An Equestrian Freedom

by FullMetalFurbee

First published 26th of March, 2014

When the king of a faraway nation invades Equestria, Twilight must rethink everything she knows about trust and freedom.

Equestria provides safety for all its citizens. There is no discrimination. No economic strife. It's a flourishing country under righteous leadership. For Twilight, it's the epitome of perfection. She never imagined that the life she knew could be ripped away in a moment's notice.
The invasion was swift and terrible. The attackers' king, a lying and manipulative stallion known as Salvator, has a different opinion of Equestria. Twilight doesn't believe his lies - his seditious claims about Princess Celestia. Her ruler can't be a tyrant. Celestia is perfect.
But then Twilight finds the clues. The clues that force her to consider the legitimacy of Salvator's claims and rethink her zealous devotion to Celestia.
Now, with both her life and the future of Equestria hanging perilously by a thread, Twilight must ultimately decide who she trusts. She then comes face to face with the most critical choice of her life - harmony, or freedom.

---

Cover art by the talented CMBrony. He graciously provided not only the picture for this story, but also helped enormously with story arc consultation.

Rated T for harsh language and moderate violence throughout.

Prologue: One Week Before Invasion

Oceans of rocky plains stretched in every direction. The entire land was a canvas populated by sparse rocks and the occasional weed. A single light shone on the plains - a small campfire belonging to two eager travelers. They sat in the wee hours of the morning with their eyes turned toward a city far off on the horizon. The stone city sat proudly at the cliff-side vestibule where the land and sea merged. An environ of impressive walls stood around the imposing metropolis and the buildings themselves seemed to scrape the edge of the sky.

The two earth ponies sat outside their tents and admired the capital in all its grandeur. The first voyager shivered and turned to the other.

“It's almost dawn, ya know. We should get movin' soon,” he said in his native tongue. He was an older stallion who sported a leather tunic and a hoof-stitched cap. His coat was a faded tan and his mane dark chestnut.

“Think we'll make it by the end of today?” the other traveler asked. He was the color of mint and significantly younger than his counterpart. A scruffy goatee hung from his chin and his copper mane fell in shaggy clumps.

“We certainly might, if we hit the road right away,” said the elder. “Get up and pack the tents.”

“You do it! Ya ain't that old!” the boy quipped back.

“Cian, pack up the tents or I'm gonna mug ya and throw your sorry hide in a ditch!” the older pony jokingly warned.

“Yeah yeah, Granddad. You and your hollow threats.” Cian climbed to his hooves and shed his thick blanket. He began dismantling the tents but cried in dismay as a rogue gust whipped the fabric out of his grasp. His grandfather chuckled at the unexpected blight. Cian recovered the tent and shivered. “Stupid wind.”

“You know what that means?” asked his grandfather.

“What?”

“It's the wind of change. A new beginnin' is comin'.”

Cian smiled and shook his head. “That's one stupid cliché if I ever heard one. Way to be original. I guess you're right, though. Feels good, don't it?”

The elder stood and collected his supplies. “Feels amazin'. Comin' back to Wintershore has been a dream of mine for years.”

“I don't blame ya! Why did ya leave, anyway? I'd have loved to grow up in the capital. Maybe I wouldn't have been such an antisocial laggard,” Cian theorized.

Granddad finished securing his luggage and hefted it onto his back. “Bah, you're fine. Give yourself more credit, boy. As for the business of me leavin', that's just life I suppose. One thing led to another and I just couldn't stay. It ain't an interestin' story.”

The two trotted toward the dirt road into the city.

“You're lyin',” said Cian. “I'm gonna force the real reason outta ya one of these days. Until then, I'm just glad we made it this far.” He stretched dramatically and followed at his granddad's lead.

“How many years?” asked the elder.

Cian felt like he had sand under his eyelids.“Eh?” he grunted.

“How many years did ya work, again?”

He took in a deep breath and attempted to recall. “Oh boy. At least six. Jeez. Six years just to scrape up the dough to move here.”

“Hah, about time too,” the elder proclaimed. “I ain't gettin' any younger.”

They hit the edge of the road and adjusted course accordingly.

“Ya coulda' worked too, Granddad,” Cian pointed out. “Instead of relyin' solely on your poor grandson to pay your way in.”

Granddad snorted at the accusation. “Oh really now? What kind of profession would I have taken up? Beer tastin'? Ain't much else I can do anymore!”

“Good point,” said Cian. “Plus, ya got a terrible taste in beer. Scratch that option out.”

“I'm gettin' tired of your little quips, boy. One more word and I'll roll ya a real thrashin'!” Granddad threatened, shaking his hoof in agitation.

“I love ya too, Granddad. Hollow threats and all,” said Cian with a smile.

The old pony withheld his senile temper and tried to appreciate his good fortune. “I am proud of ya, boy. Honestly. It takes real character to earn your way in life. I know a lotta' folks who'd sell their soul for much less than you've achieved.”

On the two walked. The city never quite seemed to draw any closer.

“Thank ya. Means a lot to me, really,” Cian said.

“Of course. I mean it.”

“I know, Granddad. I'm glad to hear it. Ain't no other pony I'd rather hear those words from.”

The tan stallion put his hoof around his grandson's shoulder. “You're growin' into a damn fine lad. Your parents would be proud if they could see ya today.”

“Aye, I wish they could.”

The infant sun had begun to cast its first radiant beams across the land. The dusky stones of Wintershore's ramparts glinted opulently in the distance.

Cian kicked a rock along as he walked. “I'm just hopin' the whole city isn't swept up in all the gunk war propaganda. That's part of why I wanted to move here so bad.”

“I hope so too,” said Granddad. “I don't think it will be. The King ain't gonna let the rich or the unicorns and pegasi go off to fight. Only ones who gotta' fight are saps like us who don't live in Wintershore.”

Cian scratched his goatee and eyed his grandfather mischievously. “Not like ya gotta worry about goin' off to war yourself. You're too old.”

Granddad sarcastically faked a laugh and punched Cian's shoulder. “Let's be glad I am. Really though, I don't even know why they got a draft goin'. We got plenty of soldiers and our technology is the best in the world. When we see the King, we'll just have to ask him what the hell he's thinkin'.”

“Right. Like he'd ever show his mug in public,” said Cian with a snort. “I just feel sorry for that Equestria country. Whoever this Celestia chick is, she'd better be ready for the ordeal of her life. Musta' done somethin' real squirrely to get the King so uppity. ”

“Aye.”

The two travelers conversed idly and proceeded unto the city as the sunrise yawned behind them. Their new lives beckoned, and they were brimming with anticipation.

Chapter 1: Day 1

Twilight Sparkle despised anatomy with abandon. She glared disdainfully at the exceedingly complex text book. Page after page of jargon glared right back. She wondered what use a princess had with knowledge of muscle fibers and tendons. Toxicology, sure. Medicinal chemistry? Absolutely. She was all for possessing a basic medical knowledge, but passionately insisted that ossicles and ventral arcs should be for skilled surgeons only. She groaned. Celestia had instructed her to finish the pages on hind-hooves by week's end.

Vastis Lateralis...yadda yadda... interochanteric line... she thought.

“Twilight, are you seriously still reading that boring book?” whined her little housemate from his bed as he peered up at her. “You've had your nose stuck in that thing for hours.”

“Yes, Spike,” grumbled Twilight. “I can't just decide not to read what Celestia tells me to. Being a princess isn't all fun and games.”

“Ugh. I'll say.”

Twilight got back to reading. After a few undisturbed minutes she heard Spike tossing and turning more aggressively than normal. He made a gurgling noise. She glanced down at the juvenile dragon. “Are you quite alright?”

“Mhmm. But, it's odd. I think I feel a letter coming.”

Twilight climbed down from the loft. “That is weird. Celestia never sends letters anymore.”

Spike retched. “Here it comes.”

Twilight wrinkled her nose at the befouling stench of Spike's letter-spouting belch. However if that was the worst consequence of remaining in Ponyville for residency, she figured she could handle it. The purple mare unfurled the parchment and scanned its contents, frowning as she did.

“What's it say, Twilight?” inquired Spike.

“Apparently Celestia wants me to come to the castle very first thing tomorrow morning. It says I'm going to receive an interactive lesson in 'foreign policy.' That's it. No specifics. It's pretty vague for instructions directly from Celestia.”

Spike shrugged and flopped back into bed. Whatever it was, it wouldn't come between him and sleep. Twilight would tell him all about it tomorrow.

Dawn over Equestria was too cold and too dry. The crepuscular morning sky proved a chilling ride for Twilight, seeing as she wasn't yet used to high altitude travel. She thought of the pegasi rickshaws. They'd had her business repeatedly in the past, but their standard flight path was drastically lower. Therein warmer.

Twilight shivered and tightened her scarf. Her joints were frozen stiff and refused to cooperate by the time she finally landed at the entrance of Canterlot Castle. A pair of royal guards yawned and smiled sleepily at her disheveled figure. Through their hazy lens of sleepiness, she was quite the humorous sight.

“M-morning boys,” chattered Twilight. “M-mind if I go on in?”

They nodded and yawned again.

Twilight entered to a gray light seeping through the stained glass foyer windows. Without the hubbub of couriers, lobbyists, concerned citizens, and general riffraff, it was as if the whole place was frozen forward in time - a rare scene of a quiet mountainside castle. Only her own hoofsteps echoed in her ears as she paced down the corridors. She thought it unusual for Celestia not to meet her personally in the foyer. “Princess? Hello! I'm here!” she called.

Then, a faint voice emanated from someplace else: “Twilight! Come!”

A narrow trail of lavender light materialized on the carpet, urging Twilight to follow it's ghostly path. She trotted along, wondering why the morning's activity was so unorthodox. The light trail led her towards the southern side of the castle and around several corners, then down an uncarpeted spiral stairwell. A sense of dim unease tugged her as she followed the light downwards.

“Twilight are you coming?” Celestia asked from somewhere along the bottom.

“I'm here, Princess!”

The bottom of the stairwell opened only into a dark hallway with rows of doors on one side. Celestia stood majestically in front of one of the doors.

Ah, there she is!

Twilight sighed and relaxed at the sight of the powerful ruler. Celestia beamed back at her and dissipated the magical light trail.

“There you are, my little pony. I apologize for bringing you all the way down here without further instruction. How are you this morning?”

“A little cold,” Twilight admitted. “It's great to see you, though! How's Cadance?”

“Hale and hearty. The baby's getting pretty restless. I think it's eager to be born.”

“Great! It's so exciting to think that I'll be an aunt.”

“It's a very important job,” said Celestia with a warm smile. “So as I was saying, sorry for summoning you on such short notice. As you can see, this wing of the castle generally remains disused. It's not often anypony has a reason to be here.”

Twilight took that as a cue to get her bearings on the unfamiliar setting. The lights were still lit magically, but they were quite dim and sparsely placed. No decor clung to the stone walls. No windows vented light. Gray was the only color present. Even the hoary air seemed lifeless.

“Princess Celestia, is this a-”

“A dungeon, yes,” Celestia interjected. “Quite unpleasant to think about. I'm sure you weren't aware that we possess a dungeon, but rest assured it's used as sparingly as possible and only when strictly necessary.”

The news unsettled Twilight nonetheless. She wondered if the place's existence wasn't something she should have known earlier.

Celestia rested a hoof on Twilight's shoulder. “Listen to me. This news is very important. Recently one of our guards has discovered, well - we've found a spy hiding amongst our citizens here in Canterlot.”

Twilight gasped. “A spy? From where? What does he want? Are we safe? Are there more? Does my brother know?” The words poured endlessly from her mouth in a frantic jumble. Celestia remained silent with her gaze turned downwards. She was deep in thought. In her periphery, Twilight swore she saw a shadow of emotion pass over her ruler's face.

Anxiety?

“The spy is being held in this room here. I want you to see what high treason looks like on a pony,” said Celestia at last, dismissing her former pupil's questions. She shoved open a heavy wooden door and motioned for Twilight to enter.

“I-if you say so,” stammered the clearly uncomfortable Twilight. She forced herself to move. Inside the cold stone room sat a dirty elderly stallion. A tattered tunic covered his tan hide and on his head sat a beaten up hoof-stitched cap. He was only shackled by one hind leg and appeared to have freedom of movement about the chamber. Yet he just sat there, mumbling incomprehensible rantings in a foreign tongue.

“Princess, what's he saying?” asked Twilight nervously.

Celestia turned her ear and focused. “Well, I'm actually not fluent in this language. It looks like he's making amends, or something along those lines.”

“Really? With whom?”

Again her query went unanswered. The grimy stallion looked up at them and spat, yelling things Twilight only assumed to be profanities.

“Enough,” commanded Celestia. She exited the room and made for the staircase.

“Wait!” called Twilight. “What are you going to do with him?” She hoped the answer wouldn't horrify her.

“That's what I summoned you here for this morning, Twilight. Rules concerning situations such as this don't usually need to be discussed until much farther down the line, but since the situation has presented itself, I need to educate you on what our laws dictate must happen. As Equestrians, we must be swift but fair in serving justice.”

“Okay...”

Celestia wore a motherly expression. “I know this is very hard for you. It's an unpleasant matter to deal with. Unfortunately, enforcing the law is part of being a princess.”

Twilight nodded, silent. She had a lump in her throat the size of a boulder.

What's going to happen to that stallion? Did he hurt anypony? How does she know he's a spy?

The two emerged back into the foyer, this time with morning sunlight filling the room with an ambient glow. It was still too early for the denizens of the castle to be up and about, but the faint sound of birds chirping sounded outside. There was something else too. Something off. It caught Twilight's eye.

“- so we'll retrieve the constitutional scroll that deals with-” Celestia explained.

“Princess,” interjected Twilight. “I'm so sorry for interrupting you but, is something going on outside over there?”

Celestia followed her gaze toward a stained glass window, where two shadows collided and appeared to be brawling outside.

“Oh my! What in the-”

“Your Highness!” A guard barreled through the entrance doors, cut up and panting heavily. “Protect yourself! Saboteurs!”

The skylight ceiling exploded, raining thick sheets of splintered glass upon the three. Twilight screamed and braced herself for an imminent shower of razors. When it didn't come, she opened an eye to see a brilliant translucent bubble shielding her from the deadly rain. Celestia had protected them. Before any of them could possibly react further, three large stallions rappelled down into the foyer. Two of them immediately lunged at the guard and subdued him on the floor while the third approached the two alicorns. He was almost Celestia's size. He had a greasy black mane and a bushy mustache that masked his mouth. His coat was the color of dark ashes. Twilight was petrified with fear. She was poised with mouth agape at the hellish portrait of ruin unfolding before her.

Celestia however was outraged. “You!? What are you doing here!? How dare you!” she exploded with savage volume.

“The regal Princess Celestia...” spoke the unknown pony in a heavy accent. “All these centuries of tyranny against any who defy ya... All these centuries of oppression...”

Celestia's horn pulsed magically, signaling she was prepared for a fight.

“Oh no! Not today!” shouted the would-be assassin. In the blink of an eye he hurled a tiny object at Celestia. She flinched but didn't feel anything.

“Princess, your neck!” shouted Twilight.

Sure enough, a tiny dart jutted from Celestia's neck. She quickly ripped it out and shook her head. “You filthy gutter scum! You're going to learn what happens when somepony threatens my kingdom!” She focused her energy and - nothing. No magic. “What? What is this!?” She strained as hard as she could, but her horn remained dormant. “What did you do to me!?” she screeched.

Never in her life had Twilight seen her ruler so enraged. It was unbelievable, like a nightmare. Gone was the calm and collected Celestia that presided over her citizens. This alicorn's eyes blazed with fury, bordering on hatred. She took a step forward, but cringed in pain. The dart had done more than block her magic.

Without warning, Twilight heard a Zip-snick! and felt a small pinch in her own neck. She looked down in terror to see a similar dart stuck solidly inside her. “Princess...” she said woozily. Her vision slowly blurred and her balance gave out soon after. She fell hard and landed on her side. Her body ached from the jarring collision. Senses subsiding ever further, her head fell into a hazy buzz.

This is bad. Bad bad bad...

The intruder held his ground, in a standoff with Celestia.

“Ya sicken me!” he spat. “You're worse than swine! Ya burden the world with your paranoia, ya force your citizens into elitist zealots, ya send great scourges unto our lands... ”

Twilight could almost feel the venom in his words.

“I've waited so very long for this day,” he went on. “Oh, so long. Ya see, today marks the day we are finally free! So because you've burned a ring of agony around Equestria...” He produced a small metallic device unlike Twilight had ever seen before. “I hereby relieve ya of your duties, Princess Celestia!”

The last thing Twilight remembered hearing was an ear splitting CRACK and the thud of another body hitting the floor.

Chapter 2

Every muscle in her body throbbed with pain. She tried to lift her head, but the motion only made her nauseous. An unknown lapse of time passed before she attempted to move again. Whatever poison had ravaged her body was made to linger. She lay her head against the cool stone floor, which relieved a bit of her pounding migraine. Another lapse of time transpired and she heard a gruff voice echo nearby.

“I'm sorry ya got dragged into this, young one. A pretty young thing like you shouldn't have to witness any of this fetid political garbage.”

Twilight lifted her head and squinted her eyes. She was in the castle's dungeon and her conversational partner was none other than the old stallion from before. Something about his demeanor had changed. His bitterness had dispersed. The fires of his rage had since dwindled until only a quiet desperation remained. He spoke with the same peculiar accent as the pony who tried to kill –

Oh damn! Twilight thought. Princess Celestia!

She quickly bolted to her hooves, but at the cost of her balance and stomach. She gagged as her vestibular sense struggled to do its job.

“Did they hit ya with one of them darts?” asked the foreigner. “Mm. Looks like it wasn't a very powerful one. You'll be disoriented for a while and you're magic won't be operable, but you'll be fine.”

“What is all this?” Twilight moaned. “This must be some kind of awful dream.” She attempted to walk but wobbled and nearly took another spill.

“Careful, young one. They took extra care in makin' sure ya wouldn't be escapin',” warned the other pony. “They got ya chained up pretty good. All four legs.” He whistled. “That's harsh.”

“I don't need your comments,” muttered Twilight spitefully. “I don't take advice from spies. Besides, you're the reason Princess Celestia was attacked! You'd better hope she's alright!”

“Spy?” questioned the pony. “Is that what they told ya? Oh no my dear, I was simply hidin' out here with your people. I never disturbed a soul. But my story ain't important right now. We need to get ya out of this cell.” He made his way toward her. “May I see your shackles? I may be able to remove 'em.”

Twilight frowned. “I don't know. I have no reason to trust you, but I guess so. Just don't try and pull anything. I'm not as powerless as I look.”

“I never said ya look powerless,” the elderly stallion said as he carefully examined the metal shells encasing Twilight's legs. After a moment he furrowed his brow and sighed. “Well I can't remove 'em, but I'm fairly certain I can break the chains. If you let 'em go slack on the floor, I bet I can smash 'em.”

Twilight was filled with silent reproach. “Why should I do what you say?”

He shrugged. “Ya don't have to. But that's the only way you're gonna get out of here. Besides, don't ya think that I'd have harmed ya by now if that was my intention?”

She pondered the thought for a minute and eventually gave in to the old pony's logic. “Fine.” She backed up against the wall which allowed the chains to lie on the floor.

The old stallion trotted back to his corner and retrieved a large piece of stone. “Whoo, heavy,” he breathed. He came back to Twilight and lifted the stone over his head.

“Wait,” said Twilight. “Why is it exactly that you're helping me?”

“Because,” replied the stallion. “You're not my enemy. I don't take too kindly to your leader, but I take to mine even less.”

This puzzled Twilight greatly. “What? I don't understand.”

As if right on cue, an earth-rending explosion detonated outside in the city, sending tremendous quakes through the cell's very foundation. Screams of peril appeared simultaneously outside the walls. The two ponies cringed from the tremor. The elder dropped his stone in surprise.

“Was that a bomb!?” screamed Twilight frantically. Her ears rung from the monstrous boom.

The stallion nodded, his eyes wide. “They've begun! Quickly now, we must hurry!”

“Who is doing this? Why is this happening?” Twilight cried desperately.

Her cellmate looked to her sadly. “My people.” He hefted the stone up and brought it down with herculean force against each of the chains. They gave easily and splintered into fragments. “You're free now, young one.” he said with a pant. “Don't waste any time. Ya gotta leave now if ya value your life. Run far away from here. It's not safe.”

Twilight was on the verge of tears. “Can't you at least tell me what's happening? Are we being invaded?”

“Yes,” he whispered. “There's no time for details. It'll all make sense soon. I promise ya that.”

Twilight didn't budge. “Wait, why aren't you coming too? You can break your own chain. You could have escaped a long time ago, so why didn't you? On top of that, why didn't your friends rescue you when they threw me in here? That doesn't make any sense.”

“The ponies wagin' war on your land are not my friends. We're from the same place, but they're not like me. No... not like me...” He paused, lost in thought. “It's an insane world out there. I've known this day was comin' for a long long time and I never tried to stop it. I tried to escape the inevitable, but now I'm tired of runnin'. I can't hide from fate any longer.”

“No!” said Twilight. She tugged on the stallion's tunic. “That's – that's stupid! Come with me! You don't have to sit here and wait to die! Everypony has the right to live! If you're not really a spy like you claim, we'll just tell the royal guards and we can keep you safe! What's your name?”

“My name is Neeson. I would just slow ya down, and you've already wasted too much time. That's final,” he stated. “Smash the lock and run. It'll be a few hours before your magic becomes usable again.”

“I... Neeson, that's just... so unfair...” Defeated, Twilight picked up the stone and swung it hard against the rusty lock. With a final glance at the foreign pony in a hat, she exited the cell. A slew of emotions fought for supremacy inside her as she bounded up the stairs and through the narrow hallways of the castle. Fire flared in her gut, filling her with anger and lust for revenge and fear and confusion. She ran faster, fueled by the maelstrom of raw feelings raging deep inside.

Where am I going anyway? I'm so confused...

The castle was a beehive of constant motion. Seething masses of ponies ran every which way, fearful for their lives and the unknown status of their princess. Twilight swerved wildly to avoid hitting any of the chaotic politicians. It was absolutely imperative that she find someone -anyone- who knew what was happening. Her stable world was cracking.

“Watch out!”

A green mass smashed full throttle into Twilight, launching the her straight into the wall. She yelped in surprise as she tumbled violently to a halt.

“Sorry! Sorry!” the same voice apologized. Twilight felt a strong hoof lift her to her feet, where she was met by a pair of emerald eyes. They belonged to a colt that looked to be roughly her age. His short mane was the color of chocolate, and his coat that of mint.

“Sorry then. My bad, wasn't watching where I was goin',” he mumbled sheepishly.

His voice... Twilight thought.

“You're one of them!” she shouted in realization. “Get back! Don't touch me!” She shoved him back, nearly knocking him off balance. “Guards! Somepony, help!”

The colt reacted in surprise, looking around wildly. “Shh! Shut up!” he whispered like a kindergartener about to be ratted out. “I got no intention of harmin' ya! Just shut up! Look, look! I'm just here to rescue my granddad!” He produced an old photo from a small pouch around his neck and jammed it in Twilight's hoof. “I heard he was taken captive, and this is the only other place for miles that he could possibly be. I don't mean any harm. Really!”

Twilight stared at the photograph for several seconds. Her mind screamed at her to leave the colt and run, but something in her heart simply refused to allow it. “This is your grandfather?” she asked.

“Yes!” he said, nodding quickly.

Twilight sighed and handed the photograph back. Never in her life had she been more scared. However, her conscious was undeterred. “I know where he is.”

“You do! Really?” exclaimed the green pony gleefully.

“Mhmm. I can't believe I'm doing this but, I'll take you to him.”

The colt was jittery. “Oh thank ya! Thanks a million! Alright let's go! We're wastin' time!”

Moments later they were bounding down the path leading to the cell.

“Name's Cian,” panted the colt as he galloped behind Twilight.

“I'm Twilight Sparkle,” she responded.

“Twilight huh? Well, thank ya again. I realize ya ain't got reason to help a stranger like me. I appreciate it.”

The two descended the staircase. More bombs boomed in the distance.

“Your grandfather helped me out not three minutes ago, so it's only fair I return the favor. Here, he's right in this cell,” Twilight said as she forced the wooden door open and entered.

The old stallion looked up. “You again? I told ya to -” He stopped mid-sentence as Cian joined the group.

“Granddad!” Cian cried in happiness. He ran to Neeson and threw his hooves around him.

“In the name of Claimh Solais, Cian! What are ya doin' here?” Neeson exclaimed with a confused smile. He looked almost regretful.

Cian laughed. “Ya old codger! I'm here to rescue ya! I'm gonna get ya out of here!”

“Oh yeah? Then what? We gonna' lay in the streets and wait for the bombs?”

“Oh hush, ya old fool.” said Cian jokingly. “Let's get ya out of these chains.”

Twilight had a creeping suspicion that this rescue effort would turn out relatively similar to hers. She hoped the sight of his grandson would snap the old pony out of his mental gloom.

“Cian,” said Twilight. “I already tried convincing your grandfather to leave, but he wouldn't have any part of it. I was chained up in here just a little bit ago and he helped me escape. But he outright refused to come with me.”

Cian gave his grandfather a look of bafflement. “What's all this then?” he questioned. “Is she right?”

“Aye.” Neeson replied.

Cian huffed. “You're not gonna leave? We can break ya out easily. Don't be stupid, Granddad. What are ya talkin' about 'not gonna leave'?”

Neeson muttered something in his native tongue.

“Twilight,” said Cian after a sigh. “You've helped both of us enormously and for that we thank ya deeply. We're not asking ya to stay and wait for us. If ya want to, go ahead. But I gotta talk to this fool.”

Twilight nodded. “I'll leave you two alone for a minute.”

Am I really staying and waiting on these two foreigners?

She trotted into the dungeon hall and closed the door. The voices inside the cell sounded incredibly odd to her ear. It was fascinating to hear a completely new language be spoken fluently with all the native inflections. Although none of it made sense, she pressed her ear to the door so she could hear more clearly.

"An bhfuil tú scanraithe?"

"Ar ndóigh. Mo chumas chun a chreidiúint i aingeal i gcroí na capaillíní neamhiontaofa sa chás is fearr."

"Céanna anseo. Sin é ach nádúrtha-"

They conversed back and forth for several minutes. One more than one occasion, their dialogue escalated into angry shouting. At long last the door swung open, startling Twilight. She jumped backward. Cian emerged with victory apparent on his face.

“I managed to talk some sense into him. He finally agreed to leave. Sometimes he gets himself into these doom and gloom moods. At least he's stopped broodin'.”

“That's wonderful,” Twilight said. “I'm glad he's listening to reason.”

“By the way, is eavesdropping more fun when it's in another language?” asked Cian with an obvious smirk.

Twilight blushed and kept her mouth shut. She followed the mint colored pony back into the cell where he freed his grandfather. Neeson shook his limbs loose and collected himself. He looked to Twilight. “What's your name, young one?”

“I'm Princess Twilight Sparkle,” she stated formally.

Cian looked at her in amazement. “You're a princess!?”

Neeson made for the door. “Nice to meet you, Your Highness. Now that we're all properly acquainted, we need to get to safety. Like ya shoulda' done the first time.”

“Well excuse me for risking my life to show your grandson where you were!” Twilight shot back, pouting.

Neeson laughed as he left. “Bah. You're a lot kinder than many folk. Come on then. It was time to leave an hour ago.”

The three ascended the stairwell together.

“We can leave through the window I snuck in through.” offered Cian.

Twilight tried to summon her magic. Still nothing.“Assuming we know where we're going in the first place, what's wrong with the main doors? Nopony would notice us in all this chaos,” she said.

“No way,” Cian replied. “Guards up there ain't lettin' anypony in our out. It's a strict lockdown. It's the apoalypse outside and there's no way they'll let the castle be compromised. Especially with your ruler, uh...”

“Celestia.”

“Right. Especially with Celestia recovering from her bullet wound.”

“Is that what that awful noise was?” Twilight shuddered at the memory. “She got attacked with a bullet?”

Neeson looked at her like she'd said the sky was red. “She got shot is what happened! Are ya alright in the head there, lass?” He knocked on her head with his hoof. “Ain't ya ever seen a gun before?”

Twilight shook her head. “No. I've never read about them. A lot of weapons are banned in Equestria - I assume that's one of them. Wait, are we talking about a bullet or a gun?”

Neeson couldn't believe what he was hearing. “A bullet is fired as ammunition from a gun. Like a mini-canon. Much nastier than poison darts, that's for sure.”

Twilight's ears perked as she processed the information. “Okay. Cian, you said Celestia is 'recovering' from a wound. That means she's alive!”

“Aye,” Neeson confirmed. “But she's in no condition to see anypony. Last wind I caught was a couple of royal guards sayin' she's just comin' out of emergency surgery upstairs. She's out of the game for a while. As for us, we need to find safety elsewhere before the invasion reaches the castle. When they arrive, they won't be generous enough to take prisoners.”

“That's ridiculous,” scoffed Twilight. “This castle's defenses are impenetrable. There are more guards here than anywhere else in Equestria, and I'll bet either Princess Cadance or Luna is conjuring a magic shield as we speak. The only reason the invaders got in at all was because it was an ambush. The guards wont let that happen again.”

“That may be true,” said Neeson. “But guns out-class spears, and high tier magic takes time to prepare and requires extreme vitality to maintain. We'll probably just stake this place out until the shield fails. Our militia really took the time to learn the chinks in your armor.”

Twilight frowned and glared at Neeson with slight distrust. “How is your knowledge of these plans so extensive?”

He fiddled with his cap. “I already told ya. I've known about this day for a long time. When I came here from our homeland, I picked up a lot of extra details. It wasn't a spur of the moment decision for us. The assassin that shot Celestia – his name is Salvator. He's our King and he's leadin' the invasion. None of this would be happenin' if it weren't for his doin'. Now since I know the plan, I can tell ya with absolute certainty that the shot he fired wasn't supposed to miss Celestia's heart.”

Twilight had a feeling it wouldn't be the last time she'd hear about this Salvator character.

The trio walked the rest of the way in silence. Cian led them to the room where he'd snuck in through an unlocked window. He climbed up and out, then Twilight, and with the help of the Twilight's wings, Neeson. They'd made it outside - straight into the warzone.

Indescribable. Sheer horror. The friendly neighborhood streets of Canterlot had been morphed into a conflagration of violence and destruction. Twilight gawked sorrowfully at her former home being torn asunder by the full vengeance of warfare. The royal guard were everywhere, beating down every invader they could identify. In a surreal shock she watched as a unicorn Guard plunged a spear deep into the side of an invader, only perish in a kiss of gunpowder from another. As far as she could see, deep pools of crimson ran freely in the streets. Neither side showed mercy. Neither side showed signs of faltering. She cried lightly. This wasn't just her hometown. These were her people.

“Twilight!” came Cian's voice. “Come on! No time!”

She galloped to catch up to them, barely holding back the rest of her tears.

“Granddad, where are we going!?” Cian shouted over the clamor of bloodshed.

“I don't know! Just keep running until we get somewhere safe! Don't stop no matter what!” Neeson yelled back. His voice tinged with fear.

They crossed out of the castle boundaries and hit the streets. Twilight kept her gaze forward to avoid witnessing any more of the infernal violence. They traversed piles of rubble and lumbered over the ruins of former buildings. All of a sudden Neeson lurched to a halt in the middle of a battered street. He stood in a pool of sanguine, thereby staining his coat. A royal guard stood before him with his spear point targeting his neck. Cian looked on in alarm, afraid to make any movements.

“You don't look like you're from around here,” sneered the guard. “You're one of them aren't you?”

“Stop it!” Twilight commanded, running up beside Neeson. “He's not an enemy! I command you to back down!”

The guard glanced at her. “I'm sorry Princess Twilight. We have orders to kill invaders on sight! No exceptions!”

“No! I command you as your superior to stop!” Twilight pushed Neeson out of the way and stepped in front of the spear herself. “Let them go or kill us all!”

“This isn't some child's morality lesson, Princess,” the guard snapped. “This is war. I have no choice except force if you won't comply.” He reared back and lifted the brunt of his spear.

“Stop!!!”

The ponies flinched at the thundering power of the voice. The guard lowered his spear and Twilight backed away in confusion. She looked to her hooves and noticed a great looming umbra rapidly expanding over her. Before she could pinpoint precisely what was going on, a frenetic flurry of wings and feathers overtook her senses.

Could that be-?

Blocking them from the guard's menace stood an almighty being, an intimidating force with colors of deep midnight and dominion over night itself. “Leave!” she seethed at the cowering guard. He quickly turned tail and fled. “Twilight Sparkle!” the dark pony went on. “Why are you out in the streets and who are these ponies with you? I shouldn't have to tell you how dangerous and stupid it is to be out here!” barked the ferocious ruler.

“P-princess Luna... I-” stammered Twilight. Both daunted and unfathomably thankful for her sudden arrival, she simply couldn't find the words to say.

Luna summoned her magic and looked at Cian and Neeson. “Twilight. Now is not the time for inaction. Are these two ponies friends or enemies?”

“Friends! They're friends! I'm sorry Princess. I'm just...this is so... I've never...” She felt hot tears escaping again. Then, quite the unexpected event happened. Luna bent down and embraced her softly.

“I am sorry Twilight. It's never easy to witness the awful brutality of warfare. Especially in your hometown. I will do everything in my power to ensure the safety of you and your friends and end this invasion as soon as possible. I'm not asking you to put your emotions aside. Just remain vigilant in this time of crisis.”

Twilight clung to Luna's neck. She could no longer hold back the floodgates of her tears. She sobbed mournfully as the cloying sense of helplessness overtook her. “This is so awful... Everything is happening so quickly. I feel so... powerless.”

“I know, but you're not.” consoled Luna. She stood back up. “Trust me Twilight. Now, would you mind introducing me to your friends?”

Twilight sniffled and tried to collect herself. “This is Princess Luna,” she voiced weakly to her foreign acquaintances. “One of the two royal sisters who rule over Equestria.”

The male ponies bowed in the presence of Her Majesty. “My name is Cian, Your Highness.” said Cian.

“I'm Neeson.” said Neeson with a tip of his hat. “That green goof is my grandson.”

The introduction was short lived however as the wail of sirens began throughout all of Canterlot. The royal guard cheered and whooped, as if the siren's advent was messianic.

“Unfortunately we don't have time to catch up at the moment,” Luna stated. “We need to leave right now. This way!” She motioned for the others to follow and took off down the street.

“Princess Luna! What do the sirens mean?” questioned Cian as he galloped behind her.

She looked back at him tensely. “It means the Air Force is almost here.”

Sure enough, dots of black speckled the azure horizon. As they neared, Twilight discovered the source of the guards' elation. There were almost a thousand pegasi – drafted from the farthest regions in Equestria. Each pegasus straddled a compact black cloud in tight formation with one another. They donned rubber suits and thick rimmed goggles. Spearheading the raid were the ponies from the prestigious pegasi capital, Cloudsdale. They bellowed into the wind in a patriotic outcry as they slowly drew closer over the city.

“Take cover!” implored Luna.

The gang dove into a tiny crumbling house that had been long since abandoned. As the pegasi blotted out the airspace over Canterlot, Twilight noticed the Wonderbolts at the very front, leading the maneuver. She wondered if her brazen multicolored friend was amongst the ranks.

“Those aren't normal clouds they're riding,” Luna warned. "They're polarized and supercharged. The pegasi are all trained to distinguish friend from foe on the battlefield but nopony's safety can be guaranteed.”

Out in the street, an invader roared in victory over a fresh kill. He brandished two cleavers and laughed in a psychotic euphoria. Way up high, the formation had finished moving into place. As far as the eye could see, black clouds loomed in a checkerboard pattern. The esteemed captain of the Wonderbolts, Spitfire, pointed at the gloating invader in the street. “Fire!”

Someone responded by hurling a terrible cannon of lightning upon the mad stallion. The energy swallowed his body and created a ghostly x-ray of his twisting shape. The stallion was dead before he hit the ground; his coat was scorched and smoldering. Without wasting time, the formation unleashed their fury as they systematically dropped white hot streaks on their ground-bound foes. One after another the vicious rays claimed the lives they were after. Even with her ears covered, Twilight winced at the untiring discharges. The pegasi were merciless, accurate, and efficient.

“How long will this last?” shouted Cian above the pandemonium.

“This is but the first wave,” Luna yelled back. “They'll soon exchange positions with those in back who have a full battery. It's a small window of opportunity for escape but it will have to work.”

“What's the royal plan, Your Highness?” asked Neeson.

“Our destination is Ponyville. So far we've had no reports of bombings there, but we can't take that for granted. Several major cities are doing just as bad as we are here. It's absolutely imperative that we find Twilight's friends and bring them with us.”

“Oh! The Elements of Harmony! Of course!” cheered Twilight. “Wait, is Rainbow Dash up there with the Air Force?”

“I have no idea. All we can do is search.” admitted Luna.

The pegasi wrought judgment from above. The air crackled from the thick streaks of electricity. After what felt hours, the bolts lessened in frequency until finally none more struck. Twilight and friends peeked out from their temporary refuge. The pegasi rode their depleted clouds away while keeping formation as they were substituted by the next wave of fliers.

“Follow me!” commanded Luna.

They bolted out and ran. They ran until their chests burned and their hooves ached. None of remaining fighters payed them any heed. Just as their lungs threatened to rupture, they arrived at their destination: a small lateral building with a wide platform. Brimming with royal guards.

“The train station?” wheezed Neeson. “With all do respect Princess, I don't think the trains'll be up and runnin'.

Luna inspected the station as if looking for something. “You're absolutely right. The royal guard have shut down the rail line completely and have orders to intercept all traffic. That's why we'll be taking my chariot to Ponyville. It will be much faster and a lot less dangerous. The pegasi won't confuse it for a threat.” She kept glancing around. “I just have to figure out where it is...”

“But Princess Luna, your chariot is only big enough for you and maybe one other pony. How are we all going to fit?” asked Twilight.

“This isn't the chariot I use for public appearances. This is my chariot, and I can fly it by myself to save room.” she replied.

“Well then, we might as well help find it. No use bein' useless,” Cian rationalized aloud. He broke from the group and circled off around the platform. Immediately the guards took notice.

“No Cian!” called Luna. “Stay close to me. You and your grandfather are already under suspicion and we definitely don't need any unwanted conflict. Twilight, fly up and see if you can spot it.”

Twilight obeyed and took flight. She hovered over the roof and scanned the ground.

Ah! Behind the treeline!

“It's at the edge of the forest, Princess!”

“Great work! We'll meet you there.”

Twilight flew down and pulled the concealing vines off the chariot. The vehicle was quite impressive. It looked capable of holding ten passengers at the very least. Luna arrived hitched herself in. Cian helped his grandfather up and they all buckled themselves into place.

“By the way,” commented Luna. “It's going to be cold. There are some jackets and scarves in the storage compartment near the reigns. Now is the time to equip yourselves accordingly if you feel the need.”

Spiraling tempests whipped Twilight's mane as they flew. An onrush of wind assaulted her, chilling her to the core. She glanced at her friends on the opposite side of the chariot. Their demeanor was much the same: hunched and shuddering. However, they sported no protective clothing. In fact, they'd blatantly refused it.

Typical colts.

The poor earth ponies had probably never been more than a few meters into the air their whole lives. Twilight almost felt sorry for them. She also wondered why Luna insisted on traveling so exorbitantly high. Speed was speed regardless of altitude. She could feel ten thousand eyes peering curiously at them as they ascended past the ceiling of pegasi. At least they hadn't tried to electrocute them.

The chariot raced onwards. It was a honestly mystery to Twilight how Luna didn't get tunnel vision from hurtling through the sky at such intense velocity. Within minutes, the rooftops of Ponyville emerged and kissed the noontime sky. Luna wasn't kidding. She could fly her chariot.

Something more profound gnawed at Twilight's mind as they descended to town. The gargantuan cobalt chariot landed with a clunk in the center of town square. The district was barren. No peddlers, no laughing fillies, nothing. It was as if the townsfolk had simply disappeared. Before Luna could so much as unhitch herself from the chariot, Twilight met her with a question.

“Princess, I'm sorry to bother you but, how did you know your chariot was waiting at the train station? That seems pretty random. Why would it have been there beforehoof?”

“Simple,” said Luna. “My sister had a special operations team place it there for me so I could transport multiple passengers. That's the mission I've been given – to locate and secure you and the other Element of Harmony bearers.”

“Wait wait wait... I thought Celestia was recovering from surgery! How long has she been cogent enough to give orders!?” probed Twilight in bewilderment.

Luna shrugged. “For almost an hour. Enough to mobilize forces and instruct everypony at the castle what to do. I'm to report to her at critical points of my mission. In fact, reaching Ponyville alive was one of those points.”

Twilight watched in wonder as Luna lit her horn and summoned a small blue orb of magic.

“Celestia,” she spoke directly into it. “I've arrived in town, and I've safely secured Twilight Sparkle. We will begin searching for the other bearers at once.” With a flick of her hoof the orb vanished in a puff of ethereal mist. After a few seconds another one appeared in its place, this one white as snow.

“Very well, my sister. Be safe and best of luck to you both,” spilled Celestia's disembodied voice. The orb flickered and vanished.

Relief flooded Twilight upon hearing her ruler's voice again. The small snippet of speech ebbed some of her terror. “Will we be returning to the castle after this?” she pried expectantly. “I can't wait to see Princess Celestia again.”

“That's the plan so far,” Luna replied. “But we'll cross that bridge when we reach it. The only thing that matters at this moment is finding your friends. I've been informed that the residents of Ponyville have evacuated into an emergency bunker just outside of town. Unfortunately, none of the bearers were reported in attendance. That means they're either at home or missing. I don't quite understand it myself. Sweetie Belle is there, but not her sister. None of the Apple Family is there either.”

“Is there any chance we may be of assistance?” asked Neeson. “We already owe ya a ton for keepin' us out of trouble. We'd be happy to help, right boy?”

Cian nodded in agreement.

“Actually, yes. Here.” Luna opened the chariot's storage compartment and produced a rolled parchment. She unfurled it on the ground and pointed. “This is a map of Ponyville. I'm going to fly back and look for Rainbow Dash. Before any of you ask, I'm doing this now because it will save time in the long run. I may have to search the Air Force, and it's better I do that alone. Now, Neeson, you're going to head here. You'll be looking for a yellow pegasus named Fluttershy. There is zero chance she's up there fighting.” She showed him the route. “Cian, you're going to go a few streets east to a building called The Sugarcube Corner and locate an earth pony named Pinkie Pie. She'll be... easy to identify. Lastly, Twilight.” She turned to her. “That leaves Rarity and Applejack up to you. Now listen everypony. Regardless of success or failure, you come straight back here to the chariot and do not move until we're all present. Including me. Any questions?

“Just one,” said Cian. “Won't Twilight's friends be pretty adverse to followin' a couple of strangers out of their homes on the merit of trust?”

Twilight couldn't help but chuckle. “Not really. Fluttershy will likely comply out of fear, and Pinkie Pie doesn't have a concept of 'stranger danger.' She'll probably follow you without being told anything.”

Luna smiled. “Quite right. Rarity and Applejack are more down to earth, that's why Twilight will talk to them. Is everything clear now?”

“Yes Princess.”

“Aye, Your Highness.”

“Yes Princess Luna.”

“You'll all be safe. I promise.” With that, Luna took flight and hastily regressed to Rainbow Dash's dwelling.

“Meet ya two back here in a bit,” said Cian, surprised at how the day was turning out.

The three split up. The rescue was underway.

Carousel Boutique stood tall in its solitude. It was a truly fashionable feat of engineering. Twilight rapped loudly on the door in hopes for any manner of response. After several seconds without success she tried again, then once more. It was unnerving how an entire populace could evaporate straight from their homes.

She walked around the side boutique and peered through the window. The interior looked normal. Except that Rarity wasn't there. Nor was Sweetie Belle. Twilight sighed fretfully. Her a priori hopes flew out the window. She couldn’t understand where Rarity had to be in a crisis such as this anyway. Wherever she was, Twilight hoped she was safe. She hoped all of her friends were safe. If fortune smiled, she'd at least find one of them at Sweet Apple Acres.

The quiet rural road up to the farm wasn't any emptier than usual, yet somehow the silence unnerved her. With the wind whistling through the trees and the soft sound of her hooves on dirt, it created the impression of desolation.

At least the invasion hasn't touched Ponyville...

She pressed on towards the impending farm.

“Hello! Applejack! Big Macintosh! Granny Smith! Applebloom!”

Nothing. She tried the front door of the house. The wooden door wasn't locked and swung in with little effort. Not that the Apple Family usually locked their doors, but she thought it odd in spite of circumstance. Her nose picked up the lingering scent of assorted apple foodstuffs. “Anypony here?” she hollered again. Still she was met with nothing.

Where are all my friends!? she screamed inside her head.

Her mind toiled to construct possible explanations. They were helping at the bunker. They were assisting the wounded somewhere. Surely they must have been-

“T-Twilight?” came a small, frail squeak.

Twilight jumped a foot in the air and cried out in surprise. She spun in a heartbeat and stared into the frightful face of a light yellow filly. Applebloom's eyes were wide with fear and her lip quivered. “Twilight? What's goin' on?” she asked.

Slowly, slowly Twilight's heart stopped its obnoxious thudding. “Applebloom?” she said quietly. “You startled me.”

The southern filly began to cry. “I don't know what's goin' on. AJ and Big Mac are g-gone. They were here when I woke up this morning, but I-I think somepony took 'em...”

Twilight's heart stopped dead. “What did you say?” she whispered.

“I-I don't know for sure but, I saw some strange ponies here earlier and AJ and Big Mac were outside arguin' with 'em and then I felt somethin' pinch my neck - like a bug bite. I got real sleepy all of a sudden and then I can't remember anythin' else. I-I'm really scared. I want my family...”

Twilight carefully knelt down in front of her. “Where is Granny Smith, Applebloom? Isn't she here with you?”

“Uh-uh. She was in the hospital for some miner surgery today. We were plannin' on visitin' her this afternoon.”

“I understand.” Twilight soothed, barely holding it together herself. “Listen to me. I know that things are very hard right now, and it's not easy to know what to do, but you have to be strong. I want you to stay in the house and lock all the doors, okay? Don't let anypony in that you don't know really really well, unless it's a royal guard. Okay?”

Applebloom nodded slowly and sniffled.

“I'm going to get your family back.” Twilight promised. “I'll find AJ and Big Mac and I'll bring them right back here safe and sound, okay? Everything will be just fine. I promise.” She offered a shaky smile and held out her arms. Applebloom hugged her and wiped her wet eyes.

“I'll be back for you as soon as I can. I have to go for a bit now, but the second I can come back, I will.”

“Okay Twilight. Thanks for your help and... please find my family.”

“I promise I will.”

They hugged once again then Twilight stood and made for the door. “Will you be okay here for a while?”

“I think so.”

“Alright. I'll be back.” She exited the house with her heart torn in two for the poor filly she was leaving behind. The return to town square was long and uneventful. She couldn't quite comprehend that each one of her dearest friends was missing.

I'll bring them back. I'll bring them all back.

Three ponies greeted her as she trudged to the chariot. They all bore looks of defeat. None of them harbored extra passengers.

“I see you were not successful either, Twilight,” said Luna with a clipped sigh. “Very well. I will inform Celestia.” She summoned a magic orb. “We have finished our mission, and we have not found any of the bearers. The only one present is Twilight Sparkle.”

The orb vanished. When the next one came, there were a few moments of silence before Celestia spoke. Her tone was hushed and emotionless. “Very well. There has been a change in plans. You are to take Twilight to Neighpal and await further instructions from me. Do not return until I give the word.”

Luna looked disgruntled. Clearly something about what her sister said was bothering her. “Are you sure, my sister?

The next orb came. “Yes,” Celestia commanded impatiently. “Go now.”

“Where is Neighpal exactly?” Twilight dared to ask.

“It's north.”

“Like the Crystal Empire?”

“The Crystal Empire will feel like Saddle Arabia in Neighpal.”

“Oh...”

“Well... if my sister wills it so... then we'd better get going.”

---

Applebloom pounded her hoof against the barn's rough wooden door. After a few seconds, she heard a small fumbling from the other side. The door slowly opened to reveal Applejack peering down at her expectantly. The sisters hugged and trotted into the stale air of the barn. Everyone was still there, quiet as church mice.

“I lied just like you said, Applejack,” Applebloom proclaimed as she trotted inside.

“Good. Come over this way, little sis.”

Applebloom followed her. “I don't like lyin'. It don't feel good.”

AJ sat on a bale of hay among many other ponies. “I know, sugarcube. I don't like it either. But ya did good. Ya know Twilight is smart. She is an egghead after all. She'll figure all this nonsense out in no time. Plus, now we're one step closer to getting' this whole mess over with.”

Applebloom sniffled and wiped the last tear from her eye. “I guess. Kinda.”

Applejack managed a smile. “We all have to do stuff we don't wanna do today.” She embraced her sister tightly. “Ya did good.”

“Close that door,” bade a deep voice from the depths of the barn.

Big Macintosh came into view and promptly pulled the barn door shut. He fastened a new lock onto it. “Shut and locked!” he called back.

“C'mon sis, we have to listen. I know it's wrong, but we don't have a choice.” AJ said. They trotted deeper into the barn where a large congregation of ponies had gathered around a dirty stallion. His black mane was thick and greasy, and he had a bushy mustache that covered his mouth.

“Do we finally have some privacy?” he growled. “No more damn interruptions? Good. It's time to get to work.”

Chapter 3: Several Hours Earlier

Big Macintosh put a piece of straw in his mouth, hefted a basket of apples onto his back, and carried them inside to Granny. He couldn't keep the troops fed without any food, and felt honored to lend his assistance. The farmhouse was abuzz with the hearty laughs and shouts of the soldiers. They were quite a lively bunch and Mac relished the company. He deposited the apples in the kitchen and took a seat.

“Thank ya deary,” said Granny Smith sweetly from the counter.

“Eeyup. Don't mention it.” He turned an ear to a handful of foreign soldiers playing cards at the kitchen table. Most of them had sizable facial hair and several had fat cigars hanging off their lips.

“I wish they wouldn't do that,” admitted Granny, wiping sweat from her brow. “That smoke ain't good for Applebloom.”

“Just tell 'em to quit. They'll listen,” offered Big Mac.

“I think I will if they keep it up much longer.” She got back to slaving away over the stove.

The soldiers came and went as they pleased. They conversed in their native tongue and relaxed throughout the house. Mac wondered about the troops' numbers, since the ones present were only a small fraction of the infantry. He smiled, feeling truly amazing to take part in such a momentous day. He was writing history.

A burly stallion trotted up to him as he indulged in his heroic fantasies. “Say, ya live here, right? You're Big Macintosh?”

Mac chewed his straw. “Eeyup.”

“The boys and I were wonderin',” said the soldier as he puffed on his cigar, “if ya got anythin' stronger than apple cider 'round here. We've had a rough day and somethin' hard would really put us at ease. Whaddya say, then?”

“That okay, Granny?” called Big Mac.

The elder sighed and called back, “Oh, I suppose so. But don't y'all drink in front of Applebloom. Put all your cigars out too. It's hot as a furnace in here and that smoke ain't helping.”

“Yes ma'am,” said the soldier with a salute.

Mac hopped up and opened a cupboard on the top shelf. He took out a bottle of home-brewed wine and handed it to the soldier.

“Thank ya, buddy! We owe ya one.”

“Eeyup.”

The foreign pony returned to the table and uncorked the bottle. They poured themselves glasses and snuffed out their cigars.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the farm, Applejack stood inside the barn. She couldn't make heads or tails of the peculiar doohickey the troops had finished setting up. The device tapped madly and the pony stationed at the table frantically scribbled notes every time it started and stopped.

“What's that thing called again?” asked Applejack, embarrassed at her lack of technical know-how.

"It's called a telegraph," the decoder explained. "We get a signals from electrical lines, and we decode it into writin'. As long as there's another station somewhere and a long-distance power source, we can communicate. We've got outposts all over the place. There's even one just down the road. It's camouflaged and hidden out of the way, so we'll know if anypony is headed up toward the farm. It's simple.”

It looked far from simple. AJ had labored to understand how anyone could take a series of taps and put it into words. The process sounded like something Twilight would find enthralling.

The telegraph started up again and the decoder scrawled on his paper. Applejack left to find something more entertaining to do, but a noise of surprise stopped her.

“Oh!” the decoder exclaimed. “King Salvator is back and headed up this way. He's here sooner than expected.”

“Great. I'll spread the word,” AJ replied indifferently. She walked out of the barn and stood in front of the house.

“Everypony get out here!” she called loudly. “The King is commin' back! Get out here, everypony!”

Cheers and hollers sounded inside the house, and shortly after, a herd of soldiers spilled out the front door. They circled around AJ and filled up the space between the house and the barn. Behind them trotted Big Mac, Granny, and Applebloom. They took their places next to Applejack.

Pretty soon, seven heads could be seen marching up the dirt path to Sweet Apple Acres. Six soldiers marched in time, and ahead of them stood a frightful tower of a stallion, Salvator. Around his back was a small satchel made from a brown material AJ didn't recognize. Other than that, he bore no armor. He wiped the sweat from his brow and twitched his mustache. The expression on his face was impossible to read. Before they came anywhere close, AJ noticed how badly the soldiers were beaten. Several of them were cut deeply, and one of them limped badly. His hoof rested on the shoulder of the pony beside him.

The King looked over his shoulder at his group of warriors. “Sing me a tune, boys.”

Despite their conditions, the band of brothers managed to smile. “Yes sir!”

Applejack listened and waited. The tune was melodic and sounded ancient. It carried a strange sense of hope about it. They sung the rest of the way up the dirt path and until the Salvator motioned for them to halt in front of the gathered crowd. None spoke. It was rude to speak before His Majesty. Salvator approached the Apple Family and smiled warmly under his mustache. His gray coat reflected a strange luster in the rising sun. Like a true gentleman, he bowed humbly before his hosts. “I have returned.”

“Was your mission successful, King Salvator?” questioned Granny. Every soul in attendance felt the enormous implications of his imminent answer. The tension over Sweet Apple acres hung like a wet blanket. Salvator squinted and stared hard at his troops and the Apple's. “No,” he said firmly. “Equestria is still under complete and utter rule of Princess Celestia.”

Instantly Applejack was filled with a guilty sense of relief. She knew what had to be done, but her moral compass held steadfast in the other direction. Applebloom wasn't so understanding. She sighed loudly in relief at the news of the mission's failure.

Salvator heard the little commotion and slowly walked over to the yellow filly. He bent down on one hoof and fixed his squinted eyes right on hers. He looked at her for several moments. Applebloom gulped and tried hard to mask her fear. Salvator was larger than Big Macintosh and reeked of alcohol.

“Your name is Applebloom, correct?” he asked calmly.

Applebloom nodded in fright.

Salvator thought about how to phrase his explanation. “Listen Applebloom. I know a lot of things don't make sense today. I know ya don't agree with what I'm doin'. That's okay, because what I'm doin' is the right thing. Not everypony can see that, but I want ya to trust me. Even if it doesn't make sense now, I'm doing the right thing. Tell me, have ya ever had a bully at school?”

“Y-yeah...” she stuttered.

“Well, this is similar. The only thing I'm really doin' is takin' care of a bully. I don't wanna hurt anypony I don't have to. All I want is to free other ponies from this bully. That's all.”

Applebloom frowned. His words spawned anger. “But Celestia ain't no bully!”

Salvator laughed heartily and stood. He patted Applebloom on the shoulder. “Not to you, young one. Not to you. Now, where are the nurses? These brave men need medical attention.”

The crowd parted and several nurses rushed forth to assist the injured. Salvator turned to address the troops. “Warriors! Ready up! We're deployin' to Canterlot soon! Our brothers out there could really use some help! We're gonna be fightin' a lot longer than we thought. The rest of the troops are on the way!”

The soldiers cheered patriotically and dispersed back to gather their things. Once again, Sweet Apple Acres buzzed with activity. Salvator kissed Granny's hoof and asked if he could come inside. She agreed and led him into the farmhouse with the rest of the Apple's trailing behind. They shooed several soldiers out of the kitchen and sat down to discuss business.

Salvator breathed deeply. “Our platoons have arrived at the designated stations at Manehattan and Baltimare. Many more are en route by boat. They're to be stationed just offshore in Horseshoe Bay until we're ready to mobilize the whole army. They have the bots and most of the heavy weaponry. The plan is to keep Canterlot in the dark about our numbers.”

Applejack listened idly. It didn't matter how much malice she had for Salvator. His cause must have been just. It had to be, from what she'd been told. She just wished he didn't have to cleave a bloody path all the way to his goal.

“-but we just have to iron out the kinks. Applejack?”

She startled at the sound of her name.

“What's wrong my dear?” asked Salvator coolly. “Ya don't think this plan will work?”

She hoped it wouldn't. “Nah it's not that,” she claimed. “I'm just havin' trouble coming to terms with all this.”

“You're havin' doubts like your sister?”

“Not doubts, I'm just not comfortable with all the killin'. Of course I'm obligated to help you and the homeland, but I hate to see so much innocent bloodshed.”

Salvator lit up a cigar and muttered something about not having his favorite drug. When he addressed the group, the cynicism in his voice was intoxicating. “My dear Applejack, there simply is no other way. Ever since the dawn of time, ponies have beaten each other down over pieces of land – coveted resources above the lives of their brothers. Nothin' is achieved by conscripting treaties and nonviolent resistance. History has proven that such tactics are just tragically ineffective. I'll work hard not to spill any unneeded blood – just for you, but our course is a righteous one and we must stand firm by it. Think about how many millions of lives we're savin'.”

Before she could construct a rebuttal, the decoder burst frantically into the kitchen waving a piece of paper over his head like it was on fire. “Your Highness! So sorry to interrupt, but we have incomin' hostiles! Two royal guards from Canterlot!”

“What? Damn it!” Salvator raged. “Quickly! Get everypony into the barn now! I don't care how crowded it is! Make it happen!”

The Apples dashed off. They screamed for the troops. The sound of a thousand rushing hooves thundered everywhere. Big Mac galloped outside to the barn. “In here!” he yelled loudly. The soldiers piled in, swiftly packing the barn to its capacity.

“Ain't no more room!” someone shouted from inside.

Big Mac swore under his breath. “Climb up to the loft! Hurry!”

They followed his orders. Eventually, miraculously, everyone made it. Mac shoved the door closed and galloped back inside the house. He knelt down to catch his breath, not used to so much action. “What in Equestria do the royal guards want with us?” he breathed.

“I dunno, but they're trouble,” AJ replied.

“I'll be upstairs,” said Salvator. “I'm gonna watch out the window. If anythin' happens, I'll do what needs to be done.”

They hoped they wouldn't have to find out what he meant. Salvator flew up the stairs and disappeared. Granny and Applebloom moved to the stove and started preparing ingredients. Applejack couldn't believe they hadn't planned for something of this nature beforehand.

There was a sharp rap at the door. Big Mac got up and answered it, feeling the full pressure of the situation teetering perilously on his shoulders. Standing on the porch were indeed two royal guards. The pegasi didn't look happy. “Where is Applejack?” one demanded.

AJ peered out from behind her brother. “I'm right here. Whaddya want with me?”

“You must come with us under direct command from Princess Celestia. You're not safe here.”

AJ scratched her head, unsure of how to respond. “Uh, well, this ain't exactly a good time y'see...”

The guards took a step forward. “We're not asking. The Princess wants you at the castle right now.”

Big Mac poised himself in front of them, blocking them from his sister. “She ain't goin'.”

The guards looked at each other then slowly drew their spears. “Stand down, citizen. We're authorized to use any force necessary to secure our target.”

The red pony narrowed his eyes. Intimidation didn't fly well with him.

“Big Mac-” AJ tried to chip in.

“Hush, Applejack!” He eyed the guards with an unfaltering gaze. “I said she ain't goin'.”

The guards gritted their teeth and pointed their spears at the stallion, clearly not used to dealing with such a sturdy opposition.

“Big Mac stop it!” cried Applejack. “For Celestia's sake! I'll go! I'll go with 'em!”

“AJ ya can't!” objected her brother. “That ain't an option!”

“Neither is getting you killed!” she shot back. “Don't be stupid! Just... let 'em take me.”

Big Mac growled furiously at the guards but backed down out of the doorway. AJ stepped up and glared spitefully at the two pegasi. Angry thoughts buzzed through her head.

Gettin' kicked outa' my own house... nopony should be able to do that. Not even Celestia.

Hesitantly, reluctantly, she stepped outside. The guards grabbed her by the shoulders and swiftly started back down the road. “Get your hooves off of me ya deadbeats!” she snarled. She looked up to the window where Salvator claimed he'd be. Sure enough, he stood behind the glass and watched the scene like a hawk. He gave AJ a subtle nod and silently slid open the window. He lifted some kind of wooden chute to his lips and gave a sturdy puff. AJ heard a sharp ZIP whistle through the air. The guard to her right yelped and clutched his neck. He pulled out a small brightly colored dart and examined it.

“What the hay?” the other guard mused.

ZIP! Another direct hit.

“W-wha's happenin...” slurred the first guard.

They floundered lazily for a moment then both fell over with a thump. One of them was already snoring the second he touched the ground.

“Applejack!” cried Big Mac as he ran out to her. He squeezed her tightly in a big bear hug. “We need ya right here. Not at the castle.”

AJ chuckled. “I know. I woulda' knocked those two out long before we ever got that far. Luckily Salvator beat me to it.”

They looked up to the window. Salvator disappeared downstairs and stomped outside with rage burning in his eyes. He ignored the Apple's and roughly grabbed the one conscious guard by the shoulders. “Insipid drone! Why are ya here? What did your precious princess tell you?” He shook his body menacingly. “Answer me!”

The panicked pegasus flinched from the harsh contact and tried to look away.

“You look at me when I'm talkin' to ya!” Salvator screamed.

“Celestia help me...” breathed the ragged pony in a desperate plea.

King Salvator roared angrily. “Celestia ain't listening!” He threw the guard to the ground and pinned him by the chest. Without breaking eye contact with his victim, he reached to his satchel and produced a slender glinting dagger. Applejack gasped and tugged at Salvator. “Stop! Don't kill him!”

“Why shouldn't I!?” he snapped viciously at her. “All this automaton does is mindlessly follow orders from his beloved ruler with a misguided sense of honor and patriotism! His life ain't important! He's a pawn who thinks he's helping his country!” He held the knife taught against the guard's neck. “I'll teach him what true patriotism means! He'll know what patriotism means when my knife's in his neck!”

“Salvator you release him this instant!!!”

The stallion slowly turned his head up. Granny Smith stood on the porch, glaring daggers at him. She started towards them at a striking pace - her movement unfettered by age. “I said drop that knife! Now!”

Salvator glowered at her, breathing heavily. He lifted the dagger from the guard's neck but kept it in his hoof. Granny walked right up to him and swiveled her hoof back. Without another word, she swung forward with comet force, connecting to Salvator's face with a solid smack. He lurched back and let his weapon clatter to the ground. Gasps sounded from the barn. The soldiers had pried the door open to watch the scene unfold.

“Who do ya think ya are!?” shouted Granny. “You may be a king, and our allegiance may be to you, but this is our property and you'll listen to our rules here!”

Salvator simply stood looking at her. His emotions were masked perfectly behind his blank face.

“I don't care how much ya hate Equestria!” Granny's tirade continued. “We're not cold blooded killers and you will not spill innocent blood on our land!”

“Ya consider these guards innocent blood?” asked Salvator in barely above a whisper.

“I have no reason not to,” declared Granny.

Salvator drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. After several seconds he nodded ever so slightly and bowed to his host. “Very well then. As ya wish.”

Granny turned and left for the house in a huff. No one knew what to do next.

“Applejack,” said Salvator softly. “Do ya have any suggestions on what we should do with these two?”

AJ looked down at the guards. Both had since slipped unconscious.

“Well eh, I got a friend in the Everfree Forest who'd probably love to get her hooves on a couple of live test subjects. She can wipe their memory and let 'em go when she wants.”

“Yes. That sounds fine.”

“Good. Just look for a zebra named Zecora. She'll understand.”

He nodded and eyed her. “Alright. By the way, could I get ya to come with me for a second?”

AJ felt hot dread roil in her gut, but she stifled her reservations and followed Salvator. They trotted into the barn past all of the hiding soldiers.

“Get out! All of ya!” barked Salvator coldly.

When they were alone, they approached the decoder at his station. Everything was silent except for the ceaseless tap tap of the telegraph.

“Sorry I overreacted,” said Salvator to AJ.

She wasn't having any of it. “Don't apologize to me. If you're really sorry then you can march into the house and apologize to Granny.”

Salvator stared at her blankly for several seconds. She thought he might smack her. “Alright,” he finally said. “I'll do that. But first there's something I want ya to do for me.”

AJ knew she wouldn't be fond of his request. “Well, okay then. What?”

“How much power have ya ever held in your hooves?”

That threw her off guard. “What?”

“I said, how much power have ya ever held in your hooves?”

“I don't know. I don't follow.”

He bit into his cigar, then took off his tunic and itched his back vigorously. “Since I failed my prime directive and Celestia is still alive, my approach will now be more direct.”

Applejack still didn't understand. “What's that mean?”

“It means I'm about to let everypony know how serious I am.” He tapped the decoder on the shoulder, who nodded and frantically tapped out a new message. AJ frowned. Salvator picked up some kind of electric box and handed it to her. It was small and rectangular, and had a button smack in the center of it.

“Be mindful of how much power you're holdin' right now,” said Salvator.

“What is this contraption?” asked Applejack as she rolled the device over in her hooves.

“It's a remote control,” Salvator explained. “All you have to do is press that little button there.”

“What does it do? Just give me a straight answer!”

Salvator grinned at Applejack's persistent naivete. “Just press the button, my dear. Detonate my bomb for me.”

AJ's eyes went wide. “Bombs!? When did bombs come into play? No! No way! I ain't got any urge to take part in a massacre!”

Salvator threw back his head and laughed. He swung his hooves around dramatically as if giving a pep talk. “Come on! Don't ya want to start a revolution? Just press that button - the troops in Canterlot are waitin'!”

“You're a monster...” snarled AJ, already leaving. “The first generation Apples' may have thought of ya as some kind of savior, but that couldn't be farther from the truth. I may owe my allegiance to you because of my ancestor's bloodline, but I swear to Celestia that if you set that bomb off, I will never forgive you. Never.”

Salvator smirked. “Silly girl. We don't swear to Celestia. She ain't listenin'.” He pressed the detonator, sending a city block of Canterlot back to the dust from whence it came. Applejack tramped out of the barn with an agonizing repulsion turning her gut to stone. Her mind was wiped blank from the Salvator's searing barbarism.

How many? How many lives stolen...

She entered the house and climbed the stairs. She deflated on her bed, body void of feeling. Salvator would pay. She'd make sure of that. He would not be forgiven. She brooded silently until she could no longer fight the thick layer of fatigue pressing her into unconsciousness.

It was a fitful sleep at best. Frittering nightmares stampeded through her mind. Particularly, ones that mimicked the catastrophic events occurring in reality. She squirmed and tried to vanquish the terrible images. Her friends... were they at the castle? Were they safe? More nightmares bubbled from the stygian depths of her imagination. She envisioned herself on a winding parkway path through a ruined garden. The delicate flora was strangled by a whirling inferno. Cinders danced and fell slowly in a demonic orange rain. Through the stifling heat of the blaze, the she saw her sister. “Applejack.” The filly approached her. There was a look of urgency on her face. “Applejack wake up.”

“Applebloom? What? Wake up?”

“Applejack, wake up. Wake up!”

She felt herself ascending back into reality. Her sister stood beside her bed, nudging her gently. “You awake?”

AJ rubbed her red-rimmed eyes. Not surprisingly, she felt worse than she did before the nap. The afterimages of the nightmares gnawed the periphery of her mind. However, the sight of her sister seemed to calm her a bit. “Yeah, I'm awake. What is it?”

“We just got another message from the outpost down the path. I thought it was great news, but Salvator got angry when he found out.”

“I don't care what Salvator thinks. What's goin' on?”

“Twilight's comin'! I think she's lookin' for ya!”

AJ smiled and sat up at the news. “Really now? I'd love to have her with us. Just knowin' she's okay makes me feel a lot better. But, I don't think we can talk to her right now. Salvator needs to stay outta' sight.”

Applebloom nodded. “I know. Salvator already has everypony rounded up in the barn again.”

AJ sighed. “We're gonna have to do something,” she said, deep in thought.

“What do you mean?”

“Well I'm pretty sure that by now Twilight's already involved in whatever's happenin' in Canterlot. Chances are she's lookin' for answers. We need to give her some kinda' clue as to what's goin' on. I wish we could tell her the truth, but we're gonna have to improvise.”

Applebloom looked at her sister like she'd hit her. “You mean we gotta lie to Twilight?”

AJ shuffled out of bed. “Yeah. We gotta tell her somethin'. The hard part is, I can't talk to her myself. I ain't too good at fibbin' and she'd know somethin' was up. So that leaves you. Do ya' think ya can talk to her for me?”

“I-I guess but, Granny says lyin' is bad. Besides, what am I gonna say?”

AJ wracked her brain. “Lyin' is bad. But this is very very important. You're brave, sis. You can do this. I got an idea goin' that should set Twilight in the right direction at least. Now I'm gonna mosey on down to the barn real quick and make sure everypony is gettin' along. Here's what ya gotta say to Twilight...”

Chapter 4

Celestia sat in her study. Outside, the castle was a storm of dissonance. Here however, she could at least pretend to be at peace. The scratching of her quill continued for almost half an hour as she scrawled several important letters to her allies. She squirmed in her bandages and vainly tried to loosen them. Her left wing protested at being restrained by such an unusual cloth prison.

“Your Highness?” said a young courier from the door.

“Yes, good day,” answered Princess Celestia without looking up. “Please save non-critical information for later. I am under enormous stress right now and I must make use of my time.”

“Of course,” agreed the courier. “I've come to inform you that four of the six Element bearers have been secured and are being held here upon your request.”

She scritched away on her parchment. “I've sent Twilight Sparkle somewhere safe along with my sister. Who else is missing?”

“Applejack. No word from the guards on her whereabouts. They haven't returned yet.”

“Very well. We'll keep an eye out for her.”

The courier mulled the news over in his head. “Princess, why send Twilight elsewhere if you're keeping the other bearers here?”

Celestia stopped writing. “If anything were to happen to me or the other Element bearers, I want to ensure Equestria's longevity. I cannot let all of our nobility fall pray to this invasion. Luna and Twilight will carry on if I fall,” Celestia said. “That is why I've sent them away.”

The courier hoofed the ground and avoided her gaze. “I see. It was not my place to ask. Forgive me. Oh and eh, one more thing.”

“Of course.”

He trotted up to her and handed her a sealed letter. “For your eyes only,” he said. “Don't even know who it's from.”

She accepted the letter. “Thank you very much. May I help you with anything else?”

“No, Your Majesty. Thank you,” said the lad. He tipped his hat and left.

Celestia delicately tore open the letter with mild interest. Inside was not parchment, but a bleach white piece of paper. The writing it contained was the angular chicken-scratch of a scientist. It read:

Dear Celestia,

You're going to love this one, boss! The guards brought us a little treat today. At first we thought it was some kind of joke, but I'm telling you, we really struck a gold mine. They found a broken automaton growing barnacles on the shores of Manehattan. The thing is basically in pieces. It must have crossed the whole damn ocean to make it here! Yes it's in shambles, but here's the kicker – it's Halcyonic! We found one of their bots! This is the kind of technology we've been trying to recreate for years! We've been working on reverse-engineering it for a few hours and we've already created a very rough prototype rig using Equestrian technology. (Come on down and see it when you get the chance.) It's amazing. Just think! This is our big break! We're finally going to have functional machinery to rival the Halcyonites! Anyway, my break is up and you're going to be pissed if I don't get back to work.

Cheers!

-Pendragon, Head of Engineering Division-

The beginnings of a grin formed on Celestia's lips.

---

Three ponies were instructed to wait inside the castle's library. These same three ponies then heard the transatlantic dialect of a fourth protesting in blatant discontent. The complaining grew louder and before they knew it, a pair royal guards deposited a furious Rarity into their midst.

“I'll make sure you're fired for such unruly mistreatment of a citizen!” spat the unicorn. “Let alone a lady! I have rights, you know!”

The guards said nothing and left. Rarity attempted to mend her ruined hair and whined under her breath.

Ridiculous, she thought. They could have simply requested I come to the castle! Uncivilized brutes. The amount of nerve-

“Rarity!!!”

A speeding pink bullet latched tightly to her, bowling her over and mangling her hair all over again. “It's so good to see you! The guards came to our houses and made us come with them and we didn't see you here and we were worried sick but now you're here so it's okay!”

“Thank you so much for your concern, Pinkie Pie,” Rarity mumbled. It appeared her friends had also been rudely corralled out of their homes. Pinkie finished squeezing the daylights out of her and stood up. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy stood behind them both, giggling at the spectacle. Rarity saw nothing funny about the situation. However, she was glad to see her friends. Most of them, anyway.

“Where are Twilight and Applejack?” she inquired.

Dash shrugged. “Who knows? They'll probably be here soon. AJ is probably trying to pick a fight with the guards and I'll bet Twilight is asking them all sorts of boring questions about what kind of magic they use.”

Rarity smiled a bit. “I bet you're right.”

Fluttershy decided to chip in with, “Why weren't we allowed to bring our things? Why'd we have to come here immediately?”

“I dunno,” admitted Dash. “It sounded like something serious was going on outside, but I couldn't see anything. The guards threw me into a windowless cart and brought me here before I could fly around and see anything.”

“I couldn't see either,” said Fluttershy. “I know I heard fighting outside, though. Maybe there's some kind of riot. Not to mention that huge explosion just a bit ago. Oh goodness...”

Pinkie shrieked and pointed a hoof towards the library doors. Princess Celestia entered. Her left shoulder was bound in taught bandages. There was a slight, almost imperceptible limp in her step. Behind her, a short misshapen pony looked on in silence. It was unmoving and cloaked in the shadow of the doorway.

“Everypony,” Celestia began before the four could interject about her wounds. “Let me first apologize for being so assertive in bringing you here. Rest assured it is only for your safety that your summons were mandatory. I trust that the guards didn't hurt any of you?”

Rarity opened her mouth to object but decided against it.

“Excellent,” Celestia continued. “Surely you're all wondering what's going on, and why you're here at the castle.”

The four ponies nodded.

“This is troubling to think about, but this morning I was attacked,” stated the ruler. “Hence my wound. I'd hoped this day would never come, but since it has, I must take proper precautions. As I said, you are here for your protection. I believe that it is no longer safe for you in Ponyville and I cannot allow anything to happen to you. You are the bearers of the Elements of Harmony, after all. You are a topmost priority.”

“Thank goodness you're alright!” Dash exclaimed, unable to ignore the dark red spots on Celestia's bandages. “Who attacked you? What was that huge explosion we heard right when we got here?”

Celestia leaned carefully against the doorway. “Unfortunately, there was a terrorist bombing here in Canterlot. We are currently anticipating another attack. Maybe several. We're doing everything we can to evacuate citizens and eliminate the threat quickly. The guards have been mobilized and I've scrambled the Air Force. Again, I'm sorry to evict you all from your homes, but your security as the bearers absolutely cannot be compromised.”

“Princess?” asked Fluttershy in a quiet voice. “Where are Twilight and Applejack?”

Celestia's expression grew grim and she eyed each of the bearers. “I don't know. There hasn't been any word from Sweet Apple Acres or the Golden Oaks. I've sent my sister to retrieve them. However the situation is worrisome, as the more time that passes, the more potential danger exists. Luna still hasn't updated me on her progress. I've ordered the residents of Ponyville into emergency refuge in a bunker, but neither Twilight nor Applejack were reported present. I...” she paused. “I can't guarantee they're alive.”

Pinkie Pie chuckled nervously. “That's silly. We've never met a baddie those two couldn't handle. Twilight can spear them with magic and AJ can knock them into next week!”

Celestia smiled weakly. “You're right, Pinkie. I'm sure they're out of harms way. Now, if you all will excuse me, I need to rest. If you need anything at all, the guards will be more than willing to help. All I ask is that you don't make any attempts to exit the castle. For your safety. Is everything clear?”

They all nodded hollowly, their thoughts reaching out to their absent friends.

“Good. I'll be taking my leave now.” Celestia glanced at the four ponies in front of her one last time.

“Wait, Princess?” Fluttershy squeaked. “You didn't really answer Rainbow Dash... Who's attacking us? What do they want from us? What did we do?”

“They're from a faraway land called Halcyon,” she answered. “I'll explain more when I can. For now I really do need to recuperate. I promise everything will be resolved before you know it. I'll check up on you later this evening.” She exited the library, followed by the odd misshapen pony.

It was entirely reasonable that none of them felt like conversing after Celestia's departure. Pinkie just sat and stared at the wall. Rarity attempted to read a book on indigenous fauna, and Fluttershy tried to go back to sleep. Dash sighed and took a seat at a nearby table. She assumed they were going to be there for quite a while, and there weren't a great many entertainment options. At least until Twilight and AJ showed up. They'd be there soon. She knew it.

Chapter 5: Day 3

Twilight was dreaming. She, a small unicorn, fought to settle the squalls of unease roiling inside her. She groaned and buried her face in her father's lap.

“What's wrong, Twilight?” asked the blue stallion Night Light. He stroked his daughter's mane. “Still worried about starting school tomorrow?”

Twilight nodded and kept her face hidden. She mumbled something inaudible.

“What was that, sweet pea?”

The filly looked up at her father. “I don't know anypony there. What if nopony likes me? What if I'm not good enough?”

Light shook his head. “Oh come on now, that's silly. There are plenty of other fillies there who are just starting out, and I'm sure they'll be more than happy to be friends with you.”

The response satisfied her partially, but something else picked at her mind. “What if school is too hard? What if I can't learn the lessons?”

“A little bit of challenge never hurt anypony. Besides, I'm sure Princess Celestia won't assign you anything she doesn't have full faith you can complete. She knows it won't be easy for you, and I'm sure she'll give you and your classmates all the help you need.”

Twilight smiled at her father's words. “Yeah.”

“You'll do great, sweetie. I know it. Your mother and I were so excited to hear you were accepted! Only the best of the best are allowed to attend, you know! You're destined for greatness, Twilight. This is only the first cornerstone. There are many, many great things in store for you. You're a very special unicorn.”

Twilight hugged her father with complete belief in his words. She was destined for greatness. This was only the first cornerstone.

---

She finally awoke to a snug, comforting heat. She removed the bed covers and sat up to examine her surroundings. The room was small and built from cut logs stacked neatly together. To the left of her bed sat a stone hearth that cradled a small wood fire in its belly. The crackling flames choked out a thin veil of warmth into the air. The dark walls of the room were relatively bare. There weren't any pictures or art, and the only other furnishings were a chest for belongings and a small night table next to her bed.
The chest bore nothing useful, but on the table was a small hoof-written note waiting patiently for her. She levitated it to face level.

Twilight -

As you may have guessed, we've arrived in Neighpal. Feel free to wander about the village if you like. Should you wake up before we get back - don't worry about Cian and Neeson. I've taken them to gather supplies in the forest to the south of town. We're expecting quite the blizzard soon and we're going to need an adequate supply of firewood. You fell asleep as soon as we made it to the cabin the other night, and we didn't want to wake you. I suppose the shock of recent events was too much to process. Completely understandable given the circumstances. Take it easy. Celestia is handling things back home. We'll be back soon.

-Luna-

Twilight marveled at the letter. She'd slept for over a day. The thought pervaded her mind as she trotted out of her room into the bulk of the cabin. The building wasn't sizable, but it had a rustic sort of appeal. It was rather barren aside from a handful of chairs and a couch. Even the kitchen contained preciously few utilities. The ambiance was provided by several oil lamps glowing humbly from their wooded nooks. Twilight guessed Neighpal wasn't big on tourism.

What kind of village is this, anyway? Hopefully it has a library.

She hoped for anything to take her mind off the apocalypse happening in Canterlot - the apocalypse she was still largely in the dark about. Shaking the daunting thoughts out of her head, she made for the kitchen She needed food.

The sky sprinkled a light snow as Twilight later made her way down the dirt path to the village. At first glance, the landscape was almost blinding from the refracted sunlight off the snow. After she grew accustomed to the harsh rays, she observed the boundless fields of white with a sense of mild wonder. The village was high up, and the line of sight into the horizon was miles long. She couldn't help but smile as she scanned the frozen alabaster world around her. A gaze upwards offered a hazy blue sky with thick ashen clouds looming densely to the west. There was a blizzard fast approaching alright.

The village of Neighpal was cozy and somewhat charming. Petite houses hugged the mountainside in close proximity, each coughing a steady stream of smoke from a stout chimney. The whole settlement was much smaller and much chillier than Ponyville. All in all, the village was idyllic in its own peculiar way. The native ponies eyed Twilight with curiosity as she passed by, not used to seeing a foreign pony, especially an alicorn, bumbling around their village like it was a museum.

She cantered on past the last handful of roughly thatched houses. Just as the edge of the thick white-capped forest came into view, a familiar entity approached her.

“Twilight!” Cian called. He shifted the collection of chopped logs on his back and waved. He grunted under the weight of his haul and fidgeted with the logs once more as he ambled up to her.

“Took ya long enough to get here. You're pretty slow for havin' wings and all. So, wanna help me get this load back to the cabin? I'd much appreciate it.”

Twilight giggled. “Actually, I kind of like it out here. I don't quite want to head back to the cabin just yet. Besides, I haven't seen Luna or your Granddad yet. It'd be polite to say hello.”

Cian smiled and shook his head. “Oh, we're far from done. We'll be right back out here soon enough. Come on.”

“Ugh. Fine, if you positively insist,” Twilight joked. She lit her horn and levitated several logs off Cian's back, then turned and reluctantly began the sojourn homewards.

“So, Cian,” said Twilight after a few minutes. “What exactly is your homeland like? I've never read any books on it. In fact, I don't even know what it's called.”

“I'm not surprised. Nopony in Equestria has any reason to know Halcyon exists,” he replied.

She considered his words. “Halcyon. I see. That's quite an eloquent name. But, what do you mean nopony has reason to know it exists?”

His tone took on a more austere edge. “It means that up here, life is free. There exists no need for sacrifice. Everythin' is certain. Equestria is a paradise, Twilight. I don't think ya realize that. Ya live your life here free of strife. It's a dangerous paradise because all it costs is your loyalty and devotion.”

“What are you trying to say?” demanded Twilight, taking the explanation as an insult.

Cian sighed. “Look, all I'm sayin' is that life ain't so easy in Halcyon. Everypony works because everypony needs food. Everypony needs food because our crops don't grow well. From the moment some of us can walk, all we do is strive to produce crops and make sure the conveyor belts are runnin'. That's our industry: industry. Chances are that any half decent strip of metal came hot off the line from a Halcyonic factory. The whole place is just a pile of infertile dirt and scrap steel, really.”

“Oh. I see.” Twilight didn't quite know how else to contribute to the conversation. “Well uh, what do you produce?”

“Everythin',” he said. “Guns and ammo, automatons, boats, construction metal, railroads, the whole bit. Hell, we even mass produce our food.”

Several of the aforementioned items flew right over Twilight's head. She tried to steer the conversation another direction. “So anyway, this earth pony Salvator is your king, right?”

“Aye,” said Cian.

“Why does he have such a grudge against Celestia?”

Cian brushed a twig out of his goatee. “Ah. Honestly, I don't know. You'll have to talk to my granddad about that. Salvator rarely makes public appearances back home. He's always shut away in the capital, tryin' to salvage failin' treaties and drinkin' himself into a stupor. At least that's what everypony says. What I do know is what I remember. Ever since I was a foal, I can recall Salvator forcin' propaganda down our throats about how Equestria is a 'great scourge' and needs to topple. Nopony from my generation seems to know why. All we know for sure is that he's been our faithful king ever since the beginnin'."

“The beginning?” repeated Twilight.

“Aye. There wouldn't even be a country without him. King Salvator founded Halcyon. He doesn't ever talk about those early years, or himself, but we know he's at least as old as Celestia.”

A red flag shot up in Twilight's mind. “Whoa whoa, you're telling me that Salvator is well over a thousand years old? That's impossible! Unless he's immortal. I've never heard of an earth pony with such a lifespan! Why haven't we ever heard of him here if he's such a prominent worldly figure?”

Cian thought, then said, “It makes sense that you haven't. Part of the propaganda we always hear is how Celestia withholds information she thinks can jeopardize her power. We hear she pretty much keeps her citizens in the dark and bans anything she deems hazardous to her regime. Makes me wonder what else you guys don't know.”

Twilight gritted her teeth. “Now look here, that's enough. I don't care what your king says. You can think whatever you want to, but don't insult Celestia in front of me! She's a kind, intelligent princess who would do anything for the well-being of her citizens!”

Cian seemed to deflate. “I'm sorry, Twilight. My intention wasn't to insult anypony. I promise. Sometimes I have trouble articulatin' myself. I didn't mean anythin' against Celestia. Do ya wanna know what I think of my king? I think Salvator is a crude, narrow-minded bigot who can't take criticism and thinks the whole world has turned its back on him. It's a miracle if he makes it through the day sober. I'm sorry he hates your ruler, alright? I don't think it's right for any one pony to drag an entire nation into his personal vendettas. Do ya know how ashamed I am to know that my king, my ruler, would lead his troops to their deaths over some kind of childish squabble that may or may not exist? Nopony I know, not even my granddad, remembers exactly why Salvator is the king.”

He was quickly working himself into an uproar. “Okay!? It is what it is! Ya think I wanna freakin' be here!? It's Salvator's fault my granddad fled the country! Now we're both stuck here in a hostile territory that wants us dead, and there's no guarantee we're ever gonna make it home again! Look, I'm sorry your Princess's integrity is of such staggering importance, and I'll make sure not to insult her again. Christ.”

Twilight looked at her companion with a crestfallen gaze. His smoldering words really startled her. “Cian, I... I'm sorry...”

The mint colt drew a sharp breath and let it out slowly. He avoided eye contact. “No, I'm sorry. I suppose I shouldn't have exploded at ya like that. Just, you're not the only one with feelings here, alright Twilight? There are ponies out there who have it a lot worse than you do. Try not to be so ignorant. Okay?”

Twilight nodded slowly and kept her head down. “Okay,” she whispered, fighting the urge to cry. Her emotions were still unstable. Minutes passed and a silence settled comfortably between the two. Neither pony noticed the light snow beginning to pick up, spitting a puffy dust of flakes onto the mountainside village. Not until the displaced companions had reached the cabin did they at last take notice of the inclement weather.

Cian shoved the wood off his back and trotted inside. It was obvious that he was still agitated. “Blizzard's pretty much on us. I'm gonna make sure the others find their way back,” he said, facing away from Twilight. He abruptly left the cabin again.

“Wait Cian!” Twilight urged. “Look, I'm sorry about before! Please wait!” She peered outside through the thick snowfall. The colt was already a good distance down the path. “Cian!”

Typical. What's he thinking?

She threw her scarf back on and stepped out into the fray. The strident wintry winds had turned into howling tempests within the span of a minute. Twilight conjured herself a magic barrier, but it did little to help her snow-impaired vision.

“Cian!”

The snowfall had already become blinding. It took all of her will just to keep moving. She forced on through the furious winds, stumbling desperately towards what she hoped was the direction of the village. Again she called the name of her friend to no avail.

Damn it!

Something piqued her interest. A small mass of dark gray, just contrasting the whiteness enough to be seen. It moved to the left.

“Cian!” Twilight called after it. She took off in its direction, convinced it must be her wayward friend. “Wait!” The frost flew into her shield, obscuring her line of sight even further. “Where are you?” She scanned her surroundings madly.

Farther. Keep going.

Whatever the form was, it seemed to have disappeared into the sea of white. Twilight was fearful, disgruntled, and completely astray.

Focus, Twilight. Don't panic.

She pressed ever onwards into the raging storm. The thought of windigos crossed her mind. The spirits might have been high up in the loft, laughing in amusement at her utter confusion. It seemed like hours before her eyes finally picked something else out of the chaos. A solitary black monolith was situated about fifty feet in front of her. She eagerly approached the structure in hopes for any sort of relief from the unrelenting whiteout. Perhaps the figure had retreated into the shelter as well.

It was a hastily made shed. Little more than a thin wooden outpost. Twilight tried pressing on the flimsy door with no results. It was glued shut by a sleek layer of ice. She tried forcing with all of her will, but still the door wouldn't open. Her body was rapidly succumbing to severe chills and she was unsure how much longer she could keep her stamina up. In a move of desperation, she turned and violently bucked the door. The hinges shattered and sent the door sprawling inwards.

Her body trembled violently. She pumped all the magic she had into keeping herself warm.

Think, Twilight. Gotta stay warm...

Not one for intuition, she figured any action towards sustaining her life was worth the investment. She picked up the inert door and propped it loosely against the gaping frame. Once she was sure it was secure, she took a moment to catch her breath and tried to keep herself heated. Strewn about the outpost were a few items of interest. On a makeshift table she found a broken lantern, a long dried inkwell with quill, and several sheets of brittle yellow parchment. The floor was covered by ancient blankets and a fur-lined sleeping bag. It was a slightly frightening to consider the structure occupied, but that reality wasn't likely. A sheen of dust muted the already drab colors of the single-roomed hut. Twilight gulped fretfully. She needed to get warm. At least until the brunt of the blizzard subsided.

With much hesitation and mild disgust, she lifted back the flap of the dusty sleeping bag and slowly crawled inside. It was significantly larger than she needed. Whomever the previous resident was sure had been burly. Twilight shifted uncomfortably to find a peaceful position in the plus-sized bag. As she stretched, her hoof struck a couple small objects under a blanket. Curiosity overtook her and she pulled back the stale fabric. They were books. The first one looked extremely dated. The cover offered no indication of the contents and the spine boasted ornate designs. The other wasn't so much of a book as a journal bound in a strange material. The shivering princess carefully opened the cover of the first tome. Her heart skipped a beat as she read the dedication.

Dedicated to the regal King and Queen of Equestria. It's here! At long last! Compiled within these pages are the numerous spells I promised to complete several years ago upon your request. Each one is crafted with care to offer the utmost defensive -and offensive- capabilities to the user. If questionable ethics are not a hindrance, these spells will do more than get the job done. I hope there is never a situation that requires them to be utilized, but I am happy to assist in any way possible. My apologies for keeping Your Majesties waiting! Long live the Royal Family!

-Your faithful student, Starswirl-

Twilight only stared dumbfounded at the book. It was common knowledge in Equestria that there was a rigorous ban on content dealing with dark arts. Simple possession of illegal literature was punishable by death.

Could the King and Queen really have ordered this from Starswirl? Black magic?

She leafed through the pages, in shock at the brutality they contained. Curses. Forbidden powers. Living conjurations. After reading for several minutes, she closed the book and decided to observe the other, legal one. The little journal almost fit in one hoof. She pried open the cover expectantly and was was met with – disappointment. The text was scribbled entirely in another language. Nothing she'd ever seen. To her it was gibberish. However, something within the cracked pages of the journal did reveal its secrets. On the very first page sat a single black word. A name. One that flooded her with horror. After that first page, the name appeared many more times. Henceforth, there was no doubt in Twilight's mind as to whom the journal belonged. She also realized that it was probably his sleeping bag she inhabited. That one name. Sombra.

A shadow quickly passed over her from outside. Her gaze flew to the window.

“Cian?”

She hastily climbed to her hooves once again and shoved the door out of the way. Only the blizzard greeted her.

“Cian, is that you?” she called out. The blizzard all but whipped her back into the hut. “Where are you?” she yelled with a shaky step out the door. In the distance, an ambiguous cloaked figure hoofed the ground. Twilight squinted at the stranger. She took a few more steps out into the open. The vague form approached her. Judging from its bulky frame, it must have been a stallion.

“Cian, is that you?” She lifted a hoof to her eye. In a heartbeat, the stranger was gone. Vanished with the storm.

What the?

To her right came a brilliant burst of magic. The cloaked interloper burst back into reality and charged straight at her in a full body tackle. She gasped and scrambled to the side to avoid the oncoming brute. He barreled straight past with intent to kill. Upon missing his target, the attacker turned to face her again. His face was obscured by a dark hood flapping madly in the wintry gusts.

“Who are you!?” screamed Twilight.

The lumbering pony lunged at her in response. He plowed into her with the force of a steam engine and pinned her down by the chest. She struggled to breath under the crushing weight of her stalker. He remained silent.

“Get off of me!” Twilight wheezed in peril. She smacked the stranger solidly in a desperate attempt to escape. He growled in agitation but seemed unscathed. He slowly pressed a hoof onto Twilight's exposed neck. She gagged and strained to break her attacker's grasp. Her efforts were useless, as the saboteur's strength far outclassed hers. She dug deeply into her energy reserves and summoned as much magic as her starving body could muster. Still the cloaked figure continued, slowly squeezing her life away. He leaned in close, bending her ribs to their snapping point. Her vision started to flush into a hellish kaleidoscope of white and gray. As she gasped hysterically for air that wouldn't come, her horn finally synthesized a small fragment of magic. It quickly gained heat and manifested as raw energy. With pure adrenaline fighting to keep her alive, she discharged a sturdy bolt of magic. The shot found its mark and sent the unknown pony sprawling back into the snow. He shrieked wildly and shoveled snow onto his burning face.

Twilight gulped in great lung-fulls of air, ever so tediously clawing her way back from the brink of unconsciousness. For almost a full minute she lay splayed out in the snow, helpless as an infant. Her eyes clamped shut in exhaustion and she couldn't seem to catch her breath. The relentless chills slithered back inside her and casually sapped the feeling in her limbs. She numbly rolled to one side but was wracked by a terrible fit of coughing.

Get up! Get up!

She willed her body to rise. If she couldn't get up, she would freeze in minutes. Tortuously, her nearly comatose muscles pushed her up. She decided the shed was her only hope. Each step was an ordeal as her body threatened to fail.

Focus Twilight. One hoof in front of the other.

Ardently, languidly, she staggered back to the shed. Just as the safety of the outpost yawned before her, she stopped. Her muscles refused to move. She couldn't turn her head. She couldn't speak. She couldn't blink. A translucent black aura snaked around her body and ruthlessly chained her in place. She was paralyzed by a spell. Black magic. Her attacker wasn't finished.

Cian's frantic voice rang through the blizzard. “Twilight! What the hell is going on!?”

The deadly saboteur switched his focus onto the newcomer, not anticipating another variable to deal with.

“Get away from her!” Cian screamed. He charged toward the two. Twilight's attacker swiftly hunched down into a defensive stance. He summoned conjured a serrated dagger to do his bidding, then snatched the weapon out of the air and prepared to fight. Cian zoomed up to him but leaped to the left, narrowly avoiding a powerful stab.

“C'mon!” Cian yelled. He ducked under another swing and managed to land a nasty uppercut on the cloaked unicorn. The mysterious pony fell to the ground and dropped his dagger, but retaliated with a solid kick to Cian's hind hoof. Cian cried out in pain and fell to his knees. Sensing another opportunity, he pushed through the pain and lunged for the dagger. He reached it before the saboteur and promptly held it against his foe. “What now? Huh? Not so tough now, are ya!?” Cian pinned the stallion down by the chest and held the dagger up. “Move and ya die!”

She chalked it up to adrenaline, but Twilight felt her heart flutter.

It'll be okay! Everything will be okay!

Sensing his defeat drawing nigh, the stallion readied a spell.

“No ya don't!” shouted Cian. He plunged the dagger into the pony's arm to deter further resistance.

The stallion didn't scream. He didn't make a sound even as his blood tainted the snow. Instead, he continued to summon his magic.

Cian hesitated at his insensitivity to pain. “What the hell...” He lifted the dagger. “I warned you!”

Before his hoof reached the crescendo of its path, the attacker's spell sparked and went off. With one more burst of light, it landed a direct hit on Cian. Twilight shivered in equal parts horror and fear.

Cian! No!

He was gone. Transported elsewhere. The cloaked pony dusted himself off and got back up. He assessed the barren landscape to make sure no more intruders were present, then limped over to his original prey. He didn't waste any words. Instead he snarled and rubbed his injured appendages. Twilight's heart thudded against her ribcage.

Why...?

Situating himself in front of the her, the attacker raised a hoof high over his head and conjured a second weapon – a shadowy warhammer of tempered obsidian. With his target possessing no possible hope for escape, he brought the sinister tool down against Twilight's soft purple back.

Sensing his task was essentially complete, the attacker teleported away. Twilight saw her blood flowing, but she couldn't feel it. There was no pain. Just her blood that kept on coming. There was too much of it. It trickled down her sides and onto the snow.

Why can't I feel?

The soft snow cradled her cheek gently. Sleep's seductive allure beckoned her into its open arms. It called out for her. Told her to close her eyes. Just for a moment.

Not like this... she thought. No, not like this. Oh Celestia please, not like this...

She was just so sleepy.

Not like this...

Chapter 6: Day 4

Canterlot was quiet. An impenetrable pink shield, cast by Princess Cadance, encapsulated the castle. Royal guard patrolled the empty streets outside with no hint of the invaders' presence. Everything was calm. A couple miles away, two ponies sat in the tiny decoding room inside the Apple family's barn.

King Salvator downed another beer and tossed the bottle to the ground. “Goddammit! All of them? Every single one!?”

The decoder nodded and winced at the stallion's rage. “Yes, my King. All the bots and approximately a thousand troops. Seven ships still inbound.”

Salvator rubbed his eyes and growled. “How could we not have anticipated this? How could we not have considered the freakin' sea ponies!? How did this even happen!? How did she control them!?”

“I don't know, my liege. I - I'm sorry.”

“Sorry ain't gonna pull my soldiers out of the damn ocean, now is it? Sorry ain't gonna bring more troops! Damn it all!” He roared angrily and slammed the table with his hoof several times. He snatched another beer and sloppily broke the cap off on the corner of the table.

“King Salvator, I don't know that that's a good idea,” warned the decoder.

The hulking pony lifted the bottle and chugged the drink down. “You listen to me,” he sputtered. “Until you've taken the life of another pony, until your family's been ripped away from you, until you've been exiled from the very country your life began in, don't tell me I've had too much goddamn alcohol.”

“Yes, my King. I apologize.”

Salvator slumped against the wall and slid into an awkward sitting position. “Just, leave me alone.”

“Your Highness?”

“I said I want to be alone right now.”

“Um, of course. As you wish.”

The decoder stood shakily, bowed, and exited the cramped room. Salvator slumped further and swore excessively under his breath. Of all things, the sea ponies. He lobbed his bottle at the wall in a childish tantrum. It shattered and scattered wet fragments everywhere. The Halcyonic militia was now down to infantry. Salvator sighed and vainly scrounged for another drink. With no results achieved, he closed his eyes and retreated into his bottomless pool of self pity. After a minute or two, the door creaked open and a cool breeze leaked in.

“I thought I told ya to leave me the hell alone,” snapped Salvator, opening a beady eye.

“Must have me confused for some other pony,” replied Applejack from the doorway.

The king smirked. “Oh. It's you. Apple something-or-other. You know, you're a lot less ugly when I'm drunk.”

AJ huffed. “Look ya gutter dwellin' lech! I came in here because I need your help. I hate you, but I need a favor. If you're too sauced to take me seriously, I'll gladly leave ya here to wallow in your own filth.”

“Fine. Whatever. You want me to go kick an apple tree for ya?”

AJ tapped her hooves together nervously. “I want ya to help me bust my friends outta' the castle.”

Her request elicited a snort from Salvator. “Why should I give a damn about your friends? Celestia just sunk five of my ships and now a thousand of my friends are dead.”

“What? Oh...I didn't- ”

“Yeah. Well. Whatever,” he cut her off. “Why should I risk even more of my soldiers' lives to break a couple of your acquaintances out of a highly guarded, extremely fortified castle? Humor me. Please.”

“For one thing, they aren't just my friends,” AJ shot back. “Each one of 'em contains an extraordinary source of magic. When all of us come together, our power is so intense it can expel any evil force. We were chosen by Celestia to be the bearers of this power. In order to draw such an awesome magic, we use six sacred artifacts. The Elements of Harmony.”

Salvator smiled like he was listening to a child. “That's a wonderful fairy tale. Did Celestia used to whisper that in your ear to help ya sleep?”

“I'm serious!” insisted AJ. “I think that's why Princess Celestia wanted us all at the castle a couple days ago - so she could keep us under close watch in case she needed the Elements. If we broke my friends out, we'd only be missin' one bearer – Twilight.”

Salvator found another drink and opened it. “Then why bother if this Twilight pony isn't here? So far ya haven't convinced me I should care.”

His constant cynicism was beginning to agitate Applejack. “They deserve to know what's goin' on! They're my best friends and they're stuck there in the castle, wonderin' if they're safe and when this will all be over!”

Salvator sighed loudly. “Stupid! Use your head! Your friends wouldn't be any safer out here with us. Inside the castle is by far the safest place for 'em to be. Who cares if they don't know what's goin' on? At least they're safe.”

Applejack stamped her hoof. “They'll only be safe when they're not somewhere you're plannin' on attackin'! They're in danger of your soldiers! In a few days, you're gonna get your sorry ass off my property and march off to Canterlot. If ya die, that's a bonus. When ya get up there, I want my friends right here with me. Not in the middle of your battle. Ya owe me that much.”

Moments passed while Salvator tried to form a cogent response. “Let's get one thing straight,” he finally said. “I don't owe ya nothin'. Your opinion doesn't matter to me. I don't care what ya think we should do. I'm not basin' my decision off of anything you've said to convince me so far. Now hypothetically, if I were to send a couple of unicorns with ya to get through the castle's shield, they would not protect ya. They would not save ya if anythin' happened. They would not wait for ya or hold your hoof in any way, shape, or form.”

Now it was AJ's time to snort. “I wouldn't expect 'em to. What do ya think I am, a coward?”

Salvator blinked at her through bleary vision. “Ya don't wanna know what I think of ya. But because you're as giddy as a schoolfilly about this little idea of yours, I suppose I'll help your sorry ass out. Not because I care about all this 'elemental melody' mumbo-jumbo, but the thought of ya gettin' caught and detained by a pair of royal guards is just too good to pass up. I shoulda' let 'em take ya the first time. Oh well. I suppose this stupid little 'rescue mission' will get ya out of my hair for a while either way.”

AJ almost smiled. “Thank ya. That's the most reasonable thing you've done since ya got here.”

“Don't get used to it,” muttered Salvator into his bottle.

“I certainly won't," she retorted. "When do ya think we could make this happen?”

“What do ya mean 'we?' This is your crackpot idea. You figure it out. I got enough garbage to deal with.”

AJ calculated her moves. “Fine. Tell two of your boys to meet me at the edge of the farm in twenty minutes. It'll be best if I can pull this off today.”

Salvator offered a mock salute. “As ya wish. By the way, if my soldiers come back with so much as a scratch, I'll peel off your skin in strips and decorate the barn with your intestines.”

“Duly noted. Thanks,” breathed Applejack as she left. She scanned the area outside the barn for her brother. No luck. Big Mac had taken quite a fascination to the Halcyonic weaponry the soldiers brandished. She assumed he was trying to get his hooves on one of their fancy gun thingies.

“Hey Granny, ya seen Mac around here?” AJ asked as she trotted into the house. The elder knit contentedly in her rocking chair.

“Hi deary,” said Granny Smith with a beam. “Let's see. Eh, hmm. Big Mac... Where did he go... Oh! I think he scampered out to the back orchard. Said something about target practice.”

“I expected as much. Thanks Granny.”

“Anytime, deary.”

Behind the Apple's house, a gunshot split the air. The noise echoed over the hills of the orchard. Applejack observed her brother standing between a row of trees. He steadied his hoof and took aim once more. His target: a fully intact bottle sitting on a stump. He honed his concentration. The next bullet grazed the tip of the bottle, blowing the lip off.

“That one was great!” cheered Applebloom from the sideline. “You'll get it this time for sure!”

The soldier who was supervising the practice nodded in agreement. “Gettin' better indeed. Ya got one more shot.”

AJ cantered down the path. “Hey! Big Mac!”

The stallion turned to his sister. “C'mere. Try this.”

“What? No, listen. I need your help with somethin',” said AJ.

Big Mac's excitement over the gun was obvious. “In a minute. Come try shootin!”

“Yeah Applejack!” added Applebloom. “It looks real fun, but I'm too young to try it.”

“Not right now, guys,” she protested. I have somethin' important to-”

“Oh, just try it,” Big Mac demanded. He stuffed the metallic piece of silver in her hoof.

“Fine,” she conceded. “Just one try. That's it.” She inspected the unfamiliar weapon. It had some sort of revolving chamber where she suspected the ammunition was housed.

“Like this,” explained the soldier. “Let me show ya.” He demonstrated the proper posture and technique while handling the firearm. “Okay now, take a deep breath and just pull the trigger. Keep your grip tight. Relax, but stay focused.”

AJ squinted in the afternoon sun. She stared down the sight at the shining bottle.

On three. Take a deep breath. One... Two... Three!

She screamed as the gun exploded and rocketed out of her hoof. The bullet whizzed off into an unlucky tree. “What was that?” she shouted. “Felt like a damn train hit my hoof!” She shook her sore appendage and glared at her brother. “That wasn't very fun at all!”

“Applejack said a swear word!” chanted Applebloom gleefully. “I'm tellin' Granny!”

“Hush,” commanded Bic Mac. He chuckled and retrieved the gun from the dirt. “Sorry 'bout that,” he apologized to the soldier.

The Halcyonite sheathed the gun. “Don't worry. This old girl has seen better days. It's about time I got a new one anyway.”

“Eeyup. Alright AJ, what do ya need?” asked Big Mac.

She was still upset over the mini detonation that occurred in her hoof. “Huh? Oh yeah, let's head over this way and I'll tell ya.”

Mac obliged and followed his sister back toward the house.

AJ began to explain the current situation. “I talked to Salvator a few minutes ago. I'm gonna make a trip to Canterlot Castle so I can break my friends out. I really need your help, though. If anythin' happens, nopony's comin' to rescue me. Salvator's troops ain't gonna stick around and fight on my behalf. Do ya think maybe you could come with just to make sure nothin' happens?”

Mac thought deeply. “That idea is stupid. But, I'll come with. We tellin' anypony?”

“Probably,” said AJ. “Wouldn't hurt to let Granny know. She'll worry, but at least she'll know where we are if somethin' does happen.”

“Don't worry, sis,” Big Mac responded. “It's a stupid idea, but we'll be fine. Ain't nothin' gonna happen.”

---

The laboratories underneath the bulk of Canterlot Castle were a maximum security clearance. The brightest minds from all Equestria toiled day after day to achieve the next scientific breakthrough. The labs held several departments: genetics, pathology/medicines, advanced magical research, and engineering. Princess Celestia was interested in the last.

She greeted her top teams of scientists with cheer as she arrived. They smiled and waved back before promptly returning to work.

“Good afternoon Your Majesty!” said a bright eyed zebra with thick glasses. He approached Celestia and bowed. “How may we be of assistance?”

Celestia scanned the room eagerly. “Good day to you as well. If it's not too much trouble, I'd quite like to observe the progress of the Mark-I prototype.”

“Of course. I must say,” the zebra started to drone, “I couldn't be happier with our progress as of late. We've never been able to reverse-engineer with this degree of success. Simply amazing. Follow me.” The two trotted down the sterilized hallways.“We're currently running diagnostics on the model's capacity to analyze probability and react accordingly. We've improved its motor control drastically, and hope to finish programming basic AI within a few days.”

“Excellent news! Have any of the other models shown such potential?” asked Celestia.

The zebra shook his head. “Not so, Your Highness. Only the Mark-I prototype has passed alpha phase. We've taken the liberty of nicknaming it 'Helper.' I have to say, Princess, those Halcyonites aren't going to believe their eyes when they see what we've done with their bots! Ah, here we are. Right through this glass.” He pointed.

Celestia peered through the reinforced window. Inside was a white rectangular room. The floor was striped with red paint to signify distance measurements. On the other side opposite them was a second darkly tinted window. Standing precisely on one of the red lines was the clunky automaton known as Helper. It appeared as a pony in nature, although the vague semblance stopped there. It had a crude sheet metal skin and its eyes were composed of glass hemispheres laced with tiny diodes.

The zebra located a small cube jutting out from the wall and cranked a knob on its side. “Pendragon is overseeing the test. He's on the other side. We'll all communicate via intercom here,” he explained. The box crackled as he held down the speak button. “Everypony say hello. Celestia is here to watch this one!”

Several engineers' voices relayed back.

“Welcome, Princess! You're just in time.”

“How do you do, Princess.”

“Salutations.”

“Prepping the independent variables. Will begin shortly.”

Celestia shifted her attention back to the robot. A faint hum emanated from its silver body. Well-oiled cogs clicked together in harmony at key joints in its armor.

“There are four main protocols the bot operates in,” said the zebra, observing his brainchild. He jotted something down on a clipboard. “For all intents and purposes they've been labeled 'standby,' 'active,' 'caution,' and 'threat.' They're all relatively self-explanatory. No need to get into the technicalities.”

“Intriguing,” marveled Celestia. “That's what you're currently running diagnostics on?”

“Correct. We're calculating its ability to switch modes with accuracy. It will be a civil nightmare if it runs around trying to shoot everything that moves.”

Celestia looked surprised. “You've already equipped it with ballistic weaponry?”

“Not for this test. That's still a bit farther down the line.”

“Very well. I'm still not sure that Equestria is ready for such violent force, but recent circumstances have overshadowed my hesitation. I have full faith in you and your team. You know what needs to be done,” said Celestia.

“Thank you for your trust, Princess,” said the zebra. “Ah, here we go. Watch what happens now.”

The door to the test chamber slid open. A unicorn equipped with a heavily padded suit walked into the room. “Now switching to active mode,” he disclosed aloud.

“Affirmative. Proceed,” said Pendragon over the intercom.

The unicorn made his way to the idle bot and fiddled with a mechanism under its stomach region. The thing's eyes flashed green twice and it let out a loud beep. “Active,” stated a pre-recorded voice. Its humming grew louder as the intricate inner parts whirred to life. The unicorn walked back in front of it. “I will now initiate a cautionary display. Bot should react with appropriate command.”

“Affirmative.”

With his magic lit, the pony drew a short sword from a sheath in his suit. The end was sawed off and the sides were dulled for safety. “The bot should identify my weapon and -”

“Halt!” demanded the bot's taped message. Its eyes flashed yellow and it let out another loud beep. “Halt!” With a clunky step forward, the mechanical pony advanced upon the “armed attacker.”

“Keep going. You're doing fine,” assured Pendragon.

“Now initiating threat mode!” declared the tester with heightened emotion.

“Is he in danger?” asked Celestia with a worried look.

“No,” said the zebra. “Helper bot is unarmed. The worst it can do right now is incapacitate him.”

The robot beeped and its eyes changed to red. “Surrender!” it bade. A lunge and a quick swing of its front hoof knocked the unicorn to the ground. The nonliving beast reared up and pinned its target to the ground with heavy metal hooves. “Do you surrender?” asked the taped voice.

Pendragon's voice came over the intercom again. “Tell it no.”

“No!” barked the grounded scientist.

The bot vibrated slightly, then clicked three times.

“What was that?” asked Celestia from her vantage point behind the window.

The zebra looked up at her. “That was Helper employing its 'deadly force'. If it had been armed, it would have fired three shots.”

“Goodness. Well, it cuts straight to the point. I suppose that's what we need. Very well.”

Two engineers entered the testing chamber and hastily switched the bot back to standby. The unicorn on the ground rubbed his head and climbed to his hooves.

“Y'allright?” asked the service ponies.

“Yep! Feeling fine,” the unicorn answered. “I don't think that could have gone any better. Let's head back to the lab for analysis.”

The three exited the room and left the bot humming quietly. Celestia nodded slightly to herself. Equestria's defense was about to get a massive overhaul. The tide was turning.

Once more the intercom came to life. “We'll be conducting more tests in a few minutes. You're welcome to stay and observe if you wish, Princess.”

Celestia smiled and pressed the talk button. “Thank you. Perhaps I shall.”

---

The door opened softly. Fluttershy meandered into the library with a satisfactory smile. However, it appeared that the news she carried was in vain, as only Pinkie Pie was currently awake. The earth pony sat atop a table and fiddled with her hair. She yawned out of boredom.

“Hey Pinkie Pie,” chimed Fluttershy. “I have great news! The royal guards said we can go outside to the gardens. They finally declared the area safe.”

Pinkie shook herself awake and cheered. “The gardens huh? Sweet! Anything would be more fun than mucking around all day in this boring old library!”

“I'm really excited. Would you care to accompany me?”

“You bet!” exclaimed Pinkie. “Should we wake the others too?”

“I'm don't know. It's probably better to let them get their rest,” Fluttershy rationalized.

“Okie dokie lokie. Fine with me. I just want to go outside!”

Fluttershy nodded happily and beckoned to Pinkie. “Me too. Let's get going.”

Pinkie leaped from the table and eagerly tailed her companion. The two made their way through the largely empty halls of the castle. Ever since the initial attack, very little had happened. The invading nation seemed to vanish completely after the first day's blitzkrieg. The guards were left on edge. They lay in wait at various outposts for any sign of conflict.

Pinkie and Fluttershy approached the gardens. The buddies threw open the doors and stepped into the leafy oasis. Fluttershy welcomed the chill of the approaching winter. She flapped her wings and grinned in the crisp air.

“Aaahhh,” sighed Pinkie dramatically. “This feels sooo good! I love being outside!”

“Me too,” agreed the Fluttershy. “Pretty soon all the critters will be in hibernation, so this might be my last chance to see them for a while.”

Pinkie waded through piles of fallen leaves, inadvertently scattering them every-which-way. She plopped herself on a patch of grass and took a moment to really observe the scenery. The view was serene, to say the least. Under the magic dome, the area felt like its own miniature biome.

“This place is so peaceful,” voiced Pinkie as she sprawled out on her back. “I'm surprised there aren't any guards out here. It almost makes me forget about the invasion.”

Fluttershy faced away from her. Her gaze stretched beyond the shield and into the late evening horizon. The sun was beginning to dip, bathing the courtyard in a soft shade of amber. “Yeah...” she finally replied.

“You're still worried about Twilight and Applejack aren't you?”

Fluttershy turned and took a seat next to her friend. “Of course! I don't know where they are, or if they're safe, or anything. I'm worried for Princess Luna, Cadance, Shining Armor, everypony. Nothing like this has ever happened before. Sure we've fought powerful villains in the past, but none that actually wanted to harm us directly. I don't know why anypony would want to hurt us or Princess Celestia. Why is the world so hostile?”

Pinkie mulled her words over.

“It's just so sad,” Fluttershy continued. “Just when we truly learn how powerful cooperation and friendship are, somepony hateful wants to rip it away from us. What purpose is there for violence when we know that that harmony works just as well? I wish everypony could see how easy it is to tolerate others if we just try. There's just too much hate in the world. It discourages me. Tranquility shouldn't have to be so agonizingly hard to find.”

The conversation was too somber for Pinkie's taste. “Gosh Fluttershy. I never thought of it like that...”

“It's alright,” said Fluttershy. “I suppose that as long as I can make even the smallest difference, I'll be happy.”

Pinkie nodded and said, “That's true. I never thought of it like that either. You're a really talented thinker.”

Fluttershy giggled. “Oh, thank you. I just want to help. That's why I love Princess Celestia so much. She's so calm and thoughtful. I can't believe how privileged we are to be under her rule. She treats us fairly – like we all matter. I really wish there were more ponies like her out there in the world.”

“She is pretty great, isn't she?”

“I think so,” said the Fluttershy with a smile.

When only a thin orange corona peaked over the horizon, Pinkie shivered and stood up. “It's getting kinda cold. I'm gonna head inside and find something warm to eat. Maybe a nice soup. They have lots of soups here. Chowders too. Did you know soups and chowders are different?”

“Yes Pinkie, I knew that. I'll be in in just a bit. I'm going to visit the animals for a little while.”

Pinkie trotted away. “Alrighty! It was nice talking with you, Fluttershy. I'm sure that everything will be back to normal before you know it, and you won't have to feel sad anymore. See you inside.”

Fluttershy sat and continued to peer off over the miles of rural Equestria. The rich beauty of the landscape held her eye, reminding her of everything to be thankful for. A tiny movement outside the shield broke her trance. Several hundred feet away, four shadows approached the magic barrier at the corner of a spire. They stopped for a moment before getting back to their task. Fluttershy couldn't believe what happened next. The figures somehow ripped a large elliptical hole in the shield – and stepped onto the castle grounds.

Fluttershy's heart skipped a beat. She slowly got up and kept watching, panic creeping in.

The castle is breached!

She weighed the idea of rushing inside and raising the alarm. The figures didn't move; they must have been discussing something. Fluttershy had to get closer. Something in her gut wouldn't let her leave, so she started walking. Her movement was a snail's pace. She crept rigidly along the lines of topiary and trees, terrified of being spotted. The low Fall sun blocked any chance of perceiving the interlopers' defining characteristics. Slowly, tediously, she moved down the garden. She crouched behind a shrub once the intruders' voices could finally be heard in the distance. It only took a split second before her eyes went wide and her heart stopped. Their voices.

“Alright. Let's get 'em outta here quick.”

“Eeyup.”

“Applejack!” Fluttershy screamed. She quickly covered her mouth and glanced around. Sporadically screaming in a garden usually attracted unwanted attention.

It's Applejack!

Suddenly, any notion of stealth evaporated. Fluttershy bounded towards the spire. “Applejack! Big Macintosh!” she called with more restraint. Her friends looked up. Their faces were shrouded by the umbra of their shadows, but she could tell they were looking at her. The two figures still unidentified stepped forward. They lit their horns and sent a green rocket of magic hurtling straight toward her.

She squeaked in terror as the magic struck her. The shot dispersed, ensnaring her in a large green bubble. It flung her off the ground and suspended her several feet in the air.

“No! It's me, Fluttershy!” she yelled. “Let me down!”

The figures approached.

“Who's this? That ain't no guard,” one of them retorted.

“Let 'er down! That's one of my friends!” exclaimed the familiar southern voice. “Set 'er down gently!”

Fluttershy felt herself descend back to earth. The magic prison relinquished her.

“What are ya doin' out here in the garden, ya silly pegasus?” asked AJ with a laugh as she stepped forward and threw her hooves around her friend. “Shoot, I can't believe how lucky that was! We came here to bust y'all out!”

Fluttershy's heart was beating a mile a minute over such a dramatic turn of events. “Applejack I – thank goodness you're safe! We've been so worried about you! This is unbelievable! Are you all okay?”

“'Course we're okay. We made it here in one piece didn't we?”

“Yeah I suppose. So, wait, you came here to... break me and the others out?”

“Eeyup,” said Big Mac. “We've got a lot to tell y'all.”

One of the random unicorns tapped the ground impatiently. “Yeah about that, we don't have a lot of time. These little beauties only have enough juice for a few minutes. It'll take 'em forever to recharge on their own if they go out.” He pointed towards the hole they'd tore open in the barrier. Two peculiar generators sat on the ground, pumping an electrically charged magic into the barrier.

“For the record,” the second unicorn added, “we coulda' punched right through this flimsy shield ourselves. All these suckers do is prevent the tear from bein' noticed.”

“Er, yeah, whatever,” AJ said. “Look Fluttershy, just go get the others. Like Mac said, there's more to this whole mess than ya know. Hurry, and don't let Celestia know we're here.”

Fluttershy turned to leave by frowned and stopped. “Why? Won't she be happy to know you're okay?”

AJ sighed. “It's just not a good idea to let her know. She'll want me to stay here, but it's not safe. We all need to get to Sweet Apple Acres.”

Fluttershy certainly didn't like the plan, but she wasn't about to argue. “Alright,” she said. “If you say so. This just seems kind of shady. Is this the right thing to do?”

Applejack moved her hooves back and forth to shoo her off. “Yes. Trust me. Now go.”

Fluttershy hugged her friend once more before taking flight and jetting up towards the castle.

“Casual!” AJ hollered after her. “Act natural like!”

“Okay!” Fluttershy said. “I'll be back soon!”

---

The mess hall had only just been tidied up from dinner. As the last cleaning maid retired, Celestia sat next to Princess Cadance with a plate of steamed vegetables. She urged the guards to leave her and her niece in peace. The two royal alicorns watched as the last guards reluctantly exited. With solitude achieved, Celestia spoke to Cadance.

“You're looking quite well this evening. I trust you're feeling fine? Listen, I wanted to thank you for coming down all the way from the Crystal Empire. I've been pretty occupied with wartime matters as of late and I realized that you may not be well-informed on the situation. I summoned you so we could get you caught up on what's going on.”

“Thanks Auntie,” said Cadance warmly. “I appreciate it. Hopefully all this nonsense will be over soon.”

The air between them was friendly and unstressed.

“Oh, indeed,” agreed Celestia. “We're taking all the necessary measures to remove the threat. Everything will be returned to normal within a week. Good news for the little one!” She patted Cadance's belly. “He won't have a care in the world except lunch time.”

Cadance giggled. “I hope it's a he. We'll find out soon enough I suppose. Oh you know what, that reminds me. Have you seen Shining Armor? It's been a few days and I'm beginning to worry. He came here with me but disappeared soon after. I know I should be used to this, but he's not usually gone for more than a day at a time.”

Celestia took a minute to finish her bite. “Mm, yes, nothing to fret about. I've sent him on a special operations mission to an undisclosed location. My apologies for not informing you much earlier. It must have slipped my mind. Unfortunately, there aren't many details I can release at this point. Rest assured knowing nothing has happened to him.”

“Ah, alright then,” said Cadance with a sigh. “So I take it he's safe?”

Celestia smiled. “Oh come now. We both know your husband is more than capable of fending for himself.”

Cadance dug into her food then replied with, “You're right. It helps to know he's just on a mission. Do you think he'll be back when the baby comes?”

“Oh yes. He won't take more than two days.”

“Wonderful. I'll feel better once he's back here where I can keep an eye on him. Keeping him out of trouble is hard enough on its own.”

Celestia chuckled. “Most certainly. But I digress - how much do you know about the invaders?”

“Next to nothing,” Cadance admitted. “That's why I've been so worried lately. I feel as if I'm helpless against a threat I can't even see. I hate to say it, but I'm pretty useless.”

Celestia tried to console her. “Don't blame yourself for anything, my dear. Nothing is expected of you. Honestly.”

“I know, but still. I can't really do anything besides keeping the shield up. That's what annoys me.”

“You don't have to do anything else. I'm always the one that gets stuck with messes like this,” Celestia joked. “In all seriousness though, would you like me to give you a brief overview of what's going on?”

“Positively,” affirmed Cadance.

“Alright. Well, let me think for a second. It's an awfully complex story.”

“No worries, Auntie. Take your time.”

Celestia fidgeted around to get more comfortable. “First thing's first, the stallion leading the attack is named Gaius. Or apparently 'Salvator' now. He must have changed his name somewhere down the line. Anyway, he's the king of a faraway nation called Halcyon. Candidly, I don't know precisely why he's attacking Equestria. I just know that ever since the beginning, he's bore a searing grudge against us and our people. Our countries have had countless squabbles over the centuries and now his anger must have finally reached a fever pitch. I still can't say for sure.”

Cadance picked at the food on her plate, now too deep in thought to eat. Her eyes shifted back and forth as she absorbed her aunt's explanation. “Interesting that you said 'since the beginning.' What does that imply?”

“Ah,” said Celestia. “Now you're asking the right questions. You see Gaius is -”

The echoing sound of a door creaking open interrupted their conversation. Celestia growled in annoyance under her breath. “I thought I told you to leave us alone. We can protect ourselves, thank you.”

Cadance shook her head. “No Auntie, it's only Fluttershy.”

Sure enough, the yellow pegasus timidly approached the two alicorns. “Forgive me, Your Majesties,” she squeaked. “I-I didn't mean to interrupt you. Um, I was just looking for Pinkie Pie. Have either of you two seen her?”

“Actually yes,” replied Celestia. “She took some soup back to the library a few minutes ago. When you see her, please tell her not to spill it on anything.”

Fluttershy managed a shy smile and nodded. With a final apology she turned to advance in her quest.

“Now then,” resumed Celestia in a hushed tone. She made sure Fluttershy was out of earshot. “About Gaius, or Salvator now...”

---

Applejack watched her breath exit as a ghostly puff. She leaned against the spire as her brother scratched at a patch of dirt.

“Where the hell are your friends?” snapped one of the unicorns. “Every second we stand out here freezing our asses off is a second closer to getting caught.”

AJ scanned the castle grounds. “I think that's them up there. Flash your horn a couple times so they'll know where we are.”

The soldier made a snotty remark but obliged the request. Sure enough, four ponies emerged into the pink light of the shield.

“APPLEJACK!” Pinkie Pie screamed.

“Ssshh! Quiet!” insisted AJ. “Don't yell! I'm really happy to see ya too! Just don't yell!”

Pinkie nodded quickly and squeezed her friend tightly. “Ohmygosh I can't believe it's you! We've been stuck here in the castle for days and it's so boring and-”

“Sssh. I know.” AJ interjected. She smiled and chuckled at her friend's enthusiasm.

Rainbow Dash and Rarity stood to the side, also grinning happily. Thankfully, they were a bit calmer.

“Hey you two!” said AJ. “How y'all doing? It's been a while!”

“Feeling awesome! Happy to see you!” exclaimed Rainbow.

Rarity shivered but kept her smile. “It's a bit cold but – I'm glad you're here! We were worried sick! How ever did you find us?”

“All thanks to Fluttershy. She made it easy,” AJ explained. “We didn't even have to search the castle!”

Fluttershy blushed upon receiving credit. “It was nothing.”

“Well either way, we're all quite happy to see you, Applejack,” said Rarity. “Wasting away in that library was a nightmare for my complexion.”

“Heh. I can see that,” piped AJ with a chuckle.

Rarity spat her tongue out mockingly.

“Now what?” inquired Rainbow. “Are we leaving? Does Princess Celestia know? Where's Twilight? Is she with you?”

“We are leavin'. Yes. But we gotta keep this on the down-low. It's real important that we don't get noticed. That may sound kinda off, but trust me. Well explain everythin'.”

“Eeyup,” Big Mac chipped in. “There's a lot y'all need to hear.”

The posse carefully stepped back through the shimmering rip in the shield, their dormant premonitions bubbling beneath the surface.

Chapter 7: Earlier That Day

Cian led his grandfather and Luna to the site of the attack. Upon entering the grim shed, he nearly lost his stomach. “Mother of god! Oh Jesus! Get in here! She's dying! She's almost dead!”

Luna shoved Cian out of the way and knelt down beside Twilight. The mare's body was shattered and her fur was iced over with frozen blood.

“Celestia!” Luna screamed into a summoned orb. “Celestia it's an emergency! Twilight's been attacked! Her back is broken and she has severe black magic poisoning! Hypothermia has set in and her heartbeat is faint! Oh Lord... Please no...” She sheltered Twilight with her entire body. She lit her horn and forced an onrush of energy into her. “Cian! Neeson! Find something to start a fire! We need warmth now!”

The two frantically snatched up the sleeping bag and pulled the table over. “Here Princess!”

Luna set the cloth ablaze before focusing her magic back into Twilight. “I need to purge her body of the black magic. I can keep her alive for a while, but... she's not going to live without a hospital. Cian, go the village and get all the help you can! Neeson, keep building that fire! Oh please, hang on Twilight...”

Cian shot out the door. An orb appeared and spilled Celestia's voice. “Can you save her?”

Tears welled up in Luna's eyes as she hysterically pumped magic into the unconscious Twilight. “She's not responding... I – I don't know...”

Chapter 8

Salvator stoked the fire and sat down on a log not far behind the Apple's house. He warmed his hooves over the flames and took a drink. The night was young, yet he was exhausted. At least he was alone. Solitude always eased his pain, if only for a moment. Before too long, he heard soft hoofsteps nearing from behind.

“That you, Applejack?” he asked quietly.

“Yeah, we're back. Everypony accounted for.”

“Good. My boys alright?”

“Yup. We didn't have a lick of trouble.”

“Dandy. Are ya gonna introduce me to your friends?”

AJ smirked. “I didn't know ya cared to meet 'em.”

Salvator downed his beer and set the bottle down. “I can be social if I've had enough to drink.”

Applejack sat down on an adjacent log and looked at the stallion. “I told 'em you're here. It took 'em a while to warm up to the idea of ya. They don't understand your grudge with Celestia.”

“Do you?”

“No. How would I? For my whole life, my family and I have lived peacefully on this farm. Then one day ya show up on our doorstep claimin' the right to our property. Ya tell us one of our princesses is a tyrant and ya try to kill her. Can ya see how we might be a little frightened? Confused? I still haven't forgiven you for all the murder.”

Salvator eyed her with a thousand-mile stare. “I see what you're sayin'. I don't expect ya to understand or agree with me. I don't expect ya to ever forgive me. In fact, I know ya won't. This isn't your struggle to worry about. We've all done things we ain't too proud of. Especially me.” He sighed and ran a hoof through his greasy mane. “That's why I suppose it's only fair I tell ya what I can. Bring your friends out here and I'll try and shed some light on things.”

“Personally, I don't care what ya have to say,” said AJ. “My friends might want to know, though. Behave yourself.”

“Relax. I ain't that drunk yet.”

AJ got up. “Alright. I'll be back in a minute. I dunno how they're gonna react to ya. They know who ya are, but...”

“Yeah I get it. I'm intimidatin'. I'll control myself.”

“Thanks, I guess,” she said quietly.

Salvator took another drink. “Yeah yeah. I'll be here.”

Applejack trotted off towards the house. Salvator closed his eyes for a moment. With a deep breath, he whispered, “Are ya up there watchin' me? I miss ya so much... sometimes I just want to join ya. In the clouds. I wish I knew where our boy was. I wish you were still here... I love ya...” He extracted a tiny locket from his tunic and turned it over in his hooves.

Applejack and Big Mac walked back up to the campfire leading the other bearers.

“Well, these are my friends,” said AJ. “Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy. Girls, this is King Salvator of Halcyon.”

Salvator stuffed his locket away and turned to face his audience. He gazed into the faces of four nervous mares. “How do ya do, ladies?” he asked with a curt bow.

“He's really big!” Pinkie whispered to Rainbow Dash.

“Hello, erm, lovely to meet you...” offered Rarity.

Fluttershy couldn't even speak. She crouched behind Big Mac, peeking shyly through her hair.

“Look,” said Salvator calmly. “I don't expect ya to feel comfortable around me. I am a foreigner and I am the one who tried to assassinate Celestia. Applejack informed ya of this beforehand, correct?”

The ponies nodded.

“Well, it's best to be open about my intentions. Yes – I'm here for Celestia. If you ladies would like to take a seat, I'll try to explain why.”

The companions awkwardly moved around to the logs surrounding the fire. Coincidentally, no one sat next to Salvator.

“So, I suppose just ask whatever you need to,” said Salvator.

Surprisingly, Fluttershy was the first to remark. She mumbled something incomprehensible.

“What's that, my dear?”

“Why do you hate us?”

Salvator observed the expressions of the ponies before him. All except AJ and her brother portrayed the same emotions: fear, resentment, hostility.

“I'm sorry, you are?”

“Fluttershy...”

“Fluttershy, yes. I don't hate ya Equestrians. Not at all. In fact, I almost envy ya. Life ain't so easy in my country Halcyon. Anyway, Celestia is the only reason I'm here. Ya already know what. She's not who she says she is. Have ya ever wondered how Equestria seems to avoid warfare? How your land is free of economic disaster and social turmoil? Think about it. I'm aware you've had several malevolent characters attack in times past, but your country has never directly fought with another. Until now, that is. Eh, let me put it in terms ya can understand. Your prosperity – the wonderful quality of life here – comes at a steep price. One ya can't see. One you're not allowed to see.”

A frown hung on Pinkie Pie's face. “I don't understand...”

“In the simplest form,” Salvator stated, “Celestia takes whatever she needs from the rest of the world to make sure Equestria flourishes. She doesn't care if the zebras or the Saddle Arabian ponies starve as long as you all get enough.”

“That's ridiculous! You're a filthy liar! Celestia would never do that!” raged Rainbow.

“Really? I'm lying?” asked Salvator sarcastically. “Okay then. Explain to me why non-pony species make up less than one percent of the population. Nowhere else in the world has that statistic. Tell me why international travel and trade are discouraged at best. Why do ya have to fight tooth and nail just to go on a vacation outside the country? Or the best one yet, the most profound conjecture, explain to me please why there are no more flutter ponies.”

Dash didn't have a rebuttal. “The flutter ponies... They're like Breezies, but regular sized? They're only a myth, right?”

“Oh no,” explained Salvator. “Ask anypony old enough and they'll remember 'em. I'll bet even Applejack's grandmother remembers hearing about them at some point.”

“Alright, well what happened to them then?” pressed Rarity.

“The official story was that they were a recessive race, and their unique genes vanished down through the generations. Supposedly they all became pegasi, as that was the more common race. Natural selection filtered out those pretty little wings of theirs. Followin' me?”

They nodded.

Salvator slouched down to get comfortable. “Unfortunately, that's a pretty big sham. Ya see, the flutter ponies weren't happy with the space they were given. Cloudsdale was too crowded with pegasi, and they really didn't have a place of residency for 'emselves. Basic pony geography states that as a population grows, space shrinks. There's only so much land to inhabit. The flutter ponies wanted to secede from Equestria. An elaborate plan was proposed to build a sister nation to the east – just for the flutters. At first, everythin' went accordingly. The plan was approved and the flutters constructed their own airborne settlement. Their cloud based infrastructure stretched for miles above the Equestrian ocean. Soon after the initial completion though, things started movin' downhill. Ya see, Celestia came to figure she didn't like the fact that some of her citizens were dissatisfied with their typical Equestrian lifestyle. If the flutter ponies demanded change and got their way, others would soon follow. So what did she do? She framed the colony for sedition and treason. She made up some cockamamie tale about 'em operatin' under a terrorist agenda. Said they were conspirin' to commit acts of international terrorism. So when she knew she was publicly justified, she placed a strict embargo on the fledgling colony. Within months, the food supply was dwindlin' and nopony was allowed to give 'em more. They ran out of food, medicine, resources, you name it.”

“How come they couldn't grow their own crops?” asked Rarity.

Rainbow looked at her with a smirk. “Have you tried growing crops on a cloud?”

“My point exactly,” said Salvator.

“So you're saying they all...” AJ couldn't bring herself to finish the thought.

“Yes. The entire race perished from starvation,” said Salvator. “Alas, that's only one example. Celestia's influence stretches far and wide, possibly even all around the world. If she finds ya not up to standards, she'll cut your legs out from under ya and let ya suffer 'till ya die.”

“T-that can't be...” breathed Rarity. “There's no way...”

“Hey, I don't care if ya believe me,” Salvator said. “The truth is the truth. Ya don't have to accept it.”

“Let's say all this is true,” AJ hypothesized. “What does this have to do with you and Halcyon? Have y'all been embargoed too?”

“Not quite. She tried, but we were too resilient at first. She assumed we needed her help to survive. After we shrugged her little attempt off, she tried a different tactic. Pretty soon we started to see new diseases. Ones that didn't exist in Halcyon. My people were all falling ill, and soon the economy plummeted as well. I knew it must have been Celestia because she was the only one with enough power to pull somethin' like that off. We've struggled to cure those diseases ever since then.”

“Okay I'm sorry but, this is all nonsense,” snapped Fluttershy. “Anypony with eyes can see how caring and generous Celestia is! She'd help anypony in need without question! You're a liar, Salvator!”

“Like I said before. I'm just tellin' it how it is. Ya don't gotta listen.”

AJ shook her head. “Salvator, you're an insane drunken slob and you're just blowin' smoke out your ass. Celestia didn't do any of that.” She scrounged for a beer and popped the cap off on the log. “Your lies are hurtin' my ears. I need a drink...”

Salvator chuckled to himself and gazed dreamily at Applejack. She noticed this and made a face of disgust. “What are ya lookin' at me like that for?”

“You remind me so much of your parents.”

“...What did you say...?” hissed AJ in a low tone.

Everyone tensed up in silence.

Salvator set his bottle on the ground. “What? All I said was that ya remind me of your parents.”

“What the hell did you say to me!?” screamed AJ. She leaped up and lunged at Salvator. “How dare you! You don't talk about my parents!!!” She slugged him hard on the muzzle. He flew haphazardly off the log and landed in a heap on the dirt. He said nothing and spat a wad of blood out. Big Mac stood up and tried to restrain his furious sister.

“How dare you!” continued Applejack. “You really have no decency do you!? Is that supposed to be some kinda joke!? You think that's funny!? I hope you die alone you sick bastard!!!” She tried desperately to break free of her brother's grasp. “Get up! Get up and I'll show you how funny that is!!!”

“APPLEJACK!” boomed Mac. “That's enough! Control yourself!” He squeezed her shoulders. “He's not worth it!”

She was positively brooding. Her breath was sharp and quick. Salvator slowly rose from the dirt. His mouth was bloodied from the punch. No one moved. They were glued in place from shock.

“You stay right here!” Mac commanded AJ. He let her go and slowly moved up on Salvator. The King stood several inches above the red stallion. They looked each other straight in the eye.

“Listen well,” Mac whispered. “I don't give a shit if you're a king. You do not talk about my parents. Never. Now I'm not one for violence, but if you don't apologize to my sister and I right this instant, I'm going to personally wring your neck out and drop your corpse on Celestia's doorstep. Get it?”

Rarity blushed at the usually docile colt's language. The males held their ground. Their faces were mere inches away from one another. Salvator conceded at last. His expression was impossible to read.

“I understand. If you'll kindly back up a bit, I will apologize. To everypony.”

Mac backed off and let Salvator take his seat again. A bead of sweat rolled down Fluttershy's forehead. She could have cut the tension with a knife.

“Well everypony, it appears I have made a mistake,” said Salvator. “I sincerely apologize to all of you. Especially you two.” He nodded at the Apples. “I know ya don't believe me, but it was most certainly not my intention to offend any of ya. Please know that I am genuinely sorry for this misunderstanding.”

“Misunderstanding!?” AJ protested. “How could that possibly be a misunderstanding? You're talking about my dead parents like ya know them personally! It's like ya just don't know when to stop!”

For the first time in a few hours, Salvator let his emotions show. He sighed with much sadness and let his face fall into his hooves. “I'm sorry,” he mumbled. “That's all I can offer. I-I didn't know you'd take it like that. I thought ya'd be happy...”

“Happy about what?” snapped Big Mac.

“Happy to hear what your parents were like...” he answered softly.

Applejack growled loudly, more in confusion than anger now. “W-what? Are ya seriously tellin' us that ya knew who our parents were? Is that what you're sayin'?”

Salvator looked up at her with a sad smile. “Yes, Applejack. Yes. Sweet Apple and Golden Delicious were two of my closest friends. I've known them ever since they were your age.”

Both the Apple's gasped. Big Mac could only stare at the ground in bewilderment. He rubbed his head. Applejack on the other hand felt much more emotional. “I just don't understand,” she whispered. “How do ya know their names? How in the great wide world could ya possible know my parents? That doesn't make any sense. This feels like a dream...”

“Applejack, I promise ya I'm tellin' the truth,” said Salvator. “I'm speakin' from my heart. Now I know I'm not exactly a charmin' pony to talk with, but I would never, never joke about something like this.”

Big Mac was just as confused as his sister. “Prove it, Salvator.”

“What would I gain from lyin' here?” asked Salvator in a sort of exasperated plea. “Everypony here already hates me as it is. I'll say it one more time. I'm telling the truth. Now stop houndin' me with your doubts and just listen. Applejack, Big Macintosh, I loved your parents like my own family. I still do. They were amazing ponies. Hardworking and dependable, honest and fair. Passionate spirits. A lot like you two. Heh, but, ya already knew that.” He paused. “Lord, just thinking about 'em brings a smile to my ugly face.”

“How?” questioned AJ, almost crying. “How did ya know 'em?”

“Ya might have trouble believin' this one as well. It's gonna sound ridiculous, but here it is. Your parents were born in Halcyon. They had southern blood flowin' through their veins. When they were first married, they decided that their children deserved a better life. One that my country just couldn't provide for 'em. They came to me beggin' for a chance to leave. I warned 'em about Celestia and her ways, told them that if they were caught, I couldn't save 'em. They weren't ponies to scare easily. One warm summer night they gathered up their belongin's and left. The two joined a group of starry-eyed dreamers and began the long journey over. Not soon after, little Macintosh was born on this very soil. A true blue Equestrian.”

“Shucks...” said Big Mac. “But, there have been Apple's in Equestria for generations. How could we be from Halcyon?”

Salvator lifted his hoof up like a professor. “A fair question. Ya see, your family is a lot more famous than ya may know. Back in Halcyon, Apple is a pretty big name. Many of your relatives had also saved up enough money to move here over the years. That's why your grandmother was here long before your parents. She wanted desperately to bring your father with her when she moved, but he refused. He said that he'd earn his own way over.” Salvator smiled a bit wider. “He also said he wouldn't leave until he had a wife. So in retrospect, it's pretty fortunate that Granny Smith couldn't convince him to come with her.”

Everyone smiled.

“That's amazing,” voiced Pinkie Pie. “Applejack, I had no idea you and your family were immigrants!”

“Neither did I,” breathed AJ. “This is a lot to take in. That does sound just like dad, though. He was the most stubborn stallion I ever knew.” She wiped away a tear at the fond memories.

“Ya said we're famous in Halcyon?” Big Mac asked Salvator, ever drawn to the concept of stardom.

“Yes, to some degree. Obviously ya all know that farmin' is in the Apple family blood. Well, ain't nothin' different in Halcyon. In fact, for years I bought straight from your parent's farm. They were the best. You two should be proud to be Apples.”

AJ blushed and Mac beamed. “Eeyup!”

“Anyway,” Salvator continued, “I really came to know Sweet and Golden through their usual deliveries. Your parents would swing by about every week with an amazin' shipment of fruit. We started talking, and it just so happened we became close friends. I often conversed with your father late into the night about different things. We talked a lot about Equestria. He knew about Celestia and her agenda. He was well aware of the imminent risks in crossing the border, but that never stopped him.”

“Yeah...” said AJ dreamily. She wasn't listening to the parts about Celestia. “That's dad alright...”

“That's so sweet,” added Fluttershy. “He risked his life for you guys. I sure wish I could have met him. Your mom too! They both sound so wonderful!”

“Trust me, they are,” affirmed Applejack. Her pride swelled with such praise of her parents.

Even Dash seemed to be in a good mood. “Your dad sounds awesome! He totally should have been a pegasus.”

“It sure is a shame they aren't here,” said Salvator. “I could really use their help right about now.”

“Yeah,” Applejack said passively. “Not a day goes by I don't miss 'em horribly.”

Salvator chose his next words carefully as not to upset anyone. “How much do you two know about what happened to them?” he asked.

“Their sickness was incurable,” stated Mac, resuming his more serious demeanor. “They fought as long as they could.”

Salvator took in a deep breath. “I need to tell ya somethin' that ya may not want to hear.”

AJ looked at him. “About their death?”

He nodded.

“Alright. Go ahead.”

“Now, I can't say any of this with absolute certainty. This is all speculation on my part. What I know for sure is that I called 'em back to Halcyon several times after they settled in Equestria. One of those times was for the birth of my son. That was right before you were born, Applejack. We'll talk about that later. That's another story. I also know that I gave your parents weapons to defend 'emselves with. Guns, to be exact. That was a mistake. Guns are illegal here, and I shouldn't have done anything to put your parents on the wrong side of the law. Nevertheless, I did. I told 'em they needed the protection. Here's where I can only assume. With the limited evidence I possess, I believe somepony discovered 'em. Somepony found out that they had guns, and that they'd been crossin' back and forth to Halcyon for years. Right under Celestia's nose. They were always careful. We made sure of that. Yet, it must not have been enough. I think there was a rat who handed 'em over to Celestia. Then, I think she poisoned 'em. The very last time they visited me, that must have done it.”

Everyone took a good while to think on the hypothesis.

“Salvator,” said Applejack tiredly, “they were sick. That's it. Why does everythin' always have to be a conspiracy with ya?”

“You're right, you're right,” said Salvator. “It's far-fetched. Just hear me out. I have several agents here in Equestria. When Applebloom was a couple years old, one of my agents started reportin' that Sweet Apple Acres was gettin' significantly more business than normal. I didn't think much of it, but that may have been when somepony discovered their secrets. I was told that a certain mare would visit them almost daily. Her name was, eh, something Velvet. Celestia must have poisoned 'em after that.”

“I don't believe that,” said Big Mac. “That's evil.”

Salvator shrugged. “Like I said, I can't be sure that's what happened.”

“There's no conspiracy. None of that is true,” Applejack claimed objectively.

Salvator stretched. “Whatever happened, may they rest in peace. Your parents were damn fine folk. I don't have a single word against them. I woulda' given my life for them any day.”

“Wow,” said Dash in a collective summary of the conversation's implications. “Wow.”

“I hate to change to subject so randomly, but I thought of somethin',” said Salvator. “Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, ya might have to go back to the castle.”

Dash was appalled by this sporadic suggestion. “What for?”

Salvator motioned for her to calm down. “Look, it's not because I don't love talkin' with all of ya. I just think that we'd all be more safe if ya went back. I can't say for sure, but Celestia might be able to track your location. When she discovers you're gone, which I assume will be real soon, she's gonna want to find ya. If she can somehow trace your paths, she'll come marchin' right on up here. I ain't quite ready to deal with her yet.”

“He makes a good point.” said Big Mac. “Y'all can keep an eye on things at the castle and let us know if there's anythin' weird goin' on.”

AJ threw her arms up. “No! That completely undermines the whole point of bringin' 'em here! I'm not walking another million miles back up to Canterlot! Besides, they couldn't communicate with us from the castle. I say no way.”

Pinkie slumped. “I don't want to go back! It's sooooo boring!”

“When would we come out again?” asked Fluttershy.

“Within a few days,” said Salvator. “As soon as the rest of my troops get here, we're mobilizing. It wouldn't be more than a few days. We'd make sure to keep you all out of harms way.”

Pinkie lazily rolled off the log onto the ground, making her discontent perfectly apparent. “I reeeaaally don't want to go back.”

“We know, Pinkie,” snapped AJ. “Salvator, honestly? All the way back to Canterlot? That's a ton of extra effort for a possible risk.”

Salvator finished his beer. “I can't risk Celestia findin' me yet. I'll send an escort squad to make sure they get back safely.”

AJ was clearly annoyed. “How come you're just now thinkin' of this? Why'd ya even help me out in the first place if you were just gonna go back on your word?”

“I ain't goin' back on my word! I just didn't realize that Celestia might be trackin' 'em. They'll be safer with the guards anyway.”

“You're seriously doing this?” asked Applejack in an irritated grunt. “You're really gonna force my friends to go back? You stupid hypocrite..."

“They're going.” He turned to the rest of them. “Sorry ladies. It's nothin' personal. Really. I'd suggest ya all go willingly, though. I'd hate to use force on such a pretty group as yourselves.”

---

The companions, along with two escorts, padded through the empty fields toward the castle walls. Under Cadance's dome, the leafy landscape held a dull pink glow. The mares edged their way back to the towering stone spire from whence they escaped only hours ago. They exhibited perfect secrecy in their stride.

“Here we are,” Rarity whispered as they reached the library. She nudged open the door and sneaked inside. Just as the four had all but settled in once more, a figure moved in a shadowy corner.

“Where have you been?” Princess Celestia asked as she loomed over them.

“Princess!” Pinkie yammered. “We were just um, out in the garden. Right?”

“Yeah! There's no need to be upset,” said Dash.

“Do not lie to me. That will only make things worse,” warned Celestia.

They all cringed.

“You disobeyed me,” the ruler continued. She briskly stomped over to them. “I know you were all outside the castle. What I don't know yet is how you got out and where you went. That will come soon enough when I get the chance to investigate. Do you have anything to say for yourselves?”

“We're sorry,” Fluttershy whimpered.

“So am I,” said Celestia. “You're not to leave this room except to use the restroom. Your food will be brought to you, and armed guards will be stationed here to ensure your cooperation. You should not have taken advantage of my generosity.”

Rarity felt sick to her stomach. “Isn't there anything we can do to reconcile your trust, Princess? We made a fatal mistake. Please give us another chance.”

“I will not. Clearly none of you realize how important you are. To recklessly endanger yourselves, to squander your safety in pursuit of what? Entertainment? I expected much more from the bearers of the Elements of Harmony. Not only that, you're my subjects! I cherish you all more than you can ever know. I will not risk seeing any of you harmed. So, you are to remain here until further notice. Now if you'll excuse me, I have very important business to attend to. Business that would have been finished hours ago if not for the worry you've caused me.”

Fluttershy sniffled. “I'm sorry, Princess. I'm so sorry.”

Celestia casually walked to her and lowered herself to eye level. She whispered something in Fluttershy's ear, then left without another word. Dash, Rarity, and Pinkie all looked anxiously at their friend.

“What did she say?”

Fluttershy gulped. “She said 'don't disobey me again.'”

Chapter 9: Day 9

Distinguishing reality from the blackness was impossible. Twilight's mind lethargically pieced itself back together. Before any other sense, her pain returned. Her back felt like someone had jammed an ice pick into it. The second sense she recovered her was audition -murkily- in the form of Princess Luna furiously shouting.

“What do you mean he 'defected?' How could you do that to him? How could you not consider what might happen? You choose now to tell me this? Five days later? This is all on your head, Celestia! I'm dumbfounded that you would act so foolishly! Y-you're like a child! What would you have done if she'd died? Huh? What would you have done, sister!?”

Celestia's voice sounded a few seconds later. “Luna, please. Please calm down. I fully accept all responsibility for this. I can't explain why it happened, but I'm sorry. I was under immense pressure. Maybe my stress caused it. Believe me, I'm sorry! It was a stupid mistake!”

“This is too far,” Luna barked sternly. “Look, we're coming home as soon as Twilight can walk. Then you're going to explain to her exactly why she almost died. Do you understand me?”

“Of course, Luna! Twilight is more than precious to me! I only wanted to protect her! Why don't you believe me?”

Luna's tone softened. “I do believe you, but you've shaken my trust. Right down to the foundation. Did you not think I could keep us safe? Am I too weak to guard us? I'm beginning to question your reasoning, Celestia. I just don't know sometimes...”

“Luna, I need you with me. I'm not perfect. I can't do this by myself. We both know why Gaius is back on Equestrian soil. There won't be peace in this land until one of us stops breathing. Forgive me, my sister. I need you...”

Luna paused. “Just give me time to think about all of this. We'll be home soon.”

Celestia's concern was obvious in her voice. “Of course. As you wish. Please let me know how I may recover your trust, should you think of anything. Be strong, Luna. I look forward to your return.”

With that, their communication ceased.

Twilight didn't have the capacity to discern the quarrel she'd secretly witnessed. Instead she collected the feeble amount of strength she had and tried to wiggle out of her blanket cocoon. As soon as her purple eyes opened, Luna's attention snapped straight to her.

“Twilight! Thank the heavens! Oh this is glorious! Careful now, try not to move too much. You're in the hospital. You've lost a critical amount of blood and your back is broken in a dozen places. Right now I have intense regenerative magic working inside you alongside the medicines. That's the only thing allowing you to move. I'd prefer you to remain in bed until you can function on your own. Please don't try to be up and about. Here, drink some water. It will help.” She handed Twilight a cup from a nearby table, which she gladly accepted. “Is there anything I can do for you? Don't hesitate to express your needs.”

Twilight grimaced. “Hurts – back hurts,” she moaned.

“Yes, of course. Lie down and I'll numb it for you,” Luna responded. She lit her horn and leaned forward in her chair, directing a blue aura into Twilight. “Give it a minute - your pain should lessen significantly. Listen, once you come around a bit more, there are several urgent matters we need to discuss back in Canterlot. I'm sure that by now you know who Salvator is and why he's here. However, there's an extremely critical piece missing from this puzzle. My sister wishes to tell you in person.”

Twilight nodded although her mind was elsewhere. “Did you find the books?”

The question caught Luna off guard. “Hm? Books?”

“In the shed where you found me. Please tell me you found the books. There was a journal and a spellbook.”

“A spellbook and a journal? Oh my. We had to take precautions when we found you. We burned the shed to keep you from freezing to death.”

“Oh no...” groaned Twilight. “It wasn't an ordinary spellbook, and that journal might have been important. I think it belonged to King Sombra.”

Luna's eyes widened. “What? A-are you sure?”

“I'm almost positive. His name is right there inside the front page.”

“Most perplexing. Wait, there might be hope. Cian said he salvaged some useful items he didn't want to burn. It's possible that he brought one or both books with him.”

The news lifted Twilight's mood. “I sure hope so. Where is he, anyway? Our last conversation turned into an argument. That's more or less why I ended up in the blizzard. Cian ran off into the storm and I figured I should try and find him. I was attacked and Cian tried to protect me.”

“He's asleep,” responded Luna. “It's quite late. In fact, I believe it's almost midnight.”

Twilight awkwardly reached behind her and rubbed her back. “I'm almost afraid to ask but, how long was I out? Has anything significant happened? I can gather that Salvator hasn't been found yet, or things wouldn't be so urgent.”

“Well, the situation is tricky. My sister has reason to believe that Salvator and his troops are staking out at Sweet Apple Acres. The problem is, there isn't any solid evidence. A pair of royal guards on reconnaissance reported nothing suspicious, but were acting strangely. They seemed confused - like they were under hypnosis. We're currently investigating the matter further. Celestia runs the risk of impeachment if she acts preemptively and turns out to be wrong.”

“Wait,” said Twilight. “First of all, there's no way the Apple's would willingly harbor international criminals. That's ridiculous. Secondly, who holds the power to impeach Princess Celestia? Only you, right? Would you have to be the one to carry out the law in such a case?”

Luna stretched and yawned lightly. “If such a situation ever arose, then yes. I would take over full responsibility of ruling Equestria. It appears that Celestia has been making some rather... rash decisions lately. I doubt she'll do anything brazen enough to jeopardize her position of power, though.”

“I have full faith in Princess Celestia,” Twilight asserted. “She'll set things right. I know it.”

“Oh yes, I'm sure she will,” Luna agreed. “So, how about I see what Cian brought back from the shed? We may just find a little nugget of information.”

“Yes, I'd quite like that.”

Luna stood and exited the room. Moments later, she returned carrying a burlap sack. She opened it up with her magic, and slowly extracted two extremely old texts. “Well,” she said. “Looks like we found them.”

Chapter 10: Day 10

There weren't any sounds aside from faint snoring. It was as if the night itself had fallen into slumber. The darkness hung like a blanket, yet Fluttershy couldn't find sleep. She alone lay with eyes open, gazing into the vast murk of the library. Salvator's revelation earlier that week continued to haunt her as if some sort of long-lasting incantation. The truth concealed under his words bit into her. Princess Celestia's rage was buried somewhere just beneath the surface. The ruler's simmering reaction to their brief departure had truly struck fear into her. It had been six days since they were detained to the library and there had been no sign of Celestia since. She hadn't visited once. Fluttershy struggled to comprehend such abnormal behavior from her infallible sovereign. However, the safety of her own life and those of her friends lay at the root of Celestia's actions. She'd made a habit of frequently reminding herself of this.

She flopped onto her side and tried to find a comfortable position. At this most unholy hour, even the stationed guard had drifted off to sleep. Yet, Fluttershy couldn't find rest. Only the sheer blackness of night accompanied her thoughts. She sighed despairingly. The whole world was spinning without her, unraveling itself faster than she could possibly hope to stitch it back together. She just wanted normal life to resume. To erase the past week and a half and live with the assurance of a safe, happy tomorrow.

An emerald glimmer slowly came into view outside the library doors. Fluttershy looked up curiously as the radiant aura grew in size. It was soft, yet too harsh to be a unicorn's magic. Metallic clinking coupled with the light as it gradually grew brighter. Soon enough, its source moved past the doors. For a brief instant, the dark form stopped and gazed inside. Fluttershy's breath caught. Two burning halos peered back at her. They didn't blink. Just as it came, the thing continued on its way. Fluttershy let her breath out slowly and rubbed her forehead.

What in Equestria...?

She wriggled silently out of her sleeping bag and rose to her hooves. She thought maybe the thing was a strange animal that stumbled into the castle somehow. If that were true and the guards found it, they wouldn't waste time relocating it. Fluttershy cast a fearful glance at the snoozing watchpony. His spear lay idle on the ground. Still, it was there for a reason. Should he wake, he might opt to use it.

Ever to her favor, the library doors produced no sound as she strode into the hall. Once again the timid pony found herself directly disobeying Celestia.

What am I doing? I should just go back inside...

Yet, she didn't move. Her insomnia was in full bloom. With each passing second, the thought of getting shuteye became increasingly distant. Coincidentally, so did the incandescent creature.

Oh Celestia.

She carefully paced down the nebulous hall. The animal clinked along, lights vigilantly illuminating the path ahead. Fluttershy made sure to remain perfectly embedded in the shadows as she slinked.

Along they walked. Prey and stalker both skulked down the endless corridors. It was exceedingly difficult for Fluttershy to pinpoint their location within the castle. After a few minutes of undisturbed creeping, they took a turn south. The thing abruptly swiveled around a corner that Fluttershy failed to see at first. She almost missed the turn, but quickly adjusted her course. The wing of the castle was unfamiliar to her. There wasn't anything on the walls. Even the floor was bare. The thing took another quick corner, then another. Fluttershy was beginning to wonder if this peculiar being was truly lost. Its movements appeared to be swift and calculated. The two descended down a narrow, high-stepped set of stairs.

Fluttershy gulped and whimpered to herself. If the thing turned around now, there would be nowhere to hide. If it was violent, there was nowhere to run. The creature had more pressing matters to attend to than turning around, however. It ceased moving at the bottom of the staircase. The path was a dead end. Only a solid wall stood at the end. With the enclosed walls of the staircase compressing its eye light, the thing's form became vaguely visible. It was a stocky quadruped with top pointed ears. It was pony shaped.

Fluttershy watched as the odd pony lifted a hoof to the wall and pressed it into the stone. An electronic crackle sounded overhead, followed by a pre-recorded voice. “Password?”

The pony thing let loose a series of loud beeps and various pitches.

“Welcome, Mark-I,” stated the voice.

As if by magic, the wall clunked heavily and slid open to the side, bathing the stairs in a harsh white light. Fluttershy was mystified by the spectacle. At this point, her reservations had since been replaced with wonder. The creature wasted no time in making its way into the light. With a hoof to shield her eyes, Fluttershy cautiously made her way to the bottom of the stairs. Unfortunately, the door began sliding shut before she had time to consider just what she was getting herself into. She had a creeping feeling that she was getting in way over her head. There was no logical reason to enter the door in front of her, but she'd already come this far. If she found out what this thing was, she could alert Celestia in the morning. So Fluttershy made the most important decision of her life. She muttered a silent prayer and leaped through the door – into the light.

The door's internal locks clunked back to rest not a half second after she was in. The room was white. White walls, white lights, white tables. She decided it must have been an engineering marvel to wire electricity down this far. Now that any darkness was gone, Fluttershy inspected the thing walking away from her. She gasped silently and quickly reeled back into a corner. The “animal” was shaped like a pony, but it was not alive. Its skin was comprised of tempered metal sheets and little gears spun frantically at the joints in its hooves. On its back was a silver appendage she didn't recognize. The thing didn't blink. It didn't breathe. It was a walking machine made in its creator's image.

Fluttershy's eyes were wide with horror as she stared at the robot. Its metal hooves clinked loudly as it trotted away toward its predestined location. Only after waiting for quite some time did Fluttershy timidly press forward. Every room was white. The area frightened her. It made no sense. Clearly it was some sort of laboratory. Worktables sat everywhere, equipped with tanks of polychromatic liquids and a dozens of electronic boxes. What made the place terrifying to her was its gaping emptiness. There were dozens of work stations, but there wasn't a single soul anywhere in the disorienting maze. Each table's chair was pushed in neatly and all the equipment appeared to be securely tidied. She blindly wandered through hallways, quickly coming to realize that finding an exit was no easy task. At last she came upon a completely barren room. It served only as a connector for two parallel halls. She sat down against the cold wall to collect her thoughts. What precious little information she had didn't seem to help. She was lost, there was some kind of... thing wandering around, and the only exit she knew of was sealed tight. If this was where ponies worked, there had to be food somewhere or an emergency escape or-

Her ears perked. Voices echoed from nearby. Two of them: one very familiar and one not. The two conversed out of sight until they rounded a corner and trotted into the vestibule where Fluttershy sat. She gazed up into the astounded faces of a young zebra scientist, and Princess Celestia.

Silence. Silence still, as if Fluttershy's existence defied physical reality.

“P-Princess...” uttered the pegasus in a hushed whimper.

Celestia simply stood staring at her unsettled subject.

“You're not supposed to be here!” protested the zebra urgently. “How did you get in here?”

Her face flushed with guilt. “I followed the robot thing down here. I-is this some kind of science lab?”

“Yes...” affirmed Celestia with a blank, emotionless expression. “Only authorized workers and members of the Royal Family know about this lab. Can you offer me any explanation as to why you're sitting in front of me right now?”

“P-please don't be angry, Princess. I just wanted to... I...” she stuttered. She couldn't form a cogent explanation because she didn't understand anything herself.

Celestia's eyes slowly softened until she looked upon the diminutive pony with a kind of sadness. “You followed the robot down here?” she asked with a frail voice.

“Yes. I saw it walking through the castle. I thought it was an animal and I wanted to help it... I'm so sorry, I'll go back right away...”

Celestia slowly took a few steps forward and sat down next to her subject. “Fluttershy, I...” she started. Tears welled in her eyes. “Why did you come here? Why did you have to come here...?”

“I'm really sorry! Please don't cry!” pleaded Fluttershy, about to cry too.

“You disobeyed me again. Do you know how deeply that hurts me? I just wanted you to be safe... and you disobeyed me twice. Even after I told you not to. It tears me apart inside that you'd do that...”

Her limbs felt like jelly and her heart was pounding. “I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to! I promise! I'll never disobey you again! I-I don't want to hurt you, Princess! I love you! All I want is for things to go back to normal... I'm so sorry...” She buried her face in her hooves and sobbed. Celestia just looked upon her with a mixture of regret and sorrow.

“It pains me so much to know that I can't protect all of my beautiful subjects,” continued the ruler. “I've lost so many of my beloved ponies... Knowing I can't save them all makes me sick.”

Fluttershy just blubbered helplessly to herself. The zebra hadn't moved. He stood with a pained look, not sure what to do.

“I thought I could save you all,” Celestia lamented. “I thought I could keep you and your friends safe here at the castle, but twice you disobeyed me...twice you tore my heart in two. I love you Fluttershy. Why do you hurt me like this...?” She closed her eyes and held her head. Something wasn't right. She shook her head from side to side. “Why? Why? Why?”

No response. Fluttershy was a mess. Celestia turned a grief stricken face up to the scientist. “I need you to to something for me. Please mix five grams of Sodium thiopental, one hundred milligrams of Pancuronium bromide, and one hundred milliequivalents of Potassium chloride. Bring the solution to me.”

The young zebra grimaced and stepped back. “Wait, isn't that...? A-are you serious?”

Celestia looked exhausted. All the luster in her coat was gone. “I am quite serious,” she told the zebra. “Please don't make this harder on me than it already is.”

“T-that's...unethical! No, evil! I-I can't be a part of that! She didn't mean to stumble down here! It was an accident!”

“I know. That only worsens the pain. I wish with all my beating heart that there was some other alternative. I love my subjects so much. Each and every citizen is very much a part of me...”

Fluttershy looked at her. Something seemed off.

“Princess Celestia, surrender to reason!” prayed the scientist. “This pony – Fluttershy, she's completely innocent! You're not making sense! Please, don't do this! Don't make me do this! I want no part in this!”

Celestia sighed. “After today, you may resign without consequence if you so wish. Now do as I say.”

The zebra breathed heavily. It looked as though he might faint. After much hesitation, he turned and trudged down the hall. Fluttershy sniffled. She shivered violently. “Princess...?”

Celestia wrapped her hoof around the unraveled pony and hugged her tightly. “Yes, my dear?”

“W-what are those chemicals?”

The ruler stroked Fluttershy's mane softly. “Ssh. Don't worry. There's nothing to worry about.”

The two sat in terrifying silence until the zebra returned. He said nothing. Instead of approaching, he dropped a syringe on the floor and kicked it over to the mares. “I won't be back,” he said.

Celestia picked it up and examined the thick substance inside. “I just wanted to save you...” she whispered to herself. Then looking back to the pony in her embrace, “Fluttershy, may I see your hoof please?”

Fluttershy sniffled again and looked at Celestia. “Princess?”

“I said, may I see your hoof please?”

She nodded and shakily extended her left hoof. “You're giving me a shot?” she squeaked in confusion.

“Yes, my dear. There won't be any pain. All you'll feel is a little pinprick.”

“Oh, okay...”

Princess Celestia carefully slid the needle into Fluttershy's tender hoof. She hummed softly as the serum slowly drained away.

“Princess, what's going to happen?” whispered Fluttershy.

Celestia removed the needle and cradled the pegasus in her lap, still stroking her mane. “You're safe now. Nothing can hurt you now.”

“Princess...I'm so sorry...”

“Ssh,” whispered Celestia. “There is no pain. You won't feel any pain. I promise.”

Tears trickled down Fluttershy's cheeks once more as she lay helpless in her Celestia's hooves. “I- am I...”

Celestia kissed her forehead softly. “Just relax, my dear. You're finally going home. Let them come take you home...”

The pegasus nodded weakly. “Home...” she repeated in a barely audible voice.

Celestia cried all over again as Fluttershy's eyes started to close. “Yes,” she said. “Home.” She continued to hold her, listening to her breaths becoming softer and shorter. “My sweet, sweet Fluttershy...”

A soft whimper.

“I'm so sorry...”

One last breath.

“You're finally home...”

With a tiny exhale,the kind yellow pegasus finally lay still.

Celestia wept endlessly, flung far beyond her breaking point. She set Fluttershy down and struck the wall in anger. She pounded it over and over, hoping vainly to overcome her devastating misery. She screamed curses into the silent air. She cursed many souls, but most of all herself. She loathed herself. She collapsed into a heap on the cold linoleum and drowned in her despair. She cried until her eyes burned and continued to sob well after the tears stopped coming.

Chapter 11: Day 11

Something wasn't right. It was obvious the very instant Twilight woke up. Her back stung something fierce, but it wasn't what woke her. A nauseating waterfall of dread crashed upon her with each passing second. She breathed heavily and wiped her head. The sinister feeling could have been a remnant of the black magic taking its toll. Surely Princess Luna would be able to offer assistance. She and the males had camped out in her room.

She clamored out of bed and wobbled over to the pile of blankets by the door. Walking was still no menial task. She slouched against the frame of the door and cringed at not only the pain radiating from her back, but from the crushing sensation of enveloping dismay.

A look out the window revealed a sky dark as pitch. The sun's pale crest had yet to rise. She could hear immodest snoring from the floor, indicating the boys certainly weren't up yet.

Why in Equestria am I up so early? What is this...horrible feeling?

Luna wasn't with them. Cian and Neeson were the only ones in the room.

Twilight shuffled into the hallway. No later did she turn to look for Luna, than the princess nearly came barreling into her. Luna grunted and skidded to a halt, narrowly avoiding giving Twilight a serious concussion.

“Ack! Princess Luna!” shouted the startled patient.

Luna didn't look good. “Twilight. Do you feel that too? That abominable sense of urgency?”

“Yes. It woke me up. I was hoping you could shed some light on that. What's going on?”

“I don't know,” voiced Luna quickly. She looked around the room then back to Twilight. “There have been very few times I've had this feeling. Gather your belongings. We're leaving right now.”

Twilight trudged back to her bed. “Right now? Isn't it a little early? My balance hasn't even come back yet.”

Luna stared at her intensely. “I said pack your bags! Do as I say!”

Twilight jumped and took a few steps back. “S-sorry, Princess. I'll get my things.”

Luna swiftly nudged the boys awake. “Neeson! Cian! Pack your bags up! We need to get out of here! It's an emergency!”

Groans arose. Twilight opened the drawer of her night table. Only her scarf and the two books lay inside. She tried to levitate them, but cried out as her horn sparked and pulsed with lingering black magic.

Right... she thought. Magic poison. Great.

“Well this is a right fine way to start the morning!” complained Neeson from the floor. “Princess Luna, what's the meanin' of this?

“I don't know, but something's wrong!”

The stallion grumbled to himself. “C'mon. Get up, boy. Apparently we gotta go. I need a drink...”

Twilight put on her scarf and dropped the books into the burlap sack Cian brought. She made her way into the hall and sat on a bench.

“Load those into the chariot, Twilight,” commanded Luna. “Every second counts. Go!”

Twilight then limped out of the hospital into the frigid predawn. She promptly stuffed the sack into the chariot's storage bin.

“Well well, look who's awake,” came a sleepy voice from behind her. Cian trotted up to her. “Feelin' better yet?” He lifted a hoof and tousled her hair. “Had enough fightin' in the snow?”

“I was looking for you,” she responded matter-o-factly. “You ran outside straight into the blizzard. It would have been irresponsible of me not to follow you.”

Cian bowed and looked down. “Ya must be very responsible then. But in the future, I don't recommend ya pull anything like that again. From what I gather, your life's a lot more import than mine. Don't risk it.”

“What do you mean?” she asked. “What makes you say that? I'd risk my life for any of my friends. In fact, I frequently do. Every life is worth saving. No matter who it is.”

“You're kind, Twilight,” Cian said back. “Thank ya. That means a lot to me. I'm just glad to see you're alive.” He paused for a second. “I need to help Granddad.” He turned and headed back in.

“Well that was weird,” Twilight muttered. She slowly climbed into the chariot while taking care not to cause herself further damage. It wasn't long until the others arrived. Luna strapped herself in and Cian helped his grandfather onto the vehicle. As soon as he saw Twilight, Neeson's mood lifted.

“How ya feelin' today? Your brush with death still freakin' ya out?”

Twilight was quickly growing tired of hearing how close to death she'd been. “I'm just happy to be alive,” she responded politely with a curt smile.

“Everypony ready?” asked Luna. She didn't wait for a response. “Good. We're not coming back.”

The massive chariot lurched off the frozen ground to take to the skies once more.

“So Twilight,” asked Cian. “What's the emergency? I figured we'd probably stay long enough to let ya recover a bit more. Did somethin' happen in Canterlot?”

“Nopony is sure. Something awful has happened, yes. We don't have any details though. Luna and I were both woken up by this peculiar, unsettling feeling. There's just something... wrong.”

Cian stroked his goatee. “I see. Do you think it's Celestia?”

“No. Luna would have known if something happened to Celestia. She's still fine.”

“I'm glad,” said Neeson. “You know, I admire Celestia. She's a lot friendlier than Salvator.”

“You got that right,” Twilight replied. The memory of Luna's argument with her sister surfaced briefly, but she suppressed it. They could worry about the truth when they got there. “Cian,” she then said, “I wanted to thank you for saving those books. As it turns out, one of them is an heirloom here in Equestria.”

“Not only that,” Luna chipped in from the harness. “The spellbook is strictly banned. It's quite illegal to possess.”

“Really now?” asked Neeson.

Luna took a moment to explain. “Oh yes. Black magic is against the law without exception. That book used to belong to my parents back when I was only a filly. They said it was only for emergencies, and I was never to read it. Seeing it surface again is the oddest thing. I have no earthly idea how it ended up here in the north. I wasn't even aware it was missing. Maybe Sombra had something to do with it when he was terrorizing the crystal empire the first time.”

“Sombra, eh? The name sounds familiar.” Neeson stated.

“His name carries much weight,” said Luna. “Maybe his infamy reached all the way to Halcyon. Maybe Celestia will know.”

“There's so much I want to ask her,” said Twilight.

“You'll have your chance,” Luna promised. “She owes you several explanations. If the feeling that woke us up has something to do with her, maybe more than that.”

Chapter 12

Years had passed since the Apple Family last visited the beach. This time of year, the Equestrian shoreline was frigid and barren. On this day in particular, a large congregation had gathered all up and down the coast. Salvator migrated his troops, along with the Apples, to welcome the arrival of the missing half of the army. Numerous crates of food and drink sat waiting for the approaching soldiers. Applejack watched a small crab scuttling about, irked over his territory being disturbed. Big Mac sat by himself drawing lines in the sand, and Granny was off somewhere up the coast with Applebloom. AJ hadn't talked to her grandmother much since she'd learned the truth about her parents. In fact, they hadn't talked at all. Even Big Mac had been quieter than usual, which was no easy feat.

King Salvator paced energetically along the icy water's edge. His gaze remained ever transfixed on the horizon. The soldiers filled the beach, sitting and chatting excitedly about their comrades long-awaited landing. Far in the distance, seven black monoliths hovered over the water. As they gradually approached, their impressive size became much more apparent. Each vessel was heavily fortified, equipped with reinforced titanium and what could only have been artillery cannons. They certainly didn't look easy to sink to Applejack. The sea ponies must have fought desperately for their victory.

Salvator raised his hooves and let out a roar. “This is it, men! Finally! Our party is just gettin' started!”

All over the beach, the soldiers stood and cheered. Many days of boredom had passed in order for this moment to arrive.

“Let's make some room here! Clear some space!” shouted Salvator. He waved his hooves around crazily, directing the crowds this way and that. “When they get off those boats, they're gonna be hungry as hell! Start gettin' the food ready!”

A group of stallions broke open the crates and handed out the food. The troops formed a makeshift line reaching from the rations supply down to the shore. The gargantuan ships loomed just offshore. Droves upon droves of soldiers piled into dinghies and lowered themselves into the water. Salvator continued to shout and wave crazily as the dinghies made it to shore.

“Welcome to Equestria, men! So glad you could make it!” He let out a hearty guffaw. “The best part is, we got food and plenty of beer! Make yourselves comfortable!”

The tired troops happily accepted all the rations they could get. The smiles on their faces clearly reflected their relief.

“Gather 'round, everypony! It's time for briefing!” yelled Salvator.

The infantrymen saluted their king and stopped talking over him.

“Today is the day we turn it all around! Today is the day we turn the tides on Equestria! This great land gave us our life, and now we're gonna show it how thankful we are! Who's with me?”

The crowd roared and whooped wildly. Salvator sure knew how to whip the troops into a frenzy.

“Our fair Princess Celestia knows we're here!” he continued. “She knows our intentions! So many years have passed since we proclaimed our independence, our aim, and our mission. Now we finally complete it! We take our revenge for the centuries of strife! We take our revenge for our fallen comrades! Our hearts go out to all of our brothers and sisters that have been lost. Sickness, war, everything Celestia has sent at us! Our fallen brethren are still alive within us! They will rest in peace knowing their lives weren't lost in vain!”

Again the masses exploded in applause and cheers. A thousand plus voices rang out into the Equestrian sky, crying for justice.

“I failed to kill Celestia!” shouted Salvator. “Whaddya say we march right on up to her castle and finish the job?”

Applejack was mesmerized by the king's ability to wholeheartedly captivate his troops. She'd never seen such a raw form of charisma before. His movement was almost erratic. He kicked up sand and used his whole body when he talked.

“I stand here before ya today not just as your leader, but as your comrade and fellow Halcyonite! I will follow you brave men until the bitter end! Join me today! Join me on this day and fight for your country! Fight for your freedom! Join me and end the oppression! Down with Equestria!”

A deafening chant began on the beach. Each soldier raised his hoof into the air and screamed with patriotism. “Down with Equestria! Down with Equestria! Down with Equestria!”

AJ looked around. Even her brother was awestruck at the powerful scene. He hadn't witnessed something of this caliber either. Life on the farm rarely bloomed into a call to arms. As the chant continued without falter, a muscular stallion approached King Salvator. He said something that made the gray earth pony smile devilishly.

“Listen here, men! It appears we have a secret prisoner of war! Go ahead, bring him out, then!”

The muscled stallion hopped on a dinghy and rowed his way back towards the ship. He lurched something out of the water and hefted it into the boat. Upon docking once more, he lifted his cargo and carried it to Salvator. Applejack gasped and grew wide-eyed. Salvator lifted the thing above his head and laughed insanely. The thing in his hoof was a creature – one that Applejack had only ever heard of. A sea pony.

“Lookie here! We caught ourselves a little fishy!” exclaimed the king gleefully. The poor thing's eyes were shut tightly. Its chest heaved as it choked and sputtered violently.

“What's the matter, can't seem to breathe?” mocked Salvator. “It appears we have a problem! This little fishy can't seem to breathe on land! Maybe it didn't know ponies can't breathe underwater! Maybe it just wanted to invite us for a swim! Well lads, what should we do with this little fishy? Eh?”

The responses from the soldiers disgusted AJ. Their lewd answers all meshed together into a buzz of voices.

Fry it up! Let it suffocate! Stuff its gills full of sand!

“Those are all tantalizing options!” Salvator shouted. “Somepony find me a spear! We'll flay this little fishy into shape!”

The troops cheered. Someone handed Salvator a spear, then quickly rejoined the crowd. The king set the sea pony down onto the sand and picked up the spear. He smiled wickedly under his mustache. “We return thee to the dust from whence ya came!” He looked up to the sky. “Are ya watching, Celestia? This one's for you!”

He hurled the spear straight through the sea pony's body in a calculated motion. The creature squealed out a raspy cry and quickly died. Its blood steamed as it rushed onto the sand. Salvator lifted the spear up and held it over his head. The creature slid down the shaft, dripping blood onto the Salvator's arm. “Vindication!” he screamed. “The first of many!” With that, he turned around and forcefully heaved the spear into the ocean. A small patch of red bloomed in the waters, marking the sea pony's final resting place.“Now I'm good and ready!” he screeched after turning back. “Take heart, men! Let's form up and march to Canterlot! We'll see if we can't give Princess Celestia a similar fate! We'll fight our way in and set up base!”

Applejack made her way to her brother. “Big Mac!”

He glanced over his shoulder.

“Big Mac, I'm going back to the castle. There's no way to stop Salvator now, and the others won't survive if his troops conquer all of Canterlot. I can't just sit here and do nothin'.”

“Why now?” asked Big Mac.

AJ tried to explain her reasoning. “Salvator ain't gonna wait for me this time! If I don't rescue my friends now, there's no telling what'll happen to 'em. I know Celestia wasn't too happy the last time they got out. We can't take any more chances.”

Mac eyed her. “Cadance's shield is still up.”

“I know that!” AJ snapped. “I'll just have to find a way. I'll dig my way under if that's what it takes.”

“No way of talkin' ya out of this, is there?” Mac asked, knowing the answer full well.

“No. Not when the lives of my friends are in danger,” said AJ firmly.

“Fine. Can I help?”

“Actually, yeah,” said AJ. “Get Granny and Applebloom. From the sound of it, Salvator's done with the farm. You'd be doin' me a great favor by takin' the others back home and lockin' up tight. That way I'd at least know y'all are safe.”

“Oh sis,” said Big Mac with a sigh. “Always micromanagin'.”

Applejack smiled. “I guess you're right. Now get goin' and don't worry about me. I'll be safe. I just hope I can get to the castle before it all comes crashin' down.”

Big Mac got up. “Good luck. I believe in ya.”

AJ tipped her hat and hugged her brother before splitting off and heading in the direction of Canterlot. She looked back from the rocky path away from the beach. The soldiers were already brushing the sand off their weapons and getting ready to move. She broke out into a gallop in an effort to put as much distance between her and Salvator as possible. If he could murder such a helpless sea pony without any sort of hesitation, he certainly wouldn't care about the lives of four civilians – even if he'd met them before.

She ran as far as her legs would carry her. She wasn't even halfway through Ponyville when her lungs burned and her hooves quivered from exertion. Beyond the town, the snaking path up the mountainside daunted her even further. She slowed to a canter. The regal city was still over a mile away. She sat and rested against the cool rock of the mountain. Canterlot called to her. Breaking through to a new threshold of energy, she was on her way again in less than a minute.

The outskirts of the city were safe enough to pass through, given the general emptiness. The citizens had long since been evacuated. She wound through the skeletons of destroyed buildings from the first day's blitzkrieg. Block after block of silent structures passed her by. She kept to the streets, not knowing what kind of eyes might be watching her at any given moment. Quiet persisted and the castle slowly drew closer. Out of nowhere, she heard hoofsteps heading her way. She quickly ducked down out of sight and took refuge behind a shattered concrete pillar. Two royal guards marched right by, failing to take notice of her. They didn't look too happy to be patrolling the abandoned city out in the cold. The moment they were out of earshot, AJ crept out from her hiding place and resumed her search and rescue mission.

From a safe distance, she scoped out the perimeter of the castle. It was swarming with royal guards. Apparently Celestia was more worried about herself than finding Salvator. AJ swore and tried to scrounge up a plan. The front of the castle would be too obvious. The drawbridge would be the first place the guards would think to protect. Around each side wouldn't be options either. Even if she could pierce the shield, the embankments were too well-fortified to scale. That only left the rear – the gardens. The shield's circumference stretched all around the castle, but she specifically remembered the first time she and her brother had broken the others out. The two unicorns she was with had a device to tear the shield. If her memory served her, they forgot to pick it back up on the way out. The climb up to that spot was quite the ordeal, but she figured it was her only shot. It was time to pay the gardens another visit.

---

There still hadn't been any word of Shining Armor's whereabouts. Cadance rubbed her belly and gazed out her window. Hopefully the Crystal Empire would be fine until her return. It was also only a matter of days before the kingdom had its first heir. Cadance tried to stifle the growing fear over her missing husband. She got up and wandered the halls of the castle. She thought maybe Celestia would finally give her a straight answer if she asked about Shining Armor. Last night she'd suddenly woke in a cold sweat, and now she couldn't help feeling like something sinister was transpiring right under her nose.

A royal guard happened to walk by. “Good afternoon, Princess Cadance. Are you well?”

“Oh yes, thank you,” she responded. “I do have a question though. Do you know where Celestia is?”

“Last time I saw her, she was down in her study. She's writing letters for the last several days.”

“Interesting,” said Cadance. “Thank you.”

The guard bowed and continued on his way. Cadance charted her course for the study. She considered the abnormality of Celestia's continuing inaction. The invaders were lurking on their doorstep, Luna and Twilight were gone off to the north somewhere, and still Celestia did nothing.

Is she just plotting her tactics extraordinarily carefully?

She descended a staircase to the first floor of the castle. Guards were packed in everywhere. As she walked, she inadvertently picked up fragments of their banter. Then, she heard something that made her stop cold. She couldn't believe what she had just heard.

Have you seen the Captain anywhere? No, he's in reconstructive surgery. Apparently had a nasty accident. Celestia said it was her fault.

Cadance gawked in terror and confusion. Luckily the guards didn't take notice. They shrugged to themselves.

That really sucks. Hope he's alright. Do you think Cadance knows? Probably. She was probably the first to know.

She felt a hurricane of emotions. If she wasn't in a semi public place, she would have screamed. The rage of an army surged through her as she stomped toward the study. Celestia was going to explain herself. Her steam train pace continued until she flew past the library doors. Something inside caught her attention. Risking a moment to take a peek, she turned and peered for a moment. The sulking bodies of three mares sat inside. Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash all sat in slumped positions throughout the library. For a brief moment Cadance forgot about her rage and entered the library.

“Hey you three!”

The ponies looked up at her with tired, bloodshot eyes. They'd been crying. A lot.

“What's wrong?” exclaimed Cadance worriedly. She knelt down beside Rarity. “Are you alright, my dear? Where are Twilight, Applejack and Fluttershy?”

The white unicorn sniffled and tried to speak. Her voice was nothing more than a hoarse squeak. Cadance immediately knew something had gone horribly wrong. “What is it? You can tell me.”

“Applejack is on her farm and we don't know where Twilight is,” Dash murmured.

Instinctively, Cadance reached for her belly and gulped. “Where is Fluttershy?”

Rarity bade her to come closer. She whimpered and whispered something in the princess' ear.

Cadance felt her blood run cold. Her heart dropped like a stone. “What...?”

Again, Rarity whispered the secret.

Cadance broke out into a cold sweat. “A-are you absolutely sure? That's an extremely serious accusation...”

Rarity nodded and cried to herself. Cadance looked around to the other two ponies. They too had started to sob.

“We need to get out of here,” she said fearfully. “We need to leave right now.” She breathed heavily, still sweating.

Easy Cadance. Control your breathing.

She ran to the library doors and looked around. “Here's the plan, we're all going to make it to Applejack's farm. I don't have long before the baby gets here, but if what you said is true, we can't stay here. Come on, get up!”

The three ponies struggled to stand. They simply didn't have the willpower.

“Hey, come on! We -”

“Princess Cadance!”

She whipped around to pinpoint the voice. An exhausted orange earth pony trotted up to meet her. She knelt down, unable to keep herself up.

“Applejack!” cried Cadance.

“I-” she panted. “I came to rescue my friends. Are they still here?”

“Yes, but...”

“But what?” Applejack looked at her. “If there's somethin' I need to know, tell me now.”

“Did you run all the way up here?”

“As much as I could, yeah.”

Cadance carefully chose her words. “Something tragic has happened. I'd rather tell you in a safer location. Is it alright if we take refuge at your farm for a few days?”

AJ fanned herself with her hat. “Oh yeah. That was my plan too. Is everypony alright?”

Cadance sat down. “I'm not going to lie to you. No. Not everypony is alright. Now really isn't the time to talk. I'm going to get your friends and we're going to come to your farm until all of this is over.”

“Wait,” said AJ, coming to a realization, “doesn't that mean you'll drop the shield around the castle?”

“Yes, but it's what needs to be done. I -” She was having trouble articulating. “Look, we just can't be here right now. Not around Celestia. If what Rarity told me is true, none of us are safe. Not even me.”

Her words weren't soothing anyone's anxiety. Applejack leaned against the wall and rubbed her forehead. “Is there anything I can do to help ya? Ya don't look much better than I feel.”

Cadance got up again. “Actually, yes. I need you to scout ahead and make sure the path is clear. I can't take much more stress at this point. Tell me, how did you get into the castle?”

“There's a device out near the back of the gardens that I used to tear a hole in the shield. It's just big enough to squeeze through.”

“Then that's the route we'll take. I'll keep my magic flowing to the castle for as long as possible until I get too far out of range. Once that happens, I expect things here are going to head south very quickly. Can you meet up with us at the city limits?”

“Okay. Sounds like a plan.”

“Good. Listen, it's critically important that we put as much distance as possible between us and my Aunt. I don't want my baby to be born in a war-torn city full of hatred and needless violence. As soon as its born and I'm strong enough to walk, I'm coming back here to find my husband.”

“You don't know where he is?” AJ asked with concern.

Cadance looked down. “I overheard a guard just a minute ago. Shining is here, but apparently he's in surgery. Apparently...Celestia caused him an accident...”

AJ gasped a little bit. “Shoot! I hope he'll be okay!”

“He should. I know him - he's strong. Whatever happened, he'll push through. Enough talk now, we need to get away from Celestia before she... she...” she couldn't bring herself to finish.

“What? What's going on?” Applejack pressed. “I'm just as deep in this mess as you are. Tell me!”

“Soon,” said Cadance. “Go. Make sure our path is safe. I'll be right on your heels with the others.”

Applejack didn't like being ignored, but she understood the pressure Cadance was under. “Alright,” she agreed. “I'm gone. Be safe, Princess. I'll see ya back at Sweet Apple Acres.”

The dependable earth pony tipped her hat and vaulted down the hall back toward the gardens.

---

The rip in the shield had begun to waver dangerously on the verge of collapsing. Applejack tapped the little metallic device prying the rift open.

Hang in there, little fella. Just a few more minutes.

She left the rim of the shield and climbed down the rocky face of the mountainside. How Cadance was planning on making the same trip was a mystery to her. Maybe Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash could offer her their assistance. Before she got any further, she spotted three forms down below making their way out of a side door to the castle. They used their magic to temporarily dissipate the shield. Two of the forms were unicorn guards. The third looked to be a large cart-like vehicle. It reminded her of a traveling food stand or some sort of caravan. She got back to descending. The rocks offered no mercy as she made an effort to quickly reach the base.

An arctic wind blew past as her hooves touched the cool stone of the streets. She crouched down and studied the unicorns in the distance. They hitched themselves into the object and strenuously hefted it away from the castle. AJ followed them in the shadows. She shivered in the freezing wind and huddled close to the castle's shield. The cart wasn't a food stand at all, rather a large chariot with a glassed in display. She quickened her pace, making it her priority to identify contents of the wagon. The closer she came, the more mysterious it was. Her focus was so tightly wrapped around the cart that she failed to notice a large chunk of stone that had been thrown into the street from some unknown blast. She jammed her hoof into it and fell forward, taking nasty scrapes. She cried out in pain and stifled a scream. She bit her lip and looked at her front hoof. It was definitely bleeding.

“You there! Citizen!” one of the unicorns called out. He unhitched himself and galloped over to the injured mare. “Are you alright? Do you need medical assistance?”

“I'm fine.” AJ claimed. She winced and rubbed her hoof.

“Why haven't you been evacuated? What are you doing in the city?”

She struggled to conjure up an excuse through the pain. “Uh, I was away on a business trip. I came home and the whole town was blown up and deserted.

“Okay,” said the guard. “You need to evacuate immediately. Come with me and I will escort you to a safe location.”

She pretended to comply. “Ya don't have to tell me twice.”

They marched quickly toward the glass cart where the other guard was.

“What's in there?” Applejack asked.

“None of your concern. Official business,” was his uninterested reply.

AJ veered off course and trotted toward the chariot. She thought maybe it had something to do with whatever Cadance was talking about.

The guard shouted and tried to grab her. She ducked under his reach and sprinted to the chariot. The second guard unhitched himself and grabbed AJ by the shoulders. She reacted quickly by jabbing him in the gut.

“You're under arrest!” screamed the first guard. He lunged at AJ. “Stop right there!”

She walloped her attacker in jaw and knocked him down. There was no time to deal with guards. “Fine! Y'all wanna fight?” she seethed. “Let's go!”

It wasn't much of a fight. The guards weren't trained for unarmed close combat. AJ beat both of them out cold with minor damage sustained. She dragged their unconscious bodies behind a deserted building and made her way back to the glass chariot. She opened the side window and peered inside.

Chapter 13

Canterlot castle sat defensively inside its pink spherical barrier. The overhead view of the city was eerie. The royal guards were nowhere to be seen and the ruined buildings had simply been left to rot. Life seemed nonexistent in the once jubilant capital. Luna massaged her neck. She was eager to land after the long flight homeward. Yet, the now inhospitable Canterlot worried her. She glanced over her shoulder. The three passengers in back had fallen asleep.

“Are you there, Celestia? We've entered Canterlot airspace and are approaching the castle,” Luna said into a magic orb.

“Good,” was the only response she received.

“Sister,” Luna began, “where are all the guards? It doesn't feel right with the city this quiet.”

“Half the guards are evacuating the citizens of Manehattan and Baltimare. The other half are inside with me.”

“How come it has taken this long to evacuate the citizens? That should have been the first priority.”

“I agree. I'm at fault here,” Celestia revealed. “When the Halcyonites arrived, I panicked and sent the guards scouting for Gaius. I am still without success.”

Luna didn't like the feeling in her gut. “Celestia, maybe once we get back to the castle, I should take over the war effort for a little while. That would alleviate much of the pressure you've been under lately.”

A moment of silence followed. “What are you trying to say, little sister?”

Luna groaned. “Nothing, Celestia! Don't accuse me of anything when all I want to do is aid you in every way I can. You're getting a little paranoid, and I want to let you rest. Nothing more.”

“My mental status is fully intact. I appreciate your concern, but I cannot rest until Gaius is eradicated. It's my duty as not only a princess, but commander-in-chief to make sure my citizens are out of harms way. However I would greatly appreciate your help with other matters that need attending. Hurry back to the castle so we can discuss things further. I'm ready to get this country back on track. Are you with me?”

Luna gazed blankly ahead of her. “...They're my citizens too,” she said into the orb.

“What?”

“You said they're your citizens. They're my citizens too. I'm just as much a princess as you are, and we share the power in this nation...”

A sigh could be heard from Celestia's end. “Of course, Luna. You're right. I hadn't intended for you to take offense. You know as well as I do how confusing this whole situation is. I suppose that deep down I always knew Gaius would be back. I just... never wanted it to become a reality. Do... do you think I deserve this?”

The midnight alicorn narrowed her eyes as conflict churned inside her. “We all have to face our demons. At some point or another, we're all held accountable. The choices you made back then were wrong. However as long as I'm alive and breathing, I'll make sure you live to see another day. I will protect you to the end, my sister.”

“Thank you Luna. You mean a lot to me...”

“As do you, Celestia. Anyway, we'll be there soon. I'll talk to you then. Be safe.”

The vacant buildings continued to speed by. Luna gradually descended toward the dark cobblestone streets. Her only consolation was that Twilight didn't have to deal with the inner turbulence plaguing her and her sister. Such a sharp young mind shouldn't ever have to see her rulers such a mess.

The feeling of cool stone was wonderful to the hooves. The drawbridge to the castle and the impressive pink shield both stood about fifty feet down the street. She quietly unhitched herself and trotted around to the back of the chariot. Twilight and the boys were still sound asleep. She tucked her wings in and opened up the storage compartments to retrieve what little supplies they'd brought. As she rummaged through the container, she heard a distinct clicking sound.

That's weird, she thought. Is there some sort of extra compartment in here?

She lit her horn and peered deeper inside. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. She heard two more clicks. They certainly weren't coming from the chariot. She stood up and turned around to identify the noises. Three armed soldiers stood with guns pointed directly at her. They weren't Equestrian.

No way... no way anypony can be that quiet...

“Looky here boys, we caught ourselves a princess,” one of the brutes remarked. He took his cigar out and tapped it on his gun, sending tiny embers floating down. Luna said nothing. She simply stood her ground and scowled at the Halcyonic troops.

The middle stallion took a step forward. “Alright then. Here's what's gonna happen,” he stated calmly. “You're gonna wake those three up, then you're gonna come with us. I'm sure Salvator would love to see ya.”

“Under what grounds are you commanding me?” snapped Luna in a hushed growl.

The stallion chuckled lightly. “One, we know ya ain't gonna kill us. That ain't your style. Your sister maybe, but not you. Two, we'll shoot ya dead before ya can even think about using that handy dandy horn of yours. These babies got hair triggers,” he explained as he waved his revolver around mockingly.

“I'll go with you, but let the others go. They have no business with you or Salvator. They're civilians,” Luna bartered.

“No can do, Princess. Boss says we're taking prisoners. We're just lucky enough to have found four at once. Not to mention, one of em's a princess!”

“You won't kill me. You need me alive.”

“Yeah,” said the stallion. “But not them...” He walked toward the chariot. Luna shifted anxiously on her hooves. The other two soldiers kept their aim focused intently on her. The apparent leader quietly climbed aboard the chariot and sat down next to Twilight.

“What's this little beauty's name?”

“You get away from her...” Luna warned.

The thuggish pony watched Twilight sleeping serenely. Her breathing was easy and natural. “Whatever. Her name don't matter. Looks like she's been through a lot lately. What are those bandages for? Broken ribs, back?”

Luna snarled. She could barely contain her explosive urge to destroy the stallion. Her mind screamed to take action. Yet she couldn't. She watched helplessly as the soldier held the barrel of his gun barely an inch away from Twilight's forehead. “By the looks of it, this poor girl's gonna be in a lotta' pain when she wakes up. If you don't wanna come with me willingly, I can always just put her out of her misery right now...”

“I'm warning you, back away from her,” Luna hissed.

“You're still resisting? Lord. What's it gonna take to convince ya of my seriousness?” He softly stroked Twilight's cheek with the gun barrel. She made a small noise but didn't stir. “These things have one hell of a hairpin trigger,” he whispered. “One little slip up...”

“Enough. Damn it, that's enough...” Luna breathed in exasperation. “Get off my chariot and we'll come with you.”

“Glad to see you're listenin' to reason.” With that, he stood and hopped down onto the street. “I gotta warn ya though – if ya try anythin' funny at all, ya know who's gonna die first.”

Luna breathed shakily as adrenaline paraded through her system. She stepped up to Twilight and gently nudged her. “Twilight,” she whispered. “I need you to wake up for me.”

As soon as her eyes opened, Luna held her face in place and refused to let her look away. “Look at me. Look at me, Twilight. We're all going to be safe as long as we cooperate. We've been caught by armed troops and they're going to take us to Salvator. I want you to comply without question. No matter what they say. They're waiting for us right now, and I'm about to wake Cian and Neeson. When I let you go, I want you to keep absolutely silent and stay right beside me. Do you understand?”

Twilight's heart was already pounding. She nodded fearfully.

“You'll be safe,” promised Luna. “Just keep quiet and do what they say. I'm going to let you go now, okay?”

Twilight nodded. Luna released her from her paralyzing gaze and quickly moved to the two males. “Cian, Neeson, wake up,” she whispered once more. Twilight watched her as she explained the bargain a second time. Cian swore harshly to himself and Granddad kept his head down.

“No no no...” Cian breathed. “We're in it deep now... What are we gonna do, Granddad?”

“Quiet, boy. We'll be okay. Don't panic.”

Luna slowly turned around and faced her foreign captors. “Okay. We're ready.”

“Wonderful,” the stallion said. “It's time to meet the King!”

---

A settlement of tents and roughly constructed shelters were erected on the outskirts of Canterlot. Halcyonic troops marched back and forth, transporting supplies here and there. Twilight couldn't help but admire the confidence displayed in building a base of operations just inside the enemy's capital city. She and her fellow captives were forced into a dark building equipped with only a telegraph station and a few makeshift jail cells. Luna kept silent and didn't struggle.

“Luna, we can overpower them!” Twilight pleaded. “Why are we just letting ourselves be taken captive?”

The princess remained unusually calm given the circumstance. “Trust me, Twilight. We will be fine. They won't hurt us.”

“That's not the point, we know where they are now! You can tell Celestia!”

The stallions watching them laughed at the sentiment. “Oooh, not Celestia! Oh no!”

“Shut up!” spat Twilight. “You better hope she doesn't find you and your little King! You'll be sorry you ever came here!”

The guards just laughed again and tightly chained the four. Suddenly, another soldier bolted into the room with an incredulous smile. “Hey! The shield around Canterlot Castle just disappeared! They're helpless as a baby! The whole place is in a chaos!”

“Fancy that!” remarked the stallion who was chaining Twilight. “Bet Salvator will be happy to hear that one!”

“Oh no...” Luna whispered.

“What could that mean?” asked Neeson cautiously.

Twilight gulped. “Princess Cadance was keeping the shield up, I think. Something made her stop.”

“Perhaps the strain was simply too much on her body,” suggested Luna. “Her baby is due any day. I'm surprised Celestia demanded that she keep it up as long as she did, knowing of her pregnancy.” She summoned a magic orb. “Celestia? Is everypony at the castle alright? Why has the shield gone down?”

She didn't get a response.

“Oh dear.” She looked to Twilight. “I sure hope nothing terrible has happened. I've still yet to pinpoint the source of that horrible feeling that woke us up. For right now, my sister will probably put up some kind of barrier herself. I just hope Cadance, and especially Shining Armor, are alright.”

“I haven't seen or heard from my brother since all this started...” said Twilight hollowly.

Luna didn't reply. The troops hastily finished securing them and galloped out of the room to inform Salvator of the news. This was the second time Twilight had ever been shackled. She was held against a stone wall and suspended by her front hooves. Her wounds throbbed under the bandages. Unfortunately her back had torn open again and started bleeding down onto her flank. She grimaced and gritted her teeth. To her left were Luna and Neeson. To her right was Cian.

“Princes Luna, can you help me with the pain again?” breathed Twilight. “Agh... it's hurting a lot...”

“Yes of course,” said Luna. She summoned her magic and directed a healing stream around Twilight's midsection.

“Thank you,” said Twilight, still unsure why they were obliging Salvator's soldiers so wholeheartedly.

The four didn't speak much more while they waited for something to happen. None of them knew how long they waited. Luckily their scheduled visitor arrived without too much delay.

They saw the door open. In trotted a huge gray stallion. He was an earth pony, with a greasy black mane and mustache. His beady charcoal eyes scanned each of them for several seconds. He took a few more steps in and closed the door behind him. He had a half empty bottle of beer in his hoof. Twilight couldn't help but notice the cloying heat of the room. King Salvator remained silent, but affixed his gaze onto the restrained Princess Luna. His eyes seemed to narrow even further. He took his time approaching her. The expression on his face was impossible to read. Twilight's heart leaped as Salvator neared Luna.

Leave her alone! she wanted to shout.

She made a small noise of displeasure. The mighty King of Halcyon stood in front of the noble Princess of Equestria. The two kept eye contact for what seemed like minutes on end. Then, Salvator did something Twilight couldn't possibly understand. He leaned forward and wrapped his hooves around Luna in a full body hug.

“Luna...”

“Gaius...”

The two embraced for an awkwardly long time. Obviously there was an enormous piece of the puzzle that Twilight failed to see. Salvator unchained Luna, then her and Cian and Neeson. For some reason he kept fixating on Luna.

“How many years...?” he mumbled.

Luna managed a weak smile. Twilight swore she was on the verge of tears. “Centuries... It's been centuries...”

The two hugged again.

“Ya look good. Time's definitely been on your side,” offered Salvator.

A tear rolled down Luna's cheek. “I wish I could say the same. Your coat is gray now. Like ashes.”

“Aye. I've had better days. I just wish this little reunion could have been on better terms. Maybe in another life, everything turned out like it shoulda.”

“Yeah...” Luna said with a blank stare. “Wait a minute, Salvator-” she began. Suddenly she gasped in horror for seemingly no reason. She lifted a hoof to her mouth and pointed at the king. “Oh my god! Y-your wings! They're gone!”

He said nothing. Instead, he smiled back sadly. Now he looked like he was about to cry. “Aye...”

Twilight was hopelessly lost. Not one single thing either of them were saying made sense.

Were they involved romantically at some point? Of course he doesn't have wings. He's an earth pony...

“Er... I-I'm terribly sorry to interrupt but, can somepony tell me what's going on here?” Twilight asked sheepishly. “I thought his name was Salvator. Isn't he our enemy here? Why are you two acting like long lost friends?”

This seemed to reach through to the Salvator. He looked to Twilight and extended his hoof. “In a sense, you're right on both accounts. Allow me to officially introduce myself. My name is Salvator. I am the King of Halcyon. Haven't been called that other name in a real long time.”

Twilight was hesitant to shake his hoof. Her hostility was masked by the formality of her response. “I am Princess Twilight Sparkle.”

“Congratulations, kiddo,” Salvator piped. “You're a real modest one, ain't ya?”

“I uh, sure, I think so...” Twilight was still trying to comprehend all the intricate relationships going on. Her hate for the alcohol smelling king wasn't helping.

“I guess she ain't a talker, huh Luna?” Salvator slurred. “She can't seem to answer a simple question.”

“She's just lost,” said Luna. “With perfect reason to be. There's a lot she doesn't know yet.”

“There's a lot we don't know either, Your Majesty,” added Cian from the other side of the room.

Salvator looked over to him and Neeson. “You two are Halcyonites!”

Neeson tipped his hat. “Aye. Born and raised. My name is Neeson, and this here is my grandson Cian.”

Salvator belched and said, “You two aint' in my army. What are ya doin' way up here in Equestria?”

“Honestly Your Majesty, I don't even know anymore,” Cian said. “It's a long story.”

“Fair enough then. I suppose that ain't too important at the moment. Right now I'm gonna return your belongin's and catch up with my dear friend Luna. Get in here!” he shouted.

The door opened and a soldier brought the sack containing the books Twilight found. He handed it to Salvator who extracted the tomes. “Here are your books back. Sorry my boys ransacked your ride. Can't be too careful.” He looked at the spellbook and whistled. “This! This book! I never thought I'd see this damnable book again! This is what started it all!” He handed the book to Twilight. “We'll talk about that real soon. As for the time bein', I might as well fill everypony in. Luna, how much do these poor clueless ponies know?”

“Not enough,” she admitted. “I can't say for sure.”

“Well then, I'll start with something that apparently not even you were aware of. Aye, my wings are gone. Have been for hundreds of years.”

Luna looked worried. “Why? What happened?”

“You were born a pegasus?” Twilight asked suspiciously.

“Sure was. In fact...” He turned sideways and knelt down in front of Twilight. “Go ahead. Feel.”

The thought was grotesque. Salvator's coat didn't exactly have a healthy sheen to it. “Uh...”

“Go ahead. What kinda king would I be if I can't prove what I say?”

Twilight hesitantly rested a hoof on his back where the base of a wing would be. Sure enough, she felt a bony lump hiding under the skin. Instantly she reared back in disgust. Salvator just laughed and got back up. “I don't miss 'em! I love bein' an earth pony. Wanna feel, Luna?”

She was still shocked. “No, I... What happened?”

“Well it's an interesting story,” Salvator went on. He extracted the journal from the bag and began handing it over, but halted. “What the hell is this, then?” He glanced at the ancient journal. He leafed through the pages. “No way...” His eyes narrowed “This can't be...”

Twilight watched him like a hawk. “How do you know King Sombra? Do all criminals pen pals with each other?”

Salvator looked up from the pages. “Where did you find this?”

Again, confusion settled in on Twilight. “Far north, somewhere outside Neighpal.”

“I know how much he meant to you,” Luna said softly. “Have you heard anything about what happened in the Crystal Empire?”

“Celestia got to him?”

Luna bit her lip and looked down, avoiding his gaze. “No. I mean, recently. The second time.”

Twilight had a sinking feeling in her gut.

Does she mean – what we did?

Salvator sighed and sat down in the dirt. “No, and I don't wanna know. Thinking of him scorches my heart to this very day. Sombra was my best friend in the entire world. He was with me since the very beginning of Halcyon. Whatever you're talking about, I know it ain't good. I'd prefer to keep my memories of him as pleasant as possible. The only thing I wanna know is, if he died, was it a good way to go?”

Neither Luna nor Twilight uttered a single word.

Salvator understood. He got back to thumbing through the journal. “Well alright then. That answers that. Actually, it looks like the old bastard wrote about the day I lost my wings. It's all right here.”

“He did?” Luna asked. “I'd quite like to know the story, and I'm sure Twilight and the others would as well.”

“Aye, let's hear it,” agreed Neeson. “This King Sombra character sounds intruigin'.”

“Stop calling him that. Sombra wasn't no king!” Salvator suddenly snapped.

“What? Of course he was. He was the menace who terrorized the Crystal Empire!” Twilight argued.

“Sombra was not a king! Nor was he a menace! I woulda' gladly given him my throne if he'd asked for it, but that ain't how it turned out. I'll have to translate his journal out of my own language. Excuse me if I make any grammatical errors,” said Salvator. “First you, Luna, now memories of Sombra. I'm turnin' into an emotional mess.” He took a swig of beer. “I'm so sorry, my friend... I never should have sent you to that wretched place... Anyway, here goes.” He lifted the journal and started reading.

---

She banned it all. Guns. Foreign trade. Free speech. Religion. Knowledge. Truth.

I seem to remember that on that first fateful day, the mutual feeling shared among us was a blend of uncertainty and hopefulness. Hundreds of us boarded the boats. We weren't criminals. Many of us had families and children. We had simply been dealt a cruel hoof by fate. The crushing force of Celestia's oppression was too much to bear. As the great ships began their ultimate departure from the Equestrian shore, I made the acquaintance of two such individuals whose only crime was defiance. Their names were, if memory serves me, Geiborg and Kaladbolg. The two unicorn brothers operated an arms depository in Canterlot's bustling commercial district. When Princess Celestia issued the ban, they rigidly asserted their rights to their business. Instead of using violence, they employed bureaucracy and kept themselves afloat by exploiting loopholes in the laws. The two seemed to know what they were doing. However, the good Princess grew weary of their superior legal skills and selected them for exile. That was the final word.

I also remember the first time I laid eyes on the Gaius. As we colonized Wintershore and forged the nation of Halcyon, the choice to elect him King was unanimous. This decision was not solely due to his deep blue blood, but his overwhelming sense of character. I digress. He stood at the tip of the bow and looked out over the ocean. His silver coat shimmered in the misty spray, and he held his wings out proudly to embrace the crisp wind. The sheer confidence of his stature was enough to impress me. Surely everypony aboard the boats was well aware of his identity, but that didn't answer the question – why? Why him? Why exile Gaius? The entire nation gasped when the news of his sentence leaked. Many of us questioned Celestia's mental integrity after that.

Humbly I approached him and introduced myself. Being only a modest clergypony, a chance to meet somepony like Gaius seemed once in a lifetime. He looked down and asked me my name. Sombra, I replied with a bow. He smiled and clasped me on the shoulder. “It's so boundless,” he said with a point toward the waves. “Tell me Sombra, where do you want to go?”

“I couldn't possibly say,” I told him. “Equestria was my home. My entire life's work is there. Any identity I had is already miles behind us.”

“The feeling is mutual. What was your profession?”

“I'm a pony of faith and thought. I devote my days to the church and my own philosophical pursuits.”

Gaius nodded and kept gazing at the sea. “I'll tell you what, Sombra. I'll build us a new Equestria. I'll build us a nation of true freedom where everypony is entitled to his own beliefs. How does that sound?”

“Wonderful,” I said despite my uncertainty. “That sounds wonderful.”

We talked for many days during the voyage. I learned of Celestia's corruption, and the extent to which she'd go to ensure her seat on the throne. We talked about philosophies, geopolitics, and a whole plethora of controversial topics. I felt like I'd befriended a celebrity. Technically, I had! There was a great sense of pride when Gaius first referred to me as his friend.

Yet the trip was anything but easy. Unto infinity we sailed, reduced to directionless satellites drifting. Many of us on board resigned ourselves to the fact that we may have been witnessing but the first trial in a long string of misfortunes. Gaius did all he could to keep us in high spirits. He promised us that once we found a land to truly call our own, all of our problems would vanish. We grew dependent on his confidence to guide us through the sojourn. When our rations grew short, he helped us divide and distribute what we had. When somepony fell ill, he sat by their bedside and bolstered their spirit. Quite candidly, I believe we would have perished on those boats if it weren't for Gaius. Because of him, we finally landed on the steep rocky banks of what would later become Wintershore. We were finally at our new home. We were finally free.

That was almost ten years ago. The speed at which we built the city was incredible. Of course, it was all do to Gaius' steadfast leadership. There were several native pony tribes already living on the continent, much to our amusement. Luckily we weren't barbaric enough to try and force them out. Instead we attempted to learn their culture, and they ours. We took on their language and adopted it as the new official tongue of our new country. Of course, we retained our Equestrian tongue and passed it down to our children. Fluency in both languages became doctrine. Anyway, in exchange for peace and privacy, the tribes agreed to let us build our city and call the country whatever we wanted. Apparently there existed no international exchanges between the tribes, as they tended to keep to their sacred grounds. It was no wonder the land hadn't technically been documented.

The reason for my reminiscence is that of worry and mild shock. I sit here in my study, writing these words by candlelight. I worry about my dear friend Gaius. His sanity has come under scrutiny and I continue to pray for his well being. So much has changed in the past day that my head is still reeling. The deviation from routine began last night at about this time. I was mirroring my actions now, writing a new sermon in this very seat. There was a light knock at my door.

“Come in,” I answered. Unusual for somepony to need me at such a late hour. It was not a repentant soul at the door, but one of King Gaius' personal bodyguards. Immediately I stood at attention in the presence of authority. “Is everythin' quite alright?” I asked with a hint of worry. “Is this regardin' the King?”

“Yes,” stated the thuggish stallion. “Don't worry. Gaius just wants to see ya. He asked for ya by name.”

I took a few moments to collect my thoughts. “Yes, of course,” I said finally. The fellow lead me out into the quiet nighttime streets. We trotted along the cobblestone at a brisk pace. It was a cold, patriotic night in Wintershore.

“If you don't mind me asking,” I mused. “What's the urgency? Why did the King send ya to personally escort me?”

“Dunno. Didn't tell me anythin'. Probably just wants ya safe, is all. You're worth a lot.”

I chuckled. “I suppose so. Is Gaius at home?”

“Nah, he's shut himself up in the bar. He called me upstairs but wouldn't let me in. Told me what to do through a closed door.”

This troubled me. Gaius wasn't usually one for secretive behavior. Something must have happened. We entered the desolate bar. Very few patrons remained at this time of night. A stallion sat here or there, drinking quietly in the hazy darkness. We brushed past the bar and made our way up a set of stairs. The air was thick with a pearly smoke and overwhelmingly muggy.

“My King, I've brought Sombra,” announced the bodyguard through the door.

“Thank you! Go home and get some rest,” said Gaius. “Sombra my friend! The door is unlocked. Please come in!”

I nodded to the guard and opened the door. The room was a small lounge of sorts with several couches and a wood table. Wisps of smoke billowed out into the hall as I stepped in. Gaius sat lazily on a couch with two giggling mares. They took heavy hits off of a slender pipe and passed it to the King. I couldn't help but blush at such immorality.

“Sombra. The pony of the hour. Come and take a seat,” bade Gaius with a wheezy laugh. He put the pipe to his lips and inhaled deeply. The mares sighed in opium-induced complacency and nuzzled themselves up against the King. I sat opposite him on a vacant couch and looked awkwardly at my hooves. My discomfort must have been painfully obvious.

“Hey,” said one of the mares with a wink.

“Be nice,” said Gaius. “You two get outta here. You're makin' my friend here uncomfortable.”

“Bye Gaius,” they said flirtatiously. They trudged out of the room.

“Will they be alright getting home?” I asked.

“Sure. Why wouldn't they?” retorted Gaius.

“Well,” I said testily. “They're high on drugs and extremely vulnerable. You should know better than to associate with... questionable company like that. You could catch a disease.”

“You're just a worry-wart. Stop worryin' so much. Besides, I can do whatever I fancy. Ya want a hit?” He offered me the pipe.

“No, Gaius.”

“Suit yourself. But look, there's a reason I called ya here tonight. I'm sure ya must have expected as much. Therefore, let me start by apologizin' for draggin' ya up here into my den of sin. Now, I've been doin' a lotta' thinkin' lately. Do ya know how long it's been since this great nation was forged?”

“Of course,” I said. “Almost ten years.”

Gaius set his pipe down, indicating he was attempting to be serious. “Right. Be that as it may, I can't help but feel that we're still bein' haunted by Equestria. Celestia's influence is still here. Particularly in me. She's cursed me, Sombra. When I look in the mirror every morning, I see what she's turned me into. It makes me sick. Are you followin' me?”

I fidgeted nervously. “I'm afraid not.”

“Well, that's alright. I've been contemplatin' this for a long while now and I've come to my decision. Tomorrow is the day that I remove the last trace of my previous life. There's only a single thing tyin' me to my past.”

“Please don't do anything rash,” I started. “You're my best friend and I care greatly about you. Don't do anythin' to jeopardize yourself. What exactly are you plannin' on doin'?”

Gaius fiddled with his wings and picked at his feathers. “I can't tell ya. Ya wouldn’t approve. The reason I summoned you here is because I need your support. I know all that religious stuff is real important to ya, so I was wonderin' if ya could pray for me or somethin'. After tomorrow, my life will become exponentially more difficult. I can't see my future. If somethin' happens to me, I just want to know I'm square with whoever's up there watchin'.”

“I'll assist ya in any way possible,” I told him. “Just please, promise me. Promise me ya won't do anythin' to harm yourself. Especially out of spite. Whatever this 'thing' tyin' ya to your past is, I'm sure there's a more productive way of dealin' with it. Promise me you'll be safe.”

Gaius smiled politely. “Thank ya, friend. Goodnight.”

I stopped briefly. “Gaius...”

“Come to the square tomorrow at noon.”

This annoyed me. Of course he wouldn't listen to reason. His seething hatred for Equestria had been the source of problems in the past, and I didn't anticipate this time would be any different. I exited the dingy bar without another word and returned home. Sometimes Gaius thought up fantastic ideas that just weren't practical enough to bring to life. I had immense trust in him, but not when he acted on such fickle compulsion. Sometimes he just liked to run his mouth off. Little did I know exactly how serious he was.

---

I awoke late with little time to eat or prepare for the day. Slumber had successfully eluded me due to the worry seed of Gaius' cryptic declaration of freedom. It was only ten minutes before noon when I finally made it out the door. Many others joined me in the street leading into the heart of the city. Fillies, colts, mares, stallions, everypony was already gossiping eagerly as they trotted along. How he spread the news of his appearance in less than twelve hours was far beyond me. Now I wasn't one to eavesdrop, but I couldn't help overhearing several curious theories about the event.

The King himself is there? Yup! I wonder what he's doin'? I dunno, but I hope it's good news. Maybe the city is gettin' better heaters? Hah. That'll be the day. Think there's been some sort of discovery? A feat of engineerin'?

A modestly sized mob had gathered at the theatrical stage in town square by the time I arrived. They all stood rigidly with eager eyes turned toward the stage. I supposed that any time Gaius ventured out into public was reason enough to try and see him. The citizens buzzed with speculation as to what this particular performance would be. I trotted up to the corona of the crowd and politely tried to make my way to the front. Gaius' words from the previous night still had me worried, but I clung to the hope that this would only be a fundraiser for the military or something of similar respects.

The buzz at the front was more of a constant drone. Several bodyguards occupied the stage and I tried to grab their attention by shouting. The fellows couldn't possibly hear me over the din of the crowd. I stood on my hind hooves and waved my arms dramatically.

“Hey! What's goin' on?” I called.

Much to my luck, one of the guards recognized me and came to the edge of the stage. He towered over me and offered a hoof up. “Sombra! Would you like to come up? I'm sure the King would greatly appreciate your presence!”

I gave him my hoof and he hefted me up easily. “What's this all about?” I barked.

“None of us know! Gaius has been disturbingly quiet for the past few hours.”

“Oh my. That certainly doesn't sound healthy,” I thought out loud. “Do you know where he is?”

“Yes,” said the bodyguard. “He's backstage grooming himself. You can go on back if you want. Maybe you'll get some answers out of him.”

“I sure hope so,” I replied. I peeled the curtain away and entered the backstage area. Sure enough, Gaius sat idly in front of a mirror, giving careful attention to his luster. He glanced behind himself in the mirror and saw me.

“Sombra. Thank you for coming, my friend. Now that you're here, we can begin,” he said calmly. He stood up and clasped me on the shoulder. Somepony handed him a plastic megaphone.

“Wait wait! What is this?” I demanded.

“No time for words. Just follow me,” he ordered.

I knew I was going to regret this. We reemerged onto the stage and were greeted by a tidal wave of cheers and applause. Gaius ate the attention up. He was miraculously charismatic on stage. He waved and bowed, soaking in the praise like a sponge. A band I hadn't seen earlier played bombastic tunes in an effort to keep the crowd going. I was half expecting a parade to march by.

The King stood patiently until the roaring citizens got tired of cheering. He bowed once more then raised the megaphone to his lips.

“My good people!” he howled to the masses. “Your King is ever grateful for your presence! As many of ya know, we've stood together as our own great nation for almost ten long years now!”

More whistles and cheers arose.

“For almost ten years I have valiantly served as your king, but I still bear the mark of an exile! We all do! We wear this mark like a cross - it's our burden to carry! Well my people, I'm done bearing this cross! Today I will banish the last remnant of Equestria from our land and we will truly call ourselves Halcyonites! We will rid ourselves of the great iconoclast! The heretic! The deceiver!” He pumped his hoof in the air joyously and let out a rallying yell. I was captivated by his utter confidence. Nopony knew what he was talking about, (including me) but we were lost in the hurricane force of his words. Several bodyguards walked out onto the stage. Two of them carried an enormous Halcyonic flag which they unfolded and held up above their heads. The other stallions held two glinting cleavers used for cutting meat. The image didn't register in my mind. I figured I must have been imagining things. Unfortunately, this was not so. They held the blades low to the ground so the audience wouldn't notice. Once I realized they were real, I instantly thought of assassins.

“Gaius!” I cried hastily. I ran to his side and yanked his shoulder. “Gaius, those stallions have knives!”

He turned to face me. An odd smile formed on his lips the likes of which I'd never seen. A cold wind blew across the now sunny stage. “I know,” he said. “I know.”

“Everypony, let's hear it for Sombra!” he shouted.

My cheeks burned as the crowd showered me in applause. I didn't know if I was expected to actually do anything, so I just stood there beside Gaius like a nitwit.

“We're lucky he's here!” continued the King. “We're gonna need all the prayers we can get today! Many of ya are wonderin' exactly what I'm gonna do. Rest assured, I've thought my choice through and fully accept consequences. You see, a king should not put himself above his subjects. Even if he's superior by birth. I reject my superiority! It's a curse from my heritage!” He motioned for me to step aside. I backed away and he powerfully threw open his wings. The wind from his feathers was enough to send ripples through the flag and curtains. “Today I humble myself and become a ruler that truly knows the pain of his citizens! Today I reject the last part of me that hails from Equestria, a nation of oppression!”

The two bodyguards walked forward with the cleavers.

“Many of you will question my actions today,” he yelled. “Rest assured, I do it for freedom and humility! I do it for our country! I do it to spit in the face of the land that cast us out like common criminals!”

The stallions stood beside him now. I could only gawk as the paralyzing horror inside me mounted.

“I implore ya, if ya have small children, have them look away!”

The crowd murmured both in worry and excitement. The guards looked to the King for guidance. Clearly they were hesitant about their assigned task. “Ready?” said Gaius to the guard on his left. The stallion mumbled something I couldn't pick out. Ever so slowly he lifted his blade high into the air. Gaius continued to stretch his wings, letting his feathers catch the cool breeze.

“No more talk! It's time to do this! As God as my witness, I swear vengeance on Equestria! Are ya listening, Celestia? This one's for you! Do it!” he screamed.

The guard hammered the cleaver down in a perfect chop right into Gaius' wing. The metal sliced straight through with a quick snapping noise. Gaius screamed and fell to his knees as his monstrous wing dropped onto the stage, pumping spurts of blood out of the base. The crowd screamed in terror. Gaius clutched his shoulder, and screamed through clenched teeth. A red patch widened on his back and ran down his side. “The other one! Quick!” he forced out. The other guard raised his hoof but shuddered in hesitation. “Do it! Now!” screamed Gaius in agony. He swung into the wing but hit it at an odd angle. More blood bubbled out of the wounded appendage. Gaius couldn't speak because his body was in such a wrenching anguish. “Oh shit! Shit!” exclaimed the guard. He desperately swung the bloody blade again. This time it struck correctly and shore the wing right off the bone. Gaius swung woozily from side to side as his blood slowly drained onto his fur and subsequently onto the floor. The other stallions rushed forward with the flag and wasted no time in tightly wrapping the crippled king in the fabric. He looked close to fainting. His chest heaved and his eyes were closed tightly. Nopony knew what to do. He turned to one of the guards supporting him and painfully whispered something in his ear. The guards carried him to the front of the stage, where he shakily held the megaphone up again. The entire crowd was dead silent. The only noise in the whole city was the light flapping of the flag in the wind. Gaius shuddered violently, but somehow managed to speak through the pain.

“On this day, I am reborn! I am no longer Gaius, hailing from Equestria! Today, I am Salvator! Founder, King, and savior of Halcyon!"

Chapter 14

Salvator set the journal down. “That's pretty much it. Couldn't have said it better myself.”

“I can't believe it,” Luna said. “I can't believe you'd mutilate your own body in the name of vengeance. Hate for hatred's sake isn't going to change what Celestia did to you. I don't agree with her but-”

“Luna,” Salvator interrupted. “Ya don't know the whole story.”

“What? Something else happened?”

“Aye, before the exile. I didn't just chop my wings off because I hated Celestia. I did it to finish what she started.”

“Hold on, I need some answers,” demanded Twilight. “After hearing that, I understand even less than I did before.”

Cian and Neeson whispered in wonder amongst themselves. “Wow... our King cut his own wings off!”

“Perfectly reasonable. Ask away,” Salvator said to Twilight.

“Firstly, why did you pick now to invade our land and try to assassinate one of our leaders? If you were so high and mighty back when you were first exiled, why not then?”

“Ah, I explained this to your friends a few days ago, but you were absent from the meeting. I'd always planned on comin' back to Equestria to make Celestia pay. About twenty years ago, two of my very close friends moved up here from Halcyon. I cared about them equally as much as Sombra. They were there for me every time I needed them. When my son was born, when my wife died, when I was forced to give my baby boy away out of fear for his life, they were there. Their names were Sweet Apple and Golden Delicious. Ring any bells, smartass?”

The gears in Twilight's mind spun. “Sweet Apple as in -wait, you couldn't possibly mean... Applejack's parents!?”

“Aye. The very same. After Applebloom was born, I called on them to come back to Halcyon so they could relay information about the Equestrian economy, and any news they had on Celestia and Luna.”

Twilight couldn't believe the words she was hearing. Albeit she'd never asked AJ about what happened to her parents, this seemed utterly fictitious. She failed to accept the possibility that one of her very best friend's parents were in a sense, guilty of treason.

“You're telling me that Applejack's parents were... spies?”

“Depends on which side you're comin' from,” Salvator pointed out. “All I did was ask two of my friends to help me gather information. Unfortunately, I believe somepony ratted them out. To this day, any association with Halcyon is considered high treason. It's one of the few crimes under your laws that is punishable by death.”

“Oh no,” whispered Twilight with a breaking voice. “Poor Applejack... poor Big Mac and Applebloom... They never knew until now... Why didn't Granny Smith tell them the truth?”

“She couldn't,” was his answer. “How could she bring herself to? Whatever fabrication she came up with was a lot easier to swallow.”

“That's just appalling!” said Twilight indignantly. “I feel so sorry for them.”

“I did too. After I'd learned of their death, I made my decision. I started war preparations that very day,” Salvator explained.

Luna spoke up. “I didn't know you had a wife and child, Gaius. Er, Salvator. What happened to them? Why would you even take a wife if you knew you would outlive her?”

Salvator turned angry. “Save your condescension, Luna! I don't need your judgment!” He softened up quickly. “We were trying to find out how to expand a normal pony's lifespan. We were researching immortality. Alas, my wife passed away during childbirth before we ever came close. The doctors didn't find anything out of the ordinary, but I know there's more to it. See, it must have been Celestia. I know she must have poisoned my wife.”

Luna frowned. “You can't claim that conclusively. It sounds to me like there isn't any proof for that theory. Are you sure you aren't just being paranoid?”

“Of course I'm paranoid!” Salvator suddenly screamed. “You don't know what happened, Luna! It was her! I know it! She didn't want me to have a family because she wants to cut me down any way she can!”

“Please, try and relax,” Luna said. “We're all just trying to piece this puzzle together. That's all.”

“Yeah, whatever,” the Salvator said with a huff. “Anyway, she died. I feared enormously for my young son's life because Celestia certainly wouldn't be above killing a child to make an example of me.”

“She'd never do that!” barked Twilight. “You're just crazy!”

“Twilight. Let him finish.” Luna told her.

“I might be crazy. I ain't denyin' it,” Salvator went on. “However I couldn't help but act out of fear for my boy. I had to give him away. The Apple's helped me find a good home for him. That was among the last requests I had for them before they died too. I gave them a basket with my son dreaming soundly inside. He looked so angelic, just laying there completely at peace. I remember when he first looked at me with those innocent golden eyes. Tore my heart in half to know I'd never get to see him grow up. The Apple's took him away and gave him to somepony they saw fit to raise him. That's the last I ever saw my boy. I never even had a chance to name him.”

“Oh Salvator...” consoled Luna. “That story is truly heart-wrenching. What color was he? Do you think you ever saw him on the streets without realizing it?”

“It's not likely. He had a beautiful alabaster coat and a mane of pure gold, same as his eyes. I left him with a serum that would permanently alter his genetic makeup. In short, it was an irreversible way to change his colors. So I suppose that maybe I've seen him once or twice before, but I'll never be able to know it. I wonder all the time what he's named, who he's become, what he's done with his life.”

Twilight marveled at the story. “So, that means he's just about Cian and I's age, right? Wow.”

“Aye. Maybe he's back in Halcyon. Maybe he's here in the army. Maybe he's dead. No way to know for sure.”

“Your Majesty, couldn't you have protected him?” asked Cian with conviction in his voice. “He was your son! How could ya have just given him away like that?”

“Hopefully you'll never have to understand, Cian,” he responded. “My choices won't make any sense until you've been in the exact same spot I was. I hope ya never will be.”

“That clears a lot up,” said Twilight, even though she hated Salvator. “There's still one enormous question I have, though.”

“Go ahead.”

“When you were reading Sombra's journal, he hinted that you were of royal descent before you ever settled Halcyon. I don't understand. How can that be?”

“I was,” he said. “I still am. Honestly, I'm surprised ya haven't figured this out yet. Aren't ya supposed to be smart or somethin'?”

Luna couldn't help but smile. “I thought you would have caught on by now too, Twilight.”

“What? What am I missing?” she shouted in annoyance. “This isn't funny!”

“I told ya! I am royal! I was royal here long before I was King of Halcyon!” Salvator explained again.

“How? Did you move to Equestria or something? Do you have any royal siblings?” grilled Twilight.

At this point, Salvator was laughing at her inherent naivete. “Yes, two!”

“Why weren't they exiled with you? Where are they now? What are their names?”

The gray king leaned in close to Twilight's face. “Oh my dear, they should be real familiar to ya. One of 'em is standin' right beside ya.”

Instantly the pieces fell into place. Sun, moon, and earth. Luna put her hoof on Salvator's shoulder. “Brother, you said that I don't know the whole story. What else did Celestia do? Please enlighten us.”

Chapter 15: Many Centuries Ago

An energetic foal tore down the hallways of Everfree Castle. His silver wings flapped excitedly as he ran from hall to hall. “Luna!” he yelled. “Luna, mom and dad are away! Let's go outside!”

He grinned to himself as the idea of sweet freedom spurred him along. There was nothing he loved more than exploring the gardens with his sisters, despite Celestia's semi-frequent grumpiness. He arrived at the ornate door to Luna's room. With no hesitation, he shoved it open and edged inside. His walk stealthy and his eye ever watchful, he scrutinized his sister's dwelling. “Luuuuna... where are you?” he called.

The room was circular in nature. To the left were Luna's bed and dresser, to the right was her study desk. Directly north was an enormous window that offered an unfiltered view into the brilliant evening sky. He took a moment to gaze up at the observatory. A blanket of glimmering stars spanned the darkening pink sky. The view was nothing less than captivating.

Out of nowhere, a lurking form lunged from behind the bed and tackled the unsuspecting colt. “Gotcha!”

“Aah! Luna!” he yelled with a giggle. “You snuck up on me!”

“Well, you're not very sneaky. What are you doing in here, Gaius?” the dark blue filly asked.

“Mom and dad won't get home until after midnight. Only the maids and guards are here. Let's go outside. I heard there's supposed to be a meteor shower!”

“Hmm...” Luna tapped her chin. “Alright.”

“Let's see if Celestia will come with us and let us use her telescope.”

“I don't know, Gaius. I think she's studying. She might get angry if we bother her while she's reading.”

“She's always studying!” Gaius protested. “Plus, we have the whole castle to ourselves right now! Nothing is stopping us.”

“It's worth a shot.”

The two exited the room and chased each other down the hall. On they ran, after the eldest sister. Gaius gritted his teeth and willed himself to sprint faster.

“Slow down!” cried Luna. She lagged behind her brother. “You're too fast!”

The silver colt looked behind him and spat his tongue out. “No, you're just too slow!”

Their hoofsteps echoed loudly throughout the abandoned corridors. As long as a maid didn't catch them and send them scurrying off to their rooms, the world was their oyster. It wasn't often that the King and Queen had business to deal with that required lengthy traveling.

Gaius slowed and graciously allowed for his sister to catch up. The two rounded a marble corner and found themselves at Celestia's room. Luna approached and banged on the door. “Celestia! Come watch the sunset with us!”

A pink glow enveloped the door and opened it magically. Inside sat a little Celestia, reading an old book. “I'm studying my spells right now, you two. Maybe tomorrow.”

Gaius stamped his hoof. “But sister! Mom and dad are away and we won't get in trouble for running and rough housing! ”

“Oh really?” asked the white unicorn.

Luna nodded happily. “Yeah! On top of that, Gaius says there's supposed to be a meteor shower. We were wondering if we could use your telescope for just a little.”

“I don't know,” Celestia said. “You two aren't very careful. What if something happened to it?”

Gaius whined. “We'll be careful! We won't let anything happen to it! Right, Luna?”

The filly nodded. “Yeah! We know how much it means to you. Please?”

Celestia didn't look up from her book. “Fine. You two had better hope nothing happens to it, though.”

“Yes!” whooped Gaius. “Thank you Celestia!” He flapped his wings and took flight. “Where is it? I'll bring it down.”

Celestia magically opened her closet and levitated the high-end telescope down to her siblings. “No need. Just be careful. Once I finish reading about this spell, I might come outside and join you. Where are you going?”

“Only outside to the garden. It's really beautiful today!” Luna explained.

“Alright then,” said Celestia. “Have fun.”

Luna and Gaius thanked her, then went about transporting the heavy tool outside. Gaius flew up to the top of the instrument and strained to lift it. The massive metal frame refused to budge. Luna added her magic to the mix, and with her help, the telescope hovered. The two siblings huffed and puffed and carefully maneuvered the thing down the snaking marble halls. When at last they came upon the double doors leading outside, they paused for a brief moment in hopes of recuperating.

Little Luna rested against a wall. “That takes a lot of magic. Jeez.”

Gaius on the other hand, shook off the fatigue like it was nothing. “Magic is magic. At least you don't have to use your muscles. Are you ready to get this done?”

“I don't know how you have so much energy,” Luna wondered aloud. “Maybe it's just because you're a boy. Give me a second. Magic doesn't just 'come back.'”

The silver foal groaned impatiently. “When I get my horn one day, I'm gonna show you how easy it is.”

Luna spat her tongue out. “Yeah right. Like you have any idea. Alright, let's get this thing through the door.”

They took their positions and executed one final push. The warm summer dusk fell softly upon them as they navigated to a proper patch of grass. The sun's light still leaked up into the evening sky, painting beautiful swaths of dark pink and yellow across their field of view. The siblings set the telescope down and sat against it, gazing up.

“How many other ponies do you think are looking at this same sky right now?” Gaius asked.

“Probably a lot,” Luna theorized. “How many ponies do you think have ever sat down and just took a moment to watch the sunset?

“Probably a lot, too. I like it. It's relaxing.”

Gaius trotted over to the eyepiece of the telescope and tampered with the dials. He spent a minute fine tuning the instrument.

“What are you looking at?” Luna asked.

“The moon,” he said.

Luna looked at the great disk in the sky. “You know,” she said, “mom and dad say that I'll be in charge of the moon one day.”

Gaius giggled. “Oh yeah? What are you going to do with it? Make it clean your room?”

“Oh hah hah,” Luna said sarcastically. “I'll make it crash into your room. How do you like that?”

He blew a raspberry at her.

“They say Celestia will control the sun, too,” she added.

“What do I get?” whined Gaius. “The grass?”

Luna shrugged and laid on her back. “I dunno. You'll get something. Maybe the stars? You could make drawings with them.”

“That might be fun,” he said while still peering into the telescope. “I could draw anything with them. Even a sun or moon of my own.”

Luna watched her brother pointing the monstrous looking glass all over the sky. “You're a stargazer aren't you?”

Gaius backed away from the eyepiece. “I guess so. You want a turn?”

“Yeah!” She traded places with him and looked into the telescope. “Everything is so clear up there. I want to explore space some day. I want to see what it's like on the moon. They say it's made out of cheese.”

“That's stupid,” argued Gaius.

“What? That the moon is made out of cheese?”

“No,” he scoffed. “Ponies can't survive in space. Duh.”

“I'll find a way,” she challenged. “Just you watch me.”

Gaius trotted away from the telescope. “Hey, I'm gonna see if Celestia is coming yet.”

“It's only been a few minutes,” Luna said.

“I don't care. I want her to see the sky before it gets dark!” he proclaimed. He trotted up the grassy hill back into the castle. Luna remained at the telescope and kept careful watch over the sky. Gaius spotted Celestia fairly quickly after heading indoors. She was walking toward him.

“Yay! You're coming!” Gaius exclaimed.

“I might as well,” Celestia said rather passively.

Gaius could tell she was in one of her moods again. Her voice was flat. “Are you okay?” he asked. “Does your head hurt?”

“A little,” Celestia answered.

He waited until she passed him and then joined her side. “You should get one of the maids to give you some headache medicine. That's what it's there for.”

“I know that,” she snapped. “I would have already taken some if I thought I needed it.”

Gaius pouted. “Sheesh. I was just trying to help. I hate it when you read that book. It always makes you like this.”

“Like what?” she asked in annoyance.

“I dunno, mean I guess. You always get mean after you 'study' that book.”

“I do not!” Celestia cried as if on trial. “Reading a book can't change how you feel.”

“Yeah but, that book does,” Gaius pointed out. “You're not even supposed to read that book. Mom and dad would be mad if they knew you were reading it.”

Celestia stopped walking and shot her brother an enraged look. “Don't you dare tell mom and dad!”

Gaius flinched. “I'm not! I'm not! Jeez! I didn't even say that!”

“Good,” Celestia growled at him. “You better not tell, or else!”

“Stop being mean!” Gaius yelled. He felt himself about to cry and blushed because of it. “Stop bullying me! I will tell mom and dad that you're being mean again!”

Celestia advanced upon him and squeezed his shoulder painfully. “Swear you won't tell about the book! Right now!”

He started to cry pitifully. “Get off of me, Celestia! I didn't do anything to you! Stop it!”

“Not until you swear you won't tell!” she shouted.

“Luna!” Gaius wailed down the hallway. “Celestia is bullying me! Help me!”

Celestia shoved her brother against the wall. “No! It's just you and me! Luna isn't listening!”

“Get away from me!” he screamed wildly. He barred his teeth in anger and fear. “Get away from me or I – I'll hit you!”

Celestia's eyes narrowed and she smiled darkly at the challenge. “You can't hit me. You wouldn't dare.” She squeezed his shoulder again.

He blubbered pitifully under her wrath.

“Look at you. You're a mess,” she said. “Swear that you won't tell mom and dad about the book and I'll let you go! It's that simple!”

“I said get away from me!” he shrieked loudly. He thrust his hoof up and uppercut Celestia's chin. She fell backward onto the floor. Gaius shivered in fear as he watched her. “I'm sorry...” he whispered.

Celestia stood up. She reached into her mouth and pulled out a tooth. “You made me bleed.”

“I'm sorry...” Gaius whimpered. “Y-you were being mean!”

“You shouldn't have done that,” said Celestia. She slowly walked up to him again.

Gaius was hysterical. “L-Luna! H-help!” he cried.

Celestia summoned her magic. “I told you she can't hear you!” She zapped Gaius with a thick black bolt. He felt his body locking in place. He couldn't turn his head. He couldn't speak. He couldn't blink. A translucent black aura snaked around his body and ruthlessly chained him in place.

A gleeful laugh escaped from Celestia. “That's the newest spell I learned!” she announced with a sense of pride. “You're paralyzed!” She then proceeded to ready another spell. Gaius only watched as a dark aura radiated from his sister's eyes. She lowered her head and tenderly touched her horn to his forehead. In that moment, his blood ran cold. He would have been wracked with shivers if his muscles could move. He felt every ounce of warmth leaving his body. His heart was beating so fast that he thought he might pass out.

When Celestia was finally done with her curse, she kissed Gaius' forehead and whispered in his ear, “Now you'll never become an alicorn.”

Chapter 16: Day 11

Salvator's revelation had only begun to sink in. Twilight tried not to let her confusion overcome her. “Princess Luna, why don't you ever talk about him? Why didn't you tell me you had a brother? Why would you keep this knowledge from me all this time!?”

“Twilight, please calm down. Everything will be alright,” promised Luna.

“No it wont! Everything was normal before Salvator showed up! Now I learn that my kindhearted, beautiful Princess Celestia is a cruel tyrant and she has a long-lost brother? This is insanity! Why isn't there any proof of Salvator, or Gaius, or whatever his name is at the castle? Why did you try so hard to erase him from existence? He's your brother! If you were such good friends with him, Luna, why did you let all this happen!?” She had worked herself into quite the tizzy. After her rant, she moaned painfully and rubbed her sore back.

Luna looked hurt. “Twilight, things aren't that simple... you make it seem like I passively sat by and let things happen the way they did. I begged my sister not to send Gaius away. I pleaded her to let him stay and think about what she was doing. She's much more powerful than me, Twilight. My opinion didn't matter. She erased each and every reminder of him from Equestria and made me promise never to talk about him except in careful secret.”

Twilight slumped down against the wall. “Nothing makes sense anymore. Nopony around me is who they say they are, I don't know where my friends are, my life will never be the same, I feel like I'm crawling out of my skin...”

Salvator extended a hoof to comfort her. “Hey, easy.”

“Don't touch me!” she spat. “I don't even know what to think about you! Plotting to kill your own sister? Are you some kind of monster!? Haven't you ever heard of a thing called forgiveness!? I don't care what she did to you! You can't just kill somepony! Especially not royalty!”

“Kid, it ain't that simple,” he replied. “You're overgeneralizin' things.”

“Oh, and I suppose that justifies everything? You're immature and solipsistic!”

“You're right,” said Salvator. “You're right.”

Twilight slammed her hoof on the ground in anger. “I can't even tell what I'm feeling anymore. I – I need to get out of here. I'm going to the castle to see Princess Celestia. Let's go, Luna. We need to warn her that you're here, Salvator. Don't try to stop us.”

The King smiled. “I ain't tryin' to stop ya. You're all free to go.”

“Twilight...” Luna sighed.

“Princess, please! Celestia is in danger! I don't care if Salvator is your brother, we can't let him harm her!”

“Yes, but, there's more I need to talk about here.”

Twilight was ardent in her decision. “Fine! I'll go by myself!”

“Whoo, this is gettin' lively!” chimed Salvator. “Come on Luna, let's see her out the door!”

Luna stood in front of the door. “It's not safe out there, Twilight. Your back is still healing and your magic probably isn't back yet.”

“I'm not a child. I can take care of myself,” she retorted. She'd never found herself so visceral before. Normally she would cringe at speaking so frankly to Princess Luna. Her anger had boiled into her other emotions, allowing her to act solely out of passion. The feeling of power she felt frightened her.

The wind howled outside the bunker. She stormed on through the camp, ignorant of the curious stares from the soldiers. Her companions followed her out but didn't chase her.

“Please wait!” begged Luna.

“No! I have to see Celestia!”

Straight was the path to her goal. If she could just get to Celestia, she could clear her head. She kicked a crate of supplies out of her way without a second thought. Just as she'd about exited the camp, a commotion caught her attention. A group of soldiers yelled about something to the north. She suspended her crusade for a brief moment to observe the rabble. Four forms trudged into view. They were all huddled together out of fear or otherwise. One of them was noticeably larger than the others. Princess Cadance. She clutched her belly and breathed deeply. Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash followed behind like ducklings after their mother. As soon as she and Cadance made eye contact, Twilight knew what was happening.

“Salvator!” she screamed. “Help her! She's in labor! Get her to your infirmary!” She galloped over to Cadance. “Easy, easy! Follow me...”

Cadance groaned and bit her lip.

“Somepony help her!” Twilight cried again.

Salvator casually marched on up to witness the spectacle for himself. “Who the hell is this, then? For the love of god, don't tell me it's another princess.”

“Yes, help her! She's about to have a baby!” demanded Twilight.

“Why should I care about some fru-fru pony's ability to successfully copulate? That ain't my problem.”

Luna quickly caught up and took Cadance over her shoulder. She glared disdainfully at Salvator. “Don't be heartless. Where is the infirmary?”

Salvator lit a cigar. “Ain't my problem! Why I should help?”

“Because,” Luna growled. “I'd do the same for you.”

Salvator looked as if his fun had been ruined. “Whatever. Over there.”

Luna and Cadance limped in the indicated direction. Pinkie and the others compliantly followed after them. Twilight ran up to her friends. “Rainbow, Pinkie, Rarity! I can't believe it's really you!” She threw her hooves around Pinkie. “This is great! I'm so glad you're all okay! I've been worried sick about you all!”

Dash managed a weak “Hi.” All three were alarmingly silent. They avoided looking directly at her.

“What's wrong with you guys?” Twilight asked. She took notice of the absent yellow pegasus and orange earth pony. “Where are Fluttershy and Applejack? Are they alright?”

Her query went unanswered. She flagged it as odd, but didn't think much else at the moment. They all tailed Luna and Cadance. The nurses quickly took the pink alicorn in but shooed the rest of them away.

“Are there any more princesses, or is this one it?” Salvator sneered.

“Shut up Salvator,” hissed Twilight. “You stay away from her or else!”

He clapped his hooves together. “You're so feisty! I love it!”

“I can't help but worry about Cadance,” Luna chipped in. “Bringing a child into the world at such a harsh time can't be easy.”

“Aye,” agreed Neeson. He and Cian stood off to the side.

“I feel a little out of place here,” Cian explained. “I don't know any of these ponies.”

“It's quite alright,” said Twilight with a warm smile. “These are my friends Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie. They're the ones we were searching for before we took off for Neighpal.”

“Pleasure to meet ya all,” said the colt to the silent mares. “My name is Cian and this here is my Granddad.”

They didn't respond very much at all.

“Well, at least now we know why the shield around the castle is down,” Twilight went on. “But why did you all decide to leave? It's much safer at the castle than it is out here! Rarity, why did you all leave?”

Rarity's mane covered her eyes. “She... she...”

“Who? Princess Celestia? Is she alright?”

“Celestia did it... said it was an accident.”

“Did what? Talk to me, here! What happened?”

Before the critical interrogation reached a pivotal moment, a long awaited sound split the air. To every ear in the camp came the shrill, piercing cry of an infant.

Twilight stopped trying to pry answers out of her disheveled friend. Instead she sprinted towards the source of the sound. She entered the infirmary and took a place next to Luna. They knelt down beside Cadance's bedside. She held a taught bundle of blankets. Inside was a wailing filly, pink as her mother. A tiny horn poked out of her forehead. Cadance stroked her newborn daughter softly.

“What's her name, dear?” asked Luna.

“Skyla,” replied Cadance with a weary smile. “Her name is Skyla.”

“Uh, Twilight, ya might wanna come see this.” Cian said from the entrance of the infirmary. He was lifting up the tent flap and peering outside. “I think another one of your friends is back.”

Twilight cantered over to him and followed his gaze. “Where at?”

“North, where the others just came from.”

She squinted. Sure enough, one more form approached the camp. “This is wonderful!” she cried. She bounded out of the tent. “Applejack! Applejack over here!”

AJ was heaving a massive cart behind her. It looked like she'd been in quite a rough scuffle. There was blood on her hooves.

“You're safe! You're safe, Applejack! Oh this is great!” gushed Twilight. “Where have you been all this time? Why didn't you come with the others? What's tha-”

Applejack looked at her. Her eyes were bloodshot and puffy.

“H-have you been crying a lot?” questioned Twilight. Her friend's silence unsettled her.

AJ unhitched herself from the cart without a word and sat down on the cold ground. She buried her head in her hooves and softly cried once more.

“What's wrong? Please tell me! Are you hurt bad? We have an infirmary right over here!”

Still no response. Twilight had a sinking feeling. “Applejack?”

Nothing.

She took her focus off of her friend. “What is this thing you brought?”

Still nothing.

She slowly walked over to the huge cart. It was a miracle AJ had managed to heft the thing through the streets all by herself. It was essentially an ornate glass case with a black box inside. Twilight peered through the side into the box. Then, her entire life fell to pieces.

Sweet merciful Celestia...

Her eyes clouded with tears and she fell hard to her knees.

This can't be happening...This must be a nightmare...

Luna galloped over to her and Applejack. “Twilight what's -” Her gaze fell onto the open casket. “Oh my god...”

Out of nowhere, Twilight screamed into the heavens. She screamed until it hurt and her throat was raw. “Who did this!? Who did this to Fluttershy!? WHO!?” She grabbed Applejack's shoulders. “Did you do this!? Answer me!”

“Get off of me!” snapped AJ. She shoved Twilight off and climbed to her hooves. “What the hell is wrong with you? Are you outta your damn mind? I didn't kill her! Where have you been all this time!? Ya coulda' saved her! She'd be alive right now if you hadn't run away!”

Again, Twilight roared skyward. A flaming violet aura radiated from her horn. She slammed her hooves into the ground and screamed again. The aura spread until her whole form was consumed by a blazing purple fire. “SALVATOR!” she screeched.

The King was standing outside the infirmary, awestruck at the sight. Twilight rushed at him with the fury of a terrifying storm. She bulldozed him into ground and clobbered him with her hoof. “What did you do!? You bastard!” Her eyes pulsed white as she summoned her magic.

“Stop! Stop it Twilight!” cried Luna desperately.

Twilight wasn't hearing any of it. A deadly ball of energy formed on the tip of her horn. “I'm going to kill you!”

Salvator forcefully kicked her off and vaulted onto her. He pinned her to the ground and drove his elbow hard into her back. “I didn't kill Fluttershy! I didn't do jack shit!”

Twilight howled in agony. She could feel her injured bones creaking, ready to shatter once more. The pain completely paralyzed her. Salvator climbed off of her, leaving her sprawled in the dirt with a face frozen in a silent scream of torment.

“She attacked me! You all saw that!”

Harrowing rage quickly flooded back into Twilight and replaced her pain. She got up. The blazing aura returned and she ignored her injured back. “WHO DID THIS TO FLUTTERSHY!?”

Princess Luna unfurled her wings and took flight. Her Royal Canterlot Voice boomed throughout the camp. “TWILIGHT SPARKLE! STOP!”

The purple alicorn whipped her head wildly from side to side. Her indignation only continued to grow as no one offered her any answers. Luna swooped down toward her. She winced and prepared for a jarring collision. Instead, she felt a soft flurry of feathers descend upon her. “I'm sorry...” Luna said with a breaking voice. She hugged Twilight tightly but couldn't keep the tears at bay. “I'm sorry... I'm so sorry...”

“Fluttershy can't be gone,” whispered Twilight. “She can't be gone... She can't be...”

Luna rocked her back and forth softly. “I'm so sorry, Twilight. She's in a better place now. She's in a better place.”

“What are you talking about?” Twilight choked out in between sobs.

“She's in a place where nothing can hurt her. She's safe and happy. Trust me.”

Twilight didn't understand what she was talking about, but the words helped take the edge off the crippling sorrow. “A-are you s-sure?”

Luna nodded softly. She kept Twilight in her embrace. “Everything is fine. Everything is fine...”

Applejack and the others were all huddled together, while Salvator still stood and watched from the infirmary.

“I know who's responsible,” spoke Applejack finally. “We all know who's responsible.”

Twilight wasn't listening. She hid her face away, lost in the throes of mourning. Applejack slowly walked to her and rested a hoof on her shoulder. “I shouldn't have yelled at ya. It wasn't your fault. Forgive me...”

Twilight murmured something.

“Sorry sugarcube, I- I can't hear ya...”

“Who killed her...?”

Applejack didn't respond and Twilight was forced to answer her own question. “Celestia?”

“It must have been. There's no other explanation...”

Twilight pulled away from Luna's hug and shivered violently. “I can't do this anymore. I – I can't... I want to wake up from this nightmare... Or maybe I'll just lie down and sleep. I'll just... sleep... ”

Salvator appeared in front of them. “It'll all be over soon,” he promised. “Let me also say that I am deeply and honestly sorry for your loss. I met Fluttershy a few days ago. Ain't never seen a pony as kindhearted as she is. We'll give her a proper burial first thing in the morning. We'll make sure she's laid to rest properly, and we'll never forget her. We'll keep her in our hearts and we'll march to the castle. This won't go unpunished.”

“My Princess, my Celestia did this,” Twilight said into the air. “She couldn't have done this... How... How could she have done this?”

“Ask her tomorrow,” said Salvator. “I'm sure she'll be happy to answer you.”

“But she couldn't have done this... She's caring and honest and fair... She would never dream of hurting anypony... especially not Fluttershy...”

Salvator shrugged. “I'm sorry, kid. I really am. If ya still want to kill me and save Celestia, save it for tomorrow.”

“I don't know... I don't know anything anymore...” said Twilight. “I don't know...”

She gazed up at the gray sky and wondered how a single day could change her world forever. She lay down on the frozen ground as a whole new wave of sobs overtook her.

Chapter 17: Day 12: The Final Day

It was after midnight. Few troops remained awake except the poor souls assigned guard duty. Cian tossed restlessly in his sleeping bag. The volcano of premonition inside him was beginning to stir once more. His eyes felt like sandpaper, yet they refused to stay closed. The evening's events looped over and over again in his mind. Without waking his grandfather, he got up and unzipped the tent. He stepped out into the cold, stretched briefly, and took a seat in front of the smoldering remains of the night's campfire. The embers nipped at the shadows and crackled softly. The mint colored colt drew a deep breath.

What the hell am I doing here?

His head was spinning. He thought of Princess Luna. She was secure. Her life had meaning and direction of utmost importance. There was no question about which path she must take in order to achieve a meaningful existence. He thought of Twilight. She was pretty and young and had a future. She didn't have to fret over stagnancy or boredom anywhere within her life. Adventure seemed to stalk her at every corner. She was interesting. Then, he thought about himself. A wanderer, far from resolute.

He heard the sound of fabric flapping in the bitter cold. King Salvator slowly walked by him and sat on the other side of the fire. He had a tattered Halcyonic flag draped around his shoulders.

Cian bowed slightly. “Your Majesty,” he spoke in his native tongue.

The reflection of the fire shimmered in Salvator's gray eyes. “Ya haven't said very much tonight, Cian. They say a pony of few words is a wise one indeed.”

“Oh, I ain't any smarter than your typical workin' class colt.”

“What are ya doin' out here? Can't sleep?”

Cian shook his head.

“Neither can I,” said Salvator. “Rarely sleep much these days. Drama and antagonism mixed together makes for one nasty case of insomnia.”

“Not to sound rude,” said Cian, “but don't ya think that after all these years, it's time to lose the hate and understand your fears?”

Salvator thought for a few moments. “I envy your hope, Cian. I wish I had the capacity to hope like you do. I'm just an angry, dying soul. I've been around for longer than an entire ancestry of ponies. If the bitterness I feel hasn't gone away by now, what makes ya think it ever will?”

“I dunno. I guess I figure hate must be somethin' ya choose. Choose to keep it, choose to let it go.”

“You're partially right,” said Salvator. “I choose to hate.” He tapped his forehead. “I wear my grudges like a crown.”

“But why?”

“Why? Because a great injustice can't simply be forgotten. If that were the case, maybe this wretched world would work like it's supposed to.”

Cian warmed his hooves over the ashes. “Ya sure got a lotta' demons. I never knew ya always kept this much turmoil bottled up. Back home ya always just seemed sorta emotionless. Like ya built up some kind of solitary shell or somethin'.”

“As long as my people are free, I don't care what they think of me.”

Cian couldn't help but snort. “Ya don't gotta worry about that much. Trust me, your people love ya.”

Salvator smiled slightly. “Judgin' by your reaction, ya seem to have a dissenting opinion. If ya have anythin' to say, now would be an opportune time.”

“I thought ya didn't care what others think of ya.”

“I don't, but that doesn't mean I can't handle criticism.”

Cian sighed. “I can't really criticize ya. It's just that, well, it's your fault my Granddad and I are here. If it weren't for your personal conquest against Celestia, we'd be drinkin' beer back in Wintershore without our lives being directly threatened.”

“Oh yeah? How is it my fault?”

“Your draft,” he explained. “My Granddad didn't want to deal with the strife of a city divided by war. He hopped on a boat full of refugees that he thought were headed somewhere else, but it ended up dumpin' him here in Equestria. As soon as I heard where the boat was going, I snuck onto a ship full of troops gettin' ready to depart. It took me forever to find him here, but eventually I prevailed. The rest is history.”

Salvator stoked the ashes with a stick. “What do you want, boy? An apology?”

His response caught Cian off guard. “Well, yeah. I suppose I do. I want you to apologize for ruinin' any chance I had to have a normal life.”

“Why the hell would ya want a normal life?” Salvator snapped back. “Sounds to me like you're havin' a grand ole' adventure. Ya got an all-expense-paid trip to a foreign country, you're witnessin' history as it's bein' made, and ya get to meet your own King face to face.”

Cian glared at him. “If that's your half-assed attempt at lookin' on the bright side of things, it ain't helpin' very much.”

Salvator laughed. “You're sharp, boy. Hang onto that. Don't ever let life chip away at your intuition.”

Neither spoke for a minute or so. Cian kicked at the ground, not knowing what to say. His mood was bleak. “So, what went wrong?” he finally asked. “How did you end up Salvator instead of Gaius?”

“Life didn't happen like it was supposed to. From the moment I was born, my destiny was broken.”

Cian stroked his goatee. “Broken, huh? That's an interestin' way of puttin' things.”

“Well, something obviously went haywire somewhere down the line. Most ponies aren't banished from their homes. Most ponies aren't forced to watch their lives crumble around them. Most ponies don't wake up every morning with nothing in their heart except a searing desire to see their sister dead.”

“That's heavy,” said Cian, trying to offer a feeble understanding.

“Yeah well, it's my struggle. Not yours,” Salvator reminded him. “I ain't too good at showin' emotions, but believe me when I say that I am sorry for thrustin' ya into all this. I'd rather be back home too.”

“In all honesty,” Cian revealed, “I ain't missin' much. We'd only just moved to Wintershore before all this happened. I hadn't had a chance to get to know anypony or even find work for myself.”

“What about before you moved?”

“Not much of a life to brag about. I worked, went home, slept. Then did it all again the next day. Couldn't even afford school because I'd been savin' up for the move for at least six years. My life is the standard definition of boring. Ain't got one achievement worth talkin' about.”

“No shame in a workin' life. Means you're dependable.”

“It means I'm borin', which I despise. There's nothin' I hate more than bein' a bore. It almost makes me feel, I dunno, useless.”

Salvator shifted around in his flag blanket. “Ya don't seem useless to me. I bet ya don't seem useless to your granddad either. Who knows where he'd be if it weren't for you? Give yourself some credit.”

Cian felt the familiar doubt come blacking in his mind. “Credit for what? Anypony would have done the same thing. It's not like I could have just stayed behind.”

“Not everypony would have gone,” Salvator pointed out. “You're underestimatin' the power of hesitation.”

Cian was having trouble taking his words to heart. “I guess. I just, I tend to feel useless a lot. I don't have a lot of friends back home, and nothin' too great really happens to me. Hell, I'm old enough to drink and I ain't even had a marefriend.”

Salvator slapped his knee. “You're kiddin'!”

Cian shook his head. “See what I mean? I can't even get that right.”

“Hmm. What about that little purple cutie, Twilight?” Salvator smiled coyly. “No tellin' what kinda benefits gettin' with a princess might bring.”

Such implications made Cian blush. “No. She ain't my type, I don't think. I dunno. She ain't interested in that kinda stuff.”

“How would you know?”

“She almost died. I doubt romance is among her top priorities.”

“Hey, suit yourself,” said Salvator. “If ya want to completely disregard everything I say, go ahead. No skin off my back.”

Cian smiled. “Why are ya bein' so friendly anyway?”

Salvator looked around like he needed a posse to back him up. “What do ya mean, then? Can't a couple of stallions engage in casual banter without anythin' weird?”

Cian said, “Sure. I've just never seen this side of ya. Sometimes I forget you're not always so fire-and-brimstone about everythin'.”

“I've been around for quite a while, kid. I know a thing or two.” He smiled coyly again. “Especially about the ladies.”

Cian waved off his claim. “Yeah yeah, whatever. Say, we got any beer around?”

Salvator got up and walked back past him to retrieve one. “'Got any beer', he says. What kinda question is that? Hah!” He handed Cian a bottle. “Damn it's gettin' cold. Pretty much winter.”

“I'll drink to that,” said Cian. They both raised their bottles and took a swig.

“So Cian, what are ya gonna do after this?” asked Salvator as he re-wrapped himself in the flag.

“Dunno,” Cian said. “I'll probably just take Granddad back home and go back to scroungin' out a life any way I can. Who knows. Maybe things won't suck so bad now that I've met ya personally. I bet a lotta' ponies would love a chance to meet ya.”

“Not only that,” explained Salvator, “but throwin' my name around is bound to get ya some attention with the ladies.”

“What is it with you and mares?”

The King held his arms out. “What can I say? It falls under the whole 'live life to the fullest' philosophy.”

Cian shot him a scornful glance. “Bet your wife wouldn't appreciate that too much if she was still here. That's none of my business though. Anyway, what are ya gonna do after this? I assume you'll go back home and everythin' will be normal again, eh?”

He didn't respond for a few seconds.

“Your Majesty.”

“Huh?”

“What are ya gonna do after ya kill Celestia? I mean, are ya just gonna leave Equestria to deal with the repercussions? Luna will probably take on all the responsibility, right? I really like Luna. She gets things done.”

Salvator's tone had shifted dramatically. He spoke softly as if more to himself. “I dunno what I'll do. It's dangerous to think that far ahead.”

Cian was lost. “What are ya talkin' about?”

Salvator sighed. “Fantasizin' about the future clouds your judgment. I can't afford to do that. I, I'm really...”

“What?” Cian pressed.

“I don't got a lotta' time left, Cian. I ain't plannin' on makin' it too far after I finish my job.”

This sent a wave of dread through him. “What the hell are ya talkin' about? That doesn't make any sense!”

Salvator thought carefully. “Cian, you're young. There's a lot ya don't understand. I ain't exactly the picture of health. I'm old and I don't sleep well and I'll never become an alicorn as long as I live. Look at my ass. I ain't even got a cutie mark for god's sake.”

“Neither do I,” said Cian as he looked at his own blank flank.

“You're not a damn king, though. Are ya?”

“No, but-”

“Look, kid. All I'm sayin' is that if I live through this, I'm gonna step down from the throne. I wanna live my final years in tranquility. Maybe I'll move to an island somewhere. I don't know.”

Cian was ready to berate him now. “How can you possibly tell these are your 'final years?' Celestia and Luna are just as old as you and they're not goin' anywhere soon!”

“I've lived my entire life in fear. Tormented and paranoid. The kinda hurt and rage I got, it burns the soul. My entire life's purpose is right before my eyes. In a couple days, I will be without meaning. Obsolete.”

“What about your citizens?” Cian protested angrily. “What about your country and your duties as King? Ya can't just throw it all away because you're tired! That's irresponsible! Ya just got done tellin' me not to give up! Can ya even see how hypocritical you're bein'?”

Salvator downed his drink. “I ain't perfect. I never claimed I was responsible. If that makes you angry, make a change. Don't let my hypocrisy bog ya down.”

“How the hell can I possibly make a change? I'm just a blank flank earth pony like you!”

Salvator spat. “That's no excuse! Look what I did! I'm just a blank flank earth pony, yet I somehow managed to settle a nation and build an army! When my enemy cut me down, I rose right back up. Now I will bury her in her own blood!”

“I don't have an army, King Salvator,” said Cian quietly. “I can't rise against my enemies. I have no enemies, just my own uselessness.”

“I could still use your help. You're not useless to me.”

“I don't see what I can do, but thanks.”

Salvator made sure no one was eavesdropping and hunkered down low. “Okay. Look. Are ya willin' to bet your life to make an important change today?”

“I guess so. I've done it once. What's one more time going to matter?”

Salvator rubbed his tired eyes and thought deeply. “This is more than a long shot. In fact, this is probably nothing more than a distant memory. I probably shouldn't even mention it.”

Cian stood up. “No, tell me.”

“Back before I was banished, the castle had just built a wing hidden deep inside the mountain. It was a laboratory. As I remember, they were plannin' on using it for unorthodox sciences. Like alchemy, magic infusions, stuff like that. I'll bet that if the lab is still there today, there's no tellin' what's waiting inside. Nopony knows about its existence other than the workers and members of the Royal Family. Ya might be able to sneak inside and somehow persuade the workers to help ya out. I don't know how, but it's the only opportunity I can think of. They might be able to amp up your physical strength or somethin'.”

“Are you being serious?” asked Cian incredulously.

“Yes. It might be a suicide mission, but if ya truly need somethin' tangible to give your life meaning, go. Do it for me. Consider it a royal decree.”

“There's no guarantee it still exists?”

“No,” said Salvator.

“-and if I get caught, nopony is comin' to save me?”

“No.”

Cian looked back at the tents. “What about Granddad? I can't just leave him on his own.”

“This is your decision, Cian. Take your life into your own hands. If you want meaning, I'm telling you where to find it. I ain't gonna think any less of ya if ya choose not to go.”

“What would I do afterward? Say 'thank ya' and just waltz back out of the Castle?”

“It's your choice. I can do anything I want, and so can you.”

“So to put this in perspective,” Cian thought aloud, “I'm going to sneak through highly volatile enemy territory into a secret laboratory that may or may not exist in order to persuade enemy scientists to genetically alter me so I can help destroy their army and kill their ruler?”

Salvator smiled. “Simple.”

Cian thought long and hard. His gaze remained on the tent where Neeson slept. “Okay,” he said. “Okay.”

“Excellent! Now listen,” said Salvator. “There used to be an auxiliary entrance dug into the mountain beside the castle. If it's still there, it'll be covered by Celestia's shield. I'll give you a device to temporarily disrupt her magic. I assume they'll ask you for a password or identity as well. Obviously ya won't be recognized, so tell em' 'Flugrekorder nicht öffnen.' Hopefully it'll still work.”

“What the hell does that mean? What language is that?” Cian questioned. It sounded hilarious.

Salvator scratched his head and took a drink. “It's nonsense. I don't even remember what language it is - I'm just surprised I remember it after all these years.”

“So if it doesn't work, I'm outta luck.”

“Essentially.”

Cian stretched once more. “Alright then. I'll do it. Tell Twilight I'm sorry I couldn't be here for the funeral.”

“Do you want me to tell everypony where ya are?”

“No. I probably won't make it anyway, so no use gettin' the others involved.”

“Ya don't have to do this, Cian.”

“I know that, but if I'm gonna die, it'll be on my terms.”

Salvator stood. “Ya remind me of myself. I dunno what to think about that.”

“Thanks, King Salvator. If that's it, I suppose I'll get goin' then.” He got up and to trotted into the darkness.

“Wait!” shouted Salvator with his hoof out.

Cian turned around. “Your Majesty?”

He handed him a pistol and holster. “Any guards give ya trouble, use this.”

“Thank you again,” Cian said. “If I don't see ya again, it's been a pleasure bein' your subject.”

“It's been a pleasure bein' your king.”

Cian equipped the weapon, took one last view of the camp, and vanished into the freezing night.

---

Below Canterlot Castle, a team of engineers eagerly waited to clock out. They were already on overtime and were blowing through their budget at a breakneck pace. Celestia wouldn't be too pleased if they kept having such late nights. As the last stallion punched out, they all heard hoofsteps and a click. To their horror, an intruder stood before them with a loaded revolver pointed their way.

“Make any sudden moves and I'll shoot each and every one of ya,” he warned.

The terrified ponies backed away in surrender. “Please, we're just workers. We don't have anything of value,” one of them said.

“Oh I doubt that very much,” said the gunman. “Sit down. I need to talk to ya.”

They looked at each other in puzzlement.

“I said sit down. That way I know ya aren't gonna try anythin'.”

They complied.

“My name is Cian,” said the armed intruder. “I'm here for a very specific reason. I don't want to hurt any of ya. I've never killed anypony, nor have I ever shot a firearm. Don't force me to change that.”

“What do you want with us?”

“I was getting to that,” he went on. “Is it true that Celestia has ya all workin' on genetic engineering down here?”

They were reluctant to respond.

“I asked ya a question.”

“Yes,” said a dark blue mare. “That would indeed be us. But how did you find this place? We're not even allowed to talk about our jobs with our families.”

Cian sat down across from them. “That ain't important. Right now, what matters is that I desperately need your help. I'll just get right to it. I want your help becomin' stronger. I want ya to change me, give me strength.”

“Is this some kind of joke?” an angry stallion demanded.

Cian trained the gun on him. “Do I look like I'm jokin'?”

“What you're saying is crazy! You want us to – to give you super strength?”

“Anything. Doesn't have to be strength. Just make me better than I am now.”

Another one of them said, “Even if we decided to help you, genetic engineering is a highly experimental field of study. We haven't even come close to fully understanding DNA!”

“I don't care. I'll take any risks involved.”

The mare from before spoke up. “Why should we help you do anything? You're one of them, aren't you? You're one of the invaders!”

“Yes I'm from Halcyon, but I'm not in the army,” Cian said. “I'm here because of my own free will. Use me as your test subject. I'm at your disposal. I don't care if I live or not, just try.”

“Why in the name of Celestia would we listen to you?” spoke another stallion. “Just because you have a gun doesn't make your word law!”

“Oh really now?” challenged Cian, pointing the gun at the resister.

“Wait!” cried another. “Don't shoot!”

One said, “How do you know that we won't just put you under and then leave? If you're in surgery, there's nothing stopping us from just leaving you for dead.”

“I hadn't thought of that,” Cian admitted. He lowered the gun.

“Please, just leave us alone. Don't drag us into your agenda. We're just average ponies trying to make a living.”

An idea popped into Cian's head. “How's that been workin' out for ya so far?”

“What?”

“Each one of ya works down here in the labs. Is this really the job you want? Surely there must be something better out there.”

“Not for us,” said the blue mare. “We're geneticists by fate. We've all received advanced degrees in various scientific fields. All of us down here chose this job. Most of us have had scientific cutie marks from a very young age.”

“Right,” said Cian, “but, it can't be easy. Don't ya want an end to all the stress and the secrecy? Ya said that not even your families are allowed to know what goes on down here.”

“That comes with the job. We all chose this. The research is demanding, but the pay is good and it's what we do best.”

Cian kept searching for a chink in their armor. “Don't ya want to be free of Celestia? It's unethical to keep you down here for so many hours, shut away from the rest of the world.”

“Celestia is a wonderful boss! You don't know what you're talking about!”

There it was. He had it. “She is? Do ya know what she did?”

The six looked at him suspiciously.

“Do ya all know what Princess Celestia did in this very lab not three days ago?”

“Sure,” said a stallion. “She was down here overseeing the last stages of bot development.”

Cian wore a somber expression. “Have any of ya heard of a pegasus named Fluttershy? She lived at the edge of the Everfree Forest.”

None had heard of her.

“She was bein' held here at the Castle for safety. She didn't deserve what happened. Princess Celestia...”

“She what?” asked the mare.

“She murdered Fluttershy in cold blood. With chemicals...”

A collective gasp arose from the geneticists. “You're lying!”

The mare shifted her spectacles. “He might be telling the truth. That must be why Pendragon left... Two days ago he quit unexpectedly... He was a hardy. Couldn't easily be phased...”

“You can't be serious. Princess Celestia wouldn't do that...”

“It's true,” Cian said. He set the gun on the cool tile floor and looked the mare. Her hair was a lighter shade of blue than her coat, but her eyes surprised him. Her irises. One blue as her coat, one red as a jewel. “What's your name?” he asked her.

“Mari,” she replied, dodging his stare. “Don't worry about my eyes. It's heterochromia.”

Cian tried to find common ground. “Listen Mari. I can offer ya a way out. All of ya. My King is here for the sole reason of removing Celestia from power. She's a deceptive tyrant with the appearance of a saint. Make me strong, and I'll make sure each and every one of ya is safe. Our army is gonna mobilize tomorrow and they're not takin' prisoners once they get here. I know my King personally, and I'll tell him to protect ya. Just please, help me now so we can all live to see tomorrow.”

The six scientists marveled at the massive choice before them.

“Is all this true?” asked a stallion.

“I give you my word,” promised Cian. He kicked the gun over to the group. “Here. Shoot me right now if ya don't believe me. I only want ya to know that it's a small matter of time before somepony more hostile than me comes knockin' on your door. It could be the army, but it just might be your own Princess.”

One of the stallions grabbed the gun and aimed it at Cian. “I don't appreciate seditious lies!”

Cian kept calm. “Shoot me if ya want. That ain't gonna stop what's already set in motion.”

Mari reached over and tugged the stallion's arm. “Stop it! I – I think he's right. Why else would Pendragon have left so abruptly? How would this Cian pony know about this place at all? Just - what he's saying makes sense, that's all.”

“You want to help him?”

“I don't know.”

“What would we do? Put him under and start splicing up genes all willy-nilly?”

Mari paused. “Well, remember that project that never got greenlit? 'Gloriously Bright?' It was otherwise discarded since we never had a suitable test subject.”

“Not to mention the success rate is virtually zero...”

“I don't care,” said Cian. “If I was afraid to die, I wouldn't have made it this far.”

The engineers were torn. They quietly squabbled over whether or not to initiate the controversial project. Finally, they reached a verdict. Mari served as the ambassador.

“We're split down the middle. Three of us want to help, three of us don't. So, that's what we'll do. Soma, Exon, and I will do the best we can. The others agreed not to tell Celestia about this little encounter.”

“Wonderful,” Cian said. “I believe you've made a wise choice. As for you other three, run. Take your families and get as far away from Canterlot as ya can. No shame in worryin' about your safety. Best of luck to ya all.”

Three stallions climbed to their hooves and disappeared down the hall.

“Okay then,” said Mari. “Follow me.”

They made their way through a narrow maze of hallways.

“Are you sure you're okay with this? Your body might not accept the changes.” Mari asked Cian.

“Yeah,” was all he said.

“Alright then.”

They entered a large room stocked ceiling high with expensive equipment. The pony known as Soma brought in a metal cart to serve as an OR table.

“The project is called Gloriously Bright, as you may have heard,” said Mari. “Normally we'd need heaps of information before we got started, but this isn't exactly a normal circumstance. We're going to have to bypass a lot of the safety steps in order to do this by tomorrow. The thing that worries me the most is that this project is supposed to be for unicorns...”

“I don't care,” said Cian.

Mari gathered materials. “Exon, lock the door. Put up a barricade so nopony gets in or out. Tomorrow morning there will be a lot of ponies wondering what exactly is going on in here. Cian, lay down on that cart.”

He lay down as instructed, feeling like a cadaver.

“Is all the equipment ready?”

“Yeah, should be.” said Exon.

“Good. I'm taking a blood sample now.”

Mari handed Cian a mask with a tube leading to a compressed canister. She then proceeded to extract a globule of his blood and take it over to her workspace. “In a nutshell, we're going to use your blood here to map your genetic code. Once we make all the changes in here, we'll re-inject you and let your altered cells replicate. The trick is, we don't have weeks to carefully observe the process. We're going to use advanced magic, probably runes, to speed things up a bit. Any questions?

“No.”

“Cian,” she said softly, “you might not wake up from this.”

“I know! You've said that already,” he snapped. “Just do it.”

“Okay.”

Cian's vision blurred as Mari turned the canister's valve. He lay his head against the cool metal and drifted off. The last thing he caught were snippets of the geneticist's conversation.

“Each codon has to be individually spliced...”

“No, we want that base pair to be mutagenic to avoid complications with genetic drift...”

“The blood sample is ready. Ready to inject?”

“Go ahead. He's not going to make it...”

Chapter 18

As the last visible patch of the casket's wood was covered, Salvator turned away from the grave and set his shovel down. More than two hundred were in attendance at Fluttershy's cottage on that cold bright morning. Twilight and Luna stood together. Their faces were scarred by grief. Not far from them were Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash. Applejack stayed with her brother and tried vainly to comfort him as he quietly sobbed. The poor stallion could barely hold himself together. Cadance stood by herself, cradling her baby. The rest of the mourners were troops that had decided to pay respects. Only Neeson had opted to stay behind to search for his missing grandson.

King Salvator breathed deeply. He felt the urge to speak but couldn't find the words. No one offered a eulogy. The only noises at all were the gentle morning breeze and the calls of birdsong. Salvator shoveled again at an even pace.

Twilight stepped forward toward the grave and knelt down in the dirt. “I wish it was me. I'd rather it be me.”

“I know the feelin',” said Salvator with a grunt.

“It's not right.”

“No, it's not.”

“It doesn't make sense. It's not fair.”

“You're right. It ain't.”

She cried again. “It's just so unfair. She didn't even have a chance.” She looked into the earth where her friend lay. “I'm so sorry, Fluttershy. I wish it was me...”

Salvator stopped shoveling. “Is this the first time you've had to deal with somethin' like this?”

“Yeah,” sputtered Twilight. “I mean, I've had distant relatives pass away before. Nopony this close.”

“I understand. Listen, kid. We'll never forget her. From what ya tell me, she had the kindest heart in all of Equestria. She'll always be with us. Her spirit still lives on in each and every one of us. In every random act of kindness between two strangers, in the eyes of every newborn, each time somepony has the urge to reach out and help. She's there. Her body has commended to the ages, but she's still very much a part of us. She used her life as a guidin' light for others to find peace, and she'd want us to do the same. Continue her legacy. Take heart, Twilight. Remember her as she was and keep her message alive through your kindness. It's what she'd want.”

Twilight sniffled and for the very first time, looked at Salvator as something more than evil. “That's beautiful.”

He smiled sadly. “We ain't too different. I've also been to a couple funerals that shouldn't have happened.”

Princess Luna approached the two. “Thank you for giving Fluttershy a proper burial, brother. Are you sure you can't speak on her behalf?”

“Oh, I don't know any of that official ashes-to-ashes stuff. I don't think I could do this sweet soul any justice.”

Twilight was slightly uplifted by what Salvator told her. “We can still keep her memory alive.”

“Quite right,” agreed Luna softly.

Pinkie Pie looked at them. Her voice was on the verge of breaking. “She's in a place where everything is fine, right? A place where nothing bad happens?”

“Yes. She's in Heaven,” said Salvator.

“You know you shouldn't be talking about that...” Luna voiced quietly.

Salvator looked at her. “Why?”

Luna just shook her head, unable to offer a feasible reason. “I don't know.”

“At least I believe in something, Luna. At least I believe in something.”

She stifled a sob. “Not now. Please.”

He conceded. “I'm sorry. You're right. Have ya gotten through to Celestia at all?”

“No,” Luna replied. “I told her that we had complications in getting to the castle, and she stopped responding to me after that.”

“Alright then. That's that,” said Salvator. He finished filling in the grave. “We'll have to use a wooden cross here until we find ourselves a proper gravestone. Is that alright with you, Luna? Does that count as offensive imagery?”

“Salvator...”

He called a soldier to bring the marker over, where they planted it at the head of the tomb. Twilight watched. When it seemed the procession had reached another standstill, Salvator beckoned to her. “Come here.”

She approached him and was handed a leaf of parchment. The sloppily scrawled words read: In memory of the pegasus Fluttershy. A kinder soul never walked the earth. May her light guide us all.

“Her epitaph,” explained Salvator. “I wanted to make sure ya approved.”

Twilight nodded. “Of course.”

“Okay.” He knelt down beside the grave and nailed the paper to the small cross. “I'm gonna head back to camp. Twilight, Luna, you three.” He glanced at Pinkie and the rest. “You're all welcome to stay with us if ya want. We'll feed ya and keep ya warm. I'd really like to stay with ya a bit longer, but I need to get movin'. I'm going to make sure no more innocent lives are lost. Fluttershy didn't have to die. We'll make sure nopony else does either. Come on, boys.”

The soldiers all shuffled away from the site after Salvator. Twilight made her way to her friends and Cadance. “How's everypony holding up?”

Rainbow Dash passively brushed her mane out of her eyes. “My whole life has been ripped away from me. I'm stuck at the castle for over a week doing absolutely nothing while invaders lurk just outside, and now one of my best friends in the entire world is gone forever. Why would Salvator do this to us? We never asked for this...”

“I hate him,” Rarity mumbled. “Fluttershy would still be alive if he hadn't shown up and destroyed everything.”

Twilight wasn't sure what to think anymore. “Could Celestia really have done this?”

“Apparently she does a lot in secret. Maybe all the unopposed power has really overtaken her,” said Cadance. “That's why I left the castle. I overheard the guards talking amongst themselves. They said that she did something to my husband that left him in surgery.”

Twilight gasped. “What? My brother is in surgery? Why didn't you tell me!?”

“I was in labor.”

She blushed. “Oh, that's right. Sorry. Is Shining Armor going to be okay?”

Cadance stroked Skyla. “I don't know any details.” The baby started to squirm and make noises of protest. “Skyla is getting cold,” Cadance said. “I need to go back to camp. I'm deeply sorry about Fluttershy. I miss her immensely. If what Salvator said is true, maybe we'll all see her again one day.”

“I hope so,” said Pinkie Pie. “I hope they have parties wherever she is.”

“I'm sure they do, darling,” said Rarity, cracking a smile. “I'm sure they do.”

Princess Cadance trotted away from the cottage with a cranky Skyla in tow.

“I'm gonna stay here with Fluttershy a bit longer,” said Pinkie.

“Me too,” said Dash. “I'll come back to camp later.”

“I need to head back to Ponyville. Sweetie Belle is still in that bunker under the town and I need to find her,” Rarity explained.

Twilight hadn't considered where many of her other friends were. “Oh no, you're right. I'll bet Spike is down there too. He's probably scared out of his mind. Poor little guy.”

“Mac and I will go with ya, Rarity,” said Applejack, just joining the conversation. “We know what it's like to worry about a sister. We'll look for Spike too. That way Twilight can focus on getting to Celestia.”

“Will Applebloom be alright by herself at the farm?” asked Rarity.

“Sure. She's with Granny. Those two keep 'emselves busy enough on their own.”

Rarity smiled. “Thank you. I appreciate the gesture. I wasn't too keen on going by myself.”

“No need to thank us,” said AJ. “Are you two both ready to take off?”

Big Mac trotted over to Fluttershy's grave and sat down in the dirt beside it.

“I think he may need a minute,” Rarity said. “He loved her more than anything in the world. This isn't exactly easy for him.”

“He did?” asked Twilight.

Rarity wiped her nose. “Anypony with eyes could see that.”

Applejack scratched her head. “I shouldn't have rushed him.”

“I don't think it made much difference, honestly.” Luna said. “He's still pretty shocked. He'll need some time. Just let him grieve. As for me, I'm going to head back to the camp and talk to Salvator a bit more.”

“I'll go with you,” said Twilight.

“We'll see you guys soon, then.” said Pinkie, with a nod from Dash.

The friends hugged each other before parting ways once more. They all felt surreal. Any minute they thought they'd find themselves asleep in their beds, awake from nothing more than a nightmare. Any minute Fluttershy would be back. Without her, every step felt meaningless. Every breath hollow.

Twilight waved behind her as Fluttershy's cottage disappears on the horizon. “Good luck,” she whispered to her friends. “We'll be back together soon, when this is all over.” She looked at Luna. “Do you think they'll be okay?”

“No.”

“I'm not okay either...”

Luna tried to remain strong.“We've been scarred. Now it's up to us to go on.”

Twilight started asking her something else but stopped.

“Hm?” said Luna.

“Do you think what Salvator is saying and doing is right?”

She kicked a rock off the path. “Do you mean right as in morally correct?”

“Yeah.”

Luna sighed. “No. In my mind, there isn't a single justifiable reason for one pony to take the life of another. I think Salvator is going about this in a completely inappropriate manner and shouldn't be allowed to continue. On the other hand, Celestia is guilty of the same crimes. The throne has done things to her mind. She loves her citizens dearly, but will kill to keep them safe and happy. That isn't right either. I honestly don't know what to do. Both my siblings are acting childish and they're forcing me to play as the mediator.”

“I need to talk to Celestia,” said Twilight. “I know she's the one that killed Fluttershy.”

“That very well may be. I fear her mind may already be lost.”

“I wholeheartedly love Princess Celestia. She's been my mentor, ruler, and friend ever since I was a filly. To murder, though... I can't forgive that...”

“Change is coming, Twilight. I don't want to see anypony die, and I'm going to try and dissuade Salvator from continuing his conquest, but change is coming.”

Twilight quickened her pace. “You're right. I need to ask Salvator a few things. I'll see you back at camp.” She left Luna behind and cantered past the lengthy lines of soldiers in hot pursuit of the gray King. She spotted his flank at the head of the line. “Salvator!” she called.

He glanced over his shoulder as she caught up.

“I have a few questions for you. I want answers.”

“So do I.”

She asked him anyway. “Earlier you said that the black magic spellbook influenced Celestia's actions, right?”

He decided to humor her. “Aye. Black magic corrodes the mind. Nopony stays the same after they bathe in the darkness for long enough. That's where Celestia got the power to curse me.”

“Well, I need to know something about the book.”

“Okay.”

“...Does it have a resurrection spell?”

Salvator glared at her and snorted. “Are ya deaf, kid? We're talkin' about black magic! It's evil! Against the law!”

Twilight was scared of the feeling inside her. “I know. That's... not what I asked...”

Salvator looked at the ground. “...No. Resurrection is impossible. Not with black magic, or even the most advanced science. When the soul leaves the body, it ain't comin' back. No matter how much we cry and plead and promise.”

“When what leaves the body?”

“Nothin'. Luna doesn't want me talkin' about that kinda stuff. You got any more questions?”

“Yes, one,” she said. “What happened to Sombra the first time? What really happened in the Crystal Empire?”

Salvator reached into his tunic and extracted Sombra's journal. “I can read it to ya on the way to camp. As it turns out, the last two entries he wrote detail what happened. We'll see vicariously. Through his eyes.” He turned to the penultimate pages of the ancient journal. “Sombra's last mission, as ordained by yours truly. It's been about a thousand years since then. Here's what happened.”

---

We all fought the sickness as long and valiantly as we could. Salvator pumped millions of bits into the hospitals and medicinal sciences. He made sure panic throughout the country was kept to an absolute minimum. Nationwide healthcare was laid in place and for a small little while, it looked like an end was in sight.

Yet, the amplitude of the scourge steadily continued to rise. More and more ponies shut themselves away in their homes and quietly suffered. Everypony suspected their neighbor of carrying the plague, even though they themselves concealed it deep in their chests. It wasn't long after the first deaths started occurring that the sharpest medical minds in Halcyon discovered the plague wasn't borne of any wayward pathogen or viral outbreak. It wasn't genetic either. What they discovered threw a blanket of alarm over us. It was synthetic. Particularly, magic. Never before in the recorded history of ponykind had any of us bore witness to magical sickness. It was almost impossible to study in the labs. How can you look at magic under a microscope? During those months, I saw many a heathen turn an eye to Heaven in a visceral attempt at fleeing to salvation.

Salvator and I had a discussion in solitude about our various theories about the sickness. One of my claims was that it might have been something far outside our control – such as the innate and profound magic of cutie marks, or the fact that unicorns are born with the ability to harness magic at all. These things were simply accepted as universal law. Not quite scientific, yet not quite theoretical. Some things just are. Of course, the King wouldn't have any of that. He disagreed wholeheartedly and insisted that a creator must have been present at some point. A creator who's identity yielded painfully obvious.

I questioned him about her possible motives. What could she gain? To what extent would she go? The answers were inconceivable. After conditions worsened for several weeks, Salvator summoned me to his side. Far to the north, just inside Equestria, was an opulent empire with extremely powerful magic and a vast knowledge of how to use it. The Crystal Empire, to be exact. Salvator told me to go. I was to journey north and ask the empire for any assistance they could offer. We'd heard whispers of their grace and generosity for years. The most promising aspect of the empire was the one that most influenced Salvator to send me – they were above Celestia's influence. Independent. In fact, Celestia herself may not have known any more than we did about them. They were situated inside Equestrian borders. Right on the northern cusp.

Salvator gave me the choice of taking anypony in the country with me. I asked him why he couldn't make the voyage himself, as surely this was a diplomatic matter to be handled by officials. Simply put, he couldn't risk it. He couldn't leave his people behind in pursuit of a slim chance, even if success lay at the end. His name was a curse in Equestria and he dare not set a single hoof on their soil. I chose to go alone. Fear gripped me tightly on the last day at home. I spent it with Salvator making preparations. The King found no relief in sending me away. He apologized to me dozens of times and said he wished he could do it himself. I trusted and believed him. Nothing in the world could have forced me to turn down an order from Salvator. He was my best friend. Is my best friend. With only my magic, wits, and an enormous hiking bag keeping me alive, I departed from Halcyon. I felt as if I were running away. Chasing a trail of hope.

That was days ago. I'm still alive, but I don't feel like it. The Crystal Empire's magic tugs at me like it's trying to get my attention. Its presence is grand, and it's near. I suspect that tomorrow I will at long last find it. I sailed up the entirety of Equestria to minimize conflict. There was never a time I was closer than two hundred miles to shore. Just as the water became clogged with ice and prohibited further travel, I beached and started the next leg of my journey on hoof. Deplorable conditions plagued ever step. Howling blizzards gnawed at me for days on end. Just as my will had all but faltered, a tiny settlement appeared high up on a mountainside. It took the very last of my energy, but I made it up. There was nowhere to seek shelter but a measly storage shed used by the native folk. This is where I currently reside.

Let me first begin by stating that my hooves have become little more than leaden weights. My magic has all gone to keeping my core warm. I can't bear to use any on my extremities. In lieu of this, I possess an enduring eagerness to keep writing. Documenting my next moves is of paramount importance. Right now I shall try to quell both my giddiness and my chills and attempt to turn in for the night. Tomorrow I will find the Crystal Empire.

---

So much has happened. So much has changed. I can feel myself slipping away. I'm sinking ever further. Madness is smoldering at the very borders of my mind. My intense hatred continues to swell with savage intent. Even now I can barely contain my urge to simply shore something in twixt. My puny journal threatens to rip from the heavy poundings of my quill as I bleed these words onto it. I will extract my revenge. Oh, such a thought sends tremors of glee through my charred heart. My vindication will be paid in full, by mine own doing. Let me say that Celestia's only mistake was leaving me alive. She should have ripped me out of this wretched world when she had the chance. I digress.

Yesterday was the day I died. At least, it would have been. Should have been. I found the Crystal Empire. It was breathtaking. The spindly architecture of their slender spires stretched far into the sky as if taunting God Himself. In the heart of the city sat the largest spire - a new Tower of Babel.

As for the ponies who lived amongst the jeweled buildings, one might think them straight from a child's storybook. They are crystalline. Each pony glitters lustrously with every hoofstep. I was awestruck as soon as I set hoof inside their border. The expansive infrastructure could be likened to a dreamscape – surreal and unfathomably gorgeous. I wandered about for at least an hour, drinking in all the rich new culture. The place is unreal! Young fillies run about and play frivolously with no adult supervision. There's no fear. Everypony is joyous and prideful. The very air inside the Empire tastes of utopian perfection.

After asking around for a few minutes, the local authorities approached me and questioned my motives. I informed them of my critical mission and that we desperately needed their assistance back home. They knew at once that I was indeed serious and took me into the central tower, where the Queen presided. By some miracle, Her Majesty agreed to personally meet me. She was beautiful. She was the color of burning ruby and accessorized with gemstones. I explained my situation and let her take it in. Honestly, I couldn't tell what she was thinking. Her stoic professionalism did nothing to betray her personal feelings. She was extremely intelligent, from what I could tell. Whatever she thought of Princess Celestia was locked away. She told me that she needed to confer with her advisers and would absolutely have a solution by the next morning's light. I was advised to stay the night at a local inn and relax. So, I complied. I spent the evening roaming the city and sightseeing, never suspecting for a moment that my demise was already upon me, waiting like a stalking butler. When the sun went down, I checked into an inn and rested my weary head. Slumber came at once to my ragged body. That's when the earth split open and Hell leaked out. I thought firstly that I was having a nightmare.

My door creaked open. Thinking this odd, I squinted in the darkness and sat up. The clock on the wall told me it was well into the next day's infant hours.

“Don't get up,” said somepony I hadn't heard in many many years.

A large form came into my room, tailed by two others. Princess Celestia and two of her royal Equestrian guards stared me down. I cannot possibly describe the harrowing fear that raced down my spine as I saw her. The guards stayed at the door, but she intruded upon me further by sitting at the foot of my bed. This was no nightmare.

“What is your name?” she asked me casually.

“Sombra,” I responded.

She produced an old book and leafed through the pages. “There is no need to be upset, Sombra. Would you mind telling me please what you are doing in this beautiful Empire?”

My gut knotted. “I'm sorry Princess, but it's official Halcyonic business. I'm not at liberty to discuss it with ya.”

She didn't glance up from the book. “I see. As it turns out, I'm here on official Equestrian business. How about we act diplomatically and exchange information?”

I tried to calm my hurried breathing. I felt like I was turning to stone.

“I'm here because of you,” Celestia continued. “You must be very special, Sombra. A little birdie told me that you came here with malicious intent against my nation. Is this true?”

“No, Your Highness,” I said while shaking my head. “There's a great plague in Halcyon. I've come here simply to ask assistance of these kind ponies. My people back home are dyin' and we need help.”

She asked, “Why didn't you come to me instead of sneaking into my country and bothering the crystal ponies?”

“The choice was not my own,” I said. “I was told to come here under direct order from my King.”

Celestia growled upon the mention of her brother. “Very well. Regretfully I must inform you that you are in this country illegally, and you will not be staying much longer. Since you are just the messenger, I will spare your life.”

I backed up against the headboard, shifting uncomfortably under the sheets. “I- I don't...”

“Do not give me reason to kill you. I will not hesitate,” she said. She found a spot in her book that seemed to captivate her. “Here we are.”

“What is that?” I dared to inquire.

“What, this book?”

“Yes.”

She levitated it to me. “It's a contingency plan.”

I stared at the ancient pages. The text was condensed tightly. “I've never seen any spells like this before,” I yammered nervously.

“I should hope not,” Celestia said. “It takes the might of an alicorn just to use them. A mere unicorn's body would simply give out.”

I handed the book back to her. “Are you going to curse me?”

“Somewhat. Only because I have to. I have decided to spare your life, because I am fair. However I must make an example out of you lest anypony endanger my county's safety again.”

At this point I was sweating bullets. “Isn't there anythin' I can do? Surely I will be of higher value unscathed by a curse.”

Celestia scooted closer to me. “I know. Believe me dear Sombra, this is not personal. I must act solely in the interest of my country and its safety.”

My eyes closed and I prayed to myself. Princess Celestia readied her magic.

“Wait,” I said. “Before ya do it, let me know one thing.”

She acknowledged my request.

“Let me know why ya issued the ban. Your citizens are runnin' around, lost in the dark like wayward sheep. Why have ya taken their shepherd away?”

The ruler looked at me with an almost motherly expression. “I couldn't take it anymore. The loss, the heartache. It mounted for years. I hoped vainly that the violence and tragedy would one day end, but it never did. I cried every time I saw one of my beloved ponies shot dead by another, or sacrificed in the name of God. There was so much evil polluting the land. It was sickening. My siblings and I were tortured by the vile corruptions that ponykind created for itself. For years I wondered about the sources of this evil. Then one day, it all became clear. There was news from a distant city about a doomsday cult. There were hundreds of them. Stallions, mares, and fillies alike. By the time I got to their temple, it was far too late to save them.”

“What did they do?” I whispered.

“They decided that their time for ascension had come. I saw their rapture firsthoof. It was...” She faltered, turned away and put a hoof over her face. She was crying softly. “They set their temple ablaze, sat down inside, and sang songs of praise as it burned to the ground with them inside.”

“Oh my dear sweet god...” I said breathlessly.

“That,” Celestia said bleakly. “Is why I issued the ban.”

She summoned her magic and sent a white beam into my chest. “Bring me the vessel,” she said with a sniffle.

One of the guards handed her a smooth cyan heart comprised of solid crystal.

“I'm not going to kill you,” she said. “but you may come to regret that.” The beam intensified, and my alarm quickly turned to terror. At first I didn't notice the change. I closed my eyes and winced as the magic flew into me. The cold seeped in soon after. Not a physical cold, but one of indescribable fear and loneliness. It was as if all my happiness was draining away, pulling up writhing tendrils of hatred to fill its place.

“I hate you!” I suddenly screamed at Celestia. “What are you doing!? Stop it! I hate you!”

The memories of my childhood, the warm nostalgia of my parents, it all iced over. It iced over and shattered. I felt a fissure of pure desperation opening somewhere deep inside me, filled only by waterfalls of endless rage. My dissent was changing me. It stretched up and over me, consuming me in my own self-loathing.

“You vile bitch!” I shouted at Celestia. “You're cursing me! Stop it!” I watched helplessly as the magic relayed past her horn, into the shining crystal heart.

“You will be a king, Sombra!” Celestia hollered over my own shouting. “You'll be a king of all you've lived for! Nothing! Dirt!

My horn started to puff a black aura. I could feel the evil ripping into my heart, latching onto the wound and seeding me with corruption. It sucked tightly, hellbent on stealing away every last drop of my compassion.

“You're in here now, Sombra!” she cried madly. “You're in the heart now!”

The last thing I remember before blacking out was a trembling urge for vengeance so deep that I can't describe it in words.

That was yesterday. Today I sit once more in my shed, lurking. I cradle my newly found lust for destruction and curse the God that could do this to his subject. Most of all, I curse Celestia. Repugnant, repulsive Celestia. She didn't just steal my happiness away. Oh no, she didn't stop there. She raped me of all my goodness and tore my very soul in half. She tore my soul. In half. Somehow I must have filched her infernal spellbook, as I find it now laying on the ground beside me. I cannot recall what happened. Maybe she gave it to me. I don't care if my body can't handle casting the black magic. I'll grow stronger. I'll find a way.

I can feel myself inside that heart. My love, my empathy. It's there. The crystal ponies have taken the artifact, believing it to be a token of Celestia's good will. I hate them. Every single one. They have no earthly knowledge of what they did to me. They're all sniveling cowards. They'd give the lives of their children for a promise of safety. I will look each and every one of them in the eye as I tighten the chains around their necks. They will pay dearly. As for the heart, my missing half, I will reclaim it. Then I will destroy it. I do not wish to be what I once was. Never again will I feel love. There is only fire in its place. I despise how oblivious I was. I couldn't think for myself. My whole life was guided and predetermined up until yesterday. Not anymore. Now I make my own decisions, and I will decimate the half of me that says otherwise. The Crystal Empire will pay. Celestia will pay. I will pour their black crystalline blood onto the fires of my insatiable rage. I will inflict upon them pain that reflects tenfold what they've done to me. They will be my slaves, for I am Sombra, king of the damned.

Chapter 19

“Ya know somethin' else about Sombra,” said Salvator. “I can tell by the look on your face.”

“My friends and I went to the Empire,” Twilight explained with a mild guilt. “Celestia told me that I had to save the crystal ponies and neutralize Sombra as a test. I was missing most of the story the entire time.”

“So you're sayin' that it was your hoof that finally killed him for good?”

“Indirectly. It was the crystal heart. In the end, he fell to its magic. The heart itself is still there today, protecting the Empire.”

“That means that half of Sombra's soul is too.”

They neared the precipice of the camp. The soldiers had mostly finished packing up their belongings already. The ground was positively littered with empty beer bottles.

“So,” Twilight spoke, “how did you eventually find out what happened? Nopony would have known about the incident except Celestia and the crystal ponies.”

Salvator moved about, gathering maps and documents into a satchel. “I didn't know.”

Twilight scoffed. “What? You've said more than once that you knew what happened to Sombra.”

Salvator shook his head. “Not what happened. Only that he never returned from the Empire. All I knew for sure was that his mission failed and he never came home.”

Twilight insisted on discrediting his claim. “The journal though! You knew the last few pages were about what happened!”

“So? That doesn't mean I read 'em.”

“If you're serious then that means neither of us really knew until just now,” Twilight stated in bafflement.

“Yeah,” confirmed Salvator. “Great job, kid. You're a genius. Now can we drop it? I don't like talkin' about Sombra. I miss him too much.”

“Of course,” said Twilight. “But, wow.”

An old stallion overheard the commotion and cantered up to the two, obviously acting worried. It was Neeson. “I still haven't found Cian,” he said. “Damn fool's nowhere in camp. Twilight, King Salvator, you two haven't seen him anywhere have you? I need to talk to him right away.”

“No Neeson, I'm sorry,” Twilight responded. “I'll be sure to keep an eye out. He probably isn't far away. Why would he have reason to be?”

“How should I know? He just ran off in the middle of the night! That isn't like him at all. Your Majesty, have you seen him?”

Salvator put on his expressionless face. “I ain't seen him.”

Princess Luna walked up to the group after eavesdropping on the conversation. “Very troubling indeed, Neeson. We'll all look for him.” She turned to Salvator. “You're telling the truth, right?”

He glared at her. “I said I ain't seen him.”

“I'm sure he's just fine,” said Twilight.

Neeson grumbled to himself. “There's somethin' I need to tell him. It's real important. Ya all don't understand how badly I need to talk to him.”

“We will do all that we can,” said Luna. “Just stay vigilant.”

“Right. So, are we done?” grilled Salvator impatiently. “I don't have all day here. I have places to go, ponies to see.”

Neeson stormed off, unwilling to put up with Salvator's selfishness. Salvator shrugged and disassembled a tent. “Luna, Twilight, you two should head to the castle and make your amends with Celestia. As soon as I'm finished here, we're comin'. My troops from the other cities are already on their way. I'll keep a couple of soldiers here until Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash get back. They can help look after Cadance when they return.”

Twilight felt Luna's hoof on her shoulder. “He's right. I'm going to fly to the castle. Would you like to come too?”

“Oh yes. I think that's long overdue. I want some answers,” said Twilight.

“Very well. Let us not waste words. It's high time we talked to my sister.”

---

A few tiny snowflakes fell as Luna and Twilight landed just outside the circumference of the shield in front of the castle's drawbridge. Inside, droves upon droves of royal guards stood in wait. The guards recognized the two princesses outside and immediately chattered excitedly amongst themselves. Luna brushed a snowflake off of her face and summoned a magic orb. “Twilight and I are outside, Celestia. Lower your shield.”

It seemed as if she wouldn't respond. Nothing happened. Twilight tapped impatiently on the magical barrier and tried to see if she could spot her brother inside with the guards. No such luck. The ranks of Equestrian soldiers held formation without Shining Armor.

There was a brief flash of light behind them. The princesses quickly whipped around. Celestia dusted herself off from the teleportation. She smiled as if seeing two long lost friends. Without a word she walked up and hugged them both. Twilight relaxed and hugged her ruler tightly. It was as if all of the last twelve days simply didn't matter. Every doubt, every premonition vanished. She basked in the comfort of Celestia's presence and let go of all the gnawing fears she carried just moments ago. This wasn't the same sun goddess who could break down and sob or lash out in outrage. This was a confident, shining symbol of reason.

“Twilight, Luna,” Celestia said happily. “How I've long awaited for your return... I thought you had run away! I'm so glad you're here now.”

Twilight looked up at her excitedly. “We'd never run away. It's been so long, Princess. I missed you so much...”

“I missed you too, Twilight – and you, Luna! I can't tell you two how thankful I am that this is all over now. With you two here, we can end this madness. I'm so relieved! It will finally be over.”

Luna smiled. “It's good to see you too, sister. However I wouldn't consider yourself out of the woods yet. There is much that needs to be discussed. Not to mention, Salvator is on his way up here right now with his soldiers. We're not safe yet.”

“I see,” Celestia said. “Our troops are ready and we have reinforcements on the way. He will not get into this castle. Not again. We will slay him before he comes close.”

“So that's it,” Twilight thought aloud. “You're going to kill your brother.”

Celestia glanced at her. “So you know of his origins then. Did Luna tell you?”

“Actually, we spent a good deal of time with him,” Luna interjected. “His soldiers took us captive the second we got back to Canterlot from Neighpal. After several little talks, he let us go.”

Celestia scoffed. “So that's what you meant by 'complications.' I'll bet Salvator was more than happy to see you again. It figures that he'd let you go.”

“It was very emotional for both of us to meet after all this time. I will admit that,” said Luna.

A question came to Twilight. “Princess Celestia, you seem pretty cynical about this. Would you have expected Salvator to act differently? From what I've heard, he wouldn't have any reason to distrust me or Luna.”

“He always considered Luna the better sister,” Celestia told her. “He would always argue and gripe at me, acting like he had to tolerate my existence. He made me feel worthless and dumb. Not a day went by that he didn't try suggesting a better way to do this or that. Then he would detach from me as much as possible as if he'd simply given up.”

Luna nodded. “I recall that he did spend more time with me, yes. Although I never noticed his hostility toward you, Celestia. Did he act this way discreetly?”

“Oh yes. Up until the very day he was exiled. I couldn't bear his anarchistic rantings any longer. He didn't care about freedom. He just wanted to introduce chaos. How can you not remember that, Luna?”

“All I remember was his anger at life. At the time I thought it must have been justified. He was so passionate about his beliefs. I never knew the context.”

Celestia almost laughed. “It was far from justified.” She turned to Twilight. “He attempted to undermine me at every possible opportunity. Now we're getting to the heart of the problem. The root of all evil here is the throne. Gaius, uh, Salvator, wanted the throne. The power. The only reason it went to Luna and I at all is because we were the first and second born. He didn't come in until much later. Quite frankly, his birth was probably an accident.”

“That's harsh,” Twilight said. “But that still doesn't explain what he told us. Even if what you're saying is truth, that doesn't account for you cursing him. He said that you're the reason he'll never become and alicorn.”

Celestia portrayed a look of guilt. “Yes. There's no way to dance around that one. I stemmed his magical growth when he was very young. But you must believe that I had my reasons. He's my own brother. I would not have committed such a heinous act if I didn't wholeheartedly consider it necessary and sufficient to do so. I could see the evil in his heart. I could see the things not even Luna could. He would have killed me far beforehand if I hadn't cut off his power. He's a saint gone astray with a scepter and a gun. There's something wrong with him, Twilight. Even back then he was emotionless and distant. To this day he blames me for literally everything that happens to him. Every minor inconvenience becomes my fault all of a sudden. Haven't you noticed that?”

“Yes. I gathered that,” Twilight confirmed. “Some of his theories are pretty ridiculous.”

Their conversation was cut short by a low rumbling. The sounds of an approaching army. Twilight looked around fretfully. “What is that? Salvator can't already be here, can he?”

Celestia only smiled. “Not to worry. Our reinforcements are here.”

Climbing their way up the mountain were two monstrous lines of infantry. The noble buffalo tribes marched quickly and banged frenetic songs onto their bongos to create a warlike feel. They numbered in the upper hundreds. Chief Thunderhooves and his not-so-Appaloosan tribe lead the charge. He carried a thick lantern-like caber with a sacred balefire burning bright at the pinnacle. The sky over the buffalo was blotted with even larger, more terrifying creatures. There were far fewer of them, but their presence intimidated Twilight. Dragons.

“They owe allegiance to Equestria,” Celestia explained. “Both species. I asked for their assistance and they happily offered to help. Their timing is impeccable! The brewing storm is almost ready to rage.”

Princess Luna gazed at the legions. “That's impressive, sister! I hadn't even thought of something like this!”

“It's a good thing I did, then,” Celestia said. “Although I'm not sure where the gryphons are.

They must be running behind. As are our pegasi. In any case, we're very well protected here. So much so that I'm going to lower the shield now. Our boys are getting antsy in there.”

Her horn took on a luminous glow, and she launched a white sphere of magic into the gigantic hemisphere around the castle. The shot sizzled as it struck, burning through the barrier as if it was a thin film of ice. The entry wound widened and continued to melt away until the castle was completely unprotected. Celestia took flight and turned to address her soldiers. “Wondrous news! Our brothers in arms have arrived to fight on our behalf! Let us rejoice and welcome them warmly!”

The royal guard cheered and raised their spears high into the air. Celestia then turned to the dragons and buffalo as they arrived to report in.

“Welcome! Ready yourselves, brave warriors! Today we push back that which threatens our very freedom! We prove Equestria's might!”

Chief Thunderhooves let out a hearty cry and raised his staff. The dragons roared along with the rest, itching for blood. The royal guard approached the other soldiers. They all welcomed each other with salutes and slaps on the back. Celestia landed and made her way to the other commander-in-chiefs.

“I need to have a private conversation with tribe's leaders,” she said to Twilight and Luna. “I'd recommend taking shelter in the castle for the next few hours. Twilight, there's no way you're going to fight out here. Luna, come with me if you would.”

“Very well. As you wish.” said Luna.

“I'll head inside, but...” Twilight hesitated to finish.

“Yes?” Celestia patiently asked.

“Are you going to be out here fighting?”

“Yes. Salvator has invaded my country, slandered my name and forced me to act in ways I never would have otherwise. But the worst part is, he put you in danger. I cannot allow that. He will be dealt with accordingly.”

Twilight didn't like feeling useless. “I wish I could help.”

“You've helped by surviving. Now you can help by staying out of harm's way. Let me take care of my own demons. Your hardship is over. You've won your part of the battle. Besides, there are two handsome young men in the library that are waiting to meet you. Now go.”

Twilight didn't understand. “What?”

Celestia smiled and waved. “Go!”

Twilight trotted onto the drawbridge away from the cold, partially snowy battlefield.

What is she talking about?

The royal guard bowed and saluted her as she walked by. Inside the castle was devoid of life. It reminded her of the very first day when Celestia had summoned her. Day one of the invasion. Back then, her entire world was concealed tightly within the borders of Equestria. There was no outside. Thinking back, she couldn't believe her own naivete just days before. Life was idyllic. Censored, mandated, carefully predetermined. She missed the certainty of routine, but not the blind faith of ignorance.

She turned the hall leading to the library. She pushed open the doors and entered, looking around expectantly. A little baby dragon sat at a wooden table, lost in a comic book. He had dark purple scales and a green fringe on his head. Twilight's heart fluttered. The juvenile didn't notice her standing there watching.

“Ahem.” voiced Twilight.

Spike looked up from a book he was reading and spotted his mentor. With a cry of delight, he threw the book to the side and sprinted over to her. “Twilight!” He hugged her leg tightly. “Where have you been? I was so sacred! We were all down in a dark bunker and I couldn't find you anywhere!”

Twilight knelt down and squeezed Spike with a sense of maternal affection. “Don't worry. I'm here now. I'm right here. It's going to be okay.” She nuzzled him. “I'm sorry I didn't take you with me. It was wrong of me not to think of you too. Please don't be too angry with me.”

“Not at all!” Spike assured her. “I'm just amazed you're here! Now that you're here, everything will be fine!”

Her heart swelled with pride. “Oh Spike, quit. You're making me blush. I missed you too,” she said. “And boy do I have stories for you!”

“I can't wait to hear them.” another figure cut in. In the midst of the heartwarming reunion, Twilight had failed to notice a second dignitary standing off to the side. Shining Armor limped up to her and Spike. Half of his face was shrouded in taut layers of gauze and medical tape. His leg was also wrapped in a slightly bloody bandage. Seeing her brother's bodily condition elicited a gasp from Twilight. She set Spike down and scrambled to the injured captain.

“Big brother! What - what happened to you? Your face!” Twilight cried sorrowfully.

Elated beyond words that his sister had come, Shining opted to laugh off her lament. “Typical Twily. Always a worry wart. How about a 'hello' first, eh? You know. 'So glad to see you?'”

“Of course I am!” gushed Twilight in an emotional fervor. “I've been wondering where you were for days! I've been worrying myself to death over you!”

Shining chuckled. “Come on now. Worrying never helped anypony. I just wish I could have met up with you before now. Maybe with your help I could have avoided my accident. You see, I was away for a bit. On a special operations mission. I can't remember what happened, but Princess Celestia said somepony attacked me and I lost my memory. They got me pretty bad, huh?”

Twilight lifted a hoof to his face and softly touched his non-bandaged cheek; a creeping suspicion coagulated in the shadows of her mind. “Yeah... What happened? Where did you go?”

“Apparently I was sent somewhere far north to keep an eye on a special agent. The pony in question realized I was spying on them, and decided to get aggressive. Burned my face pretty good with magic. They don't know for sure, but,” He paused and looked away, “I might not be able to see out of this eye anymore.”

“No... you must be joking...” said Twilight, feeling like she might lose her stomach.

Shining Armor's smile weakened. “Life is tough, huh? At least I'm alive. At least we're both alive. How have you been, little sis? Been staying out of all this craziness I hope.”

Twilight wanted to cry.

This is what Luna meant... Celestia did something to him... He defected...

“Are you okay?” Spike cautiously asked. “Twilight?”

Several gunshots sounded outside the castle. A dull roar began and continued without halt.

Spike jumped and dove under the nearest table. “What's that!?” he cried.

“That can only mean Salvator is here,” said Twilight. “The battle has begun.”

Chapter 20

Spike's eyes grew wide. “You mean the evil king is here at the castle?”

“Yes,” said Twilight. She turned to her brother. “Hey, there's something you deserve to know.”

Shining wasn't listening. “Hold that thought, Twilight. I need to find Cadance. Celestia told me to come wait here right when I woke up, but I need to find Cadance. The baby is almost here-”

“Cadance is safe,” interjected Twilight.

Spike poked his head out from under his wooden fortress. “How do you know, Twilight?”

“Because I was with her. Briefly.”

“You mean she's not at the castle?” Shining asked in alarm, beginning to sweat. “She's not safe! Do you know where she is? Please tell me she's somewhere safe!”

Twilight motioned for him to calm down. “She is. She's taking refuge on the southern Canterlot border.”

Shining was beside himself with anger and confusion. “Why in Equestria would she leave the castle? That doesn't make sense! I need to find her right now! I'm going to get a squadron of guards and we're going to bring her back right now!”

“Shining Armor!” Twilight yelled. “You can't go out there! You'll be killed before you get halfway off the castle grounds!”

He narrowed his eyes. “Don't try and stop me, little sister! This isn't up to you! When that baby comes, I want to be there to welcome it!”

“You're too late!” she blurted.

Shining eyed her and stopped shouting. “What?”

Twilight put a hoof to her mouth. “Oops...” She regretted spoiling the surprise, but grinned nonetheless. “You're too late, brother. Cadance already had her baby. Yesterday! You're a father!”

The words rattled around his brain. “A father,” he parroted blankly. “I'm a father.” He sat down as the pieces fell into place.

“Yes!” said Twilight. “Cadance is safe with Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash. They're helping her look after the baby.”

Spike chuckled. “Congratulations, Shining! If I was older, we'd have a cigar.”

“So I missed it,” he said. “I missed the single greatest miracle of my life thus far. There was nothing I wanted more in Equestria than being there for the birth.” He spaced out for a few seconds but quickly perked back up. “I have a child now!” he shouted in realization. “Holy shit! I'm a father!” He rubbed his forehead. “Wow... My mind is racing a million miles a minute! You were there, right Twilight? Tell me, is it a boy or a girl?”

“It's a beautiful baby girl,” she gladly reported.

“So it's Skyla then,” Shining said dreamily. “Like Cadance and I agreed on.”

Twilight nodded. “Yes. She's gorgeous and pink. Spitting image of her mother.”

“Wow. I can't even describe this feeling...” He stood up. “I'm going to see Cadance and Skyla right this second. Nopony on earth can stop me. My daughter deserves to meet her father and I'm not letting some stupid war get in my way!”

Knowing full well she couldn't dissuade him, Twilight could only offer to reveal her other secret. “Wait.”

“What is it? Don't try and stop me, Twilight.”

“I'm not. There's one more thing you need to know. It's about your accident.”

Spike put his hand over his mouth and made a quiet ooooh!

“How would you know anything about my accident that I don't?” questioned Shining.

Twilight didn't respond at first.

“Twilight?”

“Because I was the one who burned your face,” she reluctantly admitted.

“You know that's not very funny,” he said, punching her shoulder.

“No, Shining Armor. I'm not joking...”

“H-how can that be?” he stuttered. “I was all the way up in the village of Neighpal! You're telling me that I was sent to spy on my own sister in an isolated village far from civilization? Why? In what possible scenario would that ever be plausible?”

“I know it's crazy!” she agreed. “I don't understand it myself. All I know is that I was attacked and I retaliated with magic. There's no doubt in my mind it must have been you. I -” The words caught in her throat.

“What?” Shining asked softly.

“I almost died up there. My back was broken and I was badly poisoned with black magic. You almost killed me...”

The stallion looked like he'd just been stabbed again. “Oh Twilight, no... No no no no... Never...” He embraced his sister. “I would never hurt you. You know that.”

“But you did,” she insisted. “You weren't yourself. You were using black magic and you didn't say anything. You must have been hexed or something.”

“Hexed? Are you sure?”

“I'm sure. You paralyzed me and struck me with a weapon that you conjured. A friend of mine saw us fighting and tried to help, and when he stabbed your arm, you didn't even flinch. You weren't yourself. I'm telling the truth. It's like you were being controlled.”

“I'm not a puppet!” he protested. “Celestia said I only lost my memory of being attacked. Are you saying that she's lying to me?”

Twilight rubbed her back. “In light of recent events, it's likely. When the chance arises, I'm going to have a serious talk with Celestia about some of the accusations against her.”

Shining couldn't believe his ears. “Accusations? You must be going crazy, Twilight. Are you feeling alright? Princess Celestia has been here the whole time preparing to fight off the invaders. What is she being accused of now besides brainwashing me?”

Twilight held her tongue. “It's best we leave that for later. Talking about it won't help anything right now. Just know that... everything has changed...”

“Are you alright?”

“No,” she spoke truthfully. She hugged her brother again. “Please let me come with you to see Cadance. It might soothe me a little bit.”

He frowned. “I'm not too keen on leading my baby sister through a battlefield. Besides, wouldn't Celestia want you to stay here where it's safe?”

“They're fighting right outside the castle. The only thing protecting us now is a couple of stone walls. Also-”

Shining cocked his eyebrow and waited for her to finish.

“I don't care what Celestia wants anymore. I'm tired of sitting on the sideline. She told me to come hide in here with you two and that she could handle dealing with Salvator herself. I felt like a great weight had been lifted off my shoulders, that I was done. That's foolish. The more I think about it, the more I realize that I'm tangled up in this mess just as much as Celestia. I refuse to hide and hope it all goes away. That time has long gone.”

“Whoa. That's pretty serious,” voiced Spike.

Shining Armor slouched against a wall and sighed. “You've changed in the last week, sis. I can tell that you've seen things you wish you hadn't. Your fears have done things to you. That being said, I guess it's not up to me to tell you what you can and can't do. Are you absolutely sure you want to come with me? There's no telling what could happen out there.”

“I know that,” Twilight said matter-o-factly.

“What about Spike? Will he be safe by himself? He is just a baby, after all.”

“He'll be a lot safer than we will.”

The dragon thumped his fist on the floor. “Hey! I wanna come with you guys! You can't just leave me here!”

A glare from Twilight hushed him thoroughly.

Shining Armor continued his interrogation. “Isn't your back still messed up? What about the black magic poisoning?”

“Shining Armor,” said Twilight. “I'm coming with you. Once I know you're with Cadance and Skyla, I'm coming right back up here. Celestia owes me some explanations.”

Spike tugged at her wing. “Don't be gone long. Please. I don't want to wait another twelve days to see you again.”

Twilight nuzzled him once more. “You're the first one I'm coming back for. You first, then Celestia. I promise.”

With a pair of sad and unsure goodbyes, the brother and sister duo left toward their destiny.

---

The cacophony of explosions, screams, and yells hammered into Twilight's ears as she stepped onto the drawbridge. The fighting wasn't even close to the castle yet, but the noise was deafening. She clawed her way through the pain of summoning magic and put up a fragile magic bubble around her and her brother. Shining kept close and lead her down across the bridge onto the cold ground of Canterlot. He added his magic to hers, supercharging their barrier. The snow hadn't intensified, but it continued at a steady rate. The ponies reached the outer rim of the throng of warriors and stopped to construct a strategy. There was no rhyme or reason to the violence.

“I think we're just going to have to force our way through,” said Shining, scrutinizing the arena.

Twilight's breathing quickened. “Is our shield strong enough for that? My magic is still weak.”

“We'll be alright. Have faith in me.”

Inside the writhing maw of fighting, each clan expressed its style. The Halcyonites preferred their guns, systematically slaughtering all who dared to impede them. They had brought new weapons that Twilight hadn't seen before. A stallion next to her was operating a massive cannon-like aperture with six rotating barrels. He turned a heavy crank at the end and sent a solid stream of bullets tumbling toward his targets. Even the mighty dragons fell to the device.

Step after precarious step, the companions marched on. Twilight caught a glimpse of a Halcyonite taking something out of his satchel. The elliptical piece of metal didn't seem to do much at first. The soldier proceeded to tamper with a small mechanism and lob the thing into a triad of stampeding buffalo. It thumped onto the ground and sat for a few seconds. Not a moment after the last buffalo charged past, the metal ball ruptured in an astounding discharge of raging fire. Shock waves burst forth from the point of origin and sent the buffalo sprawling over onto their sides. The Equestrians were no match for such destructive power.

However, there was a new variable on the field. Woven into the pandemonium were things that moved but were not alive. Dozens of silver automatons with burning ruby eyes fired their guns into the masses. Steaming shell casings littered the ground. The pony doppelgangers moved with the dexterity of forest predators and struck with monumental force. Twilight watched one fell a Halcyonite with nothing more than a quick left-hook.

“What are those things?” Twilight screamed to her brother.

“I don't know! Never seen them! Looks like they're on our side though!” he explained.

The two navigated the dissonance. Twilight shut her eyes and grabbed her brother's hoof so as to blot out the horrors. Their shield wavered dangerously as bullets and spear tips alike ricocheted off in a torrential downpour of clashing steel.

“Just keep moving!” Shining Armor shouted. “Don't stop for anything!”

Dozens of bodies thumped against the safeguard. Ponies, buffalo, and dragons all ended up smashed against the magic at one point or another. The duo continued to creep along, narrowly dodging the hellish violence that enveloped them. Twilight swallowed the lump in her throat and squeezed her brother's hoof. Shining stopped moving suddenly as if moved by will alone. Twilight staggered slightly and opened her eyes.

“Why did you stop?” she asked.

“The pegasi are here,” he said. “They've come in on their clouds, and there's something else.”

Twilight lifted an eye to the sky. There was no formation with the air force this time. They flew in a haphazard panic all around each other. Canterlot airspace quickly flooded with jumbled pegasi trying not to crash into one another.

“What are they running from?” asked Twilight, expecting her brother to know. “They should be forming up! Why are they all over the place?”

Behind the scrabble of airborne ponies, another compelling force spilled into the darkened sky. The beasts shrieked and extended their talons. A chorus of winds echoed with their thirsty cries for blood.

“I never thought I'd see the day!” Shining Armor yelled. “They've finally had enough! The gryphons are revolting!”

“Why? I thought they were on our side!” Twilight shouted.

“I did too! Come on, no time to stop and think about it!”

Shining grabbed her hoof and jerked her forward. She kept staring at the sky. The cloud riders unleashed terrible bolts of lightning as the first few gryphons caught up to them. The air became a reactive electrical storm as the pegasi desperately tried to shake off their pursuers. Unwilling to be outmaneuvered, the gryphons grabbed the unfortunate ponies and burrowed their talons through them. Feathers, blood, and snow simultaneously dropped from the clouds in a ghastly rain.

On the two trotted. Twilight's attention stayed ripped away from the ground. The atmosphere writhed with a hurricane of blood and feathers. Her heart skipped a beat as the first body fell. A frail red pegasus plummeted from her cloud, snuffed from behind.

“Shining Armor! She's dead!” Twilight bawled.

The stallion turned and grabbed his sister's shoulders. “That's what happens, Twilight! We can't solve any of this with friendship! I asked you if you were sure you wanted to come with me and you said yes! Now if we're going to stay alive, you've got to accept the fact that not everypony will make it out! Right now is action time. Save your heartache for later. I need you right now. Look at me. I need you. Don't shut down. Don't get lost in your emotions. I'm right here, and I'll lead us out of this, but I need you to focus. Can you do that?”

“I don't know...” she answered truthfully.

“Twilight!”

“I-I'll try. I'll try and be strong.”

“We'll make it. I promise. Just-”

Something distracted him. A small metal egg rolled up and stopped at the bottom of their shield.

“Twilight-”

The blast shredded though the shield, blowing the two in separate directions. Twilight's senses were eviscerated as she was pitched far to the side. She skidded on her side in the dirt and lay still. Her eyes were open, but she couldn't see. She couldn't hear anything except for a shrill whine. Each time she moved her head the vague images of the battle blurred like melting paints on a canvas. With a moan and a weak cry for her brother, she endeavored to recover. The grenade had singed her fur and charred her coat one shade darker.

“Shining Armor...” she croaked pitifully despite not being able to hear. Seconds slowly rolled over into minutes. Sound trickled back through her ears as dull muffled noise. There was a clamor from behind, and she felt a mighty force heft her up off her hooves. She dangled in the air before the face of her savior.

“Shining Armor?” she wondered aloud.

“Well I ain't no knight, but I'll take that as a compliment,” responded a deeply accented voice.

“King Salvator?”

He had a fire in his eyes she'd never seen. After a moment he set her down. “I'm surprised you're still alive, kid! Take this for the pain.” He produced a glinting needle from his tunic and jammed it into Twilight's arm. She winced and gritted her teeth as the cold steel slipped inside.

“Listen,” Salvator said. “I'll be right back. Stay here and don't move. Try not to fight. Ya ain't lookin' too hot. Your robots are kickin' our asses and I'm gonna try and take a few of 'em out. I'll take ya to a safe place as soon as I can. Okay?”

“No, I need to find Shining Armor...” she insisted.

“Who's that?”

“My brother. I came out here with him but we got separated.”

The King mentally assessed the situation. “Yeah, what's he look like? I'll keep an eye out for him.”

“He's blue and white. Unicorn.”

“Okay. I'll be right back.” Salvator sprinted off into the mass of warriors. He carried with him a miniature version of the rotating cannon-gun.

The serum surged through Twilight's veins like an army of revival. Whatever was in the syringe accomplished its task with gusto. She worked on summoning her magic before the short-term stamina ebbed away. She decided that an invisibility spell would function magnificently in diverting aggressive attention. As her horn pulsed with a dim glow, she heard a low mechanical whirring. It was methodical, in steps. She slowly turned around to see a critically damaged Helper bot limping toward her. Its gun was wrecked beyond repair and its joints smoked with each step. One of its eyes had been completely obliterated and the other flickered bright red under numerous spidery cracks.

Twilight retreated backward away from the malfunctioning automaton.

“Halt!” it said. It stalked her every move.

She tripped over a corpse and grunted. The bot continued to advance upon her.

“I'm not the enemy!” she shouted at it. “Why are you coming after me?”

The distance between them vanished inch by inch.

I'm no match for that thing...One stomp and I'm through...

She spied a bloody spear lying inert a couple feet away. With a clumsy roll, she snatched the weapon and held it up against the bot. The thing took no notice of the polearm. It stood at the edge of Twilight's shadow and reared up, ready to turn her bones to dust. The alicorn held her breath and gripped the spear tightly. The bot thrust itself downward straight onto the blade in effort to get at Twilight. Its own weight sent it straight through Twilight's spear. Impaled through neck. As the scrapped bot bore down on her weapon, Twilight let it go and swiftly rolled back to the side. The bot toppled down to the earth. Its flickering red eye grew dim and eventually went out.

“Twilight!” someone shouted.

She startled at the sound of her name.

“Where are you?”

It was King Salvator. He wildly zipped around in search of her. He'd been shot several times but seemed impervious to the pain. His gun was also missing. “Where are you?”

“Here!” Twilight shouted from the ground.

Salvator approached her and yanked her up a second time. “Did you kill that thing!?” he asked in disbelief.

“Yes,” she said, “but, it was already broken when it saw me. I just finished it off.”

“Well whatever ya did, do it again. Those bots are droppin' us like flies.”

“How come? Your men have guns too, right?”

“Yeah, but these metal bastards don't feel pain. Or fear. They'll continue to function until utterly destroyed. Bullets only work if ya hit somethin' vital.”

“Are you outnumbered?” she asked.

“Oh yeah. We're still runnin' uphill. Swimmin' against the current. My boys ain't all here yet. We aren't prepared to kill dragons and buffalo either. They just keep soakin' up our bullets!”

A new rumble arose on the mountainside. Twilight and Salvator both looked in the direction of the castle. Princess Celestia hovered in midair with her magnificent wings spread wide. She shouted orders up to her dying airforce. Under her, on the drawbridge, a fresh platoon of Helper bots marched in time to join their brethren.

Salvator knelt down on the ground and murmured something under his breath. Twilight tried to catch wind of his words. “Guide my hoof against my enemy...”

Then, the most phenomenal event in all of Canterlot happened. The right wall of the castle, beside the drawbridge, exploded. It burst with the magnitude of a supernova. Fragments of heated stone flew dozens of feet into the air. The massive blast sent rippling waves over the entire battlefield, knocking those near the impact zone off their hooves entirely. Black dust arose all around the wall, shrouding the bridge and in a haze. A single solitary figure climbed his way up the mountain of decimated stone. He stood on top of his throne of rubble and surveyed the outside world. As the smoke cleared, a collective gasp arose from every soul in the frozen arena. The figure who blew open the castle had a coat of the utmost purity – shimmering ivory. His golden locks flapped in the new winter wind.

“What in Christ's name is that!?” cried Salvator.

Twilight's jaw hung agape. The thing was over a hundred feet away from her, but she knew it wasn't natural. In fact, it outright defied nature. Never before and never again would such a creature roam the earth. Not one, not two, but three sharp red horns adorned the creature's head. They sparked dangerously with fatal concentrations of raw magical power.

“It's a... it's a tricorn...”

Chapter 21

“I'm still alive!” the tricorn roared triumphantly. He stomped the rubble and flexed, causing his horns to crackle hotly with energy. “I'm still alive!”

Princess Celestia left the platoon of bots and swooped down to him, extending her hooves out. “Do not move! Who are you!? How did you get inside my castle!?”

“Stay back, Celestia! I answer to nopony!” he said. He leaped down off of the ruined wall and started sprinting toward the battlefield. Celestia dive-bombed after him, but he turned on a dime and faced her. He hunkered down and charged up his magic. Celestia detected his move, and barrel-rolled out to the side. Unable to cancel his mounting attack, the tricorn threw his head up and discharged a wide beam of blinding light so immense that Celestia stumbled in the air and nearly fell. The earth-shaking ray burned straight through the clouds as it rose, allowing a feeble pillar of sunlight to shine down upon the snowy combat zone.

“Everypony focus your efforts on that thing!” commanded Celestia. “Do not let him live!”

Many of the troops were so stunned by the advent before them that they payed no heed to the ruler's orders. The bots, however, were listening. Dozens of red-eyed automata bulldozed through the droves of living soldiers in hot pursuit of the uncanny target.

Salvator screeched in anger. “Don't just stand there!” he yelled at his troops. “Keep fighting! Send these Equestrian swine straight to hell!”

The Halcyonites slowly regained their composure and lifted their weapons once more. As a whole new chorus of gunshots and clashing armors began, Salvator turned and grabbed Twilight's shoulders. He looked at her with wild eyes and an insane smile.

“Do ya know who that is, kid? That's Cian! He's made it!”

“What do you mean 'made it?'” shouted Twilight. “You told me you had no idea where he was! How can that be Cian? A creature like that isn't even natural!”

“I lied!” he said, laughing maniacally. “I told him to pay a visit to the castle's underground labs! Looks like it was worth it!”

Underground labs?

“This is great!” he continued. “C'mon! The poor boy is probably tryin' to find me!”

Twilight frowned. “I'd just slow you down, Salvator. I'm way too weak to fight. My back is killing me right now. Without my brother, I'm defenseless out here. He was the only one protecting me until we got separated. That medicine you gave me is already losing its potency.”

“Damn. It must not be as effective on alicorns.” His thoughts were on overtime. “Just try and relax. I won't let ya die. Stay behind me. We're gonna get Cian, then Luna, then we'll storm the castle and take Celestia.”

“I'm not on board with that,” Twilight protested. “I'm still not okay with your 'kill Celestia' scheme. As long as you're against Equestria, you're my enemy.”

Salvator pressed forward. He motioned for Twilight to follow closely. “Okay then. We're enemies. Now shut up and follow me if ya want to live.”

Being eclipsed in Salvator's shadow didn't ward Twilight's mental terrors. She tried to shrink down and disconnect herself from the gnashing teeth of a dark and impersonal universe. Coiling pain radiated from her back, limiting her breath and nearly paralyzing her.

“Salvator,” she breathed, tapping his back. “I can't keep walking. My back hurts too much...”

“Really?” he snapped impatiently.

She scowled through the pain. “I'm sorry, okay! It's not my fault I was attacked!”

“You want me to carry you or somethin'?”

“No. That's not necessary. Just give me a minute here. Why are you suddenly so keen on helping me? I'm an Equestrian too, you know,” she said while rubbing her back.

“I dunno. Maybe it's the last little bit of good in my heart tryin' to do its part. Maybe I already have too much emotional investment in ya to see ya die. Whatever it is, don't make me regret it. Are ya gonna be okay?”

“I should. Just let me recuperate. Can't you just lead me back inside?”

He grunted in annoyance. “No! I need Cian! Do whatever ya want, but don't treat me like a damn foalsitter if ya decide to come with me.”

Twilight clenched her teeth and followed him again. “Fine. Not like I have much of a choice right now, anyway. I'll be skewered the second I leave your side. In fact, I still might.”

“Keep yappin' and I'll see to that myself,” retorted Salvator. “Now c'mon.”

Closer to the castle, the reluctant companions saw a Helper bot erupt into flames. Shining oil sprayed from the bot's exposed insides, carrying streams of fire with it as it went. Cian viciously slashed at the bots. They were beginning to overwhelm him, yet he took them all with no letup. His horns were live wires ready to terminate anything unlucky enough to approach. The bots flew at him from every angle. Even from a distance, Twilight and Salvator could see his body taking bullet after bullet. Every couple of seconds his white coat would grow another blossom of red. Somehow he acted as if the rancorous onslaught was nothing. He pointed his head toward a group of galloping bots and fired another devastating beam of light. It burned right through the metal ponies, alighting their oil and causing several violent explosions.

“How is he possibly staying alive?” asked Twilight, doubting her own perception. “He's being torn to shreds!”

“They must have fixed him up with some kind of extreme regenerative power!” said Salvator. “Ain't no other way he'd live! He must be healing as fast as he's dying! Just look at the way he's sweeping those bots up! Not even Celestia could use spells like those!”

They watched him punch a hole straight through one of the bots. His hoof dripped with slick black pitch.

“I'm pretty sure he's not using spells,” said Twilight. “Casting a spell takes knowledge of how to bend magic into what you want it to. You'd have to get every detail just right. He's just... letting it flow. Unfiltered.”

“I don't care. Let's just hope he keeps it up!”

An imposing entity obscured their view. It was a buffalo. Chief Thunderhooves.

“You! Gray pony!” he sneered. “You are the poison that befouls our lands! I will not let you pass!”

Salvator reached to his tunic and wrenched an intimidating dagger out of its sheath. “Twilight, go to Cian,” he said lowly. “I'll meet up with ya.”

“But-”

“No buts. Go.”

Twilight inched away from Salvator. Safe ground was in sight. Cian fought voraciously beyond the rim of warriors. When she finally emerged, Twilight glanced over her shoulder to see if Salvator was holding his own. The King was charging the gallant buffalo with his dagger held backwards. Thunderhooves produced a pile of fine powder and inhaled it into his mouth. As Salvator rocketed towards him, the chief lowered his staff down to face level. The staff's fire wavered in the chilly breeze. Thunderhooves blew furiously in Salvator's direction. The powder spewed into the fire and out the other side in a growing vortex of dancing flames. Twilight's breath caught.

Did that catch Salvator? Is he in the flames!?

The sound of metal sizzling reminded her that another battle raged just behind her. Handfuls of bots lay on the ground, reduced to burning scrap metal. Twilight located Cian about thirty feet away. He caught sight of her and galloped over.

“Twilight Sparkle? I never thought I'd see ya again! Are ya okay?” He knelt down in front of her. “Ain't lookin' too hot there, Princess!”

“Neither do you,” she retorted. “You've been shot so many times... I don't understand how you're still alive!”

Cian made sure they had a moment or two before the next round of bots tried to jump them.

“Me either. It's weird. I'm not quite numb, but the pain isn't any more than a tingle. Maybe the magic I got is givin' me all this pep.”

“Speaking of magic,” Twilight said, “what in Equestria happened to you? Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought I'd see a pony with three horns! You're almost like a mythical creature!” She lifted a hoof up to his forehead. His horns surged slightly, singing her hoof. “Ouch!” She buried her hoof in the snow.

“I dunno about mythical creature, but I couldn't be happier,” Cian said. “I love all this power! It's amazin'!”

Overhead, Celestia and Luna both flew back toward the castle. They bickered intensely as they entered.

“Goin' AWOL, eh?” said Cian.

Twilight shivered and dusted herself free of snowflakes. “They have their reasons. Salvator says he's going in there after them as soon as he catches up with us.”

They both checked for approaching bots again. “Well alright then,” said Cian. “Now all we gotta do is stay alive until he gets here. I assume you're not gonna try and fight me, right?”

Twilight shook her head. “No. I don't know what side to be on right now, really. Until I sit down and talk with Celestia, I'm staying cautious of her. I want my answers before I make any more decisions.”

Cian popped his neck joints. “Now you're talkin'. Help me clean up the rest of these bots? Cheap Equestrian piles of junk go down easily! Just be glad we aren't fightin' anythin' from Halcyon.”

“I can't,” said Twilight. “I'm going to have to stay back for now. It's my back. I shouldn't have even come outside in the first place. Salvator gave me a shot of medicine to boost my stamina, but it's already worn off.”

This upset him. “Am I supposed to be your bodyguard, then?”

“No no, I'll make myself invisible. Hold the bots at bay until Salvator gets up here.”

He groaned. “Gee, I wouldn't have thought of that.”

The last collection of bots had seeped up to the castle's foreground. Twilight allocated her paltry reserves of magic into forming an invisibility spell. Cian galloped over to his robotic opponents. Instantaneously, the bots fired their pistols in unison. As if gravity had intensified, Cian dropped to the ground just under the projectiles. They whizzed over his head and grazed the top of his horns. He sprang upwards at an angle, impaling one of the bots on his head. He whipped to the side, throwing the squirming enemy into the group. He then seized his chance by firing his beam of plasma into the small group. All but one of them were instantly incinerated by their own flammable lifeblood. The last Helper bot crawled forward out of the bonfire. Only its upper half and gun were intact. Its red eyes flickered as the fire coated its body. Cian laughed as it pitifully tried to terminate him.

His eye darted to an approaching pony from the side. A new player had joined the game. He quaked with fear in every step he took.

“Cian?” this newcomer said. “Is that really you? My grandson...? Could that honestly be you in there? Oh mercy, what's happened to you...? You've been shot... and your colors are different... and... and your head...”

“Granddad!” Cian yelled. He zipped to the tan stallion. “It's not safe! Granddad ya need to leave right now!”

“Cian,” Neeson said as he touched his grandson's cheek. “Tell me it's really you...”

“Yes! Yes it's me, ya old fool! How did ya find me here? Why aren't ya back where it's safe? Don't worry about me!”

“There's somethin' I gotta tell ya, boy. It's been a long time comin'. I can't wait anymore. Ya need to hear this now.”

“Really?” asked Cian in exasperation. “Right this second?”

Neeson nodded. “Yes. You're a grown stallion. Ya deserve to know the truth. There's somethin' I've been keepin' from ya for years, and it's time I confessed.”

Heavy snowflakes coated the males' faces.

“I'm ready, Granddad. If ya came all the way up here and fought through a war just to tell me, it must be pretty important then.”

Neeson gulped and nodded. “Aye, boy. It's about your parents.”

Cian was taken aback. “M-my parents?”

“Yes. You're probably gonna hate me now. You'll probably never wanna see my face again, but I'm ready for that.”

“That's stupid!” protested the tricorn. “I'd never think that of ya! Just tell me already!”

“Cian, there's no easy way to say this. Ya aren't my real grandson.”

Cian snorted. “What the hell are ya talkin' about? Of course I am! I've lived with ya ever since my parents died!”

“That's not entirely true. One of your parents may still be alive...”

“Really!? You're serious, Granddad!?” His face lit up. “That's amazin'! Plus, that doesn't mean ya aren't my real grandfather! Do I need to give a lesson on how genealogies work?”

Neeson was growing restless and had no time for Cian's sarcasm. “No! Listen to me carefully! I – I only put this together a little while ago, but I've figured out who ya really are. Y-”

A booming gunshot shattered their conversation. Cian froze, unsure of what happened. Neeson on the other hand, made a choking noise and fell onto Cian's shoulder. A stream of blood trickled down the old stallion's hide. Some fifteen feet away, the very last Helper bot's gun barrel smoked. It lay inept in the snow, having now expended all its ammunition. Neeson slumped further into his grandson's embrace. “Boy... lay me down...”

“Oh mo dhia... Le do thoil aon...” Cian set him down on the ground. “No no no no no...”

“Listen to me!” Neeson breathed. “You were a gift. I raised ya from the time you were just a baby. I found ya on my doorstep, asleep in a basket. You had dazzling white fur, and the most beautiful golden eyes...”

“I-I'm adopted?” Cian choked out. He began to cry. “Don't leave me now, Granddad! I need ya! You can't just tell me all this and then die! Don't leave me!”

Neeson smiled weakly. “It's okay. You've always been my grandson, and nothing will ever change that. Even if not by blood, you're still mine. I'll always love you just the same.” He shivered and took his hat off.

“I love you too, Granddad...” Cian whispered. “Please don't leave me...”

“It's okay, boy. It's okay. I accomplished what I set out to do. My mission is complete. Now the rest of the story is up to you, ya see? Ya haven't gathered all your rosebuds yet. Ya need to look ahead to the many great years ya still got.”

Cian struck the ground. “Not without you! Don't make me go through all this alone! I should never have left without telling you! I'm sorry! Just hang in there! You can pull through! I know ya can! Twilight can heal ya right up! Just let me find a unicorn real quick!”

Neeson wasn't having it. “Stop. We both know that when it's time, it's time. I'm just glad that my last moments get to be with the one I love more than anypony in the world. Thank ya for giving my life color, Cian. You'll never know how many times ya saved me.”

Cian's voice cracked. “Granddad...”

Neeson clutched the back of Cian's mane. “You're a good stallion, Cian. I wouldn't change a single thing about ya.”

“Please hang on...”

“It's okay boy, it's time for me to go home. Keep fightin'. Finish your story. Let it be known that I raised a true warrior. You'll always be my grandson, Cian. Always...”

Cian grabbed Neeson's hoof and sobbed silently. When the tired stallion's chest stopped rising, Cian softly closed his eyes and placed his hat over his face. By now the snowfall had thickened. Cian uttered a few personal vows and stayed with his grandfather for another minute. When he stood at long last, he slowly walked to the last Helper bot. He grabbed it by the neck and lifted it up with one hoof. Red eyes. Two burning halos. Cian cocked his arm back and loosed two lightning jabs at the thing's face. The glass eyes shattered, releasing ionized vapor into the air. A mounting well of primal emotion bubbled in the tricorn. As he looked back to Neeson and back to the destroyed automaton, the pressure inside built. His three horns sparked and glowed.

“You killed my granddad,” he stated out loud.

As a new power boiled inside him. Small objects around him levitated off the ground. The snowflakes around his body stopped falling and instead rose ever so slightly.

“You killed my granddad,” he said again.

His horns grew white hot, and the very air around him boiled. His eyes drained of all color and instead filled in with light. Still holding the bot's neck, he screamed. His cries of unadulterated lament saturated the air. The soldiers stopped fighting. Cian continued to scream as his horns and eyes grew brighter. In all of a split second, a white sphere expanded outward from his horns. The bot was instantly turned to dust. The miniature sun grew. It encompassed the the battlefield, the castle, and eventually all of Canterlot. Twilight fell as the wall of light passed over her. It carried her far away and washed her into darkness.

---

Salvator was pulling her up to her hooves.

“Get up! Hurry!” he urged. “That giant purge knocked everypony out! Everypony out here is either dead or unconscious!”

Twilight heaved dryly. Her mouth was dry and cracked. “Do you have any more of those medicine shots?”

“Not now, druggie. We gotta move while everypony is still asleep.” He trotted as quickly as he could over the heaps of bodies. “Hope they wake up before they all freeze to death,” he added.

Twilight followed slowly. “What happened? Did Cian cause that light?”

“Yeah. Crazy. I've never seen anythin' like it.”

They exited the plains of bodies. A white figure lay against one of the drawbridge's stone pillars. He looked ragged and on the verge of fainting.

“Cian!” Twilight shouted. She and Salvator ran to him and knelt down on both his sides. The majority of his three horns were gone. What remained were scorched red stumps, still smoldering from the exertion.

Salvator softly patted Cian's shoulder. “Your horns are gone. They must have disintegrated when you used that last magic blast.”

Cian only nodded. He was much too fatigued to speak.

“I'm terribly sorry about your grandfather,” Salvator went on. “He was a valiant stallion with a heart of gold. He shouldn't have died. But, I think there's a silver lining in all this.”

The two looked at each other. Salvator reached into his tunic and pulled out a faded locket no bigger than a coin. He delicately opened it and gave it to Cian. The picture inside was so miniscule that he had to squint to see it. In the photograph was a tiny foal. White and gold.

“There's no conceivable way that a normal earth pony would have lived through a transformation like that, let alone harness all that power,” explained Salvator. “This just proves what I first thought when I saw you break out of that wall. You're not a normal earth pony, Cian. Ya must have been born with something extra. It all makes sense now. Do ya understand what I'm saying?”

Cian nodded. Salvator leaned in and hugged him lovingly. “You're my son. After all these years. I've found my son... You're my boy!”

Cian didn't smile. “I-” He coughed several times and after much working up, “I'm not sure what to think about that...”

“Try not to speak,” instructed Twilight.

“I want my Granddad...”

“Sorry, Cian. I'm so sorry...” Salvator whispered. “My life ain't worth your grandfather's. I'd trade him places if I could. I should never have given ya up... I hope you'll be able to forgive me one day... Just know that I love ya... beyond words...”

Cian closed his eyes and passed out.

“Twilight,” said Salvator with tears in his eyes. “Jeez, I – I'm so happy and sad that I can't even think straight right now. My feelin's are all mixed up. I can't believe I finally found my boy... Anyway, let's uh, let's move him and Neeson somewhere safe. Somewhere warm. Back with Cadance maybe. Then we'll seize our chance. We'll confront Celestia.”

Chapter 22

After they deposited Cian and Neeson, the returning leg of the journey was silent. Twilight's back throbbed, but Cadance graciously cast a long-lasting numbing spell on her during their brief interaction back at the infirmary. Pinkie Pie and Rainbow dash wished her the best of luck, and told her to stay safe.

Salvator insisted on leaving the site immediately and dragged Twilight along with him. He thumbed through Celestia's ancient tome of black magic as they traversed the mountain path. He read it intensely to himself as they passed onto the castle's grounds again. Looking around, Twilight could see that a few soldiers from both sides had already woken up and had gone about trying to resurrect their brethren. Snow continued to fall. The threat of freezing was near.

“Salvator, shouldn't we help these poor warriors?” Twilight asked. Many of the grounded troops moaned for assistance. Ponies, gryphons, dragons, buffalo, all of them. The wounded and thirsty alike all pleaded for help.

“Celestia first. I'll help them as soon as I can,” said Salvator.

“You're being selfish again. Why don't you get your nose out of that stupid book and help the wounded? Just because they're not on your side doesn't mean you have to let them bleed out and freeze. My brother is out here too. I should look for him.”

Salvator just kept walking. “It's not that I don't care about 'em all. Don't make dumb assumptions like that. The fact of the matter is that if we don't act now, we'll never get another chance. We may have already wasted too much time.”

Twilight sighed sharply. “What are you talking about?”

“Celestia is waitin' for us in there. So is Luna. They obviously know we're coming. The more time we give them to prepare, the less chance we have of succeeding.”

“You mean the less chance you have of succeeding. Besides, I thought Luna wasn't going to attack you.”

“She certainly ain't gonna attack Celestia, either. Can ya please just stop badgerin' me? Just this once? All you've been this whole time is a fly buzzin' around my ear. I'll say it again: my actions are independent of your wants and desires. This is my battle, not yours. If ya wanna talk to Celestia, run. Go. Get there before I do. That way you can squeeze some answers out of her before I kill her.”

Twilight snarled and quickened her pace. “You know what, I will. I don't get you, King Salvator. You keep pretending like you're just misunderstood and the whole world has forsaken you. You keep acting like there's this 'little shred of goodness' in your heart, or some stupid sentiment like that. Do you want others to pity you or not? Make up your mind. Quit lying to yourself, and quit lying to everyone around you. You're just a manipulative brat who doesn't care about anyone but himself.”

Salvator narrowed his eyes. “Get off your freakin' pedestal you stupid kid. You're in no position to judge me. I don't have to take all this criticism from little miss oh-so-perfect. It's the self-righteous pricks like you and Celestia who give other ponies reason to turn into murderers and anarchists. I don't know why I saved ya. You're just as selfish as I am, but you're so busy blowin' yourself that ya can't see it. Everything is always 'poor me' and 'my life is so hard.' Ya can't even squander one brain cell to consider what others are goin' through. Do ya miss your friend Fluttershy? Well I bet her parents are gonna miss their daughter even more. Are ya worried about your missin' brother? Well I'm worried about what I'm gonna tell all the wives of my soldiers when their husbands don't come home. Until ya learn that you're not the only one with feelin's and problems, you're gonna be miserable. I feel sorry for the sap that gets caught in your web of self-absorbed melodrama. Just, spare me.”

She didn't have a rebuttal. She glared hatefully at him, then took flight and sped to the castle.

Where could they be? There's nopony in here, she thought as she entered.

Spike had absconded from the library. Luna and Celestia were also absent from the immediate area. A call of their names received no feedback.

Wait. The throne room.

She reasoned it was as good a chance as any. Up the stairs to the second floor she climbed, foreboding doubts filling her veins with ice.

Gray light wriggled through the towering rows of stained glass mosaics. Princess Celestia sat alone on her throne at the very back of the grand chamber. She slouched lazily and drank generously from a glass of red wine. As she saw Twilight approaching and gazing at the beautiful windows, she set her glass down and slumped further. “Spike is safe. I don't know where Luna went. I don't know anything anymore...” she said.

Twilight cantered up to the throne and bowed. “That's not true. How are you feeling? Did that blast of light knock you and Luna out?”

“No. We toughed it out. What was that, anyway?”

“The pony with three horns did it.”

“I see,” she said with only relative interest. “I'll have to investigate the origins of that strange creature.”

Twilight shifted nervously from hoof to hoof. “I feel like something horrible is about to happen, Princess. It's like there's a huge boulder over my head, and the net holding it up is about to reach its breaking point.”

“I know that feeling perfectly well. Believe me. I've felt it many times in the past few days. I feel it right now, along with my predominant emotion - fear. Despite my best efforts to be headstrong and focused as somepony of my stature should, I'm afraid. I haven't felt fear of this ferocity in a long, long time.”

Twilight approached Celestia and sat down beside her hooves. “There's nothing wrong with being scared, Princess. Nopony likes uncertainty.”

“It's not that,” said Celestia. “It's the reason why I'm scared. Why I'm uncertain. Equestria isn't meant to – I'm not – Sorry, I can't even concentrate right now.” She closed her eyes and lay her head in her hooves. “I can't control the things that I used to. What Salvator has set in motion, I can't stop. Even if I kill him, his ideas have been planted.”

“What kind of ideas?”

“Particularly what he's told you and Luna. I know he's told you about our past, and his own. The thing that scares me the most is what you'll think of me, Twilight. Your opinion of me might forever change after today.”

Twilight nodded. “Well, we can't know that for sure. I hope not. You've been my idol for years. Sustaining that image of you is something I'd love to do if I can manage. That being said, I do have quite a few important questions I need to ask you. I don't want to believe what I've heard about you. I really don't...”

Celestia drank some more. “Because I have the utmost respect for you, Twilight, I will be sincere. I know that something will change after today, but I hope it won't entail you hating me. You're not just a subject of mine. You're not even just a princess. I consider you a personal friend. That's why I'm scared. I'm scared of losing you.”

Twilight watched a snowflake from outside melt on her hoof. “Are you scared because you have something to hide?”

The ruler looked at her former student. “I'm scared because you're a purer soul than I. You hold more goodness than I do. I've committed many regrettable acts over the years. If you saw what I've become, you'd want nothing to do with me.”

“Wow,” murmured Twilight. “Honestly Princess, I'm surprised you value my acceptance that much. Is it just because we've spent so much time together throughout our lives?”

Celestia shrugged and took another swig. “I don't know why I have the reservations and opinions I do. They're simply here. I'm not nearly as perfect as I'd like to be. Now before I get to your questions, there's something I'd like you to hear from me so nopony else can feed you a faulty story.”

“Of course, Princess. Please continue,” said Twilight.

Celestia took in a deep breath and rose from her seat. She stretched and readied a spell. “Do you mind if we carry on with this discussion elsewhere? I'm not prepared to deal with Salvator right now.”

Twilight stood as well. “Are we going to teleport?”

“Yes, if that's alright with you.”

“Go ahead.”

Celestia's horn ignited and coated both of them in a sparkling layer of magic. Twilight felt a slight jolt from the metaphysical travel. As she sprang out of the magic, her hooves touched down on an unusually soft material. A white, billowing material. She waded around and surveyed her surroundings with amusement. She and Celestia stood atop a great cloud, overseeing miles of puffy light gray. The brooding snow clouds over Canterlot almost looked friendly from the aerial view. The sun had long since sunk past its peak and would soon need to be lowered. Twilight traipsed a few laps around the cloud, not used to using it as a feasible floor.

Celestia sat at one of the cloud's soft edges and chuckled at Twilight. “You'll get used to it before long. I just thought we might talk in a more pleasant location.”

“Absolutely,” said Twilight. She flapped her wings and managed to find her footing.

“Come sit by me,” said Celestia.

Twilight obeyed and laid down on the cloud. “This is amazing. From up here it's hard to even remember that it's snowing somewhere down there.”

“Yes, I agree. It's all a matter of perspective,” Celestia said passively while gazing into the creamy sky. “I've been waiting to bring you here for many years. I've always looked forward to the day we could sit up here together and talk to each other as friends.”

Twilight smiled. “So you've always known I'd become an alicorn?”

“I hoped you would, and I helped you when I could. Now we're here. It's hard to imagine that today could be one of the best and worst days of my life all at once. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. My efforts are finally being rewarded. Both good and bad. But I digress. The subject isn't one I'm particularly fond of talking about, but I feel you should know. I don't have that many true friends. My relationships tend to stay professional with typically everypony. Even with Luna I struggle to connect at times. That's why you fill me with so much pride, Twilight. I see myself in you. You're a lot like how I used to be. That's why I forced you to relocate to Ponyville and befriend the locals. I knew you would succeed where I failed. I wanted you to have what I never did.”

Twilight was blushing. “That's so sweet. I – thank you. I don't really know what to say.”

“That's quite alright. I'm happy I got to share that with you. I'm getting majorly off-track though. Please excuse my wishful tangent. May I get back on track?”

Twilight nodded.

“Okay,” said Celestia after thinking for a moment. The unfiltered sunlight gleamed gold on her coat. “By now you know about our past. About when we were all little. Luna said Salvator revealed what happened. Like I said before the battle, I did stop him from gaining a horn.”

“You mentioned that already. You said that he was emotionless and distant even back then?” asked Twilight.

“Yes. In my eyes, Salvator was succumbing to the path of darkness. He often grew violent and confrontational for little to no reason. Many times he made me worry about Luna and I's safety. Of course, he was a little angel when our parents were around. They worshiped him as the perfect child and would have given him the throne one day if events went any differently. Equestria would be a dark and terrible place if he was given sovereignty. I can only imagine what Halcyon is like. That's why one night, I made a decision that still affects me today. My parents kept a book in their library that possessed startlingly destructive powers. I lost it when Luna and I battled King Sombra a thousand years ago, and I doubt it's still intact today. Anyway, they didn't know I knew about this book, and I took it.”

“The black magic spellbook,” stated Twilight.

“You've heard of it before?” asked Celestia.

Twilight held her tongue for a second.

Luna didn't tell her about Sombra getting hold of it?

“Er, no. I just assume there's only one, which is the one you're talking about,” she lied.

“Yes. I studied a certain curse for several weeks. The one allowing the caster to remove any and all of the target's magical power. When the chance presented itself, I used it on Salvator. That was the worst mistake I've ever made for two reasons. One, because any measly scrap of love that Salvator had for me disappeared on that day. You could practically see the hatred burning in his eyes. Two, because that curse also infected me with a terminal side effect that I didn't notice until much later. Do you know what happens when a pony uses black magic, Twilight?”

She adjusted her position on the cloud. “Not particularly.”

“That type of power isn't designed to be tampered with. It poisons you. It seeps into your soul and slowly darkens it out. For many years, I was unaware that I was growing ill from that one time I used black magic. Just that one single time was enough to give me an incurable dose. Once I realized what was happening, I tried everything to purify myself to no avail. Black magic is much more powerful than any single being. Including me. The most frightening aspect of it is that sometimes the black magic almost crosses the hazy line into sentience. I can feel it. It's still there inside me, willing me to let it free. On very rare occasions, the shadow consumes me and makes me act in appalling ways. It never stays in control for long, but it makes me commit horrible acts. It almost seems to spread. It passes from caster to target. The pony who wrote the spellbook, Starswirl the Bearded, suffered from fatal amounts of poisoning toward the end of his life. He spent his final days frantically scrounging for a cure, a way to purge the darkness, but did not succeed.”

Twilight was taken aback from the revelation. “Oh my goodness. Somepony as adept in magic as Starswirl ended up dying from it?”

“Yes,” said Celestia. “Many ponies theorize that ponykind was never meant to uncover black magic at all. Of course Starswirl wasn't the first to find out how to harness it, but he was the first to dive in gung-ho to see what he could find. He considered it a 'natural evil' without cause or purpose. It will latch onto your very core and turn you into a monster. There have been cases when somepony used a forbidden spell and suffered no consequences, but the risk is so steep that none are legally allowed to go near it. Not even limited research is permitted here in Equestria.”

The fur on Twilight's neck stood on end. “Princess, we're both poisoned with black magic...”

Celestia unfolded her wing and wrapped it around Twilight. “I... I'm so sorry. Infinitely, infinitely sorry. It's my fault...”

“I was poisoned when Shining Armor attacked me in Neighpal. That means he must have it to.”

“I'm so so sorry, Twilight. Please forgive me...”

“What did you do to him? What did you do to my brother? You spread it to him, and he spread it to me.”

Celestia's tone was soft, almost defensive. “I just wanted to make sure you and Luna would be alright. I told Shining Armor to keep watch over you until you could come back. I enchanted him to protect him from the cold, but a tiny sliver of black magic found its way in. His body reacted badly and he fell under a frenzied hypnosis. Please believe me, I didn't mean for it to happen!”

Twilight was having trouble controlling her temper. “Celestia, you almost killed my brother and you almost killed me. That's so irresponsible! How could black magic just 'slip in?' That's never happened before has it?”

“Twilight...”

“Has it?”

“I don't know. I don't think so.”

Twilight wiggled out from under Celestia's wing. Her eyes darted back and forth as she thought. “Does this mean my magic will be permanently impaired? Am I going to turn into a villain just like Salvator? Are my brother and I going to die just like Starswirl? I can't believe this... You poisoned me, Princess...”

“Hopefully it won't be anything more than a mental scar. You've never used the magic, and you're extremely resilient. Same thing with your brother. I think you should both be fine-”

“But you don't know for sure,” Twilight interrupted. “You don't know for sure, do you?”

“No.”

“This is unbelievable...”

Celestia reached out to Twilight. “If there's anything at all I can do, please let me know! I'll support you and your family in every way I can!”

“There's just one more thing I need to know,” said Twilight softly. She looked directly at her ruler's sad, pleading lilac eyes. “Did you kill her?”

Celestia choked up and tried to hold back tears. “The black magic makes me do things...”

Twilight could feel her cheeks flushing with anger. “Answer me, Celestia.”

“I – she-”

“Did you murder Fluttershy!?”

The ruler lost herself to tears. “Yes.”

Twilight turned her back and spoke with a stinging inflection Celestia had never heard before. “Take me back to the castle. I'm done talking to you.”

Celestia withdrew into her regret and hid her face from Twilight. The two didn't speak to each other. Celestia whisked them off the cloud and transported them back to the castle's throne room. As soon as the magic dissipated, the ruler regressed to her throne and picked up her glass of wine. She sized it up, frowned, and summoned a full bottle instead. Twilight grasped at straws for the next action to take. Nothing would cure her poison. Nothing would bring Fluttershy back.

“I at least need to find my brother,” she finally concluded.

“I'll help you in any way I can,” said Celestia.

Twilight briskly stomped away from the throne. “No thank you. You've done quite enough. I really... I really can't talk to you right now. Give me some time to think.”

“Of course. Anything you need.”

Twilight rubbed her back and made for the exit. The clanging echo of a door being thrown open startled her. Rushed hoofsteps approached the throne room.

“Is that Salvator already?” asked Twilight, backing up fearfully.

“It shouldn't be,” said Celestia. “There are guards hidden throughout the castle that I told to stop him. Plus, how would he know where we are?”

Both alicorns summoned their magic in preparation.

Here we go...

Princess Luna blew through the door and marched straight toward her sister.

“Get out of my way, Twilight,” she barked.

Twilight nervously jumped out of the way and kept her eyes glued on Luna.

“I've had enough!” yelled the midnight princess. “Celestia, I don't understand how you plan to keep me in chains for the rest of our lives! I'm done lurking in your shadow. Either you grant me my rightful power as co-ruler of Equestria, or... or I'm leaving!”

Celestia made an agitated noise. “Luna, are you honestly going to start this now? You have plenty of power. You hold sway over just as much as I do. You're choosing the absolute worst possible time to get upset over this. Can't we talk about this after we've dealt with Salvator?”

Luna unfurled her wings instinctively out of anger. “No! If I don't voice my concerns now, nothing will ever change! I'll just go back to being your underling again!”

“You're not my underling. You're my sister.”

“Then treat me like it! Stop excluding me! You didn't even think I could protect myself from Salvator, that's why you sent me to Neighpal! I'm starting to remember why I became Nightmare Moon all those years ago. It's the very same reason – you don't respect me! I'm not good enough for you! I'm also starting to think you want the throne all to yourself!”

Celestia slowly walked toward her sister with an apologetic hoof extended. “You know that's not true. I need you. We back each other up, we lean on each other. You raise the very moon in the sky! How can you say that I don't appreciate you? Losing you to evil all those years ago was one of the worst times in my life. I thought I'd lost both of my siblings forever...”

“Look,” said Luna sternly. “You're my family. I love you, but if you want my presence here at this castle, if you want me by your side, something's got to change. Right now. Whether you can perceive it or not, you shackle me. I feel like a prisoner in my own home because of you. My bags are packed. I'm leaving right now unless you take me seriously and stop neglecting my concerns!”

Twilight huddled in the corner, frightened by the episode.

“You can't leave. I need you...” Celestia said softly.

“I can and I will. Are you going to pull your head out of your selfish haze and talk to me like I matter?”

Celestia's expression grew grim. “Yes, whatever. Just calm down. You're obviously not thinking rationally right now. I just - where is all this coming from? You never told me it was this bad!”

“Yes, I did,” Luna growled. “I've told you for years about how oppressed I feel. You've either ignored me completely or passed it off as insignificant. The time I spent with Salvator opened my eyes, sister. He's crazy, but he makes some good points. How come it's only you that makes the rules for our entire country? We have that stupid – oh, what is it? Constitutional scroll? It's all written by you! You didn't even consult me! Mom and dad would be ashamed if they could see how narcissistic you've become!”

Celestia's wings flared out and she bared her teeth. “Don't tell me what mom and dad would think!” she screamed. “You have no idea what you're talking about! Just shut up! Shut up with all your nonsense!”

Each pony hushed. Twilight felt a hot wall of dread crushing her chest.

“Okay then,” said Luna. “Goodbye Celestia.”

“I forbid you to leave. You're acting childish!” said Celestia.

Luna shook her head. “No. No more forbidding. I'm done. Goodbye.” She turned her back to Celestia and trotted toward the door. All of a sudden, a white magic consumed the door and slammed it shut.

“I said you're not leaving.” said Celestia.

“Are you going to stop me?” hissed Luna.

“If I have to, yes. Please don't make me.”

Luna faced her sister once again and summoned her magic. “Okay. Get Twilight out of here. She doesn't need to see this. Make sure she can't teleport back in.”

Twilight began objecting but halted when a burst of magic coated her, ejecting her from the throne room. She appeared on the first floor foyer in the midst of several wounded royal guards. They hadn't been there before. She almost didn't care to stop and talk to them, but decided to at least acknowledge their presence.

“I'm going to come back and help all of you as soon as I can. Please, I need you to tell me who did this to you. Was it King Salvator?”

The beaten unicorn breathed heavily. “Yes ma'am. We'd have been goners if the captain didn't show up when he did. He distracted Salvator and drew his attention away from us.”

Twilight swore inwardly out of fear for her brother's safety. “That's not good. Okay, I have to go. I'll be back. Where are Salvator and Shining Armor?”

“I assume they're heading towards the throne room.”

No no no! They're going to tear each other apart!

She left the guards and made a panicked beeline for the staircase. Her heart thudded as she flew out onto the second floor.

“Salvator! Shining Armor!” she called.

Her brother's voice came from around a corner. “Twilight? Is that y- gah!”

“Shut up, swine!” seethed Salvator.

Twilight dashed over and around the bend. Salvator had pinned Shining Armor up against the wall and threatened him with a revolver. His fur was ragged and bleeding in spots from the battle outside. Both stallions struggled to subdue one another. Salvator pulled the pin back on his gun and jammed it in Shining's face.

“Shoot me instead!” Twilight screamed vehemently, throwing herself in her brother's direction. Her own words chilled her as if the voice she heard changed everything. “Don't shoot my brother! Please!”

Salvator forcefully grabbed Shining's neck and threw him to the ground. “You again? Damn you're annoyin'. This here zealot is your brother, ya say?”

“Yes! Don't hurt him!” pleaded Twilight. She fell to her brother's side and huddled over him. Shining coughed raucously and clutched at his neck. He wheezed painfully at the lack of air.

Meanwhile Salvator holstered his weapon and shot a sinister glance at Shining Armor. “Caught me off guard, the sneaky bastard.”

“You lowlife,” growled Shining. He pushed Twilight away and rolled over onto his side. “I won't let you reach the Princesses. You die right here.”

Salvator stifled a snicker. “Right. More noble words from a loyal Equestrian. You're only about the thirtieth pony to say that this week. Your view of the world is about as romanticized as your sister's. Must be a unicorn thing.”

“We don't have time for this!” Twilight cried. “Celestia and Luna are up there right now going at each other and I don't know how far they're going to take it!”

“Oh no. Luna ain't takin' my trophy away from me!” yelled Salvator in righteous anger. He struck his hooves together in a show of aggression. “I wanna savor my victory. I want first dibs on Celestia!”

Shining Armor took Twilight's help and got to his hooves. “You'll die before you get anywhere close to her! Twilight, back me up. We cannot allow him to continue!”

Twilight bit her lip skittishly. “I want to help, but I really need to intervene in the throne room. The princesses' lives could both be in danger. They didn't look like they were going to hold anything back.”

Shining grunted. “Rgh. Fine. I'll deal with Salvator. Just go. I – I got this.” He rubbed his head and wobbled dizzily.

“What's wrong, pretty boy?” Salvator mocked. “Ain't got the mojo ya thought ya did? Let's fight! A beatin' will do ya good!”

Shining continued to groan. He clutched his head as if gripped by an awful migraine.

“What is it?” asked Twilight. She rubbed her brother's shoulder. “Maybe you should take it easy. You don't look like you can handle a fight right now.” She glowered at Salvator. “Besides, I don't think he's taking you too seriously right now. Let's just go to the throne room together.”

“You need to leave, Twilight. It's coming back... I don't want you around me when it comes back...” said Shining in a low tone.

“What's he talking about?” Salvator asked Twilight with a sheepish grin as he leaned against a wall. “Repressed sexual urges? He's crazy!”

Twilight looked at her brother. He'd stopped squirming about.

“Shining Armor?”

He looked at her. His stare was piercing and the color in his eye had muted completely.

“Are you okay?”

A dark violet magic coiled around Shining's horn. In the blink of an eye, he telepathically swiped Salvator's gun out of its holster and brought it to his side.

“Whoa whoa whoa! That's black magic!” Salvator exclaimed.

Shining Armor pulled the pin back on the revolver and aimed it at Twilight's head.

“Watch out, kid!”

Twilight screamed and overcharged her magic into an emergency teleportation spell. Salvator lunged at her out of nowhere. Just as the terrible crack of the gun tore into her ears, Twilight felt a body blast into her and her magic take them up.

---

Am I alive!? Did I get shot!? S-Shining... The black magic...

She frantically surveyed her tingling body for signs of injury. Luckily she failed to spot any wounds. Salvator breathed through his teeth next to her. Twilight looked to her side and saw the King tightly grasping his shoulder.

“Thanks for the free ticket out,” he said.

“You got shot,” said Twilight in mild shock. “Shining Armor's bullet hit you.”

“Yeah well, it only grazed my shoulder. I've taken worse from late night poker games. I just need to catch my breath for a moment. Where are we anyways?”

Twilight glanced up at a dark pair of doors. “The throne room.”

Salvator flexed his arm and examined the bullet wound on his shoulder. He delicately reached into his nearly shredded tunic and retrieved a small hypodermic needle.

“Is that the same stuff you gave me earlier?” asked Twilight.

“Yeah,” said Salvator. “Opium would be better. This will have to do.” He tapped the needle a few times and inserted it in his arm. “I got a bit more roughed up than I anticipated. I need to get in shape.”

Twilight looked at her hooves blankly. “Shining Armor tried to shoot me. He's poisoned worse than I am.”

“No time for a therapy session. Your brother probably isn't far behind us. Unless ya plan on wastin' more time, I suggest we go forward.”

“They're keeping the door locked with magic. I know they are. We can't get in.”

At this, Salvator blinked a few times. “Okay then. Stand back. This is where being an earth pony comes in handy. I'll just smash the door open.”

Twilight rigidly stepped aside. “Are you sure you can do that?”

“Oh yeah. I ain't got magic or wings. Nowhere for my power to go except into my muscles,” said Salvator. He backed up, got a sprinting start, and launched his whole body into the doors. Even with a magical blockade, the material rived easily and exploded under his might. The path was open. With her heart beating so loud that she could swear everypony in Canterlot could hear it, Twilight followed Salvator into the throne room.

Chapter 23

Both princesses looped and dove about near the ceiling of the throne room. Twilight could tell that the magic they were using was set for serious damage.

“Get down from there!” Salvator screamed at both of them with his dagger drawn. “Ya can't hide from me anymore!”

Celestia heard his announcement, gasped, and looked below. “How did you get in here!? Twilight? Is that you too!?”

Luna took advantage of her sister's brief distraction and shot out a pulsating beam of indigo. The energy struck Celestia and sent her sprawling into one of the windows. The mosaic shattered and let her tumble out into the snow.

“You're going to kill each other! How long are you going to fight?” Twilight shouted.

Luna risked a moment to land in front of them. She was as ragged as Salvator and snorted angrily with each breath. “Until my sister sees reason!” she said. “I've had enough!”

“Let me handle her!” demanded Salvator. “Ya can't deny me my revenge!”

Celestia flapped back in through the window, clumsily knocking shards of glass off the pane. Twilight left Luna and Salvator and sprinted to Celestia. The great ruler kicked glass away from her hooves and knelt down to catch her breath.

“Stop it, Celestia!” demanded Twilight. “Just calm down and talk to your sister! It's your fault she's this upset!”

“You have no idea what you're talking about! Stay out of this!” Celestia seethed. “Luna doesn't want equality, she just wants to usurp me!”

“You're lying!” shouted Luna from across the room.

The two sprang into the air and dashed at each other all over again. They collided and hammered each other with a whirlwind of kicks and punches.

“What do we do?” Twilight hollered to Salvator.

“I dunno! They ain't payin' attention to us!” he said.

Celestia bit into Luna's wing, causing her to wail in pain and drop like a rock. She landed hard on the polished stone floor and rasped loudly.

Twilight instantly ran to her and tried to help. Luna keeled over and wheezed.

“You knocked the breath out of her!” screamed Twilight. “In the name of Equestria, stop it Celestia!”

Celestia landed near her throne. She slicked her mane back and grinned with just a hint of hidden intention. “Good! Maybe now she'll stop trying to overthrow me! This silliness has gone on far too long!”

Luna uncurled slowly and stood up. She compressed her magic into a thick purple ring and set it rotating around her like a giant cog with fat spiked teeth. The spiky semi-shield flickered as if made from hardened fire.

Celestia frowned hostilely. She reared up on her hind hooves and drew a rune in the air. Out of the cryptic circle, she pulled an elongated spear of radiant gold. She took the weapon out of the air and readied her toss.

“Watch out!” cried Salvator.

Celestia flung the polearm forward with rock solid determination. It whistled through the air in a parabolic arch toward Luna. Twilight and Salvator threw themselves to opposite sides, and Luna rocketed into the air with a single wing beat. The spear cracked right into the floor at an angle before exploding powerfully. Luna's ring spun faster and faster until its spikes blurred into a buzzing cone around the base.

“Let Equestria be free!” demanded Luna. “I can't stand to see the citizens blind any longer! They have a right!” She fired her magic spikes at Celestia in quick succession. Celestia reacted in a heartbeat by summoning a swirling black sphere. As if magnetically, the object sucked Luna's barrage right out of the air and into its maw.

“Equestria is free!” bellowed Celestia. “All I'm doing is keeping them safe!”

“Safe from what?” cried Salvator. “From living their lives? There's a reason stoicism ain't around anymore! There can't be true happiness without knowin' tragedy! Ya can't prevent tragedy no matter how hard ya try! Life is gonna tear us a new one whether ya issue a ban on it or not!”

Celestia stomped her hoof. “What do you want me to do!? Just let everypony run around and enact every fanatical idea that pops into their head? They'll kill themselves! I've already tried that! I will stop at nothing to protect my country! If I have to destroy the rest of the world to ensure the sustained longevity of my subjects, I will! You have no right to change that! None!”

The gravity ball shot the magic spikes right back at the three. Luna swiftly rose higher to avoid the incoming projectiles. Twilight threw up a weak shield and Salvator hugged the side wall tightly. The purple bolts mercilessly chewed up the floor, tilling massive potholes in the marble. Luna spawned a new set of spikes set them rotating again, but failed to notice her sister shooting up from under her. Celestia clocked her with a nasty uppercut right in the stomach. Luna retched and dropped again. Fortunately she sustained a small bit of balance and hit the ground more gracefully than before. Without her full concentration, the ring around her wobbled unstably before flying apart completely. Luna's gut heaved from the trauma and she vomited shamefully into one of the holes in the floor. Celestia landed in front of her. Twilight didn't move but Salvator approached his sisters.

“Enough, Celestia!” he said.

“Shut up!” Celestia blasted him with soft stasis spell, temporarily slowing his body.

Luna spat several times and wiped the bile from her lips. “Is that all you've got? That was a low blow...”

“You're not seriously considering fighting me still, are you?” asked Celestia.

Luna charged up her magic.

“What the hell are you doing?” asked Salvator slowly. “Be careful!”

“I'm doing something I thought I'd never have to do again,” said Luna.

Celestia just laughed. “What, are you going to turn into Nightmare Moon or something? Don't be ridiculous.”

Silence.

Twilight gasped in alarm as Luna's body glowed dimly. Behind them all, Shining Armor casually walked up to the ruined doors. He peered inside and entered the throne room, still under the insidious trance of black magic.

“Shining Armor?” called Celestia. “I order you to leave at once! Take your sister with you. I just can't get a break...”

“No!” Twilight exclaimed fearfully. She shuffled over to Salvator and hid behind him. “He's still sick, Celestia! He tried to kill me!”

Salvator lifted his hoof to guard Twilight although at little effectiveness due to his stasis. “Yeah. Son of a bitch took my gun...”

By now, Luna's form was altering. Her teeth were narrowed to points and her eyes were slanted diamonds.

Celestia took flight once more. “No! Don't you dare! I won't let you!”

Twilight backed away from everypony, unsure and terrified. Shining Armor just wobbled in the doorway, short-circuited by the black magic's hefty mental toll.

“I'm already here!” exclaimed Luna in a fanatic voice. “You can't stop me!”

Celestia hovered in midair over the small group. Her wing beats ruffled their coats. “Yes I can! Luna, if you become Nightmare Moon, I won't banish you. I will end your life. Please don't make me do that to my own sister. You know that we can't allow an evil like that to ever be released again. Do not let her out.”

There was a blinding light over Luna's body, signaling completion of her new persona. “When we were kids you always told me to stand up for myself no matter what. Today I'm doing just that. Since you won't respect me as Luna, maybe you'll respect me as somepony with a little bit more power.”

Celestia continued to hover. She lowered her head and sniffled, letting a few of her new tears drop to the floor. “Why did you have to do that?” she moaned.

“Why are you crying? I don't want to fight you either!” said Nightmare. “I'll stand down the second you do as long as you're willing to respect me!”

Celestia landed softly and rubbed her bleary eyes. “Salvator, what was that you said about Shining Armor?”

The King was captivated by Luna's transformation. He vaguely acknowledged Celestia's question. “W-What?”

Celestia leaned sideways and looked at Shining Armor. He hadn't moved from his place. He just teetered hypnotically in place. Celestia summoned her magic.

“Can we stop fighting now?” asked Nightmare Moon. “Let's let this be over. Come to your senses.”

Twilight nodded even though none of them were looking at her.

Celestia gently removed the revolver from Shining's hoof and drew it to hers.

“I specifically told you,” she said. “I warned you. How hard was it to just listen to me? Honestly? Now look what you've done. You've disobeyed.”

“A-”

Celestia pulled the trigger and shot her sister straight in the heart.

Nightmare Moon fell and instantly regressed back into Luna.

“NO!” screamed Twilight. She skidded over to Luna and grasped her desperately. “Princess! No!”

Salvator swore at Celestia and managed to force his way out of the stasis. He galloped toward her, but she teleported away without a single word. “Where are you!? Look what you did!!! Show yourself!!!” Salvator roared.

The color was already beginning to fade from Luna's face. Twilight breathed so fast that she felt lightheaded. She cradled Luna's head. “Salvator help her! Do something!”

Salvator rushed back over to them. He dropped his dagger, squirmed out of his tunic, and dug through it crazily. He pulled out the black magic spellbook and hastily flipped to a certain page.

“What are you doing!?” yelled Twilight. “Put pressure on her wound!”

“Shut the hell up!” Salvator barked. He smacked Twilight, sending her sliding away from Luna. He bent down to his sister. “Give me your power!” he whispered. “There's a spell in here to steal an alicorn's power, but you can just give it to me! Don't die in vain! Give me your strength and I'll avenge you!”

Luna nodded. Her eyes were already beginning to close. Salvator helped her angle her head so she could read the book. She wearily glanced over the page and readied the spell.

Twilight was numb from the hit. She lay on the floor and cried silently as she watched Luna and Salvator. The midnight princess's horn glowed almost imperceptibly. A tiny fleck of light appeared at the tip and ascended up into Salvator's chest. It was followed by another until eventually a steady stream of intense light passed between the siblings. The light seeped up and over Luna's whole body until every inch of her was covered. Salvator kept holding onto her. For the first time since she'd met him, Twilight saw him openly crying.

Luna's gleam was as bright as a star in the sky. Salvator leaned down and kissed his sister's forehead before she turned entirely to light and ascended into her new host's body.

“She's gone,” whined Twilight in an utterly pathetic mess.

Salvator sat awkwardly on the floor and looked at his hooves like they didn't belong to him. He continued to weep to himself as he inspected his body. “This ain't right. Some part of her is still with me,” he said. “It's not right. She's not where she's supposed to be. She wants to go home.”

“W-what does that mean?” asked Twilight.

“It means I need to finish my task and find a way to let her go. I shouldn't have done that to her...”

Twilight forced herself to get up. Her emotions were strangled under thick layers of shock. “That wasn't Celestia back there. Or maybe it was and I've never known until now. Is that the real Celestia? One who would kill her own sister? Poor Luna...”

“I- yeah... Poor Luna...”

“I've never seen an alicorn die before,” said Twilight. “Maybe I'll turn to light someday.”

“Maybe. I've never seen it either,” replied Salvator.

“Where could Celestia have gone this time?”

Salvator closed his eyes. “I think Luna is tryin' to tell us. I can feel her will. She's urgin' me. Toward the throne.”

“The throne,” repeated Twilight. She cantered to the far side of the room and up the small set of stairs.

“Anything there?” asked Salvator.

She didn't notice anything unorthodox. “No.”

Salvator joined her as she inspected the regal chair. His eyes narrowed when he glanced behind the throne itself. “There's a door here.”

Twilight looked up bleakly. “Really?”

He ran his hoof up a hairline seam in the otherwise inconspicuous marble. “Really. This here's a hidden door.” He leaned against it with his whole body. “Sealed up. It ain't openin'.”

“Can you smash it like before?”

“Absolutely,” he said. “Luna transferred all of her power over to me. I could probably level a mountain if I had to. The problem is, there aint' much space here. I can't get a runnin' start.”

Twilight eyed the hidden seam. “I have an idea. Why don't I use magic to get it pried open a little, then you can tear it off the rest of the way.”

“Yeah. Do it.”

Twilight lit her horn and carefully traced her magic over the outline of the door. With a less than flattering grunt, she jerked her head and tugged hard with magical pressure.

“Hurry up!” said Salvator. “More force!”

“I'm trying!” Twilight whined, struggling for leverage. The muscles in her neck strained as she jimmied the door one centimeter at a time. The very instant there was enough space, Salvator hunched down and jammed his hooves in the widening crevice.

“There we go! Thanks kid!” he said. He huffed as he wrangled the massive stone slab open. Even with his doubled strength, the door's immense weight was formidable. Twilight sported a look of confusion when it was finally opened all the way. Inside was a narrow hallway lit only by candlelight. Dozens of framed paintings lined each wall. Each one was illuminated by its own candle and protected by a layer of glass. The very first two were the King and Queen of Equestria. They were the most lavishly garnished of all. At the very end of the hall sat Celestia with her back to them.

“There she is. I've never seen this room before. These paintings look more like photographs,” Twilight said.

Salvator wasn't listening. He walked into the secret chamber. Twilight quit talking and cantered after him. Each painting showed a random pony. Males and females, earth ponies, pegasi and unicorns.

“What is this?” said Salvator coldly as he and Twilight approached Celestia.

The ruler didn't even look up at him. “I often come here late at night. This is my place of mourning. I resonate inside this temple. Each painting you see is somepony I knew personally. I held them all very dearly in my heart. I've lost each and every one of them. There are over a hundred. Previous students, the very few friends I've had, my parents. Eventually I'll make one for you too, Twilight. I started one for Fluttershy. Now I'll have to make one for my sister. This is the worst day of my life.”

Salvator looked at one of the more recent portraits. In it sat a light amber pony with a red and yellow mane. He jerked it off its hook. “Poor poor Celestia! Boo hoo hoo!” He spat on it and pitched it hard to the floor. The frame and glass blew apart. “Ponies die, Celestia. Get over it. If I had a room like this, it would be ten times as big! You have no idea what true loss is! If I could, I'd kill each and every one of the ponies in these paintings all over again just to show ya what true loss is like! Ya murdered millions of my people and you can't even get over a hundred! You can live with my pain, it's your own ya can't take!”

“I never murdered anypony in Halcyon!” Celestia screamed. “You're a lying psychopath! I never sent you a sickness! I'm just one pony! I can't bend nature just to smite you! I don't even know where all these conspiracies of yours come from! When you left Equestria, that was the end of it!”

Salvator cracked his neck. “I'm sick of your deception. You're the most evil pony this world has ever seen. You've lived all your nine lives. Your nights are over.”

Twilight's emotional spectrum was so frayed that she barely felt anything as Salvator picked Celestia up by the throat and thrashed her with a wicked punch.

“That one's for Luna!”

Celestia's mouth bled and she spit out a tooth. Salvator punched her again and threw her down the hall towards the throne room.

“That one's for Fluttershy! Come on! Why aren't ya resisting? Fight me, coward!”

Celestia got up and rubbed her face. Her eye had swollen from the hits.

Salvator grabbed more paintings off the wall and chucked them at her. She retreated back into the throne room.

“Quit runnin' away!”

Celestia pooled her alabaster magic into an enormous rune which she placed on the ceiling. From it, she sent jagged pillars of steel blue ice crashing down upon Salvator. The chunks fell perpetually. Salvator displayed a nearly impossible level of speed. He twirled around each column, weaving in and out without suffering a scratch. Not even the vast sea of ice littering the floor tripped him up. Celestia backed away instinctively. Salvator picked up a particularly sharp piece of ice and hurled it at her, striking her leg. She cried out and knelt down.

Salvator casually walked over to her. From the sneer on his face, Twilight figured he was thoroughly enjoying himself. He viciously kicked Celestia, breaking her back leg. She yelped and tumbled backward into a wall. Salvator kept beating her until her coat was streaked with blood. Salvator's teeth were bared and he spit as he screamed at his sister. “Who's laughing now!? Who's the strong one now!? Look at you! You can't even fight! You're a coward, Celestia!”

Celestia looked near unconsciousness. Her swollen eyelids fluttered half open and she reached her hooves up to Salvator's shoulders. He stopped his onslaught, bloodlust overshadowed by morbid curiosity. Celestia hugged him lightly with her head against his stomach. She cried silently yet again.

“S-stop...” She trembled horribly. “Gaius...” she murmured through a bloodied mouth.

“What?” he spat.

Celestia slowly drew her head away from his stomach, looked down towards the ground, then thrust her head forward, piercing her horn deep into his gut like a drill. “Fuck you.”

Salvator's blood seeped down onto her horn as she withdrew. He dropped her and stumbled. He limped back over to where Twilight stood in disbelief. He knelt down to catch his breath, but wobbled and crumpled to the ground. He shakily held a hoof over the free flowing wound as if to gauge the damage.

“Damn it...” he rasped. Each breath was an enormous ordeal. He forced the air in and out of his lungs. Twilight tenderly lifted a hoof up.

“Please... let me help...”

Despite his agonizing pain, the Salvator smiled. He looked Twilight in the eyes. “Oh no,” he panted. “I'm gonna die now. Ain't no way around that. She hit me good.” He chuckled weakly, churning glistening scarlet out of his belly.

Twilight's feeling came flooding back and she broke down in front of him. “You can't die! It's not supposed to happen like that! You have Luna's power! You're a king! You're the very last thing keeping our freedom alive! I can't do this without you... Please... I can't do this without you...”

Salvator touched Twilight's cheek and shook his head. “No. My part is done. It's up to you now, can't ya see? You're the one keeping your freedom alive. I'm a little disappointed I won't get to see the end now, but it's okay. You'll finish it for me.”

“I can't! I can't do it! I can't...” She buried her head in the dying stallion's arms and sobbed. “I just can't... I'm not strong enough... it's never going to end.”

Salvator closed his eyes. “I never really intended to live beyond this battle. I never even considered what I'd do if I did. I'm finished. But you – ya ain't done yet. Ya have to keep fightin' or everythin' we've sacrificed so far will be in vain. Nothing will change.” He coughed, spitting blood.

“But I can't kill Celestia... I can't kill another pony even if she's a tyrant... Please don't leave me alone...” Twilight begged.

Salvator chuckled again, blood dripping down his chin. “Ya aren't alone. I'll be with you. So will Luna and Fluttershy. Even Sombra. Can't ya see? You are the salvation. You are the savior that Equestria needs. Why else do you think Celestia banished you to the snow? She's scared of ya, Twilight Sparkle. She's scared of your power and your ability to fight back. She knows it's all over now. The last fight was fixed from the start. I'm just a tool to assist ya. Like I said, I didn't even plan on makin' it this far. All these perils, all this fightin', I've been makin' it all up as I go.”

“But you don't have to die! I can heal you! I can't lose you too! Not you too...” Twilight plead, crying hard.

“Losin' me ain't the point,” Salvator said. “What am I gonna do? Watch ya fight on the sideline while strugglin' not to fall asleep for one last time? Look, I know ya can't possibly understand. I've lived for generations. I've watched my citizens enter the world tiny and helpless and cold. I've watched them leave this life as heroes. Patriots. Husbands. Wives. Communities. Can ya even comprehend how that feels? I promise ya that as long as ya live Twilight Sparkle, you'll never be alone.”

Twilight just watched him tearfully. She embraced him. She hugged him tightly.

“Salvator?”

“Yes?”

Her voice was a cracked whisper. “Where do we go when we die?”

Salvator smiled once more and looked up at the ceiling. “A place where everythin' is fine. Ya ain't gotta worry about anythin' up there.”

“W-will you be waiting for me there?”

Salvator nodded slowly. “Yes,” he panted. “We'll all be there. Everypony. We'll be keepin' ya safe. Then one day, when the time comes and you're ready, you'll join us and we'll welcome you with open arms. You'll see all your friends again.”

Twilight clung to his neck and sobbed. The gray King rested his head softly on the floor and closed his eyes again, his breaths becoming less frequent. “Will you do something for me, Twilight Sparkle?”

She struggled to get a hold of herself, weeping like an infant into his greasy mane.

“I want ya to get up. Take my power. Our power. Use Luna and I. Ya won't have to use force because I'll give it to ya. After that, go to Celestia. I want ya to bury her in the ashes of her empire. Will you do that for me?”

Twilight didn't respond. She couldn't.

Salvator drew a final breath. “What a glorious day,” he whispered. “At least I die free. At least I die a true Halcyonite.”

A dazzling gleam washed over him. As his body turned to light, Twilight saw a separate flash on his flank. He'd finally earned his cutie mark. She couldn't make out what it was, but it was there nonetheless. She levitated the spellbook over from several feet away. Her eyes scanned the page and her magic stood ready. She followed the instructions precisely and noticed Salvator's light particles drifting towards her. They entered into her, pouring both of the royal siblings' power into her own. The light grew almost blinding as it softly arched and flowed into her like an ethereal river. She took Salvator's hoof. When the light had dimmed and she could no longer feel him, she looked over herself much like Salvator had done. They were both there. Somewhere deep inside her, a vague part of both Luna and Salvator remained. She felt all of their warmth and pride, all their distrust and confusion. Luna was frightened and unsure; it was obvious that she wanted to be at peace. Salvator felt bittersweet. He was regretful of his death but eager to see his final mission completed.

Princess Celestia limped up over Twilight. A high grade healing magic was already hard at work closing her cuts.

“At last it's all over,” she said. “It's all over.” She helped Twilight up and hugged her gently. “You're a little bruised here and there. Let me heal you.”

Twilight allowed herself to be refreshed by Celestia's magic. “You know, Salvator's last wish was for me to kill you.”

“He was insane. The whole world can breathe a sigh of relief now that he's dead. His terrorism won't claim any more lives,” said Celestia.

Twilight walked over to the shattered window and peered out into the snow. “I'm scared of you, Princess. There are sides of you that I don't care to know.”

Celestia joined her. “I'm sorry. We'll talk about that after we begin the long road to restoration. Once Equestria is back on track and this is all a distant memory, you and I can look into a cure for black magic.”

“Can I tell you something?” asked Twilight, shivering in the arctic wind.

“Yes.”

“I feel betrayed. I'm angered that there was so much you kept away from me – us. All of Equestria. I never knew we were only living in the shadow of a full life.”

“Well you're not, really. That's only what Salvator said. Besides, you're forgetting about how suddenly this all happened. Every single thing that you found out on your own would have eventually been explained to you. You're a princess now. Of course I would have told you all of this at some point.”

Twilight turned and faced Celestia. “What about the crimes you've committed? The ones I know you have, not just the accusations. You just murdered your sister. You murdered Fluttershy. Those alone are punishable by death, under your own law.”

“Forgive me...”

“I don't know if I can. It makes me wonder what you'd do to me if I ever did something to oppose you.”

“I would never hurt you! You know that!” Celestia protested.

Twilight gritted her teeth. “No, I don't know that! Are you saying that you'd sooner bring harm to your own family than one of your former students?”

Celestia was clearly uncomfortable. Her eyes couldn't meet Twilight's. “I'm just a messed up pony trying to find her way in the world...”

“Don't try for my pity. Stop beating around the bush!”

“What do you want from me then? What? I've told you a dozen times that I'll do anything it takes to gain your trust back!” Celestia screamed.

“I don't know if you can,” replied Twilight. “You can't always undo things.”

“Help me rebuild Equestria. Let's just put this all behind us.”

Twilight watched the snowflakes falling. “If we do that, will anything change?”

“Like what?”

“The bans. Firearms. Everything.”

“What for? So there can be more deaths? I've seen where that road leads, Twilight. The only thing at the end of that street is immorality and heartache.”

“Well,” said Twilight quietly. “Maybe it's not up to you. Did you ever consider that immorality and heartache are natural parts of life?”

“If it's not up to me, then who?”

“I don't know,” Twilight admitted. “I just – I wouldn't ever be able to go back now. I couldn't just go back to the Golden Oaks and pretend like I wasn't missing something. Our happiness should never come at the cost of others.”

Celestia sat down against the wall. “That's another topic altogether.”

“It doesn't matter. What matters is that we can't just forget this. Your citizens won't just forget this. The only way you're going to regain anypony's trust is by telling the truth. You're only as sick as your secrets. The truth is the truth, so all you can do is live with it.”

“Okay,” said Celestia at last. “You're right.”

“Thank you. I'm glad you're finally listening to somepony.”

“I listen to others, Twilight. There is no need be snarky.”

Her words bit into Twilight, bleeding out a white hot anger. “You listen to others!? Really!? Did you listen to Luna when she told you to calm down!? Did you listen to Fluttershy when she begged you not to murder her!? How can you even say that!? That's the biggest lie I've ever heard!”

Celestia got up. “Do not raise your voice at me, Twilight Sparkle. I'm trying to be civil. I'm trying to understand your viewpoint. Losing your temper will accomplish nothing.”

“You're being a hypocrite! Are you being serious right now!?” Twilight screamed. “That's what Luna and Salvator and I have been trying to tell you this whole time! Are you that ignorant!? Try living by your own words, Celestia!”

“Look Twilight, I really don't need this right now. My patience is wearing very thin. Stop shouting. We can talk about this later when we've both had some rest.”

Twilight stared Celestia straight in the eye and flapped her wings in rage. “If I said that very same sentence to you, you'd try and kill me.”

“Get out of my castle,” Celestia suddenly commanded. She turned her back to Twilight. “I don't need this. Leave.”

Twilight held her ground. Her anger was mounting again. She could feel a bubbling bought of rage just beneath her skin. “I'll leave, but not yet.”

“Now!” spat Celestia. “Do you want me to remove you myself?”

“No,” said Twilight. “I'll leave, but first I have a promise to keep.”

“What promise?”

Twilight summoned her magic. With Luna and Salvator's combined strength, her horn shone like a comet. “A promise I made to Salvator.”

Chapter 24

“Stand down this instant or you will be considered a terrorist in Equestria,” Celestia warned. “Don't doom yourself. You know you can't touch me.”

Twilight slowly trotted toward her ruler. “Don't be so sure. There are three of us in here. Luna and Salvator are with me. With all of our power, we're easily on the same level as you.”

Celestia sneered. “I can't believe this. The very last pony I'd ever expect to betray me – trying to tell me I'm the one to blame. You're no better than Sunset Shimmer. At least she realized that the world isn't black and white. You're not being noble here, Twilight. You're not 'doing the right thing.' You're acting stupid.”

Twilight took flight and zoomed toward the princess. She was faster than before. Much faster. “I don't care! If I don't stop you, nothing will ever change!”

They loosed blasts of magic at each other. The two shots struck midair and exploded. Twilight burst through the smoke and dove into Celestia like a meteorite. They both braced for impact and just before the crash, Celestia coated her hoof in magic and walloped Twilight. The punch canceled out her entire momentum and sent her careening backwards as if she were flung from a catapult. She face-planted and rolled to a halt but didn't feel much pain. Her resistance to damage was extremely amplified. Not even her back hurt.

“So that's it! You've made your choice!” said Celestia. “You make me sick! I've practically raised you all these years and you still choose corruption!”

“You've raised me to be a puppet! To never question you!” Twilight shot back. “So yes, I was corrupted! But not anymore!”

A rune appeared under Twilight's feet. She quickly scrambled out of it just as a pillar of black fire erupted forth. The spiral of flames reached all the way up to the ceiling. Celestia's eyes radiated with a purple aura and her horn glowed black.

Twilight gasped as she avoided another fire column. The heat was so intense that she had to squint. “That magic! Back when you first told me about Sombra! You showed me what he did – that wasn't his magic! It was yours!”

“Black magic doesn't belong to anypony. It's just here. It's innate. Yes, I used black magic. We've already established that,” said Celestia impatiently. “Not that it matters now. I'll have to find a cure without you.”

Twilight felt an uncontrollable urge to smash something. She screamed and thudded her hoof onto the floor, cracking large pieces of marble out. She picked up a chunk and tossed it in her hoof like a baseball.

This must be Salvator's muscle memory!

She put the chunk up to her head and charged it with a layer of magic.

Celestia laughed almost madly. “Are you genuinely attempting to kill me? What in this whole wide world makes you think you can succeed where two others far beyond your power have already failed? I made you Twilight, but I didn't make you with power!”

“That's why I took your siblings' power! I have twice the magic and three times the strength of a normal alicorn!”

Celestia created more pillars of black fire until the whole room was nearly volcanic.

“Come down here and fight me by yourself!” Twilight challenged.

“Is that really what you want?” asked Celestia in a sarcastic tone reminiscent of Chrysalis. “I don't necessarily prefer to kill you. Brutally, anyway. If you back down now I'll simply banish you to the moon. At least you'd be alive.”

“Fight me! Quit running your mouth!” snapped Twilight.

Celestia created a rune roughly about the size of a door and opened up a portal inside it. “If you truly want to fight to the death, enter this portal. I'll not have you wrecking my castle any more than it already is. Just be warned that if you step through here, your life will end just the same as Luna's and Salvator's. Before you decide to martyr yourself, think about your parents. Think about your brother. I teleported him home while you were talking with Salvator. What will he think when I tell him that his little sister sided with the terrorist and tried to murder her monarch?”

Twilight forced an icy beam into the black flames, turning each one into a frozen statue of obsidian crystal. “You can't dissuade me! I don't know if you've been consumed by black magic or if you're just a heartless witch. Either way, I will cleanse your evil! Even if that means killing you! Salvator was right all along. You're a deceiver!”

Celestia smiled darkly. Her purple aura had turned to black. “Then step through the threshold. We'll settle this once and for all.”

Twilight hesitated. “How do I know that portal doesn't lead straight into a pit of lava or something?”

“Because,” said Celestia nonchalantly, “I'll go first.” She brazenly turned her back to Twilight and stepped through the shimmering rune.

A chilly haze now covered the floor of the room from the dark towers of ice. Twilight dropped her magically supercharged piece of rubble and walked up to the throne where the portal hovered. The dimensional doorway rippled lightly as she gave it a poke.

Her mind was free of regret. There was no time for pain, only energy for anger. She took a deep breath and stepped though to the other side. The plane she appeared in was empty and immeasurable. The portal vanished as soon as she was out. The new arena was a starry dimension with nothing but ambient clouds of blue drifting hazily among the spatial infinity. Princess Celestia walked around calmly and observed the realm.

“Are we in the atmosphere?” asked Twilight.

“No,” replied Celestia. “This place should be very familiar to you. It's such a shame that your second trip here is for this reason.”

Twilight couldn't pin it down in her memory. “When have I been here before?”

Celestia nodded her head, and like a scene from a memory, colossal moving pictures phased into existence. In each one, a younger Twilight Sparkle toiled to accomplish a task. In some of them she struggled alone, but in others she was accompanied by her Ponyville friends. The pictures ran laterally in a slow unending reel. It was like watching her life on a screen.

“Oh,” was all Twilight had to offer.

“Yes. I brought you here when you passed the right of passage and earned your wings,” Celestia said.

Twilight thoughtfully eyed some of the silent slides. “It feels like years have passed since that happened.”

In a heartbeat, the reels were gone. Celestia stood before Twilight. “Yes well, that's enough of that.” She took a moment to pool her thoughts. “You will be my last student, Twilight. I will never offer my tutelage to another. You've made it quite clear that placing my trust in others is a grave mistake. First Sunset Shimmer and now you. I won't let myself fall victim to a third pupil turned evil.”

“I don't even understand you,” Twilight spat venomously. “You preach equality and peace and claim you want the world to be a better place, but only if it conveniences you. You want nopony else to flourish but yourself. You're willing to murder and lie to force the world into your own twisted idea of perfect. You go on and on about corruption. You want to see a living example of corruption? Look in a mirror.”

Celestia mindlessly ignored her pointed words. “Enough talk. You've had your chance. I'm going to kill you. Our power is unlimited here. There are no constraints on our magic like in the physical realm.” She focused and readied her magic.

Twilight did the same, unafraid and ready. Much to her surprise, Celestia didn't shoot any magic at her. She didn't even attack. She looked beside her and let out a yell as her powerful magic took effect. A huge life-form materialized to her right. The beast was a whole head taller than Celestia. It was an ancient looking owl with tattered feathers and a jagged beak. Its huge black eyes stared soullessly at Twilight. The thing's head was huge. It's body looked almost puny in comparison, and its legs were impossibly long. That's what Twilight found the most outlandish of all – its wire thin legs that stretched twice the length of a pony's. To top it all off, a golden crown sat comfortably on its head.

Twilight stopped herself from crying out in sheer surprise. “Conjuring living things goes against nature! W-what is that thing!?”

Celestia smiled. “This is Stolas. He's here simply as insurance.”

The giant owl twisted its head all the way around and spoke in an ancient language. It strutted about on its stilt-like legs while its tongue danced with dark incantations.

“Ah yes! I can already feel my power growing!” Celestia exclaimed gleefully. “I can see you're not trying to defend yourself, Twilight. Thank you for making this easy!”

Twilight didn't exactly know what to do. She couldn't bring herself to make any moves. When the owl had finished buffing Celestia up, it hooted loudly and flapped its wings.

“No, stay here,” said Celestia. “Just in case something goes awry.” She then took about ten seconds to create a rune on the ground that was so large that Twilight couldn't tell what it was at first. As it slowly started to glow, she caught on to the act.

“Stop it!” Twilight yelled. She charged at Celestia to stop her from any more summons. The owl strutted around in front of her before she could reach Celestia. It blinked twice and hooted. Twilight stopped in midair and felt a rude pressure bearing down on her wings. She looked behind her but obviously saw nothing. The owl hooted once more, loudly this time, and Twilight felt the vicious torture of her wing bones fracturing. She howled in misery and dropped awkwardly down to her hooves. Despite her ironclad defense, the creature was able to break her apart like a twig.

Not right now... don't have time for broken bones right now...

She lifted her head back and let her restorative magic caress her broken wings. With Luna's added potency, the bones realigned in no time. “I don't have time for you!” she screamed at Stolas.

Alas, she was too late. Celestia's rune grew brighter and revealed a portal. The center swirled in a mesmerizing black cyclone. Had any of them been standing on it, they would have been sent spinning into worlds unseen.

Out of the churning void spilled a low rumbling noise.

“Glorious!” shouted Celestia. They're here!” She took flight along with Stolas and admired her work from above. Since she had no way to cancel the magic now, Twilight could only do the same. She rose and looked into the ugly gateway with a whimper of futility.

Long before anything came into sight, a tremendous voice boomed up to meet them. The spectral words were so deep that Twilight's entire body quaked.

“Una Infinitas! Hic est tuum temptamen quod temptat tuam potentiam voluntas!
Viginti tres gradus ad summam potestatem!”

Something vile crawled up and out of the portal like a wretched birth. A wyrm. Its body was comprised of loose chunks of volcanic rock and lava flowed freely between cracks in its plating. There was no frame of reference for size in the starry realm, but Twilight theorized that the fiery snake was as big as a house and as long as ten. The thing had no eyes. It flicked its superheated tongue in and out as it coiled around the edge of the portal. Its runny body dribbled pools of molten lava everywhere it went.

Another form followed the first. A second leviathan serpent slithered up into the plane. Contrary to the first, this conjured reptile ruled over the cold. Its body looked less like a snake and more like a collection of serrated icebergs all strung together. Blades of dry ice jutted out from its body on all sides to act as a natural shield. Hazy mist drifted off of it just like the ice in the throne room.

Just when Twilight thought the situation couldn't possibly be more dire, a third serpent reared its ugly head. The body was purple and black and it was three times as large as the other two. It could have eaten them whole.

Celestia lowered down to the purple snake. She created a throne on its head and sat down, joined by her owl not soon after. “You shouldn't have betrayed me, Twilight!” she called. “We would have ruled together for eternity!”

The great beast of a snake coiled up behind its smaller two counterparts. As it opened its gaping mouth, the mighty voice returned. “Mors exspectat nos, minima mannis. Nos vehementer suscipiat eum!”

“Now the final condition!” shouted Celestia with perverted joy.

Stolas chanted again. Within moments, Twilight felt as if her body was slowly turning to stone. She flapped hard to keep herself aloft but started to sink nonetheless. She felt like she was trying to reach the surface of a pool in a suit of lead armor. The two lesser snakes uncoiled themselves and slithered over to where Twilight was about to land. Panic shot through her as she thrashed about in the air. She flapped as hard as she possibly could but to no avail. The gravity continued to intensify until she was no less than falling out of the air. The fire serpent stopped right under her and opened its jaw to reveal feet-long fangs covering a pool of bubbling lava. Its tongue splashed around in its mouth, spraying the glowing liquid all over the place. Twilight gulped and shut her eyes tightly. There was no way she could correct her trajectory at this point. She could already feel the lethal heat from the creature's eager mouth. Celestia and her shadow wyrm remained at a safe distance and vicariously observed the almost sacrificial event.

I only have one shot at this! Twilight desperately thought.

She ignited her magic and teleported away just as the snake lifted its head and slammed shut its jaw. Lava spewed from it like saliva as it fell back down, creating an eerie explosion of bright orange. Twilight appeared on the back of the ice serpent, near the tail, in one of the few spots not covered by needle-sharp blades. The creature's body was so cold that Twilight's hooves were numbed within seconds. There was only a small window of time before she was noticed by either of the snakes, so she rationed about half of her magic into throwing up a bubble shield. Unfortunately for her, the intense gravity coupled with the severe cold crippled her movement almost entirely.

I can't do this alone... There's no way I can kill all three of these snakes by myself...

Her frantic musings were interrupted by a tidal wave of lava swallowing her shield. She flinched and crouched down under the surprise regurgitation. The fire wyrm hurled up another wave of molten rock. Twilight's shield held just barely. The magic faded in places, creating pebble sized holes. One more expulsion of lava and Twilight would be incinerated.

The ice wyrm writhed furiously from the attack. The lava melted straight through several of its blocky body segments. It sped away from its partner in a pained frenzy, obviously not anticipating accidental friendly fire.

Twilight seized her brief window of opportunity to cast a spell. She pooled her remaining magic and dug deep inside herself, reaching for her spiritual passengers. She didn't know exactly what she was doing, but she pictured what she wanted and poured her magic into creating two familiars. Her efforts came to fruition in the forms of golden spectral allies. The ghostly bodies of Luna and Salvator beamed into the battlefield. Their gold forms twitched slightly as if they were nothing more than a visual hallucination. The brother and sister looked around wildly. They couldn't speak, but their eyes were wide with terror.

“I need your help!” Twilight hastily explained. “Hang on, I'll channel some of your power back into you!” She turned to Luna and zapped her with a transfer of magical constitution. “Princess, I need you to take out that owl up there by Celestia. It's hexing me and I can barely move.” She turned to Salvator. In his new form he was portrayed as his pure essence. He was his true form that never was – an alicorn. “Help me fight off these snakes until Luna takes care of Stolas!” Twilight ordered as she funneled some of his strength back.

Luna pushed through the fading shield and flew up high toward the great purple wyrm. Salvator and Twilight swiveled around as a disgusting hiss sounded behind them. The fire wyrm was right on the tail of the ice. Its stony cheeks puffed and it spat out another curtain of lava.

“Oh no!” Twilight screamed. As the lethal substance fell inches from the shield, Salvator threw himself onto Twilight and pressed her onto the back of the snake. The shield vaporized almost instantly and the two were bathed in the burning rain. Tears welled in Twilight's eyes as she felt small parts of her hooves and tail burn away. Luckily her protector absorbed the brunt of the damage. Another great hiss came from the ice wyrm's body as it withered away from the lava. Twilight and Salvator sank down into the cold wet slush. Salvator climbed off of her, lava dripping off his back. Twilight gently put a hoof on his flickering golden cheek. “You saved my life. Y-you can't die can you? You're already dead, so you can't die...”

Salvator nodded mutely and pulled her up to her hooves. He carefully stepped over the serpent's icy spears and jumped onto the its next less melted body segment.

“Wait!” said Twilight. She clumsily lifted a hoof and took a step forward. “I can hardly move! I'm still hexed!”

Salvator leaped back and started to help her just as the fire wyrm sped up beside them, tongue flitting and cheeks beginning to puff.

Way up high, Luna approached the abominable monstrosity that held her sister on its head. The super wyrm didn't move. It preferred instead to passively observe the battle of the ponies. Celestia on the other hand, was outraged at the arrival.

“Luna!?” she shouted. She got up from her throne and pointed a hoof at her sister's ghost. “Stolas! Take care of her!”

The owl split his focus and chanted in Luna's direction. When she kept approaching, Celestia shrieked in anger. “It's not working!” She left her throne to deal with Luna herself. She sprang off of the wyrm's head and fired a series orbs at Luna. The orbs slowed automatically in the air until they stopped altogether. Luna continued to approach. As she passed into the proximity of the orbs, they flashed white and exploded in a myriad of different elements. A mixture of lightning, fire, ice, darkness, violent winds, and razor sharp vines ensnared Luna in a maelstrom of turbulent forces. Celestia smiled victoriously to herself when it appeared that the orbs had fulfilled their purpose. Yet Luna emerged from the smoke. Her golden body was untouched.

“That's impossible!” Celestia screamed out loud. Black aura streamed out of her eyes and whipped around her body. “Nopony could have survived that!”

Luna forced past her awestruck sister and headed straight for Stolas. The owl yelped as she swooped down upon it. There was a flurry of feathers on the great snake's head. Luna stabbed her horn into Stolas much like Celestia had done to Salvator. The owl stumbled back and fell off the wyrm. It flapped to keep itself afloat, but quickly succumbed to its wound. Its crown caught fire, followed by its head. Soon its whole body was reduced to ash as it was sent back to wherever it came from.

“Why won't you stay dead!?” growled Celestia as she grabbed her sister and forced them toward the ground in a seismic toss. The great snake lowered his head and extended his forked tongue expectantly. It wanted a sacrifice and Celestia had the perfect offering.

The pressure lifted away from Twilight. She jumped up and down just to verify her weight was normalized. Salvator quit helping her and continued on his way up to the head of the serpent. Twilight took flight off the icy platform and flew up to Salvator. She tapped on his shoulder and pointed to the fire wyrm. “Keep distracting these two! This one will be gone soon if it keeps melting, and I'm going to find some way to get rid of spit-fire over there!”

Salvator nodded and continued trekking up the dangerous terrain. Twilight stalled away from the two serpents.

I need water... a lot of water...

She looked around the dimension. Nothing new caught her eye.

Think, Twilight!

She looked down in thought. The dimensional rift was still swirling inside Celestia's castle sized rune.

That's it!

She flew down and landed at the glowing cusp of the magic circle. Each entity was still busy fighting the others. The coast was clear for the time being. She looked at the yellowish magic at her hooves. Runic mastery was extremely advanced. Even as a princess, she hadn't yet studied it. The whole process involved structuring magic into balanced principles and assigning a predetermined functions.

Her eyes darted over the thousands of lines of moving symbols making up the rune. None of it made sense. There were so many rules and variables to getting something like this right. An uncertain idea came to her. The syntax of the magic didn't make sense, but perhaps it didn't have to. She dipped her horn down and touched the rim of the rune. She didn't have to understand it. She just had to hijack it.

The black magic holding the portal together was overwhelming. She felt like she'd just dove head first into freezing rapids and had to swim upstream. The dark force tried to push her out. There was no room for her tampering inside the carefully placed rules of the rune's mechanism. Her horn backfired with a black spark. She flinched and gritted her teeth. Her head stung from the buzzing black magic. Far away, the fire wyrm sensed its target was no longer beside it. It stopped following its partner and probed with its tongue in effort to locate Twilight.

Twilight was getting more desperate by the second. She glanced up and saw the fire wyrm heading her way. There was no need to remind herself of what would happen if it found her.

Time to try again.

This time, she used different tactic. Instead of re-writing the code, she simply tried to break it. There was no possible way she could override the black magic and turn the rune pure. Rather, she opted to short-circuit it by inserting her own mess of junk magic. Random bits of errant energy surged into the perfect circle. All the while, the volcanic snake slithered ever closer. It was beginning to lock onto her location.

At long last, the sheer amount of useless power caused the rune to go haywire. Its glow dimmed significantly, and in a heartbeat the rift inside was closed. Nothing was coming in or out.

Great! Great great! Twilight thought. Now I have to make it work again...

She mentally selected all of the magic that had something to do with water and moisture in general. Lowering her horn to the circle once more, she injected spell after spell of aqua-based affinity.
A glob of lava splattered approximately ten feet away from her. The fire wyrm had passed into the circle on the other side. Its last shot had almost reached her even at that distance. If she was going to live, she had to act fast.

“Come on!” she mumbled furiously as she tried to coax the rune. Nothing was working. For all she knew, it could have been utterly ruined already. The space between her and her stalker was closing rapidly.

Come on... come on!

Still nothing. The snake opened its mouth, ready for a free meal. Only about fifty feet remained. Twilight strained her magic to work faster. The rune just wasn't accepting her input. She tried force, she tried being as delicate as possible, nothing. The wyrm was almost upon her. She could feel its superheated mouth lusting for her flesh. At less than twenty feet away, something amazing happened. The entire rune switched colors. A pale blue color grew at the spot below Twilight's horn and seeped around both sides until eventually the whole rune shared the hue. A deep rumbling began that was so intense that Twilight lost her balance. Landing on her flank, she could only watch as the wyrm slithered perilously close. She winced and prepared for the end.

Then she watched what looked like an ocean itself punching out of the rune. Massive volumes of water pumped dozens of feet straight up. The solid wall of dark sea swept the wyrm up in its violent undertow. Twilight grinned in utter disbelief as the molten creature steamed in the waters. It thrashed about, steaming and screaming in pain. It sank down into the depths of the spout. The glow of its body slowly faded until all that was left of it was a petrified glassy stone.

The purple serpent decided to join the action. It uncoiled and made its way over to the unplugged spring. Twilight scooted back on her flank as it approached. Its pupil was as big as she was. Her heart smashed against her ribcage as the otherworldly creature eyed her curiously. She could smell its repugnant breath. It exuded the stench of decay. Without breaking eye contact, the wyrm reached its tail high up into the rapturous fountain. It thrust downward, shattering the petrified fire wyrm and thoroughly destroying the rune at the base of the water. With nothing to override the laws of physics, all the water that reached up to the heavens fell back to the ground. The temporary monsoon continued for minutes on end. As Twilight sat shivering in the rain, the great snake finally looked away. It briefly glanced to its left toward the destroyed rune. Of course, Twilight was still much too afraid to move. The beast lifted its head away and reared back up into a coiled position.

“You're not going to kill me?” Twilight whispered in confusion. She shivered again. The air had suddenly become much colder. Out of nowhere, the ice wyrm blew past her with just inches between them. Its blades ripped into Twilight's side and spun her around like a ballerina. She fell face down with her hoof over her side. The fresh cuts on her abdomen were long and deep. The rainwater mixed with her blood and turned her coat into a matted mess.

“Damn it,” she sputtered between shallow pants.

The ice serpent returned and slithered around her in a circle. It slowly closed in as it spiraled around her. Twilight crawled forward in hopes of escape but the snake stopped right in front of her. It coiled right up and sandwiched her between its hyper-cold segments. Salvator was on the beast's head. He pounded it with its fists but it wouldn't let Twilight go. Salvator realized his efforts were futile and made the decision to rescue Twilight manually. He hopped down to where Twilight was stuck in the ice and tried to find a way to pull her up.

“It's no use,” Twilight said. “I'm going to die unless I take you and Luna's power again. I'm too cold to teleport and I don't have enough magic to heal.”

Salvator nodded and lowered his head down to Twilight's level. She touched her horn to his and reabsorbed his spirit.

That's one. Now where's the other?

Luna was still tightly locked in an aerial struggle with her sister. The two bit and kicked at each other just like before. It was anything but a clean fight. Twilight watched her from afar. The only thing she could do was offer a weak signal flare. Before long her body would be too numb to use any magic at all.

Luna caught glimpse of a flashing light far down on the ground. She took a break from beating Celestia and saw Twilight struggling in the clutches of the ice wyrm. She zoomed down to offer her assistance while Celestia stayed behind and watched with smug amusement.

Twilight's teeth were chattering and her eyes were heavy. “L-lower your horn,” she said.

Luna obeyed and Twilight reabsorbed her. She then set about healing herself. Feeling crept back into place along her frozen body. She almost sighed in relief when at last her insides weren't about to shut down. The next item on her agenda was breaking free of her arctic prison. Fire itself wouldn't be hot enough. She needed something more extreme to do the trick.

An idea came to her and she gasped in delight. With her horn aglow, she carefully altered the air around her. The wyrm swiveled around to see if she had froze to death yet. When it saw her tampering with magic, it opened its mouth and lowered its head over her. Twilight screamed and flailed about uselessly when she noticed the looming mouth full of needle-like fangs. The wyrm delicately scooped her up with its tongue and tugged her into its mouth. Twilight thrust her hooves up to the roof of the wyrm's mouth and desperately tried to hold its jaw open. To her horror, its icy tongue inched around her waist and yanked her forcefully. She slipped at the sudden jerk and lost all of her traction. The wyrm tilted its head up and swallowed. The tube of its esophagus was narrow and slippery. She gasped for air as she slid down the dark wet tunnel. Luckily her magic had been charging through the whole ordeal. As she splashed into a pool of supercooled water, her magic came through. She forced unimaginable numbers of ions into the sick air of the wyrm's stomach. The ions sped up the particles in the air so extremely that they in turn morphed into the wyrm's weakness. Ionized gasses – plasma. Twilight buried her head underwater and held her breath as a cloud of plasma exploded inside the serpent and vaporized it entirely.

She emerged out of a steaming shell of mush. The wyrm was obviously dead, if it was ever alive in the first place. She shook herself off of the excess water and dried her coat with magic.

I'm so damn sick of being cold... she thought.

Princess Celestia landed right in front of her. Her aura was getting darker and darker. Even her coat looked more gray than white. “I didn't expect you to get this far. You've done well, I'll give you that. I'm growing tired of dealing with you though. I don't know how you forced my siblings' souls to fight for you, but I don't really care anymore. After you're dead, I'm going back to the castle and snoozing this whole thing off.”

Twilight snarled menacingly. “Come at me!”

Celestia looked over her shoulder to the mountain sized serpent. “Destroy her!”

The beast moved between the two and looked at each of them. It spoke for a third time, this time in their language. “I grow weary of watching your meaningless squabble. To my home I return.”

“What!?” Celestia cried. She couldn't believe her ears. “I summoned you! You are here to do my bidding! I command you to destroy Twilight Sparkle!” She breathed heavily and shifted her ruffled wings about.

The wyrm hissed lightly and flicked his tongue out. “You're lucky I did not eat you, little white pony.” It left them with that ominous threat. It slithered away and opened up it's own portal back to its home territory. Celestia flung herself about and hollered angrily as the colossal snake slithered into the rune. The portal closed right after it.

“Damn it!” Celestia continued. “Damn it all! Nothing is going my way today! I have to do everything myself!” She glared daggers at Twilight. “This is all your fault! You stupid prawn!” The black aura swirling around her picked up speed.

Twilight's eyes pulsed white and a light purple aura emanated from her horn. “I'm right here!”

Celestia dashed at her erratically. Her tactfulness was gone. She zigzagged crazily and tried to plow straight into Twilight. Twilight easily avoided the tackle by jumping. Celestia flipped over and blasted her with a bolt of energy. Twilight crossed her hooves in an X and took the brunt of the magic without damage.

“You can't touch me!” said Celestia. “I'm too strong! Just give up!” Her coat was now almost black. She had morphed into the opposite of her true essence. Dark Celestia.

“I'll kill you or die trying!” spat Twilight.

Celestia only cackled hysterically. “You'll be here forever! You're just not getting it! I'm invincible! There's no way I'd bring you here if I ever thought you could really win! I've been toying with you this whole time! But now I'm tired, and it's time for you to die.”

Twilight sent magic shock waves into the ground, causing immense white spears to rip up out. Celestia evaded them.

“Your magic won't hurt me either!” Twilight pointed out. “I'm just as strong as you!”

“Yeah right! The only way you could even scratch me is if you used black magic, and we both know you're too 'pure-of-heart' for that!”

Twilight's aura grew brighter. She hunched down and held her hoof behind her back. “You know what Celestia, you're right. If that's what it takes to remove you from this earth, then so be it.” Her horn glowed black, and a nasty purple scimitar materialized in her back hoof. Its dark power glinted in the blade. Twilight held the scimitar in front of her. “We're different, Celestia. You revel in your darkness. You sing your own praise. I refuse to let myself become a monster like you.”

Celestia conjured a short morningstar. With no words left to say, she swung low and tried to bash Twilight's legs out. Twilight jumped up, but Celestia anticipated this and thrust her weapon upwards, delivering a crushing blow to Twilight's ribs. Twilight screamed in agony but managed to clip Celestia on the wing before she fell to the ground. She then summoned her magic and cast a spell, but nothing obvious happened.

“Looks like you're magic isn't so powerful after all!” mocked Celestia. She approached Twilight with a fake look of pity. “Aww, does your chest hurt? Here, let me put you out of your misery!” She pivoted her hoof high and swung hard at Twilight's neck. There was nothing Twilight could do. The vicious spiked ball tore through the air and ripped straight into – nothing. Twilight's illusion faded.

Celestia didn't quite realize what had happened. She simply stood there, dumbfounded. Then, the sound of a single wing flap made it all clear. Twilight swooped down from the air and plunged her dark scimitar deep into Celestia's back.

The ruler's eyes went wide. Instead of screaming, she knelt down and fell onto her side. Twilight grasped the handle of her scimitar and put her hind hoof on Celestia's back. With a grunt and a lurch, she extracted the bloody weapon. Celestia wheezed with a panicked expression.

“You're lucky,” growled Twilight. “All I did was pierce a lung at worst. I was aiming for your spine.”

Celestia's mood had changed drastically. She looked fearfully at Twilight as if genuinely concerned. “S-stop! You don't know what you're doing!” She hacked up a mouthful of blood.

“So now you want to beg for your life, huh? Don't shame yourself any more than you already have, Princess...”

Celestia held up a hoof in defense. “No! You don't understand! P-please don't kill me! There are forces at work that you can't possibly understand! Killing me will bring about unforeseen consequences!”

Twilight leaned on her scimitar to catch her breath. “You're just lying through your teeth now,” she said. She stood back up and lifted her weapon. Celestia was totally vulnerable. Twilight crouched above her. “Any last words?”

“Yes! Don't kill me!” sputtered Celestia. “I'm serious!”

Twilight positioned the scimitar over her heart. Celestia slowly reached up and softly grabbed Twilight's horn.

“What are you doing? Get off of me!” said Twilight in disgust. She pressed the tip of the blade into Celestia's blackened chest, drawing blood.

Celestia suddenly roared with intense rage and squeezed Twilight's horn as hard as she could, trying to force it upward. Twilight howled in pain and drove the scimitar in hard. There was a sickening crunch as it cracked Celestia's ribcage and slid into her heart. Celestia ignored her mortal wound and continued to roar over and over again. As her body turned to light, she summoned her last remaining pocket of magic and re-routed it up to her hoof. Twilight was paralyzed with pain. She felt something give. There was a nasty tearing sound inside her head, and she saw Celestia draw her hoof away with a horn in it. Her horn. Celestia threw the horn behind her as her body was consumed by the blinding light.

Twilight's body locked up. Blood poured down her forehead like a waterfall. As Celestia disappeared, the dimension around started behaving oddly. There was no noise, but the distant blue particles flickered and distorted. Twilight felt a swishing tingle all throughout her body. The very realm itself bulged and bent like tar starting to boil. She shivered violently as the blood kept coming. Her body shook with such a magnitude that she nearly blacked out. The swishing tingle intensified until she couldn't tell if she was shaking naturally or from the unraveling dimension. Faint blue-green streaks appeared at the edges of her vision. Some sort of astral magic surged through her without letup. The streaks in her eyes grew more prominent until her vision was blurred beyond comprehension. There was a jumble of white noise and a cacophony of random sounds until a white light blotted out her vision.

Suddenly she was standing in a distant northern forest with radiant auroras blazing in the sky. She squinted and was barely able to make out the scenery.

What the...!?

Another flash of light and she was standing in some kind of small office. A hideous creature she'd never seen before looked up from its desk. “What's the meaning of this? What are you? How did you get in here!?”

In an instant she was gone. This time she appeared at Fluttershy's funeral. She saw herself standing with Luna, staring forlornly at the grave. This scared her. She started hyperventilating. Apparently no one could see her. She tried to call out to her past self but the flash took her away again.

She saw Salvator kneel down and jam his flag in the ground, claiming the land as Halcyon. She saw things so profound that words couldn't portray them. At long last her frightening voyage came to an end. She dropped into a soft field of lilacs and blacked out immediately.

---

A small voice forced her to pry open her eyes. She lay on her side in a bed of flowers. There was a gentle breeze that ruffled her coat, reminding her of numerous past summers. She lifted a hoof to her throbbing head and felt a wet scab that was probably infected. Groaning and sitting up, she took in her scenery fully. Endless rolling fields of flowers led down into a sunny valley with distant mountains ranging left and right. The sun beamed high in the sky, granting her a warmth she never thought she'd feel again. Two fillies nervously eyed her at a small distance. The first was solid pink and looked to be about Sweetie Belle's age, albeit noticeably larger. The other was a light brown, almost caramel color. She was still quite young.

“I said, are you okay, lady?” the pink one asked curiously.

Her counterpart looked at her and said, “She looks like she hurt her head real bad...”

“W-where am I?” Twilight croaked.

The fillies looked at each other.

“You don't know where you are?” the pink filly asked as if the answer was stupidly apparent.

Twilight was certainly not in the mood to deal with the child's attitude. “No. Just tell me...” She blinked blearily. Her vision was still skewed.

“We're inside the Crystal Empire. Did you lose your memory?”

Twilight groggily looked behind her. Sure enough, the familiar spire stretched up through the clouds.

“Who are you?” continued the caramel filly.

“I'm...” she began. “I'm – I need a doctor...”

Again, the two friends looked at each other with concerned expressions. This was by far the most bizarre scene that they had ever encountered.

“C'mon, Skyla,” said the caramel filly. “Let's go find my parents...”

Twilight watched the ponies scamper off through the fields. She lay her head back down and let the sun lull her to sleep.

---

Her eyes fluttered open inside a lavish crystalline bedchamber. There was a large machine near the bed with several tubes stuck into her arms.

“She's awake!” cried an accented voice. “Get in here!”

Twilight looked into the slightly wrinkled face of a handsome white stallion with a golden mane. “Cian?”

“Aye, Twilight!” He whistled, not quite sure he wasn't dreaming himself. “This is... I can't believe it...”

“What are you doing in the Crystal Empire?” she asked.

“Foalsittin',” was his response.

“What?” She shrugged it off as an auditory hallucination. “What happened to your face? You look older...”

Cian smiled and hugged her delicately. “Oh, Twilight...” When he pulled away, he had tears in his eyes.

“Sweet salvation...” came a hushed whisper from the doorway. Twilight looked over to see Applejack standing there. She took off her stetson and walked over to the bed. She looked different too. “Twilight Sparkle, as I live and breathe...”

“You're here too Applejack? I'm glad to see you...”

“Me too, sugarcube,” said AJ with the same sad smile as Cian.

Twilight shifted under her covers and tried not to itch her bandaged forehead. “What's with those looks, you two? How come you both look older?”

Cian got up and moved over to AJ. He kissed her and put his hoof around her shoulder. “Ya died that day, Twilight. Or at least we thought ya did. You, Luna, Salvator and Celestia all vanished. After the fightin' finally stopped, the castle just... crumbled, I guess. Imploded. For no reason. Nopony knew what happened. Nopony found any of your remains in the rubble. I hope you'll fill us in on the story, but that can wait. Here's the part I'm still struggling to comprehend. That was nine years ago, Twilight. It's been nine years...”

The caramel filly from before tiptoed into the room and hid behind AJ's leg. She clung tightly and peered at Twilight curiously.

“W-what?” stuttered Twilight.

“Mommy, who's that pony?” asked the child. “She hurt her head real bad.”

AJ looked down and rubbed her daughter's head. “Go play with Skyla, sweetie. Let the grown-ups talk.”

The filly bounded out of the room. Twilight began to cry. “What do you mean nine years?”

“Exactly that,” said Cian. “We mourned for weeks. We made statues for you, Luna, and Salvator. Y'all became heroes in Equestria.”

The sound of the heart monitor next to the bed was the only thing breaking the silence in the room. Twilight's tears streamed down her face. “At what cost?” she blubbered. “The black magic... Celestia... My horn... At what cost am I a hero?”

“Ya did much more than ya thought,” AJ explained softly. “Celestia's influence was much larger than anypony knew. The Halcyonites helped us rebuild after y'all disappeared. It was through them that we learned just how much Celestia was really controllin' the world. Did ya know that unicorns and pegasi were almost extinct in Halcyon? They made up less than two percent of the population. Thanks to you, they had a drastic rebound. Not only that, but a lot more little baby boys started bein' born right after the battle. Turns out Celestia was behind the jacked-up gender ratio here in Equestria. By takin' her out, y'all changed pretty much the entire world.”

“Wow...” was the only response Twilight could muster. Her head was positively throbbing.

“Everypony else is on the way,” Cian said. “Cadance and Shining Armor were away this weekend on business. We were foalsittin' Skyla for them since she and Summer Orchard are such good friends. They're comin' home now. So are all your Ponyville friends. They were just as shocked as we were when we told 'em who we found sleepin' in the fields!”

“My friends are coming...” Twilight repeated. “I need to go back... I shouldn't be here... This isn't my time... I need to get back to the past...”

AJ scratched her head and nervously looked at Twilight. “Well, that ain't exactly-”

“That's not possible,” said Cian. “Nopony can travel through time. It just doesn't happen. Just like nopony can come back to life. Some things are still out of reach.”

“But we can try, right?” pleaded Twilight tearfully. “The Crystal Empire is renowned for its scientific prowess. Surely there must be something... H-have they at least discovered a cure for black magic poisoning? Is my brother alright?”

Applejack softly stroked Twilight's matted mane. “They're workin' on it, sugarcube. We'll help ya as much as we can. There's been some research into that kinda stuff, but it hasn't gone anywhere yet. That don't mean it won't, though. I'm sure that in time we'll be able to cure ya completely and send ya back.”

“There's another thing I have to do,” said Twilight. “There are a couple of my friends who still need my help. I need to help get them home. Somehow...”

Both Cian and AJ smiled. “Very noble of ya,” said Cian. “For now, how about we bring ya some food and let ya relax for a while? We can talk about all that researchin' stuff when everypony gets here tomorrow. Ya shouldn't stress yourself out too much.”

“I'd love some food,” said Twilight. She wiped her eyes. “But, can you guys do me a favor?”

“Absolutely,” said Applejack.

“Keep me company,” Twilight requested. “Just talk to me. I-I don't want to feel alone anymore. Especially now. Right now I feel more alone than I ever have before. I just want to go home...”

Cian and Applejack both hugged her lovingly.

“You're not alone,” Cian promised.

“Yeah. Not now and not ever,” said AJ. “We'll be right here for ya all the way, and soon so will everypony else.”

Twilight basked in the warmth of her friends. In spite of her turmoil, she felt a thankfulness too deep to express in words. In the safety of her loved ones, all her worries and objections lost their weight. It was like lifting shadows off a dream.

“As long as I'm not alone,” she repeated to herself.

The late afternoon sun warmed their faces with its golden rays. The whole room glowed with a soft amber hue.

“No Twilight,” AJ whispered with complete faith in her words. “You're not alone.”

Skyla and Summer Orchard shot past the door, giggling and chasing each other. In the wake of their jubilant laughter, Twilight fought to settle the squalls of unease still roiling inside her.

“As long as I'm not alone.”