there is in this world.”

        “Well... Okay, but don’t you think you should take it a little slower?” Diana finished eating and stood up.

“Perhaps. If you object to something I am doing please rein me in before I do something foolish.”

        “You’re a flying Earth Pony with a lasso that makes ponies tell the truth." Soarin' said, ears drooping. "What chance do you think I’d have at reining you in?”

        “You’d be surprised.” she smiled. “Finish up; I want to start out as soon as possible.” Soarin’ watched as Diana exited the room and stepped out onto the balcony, looking out over the city once more. For whatever reason, Soarin’ found his vision drifting towards her flanks, but another mental image of being stabbed repeatedly by Phillipus forced him to shift his focus to the back of Diana’s head.

        Maybe Firefly will take it easy on me if I say there’s someone who hates me more than life itself... Soarin’ sighed and looked away from Diana, unaware that she had looked back at him only a moment before.

        “So... You and Princess Cadance were friends?” he asked, hoping to move on to something that might make Diana a little less urgent.

        “Oh yes.” Diana said, re-entering the room and sitting down in front of Soarin’. “I met her when I was three. I snuck away from Phillipus during one of my trips down the the beach and I found her... examining tide pools or something. I convinced her to help me raid the armory and go kill a chimera, but my mother caught us before we’d even made it out the door.” Diana chuckled. “Of course, Cadance didn’t know she was there because a helmet had gotten stuck on her head, and she ended up knocking a pile of spears onto my mother and almost set the building on fire.” Diana’s chuckle evolved into a full laugh. “My mother... You should have seen the look on her face as me and Cadance stumbled out. You’ve met Celestia; have you ever seen her angry?”

“Kind of?”

“Celestia herself was freaked out by my mother’s initial reaction... Although she did end up laughing about it a few years later.” Diana gave a content sigh. “Cadance and I didn’t stop there; we used to cause so much trouble, Phillipus called us ‘Themyscira’s Little Terrors’. Admittedly I tended to drag Cadance into my schemes more often than not, but Cadance was far from innocent; she did actually set the armory on fire at a later point, just before she got her cutie mark... Well, that story can wait: it’s funnier when both of us tell it.”

        “Oh..." there was a pause before Soarin' asked his next question. "So, you drifted apart?” Diana's face dropped as she looked away.

        “She left Themyscira about twenty years ago... We did send a few letters, but after awhile we stopped communicating with one another.” there was silence as Diana stood up and returned to the balcony. Instinct told Soarin’ to go out and comfort her, but he was unsure if she would accept this or get angry at him because of some Amazon tradition.

        I admire you for many things, a voice at the back of his mind said. Your indecision is not one of them. Soarin’ frowned, his ears flattening against his head. It seemed like he had suddenly become a plaything of powerful cosmic beings, and the possibility of one rummaging around in his head was very unnerving. He made a mental note to ask Diana about it as soon as possible, and to brush up on keeping his mind to himself once he had a more definitive answer.

        As he looked down, he missed Diana looking back at him again.


...............


        They said it required a toll to cross the River Styx and enter Tartarus. That was true for mortals, but Ares was a god; he would not be limited by the superstitions of petty weaklings.

        He stepped through the gates and into the realm of the dead, foregoing his avatar for his true form of an armored-plated alicorn with glowing red eyes. With a quick glance around at his surroundings he walked further into Tartarus, armored boots clicking against the stone. Part of him expected to see tortured souls or a few monsters, but all he saw were fields of broken rock.

        No matter, he thought. That will change once my plan is complete. “I know you’re here, Hades.” he called out into the shadows. “You can stop hiding from me.”

        “You mistake my observation for cowardice,” a voice called from the gloom before a gaunt alicorn in a black robe stepped forward. “I have often wondered about your confidence; I never would have guessed that it translated to such disrespect.”

        “I am not here to exchange pleasantries, Hades. I need your help.” the Lord of Tartarus made no reply, and Ares could not tell what expression he hid behind his robe.

        “I do not wish to be involved in one of your schemes, Ares.”

        “At the very least hear me out.” Ares stepped towards Hades. “I require the services of a few of the creatures you have lying about here. Just... a little stimulus to make the mortal realm more interesting.”

        “And why would I care if the mortal realm is ‘interesting’ or not?” Hades asked.

        “Come now, Hades, be creative; do you know what a good sized army of monsters would be capable of? If I can establish a foothold, I can start a war that would bring hundreds if not thousands of souls to your realm.” At this, the Lord of the Dead scoffed.

        “All souls enter my domain eventually,” Hades turned away. “I am not the kind of pony to rush their arrival.” Ares frowned. He knew that Hades could be stubborn, but this was getting ridiculous. He quickened his step and managed to end up in front of Hades.

        “You see, this is why nopony admires you," Ares said. "You are so set in your ways that you let opportunities like this pass you by.”

        “And I suppose your impulsiveness has done wonders for you. Please leave me, Ares; you are wasting my time.” Hades made to leave, but Ares cut him off once more.

        “Just give me a chance to show you that my plan is beneficial for both of us.”

        “I understand what you wish of me, but I have neither the time nor the inclination to assist you. Now leave me, and remember to pay your toll before crossing the Styx again; Charon works too hard to be ignored, even by gods.” Hades managed to slip around Ares and disappear into the blackness. Ares’ frustration had risen considerably, his eyes narrowing and his boots digging into the rock beneath him.

        “I knew I should have asked Poseidon for help; at least he enjoys a little wanton destruction.” Ares prepared to leave when he saw something move out of the corner of his eye. He turned to face the threat, drawing upon every combat spell he could think of, but hesitated when he saw it was only a smaller pony watching from behind a broken pillar. “Show yourself!”

        “Okay...” was the only response Ares received. From behind the statue stepped the smaller pony, and now Ares could see that it was a cream colored alicorn mare with a flowing red mane. Realizing that the pony was of no threat, he lowered most of his defenses and stood a little taller.

        “Persephone, I presume?" Ares asked. "I’m surprised to see that you have not succumbed to the dreariness of this place.”

        “Oh no, I don’t think it’s that bad.” Persephone assured him, but Ares was not convinced. He walked towards her, the younger goddess shuffling around as he neared. “I, uh, could not help but overhear that you and my-”

        “And why would I care to know what you heard?” Ares snapped, causing Persephone to flinch. “That discussion was strictly between me and Hades, not you.”

        “Oh... okay.” Ares raised an eyebrow. Persephone was hiding something, and doing a poor job at concealing it. She noted his curiosity and took a step back. “I-is something wrong?”

        “Many things.” Ares leaned in closer. “What do you know?”

        “Know? About what?” Ares' eyes narrowed.

        “Don’t play innocent with me, child. You know something that might aid me, now what is it?”

        “I-I really can’t say...” Persephone mumbled, nervously shuffling her hooves.

        “What is it?!” Ares barked, once more causing the mare to flinch.

        “Okay... There’s a...”

        “A what?” Ares’ patience, never too substantial to begin with, was beginning to run thin.

        “An... an amulet. I think it was called the Alicorn’s Amulet. Y-you can use the amulet to open a portal to Tartarus and...”

        “Yes, I can see where this is leading.” Ares smiled; why waste trouble trying to convince Hades of his plan when he could just take the demons for himself. “Where is it?”

        “Um, somewhere in Equestria.” Ares glared at Persephone. “I-I don’t know where it is exactly! But you should be able to find it; it’s very powerful...”

        “And how do I know you won’t just go and tell your husband about this?” Ares asked.

        “Oh, I won’t.” Unconvinced, Ares glared at Persephone again. “I-I won’t! I promise I won’t, and you know-”

        “Gods are bound to their promises.” Ares rolled his eyes and turned away from Persephone. “Why are you helping me, anyway?”

        “Oh, um...” Persephone shuffled around a little more. “It does tend to get a little quiet around here, and I do wish to see my husband happy... it’s a lot of work to make him happy...” Ares groaned and continued walking, shifting back into his avatar as he approached the Styx.

        At least something from this journey bore fruit...
> Encounters and Confrontations
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Encounters and Confrontations


Once they had moved out of sight of Manehattan, Soarin’ and Diana were able to fly again without being spotted. It was still odd, to see an Earth Pony fly, but Soarin’ realized that he was getting used to strange things such as this. Compared to some of the stuff that had happened to him, seeing an Earth Pony fly did not seem like that big of an issue.

“So,” Diana said as they landed outside the Everfree Forest. “What can you tell me about this town?”

“... It’s got good pie?” Soarin’ said weakly, causing Diana raised an eyebrow as if asking him to elaborate. “Well, other than an incident involving a dragon two years ago, I haven’t really spent a lot of time here. Cloudsdale’s nearby, but there’s a difference between being near a town and knowing all about it.”

“I suppose you’re right.” Diana said as she began walking, Soarin’ following close behind.

“Well, I do know one thing. This town, Ponyville, is... well, weird stuff happens here.” Soarin said, and Diana stopped and looked at him.

“What do you mean?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Well,” Soarin’ began. “There was the dragon, an Ursa Minor went berserk during a magic show, and then an Ursa Major attacked it a few days before the last Summer Sun Celebration, it got eaten by a big swarm of bugs-”

“I think I understand.” Diana said as she resumed walking. “But I am sure I should be able to handle any weirdness.” Soarin’ said nothing, but gave a small shrug and followed Diana. In contrast to her urgency back in Manehattan, Diana did not seem to be in any kind of rush as they walked down the road; her head swiveled around, taking in the sights and sounds of the field they were moving through.

“I must admit,” she said after a pause. “This is an improvement over that city.”

“Well, it is pretty peaceful.” Soarin replied.

“Among other things,” Diana answered. “When my task is complete, I would like to spend some time here before returning to Themyscira.” Soarin’ frowned. He was not sure what exactly about that last sentence rubbed him the wrong way, but the idea of Diana leaving Equestria seemed... off. Soarin’ was never the type to get philosophical about such subject, so he passed it off as whoever it was that had been messing around in his mind putting new ideas into his brain... again.

As they crested a hill, the two got their first glimpses of the next town. Most of the buildings were small with thatch roofs, spaced out evenly for a pleasant atmosphere over practicality. A market dominated the main square, and they could see small groups of ponies walking to and fro from the booths. On the outskirts of town, groups of fillies and colts went about playing games of some sort, their apparent happiness and carefree attitude bringing a smile to Diana’s face.

“So many children...” she whispered. Soarin’ looked over to her as she lowered her head. “The gods forbade any Amazon from having children; it was only by Athena’s pity and my mother dying while with child that I was even made in the first place. Most of the younger ones you saw had died rather recently and been brought to Themyscira to continue on with their lives. Seeing so many...” she stood in silence for a moment, taking in the scene before her with barely restrained wonder.

“But... Didn’t you say you were born, sort of?” Soarin’ asked. Diana’s mood shifted back to her normal, serious mode as she turned to face Soarin’.

“My mother crafted me from the soil of Themyscira, and the gods granted her wish for a child and breathed life into me.”

Soarin’ blinked a few times. “So... you’re made of dirt?”

“If I wanted you to respond to that, I would have asked!” Diana snapped, loud enough that Soarin’ flinched slightly. Upon seeing this, Diana immediately began backtracking. “I-I’m sorry, Soarin’; I did not mean to shout like that.”

“Don't worry, I’ve had a long line of mares shouting at me for various reasons over the past few years. I think I can survive with one more.” Soarin' answered. "And I wasn't exactly tactful when discussion your... creation." Diana gave a small chuckle, followed by a fairly long pause.

“We should get going, maybe find somewhere to resupply before moving on to find Ares.” she said and Soarin’ was about to respond when a small wagon went careening past. The wagon spun around once and stopped, and Soarin’ could see three young fillies, two riding in the wagon while a third pulled them on a small scooter. The fillies came to a stop and regarded the two newcomers, the unicorn and earth pony in the group exchanging a few looks.

“Hey, are you two lost or something?” asked one of the fillies, an orange and purple Pegasus.

“Not at the moment,” Diana staid, stepping towards the fillies. “My name is Diana, and I am traveling to Canterlot with my companion here.” she nodded towards Soarin’. “Would you three know of somewhere we can spend the night in order to rest?”

“My sister Rarity could help,” the unicorn filly said, eagerly raising her hoof in the air. “She knows a lot of ponies around here.”

“Hey, ya could talk ta mah sister Applejack!” the earth pony filly chirped. “Ah don’t think she’d mind havin’ a few visitors.”

“Well, we wouldn’t really want to impose-” Soarin’ began. And I know a few of those ponies... no need for me to get mobbed again.

“I thank you for your assistance, young fillies.” Diana interrupted. “Now, I’ll leave you to... what exactly were you doing?”

“Crusadin’ fer our cutie marks!” the earth pony replied. “If we try enough things, eventually one ‘a us has ta earn her cutie mark.”

“We were going to try forgery spotters,” the orange Pegasus said. “But we’re going to try our hooves at manticore catching first.” Soarin’ blinked in surprise. He knew that this town was a bit odd, but letting their fillies go out and try to catch manticores? It was insane.

Diana, however, had a different impression.

“A noble task, young fillies.” she said. “It just so happens that I know a thing or two about capturing manticores myself.”

“You do?” all three fillies asked, their eyes wide with surprise.

“Oh yes.” Diana sat down on the grass, the three fillies congregating around her. “The key to capturing a manticore is surprise; if it knows you are coming, it will either fight you  before you can get into a good position, or it will run away somewhere where you won’t be able to find it.”

“How do we find it?” the orange filly asked.

“Search for clearings; manticores like to sun themselves around this time of day, and that is when they are most vulnerable.” Diana got serious. “Although I would suggest bringing some adults with you; manticores are still dangerous animals, and you do not want to mess up on your first attempt. A few hoplites or other trained warriors should be more than adequate in keeping the manticore busy while you three move in to capture it.”

“Can you come with us?”

“No, I have other duties that I must attend to.” Diana rose from her position. “But I wish you good luck on your hunt, and may Luna guide your steps and keep you shielded from the eyes of your quarry. Just remember my instructions, and I’m sure everything will work out properly.” the fillies did not say anything at first, instead grinning at each other before screaming.

“CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS MANTICORE CATCHERS YAY!!!” with that, the fillies hopped into their wagon and sped off, leaving a cloud of dust to envelop Diana and Soarin’.

“... You shouldn’t have encouraged them like that.” Soarin’ said after a pause.

“They seemed like responsible fillies, if a bit energetic.” Diana said, turning back towards the town. “I’m sure they will find somepony to accompany them on their trip. Besides, I left out the fact that manticores are nocturnal; they sleep in caves most of the day before going out to hunt.”

“That still doesn’t mean you should have encouraged them.”

“You know, that’s the problem with you Equestrians; you’re so wrapped up in your sense of security that you never take any risks. Do you know where your nation would be if you went beyond your normal state of living?” Soarin’s ears flattened against his head and he stopped walking.

“Look, Diana. I know that you’re still adjusting and all, but this isn’t Themyscira; we can’t all be a bunch of superpowered warrior mares who fight monsters and angry gods.” He answered. Diana turned to face Soarin’, frustration clearly showing on her face.

“I wasn’t implying that you should be, just...” Diana frowned, trying to look for the right words. Eventually she gave up and shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. Come, we’re wasting time discussing this.” Soarin’ nodded and moved to catch up with her, but neither one said anything as they approached the town.

At least, until they met the next pony.

She was a mint green unicorn, her hair a mix of green and white. She did not notice Diana and Soarin’ at first, instead focusing on a few small instruments and a notepad. After a brief moment of fussing, she looked up and saw the two watching her.

“Hey there!” she chirped, setting aside her supplies and approaching. “Are you new here?”

“My name is Diana, and this is my companion Soarin’.” Soarin’ gave a friendly nod, which the unicorn returned in earnest.

“Nice to meet you. My name’s Lyra, in case you were wondering.” she perked up again. “Hey, do you guys need a place to stay? My sister and I have an extra room back at our house, and I’m sure I could talk her into letting you stay a night or two; Bon-Bon loves meeting new ponies.” Something seemed a bit off about that last statement; while Soarin’ was certain that Lyra was not some evil kidnapper, he guessed that she might not have the best grasp on the situation. Diana, however, did not seem cued in on that.

“You are a very hospitable pony, Lyra. I’d be more than happy to accept your offer, should the need arise.”

“Great!” Lyra beamed before turning back to her supplies. “I’ll meet up with you guys later, probably after Pinkie throws you a party. In the meantime, I’ve got some work to do.”

“May I ask what?” Diana asked, taking a step forward.

“Well, I’m doing a bit of a science experiment, and there’s a big storm scheduled in a few weeks." Lyra flipped through her notebook as she spoke. "You see, storms usually come with lots of lightning and other energies, and those will be perfect for powering my machine.”

“... I’m sorry, your what?” Diana asked.

“My trans-dimensional ansible!" Lyra chirped. "It’s supposed to let me talk with beings from other dimensions, which means humans, and with the storm coming in I’ll finally have enough power to make it work so I can prove humans exist!” Diana blinked a few times before looking to Soarin’. He gave an uneasy shrug, his mind unsure of what to make of the crazy mare standing in front of them.

“Well...” Diana said after a long pause, shuffling around slightly. “Best of luck, I guess.”

“Sure thing." Lyra paused before an idea apparently came to her. "Hey, are you going to be in town in time for the storm? I’ll let you use the machine.”

“No, that’s... I have other things that need to be attended to. Elsewhere. Involving... things.” Diana replied. Lyra frowned in disappointment, but gave a small shrug and turned back to her work.

“If you say so. Nice meeting you two.”

Diana and Soarin’ turned and continued walking towards the town, Soarin’ noting that Diana had put considerably more speed in her step.

“Remember how I said I would be able to handle the weirdness of this town?” she said once they had gotten out of earshot.

“Yeah?”

“I take it back. We’re not stopping here, less I have to spend any more time around ponies who are that obsessed with mythological creatures.”

Soarin’ stopped walking for a moment. “You sure? I mean, yeah, some of the ponies here might be a bit crazy, but you are supposed to be protecting them.”

“I realize that.” Diana stopped and turned towards him. “But I still have a mission to complete, and if I stopped at every single little town then I would lose too much time.”

“So, knowing nothing about who you’re defending is a good thing?”

“How can you say something like that?” Diana stomped in frustration. “I would love the chance to learn about your culture, but what good would any knowledge of your world do if Ares destroys it?”

“And how do you know that you won’t just alienate everypony you meet because you don’t know anything about them?” Soarin asked.

“That has nothing to do with anything.” Diana replied tersely.

“I think it has more to do with everything than you realize; a lot of ponies tend to get scared by things they aren’t familiar with, and I doubt that they would be able to handle somepony like you.”

Diana glared and took a step forward. “Are you saying that I should forsake my heritage and conform to the ways of your society?”

“No, I just think that you should spend a little less time as Diana the Warrior and more time as Diana the Ambassador.”

“Well you thought wrong. I remember you saying you had military experience, so obviously you know the process of triage." Diana turned away. "That’s what I’m doing now. I will defeat Ares, and once that task is complete I will have a chance to connect with you Equestrians.”

“So... was the whole reason you wanted to come here just so you could defeat Ares?” Diana’s features softened a little.

“I-I don’t understand-”

“Why are you here, Diana?” Soarin asked, although he was not sure if it was his words that he was speaking. Diana looked at him for a moment before shaking her head and moving on.

“... I think we’ve wasted enough time with this.”


...............


Ares’ horn glowed as he slipped through the forest. The site of the final battle between the Sun and Moon was still filled with magical energies, but Ares was a god himself; he would not be deterred by the remains of Athena’s heirs’ little spat. There was also a second source of magic, one completely alien to Ares, but as it seemed focused in a different direction he ignored it for now.

The amulet was close, he could feel it. It had taken a few days for him to pinpoint the amulet’s location, but after detecting the old feeling of its magic here he wasted no time in scouring the area. Passing beneath ancient trees, he used the power of the Amulet as a beacon, his horn pulsing slightly as he neared the source. He casually splintered a log that was barring his path, and he saw it.

It was a jar buried beneath the river bank. Some animal had dug it up, expecting to find a meal, but had been frustrated by pottery instead of meat. Smiling, Ares dismissed his tracking spell and used his telekinesis to pull the jar from the river bank, mud and water dissolving into nothing as his magic touched them. With another smirk he increased the output of his magic, shattering the jar and revealing the black and crimson amulet beneath.

“At last.” he said, summoning his armor before placing the amulet around his neck. He could feel the power of the Amulet coursing through his body, a sensation that he enjoyed immensely.

Now, I believe it’s time I caught up with a certain Amazon...


...............


Diana and Soarin’ had set up camp at the base of the Canterlot Mountains. It was not much, just a fire for warmth and some softer grass to sleep on, but it was better than nothing. Soarin’ was currently trying to get some sleep, while Diana lay on her back looking up at the stars.

She closed her eyes and imagined that she was back in Themyscira, lying on the beach and looking up on these very same stars. She imagined her mother coming to find her after her duties as Queen were complete, the two of them sitting back and talking quietly as Luna’s night spread across the sky.

I miss those nights... She thought before looking over to Soarin’, frowning slightly. She wanted to convince herself that she was right, that her mission took precedence over everything but... she could not. The image of those foals playing outside came to mind, their happy cries and antics drilling themselves deeper into her mind. She turned away, looking back up at the stars but finding little solace in them.

Her mind was drawn back to the final trial on Themyscira, when her mother placed her heart on display and asked what she wanted. She had said trust, and she had meant it, but now she was unsure if she was relapsing into old habits and allowing the prejudices of her mother and sisters cloud her judgement. Furrowing her brow a little, she sat up and looked over to Soarin’.

“Soarin’? Are you asleep?” she whispered.

“No.” he mumbled. “Is something wrong?”

“I... I wanted to apologize.”

Soarin’ rolled over, confusion written on his face. “For what?”

“For that disagreement we had earlier today.” Diana looked towards the ground. “What I said, about wishing to defeat Ares quickly and then sort everything out later... I can’t remember if it was just because I had been freaked out by that mare, or because the stresses of your world were finally building up.” she looked him in the eye. “You ponies are, quite frankly, insane.”

“Diana, if you really want to start this again-” Soarin’ began, but Diana raised a hoof to silence him.

“No, hear me out." she lowered her hoof and continued. "Yes, you Equestrians are insane; you’ve grown rather comfortable in your sense of security, most colts still think with their loins rather than their brains, and you’ve allowed your sense of security to get to your heads... but then I see ponies like you, and I know that there’s more than that. You’ve helped me greatly since we met, never once trying to deceive or suppress me, and I can tell that you care greatly for your home. I admire that about you, Soarin’; you are one of the more selfless ponies I have met in my life, even more so than a few of my sisters on Themyscira.” Soarin’ blinked a few times before giving a small smile.

“Thanks, Diana.” he said.

“You’re welcome.” She gave a smile of her own and stood up. “I also realized that you were right about me approaching this as a Warrior. I thought back to my trial, and I realized that I had advocated trust without actively reaching for it.”

“And...?”

“I want to go back to that town." Diana said, standing. "I want to show these Equestrians that I am here, and I want to help them in any way I can. My mission is no good if I cannot gain the trust of you all, and I would hate to imagine the consequences if I cannot build any connection between us.”

“Oh, I can think of a few ideas.” a third voice said. Diana and Soarin’ looked as an alicorn clad in heavy armor and some kind of amulet stepped into the light, his eyes glowing like smoldering embers.

“Ares.” Diana hissed, turning to face the god of war.

“It is truly a pleasure to meet you face to face, daughter of Hippolyta.” Ares said, giving Diana a mock bow. “I would ask you how your mother is, but we both know that the two of us never saw eye to eye.”

“You have tried to destroy Themyscira countless times; did you expect her to fawn at your hooves and lick ambrosia off your stomach?” Ares did not respond to that remark, although Diana could see a glimmer of anger in his eyes.

“Pleasantries aside, I am here to deliver a warning, child." Ares said, his glare intensifying. "Stay out of my plans, and I shall make sure to spare you once my task is complete.” Diana scoffed at this, taking a step towards Ares.

“Since when have you ever been trustworthy?” She would have continued if Soarin’ had not interrupted.

“Diana, do you think it’s a smart idea to piss off a war god?” he asked.

“Stay out of this, mortal scum!” Ares barked. “If you had shown more discourse and not been such a bleeding heart, we would not be having this conversation in the first place.”

“Soarin’,” Diana said, not taking her eyes off Ares. “I know you want to help, but you might make this situation worse.” Soarin’ opened his mouth to reply, but he saw what Diana was trying to say and backed down. This drew a chuckle from Ares.

“I see you’re taming your pet Equestrian?”

“Soarin’ is my friend, Ares." Diana countered. "I would never seek to ‘tame’ him.”

“Such idealism. Yet you fail to realize where exactly they stand: beneath us.” Ares smiled, a thin grin that made even Diana falter slightly. “You Amazons are all alike, so focused on your past grudges that you fail to realize just how fleeting those are. They are called ‘mortals’ for a reason; your friend here and all the other ponies you have encountered will pass on in less time than it takes to blink, while you and I will remain unchanged for quite some time. Why do you waste so much time ‘protecting’ them when the next few generations won’t even remember what you were trying to accomplish?”

“Because unlike you, I have begun to see that there is more to them than just worshippers and slaves.”

“Then you Amazons have clearly lost sight of what it really means to be a warrior. Allow me to reeducate you.” Ares’ horn glowed with power before he fired a spell at Diana and Soarin’. Soarin’ dove out of the way, while Diana braced herself and raised her bracelets up in defense. The spell exploded around Diana, the force causing her to slide back several feet. She barely had time to stabilize herself before Ares attacked again, another bolt of energy slamming into the ground at her hooves and knocking her into the air. As she fell, she adjusted her hooves and managed to level out, unhooking her lasso as she did so.

“Impressive,” Ares said, readying for another strike. “If I had known you possessed other powers, I would have fought your kind here instead of on Themyscira.”

“You’ll never get that chance again.” Diana dove, throwing her lasso and managing to seize Ares’ neck, causing the god to miss with his next spell. She landed behind him and pulled with all her might, trying to force Ares to the ground. Ares, however, grinned before twisting his next around, flinging Diana into a nearby tree. Once she recovered, she leapt forward and slammed her hoof into Ares’ face, knocking him back.

Before she could follow up her strike, Ares hit her in the face with another spell before grabbing her by the tail and smacking her on the ground like a child playing with a rag doll. When she broke free of his grasp, she jumped out of the way of the next magic strike before vaulting over Ares and bucking him in the side. Ares turned to try and face her, but Diana darted out of the way and bucked again, her hooves managing to collide with the side of his face.

Now, Ares took flight in an attempt to put distance between himself and Diana. Diana took off after him, ducking and weaving to stay out of Ares’ arc of fire. As the two circled, Diana darted in for a few quick strikes, probing for weaknesses in Ares’ defenses. However, she misjudged the angle on one of her attacks, causing her to overshoot and give Ares a clear line of attack. The first strike drove the air from her lungs, while the second sent her spiraling through the air.

Diana recovered again, after snapping the tops off a few trees, and dove under Ares as he attacked again. She stopped for a brief instant and flew straight up, her forehooves colliding with Ares’ stomach at high speed. She backed up a little and tossed her lasso once more, snaring one of Ares’ wings and giving her something to hold on to as she jumped onto his back. As Ares tried to throw her off, Diana pulled him into a headlock while reaching down for the amulet around his neck.

“I would have assumed that your mother would have told you what that amulet is.” Ares said, twisting his neck to break Diana’s headlock but not dislodge the mare from his back.

“It’s giving you power, isn’t it?” she said, struggling to regain her original position.

“And only I can remove it, which makes your little attempts at getting rid of it more annoying than anything.” With that, Ares pitched his body forward, flinging Diana from his back before firing a spell point blank at the Amazon. Diana tried to block with her bracelets, but the spell came in too fast and struck her in the face, pain coursing through every fiber in her body. She lost her balance and fell, plummeting towards the ground and right into an oncoming strike from Ares. As her vision began to go fuzzy Ares knocked her down and pinned her with one hoof, using a second to drive her into the ground and cause her to lose her grip on the lasso.

“Where is Athena to save you now, child?!” Ares bellowed as Diana struggled to free herself. “Your kind does not deserve to live in the world I am about to create! You should take pride in being the first of them to die!” Ares brought his hoof down on Diana’s face once more. Try as she might, Diana could not free herself from being pinned, suffering attack after attack from the war god.

The final attack never connected, for Diana was yanked away from Ares. She looked up and saw Soarin’, the colt holding her between his forelegs and flying as fast as he could. She looked back as Ares fired several spells after them, but Soarin’ used his agility to dodge them and put quite a bit of distance between them and the mad god.

“You will not escape your death, daughter of Themyscira!” Ares called, firing off a few last spells before Soarin’ and Diana disappeared from sight. “I have the power of Tartarus behind me! I shall find you again, and I shall take great pride in throwing you into the Underworld with my own hooves!” Diana was too far away to respond, and the pain from her fight was finally beginning to encroach on her mind.

“Diana?” She looked up at Soarin’, seeing the worry in his eyes. “Are you okay?”

“... No.” her eyes fluttered for a moment before she blacked out, her mind becoming lost in a flurry of images.
> Regrouping
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Regrouping


Diana was first aware that her leotard was missing. She blinked her eyes a little, squinting at the bright light above her. Once her vision returned, her entire body began to ache. She groaned and sat up, pushing her mane out of her face and looking around.

She was in a green room, a large window giving her a nice view of the town below. She herself was dressed in an equally green gown of some kind, with only her bracelets remaining in place. After giving a small prayer of thanks for that, she continued to survey the room, spotting a few chairs against the wall and some machinery of some kind.

And sprawled out over two of those chairs, her lasso, tiara and leotard clutched in his hooves, was Soarin', the Pegasus snoring slightly before shifting around. He didn’t have to wait there for me... she thought, but she still smiled.

“Soarin'?” she asked, loud enough to wake him but not enough to startle him. Soarin' gave a snort and looked up, blinking in confusion for a moment before he realized just where he was.

“Oh, Diana. You’re awake.” he said, standing up and walking towards her. “I got your lasso and uniform for you. Nopony really asked a lot of questions about them.”

“Odd.” she looked out the window. “How long have I been here?”

“... About ten hours, give or take.” Soarin' shuffled around a little. There was a pause before Diana spoke.

“And Ares?” Silence.

“I... I don’t know. I had to get you out of there and... well, I lost track of him.” Soarin' replied. Diana said nothing. Part of her wanted to be mad at Soarin', that he should have stood his ground and tried to stop Ares in any way possible, but she could not. It was not his fault, after all, and he was not as strong and durable as she was.

“I see.” she said, turning back to Soarin'. “Thank you for saving me.”

“You’re welcome,” Soarin' replied. “So... do you have a plan for how we’re going to beat Ares?”

“‘We’? Soarin', while I admire your desire to protect Equestria, I...” She swallowed before continuing. “I think it’s best if we part ways now.”

“Diana, if you’re mad at me for saving you-”

“No, Soarin'." Diana shook her head. "You are my friend, and I will always appreciate what you have done for me and what you have shown me, but Ares is too strong for somepony like you to face. It’s like you said the other day; you are not a warrior like me, and you should not be facing off against gods and monsters.” there was another pause as Soarin' mulled this over.

“I’m not leaving.” He said finally, Diana's ears drooping.

“Soarin', I’m only trying to protect you-” She started.

“By getting yourself killed?”

“I am an Amazon," Diana said quickly. "I am well aware of the sacrifice I may have to make.”

“No disrespect, but I don’t think that approaching this like an Amazon is the best idea.” Soarin' replied, causing Diana to blink in surprise.

“Why would you say something like that?" she asked. "We have managed-”

“Managed to what? Raise a couple dozen generations of holier-than-thou feminists who only until recently decided that we mortals are worth investing in? You remember how your ‘friend’ Phillipus tried to kill me? Maybe that wouldn’t have happened if you didn’t shut yourselves off from the world.” Surprise was replaced by anger, and Diana glared at Soarin'.

“How dare you accuse us of-”

“I’m not finished. Your entire society is based around the idea that stallions are a bunch of hateful, abusive monsters. Have you ever considered that maybe your issues with us wouldn’t be so bad if you just talked to somepony? You spoke a lot about trust last night, but how do you expect to build anything resembling trust if you just keep everypony shut out of your life?” Diana worked her jaw for a moment, trying to find the right thing to say.

“I’m not trying to shut you out, Soarin',” she said, managing to calm herself considerably. “I just don’t want to see somepony I care about get killed on my account.”

“And that’s why I’m going with you. If you died and there was something I could have done about it... Well, I don’t want to find out about that.” It took a moment, but Diana found herself smiling. While she was still angry at Soarin' for his outburst, it was surprisingly inspirational that this colt, whom she had only known for a few days, would be ready to give his life for her. He was no warrior, but he certainly had the heart of one.

“If you really wish to come with me, then there is not much I can do to stop you.” she looked back out the window, missing the rather surprised look Soarin' had.

“Really? Well... do you have a plan to beat Ares?”

“... No." Diana sighed. "I have no idea where he is, or just what he plans to do. If there was a way that I could find out where he was, then I might be able to develop some kind of strategy, but...” there was a pause before Soarin' spoke again.

“I have an idea.” Diana turned to him, an eyebrow raised. “A while back I met this pony who knew Princess Celestia, I think she was like her student or something. Anyway, she mentioned something about living in Ponyville, and if she’s still here maybe we could get in touch with Princess Celestia and she could help us fight Ares.” Diana’s eyes widened. Suddenly, the idea of her just leaving this town behind seemed rather absurd, especially if there was somepony close by who had connections to Celestia. She made a note to give an offering to the gods as thanks for her good fortune... after she had defeated Ares of course.

“Can you find this pony?”

“Uh, I think so.” Soarin' made for the exit. “You get dressed and I’ll go find her. Hopefully she’d be able to help.”


....................


Twilight Sparkle poured over her notes again, looking up only to check the reference books Princess Celestia had provided. In front of her, set up on a study table, was a golden helmet and a circular amulet, both of which radiated enough magical power to make her horn tingle. It had already been two days since Princess Celestia had delivered the artifacts, and Twilight could not remember having studied something for such a period of time and gotten the amount of notes she did.

“Well, my findings and the old books match up.” she said, setting her notes aside and moving towards the artifacts. “And the books said if I put this on, I should get an increase of power and information... but I shouldn’t just put it on.” she stepped back. “I should do more tests first.” a pause, Twilight eyeing the curvature of the helmet. “... But I’d probably learn just as much if I put it on...” another pause. “But it could hurt, or turn me evil... but the books never said anything about that... but maybe that’s because any evil ponies that put it on probably didn’t want anypony else to think they were evil... but they couldn’t all be evil...” she groaned in frustration, bringing her hoof to her face. “Maybe I should just take a break and think this over later... or keep studying, just as long as I don’t put the helmet on.”

“Um, Twilight?” a voice said from behind her. Twilight’s limbs locked up, her eyes wide and her tail rigid.

“I wasn’t going to put on the Evil Artifacts of Doom!” she cried, taking a moment to realize that it was Spike talking. She regained as much of her composure as possible and turned around, grinning sheepishly. “Sorry about that, Spike. You just startled me.”

“Eh, I’m used to it.” Spike stepped further into the room. “Anyway, somepony wants to talk to you about something.”

“Oh... Thanks for telling me, Spike.” Twilight made herself more presentable and followed Spike, her curiosity shifting away from the artifacts towards this new pony. As she stepped out, she saw a light blue Pegasus colt with a darker blue mane, her mind taking a moment to match the face to a name. “S-Soarin'?”

“Hmm?” the colt looked up, making eye contact with Twilight. “You’re Twilight, right?”

“Oh, yes, that’s me. Twilight. Twilight Sparkle... that’s my name.” Twilight mentally smacked herself for freaking out, but continued on. “How can I help you? Rainbow Dash isn’t here right now, so if you were looking for her-”

“I’m not looking for Rainbow Dash.” Soarin' fluffed his wings and continued. “You can send letters to the Princess, right?”

“Um, yes. Is something wrong?”

“... Maybe.” Soarin' stepped closer. “Do you think you could teleport us to the hospital? There’s someone I think you should meet.”

“Sure..." a new line of panic formed in Twilight's mind. "Is it somepony important? Did I do something wrong? Did I not do something?”

“I’m not here to arrest you or anything, Twilight.” Soarin' raised a hoof to calm Twilight. “I just need your help sending a letter to the Princess.”

“Oh... Okay. Spike!” she called, the baby dragon hurrying up to her soon after. “Get a quill and some ink; we’re going to the hospital.”

“Why?” Spike asked after plucking a quill from a nearby table. “Is somepony hurt?”

“Well...” Soarin' said, shuffling his hooves a little. “Not exactly...”


.................


Diana had finished putting on her leotard and was now kneeled near the foot of the hospital bed, eyes closed and her lasso resting in front of her. As she waited for Soarin', she prayed to the gods for guidance and strength, hoping at at least one more might take her side against Ares. She also took a moment to recollect on what had taken place that day, and whether or not Soarin's interpretations of her culture were valid.

Maybe he does have a point, she thought. My mother did show hostility when I asked her about the Mortal Realm... although she was murdered there, but that was two thousand years ago; surely things have changed since then. She sighed. Well, most of the stallions and colts I have met have not been the most impressive of specimens... although Soarin’s been helpful... mostly.

She was interrupted from her thoughts by somepony entering the room. She got to her hooves and turned, just as Soarin' entered with a lavender unicorn mare and what appeared to be a baby dragon, the latter carrying a few scrolls and some writing utensils. “You are back sooner than I expected.”

“Teleportation’s weird like that.” Soarin' responded. Diana nodded and turned her attention to the new mare. The unicorn flinched slightly when Diana cast her gaze upon her, but Diana guessed it was just from nervousness of meeting a new pony.

“Um, hello.” the unicorn said, stepping forward. “My name’s Twilight Sparkle. I-I’m Princess Celestia’s personal student.”

“Well met, Miss Sparkle.” Diana said, giving her a short nod. “I am Diana, Daughter of Hippolyta and Princess of Themyscira.” Twilight blinked, and Diana saw her nervousness evaporate and become replaced by something else. First is appeared to be shock, then wonder, then a hybrid of the two.

“You’re... you’re Diana?”

“I... take it you’ve heard of me?” Diana asked.

“Have I?!” Twilight cried, trotting in place for a moment before dashing over to Diana. “My foalsitter Cadance used to tell me all kinds of stories about you! Oh, I always wanted to go to Themyscira and meet you, but I never got that chance and Cadance said she’d need special permission to go there but now you’re here and that’s amazing! Do you still have that sword you used to give Cadance a haircut? Did you really break the bathhouse and almost flood the palace?”

“I...”

“I think we should stick to the problem at hoof, maybe?” Soarin' interjected, drawing Twilight’s attention away.

“Oh, right... of course.” Twilight composed herself and returned to her original position. Diana inwardly thanked the gods for Soarin’s intervention; she might have enjoyed her time with Cadance, but telling it to the whole world was not something she would like to do without Cadance there to embarrass. “What can I do to help?”

“Miss Sparkle, last night my friend and I were attacked by an alicorn known as Ares. I do not know what his plan is, but I intend to face him again and defeat him before he can destroy Equestria.” there was a pause before Twilight spoke.

“Are you sure you need my help?" she asked. "You see, I have this friend who’s-”

“So you need us to send a letter to Princess to warn her about this Ares guy?” the baby dragon asked.

“Uh, yes, thank you...” Diana looked to Soarin'. “How much of this did you actually tell them?”

“I left out the part where he’s super powerful and wants to kill us, but you covered that pretty quickly.” Soarin' replied. Diana rolled her eyes and continued on.

“As I was saying, given our current circumstances Celestia is the best chance we have at finding and defeating Ares. I do not have the time to go to Canterlot myself, but as you are her personal student I trust she ensured some way for you to contact her.”

“Well...” Twilight began. “Spike can send letters to Princess Celestia with his dragon breath... does that work?”

“As I have not had many experiences with dragons, I shall have to trust your word on that.” Diana turned to the baby dragon. “I assume you are skilled in taking letters?”

“Yup.” Spike pulled out a quill and paper and prepared to write. “Just say what you want and I’ll get it to the Princess in no time.”

“Very well.” Diana composed herself and began dictating. “Most Serene Majesty of the Sun, Daughter of Athena and Protector of Mortals-”

“You could just say ‘Dear Princess Celestia’,” Spike pointed out, drawing a small glare from Diana. “Or, we can go with that.” Diana shook her head and continued on.

“Most Serene Majesty of the Sun, Daughter of Athena and Protector of Mortals,
I, your servant Diana of Themyscira, have come to you and ask for your help in my hour of need. Dread Ares, God of War, has made plans against your realm and threatens all who dwell under your watch. I faced him before, but his strength was such that I could not handle. Now, he has disappeared to realms unknown, with an artifact of great power under his control.
By your Grace, O Guardian of the Sun, I ask for your assistance in battling this foe. Help me to defend the realms of mortals and immortals, as Ares’ plans will no doubt expand beyond Equestria.
Your humble servant Diana, Daughter of Hippolyta, Princess of Themyscira and Champion of Athena.” 

Diana looked up as Spike finished writing, the baby dragon scanning the letter several times for mistakes. Finding none, he rolled up the scroll and breathed a jet of green flame, the fire dissolving the scroll and carrying it off to Celestia.

“How long will it take for the Princess to get back to us?” Soarin' asked Twilight.

“It depends.” Twilight said, shuffling her hooves a little. “Usually she gets back within a few hours, a day at most. Although if it’s important I’m sure she’ll respond rather-” Twilight was interrupted by the pop of a teleport in the hallway. there was a pause before the door to the room opened and in stepped Celestia, the regal alicorn still as composed as ever.

“Lady Celestia,” Diana said, bowing low. “It is truly an honor to be in your presence.”

“Oh, there’s no need for ceremony, Diana.” Celestia said, waving her hoof and beckoning Diana to stand. “Although, I must say that I was rather surprised when I got a letter from you, of all ponies; I would have thought your mother would have wanted you to stay on Themyscira.”

“It... took some convincing.”

“I know what you mean; I have the utmost respect for your mother, but she is one of the most stubborn mares I have met.” Celestia’s calm demeanor quickly turned stern. “Now then, to the matter at hoof; you said Ares is here and plans to destroy Equestria?”

“Well... the destroy Equestria part is speculation, mostly, but this is Ares were are talking about.” Celestia nodded in agreement.

“And you said that he possessed an artifact of some kind?”

“Yes.” Diana took a moment to recall just what the amulet looked like. “It was an amulet of sorts. It kind of looked like a triangle with an alicorn’s head and wings-”

“That's the Alicorn Amulet!” Twilight cried. “I thought Zecora was supposed to look after it.”

“While I have no doubt that your friend is a trustworthy one, Twilight,” Celestia said. “Ares is much more powerful than anything you have faced before, even Nightmare Moon. He could find a way to secure the Amulet without alerting your friend to his presence.”

“So, what does he plan to do with this Amulet... thing?” Soarin' asked.

“The Alicorn Amulet is more than just an artifact to amplify one’s power,” Celestia said, walking towards the window. “When the Olympians overthrew the Titans, Hades used the Amulet to defeat the monsters and demons that had spawned during that time and seal them away behind the Gates of Tartarus. He had planned to keep it for himself, so that nopony could abuse its power, but it was lost during the War in Heaven when the forces of Apokolips attempted to storm Tartarus. As it was used to seal away the monsters of old, so can it be used to release them.”

“And Equestria would be devoured by war.” Diana finished.

“Correct.” Celestia replied.

“But, the Gates of Tartarus aren’t very far from here.” Twilight said, conjuring a map to emphasize her point. “If he was planning to breach the gates, he would have done so by now.”

“Ares does not need to control the Gates in order to use the Amulet.” Celestia countered. “He could open a portal anywhere he’d like for as long as he wants.”

“But you can stop him, right?” Diana said, taking a step towards Celestia. “You and Luna, you can face off against him!”

“No, I can’t.” there was a long pause before Celestia continued. “As much as I would like to, there are other consequences of Ares using the Alicorn Amulet, consequences that could hurt Equestria long after Ares is defeated.” Celestia turned around to face Diana, Twilight, Soarin' and Spike. “You must defeat Ares and take back the Alicorn Amulet before he has a chance to do too much damage.”

“But he already defeated me once.” Diana said, looking at the floor. “How am I supposed to defeat him again.”

“I have faith in you, my little pony,” Celestia said, walking back to Diana and lifting her chin with a hoof. “I know that this may seem like an impossible task, but you are still an Amazon; no matter what comes, I know you will be able to face it and overcome it. And you are not alone; I’m sure Soarin' and Twilight will be more than able to assist you.”

“Wait, what?” Twilight asked. “Princess Celestia, I can’t fight a god.”

“Why not?" Celestia asked. "You’ve done it before.”

“Well, yes, but I had my friends, and the Elements of Harmony-”

“Twilight, I would not send you into this situation if I did not know you could handle it.” Celestia moved passed Diana and looked at Twilight. “You are the most powerful unicorn I have ever taught, and those magical artifacts I gave you should be helpful if you are to help fight Ares. Your friends make you strong, but you must not doubt your own abilities.”

“Oh... Okay.”

“Good.” Celestia stepped to the center of the room, wings outstretched. “I must return to Canterlot and prepare. If I can, I will try and send help to you, wherever you might be.”

“And how is help supposed to find us?” Soarin' asked.

“I am a goddess, Mr. Soarin'; I will find you with no trouble.” Celestia’s horn glowed for a moment before she vanished, leaving behind only a few small sparkles to mark her presence.

“That was not as helpful as I would have liked,” Diana said after a pause. “But Celestia was right; if we work together, we might be able to overcome Ares and save Equestria.”

“Wish you’d realized that this morning.” Soarin' muttered under his breath. Diana shot him a glare, but did not pursue the issue further.

“Now, we know what Ares’ plan is. Now we just need to find out where he intends to open his portal.”

“Well, he’s trying to start a war,” Soarin' said. “So he’d probably want to go somewhere where a bunch of attacking monsters would be easily spotted.”

“Like Canterlot?” Twilight suggested.

“Yeah, but he’d have to fight Celestia and Luna. It’d be too risky and would probably slow him down.”

“What about here?” Diana asked. “The Tartarus Gates are nearby, it’s close to Canterlot, and Celestia’s personal student resides here.”

“Too small.” Soarin' brought his hoof to his chin, thinking “Cloudsdale’s got it’s own problems... the Crystal Empire’s got the heart and Princess Cadance... Where’s somewhere that’s big and doesn’t have alicorns or superponies guarding it?”

“You mean...” Twilight said. “Somewhere like... Manehattan?”
> Into The Fires of Tartarus
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Into The Fires of Tartarus


Ares stood on top of a hill looking down at Manehattan, the Alicorn Amulet clutched in his telekinesis. Below, the mortals were busy preparing for the day, completely oblivious to the change about to take place. Ares smirked; an attack here would be just what he needed to start his war, and images of hundreds dying began to fill his mind.

“And all the world shall tremble as the rumblings of war fill the sky.” Smiling wider, Ares raised the Alicorn Amulet into the sky, pouring more of his power into it. The jewels set within the Amulet began to glow, casting a red haze over the surrounding area before a glowing rift formed in the sky. Ares released his power, allowing the natural energies of the Amulet to do their work.

Out of the portal came the creatures, the harbingers of the world’s destruction. Some were small, about the size of a pony, while others towered over Ares himself. Some looked like deformed, mutated ponies, while others bore shapes and appendages that no normal creature would ever possess. Some wielded weapons, be they cursed swords and spears or broken rock clubs, while others brought with them only their claws and teeth. The demons and monsters took a moment to adjust to their new surroundings, all of them eyeing the city below with barely contained bloodlust.

As his “army” assembled, Ares began to channel his magic again. Black armor wrapped itself around his legs and body, and a large sword materialized next to him. Once his armor was ready, Ares stepped forward and pointed his sword towards Manehattan.

“Go, my friends!” he shouted. “Slaughter the mortals, but leave enough alive so that they remember your strength and wallow in their fear.” the monsters roared before charging towards Manehattan, with more pouring out of the portal to Tartarus. Ares would have joined them, but he had more important things to worry about.

Such as the interference of a certain Amazon.


.................


Diana, Soarin’ and Twilight teleported just outside of Manehattan, the Amazon dusting herself off before looking around. There were few ponies out and about in this section of the city, and she was thankful for that. But her attention did not linger on the condition of the city for very long; instead, her eyes were drawn upwards, towards the sky.

“My magic feels off.” she heard Twilight say from behind her. “It usually doesn’t feel like this when I teleport.”

“Ares has opened the portal to Tartarus.” Diana pointed to the sky, indicating the dark red color it had shifted to. “The magical feedback is probably affecting you.”

“It’s not just her.” Soarin’ said. “This whole thing is giving me an odd feeling.”

“See? This is why I didn’t want you to come; you mortals are not ready to face the might of Ares, let alone the monsters of Tartarus.” Diana turned back to her companions. “But it doesn’t matter now. What does matter is that we must keep those creatures out of the city for as long as possible, even if it means we’re killed in the process.”

“And you have a plan?” Soarin asked.

“Somewhat.” Diana looked to Twilight. “What are your casting capabilities?”

“Well... I know a few combat spells, and a few shield spells.” Twilight said, shuffling her hooves.

Really? Celestia takes a student and doesn’t even bother to teach her how to defend herself? Diana shook her head before speaking again.

“We’ll make due with what we have." she turned towards the hills before continuing. "I want you and Soarin’ to act as my rearguard; keep the monsters out and the civilians as far away from here as possible. My guess is that many of them will be larger than you, so you may be able to use your size to outmaneuver them.”

“And what about you, Diana?” Soarin’ asked. Diana said nothing at first, instead pulling her lasso out before speaking.

“I am going to face Ares and close the portal. You will know if I succeed or not.”

“Diana-” she heard Soarin’ approaching her, but she waved him off.

“Soarin’ I know you do not wish me to be fatalistic, but I am going by my own accord. It is an Amazon’s duty to throw her life down for those that she cares about and... I do care about you. You may be a colt, but you have guided me through the mortal realm and have helped me understand more about this world. Don’t try to come with me or stop me, for I do not want to place you in too much danger.”

“... I was only going to wish you good luck.” Soarin said. Diana faltered, turning to face Soarin’.

“I know you need to do this, but I don’t want you to think that you’re alone. I’ll always be here for you, and I know that if your mother was here right now, she’d probably say the same thing.” He continued.

This was not the kind of stallion Diana’s mother and sisters had told her about; Soarin’ was not trying to hold her back, or keep her down, but offer words of support and encouragement. Just like a true hero. Without saying anything, she pulled him into a tight hug, a smile forming on her face.

“Thank you, Soarin’.” She said before breaking from their embrace. “May the gods protect you in the battle to come.”

“Same with you.” Diana nodded before taking off, flying as fast as she could towards the portal. She did not have to go far before seeing her enemy approaching; demons and monsters all, prepared to reap a slaughter of innocents.

“Hera, give me strength!” she cried before diving towards the leading monster. The creature barely had time to react before Diana leveled out and struck, her hoof colliding with the beast’s skull and knocking it to the ground. This drew the attention of many of the monsters, all of them turning to her and preparing to attack.

“Come, you spawns of hell! Come and face me, and I swear by Athena and the gods of Olympus that I shall send you back to the pit from whence you came!” the demons roared before charging, Diana returning with a battle cry of her own before slamming into the ranks of the enemy full force.


....................


Soarin’ watched the battle unfolding before his eyes. Hundreds of monsters and demons rushed towards Diana, clawing and biting at the Amazon. Diana darted around to avoid their attacks, striking back with all her strength and knocking many of her opponents out of the sky.

But there were still many more that the Amazon would have to fight through... and many more that he would have to face as well.

“They’re coming!” Twilight cried, causing Soarin’ to shift from Diana’s fight to the oncoming horde that had ignored her attack. It was then that Soarin’ began to see a flaw in his attempt to stand at Diana’s side; he did have some combat experience, but never against demons from Tartarus, and he was currently lacking a weapon to face them.

“Okay, we just need to hold them off until Diana closes the portal.” he turned to Twilight. “Can you put up a shield?” Twilight nodded and closed her eyes to focus, her horn glowing with energy. There was a pop before a large dome formed over her, Soarin’, and several nearby buildings, but he frowned when he saw that most if not all of Manehattan was still uncovered.

“Too small.” he said. “Do you think you can make the shield bigger?”

“I’ve never made one that big before!" Twilight cried. "My brother’s the expert in shield spells, not me.”

“Then just increase your power.”

“But then I wouldn’t be able to control it all that well! What if something distracts me and I make the shield explode and then a bunch of ponies will die and they’ll all blame me and-”

“Twilight, calm down!” the unicorn bit her lip, but nodded a little. “We need to make sure that shield spell is up, or else the monsters can just go around us.”

“But I can’t make a shield spell that big...”

“Then use those artifacts Celestia mentioned.” Twilight blinked.

“I-I can’t do that." Twilight pawed at the ground. "What if I end up hurting you or somepony else?”

“We’re all going to be hurt quite a bit if we just do nothing.” Soarin’ shook his head. “Twilight, you need to put the artifacts on. They might give you the power boost you need to save everyone.”

“But-”

“We don’t have a lot of time left! I really don’t want to pressure you into doing this, but you have to put the artifacts on.” Twilight continued to chew her lip before closing her eyes and nodding, reaching into her saddlebag and pulling the helmet and amulet out. She quickly slipped the amulet on followed by the helmet, pausing to see if anything changed.

“I... I don’t think it’s working.” she said finally, her voice muffled by the helmet. “My magic doesn’t feel any diff-” Twilight failed to finish her sentence before she was hoisted into the air. Soarin’ backed up, trying to stay away in case something happened and Twilight’s magic overloaded, while Twilight herself was wrapped in a curtain of white light.

"Okay... this isn’t good." Soarin’ looked away, noticing the ever nearing horde or monsters. “Really not good.”

Diana was gone, Twilight was incapacitated. The only thing standing between those monsters that slipped past the Amazon and Manehattan was Soarin’. He looked around for a weapon, something that would give him a fighting chance, but could not find anything.

“... Screw it. I’ve done crazier things before.” Soarin’ took a deep breath and charged, his hooves aimed at the head of the closest beast.


.............


Twilight was confused. She remembered putting the helmet on, but then the world around her had went black. Now, she found herself floating in a black void, her limbs and magic useless.

“Um... hello?” she called, hoping that somepony would hear her. When there was no answer, she tried again. “Hello? Manehattan’s in danger and I need to help.... where am I?”

Within your mind, a voice rumbled in the void. Had she been on solid ground, Twilight would have bolted and ran away, but she could do nothing but hang in place. Who are you, and why have you awakened me?

“I-I didn’t mean to.” Twilight stammered. “Do you want me to leave?”

No. You have not answered my question: who are you, and why have you awakened me?

“My name’s Twilight Sparkle. I’m Princess Celestia’s personal-”

I care not for names and honorifics, the voice said, and Twilight felt as if something was staring down at her. Who are you?

“I-I don’t know what you mean. I told you my name and you said that it wasn’t good enough.”

Do not be so reserved, child. Open your mind, and tell me who you are. Twilight was still unsure just what the voice meant, but tried to open her mind as much as possible. Images of her, her friends and her family all appeared, each one flickering in and out of existence in the blink of an eye.

“Is this what you wanted?” she asked. The voice said nothing, and Twilight continued to allow her memories to flow through her mind. Her nervousness was beginning to recede, replaced by curiosity; what was this voice, and why was it concerned with her memories.

I have seen enough, the voice finally said. You will be fitting.

“Fitting? Fitting for what?”

To be my vessel. I am Nabu, Lord of Order and Balance. It was by my power that Athena ended the War in Heaven. My wisdom helped seal Discord in this plane for one thousand years, and it was with my aid that Celestia triumphed over Nightmare Moon. I have maintained balance for ten thousand lifetimes, and I shall continue to maintain balance for ten thousand more. By putting my helmet on you have opened yourself to receiving my power, and I shall return balance to this world once again.

“That’s great, but... what about me?” there was a pause.

What about you?

“You mean you were just going to possess me and let that be the end of it?" Twilight asked. "What kind of pony would do that?”

I am not a pony, therefore I am not bound by your arbitrary rules. I maintain balance though the world-

“But you said you weren’t bound by the ‘rules’ of the world. What’s to keep you from going too far?”

I know my limits.

“Oh, that’s so reassuring.” Twilight did not want to sound too rude, but she could not help herself. “Listen, you say you’re an all powerful ‘Lord of Order’, but you don’t seem to have a lot of respect for other ponies’ needs.”

You would dare place your vanity before the stability of the world?!

“I never said anything like that. I’m just saying that maybe possessing me without my permission is not the best answer to the problem at hoof. Maybe... maybe if we worked together, then we’d have a better chance at stabilizing the world.” there was a lengthy pause before "Nabu" spoke again.

... Explain your reasoning.

“Well, a few years ago one of my friends decided to do an entire harvest by herself. I tried to talk some sense into her, but she didn’t listen to me and worked herself nearly half to death, and even then she never came close to finishing. But with help from me and my other friends, she was able to finish the harvest in time.”

I fail to see what this has to do with anything. Twilight dismissed that as she continued.

“By herself my friend could only do so much, but with help from friends she was able to do so much more. Likewise, you may be really powerful, but if we work together as equals then we might actually make sure that the world stays balanced.”

You would ask me to consider you my equal?

“Well... yes, yes I would. But failing that, can we at least be friends?” there was a long pause. Twilight expected Nabu to respond with something along the line of “Friendship is beneath me”, so she began to think of some better arguments to convince him. She was interrupted when he spoke again.

After reviewing your memories, I see that there is some weight to your argument. Very well, we shall try your method, but if I deem it inadequate in maintaining balance I shall take direct control.

“... I suppose that might be fair.”

Good. Let us begin.


...............


Diana tossed her lasso around the neck of an attacking monster, tightening the loop in order to choke it. With a cry she spun her lasso around, using the creature at the other end as an improvised meteor hammer against another wave of enemies. Once she had more room to maneuver, Diana retrieved her lasso and kept moving towards the portal, swatting and kicking at anything that approached.

The portal itself was massive, larger than many of the buildings Diana had seen on her journey. At the top of the portal was the amulet Diana had seen Ares wearing, glowing bright enough that Diana had to blink a few times in order to keep looking at it. Diana scanned the portal, looking for anything else that might be keeping it open, and when she could find nothing she readied her lasso and flew towards the amulet.

She was interrupted when a bolt of magic struck her in the side, sending her tumbling through the air. When she hit the ground, she looked up and saw Ares hovering over her, the alicorn grinning as he raised his sword.

“I was wondering when you would show yourself, Amazon.” he said before striking, a bolt of lightning hitting the ground mere seconds after Diana took off again.

“Ares, this fight is between you and my kind, is it not? Close the portal, and we will settle this like true warriors.” It was a lame attempt to stall for time, but Diana could not think of much else. Ares laughed at this.

“And why would you care? What has the mortal realm done for you except exploit and mock your proud history? These ponies are weak, wrapped up in their petty desires without a care for true power and honor. Wouldn’t you be glad to see them destroyed?”

“Stop.” Diana said, lowering her lasso. “I realize that the mortal realm has its problems, and I have come to terms with that. Before I came here, I would have agreed with you and said that mortals, stallions and colts especially, were amoral, greedy and uncultured, but during this trip I have seen more than that. I’ve seen a colt go out of his way to defend me not because he think I’m weak, but because he cares for me just as I would care for one of my sisters. I’ve seen children eager to find their place in the world rather than just accept what their elders tell them is the norm. I have seen dreamers, lovers, fighters, and allowing them to die would hurt me more than any punishment or torture you may bestow upon me.” she took a fighting stance. “So let’s end this, Ares. Attack me, but remember this: as long as I draw breath, I will never allow you or anypony like you to harm these ponies!” Ares was silent for a moment, as if he was confused by Diana’s defiance. Diana waited, her tension rising, before Ares brought his sword up again and smirked.

“As you wish.” With that he charged, sword raised high above his head. He swung it towards Diana, but she deflected it with one of her bracelets. Ares lunged forward with another strike, but once again Diana deflected the blade away with her bracelets. Ares pressed forward, his sword against Diana’s speed as she deflected attack after attack. Finally, Ares overstepped his lunge, and after dodging his attack Diana spun and kicked him in the face, knocking him back and allowing her a chance to maneuver. She rose up in the air before diving, hitting Ares with three punches to the face before he backhoofed her into a tree. She tried to recover, but then Ares slammed a hoof down on Diana, pummeling her relentlessly.

Before he could continue to strike her, Diana rolled away and bucked, catching Ares in the side. Her legs shook from impacting Ares’ armor, but she was still able to knock him away again. Ares turned and fired a bolt of magic at her, but Diana had leapt into the air and thus dodged the attack. She tossed her lasso and snagged one of Ares’ legs, tripping the alicorn up. Diana dove down to strike again, but Ares was ready for her and swatted her away again.

Diana recovered quickly, just in time to deflect another blow from Ares. She backed up before pouncing on him, wrenching his helmet from his head before slamming her hooves into his face. Ares backed up, trying to regain his bearings before Diana struck him with a hammerblow. Diana would have attacked again, but Ares grabbed her with his magic and drove her into the ground, dirt and rocks clouding Diana’s vision. She tried to get up, but Ares stomped down hard on her body, only breaking away when Diana caught one of his strikes and redirected it as a means of breaking free.

Growling, Ares charged forward, tackling Diana before she had the chance to escape. She managed to block the first punch, but the second and third connected and disoriented Diana even more. Ares grabbed her by the throat before slamming her into another tree, but this had the added bonus of freeing her from his grasp once again. She kicked him in the face before ducking beneath him and striking upwards, hitting Ares in the gut and almost managing to knock the alicorn over. Before he fell, Ares grabbed Diana by the throat, spinning her around before slamming her into the ground.

“Insolent child.” he snarled, pressing his hoof into Diana’s throat in an attempt to choke her. “You should have stayed on Themyscira with the rest of your misbegotten kind.” Diana responded by pushing Ares’ hoof off her throat, gasping for air before throwing a punch at his face.  Ares easily deflected the attack, but it was enough of an opening for Diana’s second strike to connect. Diana tried to escape again, but Ares was not about to let her get away so easily.

“You won’t flee again, Amazon!” Ares roared, tossing Diana to the ground once again. “Nothing you do now will change anything! I have started my war, and you shall not take my prize away from me! Now, you die!”


................


For much of her life, Twilight had sought out knowledge of all kinds. She had gone through most of Celestia’s personal library by the time she was twelve, and had memorized many spells that scholars had thought lost. But now, as she hung in her dreamscape, she received an image of power and knowledge far beyond anything she could have imagined. She had been fearful at first, but soon began to accept what Nabu had been showing her

I have told you enough. the voice said, and Twilight’s mind calmed. This is only a glimpse of my power, enough to help you through the task at hoof. Now, open yourself fully to my power, before our enemies have a chance to break through. Manehattan... Twilight thought before mentally smacking herself. I forgot about Manehattan! But what can I do? I mean, I have the power, I just... don’t know enough.

“There has to be more you can teach me!” Twilight cried. “I have no idea how to control the powers you showed me. What if I mess something up and ponies get hurt?”

I shall be here, guiding you. If your plan works, it will take awhile for you to reach your full potential, but it is time that we do not have at this moment. Open yourself to my power. Twilight nodded and closed her eyes, relaxing her body and calming her magic. She continued to hang in space before going rigid, power pouring into her mind like a flood. She wanted to cry out, but she knew that only Nabu would hear her, and she would lose control otherwise.

Are you ready to step forth as a Champion of Order?

“... I’m ready.”


................


Soarin’ had managed to acquire a sword and a few bits of armor from the monsters and demons he had been fighting. Even with something to defend himself with, he was badly outnumbered and running out of energy. He ducked and dodged multiple attacks, using every ounce of training Firefly and Spitfire had rammed into his brain during his time as a Wonderbolt.

Twilight was still incapacitated, still suspended in a glowing ball of light. Fortunately, or unfortunately, many of the attacking monsters had decided to try and take out the glowing ball of light, dozens of them smacking against it only to be thrown back without causing a lot of damage. Soarin’ tried to move towards the light, in order to fight off a few of the monsters in case Twilight got free and was surrounded, but he was just one pony against a multitude of beasts and other nasties.

Hopefully Diana closes that portal soon before we all die. Soarin’ was interrupted from his thoughts by another monster, this one looking like a red pony with two heads. He swung his borrowed sword around, lodging the blade in one of the creatures heads before it bowled him over. The thing tried to bite his head off, but Soarin’ still had enough strength in him to keep it at bay.

At least, until a crossbow bolt caused its head to explode like an overripe piece of fruit. As Soarin’ tossed the body off of him, he saw a young, terrified looking unicorn mare in a police uniform, a crossbow and several bolts grasped in her telekinesis.

“Who are you?” Soarin’ asked as he recovered his sword and blocked another attack.

“Officer Golden Star of the MPD.” the mare cried, firing another shot at an approaching monster. “I was called out here because of a noise complaint, and now I find there’s a friggin’ army trying to kill us all!”

“Believe me, I had the same thoughts four minutes ago.” Soarin’ pulled back behind the glowing ball of light that held Twilight. “Please tell me you called for backup.”

“They won’t be here for another ten minutes... and we’re just cops, not soldiers; we’re not supposed to be fighting armies of monsters.”

“I think that’s a general rule for most ponies.” Soarin’ and Golden Star backed up as the attackers prepared to surround them, many of the creatures grinning in anticipation. They prepared to charge when the front rank was consumed by a purple beam of light, dozens of attackers crying out in surprise and anger before they were banished back to Tartarus.

Soarin’ looked up and saw Twilight descending from the dissipating ball of light. The unicorn was now clad in a blue suit and golden cape, her eyes glowing white with power from behind her helmet. Two balls of magic had collected around her hooves, and her cape billowed in some unseen wind.

“I would advise that you stay back while I clear a path to the portal.” she said, her voice reverberating with power. Soarin’ was not about to object, so he watched in silent awe as Twilight confronted what remained of Ares’ army. The monsters and demons attacked, but Twilight’s counterspells and banishments were too fast for them; dozens were sent screaming back to Tartarus, while others were simply vaporized by one powerful spell after another. Twilight advanced forward, channeling more power into her attacks, and soon the attacking creatures were beating a hasty retreat, trying and failing to escape the new Champion of Order’s might.

Once the immediate threat of attack was dealt with, Twilight turned back to Manehattan, her horn glowing bright. There was a pause before a bright beam of light shot from her horn before exploding over the city, covering Manehattan in a massive dome of energy. Soarin’ moved forward to stay outside the shield, although he still kept some distance from Twilight as the unicorn landed.

“That shield should be able to hold off any further attacks until the portal is closed.” she said.

“Wonderful.” Soarin’ said, looking off towards where Diana had gone. “Now we just need to make sure the portal gets closed... You wouldn’t happen to have a spell for that, would you?”

“I may. I just need to be close to the portal in order to cast it.” Twilight rose into the air once again. “Come, we must hurry before our enemies have a chance to regroup.”

“Hey!” Soarin’ turned as Golden Star sprinted towards him. “Take my crossbow; you’ll probably need it more than I will.”

“Um... why? Aren’t you coming with us?” this earned a mild glare from the unicorn mare.

“Listen, I’ve had to put up with flying Earth Ponies, an army of monsters and a mare whose voice sounds like Nightmare Moon got her head stuck in a trash can. I have had enough weirdness for one week, and I don’t want to get involved in any more.” a pause, Golden Star massaging the back of her head. “I’ll just stay here and make sure that when help arrives, they’ll know where to find you.” Soarin’ said nothing, instead shrugging and turning back to Twilight.

“So, is there a plan?” he asked.

“We must find Diana and make sure that she defeats Ares. Only then can we close the portal.” Twilight’s horn shimmered before a glowing ankh appeared before her. “Come; while I do not doubt your friend’s fortitude, we must hurry before Ares can overwhelm her.”

“She’ll be fine.” Really, he was not sure; he had seen Diana defeated by Ares before, and there was no way she had fully recovered from that fight. Maybe this was just to keep him calm and focused, to keep his spirits up.

She’ll be fine... she has to be.


...............


Ares struck the ground with a crash, Diana following with a hoof planted between his wings. As he recovered, Diana wrapped her foreleg around his neck, hanging on tightly as the alicorn tried to throw her off. Already she could feel her grip weakening and her fatigue creeping up on her, her entire body aching. But she pressed on, trying her best to wear Ares down.

“I can sense that you are tiring, Amazon.” Ares said, finally finding purchase and flinging Diana from his back. “You are just like a mortal in that regard. You hope to stand against a god, yet your own body betrays you.” Diana pulled herself into a fighting stance, causing Ares to chuckle. “Yet your defiance is strangely endearing. I admire a strong warrior who is unwavering in their stance.”

“And I thought that you were trying to kill me.” She spat.

“That still does not mean I cannot admire your strength. Perhaps...” he stepped towards her. “You would be willing to fix the mistake your mother made.”

“... What?”

“Your mother spurned my advances, but you have a chance to change that. Surrender now, and and I shall place you and all that follow you at my right hoof." Ares gave a smile, a smile that for fleeting moments did not seem truly cruel. "Your name shall be revered among all mortals, and thousands will cower in fear at the sight of you and your host. You shall be the greatest warrior to have ever lived, and all of Equestria will know the strength of the Amazons once again.”

“... I already made my vow, Ares," Diana firmed up her stance. "I will only submit to you once my life has been beaten out of me.” Ares was silent, but he leveled a cold stare at Diana.

“You are just like your mother; headstrong and prideful.” he growled. “You will not survive to remedy that.” Ares lunged forward, grappling with Diana. It took all of Diana’s strength to keep Ares from overwhelming her, but even then she was pressed back. Ares glare shifted to a twisted smile as he pressed Diana back, and before Diana could react he shifted upward and brought a hoof to her gut, Diana crying out in pain as she felt three of her ribs crack like dried wood. Diana collapsed to the ground, clutching her side as Ares circled.

“Is this it?” he asked. “Do you give up so easily from a few broken ribs?”

“... Never.” Diana pulled herself up, blocking out as much of the pain as possible before charging. It did not matter if her attacks had any effect on Ares; as long as she pressed on, the alicorn would remain focused on her. She struck Ares once, twice, three times, each blow sending stabbing pain down her body that she continued to ignore. Ares sidestepped another strike from Diana, tripping her before slamming his right hoof into her back. Strike after strike rocked Diana, Ares not relenting even as she curled into a ball to minimize the damage.

“Did you honestly think you could challenge me?!” Ares shouted, rising up over Diana and blasting her with a beam of magic. “I am the God of War! I killed thousands during the War in Heaven! I drove Nightmare Moon from the steps of Olympus, and I broke the walls of Tartarus! Why do you not see that anything you do is pointless, Amazon?!”

“My name...” Diana growled, standing and glaring up at Ares. “Is Diana.” Ares face clearly showed his rage, and he sent another blast of magic at Diana. Diana raised her bracelets to deflect the blast, the force of the impact causing her rear hooves to dig into the ground. She strained, pouring more of her energy forward to hold Ares' attack back, and gradually she could feel her strength holding, however tenuous a hold that was.

She would not be broken here. Not by Ares, not by any of the monster of Tartarus, no one.

As Ares’ spell dissipated, Diana heard the pop of another spell behind her. She did not even look as Soarin’ and Twilight rushed to her aid, although she was caught by Twilight’s apparent change in attire as the unicorn stepped in between her and Ares.

“Diana!” Soarin’ cried. “Are you alright?”

“No, but I thought I said I didn’t need you to worry about me.”

“It’s been a really weird week for me, okay? You’ve got to excuse my slightly frayed nerves... and you’re still my friend, you know.”

“Can we please focus on the task ahead?” Twilight asked, throwing up a shield spell to deflect Ares attack.

“It seems that the universe wishes to give me an audience for my triumph.” Ares said, firing another blast at the entourage. “It has been some time since we have seen each other, has it not, Nabu?”

“In this form, you shall refer to me as Fate, Ares.”

“I am not some mortal to be intimidated, Nabu. I am a god, and you will show respect to those that are your superior.”

“When I find somepony that fits that description, I will be more than happy to listen to them.” Twilight rose into the air, putting up more defensive barriers to deflect Ares’ attacks while Diana and Soarin’ turned to the portal.

“I don’t suppose you know how to close this, do you?” he asked, drawing a scowl from Diana.

“Oh yes, because Themyscira is just covered in portals to the Underworld.” She paused. “Sorry, it’s the pain. But no, I don’t know how to close it.” There was an explosion above. Diana and Soarin’ looked up and saw Twilight getting forced back by Ares, the alicorn’s frustration mounting.

“Okay, running out off time... lovely.” Soarin’ scanned the portal. “Where’s that amulet he was using? Maybe you can use that to close the portal.”

“I’m not a unicorn, Soarin’; I couldn’t use that amulet even if I tried. And unless you want to go up there and fight Ares I’m not sure if we’re going to get one in time.” Diana frowned. She thought of flying up and trying to pull the amulet from the portal, but there was no way of knowing if she would make it clear in time. Even if she did fly up there, Ares might spot her and intercept her. If only there was some way I could reach it without actually leaving the ground.

As she looked up, she spotted the rim of her tiara. Her mother had said that, if thrown, it was a potent weapon, but Diana had no way of knowing if it would be enough to close the portal. Still, she had few other options, so Diana reached up and plucked her tiara from her forehead. She took a moment to get a feel for its weight, spinning it around her hoof a few times before looking up at the amulet.

All I have to do is cut the knot.

Diana drew back, and with a cry she hurled the tiara at the portal. The tiara spun through the air, giving off a faint whistling sound, before it collided with the Alicorn Amulet. Although the magics protecting the Amulet were strong, the enchanted bronze of the tiara was stronger, and with a crack the tiara sliced through the amulet and shattered it into several pieces.

I did it.

As her tiara returned, Diana watched as the portal to Tartarus began to collapse. Any demons or monsters still outside the portal were sucked back in, all of them crying out in fear and rage. Ares stopped from his fight with Twilight and looked, his anger replaced by terror.

“No... No!” He cried, trying and failing to stabilize the portal with his own magic. “You destroyed it! All of my plans, and you destroyed it!”

“Is Ares always this panicky?” Soarin’ asked over the sound of the portal collapsing.

“As far as I know, yes, but then I did receive a bit of bias from my mother.” Ares looked down at Diana, his eyes filled with rage.

“You meddling little whore!” he screamed, summoning his sword once again. “I will tear you apart for what you’ve done!” Ares prepared to dive down and attack Diana, but his plan to attack became a struggle as he was dragged closer to the collapsing portal.

“We must move from here; the portal will pull us into Tartarus if we stay here any longer. I will go and make sure that my shield over Manehattan holds.” Twilight summoned a portal of her own and stepped through it, disappearing and leaving Diana and Soarin’ alone. Diana dug her hooves in, but already she could feel herself being dragged towards the failing portal.

“Soarin’! Get out of here.” she called. Soarin’ opened his mouth to protest, but Diana raised a hoof. “I’ll be fine, just get out of here!” Soarin’ said nothing, but nodded before spreading his wings and taking off. As Diana continued to slip, she tossed her lasso and snagged the largest tree she could see. Digging her hooves in, Diana held on as tight as she could, her muscles and bones straining from the forces being exerted on her.

She could have held on longer had not an aura of magic uprooted her. Diana was yanked off the ground and hoisted into the air, and as she turned she saw Ares’ horn alight with power.

“I said you would not escape me, Amazon!” he said, pulling her towards him. “If I am to be banished to Hell, you’re coming with me!” Diana struggled to break Ares’ grip, her desperation growing as they were dragged towards the event horizon of the collapsing portal. She reached for her lasso before remembering it was still tied to a tree on a ground, and her attempts to break free continued to fail.

She was getting close to accepting her sacrifice when something wrapped itself around her hoof. Diana looked up and saw her lasso, its magic having broken through Ares’ aura. And she was more surprised by who was holding on to the other end.

“Soarin’!” She cried, giving the colt a wide smile.

“You still don’t get that I don’t want you to die, do you?” Soarin’ called back, pulling Diana away from Ares as best he could. The alicorn tried to pull Diana back, but by then it was too late; with a roar of anger he was sucked into Tartarus, disappearing in a flash of light. Diana reached forward and held onto her lasso, winding it around her hooves a few times for better grip.

After what felt like an eternity, the portal finally closed fully, returning the sky to its normal color. Soarin’ pulled Diana away towards Manehattan, the mare loosening her grip now that the threat had passed. She continued to ignore the pain in her side, if only to make sure that she got somewhere where she could be treated before allowing anything to come through.

You have done well, Diana. the voice of Athena whispered, causing Diana to smile.
> The Shape of Things to Come
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


The Shape of Things to Come


Even though most of Manehattan had not been exposed to Ares’ army, news of the attack spread quickly. Panic had set in initially, with dozens of ponies fearing a possible demonic incursion, but panic had been replaced by celebration when word got out about the three heroes that had saved Manehattan from the forces of Tartarus.

Diana was rather confused by Equestrian celebrations. They contained many things she was familiar with, such as food and dancing, but the Equestrians seemed to get rather wild in their revelries, as if Dionysus himself had come among them. There was no ritual or tradition or their celebration; just wild flailing and swaying that they said was “dancing”.

“I still do not understand what the importance of ‘wubs’ is.” she said as she walked along the street with Soarin’, dressed in a business suit enchanted with several disguise spells to avoid being noticed.

“Well, it’s just the way things are around here.” Soarin’ said. “Most ponies like to have their music loud because they feel that it allows them to get into the mood of things.”

“... Well, it’s still odd.” they crossed the street, passing by a newsstand with the words “Who is the Wonder Mare?” printed in prominent letters. “‘Wonder Mare’... I don’t really see what’s so wondrous about it.”

“An Earth Pony with super strength that can fly, and you don’t see what’s wondrous about it?” Soarin' asked, giving Diana a playful smirk.

“Well, yes. And besides, it wasn’t wholly my... err, her victory; you, Twilight, and that officer all played their roles in defeating Ares.”

“True, but still; flying Earth Pony." Diana's ears drooped slightly as Soarin' continued. "I don’t want to sound like I’m devaluing my help, but we Equestrians tend to get obsessive over things that are not commonplace. I remember hearing about this mare in Cloudsdale-”

“I know, you’ve told me.” and it should be interesting to meet this ‘Supermare’ someday. there was a pause, Diana allowing her eyes to wander about Manehattan. “So... Soarin’?”

“Yes?”

“I was thinking... would you be able to accompany me as I continue my journey?” Soarin' stopped walking, blinking in surprise for a moment.

“You’re staying here?” he asked.

“Yes." Diana nodded, giving Soarin' a smile. "I still have a bit to learn about the mortal realm, and no doubt other threats will emerge. I want to stay here as long as I need to, and since you are more knowledgeable about Equestria and understand my background then you’d be perfect as an escort.”

“I’d love to, Diana, but...” Soarin’ fidgeted for a moment. “I can’t. I’ve got my own responsibilities to deal with right now, and I can’t face some of the things that you can.” Diana's ears dropped again.

“But you stood against Ares’ forces.”

“Yeah, I know that, but that doesn’t mean I want to repeat the experience.” he sighed. “Look, Diana, I’ll help you out as best I can, but actually go around Equestria with you... I just don’t have the time.” Diana frowned, but did not respond right away. After all she and Soarin’ had been through, he would just... leave? But she allowed herself to think rationally for a moment before speaking.

“I... I suppose that’s fair. I must respect your desires, after all.” there was a pause. “But, if you wouldn’t mind... do you think we could spend today together, before you have to leave?”

“... Sure. Where do you want to go?”


...................


Ares sat at the edge of the River Styx, looking out across its dark waters. He had tried crossing them several times, but to no avail; something kept holding him back, and even his powers could not break through.

So, as his frustration built, he turned his thoughts to the cause of his misfortune: the Amazon Princess, the so called "Wonder Mare".

I should have made sure she was dead when I first encountered her... he thought. I should have burned Themyscira to the ground before turning my sights to Equestria. But no... I allowed my desire for revenge to cloud my judgement. Well no more; once I break free of here, I will kill that whore and all of her kind.

“See what your foolishness has done, Ares.” the voice of Hades rumbles from the dark. Ares turned as the shrouded alicorn stepped forward, followed closely by Persephone. “You deliberately broke into my realm and violated the peace I have maintained, and for what? A smudge on your pride?”

“What would you know of pride, Hades?” Ares spat before standing to face the Lord of the Dead. “I have had the world trembling at my hooves many more times than you have. I was merely retaking what is mine by inheritance.”

“And yet you ended up here, in my domain.” Ares snorted before turning away.

“So? I’ll be back in Olympus soon enough. You cannot keep me here like one of your prisoners.”

“Yes, I can.” Ares blinked, his composure breaking for the briefest of instances.

“... What?”

“You used the Alicorn Amulet to break into Tartarus. By violating my realm in such a way, you have bound yourself to the Underworld, and thus to me.” Ares could not see very well under Hades’ hood, but he was certain that the gaunt alicorn was smiling. “I am your master until I decide otherwise. If I want you to start a war, you will; if I want you to leave the Underworld, you will.”

“That’s... that’s impossible!” Ares stomped his hooves, cracks forming in the rock. “I am a god! I will not be bound like some weak spirit!”

“I created the Alicorn Amulet; I decide what punishments befall those that misuse its power like you did.” Ares could barely contain his rage, shifting his glare from Hades to Persephone.

“You... you did this!” he screamed, glaring at Persephone. “You knew this would happen to me if the Amulet was broken!”

“Well... yes, I did.” the mare responded, giving a small shrug. “Hades has looked for a way to keep you in check, and I thought that giving you the Amulet might bring you under his control.” she smiled and nuzzled Hades’ neck. “And I would do anything for my Wubby-Dubby Shmoopie Do!” Ares felt like vomiting, and from Hades’ apparent blush the Lord of the Dead was embarrassed as well.

“As I was saying, you will serve me and Persephone until such a time that I do not need you, after which you will be allowed to return to Olympus.” Hades turned to leave, Persephone following close behind. “You may start by finding Charon; he is still very upset that you have not paid him yet.” Ares ground his teeth together. He wanted to blast Hades with as much of his power as he could, but Hades had disappeared into the shadows once again. With a roar he stomped again, the River Styx rippling slightly from his power.

“I will not stand for this.” he growled. “I will not be Hades’ slave.”

“That makes two of us.” a different voice said from further down the river. Ares turned as he was approached by a purple unicorn mare clad in a green and gold cape.

“I thought Hades would have kept his prisoners contained.” Ares muttered.

“I’ve been a good girl, so I get a little breathing space.” the mare said. “But I couldn’t help but overhearing your conversation with Hades, and how you broke something of his and that got you stuck here.”

“Why would you care? You’re more of a prisoner than I am. And I did not break it; it was that Amazon twat that dared to defy my power.”

“Wait...” the mare took a step forward. “An Amazon sent you here?”

“Again, what does it matter to you?”

“Please, my lord Ares.” the mare smiled. “Would you be so kind as to call me Circe? I think we might have a common enemy on our hooves and I don’t think we should be too standoffish.”


.................


Hippolyta stood on the beach of Themyscira, looking to the west. The sun was setting, painting the sky with a mixture of reds and oranges, and a cool breeze was coming in from the south. She closed her eyes and opened her senses to the world, taking a few deep breaths to calm her spirit and release her tension.

“My lady?” she opened her eyes as Phillipus approached, a scroll resting in the other mare’s grasp. “I did not mean to disturb you, but this letter arrived a few minutes ago.”

“A letter?” Hippolyta turned, eyebrow raised.

“Yes, my lady. It just appeared at your throne in a flash of green fire, and after checking for enchantments I came looking for you.” Hippolyta took the scroll from Phillipus and opened it. A small piece of paper tumbled out of it, but Hippolyta was able to catch it before it fell to the ground.

The piece of paper was a picture, a picture of Diana and the colt from before. The two were standing in front of a large green statue, smiling. Hippolyta studied the picture for a long time, as if searching for some signs that not all was right. Maybe it will be explained in the letter. Hippolyta redirected her attention and began to read.

“Dearest Mother,
I am writing this to you to inform you that Ares has been defeated and sealed away in Tartarus. I doubt that he will stay there for long, but he will not threaten the world for some time.
You have most likely found the picture I have included in this letter. Well... I have thought about it, and you were wrong about the mortal realm.
Understand that I mean no disrespect to you, mother, but so much has changed since your time. The mortal realm has its problems, no doubt, but I have seen so much potential in Equestria, and just cutting ourselves off from the world has hurt both our kind. Imagine what we could teach the Equestrians, and what they could teach us, if we just get over our past grudges and begin talking with them.
As such, I wanted to inform you that I shall be staying in Equestria, to act as its guardian and as an ambassador between them and Themyscira. With your blessing, I am sure we can bring about an era of peace and understanding between us and mortals.
Your loving daughter,
Diana.”

Hippolyta lowered the letter and looked out to the west. She wanted to respond to Diana’s letter and order her to come back, but deep down she knew she could not. Diana was her daughter, but what kind of mother would she be if she stopped her daughter from doing what she felt was right?

Just like when she prevented me and Phillipus from killing each other, she thought.

“My lady?” Hippolyta turned back to Phillipus. “What did the letter say, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“Diana is staying in the mortal realm and will act as our ambassador.” Hippolyta replied, noticing Phillipus’ shocked expression.

“She can’t be serious, can she?" the other mare started. "After all that the mortal realm has done to us, she would disregard her sisters-”

“Phillipus, I trust Diana’s judgement, and if she is wrong she is strong enough to return to us.” Hippolyta looked back out across the ocean. “Diana has given the mortal realm a chance... it seems only fitting that we give her one as well.”

“And not a moment too sooner.” a third voice said before a grey-eyed alicorn materialized next to Hippolyta and Phillipus. The two Amazons quickly bowed, averting their eyes from Athena’s presence.

“My lady,” Hippolyta said. “We were not informed of your coming.”

“That is my fault, dear Hippolyta." Athena replied. "But I cannot waste time on pleasantries. We have a problem.”

“What is it, my lady?” Hippolyta asked, rising. “Does it have something to do with Ares?”

“In a way.” Athena fluffed her wings before speaking. “My daughters informed me that Ares’ attack has exposed a crack in the barrier between our world and Apokolips. They have tried to seal it as best they can, and your daughter’s actions have helped, but the crack is too large for any of us to fully seal.”

“You mean...”

“Yes.” Athena looked out at the sunset. “The War in Heaven will start again, and I believe that your daughter shall be in the center of it all.”


The End


Wonder Mare will return in Justice League of Equestria