Chapter 6

Raven laid in her bed with her back propped up on the headboard as she read away with the book in her lap. To her right sat a notebook with a small inkwell with a feather in it. She did her best to ‘read’ through the book, it was a dictionary that she was translating into Orokin for a better understanding. If she was going to be here for the foreseeable future, knowing things other than basic hand gestures would help her get very far in this strange world. Nearby, Bubbles sat at the lone desk in the room reading her own book while she waited for the physical therapist to arrive. After translating another word the doorknob to the room jiggled, causing both girls to lift their heads.

The two shared a glance before the mare stood up. “That must be the therapist,” Bubbles stated as she approached the door. Upon reaching the door she opened it. The light blue mare was greeted by that of a dark blue unicorn mare with a white mane and tail. She was wearing a pair of sweatpants and a black t-shirt, in her right hand was a small medical bag and a clipboard.

“Ah! You must be the Blue Cross?” Bubbles asked with a smile.

“Indeed, I am!” the mare replied happily before grabbing her clipboard with her free hand and holding it up. “Is… Raven here?”

“Yep!” the caretaker confirmed. Stepping to the side, she allowed the other mare access. “She’s on the bed.”

“Thank you!” Cross thanked happily as she stepped into the room. As soon as her eyes landed on the girl reading on the bed, she froze. When she got this assignment this morning she knew when was not going to be seeing a normal pony, but… she didn’t expect this! Bubbles approached from behind and stood next to the staring mare.

“Don’t let looks deceive you,” Bubbles said while she placed her hands on her hips and tilted her head at Cross. “She’s a nice girl.”

“I knew that I wasn’t going to be seeing a pony today but…” Cross admitted as she turned her head towards Bubbles, that look of uncertainty gracing her features. “What species is she?” the mare whispered as to not offend the other younger girl.

“Don’t know,” Bubbles replied with a shrug. “The Princess saved her before she hit the ground. I still don’t know how she got up that high,” the mare mused while holding a hand to her chin. She shrugged again and dropped her hand.

“What happened?”

“You haven’t heard!?” Bubbles gawked, turning fully to face Cross. The papers had exploded all over Equestria about who the mysterious filly was and what she had been doing. There were still press ponies requesting entry and an interview. Celestia closed court to the whole public for the time being, only letting in important cases. “Witnesses say that they saw a large trail of smoke followed by a massive explosion while Raven fell from the sky!”

“Wow…” Cross was speechless. She continued to silently study her patient from afar for a few more seconds. Next to her, Bubbles crossed her arms under her bosom. She shook her head.

“Yep… anyway, come and say hi!” she beamed while dropping her arms and heading towards the bed. Cross followed shortly after. Once she reached the side of the bed, Bubbles dropped to a knee, grabbing Raven’s attention. “Raven?” The mare said softly. “This is Doctor Cross,” Bubbles said while gesturing towards the mare standing nearby. “She’s here for your therapy.” The kneeling mare pointed at the girl’s immobile legs. “Ther-a-py!” The young girl did her best to repeat the word before Bubbles rose from her spot and was replaced by Doctor Cross.

“Hi, Raven!” Cross greeted with a caring smile. “Blue… Cross,” the mare said slowly.

“Blue Cross,” Raven repeated, letting the name sink in. The name sounded slightly foreign to her. Like a mix of objects. She was going to have to look it up later. “Hallo.”

“It’s hell-o,” Bubbles corrected from her seat back at the desk.

Raven silently ‘Ah’d’ before trying the greeting yet again. “Hello!”

***

Later that night Celestia wandered through the vast halls of her home. She was glad to be done for the day. It had been a rough one. Not only did she deal with one of the fullest days of court in a very long time, most questions being about what happened to the child, but she had to deal with various other requests and issues with the royal council. Running a 1000-year regime is very taxing. But it would all be better when she could go and see her daughter.

…

The mare froze in her tracks. ‘Daughter?’ Could she even do that? Raven isn’t just some orphan from off the streets, at least… she shouldn’t be? Celestia had only known her for less than a week and she was already that attached to the child? But in that short amount of time she was yet to hear anything about the whereabouts of Raven’s parents. And even Raven doesn’t seem worried or eager as to finding them. All the reports she has gotten from her lasted caretaker is that Raven had done nothing but read and translate words into some language she has never seen before. Shaking her head clear of her thoughts, Celestia trekked onward.

As the solar mare approached the child's room, she honestly expected her to be sleeping. It was dark and Raven was still rather young. But the mother figure in her wanted to see her. Upon reaching the door she slowly opened it and peeked an eye in. Catching a glimpse of the bed, she noticed that it lacked a body. Confused, she blinked once before opening the door all the way and stepped inside. She looked around for the wayward child, only to find nothing. As she continued to search, her eyes soon landed on the open balcony doors, the drapes fluttered in the late-night breeze.

Outside, Raven sat in her wheelchair with her elbows in the railing, her cheek resting on her right fist. Looking up at the unique moon she sighed. “I can’t believe this… it was all a dream…” She lifted her head off her fist in realization. “... sort of.” Placing her cheek back on her fist with a sigh she continued to lament. “I wonder if anyone knows I’m here?” she deflated slightly in her seat. “Is it even worth it? I can’t speak the language and I probably look like a freak to these people!” Her sad gaze dropped to her useless legs. “I can’t even fucking walk!” She sighed again. “And I’m half blind…”

She took another deep breath and let it out slowly. “What can I say… I have nothing. No frame, no ship… no… anything…” her gaze dropped to the floor as she placed her forehead on her left arm.

“Raven?” The sound of her name being called caused her to slowly lift her head and look over her shoulder. Just behind her, Celestia stood with a concerned look. “Are you okay, Honey?” the mare asked, concerned.

Raven considered lying for a second. She could tell by the way her guardian talked that she was concerned. “I…” She glanced at the floor before shaking her head. Understanding the gesture, Celestia stepped forward and next to the handicapped child. Together, the pair gazed out over the dimly lit city of Canterlot.

“I know you don’t understand me, Celestia,” Raven spoke, breaking the silence. The mare's ears turned towards the child subconsciously, before she fully turned her head down towards the child as the strange, hissing language reached her ears. “When the Stalker found me, he took everything. My frame, my ship, and my closest friend… to be honest,” Raven chuckled halfheartedly. “I thought you people were going to kill me, not save me…” the child lifted her head and looked up at Celestia with her tear stained eye. “Thank you!”

Raven had to have worked all day on saying those last two words. Because the taller mare understood the words ‘thank you’ perfectly. She may not have been able to understand the rest of that speech, but the message was all too clear. The mare squatted down to the child's level and looked into her one good eye.

“Raven… in my long life, I have never seen somepony as interesting as you. Hopefully, if you are here long enough, we can get to know each other more. I know, in time, you’ll be accepted and loved like any other pony.... Oh, pony feathers! Even now, I just want to call you mine,” the mare admitted. Her eyes started to well up. She leaned forward and wrapped the child in a loving hug. Raven, for her part, accepted the embrace. It was something extremely foreign to her, but she liked it.

The giant fuzzy woman was extremely soft and she smelled like vanilla. Her massive wings wrapped around the child's form. Raven was starting to struggle to stay awake. She liked, hell, she loved this! No Tenno was ever this affectionate. Not like she could feel this comfort through the suit. Lacking a mouth and skin had its problems. Along with the fact that all Tenno were fairly strict and stern, lovey-dovey was a pretty foreign concept. Most focused on when the next mission was or how much one would charge for a trade.

But this? How could she ever leave! She cried. She cried into the shoulder of the elder in her arms. Celestia squeezed the child harder as her own tears flowed. She never had a child of her own, but she well and truly would love to have one. If no one came to claim Raven soon, she made her decision. She wanted this child. Someone to love. The world be damned at what she thinks, Raven was going to be hers no matter what.

Both sat in mutual silence, just enjoying each other’s company and warmth. It was several minutes before the pair released each other. Raven wiped her eye while Celestia smiled down at her. “Come on,” the mare said as she rose to her hooves. “Why don’t we head for bed?”

Raven nodded. Rolling her way in, the child headed for the bed. Doing her best, Raven hopped up onto the bed and crawled under the sheets. Nearby, Celestia stood nervously. She was very unsure of herself. She wanted to be there for the child, but at the same time, she may not be needed.

Raven noticed the uncertainty and removed an arm from under the covers. She tapped the bed next to her. Raven had to admit, the softness of Celestia’s fur was really comforting. The mare smiled. In a flash of light, her regal gown was replaced with that of a tank top and a pair of sweatpants. She wasted little time in joining what she hoped to be, her new daughter.

Once under the sheets, she wrapped both arms and a wing over the child and pulled her in close. Raven made the proper adjustments and rested in as the little spoon. This contact was very foreign, but she was going to love it! “Good night, sweetie,” Celestia said softly.

“Good night… mom…”

***

The next morning Raven woke with a long drawn out yawn. Stretching both arms over her head, she cracked her back before lazily dropping them to her sides. She blinked the sleep away and searching the area, her gaze fell on a nearby glass of water. Reaching over, she stretched her arm as far as it would go, but it was all in vain.

She repeated the action several times before giving up with a grunt. With a sigh, she looked down at her hand. She was starting to remember something. A school and the channeling of her power back in the Liset. She held up a hand and focused with everything she had. Closing her eyes, she concentrated. Her face scrunched and her head started to hurt. After several seconds…

It worked!

A wave of semi-invisible energy shot out from her hand. Curious if she could repeat the action, she concentrated yet again. Holding her hand up, another wave of energy left her hand before dissipating. She smiled before eyeing at the glass of water. She held up her right hand and aimed her palm at the drink. With a light push forward, another wave left her palm, it quickly left an engulfed the glass.

The simple drink took flight and levitated in the air. With a victorious smirk and a laugh, Raven celebrated. It didn’t last long before she willed the drink over into her waiting grasp. As she took a sip, her attention moved to the door. And in the doorway…

Stood a gawking Celestia.

Raven just lowered her drink, smiled and waved happily. Celestia just blinked in awe.

***

Raven sat nervously on a medical bed as Celestia sat nearby with a worried look. The young girl eyed the mare, she honestly thought she did something wrong. The silence didn’t help either. Before Raven could speak, the door opened and a single unicorn mare walked in. She was red from head to hoof, with a white mane and tail, and dawned in an all-white medical uniform. “Raven?” she asked from her clipboard before lowering it.

The young girl glanced at Celestia with a worried look before she looked at the other mare in the lab coat. Oh, how much she was starting to hate people looking like that. It brought back bad memories. She nodded to the mare.

The little light red mare smiled. “I’m Doctor Red Cross,” she greeted while holding out a hand to the girl. Raven timidly accepted the hand and shook it. Releasing it, Red went back to her notes. “I see you are in for a magic test. Yes?”

“She doesn’t speak Equestrian,” Celestia answered for the girl, causing the Doctor to look at her superior. “But yes, she does need a magic test done.” It was fairly obvious to all that Raven lacked both wings and a horn. So, the ability to use magic only confused the solar mare. Well, physical magic away from earth pony magic and the ability to grow plants.

“Well,” Red started. “I need to see what she can do first.” She walked over to a nearby cabinet in the room and pulled a ball out. Placing her clipboard down on the desk next to the sink, she walked over and on front of the child. She held it up in her open palm. “Show me what you can do?”

Raven stared at the ball, then at Red, and finally, she turned her head to Celestia. Upon seeing the uncertainty, the mare ignited her horn and grabbed the ball herself and levitated it in the air. She placed it back in Red’s hand before gesturing to Raven. The child gulped before turning towards the ball. Holding up a timid hand, she hesitated.

“It's okay, sweetie’” Red assured.

Raven glanced up at her once last time before taking a deep breath. With a light push of her hand, a massive wave of energy shot out and not only engulfed the ball…

But Red too…

“Oh my!” Red gasped as she was levitated off the ground and into the air. Raven gasped and covered her mouth in shock. Nearby, Celestia rose to her hooves.

“Red! Are you-” she was cut off when Red held up a hand.

“I’m fine,” she assured. “But…” she started while looking down at her hovering form. “This doesn’t feel like magic.” the mare couldn't place what it was but… “I feel… cold.” she lifted her head and looked at the still nervous solar mare. “This isn't magic, it’s…” she looked over at Raven, who watched the two adults nervously. “Something different. ” she paused then looked back at Celestia. “This is something I will have to look into further.”

Just then, the aura faded and the mare dropped with a yelp. She landed on both hooves, arms splayed out, before she regained her footing. She wiped the bottom of her shirt and straightened her jacket. “Yes… well.” She looked up and at Celestia. “Because I have never seen a filly like this. Diagnosis will be a bit… interesting.”

“What do you want to do, Doctor?” Celestia asked, concerned.

The red colored mare sighed. “A full strength, casting, and ability test to not only see her mana levels, but what she can cast spell wise.”

“I see.” Celestia glanced down at the still nervous child.

Over the course of less than an hour, Red had Raven perform basic magic spell casting. Over the short period of time the medical mare was quick to deduce one thing. “Her mana pool is rather miniscule for a filly of her age,” she explained while flipping a page on her clipboard. “And all she knows is how to levitate objects.” When she finished, she flipped the page back and looked up at the solar mare standing nearby. Celestia glanced at the slightly panting child on the bed.

“That’s it?”

“That's it,” the mare assured. “Because I have never seen a filly like her before, my suggestion is either leave her be magic wise, or, enroll her in a magic school or get her a tutor to teach her spells.” The red mare shrugged. “Whatever she chooses is up to her. But…” the mare paused in thought. “Because of what she is, I suggest the former.”

Celestia nodded her head in understanding. “I understand. Thank you, Doctor.”

“You’re welcome, Princess,” Red replied with a smile. “I’ll tell my sister and maybe she can work magic into Raven’s physical therapy? We can see if she can perform magical spells. But a lack of Equestrian understanding will take much longer after she learns our language.”

Celestia nodded yet again. “I’ll see what she wants to do in due time. Thank you, Red.”

“Anytime, Celestia,” the doctor replied with a smile before turning towards Raven. “Good to meet you, sweetie. See you later!” The mare patted Raven on the shoulder before she left the two in peace. Celestia sighed and closed her eyes before opening them and looking at the child. She gave a tired smile before she ignited her horn.

Raven gave a yelp when she was levitated into the air and into her wheelchair. Pulling her along, Celestia left the room with the girl in tow. As the two left the medical wing of the castle, Raven let out a light sight. “Can we eat now?” she asked in her strange, hissing language.

Chapter 7

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Chapter 7

Over the weeks, Raven met every day with her therapist. Her ability to walk had quickly returned, it was sluggish and she couldn't walk for long periods of time without the help of a cane. It was and was not a surprise to Cross. Her recovery was rather fast compared to most cases she sees, but then again, she has never met a filly that couldn't walk because of a lack of use.

A large diet and the help of Cross, Bubbles, and Celestia had allowed Raven to gain the use of her legs yet again. But with the gaps in their language barrier, it would be a long time before they learned what lead to the events of that day. The wound in her side had healed and left nothing but a large scar, that could only be seen if Raven removed her shirt.

Not like she did that much anyway.

So, the scar would stay hidden for a long time to come. When Cross mentioned that to Celestia, the solar matriarch had commented that ‘Raven will have to make up some overly dramatic story for that scar’. That received a good chuckle from the medical mare. Raven's vocabulary was slowly starting to increase as well.

Even if it was broken.

She could make simple requests, but her ability to write complete and complex sentences was astounding. Perhaps Celestia could enroll her faster than she had first anticipated? A decision for a later date. For now, Celestia and Raven wandered the halls of the castle. Well, Celestia had a destination in mind, Raven was along for the ride, her cane in her hand, just in case.

The duo casually entered through a final door and into a large, open room. Said room was massive, the size of a Lunaro arena, as Raven would describe. In the center of the room was a large dirt pit, encircled by a tall stone wall. Inside the pit, two ponies, dawned in golden battle armor accented with a single white stripe on the right arm, dueled with wooden shields and swords. On the far right of the pit, sat a rack of weapons and armor.

Off to the left side, on the outside of the arena, sat an area dedicated to weights and weight lifting. Bars, weights and other training equipment sat, all of which had a pony occupying them. Mares and stallions alike were exercising. None of them looked old enough to be mature by Ravens standards. Teens perhaps? New recruits maybe?

Ravens attention moved to a lone, taller stallion standing in the bleachers barking orders to the two on the pit. “Shield up, Spear! Watch your hooves Dawn! You won’t amount to anything if you can't keep your hooves under you!” the stallion yelled before he turned his head towards the door, only to see the smiling face of the princess, who stood nearby. His eyes widened. “Attention! Princess on deck!”

Everyponies ears perked and they turned their attention to their commanding officer before moving towards the princess and her partner, their eyes widened all at once. There was a flurry of grunts, groans and the shuffling of hooves on dirt and tile as every mare and stallion shuffled into a standing position, all of them going ramrod to attention.

Raven nodded her head very slightly. “Impressive…” she mumbled under her breath in Orokin.

Celestia paid no mind as the larger stallion approached and saluted. “Princess!”

“Bronze’” she smiled down at the shorter stallion. “At ease.” The stallion lowered his arm and relaxed his stance. “How are you?”

“Good Princess,” he replied. “Just training the new recruits.”

“So, I can see.”

As the pair continued to converse, Raven paid them little mind as her attention wandered to the arena. She eyed the two standing armored ponies. The one to her left was a bright red stallion with light blue eyes, his tail was hidden behind his closed legs and his mane was covered by his helmet, poking out from his helmet though, was a spiraled horn. To Ravens right, was another unicorn mare who had a bright yellow coat and dark blue eyes. Raven blinked her one good eye as the pair of young ponies glanced at her before back to the far wall. Moving her attention away, she entered the pit and headed for the armor and weapons rack.

In front of her sat various pieces of armor, helmets, chest plates, arm guards and a few gloves, either laying on the ground or hanging from hooks. Next to the armor sat a large wooden rack of various weapons from daggers to halberds, some wood, others metal without a sharped edge; trainers. Reaching out, she pulled one of the metal swords from the rack.

Behind her, Celestia and Bronze continued, oblivious to the child examining the weapons. “Of course!” Bronze replied to the princess. “Recruit Armor! Front and center!” He yelled at the group over at the weightlifting area. A young white unicorn stallion with two tone blue hair and light blue eyes, dressed in nothing but his black training shorts went stiff before running over and next to the princess and his commanding officer.

The young stallion saluted. “Sir!”

“At ease son,” Bronze ordered. The young cadet did as he was told and relaxed, much like when Bronze earlier. “Cadet Armor here is our top student, Princess,” Bronze explained as he turned his attention to Celestia.

The mare smiled down at the recruit. Just like his classmates and those before him, Cadet Armor was starting to fill out like a guard, his shoulders were broad, his arms and chest toned, and a small six pack had formed under his fur. “Cadet Armor,” the mare greeted, offering a hand. “Pleasure to meet you.”

He took her hand and shook it. “Princess!” Releasing her hand, his went to his side while hers went behind her back.

“I do hope you are able to pull your weight like the rest of your squad?” she asked, almost teasingly.

“Of course!”

“Good,” she replied with a smile. “Because the Royal Guard works as a team. No lone wolf stuff… and that goes for all of you!” she said a little louder for all to hear. “You are a team, so work as one!”

A chorus of shouts graced her ears, “Yes Princess!”

In the arena, Cadet Dawn glanced to her left. “Captain, sir?”

The elder stallion turned around while Celestia leaned to look past him and Cadet Armor turned his head to look at Cadet Dawn. Once all eyes were on her, she gestured her head to the left. Nearby, Raven stood lost in her own little world while she swung one of the training swords back and forth, testing it. As she came to a stop, she held the blade up and examined it with a watchful eye. Straight, like it should be, lowering it she ran a hand along the edge.

Only to get zapped.

Hard…

Very hard...

She yelped loudly and immediately dropped the blade and stepped away, shaking the sharp, painful sensation from her hand as she yelled various obscenities in her native tongue. Her seemingly innocent mistake guarded a chuckle from the others in the room... well, all but Celestia, who looked rather concerned for the child.

“It would appear somepony is not familiar with enchanted training blades,” Bronze commented with a chuckle. “Interesting too, because she looked like she knew what she was doing.”

Celestia just sighed as she approached the girl, who was still rubbing her partially numb hand. “You okay sweetie?” she asked when she was close enough. Raven looked back and nodded her head before looking back down at the training sword. Almost trying to glare it down into the dirt... or fearing it would jump up and attack her. Whichever came first. “Here,” Celestia said, grabbing the girl's hand in her own. The mare closed her eyes and channeled her magic and conjured up a quick healing spell. Seconds past as the pain in Raven's hand faded. Celestia opened her eyes and gazed down at Raven with a smile. “Better?”

The dark-haired girl flexed her fingers a few times and nodded before lowering her arm. Captain Bronze and Cadet Armor approached. “I would have thought she would have known about that with what happened at the hospital?” Bronze commented before bending over and picking up the blade. “These things are designed to make sure you know when you are hit.” To further his point, and without warning, he jabbed Cadet Armor in the side, causing the young stallion’s muscles to lock up as he screamed before stepping away.

“Son of a-”

“Don't you dare curse in front of the Princess!” Bronze ordered with a loud shout and a point of the blade at the Cadet. all guards were expected to show the utmost respect for their ruler at all times!

Cadet Armor rubbed his pain filled side and nodded weakly. “...Yes sir.”

Celestia rolled her eyes and sighed before holding her head in her hands and shaking it. Next to her, Raven was on the verge of tears at the unplanned revenge that just took place. “That is your lesson for the day too, Cadets!” Bronze yelled for all to hear as he turned in a slow circle. “You must be prepared at all times! An attack may come at any moment! So be prepared!”

As he came around he smiled at the Princess, who had looked up between her fingers at the stallion in front of her. “You are so insufferable at times…” she mumbled, almost embarrassed.

Bronze replied with a knowing smirk and a shrug before turning around and leaving. “As you were!” he ordered before glancing back at Raven and tossing her the sword. She caught it by the handle with her right hand before slowly lowering her arm and glancing at Celestia. The two looked at each other for a second before Raven gestured to Bronze with her head, as if she were asking a silent ‘can I’?

The mare, still holding her head in her hand, went from looking at Raven, to Bronze and Cadet Armor, then back to Raven. With a slow nod, she confirmed the child's request.

Without missing a beat, Raven spun the sword in her hand and headed for the pair, a determined look on her face. The two stallions conversed lightly, the younger still rubbing his side, unaware of the target on their backs. Once Raven was close enough, she spun the blade again and chose her target, Bronze’s open and vulnerable side.

She swung…

Captain Bronze and Cadet Armor spun on their heels in shock as the arena air filled with the sound of a very loud ‘clack’ of wood hitting metal. Both their eyes fell on the not only the metal sword inches from Bronze’s side, but the wood one that stopped it.

“What was that about being prepared, Sir?” Cadet Dawn remarked before she pulled her sword up, dragging it across the metal before she stepped between her commanding officer and fellow cadet. She then took a step forward while forcing Raven to step back.

“I will admit that I didn’t expect to be attacked by a civilian in the training grounds,” the elder stallion admitted. The two females glared at each other like cats before Dawn spun her sword over her head right at Raven. The other lifted hers and blocked before parrying and taking a swing of her own. Dawn took a step back and dodged the attack before retaliating with another low swing, which Raven stepped back to avoid.

Cadet Dawn didn't relent and continued her forward attack. She swung multiple times, each resulting in a miss or a parry from Raven. The two continued to swing with utmost precision and training, Dawn was to be expected, Raven, was a bit of a shock. Celestia and Bronze were slightly surprised, the rest of the cadets watched in awe as a civilian went hoof to hoof with a trainee.

The two locked blades and pushed with all their strength, neither relented. Baring her teeth, Raven continued to shove, moving Cadet Dawns blade back an inch. The younger mare’s eyes widen for a millisecond as she caught sight of the girl’s canines, she would be lying if she said a shiver didn’t run up her spine at the predator in front of her. The two continued the stalemate before Raven, with skill unknown to all, hooked her blade around Cadet Dawn’s with a spin and shove, she twisted the wooden sword from the mare’s hand and further into the pit. Cadet Dawn was to stunned to block the attack she didn't know what happened before it was too late!

She looked down in horror, terrified at what she saw. Raven was almost pressed right up against the mare, her left hand wrapped around the cadets right armored bicep. The two looked each other in the eye for what felt like an eternity before Cadet Dawn glanced down at the hilt of the sword in her opponent's hand…

The blade in between her arm and her abdomen…

A killing blow if it were a real fight. It was clear that Raven had won and Cadet Dawn had lost. The two continued to stare at each other before they were knocked out of their fight at the sound of clapping. As reality drifted back in, the two turned their heads to see Captain Bronze clapping slowly. “Very impressive,” he commented while lowering his arms. “But both of you still need work.” He approached the duo with a lesson in mind. Just before he was close enough, the two looked back at each other before Raven released Cadet Dawn, both taking a few steps back.

Bronze turned his attention to his Cadet. “You still need to work on your hoof work Dawn.” he went up and stood next to her. “Bend your knees more and dig in as much as you can,” he explained while doing just that, slapping his right thigh to accentuate his point. “The guard don’t always have dirt and grass to fight on, you have to learn how to get comfortable on stone and cobble.” He stood up straight and pointed at the mare. “Most of our patrols are either in, or around the city. Or in the case of the Royal Guard, inside the castle on solid marble.” He placed both hands on his hips. “Your shoes only go so far, guards have been known to slip from time to time in them. Got it?”

“Yes sir!” the cadet shouted.

He nodded curtly. “Good!” He then turned his attention the foreign child near him. Silently, the stallion started to examine her. Now that he could see her, she wore a simple white t-shirt with the princess’s cutie mark embroidered on the front, a pair of grey sweat pants, and her hooves seemed to throw him off the most. They were much longer instead of the flatness of a hoof or the short design of a griffin paw. He could hazard a guess as to what they looked like, but they were covered by what appeared to be a type of dark sock. Leaning in closer, he examined the large scar and metallic eye patch that covered her right eye before moving to her solid white one. “I’m impressed enough that she can fight with just one eye,” he commented aloud before leaning back, “But even more so mostly blind…” he murmured while rubbing his chin.

“WHAT!?”

All the cadets in the room stood slack-jawed and wide-eyed at the news, Cadet Dawn more so. From what they understood, a child, no older than 10 or 11, missing an eye, just took on a soldier in training in a sword duel… was blind!?

Blinder than before!?

“Actually,” Celestia cut in as she stepped up next to Bronze with both her arms crossed under her bosom. “She isn’t blind. We were worried about that after she awoke in the hospital and she was given a full eye exam with her physical. She has a very rare eye color of her irises.” Celestia held her hand out, gesturing to Raven. “White in this case.” The mare crossed her arms yet again. “Her doctor, Red Cross, said it was the first case of white eye pigment she has seen in all her years of practicing medicine.”

“So, she can see?” Bronze asked bluntly.

Celestia rolled her eyes at his bluntness. “Yes Bronze… she can see just fine,” she groaned before facepalming yet again. “Oh gods above… what am I going to do with you?”

Bronze just shrugged before chuckling lightly. The rest of the cadets picked up their jaws off the ground and started to converse lightly with each other. Raven glanced at the wooden sword on the ground several feet away. Walking over, she picked it up before returning to Cadet Dawn's side and offering the blade. Dawn glanced at it for a second before taking it from the furless girl. Once the weapon was taken from her hand, Raven bowed lightly, a show of respect for her opponent.

Bronzed watched the duo with a hint of wonder. He chewed the inside of his lip for a second as he thought. “How about a duel?” asked out of blue while turning his head towards Celestia.

The princess reeled back slightly. “Excuse me?”

“A dual,” the stallion repeated. “She clearly knows how to handle a blade! I mean… look!” the stallion gestured to the two young females that had started a simpler dual. Their blades knocking together as they collided. “I want to see what she can do!”

“But she's no more than ten!” Celestia countered.

“I’ve been swinging since I was five!” Bronze said, countering her counter. “Come on Princess,” he begged. “One match. Best of five!” he asked while holding out a hand.

Celestia nervously bit her lip. She knows how hard her guard trains, and those enchanted swords hurt… a lot. The mother in her battled with her inner curious side. On one side, she didn't want to see Raven hurt more than what she has gone through, on the other though, she did hold her own without taking a single hit.

“... Raven, sweetie?” She was making a horrible decision. The girl in question looked at the mare as the two stopped their little battle. Both turning to look at the princess. “Would you be willing to participate in a short dual?”

Raven blinked once before answering with a shrug. She went back to her match with Cadet Dawn.

“I will take that as a yes!” Bronze all but shouted excitedly. “Cadet Armor!?”

The stallion in question snapped to attention. “Sir!?”

“Get your gear boy!” Bronze ordered.

“Sir!” Cadet Armor confirmed before turning and heading for the armory. Bronze turned his attention to Raven. "Cadet Dawn!”

The mare stopped her fighting again and turned to the stallion. “Sir?”

“Hook this filly up with a set of armor and a sword!”

***

Raven stood opposite of Cadet Armor in the pit. She wore a set of golden armor, whereas her opponent, wore a set of purple and golden armor. Must have indicated his rank amongst the cadets? Raven was not comfortable whatsoever, the armor was heavy and bulky, limiting her ability to move, and her helmet was not built for her. It alone sat very loosely on her head, the armor was poorly padded and loose in the chest, it was built for a mare that was more endowed than her preteen body. To top it all off, the armor clanked loudly with every stiff move she made. Finally, the shield on her left arm threw her balance off.

In the bleachers, Celestia, Bronze and all the Cadets sat, waiting for the dual to start. “Alright! First to win three matches wins! Killing blow or a pin wins the match! Ready!?” Bronze shouted. Raven just grunted, either from her armor or a confirmation, Bronze accepted it as a 'yes' anyway, opposite of the arena, Cadet Armor hollered a hearty ‘yes sir!’

“Alright!” Bronze held his hand up. “Only rules are no magic! And no aiming for the face! Otherwise, all attacks are fair! Ready!?” Cadet Armor took his stance and raised his shield. Raven grunted again in an attempt to acquire her footing. “Set!” Cadet armor started to plan his first move while Raven held up her shield to the best of her ability. “Fight!” Bronze yelled with a drop of his arm, signaling the start of the fight.

Cadet Armor started by slowly approaching his opponent, Raven did her best to move, but struggled under her armor. She had a hard time lifting the shield and in doing so, was forced to adjust her helmet to see. Just as she adjusted it could see yet again, it was too late. She grunted in pain as Cadet Armor bashed her with his shield, throwing her from her feet and onto her back, her armor banging against itself as she fell and landed on the dirt floor of the pit, knocking the wind out of her small form!

“Round one to Cadet Armor!”

Cadet Armor walked away while Raven grunted in an attempt to try and to get to her feet. After several seconds of struggling and feeling like an overturned turtle, she was enveloped in a bright blue aura and lifted to her feet. She glanced over at the stands to see Bronze’s horn glowing faintly before dissipating.

“Round two!” he shouted while crossing his legs and both arms. “Fight!”

“Is this even fair?” Cadet Armor asked the stallion while holding both arms slightly. “I don't feel comfortable fighting an untrained, half blind civilian Sir!”

“She agreed!’” Bronze shot back. “So, you either fight or forfeit, Cadet Armor!” The last half of the statement sounded almost as though the cadets comment insulted the elder veteran. Not one to back away from a challenge, Cadet Armor accepted it and took his stance yet again.

This time however, Raven was ready. When Cadet Armor attacked her, this time, she could block his blade with her shield, but stumbled backwards from the force. He hit like a raging bull! She barely had time to recover and haphazardly swing her blade to block his second attack. When the third came, she was unable to protect herself from it when her helmet fell over her eye yet again, blinding her fully.

Cadet Armor finished the attack with another shield bash, putting Raven on her back a second time. As she laid there, dirty and embarrassed, she took a couple of deep breaths before growling angrily. That was it! If she was going to do this, it would be on her own terms!

She was lifted yet again by Bronze and put back on her feet. “Round two goes to Cadet Armor!” Bronze announced before leaning closer to a now concerned Celestia and whispering, “And here I thought she had so much potential.”

Raven growled angrily yet again. Before Bronze could announce the start of the third round, she spun on her heels and marched away from her opponent. “What is she doing?”

She tossed the sword away like a piece of scrap metal and released the shield from her grip, both clanging and banging on the ground as they landed. She wasted no time and pulled the helmet from her head and throwing it, reaching around her body with her right hand, she unclasped the buckle to the front and back pieces of her torso armor before she pulled it up and over her head, tossing it to the ground with a loud bang. Next was the codpiece that protected her crotch and butt and finally, she came to a stop and removed both shin guards before stomping her way towards the weapons rack.

“I think we're done here,” Celestia said with a frown and a hint of anger to her tone as she stood up. “I will be expecting an apology Captain!” His ears fell back and he felt rather hurt from the hurtful comment, but before he could reply one of the cadets pointed out into the pit.

“Look!”

Raven stood in front of the weapons rack and examined her choices. Her eye examined the swords, the daggers, the axes and the maces and hammers, but they didn't have what she was looking for! Her gaze though, soon landed on the large halberd leaning against the left side of the rack.

The pole was long and straight, like it should be, made from a fine wood she couldn't place and painted black for style. The top held a large, curved blade, perfect for stabbing and slicing, on the bottom of the weapon was a counter spike, both for fighting and a weight to add balance.

It was perfect!

Grabbing the weapon, she turned on her heals and spun the weapon in her hands, testing it. It shall suffice! Returning to her spot, she watched and waited, her face forming in a slight and angry frown. Celestia sat back down as Bronze spoke. “It would appear she is ready?” It came out more like a question than a statement. “Alright… ready… set… fight!”

Now that Raven could move, she used her newfound freedom to attack as she pleased. Her feet dug in as she launched herself from her spot. She was light on her feet, her covered feet barely making a sound on the dirt floor of the pit. She was fast, faster that Cadet Armor had anticipated.

But he was ready…

When he felt she was close enough, he swung his blade. Raven, seeing the attack did what no one had expected. They expected her to step to the side, block with her weapon, anything but what she did. She kicked her left foot out, extending her leg and pulled her right one under her.

She slid…

Throwing her head back she slid under the blade. Gasps filled the arena while Cadet Armor, still mid swing, locked eyes with Raven. A moment of pure awe. None of the guard could move like that, and in all his years of military experience, Bronze had never seen any military force on the planet attack like that.

Celestia did though… once, a very long time ago. But the practice of this fighting style had died out a few centuries prior…

As Cadet Armor took a step, his blade catching nothing but air, Raven slid past him, his back fully exposed. In one fluid motion, like it was almost practiced and honed by years of combat experience, she dug her heels into the dirt, spinning to face her target. She bent her legs as low as she could go, putting all her strength into the next attack. Her grip tightened around the handle as she pulled the halberd in close to her body.

She jumped…

With everything she had, she pushed herself forward, up and off the ground. She spun like a football through the air, nothing but a white and grey blur that glistened in the light. A bullet, a very sharp bullet. Cadet Armor only had enough time to raise his shield out of reflex. There was a loud clang as the blade and shield connected, Cadet Armor was thrown from his hooves and his shield from his hand as he fell backwards onto the ground.

Raven loomed over him with her blade to his neck.

“Round three goes to Raven!”

She pulled the blade away and turned around, heading back to her side of the arena. Cadet Armor pushed himself up and retrieved his shield and took up his position opposite of Raven. In the bleachers, all the cadets murmured amongst themselves.

“I’ve never seen anything like that before!”

“How do I do that?”

“Who taught her that?”

"I gotta pee!"

The whispers continued but the duo in the pit ignored the voices, along with Bronze and Celestia. “Fight!” the stallion ordered, silencing the talking.

Cadet Armor was going to have to change up his strategy this time around. It was very clear to him that Raven preferred movement over protection. With her lack of armor, her range of movement and speed were increased. That would put her on the attack. Without his magic, he was relying on pure skill alone to win this! So he would have to go on the defensive. Not his area of preference or expertise but he could manage. Another limiting factor was her range. He was going to have to get in close and plan his attacks more thoroughly.

Hiding behind his shield with only his eyes and the top of his head peering over its top, he started to run options and plans of attack through his mind. Opposite of him, Raven held her blade at the ready, the tip pointed right at Cadet Armor’s nose. The two started to slowly circle each other, waiting for an attack. Unbeknownst to Cadet Armor, Raven had a plan.

She anticipated his thought process and decided to take the defensive herself. Throw him off a little before she changed tactics and attacked herself. The two had almost made it full circle and everyone was on the edge of their seats waiting with anticipation.

Raven went first…

She stomped her foot and made a false lunge at Cadet Armor, causing him to flinch back and reflexively lift his shield a bit higher to protect himself. Realizing the joke, he scowled at Raven behind his shield while she smiled playfully. It caught him by surprise alright. The two continued to glare each other into submission before Cadet Armor decided to change his tactic. Going on the offensive he brought his blade back…

His eyes widened as he was forced to block a jab from Raven.

He stumbled backwards from the blow, spinning full circle before recovering. He didn't even see that 'till last second! She was faster, much faster than he had anticipated. It would almost appear…

That she knew much more than she let on?

Recovered, Cadet Armor wasted no time charging her. His shield impacted against her blade, digging his hooves in, he pushed Raven back with all his might. Her feet dragged across the ground, a small dust cloud left in their wake. The two pushed away and Raven wasted no time and spun her weapon, the blade impacting off Cadet Armors raised shield.

But there was no time for another counter…

Raven comboed her attack, she turned her body, bent her legs and spun the halberd. Just like she had done before against unsuspecting Grineer soldiers. She jumped into the air, going inverted with her feet to the ceiling and the blade parallel to the ground, like a strange propeller, she performed what would be a gravity defying attack.

“Woah!”

“What in the world!”

“What kind of messed up attack is that!?”

"Bow, let me go! I can't see the fight!"

The rest of the cadets watched on, utterly confused and mystified. Celestia had reeled back in shock and Bronze had snapped to his hooves, both their mouths open wide for all to see. There was no way a pony, not even a pegasus could perform such an attack, let alone on the fly!

The awe continued after Raven performed several aerial spins before turning midair and landing on her feet. Cadet Armor raised his head from his position on the ground, forced to make a dive to avoid the attack. Using her momentum to her advantage, the weapon spun clockwise against her right side before she dragged it across the ground before clipping the bottom of Cadet Armor’s helmet, removing it from his head with a loud clang.

He stared at his helmet that spun on the ground several feet away. His attention soon moved to the now panting girl that held the halberd to his face.

He gulped…

Perhaps this was a bad idea?

Little did he know, this was the start of a long-lasting feud between them for a long time to come. With an angry growl himself, Cadet Armor slapped the halberd blade with his glove covered hand. Ignoring the pain in his hand, he stomped his way over to his helmet and placed it over his head.

Bronze, for his part, continued to watch Raven, unable to utter a single word. After several seconds, he dropped back onto his seat, “In all my years in the military…” he slowly turned his head towards the still stunned mare next to him. “I have never seen anything that ridiculous and yet so powerful…” he slowly turned his dumbfounded brain and head towards Raven yet again. “Like… at all…”

He shook his head quickly, regaining a semisolid train of thought. “Round four goes to Raven! Next round decides it!”

Both took their stances for the final time. Their eyes narrowing at each other. This is it, the final battle. Well…

Final for now…

“Fight!”

Cadet Armor wasted no time in charging Raven, she herself retaliated by charging him. The two raced towards each other, Cadet Armor’s armor clinking and clacking with every step, Ravens feet patted along almost silently. When the two were close enough, Raven dropped her blade, shoving it deep into the dirt. Using the weapon as a makeshift pole vault, she held on firm with both hands and kicked both feet out. Cadet Armor blocked with his shield as her feet connected. Lifting his arm, he attempted to throw her off. In a feat of amazing acrobatics, she used his momentum and flipped backwards, pulling her weapon from the ground just before she landed.

There was no time to rest as she lifted the weapon over her head and used the handle to block Cadet Armor’s first sword attack that he could connect. She pushed back and rolled to her left, his blade sinking into the dirt as he caught nothing but air. Spinning to reorient herself, she jumped at him, pushing the blade forward. Cadet Armor rolled himself, dodging the attack. The two seemed to be locked in a stalemate! Both were panting, exhausted from their fighting!

Raven was feeling weak in the knees, never having been up this long without help or rest. Cadet Armor’s armor was started to get real heavy for his liking, and he was sweating all over, heated from both the physical movement and his lack of breathable armor. Cadet Armor, much to his chagrin, bent over and placed both hands on his knees for support. Opposite of him Raven used her halberd as a crutch, both her legs shaking.

After several seconds, Cadet Armor straightened his back while Raven locked her knees and held her weapon in one hand. He cracked his neck loudly before holding up his shield. With a loud battle cry, he charged his opponent, blood on the mind. Raven, calm and collective as all soldiers should be, slowly spun the weapon once, then twice, again and again each attack came faster and faster, the blade connecting and scaring the ground of the pit. She spun in a circle, her weapon doing the same behind her back. Once she felt she had enough momentum…

She let go of the weapon…

It slid through her open palms and just before she lost it for good, she grabbed the handle close to the spear point. She held it over her head and used her momentum to her advantage. Spinning on the balls of her feet she used the blade like some giant and horrible blade from a blender. Cadet Armor came to a sliding stop, both his eyes widening. He dropped his sword and held his shield with both hands, knowing how hard this was going to hit!

There was an extremely loud tang as metal connected with metal. Cadet Armors arms and shoulders screamed in agony as the blade was dragged across his metal shield. His left arm reeled back from the force, leaving his abdomen exposed…

But that was not her target…

Cadet Armor didn’t know how to respond. Time slowed as he floated through the air, his hooves swept out from under him. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Raven, her face stoic and calm, the halberd held high into the air. How? That was all he could ask himself…

How?

That speed, the maneuverability, all of it! He was dumbfounded and mystified. No book, story, or tomb spoke of such power! How did she master this power? And who could he talk to learn it?

“Ahhhhh!”

A scream pulled him from his thoughts. But that didn't matter at the moment. All he really wondered was how did he not hit the ground yet? “Oof!” he grunted loudly as the wind was knocked from him, his body folding in half around the handle that was dropped onto his stomach. There was a loud clang when his back connected with the ground, both his back and chest hurting. To finish the battle, Raven lifted the weapon high, spike to the sky. Cadet Armor’s eyes widened before he closed them in fear.

He flinched when the halberd blade dug deep into the ground. He slowly opened his eyes, half his vision filled with the bright glint of steel before he slowly looked up at the filly looming over him, panting like a dog as she leaned against the handle.

“I give…” he whimpered.

Raven took a few more breaths before pushing off the partially hilted halberd, turning and walking towards the exit. She made it several steps before she stumbled, her legs giving out completely. Raven landed with a painful grunt before she proped herself up on her elbows.

“I think that was enough for a very long time.” She was wrapped in a warm golden glow and lifted into the air. She hovered for a second before a pair of large, white arms pulled her in close to two massive mounds of flesh and held her bridle style. Celestia gave Raven a worried look. “You okay sweetie?” Raven blinked once before nodding with a small smile of her own. She was exhausted and a nap sounded really nice right about then. “Good!” The mare lifted her head and turned her attention to Captain Bronze. The stallion wilted under her glare. “Next time. If she decides to do this, she better be off that cane!”

Bronze gulped nervously. “Y-Yes… your majesty!”

Celestia’s scowl softened into her usual smile. “Good!” her attention then moved to a still shocked and very floored stallion. “Cadet Armor?” he slowly turned his head to look at the solar princess, his armor clacking softly. “Go and remove your armor and rest. You earned it.” He slowly nodded while going back to staring at the ceiling with a dumb expression. Satisfied, Celestia gave a curt nod before turning and leaving the arena.

Bronze just sighed as his shoulders sagged. “Cadets… uh… head to the lockers, shower, and you are all relieved for the day…”

From the far end of the room, Captain Bronze heard a faint shout. “I will expect that formal written and verbal apology by sundown, Bronze!” The stallion went stiff as all the Cadets started to laugh loudly. Even Cadet Armor snorted out a small laugh.

"I'm so screwed..."

The stallion went stiff.

Chapter 8

View Online

Chapter 8

The area was dimly lit, the only source of light was a single burning candle. The shelves of the Recruit Training Officers Library sat silently, hundreds and hundreds of books that held decades upon decades of knowledge, safely hidden inside their covers. The lone candle burned softly as it rested atop a single table, at said table, sat Cadet Armor. The lone stallion read away at his latest tome.

It was late into the night and he had not found what he had been looking for just yet. He was tired, if the dark bags under his eyes were any indication. The stallion sighed as he reached another dead end before rubbing his face.

“Shining?”

A very soft, and loving female voice called to the young stallion, causing him to turn and see who was calling him. Standing next to one of the many bookshelves was a light pink mare, a horn poked out from her long, pink and white hair, and a pair of blue tipped wings rested against her back. She wore a simple pink tank top with a large, crystal heart displayed on the front and a pair of dark grey sweatpants. The stallion blinked a couple of times before rubbing them with the back of his hand.

“Hey Caddy. How are you?” he asked.

“Fine,” Caddy replied as she stepped forward and up to the stallion. “You?”

“Tired,” he replied honestly. He had been up for hours and was still sore from his fight earlier that day. “You?”

“Same,” the mare replied. “What are you doing? It's late, and you have practice on the morning, right?”

“Yes Princess.” Caddy slapped the stallion across the arm. “Ow! What was that for!?”

Caddy’s muzzle was scrunched up in a cute manner, even though she was trying really hard to be angry. “I told you not to call me that!”

Cadet Armor rubbed his arm as what he said started to sink in. “S-Sorry… force of habit!”

Caddy continued to glare down at the stallion before she sighed. “You of all ponies know how much I hate being called ‘princess’. Go to Blueblood if you want to use titles… like he needs the ego boost…” she said the last part quietly before perking up a bit. “May I join you?”

Cadet Armor shrugged. “Sure.”

Caddy ignited her horn, which illuminated the area in a light blue hue and pulled a chair up and over before taking a seat in it. “What are you reading?” she asked, trying to get a glimpse of the words on the darkened page.

“The History of Weapons and Tactics, ” he answered before slamming the book closed with a thump. His horn ignited a light purple hue that illuminated the air, causing Cadet Armor’s fur to take on a light pinkish color as the book floated off back to where he got it from. “Another dead end though…” The stallion sighed explosively, defeated. He rubbed his face with a hand. “Anyway… did you see Twily today?”

“I did,” Caddy replied with a nod. “She misses you greatly.”

That pulled on Cadet Armor’s heart. He hated leaving his baby sister to go join the Cadet school for the guard. She was so devastated when he hopped on the carriage that she squirmed free from her mother's grip and chased her brother down the street, tears all the way. That reminded him, he was late for sending her his latest letter!

“I bet,” the stallion groaned before dropping his arm and opening her eyes. “How is she doing at school?”

“Good!” Caddy replied happily before her tone took on a more saddened one. “She still hasn't gotten her cutie mark, and she doesn't have very many friends…”

“What of Moondancer? Lemon, Twinkle, and Minuette?”

Caddy’s ears splayed back. “She hangs out with them at school and that's it!” she sighed herself. “She says that she doesn't need friends so long as she has me and you!” Caddy paused. “... I’m trying though.”

The two sat in silence for a moment before Caddy’s ears perked. “Anyway, what are you up to?”

Cadet Armor rubbed his face yet again. “Reading…”

“About what?”

The young stallion groaned and upon releasing his face and blinking his eyes. “Uh… you know that little filly that Celestia saved?”

“You mean Raven? My new cousin?” Caddy asked.

“Yes- I mean wait- what?” This was news to Cadet Armor! Celestia went and made that fighting filly her niece!?

Caddy held a hand to her muzzle in thought. “At least, from what I understood its cousin?” Caddy shrugged. “But yeah, I know who you are talking about. She hardly leaves Auntie Tia’s side!”

The stallion snorted. “Yes, well… we had a duel today!” He got slapped again by the mare, causing him to recoil back in shock. “What did I say!?”

“Is that why she was put in her wheelchair today!?” Caddy yelled, angered by what she just heard. “So, help me if she can't walk again-!”

“She consented!” Cadet Armor yelled as he leaned away from the mare, almost falling out of his seat as he curled up like a cat. When another blow never came, he opened one eye out of fear. She wasn't going to hit him again, but her face was still scrunched and her shoulders were raised. “C-Can I finish?”

The mare slowly nodded her head.

“She appeared to know a thing o-or two about swords! So, Captain Bronze mentioned it to the Princess and she agreed!”

“So, you agreed to fight a civilian?” Caddy question, though her body had relaxed her glare never faltered. “And you kicked her flank…” Caddy snorted in disgust and crossed her arms under her small bust. “Yeah… because that's fair…”

“I did until she removed the armor and grabbed a halberd!” Cadet Armor sheepishly admitted while rubbing the back of his neck. Caddy furrowed her brow and tilted her head at what she just heard.

“... You're lying.”

“I’m not!”

“Yes, you are!”

“Go and ask the princess!” he defended. “Or the Captain, or any of the other cadets there!” He lifted his shirt, revealing a large purple bruise across his stomach. “Look!”

Caddy gasped and covered her mouth with both hands, her ears splaying back before she slowly lifted her gaze to Cadet Armor’s. “There is no way she did that…” she mumbled.

“She even beat Dawn,” Cadet Armor replied while lowering his shirt. “And she knows a ton about defensive tactics.” Cadet Armor tuned in his seat to face the desk. “She did some rather… interesting, tactics.”

Caddy cocked her head. “How so?”

Cadet Armor got extremely excited. Even though he was beaten, her moves were amazing! And without the use of magic either! He proceeded to retell his event in the ring. Everything from the start of the zap she received to how he ended up bruised and beaten. He explained in the greatest detail he could and with the use of his hands on what Raven performed. Caddy, for her part, listened silently and only added in her thoughts when deemed fit.

It was rather outlandish the moves and attacks that were performed. It was very clear to both teens in the room that those attacks were well practiced. There was something behind that little filly’s curtain, but how would they find it?

In time… unfortunately.

As Cadet Armor finished the explanation, he levitated another book over. “I’ve been searching for hours on different halberd fighting styles, but everything comes up the same. Thrusting and stabbing, and that’s it!” The young stallion rested both elbows on the table and grabbed his head. “I don’t know…”

A pair of hand wrapped around his chest as Caddy hugged him from the side. “Try not to dwell on it,” she advised before releasing him.

The stallion smiled and let out an amused huff. “Yeah…” He rubbed his face and glanced at a nearby clock. “Oh jeez! It’s almost three? I need to get back! I have to run in a few hours!" Said stallion rose to his hooves and pushed his seat forward. “Bye Cadance!” He waved as he made a beeline for the barracks to get what little sleep he could.

“Bye Shining,” she said, returning the wave. Once he was out the door, Caddy sat alone in silence. Her thoughts drifted back to the filly she met not too long ago.

***

Princess Celestia and her niece walked along one of the many castle hallways. Celestia walked with her usual smile and a destination in mind. Her niece, Princess Cadance, followed her aunt with an air of trepidation and curiosity.

Her aunt had come to her after her studies to come and visit somepony. And that was all the info that was given. Who was this pony? Were they part of her studies? A noble who had a complaint and she needed to fix it!?

“Here we are,” Cadance was knocked out of her inner turmoil at the sound of her aunt's voice. The smaller alicorn glance up at the taller of the two before looking at the door in front of them. She furrowed her brow before looking down both halls and seeing her aunt's personal bedroom doors not too far away.

“Wait… this is your wing?” she asked Celestia. Now Cadance was confused.

“Indeed it is,” Celestia confirmed before glancing down at the smaller pink alicorn. She wasted no time by knocking on the door three times before opening it and poking her head in. “Are you dressed?” she asked the occupant inside before opening it all the way and stepping inside.

Cadance stood in the doorway dumbly before following her aunt. Once she was in, the door closed behind her with a soft click. Glancing around the room, it looked like all the other guest bedrooms: a bed, desk, chairs, bookshelf, a hairless filly on the...

What?

Cadance blinked at the young filly sitting on the bed, her lower half covered by the blankets. Next to her sat a little blue mare as the two conversed over a book in said fillies lap. Actually… it looked more like a teaching moment than friendly talking.

“Bubbles… Raven?” Celestia called, causing both girls to lift their heads. “Do you have a moment?”

Bubbles blinked twice before smiling. “Of course!” she turned her attention to the child next to her. “You're on the right track,” she whispered before closing the book. Just before standing, Bubbles and Raven shared a hug before the mare took the book and placed it on the nearby desk. Once that was complete, she approached the two rulers and bowed. “Princesses.”

“Bubbles,” Celestia greeted. “I'm sure you know who my niece is? Princess Cadance?”

The little mare stood straight. “I know who she is,” Bubbles admitted sheepishly with a light blush. But it's not like she meets and talks with the smaller princess on a regular basis. Shoot, she hadn't even meet Celestia face to face until she met Raven! And she had been working for almost two weeks! “Nice to meet you Princess!” she greeted with a small hop.

Cadance smiled. “Hi,” she said simply. She was never one for all that… crap that her aunt receives. Suiters, giant, flaunted greetings, useless and boring gifts, the list goes on. Another reason why she liked Cadet Armor and his little sister so much. They treated her like friends.

“You're not too busy, are you?” Celestia asked the maid.

“Not really,” Bubbles replied with a shrug. “Just running over more words.”

“How is she, if I may ask?”

“Good!” Bubbles answered happily. “She can make simple requests still. But full sentences like this, will take a while,” she admitted as her ears drooped. But it didn't last long as she perked up. “She’s learning though!”

Celestia’s smiled at the news. She was glad that her little girl was learning! That was something she was going to have to get used to. Her guards searched high and low and even her connections with ambassadors and lords overseas found nothing. To the world, Raven was still a mystery. Even Celestia, in -dare she say…

‘Old age...’

Had never seen her species in her life. It is still possible for a species to be hidden. But now, most were rare species of animals, not a new species of any sentience.

“Good!” Celestia beamed. “Is it alright if I borrow her?”

Bubbles shrugged again. “She’s your daughter.” The mare turned to Raven, who was watching the whole conversation while also studying the latest pink alicorn. Cadance felt a shiver run up her spine when she saw the metal eyepatch over the filly’s right eye. “I’ll see you later. Okay Raven?”

The redheaded filly’s attention turned to her caretaker. She contemplated what she heard before smiling and nodding. Bubbles waved one last time before leaving the room. When the door closed, Celestia approached the bed and sat where Bubbles just was. She leaned forward and hugged the child. Raven closed her eyes and embraced the embrace. She loved the feeling of another, warm and fuzzy body against her own.

Celestia leaned back and ran a hand through Ravens long, straight hair. “How are you sweetie?” Raven smiled before she leaned forward and hugged the mare again. Celestia and even Cadance, giggled as Raven rubbed her face against Celestia’s exposed neck and chest fluff. The trapped mare wrapped both arms around the child again while turning her head to face Cadance.

“Cadance, this is Raven,” Celestia said, referring to the child in her grip. She turned her head to the child. “Raven.” the girl in question lifted her head to look at the mare while her grip didn’t falter. “This is my niece, Princess Mi Amora Cadenza. Or Cadance for short.”

Raven adjusted herself to look at the teen mare standing at the base of the bed. She was wearing a light blue tank top and a pair a white sweat pants. There, like Celestia, sat a rather large horn on her head and a pair of purple tipped wings on her back. She examined the mare up and down. “Hi.”

Cadance smiled. “Hi.” She was still nervous about the latest turn of events, but felt more at ease that she was just meeting, what she assumed to be, family. The teen walked to the opposite side of the bed where her aunt was and sat down. “How are you?”

“Good.”

“Good.” There was an awkward moment of silence after that. What was she supposed to say? Cadance had a hard-enough time with her other cousin Blueblood. But even then, this had gone so much smoother. That brat felt so entitled that when he learned about Cadance, he demanded that she give up her title and he be the only other noble of the country. He was going to get one hell of a surprise when he meets Raven.

But she won't take it lying down.

A giggle from Celestia caught Cadences attention. “Sorry for the lack of conversation to this conversation. Raven is still learning our language.”

Cadance cocked her head. “She doesn’t?”

Celestia adjusted her head to look down at Raven while the latter adjusted hers to look up. “Say something in your language.” Raven thought about it for a second before she lowered her head to face Cadance.

The mare didn’t understand a single thing. No, absolutely nothing. Not only what Raven just said, but the fact that all the hissing was even classified as a type of language. For her part, all she could figure that it was a strange type of speaking in tongues. It… it was just sounds made from breathing out and opening and closing one's mouth with the addition of a little tongue play. Cadance blinked before she slowly turned her head to Celestia.

Who was trying desperately to hold back what would be an explosive laugh…

“... What?”

Celestia burst forth with a very un-princess like laughter that left the other two females in the room confused. The mare snorted loudly on occasion before she finally regained her senses. “I'm… I'm sorry Cadence. But that was probably the same look I had when she first spoke to me too,” she said while wiping a tear from each eye.

Once she recovered, Celestia moved her attention back to the pink mare. “Raven has been staying with us for a little while now and I would love to see her make a friend that is not me, Bubbles or her therapist. She needs somepony closer to her age… you.”

Cadance blinked. “What about school?”

Celestia rolled her eyes. “It’s too late in the spring right now to enroll her. That and she wouldn't understand anything anyway.”

Raven scowled and growled up at the mare, causing Celestia to pin her ears. She coughed. “I mean… she would have trouble… understanding and writing down notes and assignments,” she explained, making sure to emphasize the word ‘trouble’. “Hopefully this summer I can teach her enough to be ready for next fall.”

Cadance nodded her head. “What about your personal student?”

“She’s next.”

Cadance nodded yet again. “I know you're busy with your current schooling, my schooling, and your foalsitting job, but if you could find the time to be with her that would great!” Celestia requested.

Cadance let that settle for a minute. Well… considering from what she was hearing… Cadance and Raven were going to be seeing each other for a long time to come. Cadance smiled. “I know I can find some time. More so when school is out.”

The mare in question yelped loudly when she was lifted off the bed and into the air. She hovered for a second before she was crushed by a backbreaking hug by her aunt. “Thank you Cadance. You have no idea what this means to me!”

Cadance returned the hug before speaking. “You’re welcome Auntie.” When the two released, both girls continued to smile at each other, the larger sporting tears of joy in the corners of her eyes. Cadance turned to Raven, who sat silently next to the pair. “Hi Raven, it's nice to meet you. I hope we can be great friends here soon!”

Raven cocked her head as she watched the mare. Silence permeated for several seconds before Cadance started to feel very awkward at the attention and lack of action. Just as her ears pinned she was assaulted via a caring hug. The mare held her hands out awkwardly before smiling one last time and returning the hug, nuzzling the top of the child's head.

***

“Princess?”

…

“Princess?”

…

“Cadance, there is a really cute foal that needs belly rubs!”

Cadance snorted loudly and jumped from her seat with a yelp. “Ah! Where!?” Cadance blinked several times in search for the cute foal, but her vision was filled row after row of books. She appeared to be in a library? Memories of last night slowly returned to her. She must have fallen asleep.

She searched the area for the voice before it fell on a unicorn guard standing nearby. Her large red eyes stared down at the alicorn. Her dark orange coat shined brightly through the openings in her armor and her light blue mane poked out from under her helmet, from which the face guard was lifted. “Finally awake, are we?”

Cadance narrowed her eyes to see better before she groaned and rubbed them. “Ugh… Lieutenant Flare. How… how may I help you?” she asked groggily while slouching in her seat and looking up through her squinted eyes. Why did her aunt have to make the sun so bright?

The mare now called Lieutenant Flare snorted. “Considering you are my charge and you failed to wake up at your normal hour. I kind of had to investigate. Guess I can call off the search team.” The mare ignited her horn for a second and closed her eyes before it dissipated, sending out a spell, informing her search team to be called off before opening her eyes. “Are you okay, Cadance?”

The mare in question yawned loudly. “Tired… I stayed up late talking to a friend,” she admitted. "Like an idiot..."

“You mean that young white stallion?” Lieutenant Flare asked as a dirty smirk started to form on the corner of her mouth. “You two getting frisky in here? Honestly, I never expected you to be that kinky. Using the library and all!”

A large, very deep, very red blush consumed Cadence's face, ears and part of her neck. “W-What…” she whimpered. “N-No! We… We're just friends! And you know that!”

Lieutenant Flare burst forth with uproarious laughter. Oh, how she loved to mess with her charge! That's what she gets for wanting a less than professional relationship. Flare grabbed her side with her free left hand, while she leaned against the spear in her right for support. Cadance, for her part, when she figured her guard was screwing with her at her expense, her red blush turned into red anger. She always hated when Flare did that two her!

“Ahahahaha- oof! Ow…” Flare groaned when she was punched in the side, right between the plates of her armor. She rubbed her side with her hand while she looked at Cadance. “I always told you that you have a good hook, I just wish you followed after that friend of yours and at least learned how to fight properly.”

Cadance didn’t say anything. She was still tensed up and angry as she glared at her personal guard. “I’m telling Auntie Tia.”

Lieutenant Flare’s eyes widened in horror as she watched Cadance walk away. “Wait! We can talk about this!” Flare begged as she chased after the teen that had just walked out the door and into the hall. “Cadance please!”

Chapter 9

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Chapter 9

Sunset Shimmer sat at her seat, scribbling away as her teacher taught the latest magic lesson. For her life was good. 12 years old now and working hard as Celestia’s star student. Becoming the best of the best was perfect! Soon she would be on the track towards princesshood! She was close and she knew it.

“And that is how-” Her teacher was cut off as the school bell rang throughout the room. Sunset’s ears twitched at the sound before she closed her notebook and started to place it in her saddle bag. “Okay everypony! Read Chapters 10 and 11 in preparation for tomorrow’s lesson!” The teacher ordered. Many groans filled the air by students, others just silently accepted their fate and packed their bags.

Once she was set, Sunset shouldered her bag and followed her classmates out the door. Many turned and headed for their next classes. As they dispersed through the halls of Celestia’s school, Sunset had a different destination in mind. She quickly traversed the halls before opening the doors and leaving the building behind.

Many would look at this as her skipping class.

But as the Princess’ personal student, she was given certain freedoms, one of them being that her private lessons are taught at the castle and not the school right next to it. She walked a single block down the street before approaching the castle grounds. By now, she was well known throughout its halls. The two guards guarding the gates glanced her way. The one on the left greeted her. “Welcome back Miss Shimmer.”

“Hello,” she replied happily with a wave. The second guard opened the gate and held it for her as she entered. With a head tilt, she silently thanked him as she passed by. At this point it was well practiced. She entered the large building, wandered down the halls and up several stair cases before she headed for Celestia’s personal study where she would sit for the rest of the school day.

As she traversed the last step and into the final hallway that lead to her destination, her mind wondered. She recited math problems and remembered key spells for a later date. The closer she got to her destination, she simply moved via muscle memory. Two guards posted next to the door stood at attention, paying little mind to the teen. As she came to a stop in front of the door and between the guards she raised her hand, ready to knock.

“Princess Celestia is out,” The guard to her left spoke, causing her to turn her head. Sunset lowered her hand a moment later.

“Where is she?”

“This way,” the guard said as he stepped away from his post. He turned to his left and down the hall. Silently, Sunset followed the stallion as he lead her down the hall. The pair stopped several doors down, confusing the shorter mare. The stallion knocked three times before he waited silently for his order.

“Enter!” came the muffled voice of the princess from the other side. Sunset was still confused as to why her teacher was in a guest room several doors down and not in her personal study. The stallion opened the door and stepped aside, allowing Sunset to enter the room. She glanced at him with some silent hope that he could answer her various questions, but maybe it be best to enter.

Sunset stepped through the threshold and searched the area for a moment before she froze in her tracks. “Sunset!” Celestia beamed. She was donned in all her usual golden jewelry and white dress, but that was not what Sunset was looking at, no it was the female balancing on the two larger wheels of her wheelchair.

Raven paid little mind as she bit her tongue, concentration evident as she wiggled back and forth in her seat. After several seconds, she landed on all four wheels, ending her little balancing act, and glanced at the filly nearby. Said filly wore a pair of blue jeans, a white shirt hidden by a partially zipped up black hoodie, she had bright blue eyes and bright yellow and what was either red or orange hair. Just like everyone else here, she was covered from head to hoof in fur, her color being bright orange.

“Sunset,” Celestia greeted as she approached her student. “How are you?”

Sunset’s eyes moved to her teacher, before back to the filly… who was getting out of the wheelchair? She watched in awe as Raven pushed herself up on shaky legs before she stood fully. Grabbing a cane that was sitting on the bed, Raven approached slowly with a limp. Her legs had improved so much since her very first day being out of the pod, and relying on her Warframe to carry her.

Her frame…

A puppet on Tenno strings. An avatar controlled by her will. If she had another ‘frame, she would study it, see how she could control it. It would be a very long time, maybe even never, that she would see ever a Warframe again. Once she was close enough, she stood next to Celestia right in front of the new face.

“Who is she?” Sunset asked, confused, with a point of her finger. Thoughts of being replaced filled her mind. Was… was this a new student? Was she not doing good enough? Was she being cast aside!?

“This is Raven,” Celestia introduced, knocking Sunset from her internal panic. “She’s my new daughter.”

…

Daughter!?

Who in Tartarus is the father!? Celestia never took a suitor! Who did Celestia do it with to create such an interesting filly! And somehow be able to hide her for so long!?

Wait…

“New?” Sunset asked, even more confused. “I… I am really confused…” she admitted with a drop of her head. A slight throb started to form, giving her a headache. There was so much information here that was making her young mind tie itself in what was slowly becoming, a very intricate knot.

Celestia giggled. “Sunset,” she said softly, placing a hand on the filly’s shoulder and taking a knee. “Raven is here because she needed somepony to love her and I decided to do it myself. I love her just as much as I love you!”

Sunset lifted her head and looked Celestia in the eye. “So…?”

Celestia seemed to know what she was asking, because she rolled her eyes. “No, you are not being replaced. I was just spending time with her and lost track of it.” Celestia rose to her full height. “But this is a perfect time for you two to get to know each other!”

“But what about today's lesson?” Sunset asked.

“Well…” Celestia started with an uncertain tone. She glanced over at Raven, who just stared back blankly, waiting silently, before glancing back to Sunset. An idea came to mind. “Perhaps we forgo the lesson for today? Perhaps you two could get to know each other?”

Sunset was torn. She was never much for friends, all she really wanted was to learn. Learn everything she could about magic and the world. Friends just got in the way of everything. If she was going to ascend like Princess Cadance, she was going to have to work hard. Sunset’s ears splayed back in uncertainty.

But then again, this was the princess and her teacher looking out for her. All she wanted was for Sunset to make a friend with her… ‘daughter’. The mysterious filly that fell from the sky. Sunset sighed and closed her eyes. “Okay…”

“Wonderful!” Celestia beamed with a large smile and a clap of her hands. “Just so you know Sunset, Raven can understand most, if not everything we say, but you need to be patient when she speaks. Apparently, translation into verbal speak is still a work in progress. Help her if you can, hmm?”

“...Okay. I think I can handle that.”

Sunset looked to her left, only to see nothing there. Both her, and Raven’s eyes quickly moved to the door, where only the top half of Celestia was showing. “Okay have fun you two. I love you Raven by girls!” she said rapidly before slamming the door to the room shut, leaving the two in awkward silence.

***

Sunset, Raven, and Princess Cadance wandered the halls of the castle with no destination in mind. After Celesta left Raven and Sunset behind to become more acquainted they decided to head for the castle dining hall for an afternoon snack before they ran into Cadance on the way. The two mares and one human sat down for a midafternoon snack and laughs. Raven did her best to talk, but like always, it was broken, but she did enjoy some of the stories and jokes Sunset and Cadance shared.

But like many conversations between teen females -and no matter what galaxy they are from- it moved onto boys. Sunset admitted to liking a young stallion in one of her magic classes. She said he was rather handsome and had a cute flank. That received a snort from Raven. From there the conversation moved to her and her crushes. Their only response to the question was a shrug, clearly there was no one that grabbed her eye. She hadn’t met many young stallions, and any other male -which was very clear to her now- could have been female behind their Warframes.

All Raven ever knew in men was the armor and names she saw and met. She knew nothing until that day she literally found herself.

Cadance, being the last in the group, admitted to liking a certain stallion that she had her eye on for some time. Sunset did her best to pursue more information, but Cadance went silent with a blush. When Cadance glanced at Raven though, she did receive a rather knowing smirk before Raven looked away. Cadance had a feeling this was going to go down a very embarrassing road.

When they finished, the three parted into the castle. The two mares traveled slowly to compensate for the forming limp from Raven. She powered through though. The trio just passed a duo of passing guards on patrol before they rounded a random corner into another hall.

A snort soon grabbed the attention of the girls. Just in front of them stood a young teenage stallion, close to, if not the same as Cadance. He wore a fancy black suit and light blue bow tie. His pearl white coat, bright blonde mane and tail were combed to perfection, and his light blue eyes screamed disgust.

“Ugh, if it isn’t that filthy thing that auntie calls a child,” he all but spat. The other member of the royal family. Well… not really ‘member’ as he claims. More like long distance nephew. The Blood Family is a long descendant of the princess’ aunt, who had passed away almost a thousand years ago. Blueblood's family lineage has become so diluted over the last millennia through his family tree with different members that married into the family, that he is pretty much only related to Celestia by what would basically be a single drop of blood.

Though he flaunts six ways to Sunday.

Even though he has a house of his own and lives with his parents, he is in the castle just about every day. Celestia purposefully kept him away from Raven. Yes, she foresaw this exact incident occurring in her mind. He may be family, but he is a massive, self-centered stallion that looks down on anypony not born of royal or pure blood.

Cadance growled as her anger and stress levels grew. “Oh, shut up Blueblood!” she spat. “You can be a real jerk, you know that!”

The young stallion rolled his eyes at the remark. “You’re one to talk, you winged pest!” Though his tone was professional, his words carried their weight. Cadance reeled back. Yes, she may have been a pegasus before her ascension but she didn't deserve to be treated like anything less than a pony. Tears welled up in her eyes.

Yes, any reference such as featherhead/brain, winged pest, flying rat, pigeon, anything representing a bird that was focused towards a pegasus, was very insulting. They, and earth ponies alike, were looked down upon before the unification of the tribes by unicorns, even then, some still looked down on ‘mud ponies and winged pests’.

Blueblood was no exception…

“Hey!” Sunset shouted while taking a step towards the stallion and holding up a clenched fist. “You’re a real ass! You know that!?” Not the best comeback considering Cadance used the same line with 'nicer' wording. She may have been smarter than the average filly, but Sunset needed some work on the defense department.

The stallion snorted as his nose wrinkled. “Do not compare me to those ugly things that call themselves worthy of living here. They all need to be taken from the land and dumped with those cat things across the pond.”

Griffons…

There would be war if a single griffin ever heard that sentence.

“And don’t get me started on those filthy inbreeds they make with ponies!” he continued. “I wish auntie Tia would just banish them all!” He turned his attention back to Sunset. “Oh, who am I kidding you filthy ingrate! Thinking you are worthy of my aunt’s time! You should just go back to your mother! Oh wait…” Sunset gasped loudly, her jaw dropping as tears welled up in her eyes. All Raven could do was listen in horror as he finished his statement. “...She’s dead. Too bad.”

Raven watched the two crying mares, her two crying friends with bated breath and a limp jaw. She had to do something! Her jaw clenched as a memory seemed to creep in.

***

Voices. Insults as she laid strapped to a table, her drugged up mind twisting what she was hearing. “They are nothing but animals. Demon spawn of the Void,” a voice spoke. Male. “You saw the recording, Margulis. They are nothing but animals!”

“They’re children,” a second replied. Female. “They need someone to love them! Haven’t they been through enough!?”

“They are nothing but monsters,” the male voice replied. “Either make the Ten-0 work. Or you will pay for your insolence, Margulis.”

Footprints faded away as Raven turned her head to the right. A young boy, what appeared to be a few years older than her, struggled against his binds. He yelled and screamed in defiance, but no words came to her ears. She rolled her head to the left, looking back into the blinding light in front of her. A shadow of a human appeared. “Do not worry, you are safe with me…”

***

Raven was already moving before she knew what was happening. She approached the stallion with a purpose. Blueblood watching her with little interest. “And what do you want you hairless-” Raven silenced him by smashing her cane into his right knee. The stallion screamed out in agony, his leg buckling as he reached for it with both hands. Before he could land on the floor, Raven grabbed him by the horn. He yelped when she lifted him by the appendage. “Release me you freak! Wait until auntie-”

His breathing hitched in his throat. Stoic, Raven examined his light blue eyes with her one good, white one. He wanted to look away, he couldn’t look away. All he could see was horror, pain, suffering… and death.

He screamed. He screamed at the top of his lungs at the sheer horror that lived inside this child. His hands wrapped around Raven’s, his legs kicking wildly in an attempt gain a footing in an attempt to flee. All of it in vain. He was terrified beyond recognition. An inner, primal fear overtook him and it screamed for him to run and hide. Ponies outside the castle, several stories and blocks below stopped to listen at what sounded like a virgin filly achieving her first orgasm.

Clearly not the case to the two mares watching the panicking stallion.

Each breath released a scream. He had never, in the entire history of Equestria, witnessed so much death and suffering. It paled in comparison to his mocking insults. It was pure, unadulterated horror. He saw faces, names, bodies and the blood they shed upon the earth upon their death. It was nauseating and gruesome. Tears rolled down his face like a raging river he was crying so hard. He wailed out in fear, begging the gods above to take this demon away!

When she felt like he had suffered enough, she released her grip on his horn. Blueblood landed on the floor, limp as a sack of potatoes, immediately curling up into a ball.

Bending down, Raven pushed the whimpering excuse of a stallion onto his back. She removed his ridiculous tie and started working. To add insult to injury, Raven used his tie to gag him before she grabbed his tail and tied it to his horn. When she finished, she looked to Cadence and Sunset, both of which had watched in awe at Raven's display, even though she didn't do anything but stare the stallion into submission.

“Tape?” Raven requested.

After several seconds, the two girls regained their composure and Cadance closed her eyes and magicked a roll of duct tape forth. Raven took the tape and finished her work.

***

Celestia hummed a happy little tune to herself as she walked. Two guards and her personal assistant, Notepad, a young earth brown colored unicorn mare with a light grey mane following close behind. The day was coming to an end, all that was left was dinner, some paperwork, and Celestia could be off to bed. “How is your daughter doing, Notepad?” Celestia asked, breaking the silence.

The mare in question lifted her head from the clipboard she was examining. “You mean Raven? She’s doing wonderfully actually!” Notepad beamed with a smile. “She is looking forward to taking over for her mother.” She chuckled. “Makes me feel old…”

Celestia smiled at the thought. Raven Inkwell -not to get her confused with her Raven- was getting up there and ready to be an apprentice, and Notepad had already thought about retiring in the next ten or so years. Inkwell was a sweet girl, Celestia would be proud to have her on.

“She has been helping me at home with some of the simpler paperwork we have,” Notepad continued happily. “She really enjoys it! She keeps begging me… to… what in the world!?” Notepad yelled, her jaw dropping. She blinked once and widened her eyes.

Next to her, Celestia was under equal amounts of shock and horror, same with her guards. Just above them, hanging from a single piece of rope tied to one of the many lights in the hallway, her nephew, Prince Blueblood swung in a slow, counterclockwise circle. His eyes were red and cheek fur matted by tears. His tail was tied to his horn, his bow tie shoved in his mouth as a makeshift gag, and to top it all off, his legs and arms were hogtied behind his back with duct tape.

And a sign hung from his neck saying ‘I am a huge dick!’ in big bold letters.

Celestia immediately turned to her guards. “What are you waiting for!? Get him down!” Both stallions dropped their spears and tossed their shields, rushing to the young stallion’s aid.

***

“I am extremely disappointed in all of you!” Celestia boomed in the Royal Canterlot Voice at the three girls sitting in front of her. Once Blueblood was freed, it took some coaxing, but she was just barely able to get something out of him. Enough to figure out who did that to him. He was taken to the medical ward to be checked out, while Celestia stormed her way through the castle, gathering her student, niece and daughter and depositing all three of them in her room.

And… she… un… corked…

The tips of her mane and tail were alight with tiny flames and her eyes were slitted and bright orange, like some demonic cat or dragon. In a nutshell, she was pissed. Sunset and Cadance were terrified, both of them knew Celestia would never raise a hand to hurt them, she wasn't like that, but they were scared. Raven, for her part, just kind of sat there. She had been in worse scrapes. Even though in recent weeks that seemed to be a different case. Eh...

But she had killed for a lot less in the past.

To her, Blueblood got off, very, very, lucky.

She blew a man's leg off once because he seemed to know something. As she would find out, he knew nothing and was a waste of a mission to grab his sorry Grineer ass.

She shot him for having no use to her. So far in her life she had only been scared a few times in her life. Waking up the first time under the gaze of Captain Vor and his relic hunting team. The second was when Stalker pinned her to the floor, full intention of killing her, the fall before she landed in Celestia’s arms was next, and finally, when Celestia took her pistol.

Now that she thought about it, where was that thing?

Celestia slammed both her hands on her desk, the sound of the wood cracking and buckling. “How could you do such a thing!?” Sunset and Cadance flinched back, their eyes closing and ears splaying back. Both were actively sobbing. Celestia spun around. “How could you do that to your cousin Cadance!?”

“I-I-I’m sorry!” Cadance whaled.

“He… he insulted both of us!” Sunset choked out between sobs. “He-he…”

Sunset was unable to finish. The loss of her mother hit her hard and she never talked about it. Celestia was about to yell yet again before a soft, calm voice spoke out.

“Me…” all three heads snapped to Raven, who sat on Celestia’s bed. She showed no fear, no worry. All three examined her, waiting for a response. “Me. Idea.” She pointed at herself. “Me.”

Celestia’s temper seemed to state itself. The flames of anger on her mane died out and her eyes returned to their normal, round, magenta coloring. Even though Cadance and Sunset had participated in Blueblood's suffering, it indeed, was her idea. She cracked her cane on his knee and tied him up. It was all her idea. Celestia crossed her arms.

“You're grounded,” she finally said. Raven furrowed her brow and tilted her head. What does ‘you're grounded’ even mean? She didn't receive an explanation, Celestia had already turned to the other two fillies. “I’m sorry for acting the way I did. But I am very disappointed in both of you. Cadance, you're grounded for a week. Sunset, go home. I will inform your father and you will spend all of tomorrow writing an apology to Blueblood.” Celestia turned her attention to Cadance. “You too little missy.” Cadance’s gaze fell to the floor before she wiped her eyes with a sleeve.

“You may go…”

Cadance rose and stepped forward, hugging her aunt, who returned it before leaving. Sunset followed right behind her as they left the room, leaving mother and daughter to talk in private. Once they were out, Celestia turned to Raven. The larger mare stared down at the child, who in turn, just stared up. “You need to apologize to young lady!”

Raven furrowed her brow again and looked around the room for an answer before she leaned to the side, looking past Celestia. Rising from the chair she wandered over to Celestia’s desk and grabbed a sheet of parchment and quill. Raven quickly scribbled down her answer as best she could before holding it towards Celestia for her to take.

The mare stared at the sheet with an accusing eye before taking it gently.

I wil apoligise for the cane. Othervise I regert nothing.

Celestia reeled back, and no, not because of the horrible spelling, she was shocked. “You of all fillies should know respect by now!” she chastised.

Raven shrugged before taking the sheet again.

Ony when deseirved.

Celestia sighed. What was she going to do with this filly? “Only when deserved huh?” she quietly asked. Raven only nodded. Trust and respect were one of the only binding forces that Tenno had left. Whether it be clan-mate or a random, they were brothers and sisters in arms.

Honor, as a way of life.

It showed here. Blueblood lacked respect, meaning he deserved none. Treat her friends like pigs, you deserve to look like one. The mare rubbed her face with her hand. “Unfortunately, I foresaw this. I will talk to your nephew, but I do expect you to apologize.” Celestia released her face with a light groan. A long day just continued to get longer and longer. “You are still in trouble though. But we can discuss your punishment tomorrow. For now, we’re going to get dinner and you are going to go to bed. We have a long day tomorrow.” Celestia pointed at Raven. “And you have a doctor’s appointment in the morning!”

Raven tensed up. She was not looking forward to that at all!

***

Raven's eyes fluttered open. She was greeted by the white ceiling of her room. Drowsy, she groaned and sat up, rubbing her eyes. The sheet fell from her upper body and landed on her lap as she looked around the room through blurry eyes. Once she rubbed the sleep away she yawned loudly.

“Ah, you’re awake!”

Her yawn hitched in her throat. That voice, it sounded very familiar. That female voice! Where had she heard it before!? Slowly, she lowered her arms and turned her head to the right. In the doorway, of what was not her room at the castle, stood a feminine figure. She was draped from head to toe in bright white and golden silk garb. Panic welled up Raven’s chest. “Celestia?” she asked. “Where are you!?”

The figure stepped into the room, followed by two other figures, both in long white lab coats. All the faces she saw seemed to be blurred out, like a censored video. But that matter little, where was Celestia!? Where was mom!? “Celestia!? Where are you!?” she screamed, turning in every direction for the fur covered woman.

A hand grabbed her shoulder from behind, causing Raven to turn and look at it. She stared at it for several seconds before slapping it away and turning towards the figure. “Get off of me! Where is my mother? Where is Celestia!?”

Silence permeated between Raven and the three figures. For several seconds, no one talked.

“...Dead.”

Raven gasped. What? No, it couldn't be true, it wasn’t true! Raven lunged forward and grabbed the female by the collar of her dress. “What did you do to her!?” A prick to her shoulder forced her to look down.

A large needle attached to a syringe of something slowly emptied into her body.

She felt lightheaded as the drugs took effect. Her grip weakened and faltered as she released the figure. Raven was grabbed from behind by someone or something and pulled backwards, her limp body unable to resist. All she could do was watch the ceiling as the doctors -no, her captors- worked.

They strapped her to the bed before wheeling both her and the bed out of her bedroom. She watched as light after light passed overhead for who knows how long.

Her drug fueled mind was unable to process anything but what she saw. Her head rolled to the side when a large, round door opened. As she was wheeled through, all she could see were tools, medical tools.

Instruments of death…

Passing through the threshold, she could hear the screams of the tortured and the tormented. All around her children screamed out in agony. Many were poked and prodded with needles while others were dissected like a frog. The stench of death graced her nostrils like a plaque. She felt sick. Horrified even. Boys and girls screamed for their parents, begged for their freedom, and wanted nothing more than for the pain and suffering to end.

She came to a squealing halt before she was lifted, bed and all onto another table. She glanced down at herself, she was in her one piece Zaramin outfit. Two straps holding her down, one across her chest and arms, another binding her legs.

She needed to get away.

But the drugs running through her system made her dizzy and weak. She went to lift an arm, but the strap held firm. A hand laid itself on her chest, seeming to halt her poorly attempted escape. Looking up, she saw the same, blank canvas of a face looking down at her. “I’m sorry Raven,” she said softly, apologetically. “But this has to be done.”

As the figure backed away, a large metallic arm took her place. Raven stared at it with confusion as it came closer, the light blinding part of it. But once it came into view, Raven went stiff. She struggled against her binds in a panic, any attempt to free herself was all in vain. She grunted and groaned, tears welling up in her one good eye. “No… NO NO NO!” The arm continued its advance. “Please!?” her pleas fell on deaf ears. The end of the arm was about to reach its target. There, on the end…

Was a very large needle.

Attached to the needle was a vial of blue and orange fluid. It was disgusting. Whatever it was she didn’t want that in her body! Raven screamed out in agony when the needle pierced her skin. She could feel the needle drain into her body, the cold, viscous fluid entering her bloodstream. She felt like she was going to vomit. The needle emptied itself after several seconds before pulling away, the now warm steel of the needle leaving her skin with nothing but a small puncture hole lift in its wake. Next, she could have never predicted...

Pain, unbearable pain…

She passed out not long after…

***

“Princess! Wake up! Princess!” Raven’s eye snapped open and she shot up like a bat out of hell. Out of reflex she clenched her fist and threw a punch at the voice, her knuckles connecting with the muzzle of the guard trying to wake her. His head reeled back as he grabbed his muzzle. Raven gasped and covered her mouth with both hands, shocked by what she did.

The stallion groaned as he clutched his muzzle, trickles of blood oozing from between his clenched fingers. “What is going on in here?” a female voice called from the door before a grey unicorn guardsmare stepped through. She gasped when she saw the stallion with the bleeding nose. Glancing at Raven, the girl just shook her head side to side. The mare turned her head to the stallion. “What did you do!?” she yelled.

He groaned. “I think she was having a nightmare,” the stallion admitted, his voice muffled and nasal sounding. “She punched me out of reaction… I guess I had that coming…”

She continued to watch the stallion before she sighed. “...Let me see.”

As the two worked, Raven noticed that she was soaked in sweat. Her sleeping tank top and light pink panties were slightly darkened and moist from all her sweating. She was going to need a shower…

The stallion soon got his bleeding nose under control with the help of his partner while Raven took a quick shower. When she was dressed, the guardsmare and her toilet papered partner escorted Raven to the medical wing. When she saw the familiar area, she was shaking like a leaf in the wind. Her nightmare was fresh in her mind.

What set that off? And why did that place and that voice sound so familiar? As her mind wandered, she failed to see how much she was shaking. Her legs were shaking so much that they buckled. She fell with a yelp. But no pain came when she stopped just a foot from the floor.

Slowly and gently, she was lifted back to her feet. A seconds later, she was wrapped in a white blanket of fur. Looking up past the bosom of the owner, she was greeted with the worried face of Celestia.

Tears welled up in her eyes. She had never been so grateful to see her mother in her entire life! She buried her face in her mother's cleavage and chest fluff as she sobbed loudly. She didn't want to be here, she wanted to go anywhere but here! “No! Nonono! Leave!”

Celestia was shocked. Here was her child, sobbing, begging to leave. What happened? Confused, she did the first thing that came to mind, which was comfort Raven. Both her wings unfurled as she wrapped herself and her child with them. “What happened?” she asked her guards.

The two guards glanced at each other. The stallion -who still had toilet paper in his nostrils- spoke. “She appeared to have a nightmare.”

“Judging by the reaction,” the female guard added, looking away from the stallion and towards Celestia. “I think she has a healthy fear of the doctor.”

Celestia sighed…

For the next hour, Raven received a less than pleasant checkup. Her vitals were checked, she received x-rays and various other tests that she didn't like. She was stripped to her underwear and checked over by Doctor Cross. Her weight and height were taken, she got a cold stethoscope to the abdomen, her reflexes were tested again, and she had a thing attached to her arm that constricted it and made it go numb for several seconds. But what came last was the one thing she did not want.

A blood sample.

Raven was so afraid of the needle and blood bag that she held Celestia’s wing between her and Doctor Cross. After what happened the night before, she soon learned that she had a healthy fear of needles. It took a lot of coaxing and convincing from both the doctor and Celestia but Raven finally relented and handed over a half a pint of blood, being told that further testing was needed.

“Alright, Doctor Ray and I will take a look at this tonight,” Red Cross said as she removed the bag of blood from the stand before looking at Celestia. “We’ll look and see if her medication is working." She turned to Raven, who was droopy-eye and borderline losing consciousness. “I’ll have the results here real soon.”

“Thank you Cross,” Celestia said. She lifted Raven with her magic and placed her in her arms bridle style. As soon as Raven felt she was safe, she curled up a little tighter and held firmly onto Celestia's dress and arm. “I’ll see you when I see the reports?”

“Most likely.”

Celestia nodded in affirmation before turning and leaving the room. “I think it's time to a nap sweetie.”

Raven nodded lethargically.

Chapter 10

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Chapter 10

Doctor Ray sat in the research department of the medical wing, hunched over microscope. For all intensive purposes he could not believe his eyes! He had been working for hours examining Raven’s blood to get rid of her heartworm. At first, he was sorely disappointed to see that the medication had failed. So, he tried a test with a much higher dose, and what he found shocked him!

“Doctor Cross!” he yelled from his seat, not removing his eyes from the scope. “Come in here please!”

Several seconds later, Red Cross walked in. “Yes?”

Doctor removed himself from his microscope and spun around in his seat. “You won't believe what I have found!” he said with this air of astonishment and wonder. He waited patiently for Cross to reply.

“...What?”

He spun in his chair and put his eye to the microscope once again. “So, I ran some tests on Raven's blood okay? To look and see if her medication removed her heartworm.”

Cross nodded. “And what are the results?”

Ray pointed to the right. Nearby, several test tubes full of Raven’s blood sat in holders next to different vials of medication and other diseases. “I have been running tests nonstop since you dropped it off.” The stallion removed himself from the microscope and turned around to face Cross and slapped both his hands on his knees. “So, I checked her blood for heartworm, right?”

“Right.”

Ray leaned forward, deciding to rest his arms on his knees instead in a more relaxed position. “It was the same as when we started.” At Ray’s words, Cross deflated. She knew that Raven’s already severe infection would eventually lead to her death. “But!”

Cross perked up.

Ray smiled, almost knowing something amazing. “So, I upped her dosage and let the tube percolate… and what I came back to disturbed me. So, I decided to watch the medication do its work. And what I found was dumbfounding!”

Ray leaned back in his seat, lazily placing both hands in his lap. “I decided to run a test. I upped the dosage to a lethal level to see if that would kill the worms…”

Cross’ eyes widened. “Why would you do that!?”

“To kill the worms!” Ray shouted. “I needed to see if the worms were killable!” Ray calmed in his explanation. “I administered the medication the first time and walked away… and when I came back, her blood had seemed to separate. I thought I had a bad test and did it again with a smaller amount and a Petri dish.”

Doctor Ray paused, remembering what he witnesses. “When I came back, I saw her blood on one half of the dish and what appeared to be the medication on the other.”

That made zero sense. It was like adding a type of oil to water. The difference in viscosity and density and how they attract or separate. But no pony has ever heard if blood and medication separating!?

“I decided to run some more tests,” Doctor Ray continued, knocking Cross from her bout of confusion. “Under supervision this time! And here's what I found!” he exclaimed with an enthusiastic swipe with a pointed finger.

Standing from his chair, Doctor Ray moved to the side and gestured to the microscope with an open hand. Cross raised an eyebrow before stepping forward and bending over, she placed her eyes against the lenses. Through said lenses, she could see the red coloring of Raven’s blood. Zooming in another click, she could see the red and white blood cells milling about, but just like she had dealt with before, small worms wiggled around in the plasma. “Okay… I see the worms, but what else am I looking for?”

Ray almost squealed like a filly… almost. Reaching over next to the scope, he grabbed a needle and a small glass vial. Poking the needle through the lid, filling the syringe. “This is the common cold virus,” he said, telling Cross what was in the vial. “Now watch what happens when I introduce it to Raven’s blood!”

The stallion leaned forward and placed the small needle above the blood, where Cross could see it. Dropping a few small drops into the plasma, he emptied the tube and stepped back. Cross watched as the disease entered the blood. She waited for the white blood cells to attack the virus.

That didn’t happen…

“What in the world!?” she yelled, completely dumbfounded by what she was witnessing. She watched in complete and utter awe as the worms in the sample made a straight beeline for the virus. It attacked without prejudice. Some of the worms attacked the disease while others seemed to latch on like a leech and push it away. Her jaw hung limp, leaning back she blinked once and rubbed her eyes before going back to make sure she wasn't seeing things.

She continued to watch as the worms pushed the disease to the end of her vision. Once gone, she leaned back and placed her head next to the scope and as close to the sample as possible. She watched as a clear liquid started to form on the right edge of the red colored blood. Over the course of about a minute, the clear liquid grew before it was finally pushed away. Once it was far enough, Raven’s blood slowly created distance between the virus and itself.

“...Ah?”

Doctor Ray swore he heard a guitar string break within Doctor Cross’ mind. The little medical hamster at the front of her brain taking the string to the face, knocking him from his wheel. Shortly afterwards, the wheel collapsed behind him, crushing the poor little guy in debris.

Doctor Ray was visibly shaking with excitement. As Cross continued to have a brain aneurysm, or a stroke… maybe both at the same time? Doctor Ray squealed with excitement. “Do you know what this means!?” he shouted, ignoring Cross’ blank stare. “This could be the cure for all know deadly diseases! Haha!” he cheered to the heavens, throwing his arms up with equal amounts of enthusiasm. “Whatever those worms are they are the cure to saving lives! We have to have more to study!”

The little hamster in Cross’ head pushed the broken and bent wheel from atop his little form, allowing Cross to shake her head. “Wait… what did you say?”

“We need more to study!” Doctor Ray declared.

“But what if this is deadly to ponies?” Cross immediately questioned. The smile on Ray’s face faded almost immediately. He was so absorbed by his findings that he failed to think about how this would react to ponies, since Raven is a completely unknown species. “What if this is actually killing her?” Cross continued. “We don’t even know what this is!?” she shouted, holding both hands out towards the sample in front of herself. “Or where it came from, what it came from! Is it contagious? Genetic? From space!?”

Now that last one was a bunch of manure. That one actually got Ray to roll his eyes. “Equis is the only planet with sentient life Doctor Cross. Besides, nothing can survive in space. How could a microorganism survive entry into the atmosphere anyway? Falling that far, that fast, while on fire? Please, now you are the crazy one!” he explained to the mare.

And he did have a good point.

The Space part, Cross wasn’t crazy.

…

She wasn’t!!!

The mare closed her eyes, sighed and took a deep breath to calm her nerves. “Ray…” she said softly, a mother like tone coming from her. Like she wasn’t mad, just trying to explain why this was a bad idea. “If we can find another sample that isn’t Raven’s blood, we could be on a massive medical breakthrough. I suggest we continue research, see if we can isolate the worms and replicate them if possible. Then… see how the worms react to the blood of a pony…”

Ray let the words sink it. “...You’re right,” he admitted, his ears pinning while he turned his gaze to the floor. He turned to face the microscope. “We have no idea what this is and we have no idea how it is transmitted or how dangerous it might be.” He sighed and turned back to Cross, looking her in the eye. “I’ll go to Celestia and see if we can start a research team to try and track down the disease. But if it transmits like other worm like parasites, it’s probably through insects or by digestion. I’ll contact every hospital around the country to look out for this disease.”

The room went silent as the pair stood there, unsure what to do.

“Yes… well…” Cross started, unsure of what to say. “Not heartworm… yes?”

Ray shook his head. “Not that I can say.”

“Is it deadly?”

He winced. “...Maybe? It isn’t attacking her blood cells and her organs seemed healthy. It isn't affecting her mana pool either. So, her magic is good. Or at least from what I understood from the report.” The stallion smiled. “I do believe she’s good for now. She can stop taking her heartworm medication. But I wish to monitor her over the next several months. Possibly see where this goes?” he placed both his hands in his coat pockets with a shrug.

***

Celestia sat at her desk with her chin resting on her intertwined fingers. The sun had been set and her day was done. Raven was in bed, replacing the blood she lost earlier in the day. Her mother was still disappointed in her, but what could she do? Celestia decided to place the thoughts aside and focus her attention elsewhere. Floating in front of her, in her golden aura illuminating the darkened room, was the strange weapon she had taken from her daughter.

She had been examining the thing as much as she could. Feeling around with her aura, she disassembled the weapon for probably the tenth or eleventh time since she first took it. All the parts were the same as when she first took it apart. The small weapon housed over 50 moving parts. All of them somehow jammed into its lower and upper halves. Her eyes darted from one part to another, taking in their shape, theorizing their use.

She reassembled the weapon rapidly before grabbing the handle with her hand. It was so sophisticated that it put the best crossbow makers to shame. Lightweight, well balanced, no arrows, but in theory -from what she was told by Ray- might have the same range. As she turned the weapon in her hand, she held up one of the brass cartridges and disassembled it. It, like the rest in the little cartridge holder, contained a little copper projectile, some type of black powder, the brass case, and a little insert that fits in the bottom of the case.

She wanted to test it, but was yet to have the time to do so. Reassembling the cartridge, she placed it with the others in the spring-loaded holder. She turned the weapon so she could see the opening in the handle and grabbed the holder from her aura with her hand and slid it into the opening with a click. Once the cartridge holder was secure, she pulled on the top half like she learned. It went back with her hand while she slowly watched part of the internal workings move. Once she was all the way back, she slowly let the spring in the weapon take her hand forward, watching as it loaded one of the tiny brass cartridges. Once the upper half was all the way forward, she released her hand and watched as it did nothing.

“Huh…”

Less than exciting. Don’t know what she was expecting, honestly. She grabbed the back again and pulled hard against the spring, it clicked like usual and she watched as the loaded cartridge was pulled back before being ejected out rapidly. Celestia’s head snapped to the right as she watched it sail through the air. Her horn ignited and she grabbed it with her magic before it hit the floor and placed it back on her desk and released the weapons back. It went through the same motions yet again.

She really needed to test this thing.

Celestia held the weapon up and lined up the rear and front sights. That wasn’t hard to figure out. When she held the first crossbow prototype, that was one of the first things she noticed was, ‘How do you aim this thing?’

A light knocking on her door caused her to lift her head. “Come in?”

Doctor Cross stepped in a second later as Celestia placed the weapon on her desk, the multiple cartridges placed back in their holder and laid flat next to the weapon. The medical mare stepped up to the desk a moment later and took a quick bow before she held up the clipboard she was holding to read.

“Red, a pleasure as always,” Celestia greeted with a smile.

“And to you too, Celestia,” Red replied with a smile, using a more casual tone. “I have Raven’s results. I have good news, bad news, and interesting news. Which do you want first?”

Celestia went blank, both in face and mind. “Uh… none of the above?” she quickly shook her head, regaining her thoughts. Her mood changed from her earlier interest and study to a more somber one. She was dreading this. “Is the interesting news bad?”

Cross ‘s face morphed into one of uncertainty as she shook her head back and forth in thought. “Mhm… yes and no.”

“Bad news first, good news next, interesting news last,” Celestia requested.

“Okay,” Cross took a deep breath to prepare herself before looking down at her clipboard, which was covered in notes, calculations, and results. “Bad news is we found a very interesting… issue… within Raven’s blood. We are yet to determine what it is though. Good news is that Raven does not have heartworm!”

Celestia let out the breath she didn’t know she was holding. But the bad news was still lingering. “What do you mean by ‘issue’?”

Cross took a breath ready to explain before she hesitated, trying to find a way to best word this. “Ah… Doctor Ray’s initial assumption of heartworm was incorrect, which leads to the interesting news. What we assumed to be heartworm is indeed not heartworm, like I said. But we cannot seem to determine what it is exactly. We ran tests and all of them came back with different results.”

Cross had Celestia’s full attention at this point.

So, Cross continued. “Ray tested higher doses of heartworm medication. But when he returned, Raven’s blood and the medication became diluted. So, we thought it was a bad test, tried again, walked away… same results.”

“Well bad tests happen all the time,” Celestia added.

“But Ray placed her blood and the medication in a Petri dish and came back to find her blood, un-clotted on one side of the dish and the medication on the other!”

Celestia reeled back in her chair. Never once in all her years of study had she heard of such a thing!

“Intrigued, we tested her blood to see how it would react with diseases!” Cross smiled, not out of joy, but the sheer remarkability of what she had witnessed in that lab. Her mouth moved but no words came as she glanced towards the wall in disbelief. “We tested her blood with AIDS…”

She trailed off leaving Celestia with a cliffhanger. “...And.”

“AIDS,” Cross repeated in a tone of disbelief. She dropped her clipboard, letting it clatter on the ground, papers coming loose and flying in all directions. She reached across the desk and forcefully grabbed Celestia by the collar of her dress, manic, crazed look in Cross’ eyes as her mane started to fray. “AIDS for fucks sake! AAAAIIII-”

Smack

Cross’ expression went blank as she stared at the mare who was mere inches from her face. “Thank you…” her attention moved down to her hands, still holding Celestia’s dress in her grip. She quickly released the mare and stepped back with a blush, hiding her hands behind her back while avoiding eye contact. “I am so… so sorry…”

Celestia rubbed her stinging palm. She would never lift a hand to harm her subjects, but this was a case where it was necessary. Once the pain was gone, she adjusted her dress. Once that was set, she looked up at the doctor with a smile. There was no ill intent behind the slap, just a way to successfully knock Cross from her seeming bought of ‘insanity’.

“It’s quite alright,” Celestia dismissed.

Doctor Cross coughed awkwardly into one of her hands. “Yes… well…” The mare glanced down at the floor at the papers strung out in every direction. She immediately dropped to her knees and started to haphazardly gather up her notes. “T-The diagnosis is that Raven does indeed not have heartworm like we assumed!” The mare rose back up and did her best to straighten the papers in her arms. “What we do know is that it is a type of parasitic worm, bit one that appears to live side-by-side with Raven’s blood. We intent to run some tests and Ray wants to talk to you about finding wild samples.”

The mare finished once she seemed satisfied with how organized her papers were. “So… what of Raven and her health?” Celestia asked the mare. “I am still concerned that she seems to have a parasite of unknown origin.”

“Ray and I agreed that we will continue to monitor her for the rest of her life,” Cross explained. “We’ll start out with a six month check up on her basic health. If nothing changes, we’ll move to a yearly visit. If her health deteriorates, we will have to figure out something to kill the worms in her blood… which will be almost impossible without a known cure.”

That was concerning. That was very concerning. If this parasite became dangerous all of the sudden, it could easily turn and attack Raven’s organs or even her immune system. “Okay… let’s do that then,” Celestia agreed. “We can set a date tomorrow if that’s alright?”

Cross glanced to the ceiling in thought. “That should work,” she said before looking back at the princess. “Thank you again, Princess,” Cross thanked as she took a deep bow. “And please forgive me of my actions?” she nervously asked as she rose to standing. Last thing she needed was to be rejected and forced back to medical kindergarten...

Wait... that's not a thing... right?

Celestia waved it off with a hand. “As my father loved to put it oh so many years ago,” she paused for dramatic effect. “Shit happens!”

Cross snorted a laugh at that. “Of course!” she giggled before she regained her composure rather quickly. “Thanks’ again Celestia, enjoy the rest of your night!” With that, she headed for the door.

“Good night Cross,” Celestia waved goodbye. Once Cross was out the door, the solar mare glanced at the weapon on her desk.

Cross for her part sighed upon exiting the princess’ study. Finally, she could go home, relax and get off her hooves. The mare glanced at the two guards that stood at attention, neither of them moving. The real question was how could they do that for hours on end? Do nothing but stare at the wall all day and all night. Had to be pretty boring? Eh, at least the medical field was an exciting one, and one Cross wouldn't trade for anything!

Pop!

Cross flinched and immediately turned to face the door while both guards snapped to arms and faced the door themselves. It was a very loud and muffled *pop* that came through the door. What happened in there!? Horrified thoughts went through all three of their heads at the possible horrors that that sound could be from!

“I didn’t do it!” came the semi-muffled response of the princess from the other side of the door. That’s what she gets for playing with guns! Temporary deafness and 1 confirmed kill…

That mirror didn’t know what hit it…

Chapter 11

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Chapter 11

Now relieved of her burden of the doctor, Raven was now set free to act of her own accord. She didn't have many worries at the moment. She did not have to worry about going to the doctor for another six months or school for almost another eight either. With her mother off to do her duties and not much else to do, Raven couldn't help but screw with the Cadets of the Royal Guard every chance she got. Captain Bronze for his part enjoyed the company of the child and her antics. He said it kept the cadets sharp! At times, she would slip away and watch classes and, on occasion, attack with practice blades when some didn’t suspect it. She would set traps in the barracks too.

Glitter bombs, water bowl traps above the door, short sheeting cadets to the bed while they slept. One of the best she did with Bronze was he made them go on a ten-mile run in full armor late at night, while the cadets were distracted, the pair of them nailed all the beds and any loose belongings to the ceiling.

Many of the cadets slept in their armor that night.

On the floor...

Right now, though? The area was atop Canterhorn Mountain, the sun had yet to peek over the horizon, bathing the area in a shroud of darkness. All around the open field Cadets from three different branches of the military stood. The Royal Guard cadets stood in their famed golden armor, while their winged allies, the Wonderbolts, stood in their famed blue and yellow jumpsuits, their lighter chainmail armor hidden under their suits. Many had their goggles around their necks or atop their heads as they waited.

Lastly, a group of earth ponies stood in their silver, steel armor. The backbone of the EUP, the Earth Pony Brigade -EPB- made up most of the Equestrian forces, the Royal Guard only protected the princess’. The elite of the elite, trained to handle every sort of situation. Finally, the Wonderbolts, Equestria's air force, although a military force, had become more of an exhibitionist group.

Or so ponies thought.

Only a small squad were dedicated to aerial shows. The rest of the Pegasus Guard were a dedicated scout force trusted as runners, border patrol, and aerial artillery. Only group that could go one on one with a Wonderbolt, was the Griffin Blood Fangs. Mostly because of the fact that they can fly.

Bronze had encouraged Raven to participate in his training. Which she did more often than not and this time was no exception. Said stallion and younger child walked across the open field towards two tall ponies conversing. One was a bright orange pegasus mare with a darker orange mane and tail in her dress blues for the Wonderbolts, the other was a white earth pony stallion with a light grey mane and tail dressed in his steel armor.

The mare turned her head as the pair approached. “Ah, Captain Bronze! Took you long enough!” the mare greeted with a bit of mirth.

“Captain Stormy Flare,” Bronze greeted with a nod before turning to the stallion. “Captain Stronghoof. Good to see you both!”

The stallion known as Stronghoof grunted his welcome. “Captain Bronze, late as always.” His deep voice could put the darkest of demons to shame. He could win battles by yelling alone! That, was how you struck fear into your enemies. There was a reason the stallion now watched over cadet training.

Bronze rolled his eyes before he smirked his response. “Guards are never late. We’re always here, you just never see us when we don’t want it!” Perfect excuse for being late in all honesty.

Stormy’s nose wrinkled at that. “Right. Is that what they call it these days?” she asked Strong.

“Like I would know!” the stallion replied before turning his attention to Bronze. “Son, you need a mare in your life. When was the last time you had a good rut?”

Captain Bronze just groaned. “Why does everything turn sexual around you two?”

Off to the side, a light giggle grabbed the three-officer’s attention. Raven held a hand to her mouth as she giggled into it. Stormy and Strong stared at the snickering child, then to each other before finally to Bronze.

“What is the princess doing here?” Strong asked, confused by the child's presence.

“Shouldn't she be in school like the rest of the fillies her age?” Stormy added.

Now it was time for Bronze to puff up. “Raven here wanted to join our little training session when the cadets mentioned it!”

“Can she handle a blade?” Strong immediately asked.

“Oh, ye of little faith,” Bronze doubted playfully. “I’ll let you find out. But that's not what I need to ask of you. Because the princess here is not a part of the Royal Cadets, could she join? She has been very enthusiastic about it!”

Strong and Stormy shared a glance. “She can fight?” Stormy ventured.

Bronze nodded.

“Handle a blade?” Strong came next.

Another nod.

“Tactics?”

“And ability to stay calm under pressure?”

“Yes, and yes,” Bronze replied almost smugly. “She can handle her own just fine. I’ll get Cadet Armor up here if you don’t believe me!”

Bronzes two allies glanced at each other yet again before Stormy shrugged. Strong had one more question though. “She being added to one of your squads I assume?”

“Actually…” Bronze trailed off, glancing down at Raven. “She wanted to go rogue, as it were.” Bronze paused before clarifying further. “A squad of one against everypony else.”

That had Strong's attention. The three commanders conversed quietly before the games started. Once they had decided, they quickly briefed the Cadets. The game was elimination, the cadets would separate into different squads across the mountain top with the goal of hunting down the opposing squads. But with a catch.

The Wonderbolts were grounded, one stallion or mare had ‘injured’ their wing and the squad was not allowed the leave them. The Royal Cadets wore magic suppression rings to simulate dark or resistant magic. The EPB didn’t have to do anything, since the other two branches were essentially brought down to their level.

With their orders set and some cocky words said all around, the squads were blindfolded and lead off in random directions. When Bronze returned to lead Raven off, she was already gone. Without a direction to go off of, he let her be. Not like he could do much, she was gone and he wasn't going to go and hunt her down and delay a game that could take all day.

“Did she take a weapon?” Bronze asked no one in particular. He didn’t remember seeing her grab one, but perhaps she snuck off with one while he was gone. Shrugging it off, he waited for his other two friends to return. As soon as everything was in place, the trio boarded a hot air balloon to supervise the games. From high above, they could see most of the squads that populated the mountaintop, so they could make calls and observe tactics more accurately.

“What do you think about the latest batch?” Strong asked.

Stormy hovered nearby with her arms crossed. “I have my daughter…”

That caused both stallions to raise their brows at the declaration. Both then shared a confused glance before they moved their attention back at their hovering friend. “And how’s that going?” Bronze inquired.

Stormy rolled her head, and unamused if not frustrated look on her face. “She wanted it, even though I said I would not be playing favorites because she’s my daughter.” The mare sighed and closed her eyes briefly. “She’s strong, that’s for sure…”

“That bad huh?”

“Cried twice, threw up once, sprained a wing and went right back out,” she replied evenly, little emotion showing. “I had to go to the doctor before going to her… she said she was fine…” Stormy turned to look at the listening stallions in the balloon, tears in the corners of her eyes. “She questions her mother but listens to her commander…” She shook her head in frustration… or disbelief.

Seeing the end if the conversation, nopony said anything as they moved their attention down to the ground. Bronze almost immediately spotted one of his squads through the trees, not too far away in a nearby field, a squad of Wonderbolts laid prone, hidden in the tall grass. Strong could see one of his squads bearing down on a group of their own.

Stormy spotted her daughter with her squad way off in the trees opposite of the mountain. The teen was barking orders and pointing in various directions. Whoever the young mare pointed too, followed what they were told and spread out.

“Anyone seen Raven?” Bronze asked, leaning over the lip of the balloon basket and searching the area all around the mountain top.

His answers were a either a shake of a head or a murmur. Every once and awhile, he would catch a glimpse of gold, flash of silver, the ruffle of a wing. It was almost an hour before the fighting started. Once it did, the sounds of metal clashing, ponies grunting, and the sounds of those ‘injured’ by training blades. Those that could walk, headed for the same field at which they started, others were dragged off, their legs numb from strikes.

The sun had risen and was just peaking up into the sky, illuminating the Canterhorn. Those who were defeated, sat and waited silently. By now several hours had passed and the cadets were tired, those in the field even more so. The death toll continued to rise over the time of the games.

Cadet Armor led his squad through a field of tall grass that went up to their necks. The cadets moved silently, using their shields to push the grass and keep it out of their faces. “Keep your head on a swivel,” Cadet Armor order quietly, as to not be found. “We can’t see a thing in this blade grass.”

“What are your orders once we’re out?” Cadet Dawn asked.

“Head for cover and scout the area,” he replied. As they trudged forward, the grass continued to bite at them. The bladed grass lived up to its name by cutting any area that was not protected by their armor. But like any good soldier, the cadets sucked it up and kept moving.

By this point in the games only two squads remained. Cadet Armor and his crew of four and a group of four Wonderbolts. Neither of them knew of course. Once Cadet Armor and his team came out of the tall grass, they separated and spread out before making a beeline for the cover of the trees. Once there, they searched the area before moving forward.

Not too far away, the squad of Wonderbolts moved through the thick brush of the forest. They did their best to stay silent by stepping over logs, and avoiding breaking sticks in the process. “Spits,” a young green mare asked her squad leader with a slight lisp. “What's the plan?”

The bright orange mare known as Spits replied with, “We need to spot anypony nearby.” She turned to the young stallion in her group. “Soarin, get up high and try to spot anything!”

Said sky blue stallion nodded before stowing his sword and taking flight. He took cover in the canopy of a tree, searching for both ally or foe. Standing on the edge of a large limb, Soarin held a hand over his eyes to shield them from the sun. When he spotted something, he looked down at his teammates and started to use sign language.

To the north.

How many? Spits signed back.

Soarin looked back to the north for a second before back down at the mare.

Two… at least!

But that could mean more that couldn't be seen. Spits waved the stallion down, as he removed himself from his perch, the mare held up two fingers and pointed in the supposed direction the enemy could be.

“Friend or foe?” Spits asked when Soarin landed, keeping her voice low as always.

“Foe… definitely foe,” Soarin panted. “Gold armor. Royal Guard.”

Spits groaned. She didn’t want to face the Royal Guard. Unlike the EPB, the Guard train against aerial enemies. With the ‘bolts being grounded, they are relying on tactics they rarely use. Then again, the Guard cannot rely on their power as mages. That might be a massive bonus...

“Forward… stay silent!”

Both squads were on a collision course, little did Spits know, that when Soarin took to the trees, he was spotted by the Royal Guard Cadets. There was a plan, an she was unknowingly falling right into place.

They were ready…

Nopony knew how long it had been, but Spits was sure they would have encountered the enemy by now. Perhaps they passed them? Spits held up a fist, stopping her squad. She didn’t like this.

She had just enough time to jump back when a spear tip came crashing out of the bushed to her left.

It was a trap!

“Form up!” she frantically ordered.

Soarin and the light green mare moved as quickly as they could in the thick forest. Their fourth member was struck in the side with a training spear. The young mare screamed out in agony before she fell backwards.

She was done.

They were like ghosts. Even in that bright golden armor, the Royal Cadets became the forest. Because it came alive! A handful of cadets poured out from cover, surrounding the three remaining Wonderbolts. Forced back to back, with nothing but short swords, Spits and her team had nowhere to go.

“Soarin, Fleetfoot… get out of here!” Spits ordered quietly, so only her team could here.

“Were not leaving you!” Fleetfoot snapped. All three would run if it were not for the wing restraint on Spits’ right wing.

As much as Spits would have loved to just grab her friends and throw them into the air, she didn’t have the time. She threw her blade up haphazardly to block a spear attack before she countered with a strike of her own. Her blade clanged and harmlessly bounced off Cadet Dawn's shield.

Cadet Armor and the rest of his team focused on Soarin and Fleetfoot. A stallion named Longbow, thrust his spear forward at Soarin. The up and coming Wonderbolt avoided the attack and wrapped his arm around the wooden shaft. With a defiant shout, he lifted his own sword and snapped the wooden shaft of the spear in half, tossing his end to the side. Longbow wasted no time dropping the rest of his broken weapon and drawing his own short sword reverse style.

As the two stallions went at it, Cadet Armor and another mare bared down on Fleetfoot. Backed into a proverbial corner and no help on the horizon, Fleet was on her own. She scowled and flared her wings. Two bright reflections of the sun blinded Cadet Armor and Cadet Longbow, causing them to lift their shields to shield their eyes from the intense light. A massive gust of wind blew Longbow off his hooves and onto his back, Cadet Armor had just enough time to block the attack aimed for him with his shield. The two of them were locked in glorious battle!

Soarin used the pommel of his sword to hit Long over the head, his helmet making a loud dong sound. With his ears ringing and his vision blurred, Longbow was disoriented.

Soarin prepared for the jab.

“Oof!” the stallion grunted as the wind was knocked from his lungs. He was thrown into the air before crashing with a single roll against the forest floor. Cadet Longbow stood where Soarin once was.

Fleetfoot pushed Cadet Armor away before she screamed her teammates name. “Soarin!?” Cadet Armor quickly recovered and pushed his spear forward.

Only to be met with a shield!?

He gasped at the sight before him. His spear tip rested against a set of metallic feathers. Fleetfoot sat with one knee on the ground, her metallic feathers protecting her body. A Wing Fighter, there was always one. The green mare pushed her wings up with as much force as she could muster. Cadet Armor's spear was torn from his grip as his wrist bent backwards.

Fleetfoot continued her assault with calculated attacks. With her extra appendages, she had more reach than Cadet Armor with his spear! Her metal primaries clanged and sparked against Cadet Armor’s shield. Finding a break in his defenses, she used her wings to grab Cadet Armor’s shield. She used her right wing to pull at the shield, extending Cadet Armor’s left arm.

The stallion grunted painfully, but it was quickly replaced with a punch to his chest. As he laid on his back staring at the sky, as shadow loomed over him, a pair of metal feathers pointed at his exposed neck.

“You're done,” Fleetfoot panted. “You will-” the mare was unable to finish…

A hand grabbed her by the back of her armor, she was lifted off her hooves and over someponys back. Her metal feathers scraped the backplate of the armor she was being dragged across before she crashed down belly first...

And screamed out in agony when a sword and a spear were jabbed into her lower back.

Soarin laid not too far away, back to the action. He was done. Spits kicked Cadet Dawn in the gut, forcing not only the wind from her lungs, but her from the ground. Before she even hit the ground, Spits was bashed from the side from Cadet Armors shield. She landed face up in just as much pain as Cadet Longbow was feeling. Propping herself up on her elbows, she panted heavily.

“I give…”

Finally admitting defeat, Cadets Armor, Dawn, and Longbow pulled their spears and sword back. All of them sore and panting, they used the opportunity for a break. Dawn and Bow shared a high five while Cadet Armor bent over to lift Spits to her hooves. “You okay Spitfire?”

The mare sheathed her blade and dusted herself off. “Yeah, I’m fine,” she assured before dusting her arms off. “That was a good fight. You guys know what you’re doing!” she complimented.

Cadet Armor smirked at the praise. “Hey, when you protect the princess, you have to know how to fight!”

Spitfire returned his smirk with one of her own before the two of them raised a hand and grabbed each other's wrists, a sign that they will always be brothers and sisters in arms. “Come on ‘Bolts,” she said, turning to her three grounded teammates, who were propping themselves with on hands and elbows. “Get up!”

She went over and helped both Fleetfoot and Soarin to their hooves before she and Soarin picked up their fourth member and threw her over their shoulders and dragged her off. Once they were gone through the brush towards the staging area, the Royal Cadet’s turned to each other. As they were preparing their next move, a light humming caught their attention. All four cadets spun on their heels, forming into a phalanx formation, swords and spears pointed towards the threat.

On a tree branch, about 10 feet off the ground, sat Raven, humming a little tune to herself as she doodled on a sheet of paper with a red marker. She had no care in the world as one leg dangled lazily in the air. “Raven!?” Cadet Armor shouted. He looked around the area for some sort of trap or catch, but found nothing. “Give up! We have you surrounded!”

The girl lifted her head and smiled down at the stallion before she went back to her drawing. Cadet Armor was getting frustrated. “Dawn, Platinum, surround her, Bow with me!” he ordered. The two mares with the spears took up position at Ravens sides, Dawn to Raven’s right, Platinum to her left. Cadet Armor and Longbow were right in front of her. “We have you surrounded!”

Raven stopped her drawing and gave Cadet Armor a bemused look. She held it for several seconds before she held up her right hand, marker still in her fingers, and slowly dragged her thumb across her neck… then went happily went back to her picture. Confused, Cadet Armor and Longbow shared a similar look before they went back to Raven, holding their shields up a little higher.

“Raven…” Cadet Armor said slowly, trying to sympathize with her. There was no way she was getting out of this. “We have you beaten, you’re surrounded, outnumbered, and out-bladed. There is no getting out of this!”

Raven didn’t say anything or do anything for several seconds.

The Cadets were getting nervous. Raven slowly lifted her head and stared down at the stallion. When their eyes locked, Cadet Armor felt a horrible chill run up his spine. She held this almost manic look in her eyes. Not breaking eye contact, Raven lifted her head, baring her neck and she slowly, very… slowly dragged the marker across her neck, leaving a long red line. When she reached the right side of her neck, she flicked the marker away quickly.

A loud clang forced Cadet Armor’s head to his left. Cadet Dawn held her hands to her muzzle, the look of utter horror in her eyes. Worried, Cadet Armor needed to see what was wrong. “Dawn!? What’s happened to you!?”

She removed a shaky hand from her muzzle and pointed it right at the bright white stallion. “Y-your neck!”

Longbow dropped his blade and pointed at Dawn. “Dawn!? Your neck!” He turned around and stared down at Platinum. “Your neck!”

All three of them wrapped their hands around their necks in utter horror. They were terrified beyond recognition! Dawn and Platinum were actively sobbing while Bow was shaking. Cadet Armor, with no ability to see his own neck and unable to tell what was going on, grabbed Longbow and pried his hands from his neck. And from left to right…

Was a bright red line…

Cadet Armor slowly released Longbow as realization slowly dawned on him. He turned, completely stunned, towards Raven, who continued to watch him with a neutral expression. “How?”

She slit their throats and they didn’t even know…

The right side of mouth curled upwards. She would never tell~ Placing both hands on the branch, she jumped from her perch, landing softly, she approached a still stunned Cadet Armor. Once she was close enough, she stood up on her tiptoes and leaned in close to his ear. “Nice try…” she whispered, slipping something in the front of his chest plate. Dropping back down, she smiled and patted the place where she placed the drawing before walking away, stretching her arms over her head as she walked.

***

Cadet’s Armor, Dawn, Longbow, and Platinum sat in the dining hall of the school. Dawn, Longbow, and Platinum all sat with their heads in their hands, a thousand-yard stare focused at the table. Cadet Armor had the drawing unfolded in front of him. He didn’t get it…

The drawing was a simple sketch of him and his squad wandering through that field earlier during the games. So, Raven had been watching them from at least there. She was obviously somewhere with a view. High in the trees? She could have followed them and watched as they disappeared into the grass? For a solo combatant, she could have done a number of things!

“How?” Cadet Dawn asked. She was still dumbfounded from the attack. They hadn’t even washed off the red marker from their necks, that's how far this had gone. “How does a filly her age do that?”

Longbow shook his head, no answer to give. “... I have no idea.”

Cadet Armor was too lost in thought, still trying to figure out the answer via the picture. His eyes scanned the little figures of himself and his team behind him. He searched the trees in the background and he search the…

“Grass…”

Cadet Armor’s head snapped up in realization. “The grass!” he shouted, causing the other three at the table to look up at him. “She got us in the grass!” Everyone else furrowed their brows at the declaration. Seeing their confusion, Cadet Armor continued. “When we were wandering through the grass, she must have taken the opportunity to hit us with the marker!”

“How?” Platinum asked, still confused by her friend’s rant of realization.

Cadet Armor moved his attention to her and placed a finger onto of the drawing, tapping it several times. “Remember that neck high grass? How much it got in the way and how we couldn’t see anything?” She nodded, so he continued. “Remember how would brush up against us?” Another nod. “She must have used that to her advantage!”

Now knocked from their daze, the other three shared the same look of confusion once again. “How so?” Platinum questioned again.

“Her height, combined with the grass and our movement,” Cadet Armor explained. “While we grunted and groaned, she took the opportunity to hide in the grass and use the marker to make us think it was grass!” Cadet Armor threw his arms to the sky, finally able to figure it out. “It’s genius.”

A whole new type of combat. Take down the enemy when they least expect it. A whole team could have taken Cadet Armor and his friends and they wouldn't have even known.

Nice one girl…

Raven 2…

Cadet Armor 0.

He’ll get her soon!

Chapter 12

View Online

Welp… this was it…

…

Raven was going to be leaving the castle… out into public.

Yep...

The real question was why she was so nervous? Little did she know that Celestia had done a press conference several weeks prior, two days after Raven was taken to the hospital. For as long as she could remember, the princess always hated standing in front of those blood sucking leeches. Information is easy to alter, and that’s exactly what happened!

That was probably the first time that anyone had ever seen Celestia so pissed off... ever! She chewed out *cough cough* The Canterlot Gazette *cough* publicly, so badly that the famed newspaper (famed for it lies) took such a hard hit that they nearly went under.

That’s what happens when you insult a child by calling them ‘a vicious monster that eats ponies’ and is 'running wild inside the castle grounds says informants'. Not one of their finer moments. Celestia often let things slide, freedom of speech and all that, but when it spreads fear, that’s when her hoof hit the floor…

And cracked it halfway up the wall…

From that point on the repair pony knew to never make the princess mad after that! So Raven was common knowledge by this point in life. The maids all seemed to love her, the guards respected her, the cadets feared her, and her personal aid, doctor, and mother cared for her deeply. If anything, she was sick of the fact of how vulnerable she felt. Without a Warframe, she was a four-foot nothing 12-year-old with a tiny squishy body…

Wow! Pony language was rubbing off on her something fierce!

Uhh... guns, swords, blood, punching Valera in the gut!

She barely finished the thought when a twinge of pain shot through her head. “Gah!” she screamed, grabbing her head with both hands. “MAKE IT STOP!” Little know to the girl, her eye shot open in a flash of light, her scars glowing a sickly red.

***

Her legs hurt and her lungs burned as Raven ran side by side with two other children her age. The white walls of the Zariman seemed to go on forever! “This was a mistake!” one of the children screamed, his voice told her he was male.

“Just run!” Raven shouted. Feeling bold, she turned her head to look over her shoulder. “Ahh!” she screeched loudly in fear. They were right behind her! They were not what they claimed to be! Vicious animals warped by the void.

The third of the group, another young man, spun on his heels. “Go!” he ordered, lifting a handgun and pointing it at the animals. Raven and the second boy rounded a random corner. Gunfire erupted and echoed through the halls of the ship. Okay, this was a bad way to go!

Bodies of the dead and torn open containers littered the hallway. As they ran, Raven slid under a stack of debris while the young boy next to her leapt over it like a vaulter. Behind her, the gunfire stopped and the sounds of rushing air indicated that the third was back in the group.

“Come and play young ones~” one of the animals spoke playfully. Manically

“We promise to be nice~” a second sang. The sound of containers and crates being pushed over and crashing loudly against the floor.

“Fuck you!” the male teen with the gun shouted. Without looking, he held the weapon behind him and blindly opened fire. The pursuing beasts reacted accordingly, ducking and weaving to dodge the rounds that ultimately bounced harmlessly off the walls of the ship and down the hallway.

“Head for the Shack!” the young man ordered in their secret code before reloading his now empty pistol. They needed to alter their course in order to make it to the safe zone, the fastest route now was through the abandoned cafeteria.

“Here!” Raven ordered with a point of her hand. The trio turned right at the nearest intersection.

“We head for the-oof!” the second started before he was tackled to the ground. “AHH! GET OFF! GET OFF GET OFF!” he panicked, flailing from his pinned position.

Both Raven and the second teen came to a sliding stop, the young man leveling his gun. “Gah!” he grunted, the shot going high into the ceiling. Not far behind, Raven was tackled from behind, the breath from her lungs knocked from her form.

The first young man continued to scream out as the figure sat on his chest, a knife in its hand. Tears welled up in his eyes as he attempted to pull free. “Oh, how I love this!” the assailant cheered manically. They raised the weapon over their head and plunged it deep into the young man’s chest.

“Gah! Get off of me, you freak!” the second teen yelled in defiance. Pinned, he held up his left hand and grabbed onto the right wrist of his attacker, the one that held the blade. Raising His right hand, which still held the handgun, and attempted to fire. Both rounds missed when attacker grabbed his right wrist.

As the pair of them struggled over weapons, Raven for her part was sobbing. “Help!” she screamed. A hand grabbed her by the shoulder and flipped her onto her back. Through her sobs, Raven could see the broken blade of a Dax Guard's weapon pointed right for her head. Out of instinct, both of her hands shot up and grabbed the hands that held the handle. With all her strength, she pushed back with everything she had!

But it was all for naught, the blade was getting closer!

She could see the broken and jagged edge with her right eye… there was a bright red flash and all that followed was agony!

***

Celestia was in a panicked sprint, fear coursing through her veins! She was running so fast her wings were even flapping behind her. Not too far behind, Captain Bronze and a squad of his finest were in full gear, their armor clacking with every step, just behind them, Doctor Cross panted to keep up.

All Celestia had heard was that Raven had collapsed and was not responding. The entire group rounded the last corner to where the child laid. That last little bit was the worst for Celestia. “Raven! Sweetie!?” she shouted at the top of her lunges. The mare came to a sliding halt when she rounded the corner.

Nearby, Raven sat propped up against the wall, three female guards kneeled around her, one offering a glass of water. Celestia was gone with a single flap of her wings, knocking her fully armored guards to the floor in a massive dog pile of metal and grunting. The solar princess threw everything she was ever known for right out the window as she shoved two of the helping guards to the side and pulled Raven into a bone crushing hug.

“Mmph!” Raven, for her part, flailed around like a helpless puppy as she was crushed by her mother's bosom. Celestia sobbed into her daughter's hair while Raven continued to suffocate like a dying fish. “Mmm! Mmph!” It took several seconds before she was able to adjust herself and take in a massive gasp of air.

“Are you okay!?” Celestia asked in a very panicked tone as she grabbed Raven’s cheeks with both hands and looked her over. “You’re not hurt, are you?” she continued to panic as she turned Raven’s head to search for any damage.

Cross was there not a second after that, calm as could be. She swapped hands with Celestia and started a small examination. “She doesn’t appear to have hit her head,” she examined, running a hand through Raven’s messy red hair. “Her eye isn’t dilated,” she noted. Cross released the child and placed her arm on her bent knee. “I don’t see anything,” she said, turning to face Celestia.

“What could have caused it!?” Celestia damn near pleaded.

Cross shrugged. “It could be a number of things! Anything from seizures to simple muscle spasms.” the mare sighed. “When it comes to certain issues like this with little to no context, I cannot say what it is for certain. But if it happens again…” she slowly turned her head to look down at the filly. “We will have to run some more tests.”

Raven winced at that.

Nearby, Bronze and his squad had risen to their hooves. The stallion watched the trio before something caught his eye. Covering the floor were several small stones. He found that very odd considering the maids clear the place from roof to floor. Confused, the stallion furrowed his brow, as if searching for the answer, he looked to the ceiling for it.

A flash of light caught his attention. Stepping forward he walked forward and looked to the ceiling. The further he walked, the more his jaw dropped and eyes widened with every step. “Holy mother of the queen's tits…” he cursed. The stallion continued to stare to the ceiling as he stood, dumbfounded.

Cross, leaned to the side to look at the slack jawed stallion that stood not too far away. “Bronze? What's wrong?” she asked. The stallion answered by slowly lifting his right hand and pointing to the ceiling. Both Cross and Celestia followed the finger.

“That… is a really... big hole!”

Both mare’s jaws dropped. A hole, about five feet by five feet… tore through the ceiling of the entryway of the castle, leaving nothing but a large, gaping burnt hole, allowing the early spring sunlight to pour through. Both mare’s heads slowly turned to stare at the child.

A magical surge… all three staring ponies thought in unison.

But little known to them that is exactly not what it appeared to be. Well, Raven had a rough grasp as to what it was, but she had little know how on how to harness this power within her. Focus… that was all she knew. One word would that she would have to learn the true meaning of. One word, that lead an army.

One word…

What did it mean?

***

Raven sighed as she sat at the table of Donut Joe’s donut shop, a simple sugar donut sitting on her plate. Across from her sat Celestia, who just watched her daughter with a saddened look, her two guards stood not too far away, attentive as always. Since the incident, Cross recommended that Raven start school with her magic as soon as possible to prevent another surge from happening.

Except… that wasn’t the issue…

What did all these visions mean? A ship, experiments, voices that seemed so familiar? What did it all mean? Her thoughts drifted back to the vision. She ran a hand across the metal cover over her ruined eye. Was… was that how she lost it? Attacked with what she assumed to be friends and she somehow survived? She had been trying so hard to remember but it was all a haze.

“Sweetie?” Raven was knocked from her thoughts at the mention of her nickname. Lifting her head, she locked eyes with her mother. Celestia sat with her brow furrowed, a concerned look donning her features. “What's up?”

“Uhh…” Graceful as always! Raven shook her head quickly. “Uhm…” unsure of the wording, she pointed at her patch. “Uh… mare. Night.” She shook her hand but continued to point, unsure of the proper word. “Terror?”

“A nightmare?” Celestia questioned. Raven snapped her fingers together in thought before giving up and moving to her little pocket book of translations. She flipped through it quickly before finding the word mentioned.

“Yes!”

Not it was time for Celestia to sigh. Both for the sadness of her child and for her late sister … She quickly scooted out of her seat and swapped sides to sit next to Raven, wrapping an arm and a wing around her. “You had a nightmare?” Raven nodded. “Is that what caused you to pass out?”

Another nod.

Celestia didn’t want to push it, but she needed answers. “Of what?”

Raven's shoulders slumped, not out of sadness, but thought. Why couldn’t everyone just speak Orokin!? “V...vision. Memory,” defeated she moved to her little translation book. “Attacked? And… and…” she flipped through it and pointed to her eye. “Knife, broken.”

Pomp!

Raven lifted her head, but immediately regretted it and started to sink into her seat. Ohhh…. She’s pissed! Celestia was red with rage. Her once great flowing mane was bright orange and alight with magical fire, her beautiful magenta eyes were burning with the fire of a thousand suns. The feathers on her fully extended wings, had seemed to take on a more sinister, sharper, look.

Oh… she was infuriated!

How… could somepony-no! Some demon be so cruel to a child!? She all but screeched in her head. Her loving and caring tone was dripping with blood and hatred. There were a few things that she didn’t tolerate in life. One was when ponies took from her secret stash of secrets (cake), another was insulting her weight, and the last was that you never messed with foals!!!

Her breathing had become a furious panting. Her rage was building and there was only one way she was going to vent it. “Sergeant!” she bellowed in the Royal Canterlot Voice. The stallion’s eyes widened and he took a fearful step backwards, away for the threat that was his boss. “I want an APB out to all the guard!” she ordered, her rage filled gaze turned to the soldier who was in the process of pissing himself. “Find whoever did this and BRING THEM TO ME!”

The stallion, who did not want to even test the boiling waters nodded as fast as his neck would allow and bolted out of the little coffee shop, leaving the other stallion to just sweat and try to find a slip of paper to write his will on. Celestia was almost shaking with anger when her attention moved down to Raven.

She gasped...

Raven was halfway under the table with a look that was one, not of fear, but a ‘fuck that shit I’m out’! She had friend that when he got angry, he broke shit and no one was going to stop him. Didn’t help he was a Rhino with a Fragor and an attitude. Dude tore a Tusk drop ship in half once. It was impressive and slightly terrifying at the same time when she saw the video.

But for Celestia…

Tears welled up in the corner of her eyes and she immediately looked away out of shame. The fire in her eyes and her mane immediately puffed out and died. Twice… twice has her daughter seen the actions and anger of her supposed alter ego, Daybreaker. She had the ‘personality’ as it were, under control, but when certain things came to the light, she couldn’t help herself. “I… I’m sorry!” she blurted, covering her face in shame with both hands.

As the mare sobbed loudly into hands, Raven sat there awkwardly. I have no idea what to do… her eyes searched the area for some sort of answer. She even leaned forward to see if the remaining guard had something, he just gave her a look of ‘keep me the fuck out’! Unsure of what to do, Raven sat up and slowly but awkwardly, leaned forward and wrapped her arms around Celestia’s mid-section.

The mare tensed and did nothing for several seconds when nothing more came, before she removed her left hand. With one eye, she watched Raven smile up at her with this loving, caring, and forgiving smile. “Gone,” Raven said, pointing at her bad eye briefly. “Gone. Dead. No come back!” she lowered her arm and leaned up to rub her cheek against her mother's. “Gone…” she repeated softly.

Celestia’s soured mood was replaced with one of joy as she laughed at the action. “Thank you… sweetie…” She meant it too! It was nice knowing that at least somepony cared, not as a ruler, guards, or noble, but as family!

A pair of ears and a horn poked out from around a doorway behind the counter for a moment before a pair of light blue eyes poke out to see if it was safe. “Oh good! No one is dead!” a cheery, light hearted voice spoke happily. The eyes, ears, and horn disappeared quickly, only to be replaced by a light pink mare with a blonde mane in a pair of jeans, blue sweater and an apron. The mare approached the table where the two girls were still hugging. “Are you two alright? I heard yelling!”

Celestia released Raven and wiped her wet eyes with her wrist. “We’re fine, Sugar. Just some issues with a previous problem,” Celestia vaguely admitted. Once her eyes were clear, she smiled at the smaller mare.

Sugar let out a sigh of relief. “Oh good.” Perking up, she held her hands together and did a little hop. “Is there anything I can get you Tia? Maybe Raven or your guard friend?” she blinked when she saw the one. “Where did the other go?” she asked innocently while searching the diner for him.

Celestia laughed sheepishly at that. “He… needed to deliver something...” The mare coughed quickly and donned her familiar, regal look. “I’ll take six sugar donuts and Raven will…” The mare trailed off when she turned to look at Raven, who was staring down at the donut in her hand, a single bite taken from it. “S-Sweetie?”

Raven slowly lifted her head. By the Void she had never had anything that good! She quickly placed the donut in her mouth and held up all 10 fingers and continued to point at the donut and hold up both hands at the same time. Celestia snorted at the desperate display. “We might as well make it an even dozen.”

Sugar rolled her eyes and giggled. “I’ll make it eleven, ” she said slyly while spinning on her heels and walking away. “You don’t need any more Tia, Notepad’s orders if I remember correctly!” The solar mare groaned at that.

“I do not need a diet!” she protested.

“And your weight was what again the last time you were in here!?” she received in return from the back room. Celestia just groaned again and mumbled something about 'diets' and 'useless'. A few minutes later, Raven had licked her fingers clean and Sugar returned with a bright pink box. In just a few minutes, Celestia paid her tab and left through the door, Raven not to far behind. The guard was right behind them when Sugar stopped him.

“Here,” she said, handing him a donut and a little brown bag. “For your service!” The stallion stared down at the donut and the bag, shocked.

“How much?” he asked.

“On the house for our local Guard,” Sugar replied with a wave when he took the bag and doughy treat. “The other is for your friend and just so you know, all military personnel, whether active or not, get a free cup of coffee and a donut when they come in!” she said happily.

The stallion smiled, thankful for what he does. “Thank you, ma’am!” he said quickly before leaning forward and pecking Sugar on the cheek and bolting out the door. The mare for her part, just giggled and waved as the stallion moved to catch his charge.

Sugar sighed wistfully, “He was nice,” she said before turning to clean some tables, eager to get back to work. Well, at least she was able to keep most of the supply this time. That mare sold them out for a week! "Oh well... at least she's a repeating customer though!"

Outside, Raven had some thinking to do. She needed to put this vision to some use. The sounds she heard in there and the action she performed outside. She had already performed a very simple action of grabbing a glass of water and had done that act few more times afterwards, but that was the extent of her current power. She needed to harness her Void Beam and see what other abilities she seems to hold.

Well… she had plenty of time to perfect it…

Chapter 13

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Chapter 13

“Raven? How are you doing?” The girl in question slowly opened her eye and turned her head to look over her shoulder. From her kneeling position on the floor in the center of her room, she could Bubbles standing in the doorway, a smile upon her lips. Upon seeing the mare, Raven smiled.

“I’m well,” Raven replied, still smiling and rising from her spot on the floor. It was summer in Equestria now, and the mid-afternoon sun lit up the room with a wonderful, bright glow. Perfect for meditation. In recent months, Raven’s vocabulary had expanded substantially. She could now explain and complete sentences much better than before.

So far, life in Equestria was good!

The visions had continued to happen, though. But with them, came learning. All she could piece together, was that at some point in her life, she had been aboard a ship long ago, part of some sort of group of children her age. Along with that, she was part of what she could guess to be an experiment that lead to the Warframe.

And that was all…

On the up side, she had slowly learned how to harness her seemingly growing abilities over the last few months. The energy wave was easy to master. It was rather convenient too, allowing easy grab of objects. The Void Beam had no use other that offensive attacks.

There were other abilities in her visions too, but she couldn’t seem to figure out how to use them. The ability to disappear was one that was going to take a lot of work and meditation. But for now, it was something for a later time, right now she was meeting with her mother! Well... it's not like she didn't see her on a daily basis, quite the opposite. But for the most part, that was limited to evenings and not midday. Rising from her spot, she wiped and straightened her jeans before heading for the door and exiting the room.

“More meditating?” Bubbles asked.

“Yeah,” Raven replied casually. “Need to keep my visions under contru…” she paused to think about the word for a moment. “Cont… contrul… ugh…”

“Con-trol,” Bubbles finished slowly. “Don’t worry though! You’re learning so much faster than most do!” Raven just nodded sagely. It was true that she was learning far faster than she expected. It was amazing she could understand them so well from the start. Perhaps it had to do with that… ‘experiment', or maybe the metal embedded in her face.

Well, whatever the reason, she didn’t question it. The rest of the walk was in casual silence. Within ten minutes, the pair were at the doors to the throne room. The guard to the right of the door stepped forward and bowed slightly before offering Raven the crown he was holding on a pillow. “Princess!” he greeted. Taking the simple metal tiara, she placed it on her head and bowed to the stallion.

It was hard to believe what had come of her. From warrior to royalty… well… royalty of a pony princess. Eh, she could be dead. Shrugging internally, the guards reached over and opened the doors and Bubbles said her goodbye before heading off in a random direction. Raven entered the massive throne room and immediately headed for the dais. Thankfully, she would not be holding the throne anytime soon, she could lead… a team of four, not an entire nation that still has a hit or miss record with her existence and recent come to power.

Some hated her simply for what she was and how she was not ‘from a proper suitor’ or ‘pure of blood’ as most nobles liked to call it. Others did their best to get in her good graces. Many offered their young sons as a suitor while others played nice to get what they wanted. Those were nothing but power plays.

It was a rare few that actually cared.

Foals and teen fillies did their best to look like her. The latest fashion magazines showed how apparently ‘eye patches are all the rage’! The metallic eye patch that Raven wore and the scar surrounding it became a teen hit.

It also lead to more accidents with stairs and flying.

Yeah, depth perception is kind of important when you have two eyes.

The eye patch didn’t last long in the fashion industry, but the scar and her hair style stayed. Hard to believe I became this popular, Raven thought. As it looked, her fighting days were long gone, replaced with a life of luxury. A semi-simpler lifestyle. It was nice.

Once Raven reached the bottom of the dais, she placed her hands behind her back and waited. Her eye wandered up to the three points of the small tiara that sat atop her head. Just a horseshoe type wrap that ended in three points on each end, very simple and rather powerful. Made a statement of ‘yeah, I am very important, but don’t flaunt it,’ while also saying, ‘I hold the power and you do not mess with my power’.

Up above, Celestia could see Raven waiting patiently, knowing that, the mare quickly wrapped up her discussion with Notepad. Nearby, Notepad's daughter Raven Inkwell, stood nearby, a clipboard full of notes in one hand and an eager look of learning upon her face. With a curt nod, Notepad agreed to her latest task and motioned for her daughter to follow. The pair turned to face human Raven, gave a bow, turned to Celestia and bowed before turning and disappearing behind the curtains that hung behind the raised dais.

Standing, Celestia held her arms over her head and stretched, her back popping in several places. “Ugh…” she groaned, exhausted. Life for her just never slowed down. Reaching up, she grabbed her tiara and unceremoniously dropped it on her throne, where it *tinked* loudly as it landed. “Finally! I can just sit back and relax for a few days…” Her attention moved to her waiting daughter, a loving and excited smile creeping onto her muzzle. Whatever it was, Raven always brought a smile to the old matriarch. “Finally, ready for some mother daughter bonding?”

Raven returned the smile with one of her own and reached up to remove the tiara. With a flick of her wrist, it sailed like a frisbee before *clacking* off the back of the throne and onto the seat next to the other tiara. “Yep!”

Celestia merely giggled at the action. “After holding power for a thousand years, it’s rare I get time to relax with the ones I love. Come! Cadance will meet with us later!” With a little pep in her step, Celestia was down the steps and leading the way towards the doors.

Within 15 minutes both mare and human were in Celestia’s personal royal bath. Unfortunately, even after several months of getting accustomed to her new self, Raven was still getting used to her new body as it were. Celestia, for her part, felt comfortable in her own fur. She entered the steaming room that held the massive bath in all her naked glory and not a single care in the world. The bath was private for a reason. She continued forward and didn’t hesitate to enter the bath and just sink. Her wings going limp as the heat of the bath attacked the pain in her sore muscles.

Raven was a little more reserved in her dark blue bathrobe. She removed it with little thought though, not like she was going to be judged by anyone and at this point, and Celestia had seen her nude multiple times now. As she hung her robe on one of the many hooks near the door, she looked down at her smaller form, the scars of experiments long past revealed. The scar under her arm was the only one she knew that had a story. The rest that lined her abdomen were a mystery.

Avoiding meditating on something that would lead to a brick wall, she turned and entered the bath with a sigh of relief. The naked pair sat in the warm water in content silence for some time, simply enjoying both their company and the feeling of warm water on sore muscles.

“So how are your meditations going?”

Raven didn’t realize that she had closed her eye. Opening it, she lifted her head from where it rested on the towel at the edge of the bath. Raven blinked once and wiped her eye with a wet hand, which didn’t seem to help at all. “Good,” she replied while still wiping her eye. After several seconds, she got it reasonably dry. “I’m still struggling with what some of the visions meaning… mean.”

That was also a slap in the face, how mature Raven seemed to be. She was smart to, solving complex math equations with ease. The only places she lacked in were history and magic. But that would be addressed on the fall. “Anything on further magic use?” Celestia inquired.

Raven sighed. “No… well… yes and no,” she answered, pushing off the edge of the bath and further towards the center, floating listlessly in the deeper center. “I can see… abilities?” Celestia nodded, smiling at the correct pronunciation of the word. “Teleportation and cloak is all I got.”

Celestia hummed in response. So, a temporary invisibility spell and winking, or teleportation spell? Rather difficult for a filly Raven’s age. Pushing off from her spot, Celestia joined Raven out in the deeper part of the bath and gently took the girl into her arms, holding her close as she used her wings to keep them afloat. “You will figure them out in time… and perhaps one day become a great mage!”

Everything seemed to stack up to exactly that. Raven’s magic didn’t show any forms of the ‘mancy teachings, strictly supportive roles. Although that beam, which over time had become smaller and finer with the burning of excess energy, was a formidable weapon. The two started to spin lazily in the water.

Celestia rested her chin on the top of Raven’s wet head. With both arms wrapped around her chest and her arms too, all the child could do was relax into her mother’s bare chest. I wonder how similar I will turn out as I age? More in the form of her body's aging process. Considering that there was a very similar visual build to that of a human’s back in the Origin System, perhaps she would fill out as it were?

Only time would tell… literally.

Both were so lost in thought, they didn’t hear the door open until it had been closed behind them. Celestia lifted her chin, slightly surprised and released Raven, only to calm down when she turned to see Cadance enter the bathroom in all her naked glory. Both females in the bath smiled welcomingly as she slowly entered the water herself. “Finally… made it!”

Cadance settled herself into the bath and closed her eyes contently. Deciding to finish their talk later, Celestia moved back to the edge of the bath and opened a wing and started preening it, plucking and adjusting feathers as needed. Cadance laid her head back and relaxed to the best of her ability.

Silence permitted throughout the room.

This is a perfect time to get back at Cadance for that cream cheese thing last month…

A devilish grin slowly formed on Raven's lips. “Cadance?” she asked, causing the teenage mare to open her eyes and lift her head. “When was the baby due again?”

Celestia’s head snapped so hard to her left, Raven swore she heard a whip crack. “WHAT!?”

***

“You are so dead,” Cadence grumbled as she walked side by side with cousin, rubbing her still stinging bottom. Next to her, Raven was struggling not to burst out laughing.

“Payback sucks, huh?” Raven asked between giggles. Oh, that was perfect! Celestia wasted no time by grabbing the begging teen princess and bending her over her knee and spanking her bare wet bottom. Raven was going to remember that smacking and begging for a very long time!

It wasn’t until Cadance was forced to do an unwanted pregnancy test that came back negative that Celestia finally apologized. It was a good prank though, if the princesses had to admit it. Had Celestia convinced, that’s for sure. To add more insult to injury, the timing fit too, because the spring heat was not too long ago and, as explained to Raven, meant that it was far enough into summer to check for pregnancies.

Boy, that heat was something though.

***

Raven wandered the seemingly dead halls of the castle. The only guards that held posts were mares, not stallions. When the season was only a few days away, everything had been explained in somewhat broad detail to Raven as to why just about every male in the castle staff were gone. Since apparently only that mares go into serious heat -for some strange reason- and they tend to be very moody and miserable and often spend time at home or beg their husbands and coltfriends for help. The young girl didn’t know much other than to use the word ‘reproduction’. Not quite sure how that work in general for ponies, or humans like herself.

Court had been cancelled for two weeks to accommodate for the spring heat season, making the castle seem even more dead than usual. Even though she seemed to be that age, or right around it at least, Raven wasn’t showing signs of heat. Then again, there was nothing to go off to compare her to.

There was one problem though.

“Gah!” Raven yelped as she was suddenly lifted into the air with a spin.

“How’s my baby girl doing!?” said girl heard her mother say above and behind her. Raven couldn’t respond as the top of her head was being smothered by her mother's face as she rubbed her cheek around Raven’s hair. “Ready to break-break!?”

“Uh… you mean breakfast?” Raven asked for clarification.

“That’s what I said baby!”

Yeah, so little know fun fact about alicorns and heat. When a mature alicorn such as Celestia goes into heat, her cycle is radically different from that of any other mares. Every ten years Celestia goes into a massive, very painful reproductive heat that stallions tell to scare their friends around the campfire.

Every other year though?

Celestia becomes extremely clingy and her, quote unquote, motherly side shows -for some odd reason that even she can't explain. Because she has refused to bear a child over the years, all that 'supposed' magic must go somewhere. Generally, it’s on the smallest, foal looking stallion or mare. Or she just goes to visit the orphanage a little more than usual.

This time, it was dumped all on Raven…

***

That was something for sure!

Where were they headed anyway?

In front of the pair of girls, Celestia led the trio dutifully. Rounding one final corner, the elder mare led the girls out of the castle and into the outdoor training grounds of the Royal Guard. They were empty at the current moment, leaving the three females alone for the current time being.

Confused, both Raven and Cadance searched the surrounding area for an answer. “The training grounds?” Cadance questioned. “What are we doing here?”

Celestia came to a stop not too far ahead, but didn’t say anything for several seconds. Both Raven and Cadance came to a stop themselves and shared a confused glance. After a short while, Celestia slowly turned around and held out a hand. “Raven, I believe that this is yours?”

Cadance glanced at the metallic object in her aunt's hand before she glanced down at Raven. Oh… so that’s where that went. Raven thought. In her mother’s hand, sat the still intact Lato pistol she had grabbed so long ago. Ordis…

“I have been examining this weapon ever since I got it,” Celestia admitted. “I want you to show me what it can do.” Raven’s eye continued to look up at the face of her mother then down to the weapon for several seconds.

Could she? Could she take up arms after such a time of peace?

I made an oath…

Swallowing the lump in her through, Raven stepped forward and with a shaky hand, reached out and took the weapon. There was no going back now. Several targets were set up not too far away, designed for the crossbow/spear range. Raven turned to face the targets, but hesitated. She lacked ammo…

A light *tinking* sound nearby grabbed her attention. Several magazines floated nearby in a gold aura. Raven glanced at her mother's horn before lifting a hand and taking the mags, dissipating the aura. She shoved them in her pocket and faced the targets fully once again. She pressed the mag release with her thumb and let the magazine in the gun drop into her left hand.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath…

Raven slammed the mag home and racked the slide with utmost speed and precision and took aim. Visions of a taller body and armored arms came forward. She was fighting grineer specters to prove herself to the Lotus…

Two gunshots rang out.

Both hit the target right in the head. Cadance snapped both hands to her ears and winced, not prepared for the loud crack of the pistol. Next to her, Celestia's horn glow dissipated as she finished casting her deafening spell. Raven snapped the next target and fires two more rounds, both stuck the head yet again. She went down the line, each target hit with two killing shots to the head. When she went dry on the last target she dropped the empty mag from the gun and pulled a fresh one from her pocket, slamming it in and racking the gun.

She went back down the line.

Keep going!

The Lotus spoke out to Raven. She had to finish the mission! Celestia blinked in shock when Raven spun and started running down the course. Cadance and Celestia shared a confusing glance before bolting from their spots, chasing after their third party.

Gunfire rang out as target after target recoiled slightly, prices of straw exploding out the back as the hollow point rounds tore out the back. Raven ran in between two lines of targets designed to simulate being flanked from both sides, each one received a round to the head. She continued to charged headlong as she climbed over a wooden wall, landing in a crouched position. She fired at two more, killing them, then bolted not long afterwards.

Celestia and Cadance hovered up above, confused just as much as they were nervous.

Raven continued this action for several more seconds. Firing at several targets and each side of her while she ran head first at a lone one directly in front of her. With her mags running dry, she couldn't afford to double-tap. Each target dropped dead from the rounds with every shot. Each foot step brought her closer to her intended target.

Raven saw a flash of red…

She tackled the final target, rolling on the ground once before pinning it under her with her knee. She held the gun at the figures head and unloaded the last of the rounds into his head.

“Raven!”

The girl panted heavily. “Finally!” She grabbed Stalker by his broken and bleeding helmet. “I hope you rot you son of a bitch!” she screamed at his dead corpse.

“Raven!?” A hand grabbed her by the wrist. Lifting her head, she saw the concerned look of the Lotus… before it faded to reveal Celestia’s even more concerned look.

What… what happened to her frame? Stalker and the Grineer?

And was she crying?

A tear rolled down the child's cheek as she slowly turned to look at the straw dummy pinned underneath her.

What…

What happened?

The gun clattered on the ground as Raven rose to her feet and immediate ran for the castle. Cadance lifted a hand and tried to stop her, but was shoved aside as Raven ran by…

"Auntie?" she asked, as Raven disappeared around a corner and into the castle.

***

Celestia stood outside of her daughter's room, Cadance right next to her. “What do you think happened?” Cadance asked nervously. She knew about what her cousin had been experiencing, and it made her nervous and equally concerned.

Celestia closed her eyes and let out a tired sigh. “Probably another flashback…” This one seemed a little more intense than the others. Gods above… how Celestia wished that they would just end. This flashback really had to have really hit home from what Celestia observed. Perhaps a friend or a family member? Celestia knew that pained look.

The grabbed the handle to the room and pushed, only to have herself push up against the door. Locked. The mare ignited her horn and quickly unlocked the door and stepped inside. As she entered the room was pitch black, the lights off and dark curtains pulled shut. Celestia clapped twice and the lamp next to the bed ignited, causing the lump on the bed to jolt and curl up.

The two mares shared a concerned glance before Celestia approached the bed and took a seat. The bounce from her form caused the lump to move again. Celestia sighed and placed a hand on where she assumed Raven's side would be and started to rub it gently, comfortingly.

“I've seen that look to many times in my life,” the mare admitted. “That look of revenge after you have lost somepony very close to you…”

Under the blanket, Raven was listening silently. How did she know?

“Back when I was a filly,” Celestia continued through a story. “I had friends, and even myself at times, lost those close to us quite often. Whether it was war, raids, or animals, the pain… the, revenge… was tough. It was hard not to act on it.” The mare sighed a sad sigh. “But many did…” she stopped rubbing her daughter's side and reached up to remove the blanket, revealing Raven's messy hair.

“Honey, I know it has been tough. But please, remember them for who they were, and not by how they died…”

The room stayed silent for several seconds before Raven moved, rustling the sheets. She sat up and propped herself against the backboard, head hung low as tears rolled down her face.

By the void, what was wrong with her?

“Ordis…” Raven said softly, causing both mares ears to twitch. “His name was Ordis…”

Cadance took a seat in a nearby chair while Celestia placed a comforting hand on Ravens covered knee. “You two must have been very close?” Cadance asked softly.

Very. “He was my… aid.” It was going to be hard and probably impossible to convince these two that Ordis was a highly advanced cephalon A.I. that controlled a spaceship. How was she supposed to explain that anyway? This planet is decades behind the Origin System. Advanced technology such as what she was used to was nonexistent.

Might as well make a story out of it...

As the three girls continued to converse late into the night, telling stories of friends, family, and the ones they loved, a storm started to for over the city of Canterlot. Thunder boomed and lightning cracked overhead. As the storm raged on throughout the night, the three girls, and even the castle staff and guard failed to notice the large golden portal tear open in the castle gardens.

Golden lightning crackled and sparked as it singed the grass and obliterated a nearby statue. It lasted for several seconds before a body view through, landing face first in the wet grass. He laid lifeless, unmoving as the pouring rain splashed against his back and the garden grounds.

As the portal started to close, two strange weapons and a sword fell out, clanging against the ground as they landed. As the portal closed in on itself, it disappeared in a flash, leaving nothing behind but the scorched ground. Just above, a laughing statue watched on silently.

Chapter 14

View Online

Chapter 14

It was strange coming to terms with what she had lost. Both Celestia and Cadence were very understanding and caring, listening through the few stories Raven did tell. It was amazing that Raven could skirt around the fact that she was an alien. That in itself was truly amazing, but how long was that little lie, or lack thereof, going to last? Yet another thing for a later date...

But as of right now, that was some storm last night though.

At least it passed without incident. Well… mostly without incident. Leaves littered the streets, and a tree or two had fallen, but no one was injured. But on the bright side, Celestia did let Raven sleep in a little longer than usual. It was also nice that mare was willing to get Raven up this time instead of one of the maids. Once Raven was dressed and teeth brushed -much to her chagrin- the duo headed for breakfast. The pair walked in content silence down the halls of the brightly lit castle.

As they rounded one of the many corners of the castle, the pair froze in their tracks. Celestia wasted no time in grabbing Raven and lifting her into the air with her magic as a stretcher and several medical personnel rolled by.

One mare sat on top of the body, both hands pushed firm onto the figures armored chest. “Come on!” she screamed as she continued her compressions. “I got no pulse here!”

“I still can't find an opening!” another mare screamed as she held a needle and an I.V. bag as she ran alongside the stretcher.

“Move!” the only stallion in the group ordered as he pushed the stretcher. “We need to get him to the E.R. NOW!”

Raven, who was still hovering, looked towards her mother, before back towards the group that had recently ran by. Both stood in shock as they watched the group of medical ponies continue down the hall and around a corner. “Should we… investi…” Raven started before she was unable to speak the last word.

Celestia nodded her head and wasted little time in jogging towards the medical bay. Raven for her part, just hung out… literally. The pair continued to follow the group of panicked medical personnel. All the two could see were the bright white boots of the soldier as they followed. The group of medical ponies and two princesses rounded corner after corner before entering the medical wing.

“What is going on?” Celestia demanded as she put Raven back on her feet, who started to unwrinkle her shirt and pants. Nearby, one of the many nurses stepped away and turned to face the pair.

“Your majesty’” she bowed. “A guard found this Minotaur in the gardens! He was unresponsive and not breathing. We started CPR, but he still isn’t responding!”

Nearby, Raven turned her gaze away from the two older women and towards the still working team. Below the mare on the soldier's chest, she could see the smooth, bright armor underneath. It was purple and white in color. A pair of massive horns rested atop his head. But she had a feeling she could not shake.

“Frost…”

It was very familiar. Way to familiar. She had known it long enough. Both the nurse and Celestia stopped talking as they turned towards the child as Raven walked her way towards the bed. Like a friend, a long-lost lover. She could hear it…

She could feel it…

Together… as one. The lucid dream.

Margulis.

“Sweetie-” one nurse started as she took a step to grab the child. With a push of her hand, Raven lifted and moved the mare back several feet, much to the mares surprise. With another gesture, she gently removed the mare on the figure's chest and placed her on the floor, much to her surprise too. Once she was next to the bed, the child held up a hand. She curled her fingers as the energy within her started to move. A massive white orb manifested in her open palm.

Everyone watched in bewildering awe at the child. Raven’s gaze moved back towards the figure. “Together as one,” she spoke in Orokin. “Welcome home… Frost.” She slapped her open palm on the figure's chest. Raven's eye rolled up into her head as she fell limp on top of the figure.

“Raven!?”

Before Celestia could even move, the soldier's right hand twitched. Slowly, his limp body started to move. Carefully, he lifted his head and wrapped a caring arm around the child. He adjusted her accordingly so he could sit up and cradle the child in his arms. Holding her bridal style, he let his massive armored legs hang over the side of the bed. Every medical technician in the room watched in awe as he was seemingly brought back to life. Celestia, however, was furious.

“You son of a- give my daughter back!” she demanded. Her horn ignited and her hands flared with magical energy as she took a hate filled step towards the pair. The figure held a calm hand up, stopping the mare. His massive armored head slowly turned around the room. The cold stare and faceless helmet bore fear into everypony in the room. As he came to an end, his gaze fell towards the child in his arms. He ran a hand through her hair and examined her for carefully. He slowly lifted his head towards the eldest mare in the room not long after. Celestia’s gaze bore down on him. “What did you do to her!?”

Slowly, he lifted a hand and pointed towards the child's head, then up to his. “Hello, mother…” the man spoke, in a strange, robotic voice. The mare's eyes widened at the sound. Celestia couldn’t comprehend what she was hearing and seeing as her jaw bounced up and down lightly.

The figure rose from the bed and stood in front of the still gawking mare. As he stood, his massive horns had several inches on Celestia, causing him to tower over her like a giant. Everypony in the room suddenly felt smaller. One mare, near the figure, felt a chill as the air temperature seemed to drop. “Perhaps… my room be best?” the man asked.

All the medical personnel were dumbfounded. Here they were, doing everything they could to save this guy’s life, and Raven walks in and brings him back like nothing! All the medical personnel stepped back in shock as he took his first steps, heading for the door. Once he reached it, he turned back and motion with his head for Celestia to follow before leaving down the hallway.

***

Frost sat down on Raven’s bed before it fell backwards with a thump, the girl disconnecting herself from the warframe by lifting her hand away. With a groan, Raven sat in his lap, holding her aching head. On her way back, she remembered something. A room, in her ship. That memory lead to another, the somatic link. She was going to need that to pilot this frame!

How the hell was she to make one of those!?

Opening her eye, she lowered her hand and turned to face the warframe. Through the link she had, she knew he was a Frost, and a prime at that. This one was a custom skinned frame, dawned in the Frost Harka Skin. His primary color was white in nature, while his chest, and tunic were light purple in color, accented with a dark grey.

Pressing her hands against his chest, making sure to avoid channeling her energy, Raven easily noticed the white and black Gazal Chest piece, and a pair Foros arm guards with diamond Shekaras. Looking lower, she saw a matching set of Foros leg guards, and a bright purple cloak hanging from his shoulders.

To top it all off, he wore a sigil to the left of the chest piece on his abdomen that Raven didn’t recognize.

“Raven!?” The girl lifted her head and looked over her shoulder. A concerned Celestia stood in the doorway before rushing in and grabbing the child and hauling her away.

“Ah! Oof! Mom!” she protested as she was dragged to the door.

“Stay away from that thing!” Celestia protested.

Oh, like hell it was…

“Mom… mom… MOM! PUT ME DOWN!” Raven shouted at the top of her lungs, wiggling enough for Celestia to drop her and stumble. “Stop!” Taking a firm stance, Raven stood in her room while a still nervous Celestia stood in the hall.

Shocked and slightly confused how Raven got out of her god-like grip, Celestia turned to face her daughter. “Raven, what are you doing!? That thing is-”

“Armor!”

Celestia blinked once, then twice. “Excuse me?”

“Armor!” Raven repeated. “It’s armor.” She turned to face the limp form that sat on her bed. Celestia honestly waited for that suit of armor to rise to its feet and fight. It… gave off a very bad vibe… and energy reading. The mare could sense the energy coming from it. It felt… cold…

Like dark magic cold…

***

“What did you want to ask me, Princess?” Captain Bronze asked as he followed Celestia through the halls of the Castle. He was still rather confused and worried as to why the princess pulled him away from some rather important paperwork and cadet training. She had this air of nervousness that he could sense.

He did not like it at all!

The mare continued to stay silent as they rounded a corner and towards the princess’s personal chambers. She wasted little time in opening the doors, leaving Bronze to salute the two confused guards at each side of said doors. As soon as the stallion stepped through, the doors slammed shut, startling the military stallion.

Now he was really wishing he had his sword.

“...Princess?”

Celestia disappeared into another room. Bronze, still confused and worried, slowly reached back and pulled a dagger from the back of his belt. Following cautiously, the dagger hidden in his grasp, the stallion stepped into the other room, which was the princess’s personal study. “Captain,” Celestia suddenly said, spinning to face the stallion. “I… I need help…” she pleaded.

The stallion recoiled back like he had just been slapped. “What?”

“I need help!” Celestia repeated, with a look of worry upon her features.

Confused, the stallion glanced to the side, expecting somepony to jump out and yell ‘surprise’! Feeling a sense of calm, he sheathed the dagger and stepped forward. “With what, if I may be so bold to ask?”

Celestia opened her mouth, but no words came. Turning around, she grabbed a pair of doors behind her and opened them abruptly. Inside, stood the suit of armor from earlier. It took a lot of convincing, and equal amounts of yelling before Celestia finally confiscated it from her daughter. This… this suit just felt wrong…

It had to be contained.

Confused, Bronze’s brow furrowed while he turned his head, confused. “A suit of armor?” he questioned, stepping forward to take a closer look. As he examined it, it was indeed a suit of armor. Now that he thought about it, he did hear about a minotaur being taken to the infirmary?

“This suit was found early this morning by one of the castle staff,” Celestia explained. “It was thought to be a medical emergency until Raven walked in and made it work. That was when she explained that it was a suit of armor and not a living being like we thought.”

“Okay… I’m still lost here,” the stallion honestly admitted. “It’s a suit of armor… they’re generally made of steel. Of all the ponies in the world, you would be one of the many that would know that!”

Celestia sighed. “Yes… I would… until these were brought to me.” The mare stepped forward and reached in the closet, pulling a rather large spear, a metallic rectangle, and a sword out. Stepping to the side, she placed them on a nearby desk “I was hoping you could help me.”

The stallion stepped forward and grabbed the black and red spear. “Holy crap… this thing is way too heavy to be a spear!” he said, lifting the metallic throwing weapon. “Why does it need this many spikes?” he asked no one in particular, examining the massive spiked head. Placing it down not long afterwards, he grabbed the jet black rectangle. “I have no clue what this is.” Placing it back down, he grabbed the sword, the tassel on the end of the handle swaying with each movement.

A chill ran up his spine.

Did… did the temperature just drop a little? “This is a rather well-crafted blade. But I don’t see how-OW!” he shouted in pain, shaking his hand vigorously. That… that wasn’t an enchanted blade! “This… this thing is made of ice!” he shouted. No wonder it was so cold! The blade was solid ice! “That is impressive…”

Celestia was just as interested as he was, but stayed silent while he examined the weapons. Placing the sword down, he grabbed the spear yet again. Deciding to examine the other end, he held it close, trying to figure out what the two cylinders at the front where used for. As he adjusted his hand, he inadvertently placed it on the trigger of the weapon.

Firing a blazing ball of fire.

“SHIT!” he shouted, recoiling back as the ball of flame singed his eyebrows, the fireball exploded when it impacted against the wall, above a shelf of books. Celestia was about to smother the flames with her magic, but the embers died out before they hit the ground. The scorch mark was not going away anytime soon though. Both stallion and mare were now very concerned.

Dumbfounded, Bronze stared at the mark on the wall before down at the weapon in his hands. Gently, very gently, he placed the weapon down on the desk. Okay… well… both ponies know now that was definitely not a spear. He held up a hand and pointed a finger at the three weapons. “I’m not going to even touch that box!” he said nervously, pointing at the metal box.

The two stood in silence for some time, staring at the weapons, expecting them to jump up and bite them. “Let's examine the armor!” Bronze suggested after some time of just awkward silence.

“Agreed,” Celestia agreed. As the pair stepped forward, they each grabbed a hand and started to pull. As soon as their hands connected, both felt a shock travel up their spines, their eyes shooting wide open.

***

Both Bronze and Celestia groaned as they sat up, said ponies aching from head to hoof. Bronze was the first to rise, ignoring ho throbbing head and horn. Rushing over, he grabbed the princess and helped her to her hooves. As soon as the pair stood, Bronze gave her a thumb up before they started to examine their surroundings.

And it was not the castle…

They were in a white room. No matter where the duo searched, all they saw was white. They didn’t even appear to be standing on anything! It was just… white. Bronze gulped nervously. With a shaky hand, he reached for that dagger a second time.

There was a hiss behind them…

Bronze rapidly drew his blade and spun on his heels, making sure to put himself between the princess and whatever was behind them! Holding the blade at the ready, he took his defensive stance and ignited his horn.

They saw nothing…

Another hiss to their right caused them to turn that direction, once again to see nothing but the white abyss. “Show yourself!?” Bronze shouted into the witness. The temperature dropped…

And it tanked fast.

Both started to shiver violently as wisps of fog escaped their muzzles. Shaking violently, Bronze turned to face the princess. With a nod, both knew they had to find some sort of shelter and fast! As Bronze turned to face forward, he came face to face with a helmet. With a yelp of surprise, the stallion swung his blade.

A hand grabbed his wrist, stopping the attack. Another came up and forcefully pulled the dagger from his grasp and threw it like a cheap piece of scrap metal. Disarmed, out of reflex, Bronze punched the figure in the side of the head. The man’s helmet recoiled slightly, but did little to deter him.

“You are not the operator,” the suit said, lifting the stallion off his hooves and throwing him with a yelp. Bronze sailed several feet before he landed violently with a tumble.

“Bronze!” Celestia shouted, concern for her friend very clear. Her concern turned to anger as her horn ignited. She lifted a hand, throwing a massive fireball. It impacted center mass, exploding a plume of smoke. When nothing happened for several seconds, Celestia turned her attention to Bronze, who was propping himself up on his elbows.

A hand grabbed the mare by the throat!

“Gak!” she choked as she was lifted into the air, her legs kicking in all directions and wings flapping furiously. Bronze gasped at the sight of his friend being lifted into the air by something that was not there just seconds ago!

“You are not the operator!” the suit hissed angrily. “Only those who are worthy are allowed in this sacred place!”

Bronze wasted little in rising to his hooves. In a fit of rage, he charged the suit. The stallion shouted at the top of his lungs, daring the suit to try and fight back! If the princess died today, he would fail as not only Captain of The Royal Guard, but as a friend. The stallion ignited his horn and used every ounce of mana he had and pushed it to his right hand. With a mighty leap, he held his fist high.

He was frozen solid several feet from his target…

Celestia could only watch in horror as Bronze’s frozen form shattered against the ground in hundreds of tiny pieces. The suit lowered his hand, the very one that fired the ice ball and turned to face the mare in his grasp. With a jerk, he pulled her face close to his helmet. “You are not the operator!” he shouted into her face, shaking her slightly. “You! Are! Not! WORTHY!”

Celestia screamed out in utter agony as she felt she neck start to freeze. The pain was so unbearable! She could feel the very water in her cells freezing! The pain spread slowly down her form, she felt every ice crystal form in her blood, skin, and muscles. Oh, how she would just rather die now!

Just before her face froze solid, all she could do was stare into that cold, dead helmet. “Bring me the operator!” he demanded, before she finally froze solid, her screams going deathly silent. Lifting the mare high, he smashed her frozen body into the ground, shattering it like glass.

***

Both Bronze and Celestia were thrown from the suit in a violent electrical explosion. Celestia smashed into a bookshelf, shattering the shelves and sending books flying in all directions, many landing on top of herself. Bronze crashed back first into the desk that still held the weapons, sending they flying as she smashed the desk in two. Dazed, Celestia lifted her spinning head, her blurry vision left her very dazed and confused as to where she was. Bronze held up his burning hand by the wrist as shouted in agony, staring at the singed fur and burned skin.

Not from the heat, but from the severe cold!

The doors to the room slammed open as the two guards from outside rushed in. Both were in a state of utter horror once they entered the study. One immediately started to tend to Bronze, who was closest to the door, while the other rushed to Celestia’s side. As her vision started to clear, she ignored the stallion’s questions he was asking, her only focus being the suit of armor that sat several feet in front of her. No… that was no suit…

It was alive!

She watched in horror as its right hand slowly clenched into a fist before relaxing yet again.

Chapter 15

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Chapter 15

Raven sighed loudly as she stood still, arms and legs spread wide, and mostly nude, save her panties. Nearby, a white unicorn mare with a pink mane was hunched over, a tape measure in her hands. “Everything alright dear?” the mare asked in a prominent Prench accent. Finished, the mare took a step back and held the tape in one hand and the other to her chin, examining the girl in front of her.

Raven stood there stock still, but thought about what she was just asked nonetheless. “No… I mean yes! Wait…” Oh great, now she was confused. What she did know was that she was still pissed at her mother for confiscating what might as well be hers! Frost and her weapons were taken because they were deemed ‘extremely dangerous’, by her mother.

Not when you know what the hell you are doing!

“Fleur!?” another female voice called from another room. “How is it coming!?” the voice asked as a bright yellow unicorn mare with a white mane and tail entered the room, in a long, baby blue dress. “Do you have the princess’s measurements yet?” She came to a stop next to the young teen mare.

“I just finished!” Fleur answered proudly.

Robe Élite et Tux was the premiere place to get anything and everything clothing wise in Canterlot. Owned by famous Prench designer Honey Dew. Unfortunately, in her anger this morning, Raven didn’t say anything to her mother at breakfast, grabbed an apple and left the castle -with guards, of course.

Bored, and still not wanting to go back to the castle, the human princess went and decided to look around Canterlot and after a few hours of going to different shops, she eventually ended up where she was now. Deciding to actually get something of her own, she might as well start with an outfit.

Because why not?

After a short design process and decision process, both Raven and Honey came to an agreement. It was rather strange then what the fashion mare was used to, but she was willing to anything for royalty!

And Fleur nearly had a heart attack when Princess Raven and two guards entered the building. After being forced into the next room to and having to calm down by Honey Dew, the young apprentice mare was able to come back and start on measurements. The young mare had only seen the young princess once from very far away…

And now she was designing clothing for her!!!

“We will have this done as soon as we can,” Honey said to the princess as she stepped down from the pedestal she was standing on. While she started to get dressed, the two mares started to converse on how to go at the design.

At the front of the store, the little bell above the door jingled as a young, well dressed stallion entered the building. He adjusted his glasses and ran a hand through his light blue mane to straighten it. In the back, Raven was fully dressed and ready to leave with her guards while Fleur left to see who had entered. A loud gasp followed by a male sounding ‘omph’ and kissing noises indicted that Fleur had just found her coltfriend.

“Ignore her,” Honey said to Raven as she approached, confused by the sounds of kissing coming from the front of the store, her guards stood a few feet away. “We will have your outfit sent to the castle post-haste!”

Raven smiled her thanks. “Thank you, Miss Honey,” she thanked with a bow. “It was a pleasure to meet you!”

Honey smiled and returned the thanks with a bow of her own. “Thank you princess. It is quite the honor.” As the two parted with a wave. Raven exited the back and into the main entryway.

Fleur released her coltfriend from her bone crushing hug. The young stallion, in the most gentlecoltly way, graciously sucked in as much air as he could. “I say darling. We must work on that hug of yours!” His attention quickly moved to the other three occupants of the room, his eyes widening. “Princess Raven!” he politely greeted with a bow. “Had I known you would be visiting my darling fillyfriends shop, I would have dressed a little more properly!”

Confused, Raven raised an eyebrow. He… he was already in a fancy tux.

The stallion smiled a wry smile. “‘Tis a joke princess,” he stated, causing Raven to snort a laugh and hold a hand to her mouth. “Names Fancy Pants, princess,” he greeted with a light bow.

“Raven,” she greeted back with a bow of her own. “So, Fleur is your fillyfriend?” she asked the stallion, looking at the mare holding happily to his arm. At the mare’s nod, Raven glanced back at the stallion with a smile. “I was just getting a new outfit and this place looked rather nice!”

Fancy smiled happily at the princess’s decision. “Princess, I know you may be busy, but if you have the time,” the young stallion reached into his jacket with his free hand and pulled out a business card and offered it to Raven. “But if you do, please stop by my shop. It would be an honor!”

Taking the card, Raven glanced at it briefly before shoving it in her pocket. “I’ll… try,” she admitted. That was if she wasn’t grounded first. The trio said their goodbyes and Raven left with her guards. As they wandered the streets of Canterlot, many ponies bowed to their young leader while others lifted their noses out of disgust. More than once fillies would run up and beg for an autograph or a picture.

That brightened Ravens mood rather quickly.

It had been several hours since she left the castle and that apple only went so far. Feeling rather hungry, the princess and her guard entered the restaurant district of the city. Sign after sign and building after building lined the packed streets of the district. Each place looked more expensive with each step.

Raven knew how these places operated.

After accompanying her mother more than once to visit with nobles at these fancy places, she knew how they worked. Basically, high prices and little food. There was a reason that when it came to food, the young girl often preferred the fast food places in the expansive city. Great meals, for a cheap price.

As Raven tried to decide -and tried to ignore her rumbling stomach- she ended up glancing down a random ally. But she came to a stop when she notices a sign saying, ‘Tasty Treat’. Having failed to remember the name, the young princess headed towards the front door.

A little bell jingled above the door as she entered. The smell of spices and herbs immediately graced her nose. And by the void it smelled amazing! The place had a foreign look that Raven couldn’t place. Bright colors and hanging fabric from the ceiling were a complete 180 from what most places in the district even remotely looked like. Pictures of animals and scenic backgrounds hung above the booths.

I like it!

A young orange unicorn mare entered from the back. “Hello and welcome to Tasty Treats! How may I- PRINCESS!?” The young teen mare, in her surprise, threw the menus she was holding high into the air as she dropped to a bow, shaking nervously.

Both the guards glanced at each other in confusion. Raven sighed silently and closed her eyes. She was getting rather annoyed at this. It was getting old. No honor, no… nothing. She viewed it as a necessity at this point. Something that was almost required by the ponies that lived under her mother’s rule.

It was disgusting…

“Please rise,” Raven requested with a gesture of her hand. As the young mare rose, she continued to shake nervously.

“H-How may I-” she gulped nervously. “-H-Help the princess?” She glanced down at the menus that littered the floor and yelped loudly, diving after them. “I-I am so s-sorry princess!” As she rose to her hooves, she yelped when a pair of hands grabbed her by the arms. In her panic, the mare snapped her eyes shut, expecting the worse. Like being hit, chastised, or worst of all... banished!

“Deep breath.”

The mare sucked in a deep breath and shook to calm her nerves. Slowly opening her eyes, she glanced down to see Raven holding her gently by the arms. The mare expected to have this look of hate, or disappointment…

She was surprised at the look of concern.

Releasing the mare, Raven took a step back and bent over to pick up a menu at her feet. Offering it to the mare with a smile, who took it with a shaky hand. “We would like a table for three,” the young princess requested.

After calming down some, the little mare seated the princess and her guards in one of the many open booths. She handed out menus and left the three to choose their meals. After a couple of minutes, she returned with a little notepad, ready to take everypony's orders.

“I-I forgot to introduce myself,” the mare started, gulping again. “My name is Saffron Masala, the chef. Uhh… may I take your order?”

Raven and her two female guards placed their orders for food and drink respectively and patiently waited. Oh, what a day this had turned into. When Raven was going to return to the castle, she was unsure as to how her mother was going to react…

Or even how she would…

***

“Fuck!” Raven shouted angrily in Orokin as she entered her room. “Son of a… FUCK!” she cursed again in her native tongue. Turning towards her desk, she slapped the lamp that sat on it, smashing it into several pieces against the far wall. Yet another failed attempt to get her stuff back lead to a second shouting match that the whole castle had to have heard. So, in her rage, Raven stormed off to her room, slamming the door and startling her guards.

Three hard knocks on the door caught her attention.

“Princess?” the voice of one of her guards asked through the door. “Are you alright!?”

Raven glanced at the shattered lamp.

“...yes!” she lied. When no reply came, she assumed the guard had gone back to, well, guarding. With an exhausted sigh, Raven turned around and sat on her bed, her face in her hands.

Oh, what was she going to do?

Unable to find the answer, she stood up and started to undress. After a couple of minutes, she was dressed in her pajamas and in bed. As she closed her eye, she did her best to rest and try to clear her mind from the emotion roller coaster she had been experiencing all day.

Three gentle knocks caused to groan.

“Who is it!?” she hollered from her spot on the bed.

“Me… your mother…”

Raven could hear the pain in her mother's voice, but well…

“Go away!”

Outside, Celestia couldn’t help but reel back in shock. Unbeknownst to Raven, the mare held a wounded hand above her heart… tears had been rolling down her cheeks since early this afternoon. She felt so wounded, so hurt. The guards stood still, listening to their rules wounded cries and pleas of reasoning.

How could Raven just ignore her reasoning!?

She was protecting her! Celestia had confiscated those weapons and that armor because it was dangerous. It was dark magic and that was something that should never been trifled with. And after what had happened not too long ago…

The mare rubbed her hand in remembrance.

Bronze’s hand was still bandaged, along with his bruised ribs and back. That suit, that… thing was alive. It was not what it seemed. It had to be contained!

“Sweetie please!” Celestia pleaded through her tears. “I love you! I’m doing this for your safety!”

Silence.

“Get lost!”

The elder mare sucked in a breath of pain, her lower lip quivering. She turned on the spot and ran, sobbing loudly. She ran full bore down the halls, headed straight for her room. The two guards watched in horror as their beloved princess ran from her spot. Maids were terrified when their princess ran by, holding her face in shame as she sobbed loudly. Bronze happened to be walking by when his friend ran by.

“WHERE DID I GO WRONG!?” he heard her painfully wail in her fit of hysteria.

Why?

Why was it that every time she become close to somepony… she always pushed them away?

Inside her room, Raven pulled the blankets over herself and covered her head, tears rolling down her cheek from her one good eye. Why… why couldn’t her mother just understand!? Both would go on to sob themselves to sleep…

***

Raven tumbled, tossing and turned in her bed, her face contorting into several different looks of pain and discomfort in her unconscious state. “Ah!” she shouted, sitting up straight in her bed. Panting loudly, she examined the dark room momentarily before running her hand across her sweaty forehead.

Ugh…

Another nightmare. With an exhausted sigh she flopped back onto the bed with a bounce and rubbed her face. The worst part was that she couldn’t remember what she was even dreaming about.

“Or was it even a dream at all?”

That… that wasn’t her…

I’m not alone!

She sat up immediately and ignited her right palm with void energy, ready to fight off who ever had entered her room. Her first thoughts went to an assassin. She knew how much ponies wanted her gone! Adding a little more power, she used the residual light to bath the room in a dark red glow.

“Oh, put that away. I’m not here to hurt you,” a male voice spoke from the darkness nearby.

Like she would listen. Raven snapped herself to face the voice. In the red glow of her energy, she could see a shadowed form sitting in a chair nearby. From the build and the voice, he was clearly a stallion. He sat cross legged, hands resting on his knees. Raven adjusted her hand just in case.

“Prove it,” she demanded.

In the darkness, the stallion rolled his eyes before standing up. With a clap of his hands, the remaining lamp on the desk at the head of the bed ignited. Raven winced at the light but slowly let her eye adjust. In front of her, jet black stallion in her mother's golden armor stood. Confused, Raven cancelled her energy and lowered her arm. “Who are you?”

The stallion smiled happily. “Commander Nebula!” he greeted with a bow. “At your service, princess!”

Unsure, Raven watched him with a keen eye. “How did you get into my room?”

“Oh, we’re not in your room,” the stallion replied as he started to examine the bedroom and its contents, walking up to Raven's personal bookshelf and removing one. “We’re in a dream! Your dream, to be exact!” he stated as he placed a book back onto its shelf. “I was requested here by Captain Bronze. He wanted me to examine your magical potential!”

“So why didn’t you meet me in person?” Raven asked with a slight turn of her head.

The stallion perked at the question. “Hmm? Oh! I’m stationed up north at a rather remote base in the frozen north. We are the first outpost that anypony, zebra, yak and so on must go through to enter and exit the Northern Equestrian Border. So, my availability to leave is an arduous one. So, I practiced dream magic to communicate with my superiors.”

“So, you came to visit me to… test my magic?” she asked for clarification. Well, it was void energy, but it was almost indistinguishable from the magic that was practiced here in Equestria. It was a form of energy that she was unable to figure out yet.

“Well… yes and no,” he replied with a head shake. “I do want to test your magic. Doctors only go so far, in all honestly it’s military ponies that actually test it to the fullest." He crossed his arms and shrugged. "We in the guard have the most accurate means of testing magical potential. The hard part, and this is the 'no' part here, is that we cannot test magical potential in a dream.”

“Well… what do you want me to do? I’m actually grounded,” Raven shyly admitted with a blush.

The stallion snorted. “Never stopped me!” he chuckled before taking on a more serious expression. “Look, you may look young, but you’re much more mature than you let on, and Bronze mentioned that to me. You can take care of yourself.” He shook his hands, waving off his stray comments. “I’m chasing a rabbit. Anyway. You’re a smart girl and can take of herself.” He pointed at the desk next to the bed. “When you awake, there will be a map right there. It will show you how to get to the outpost... I’ll give you a few days to decide and pack. And I’ll leave a scroll too that you can contact me with. Just write a message and rewrap it in the ribbon it will be in.”

“And what if I don’t come?” she inquired.

He held his hands out to his sides with a shrug, unsure of what to do. “I'll have to figure something out. But the sooner the better on your decision would be greatly appreciated.” He held out a hand to Raven, having her hold her next comment. “I’ll pass word on to Celestia if you do decide yes. Okay?”

Raven sat there and thought about it for a second. On one hand, it would be nice to get out of the castle, and she would be under the care of one of her mother’s guard contingents. But on the other, if she was going to do this, she would need to pack for cold weather. Which wouldn’t take too long.

“I’ll… let you know,” Raven finally answered. She was still rather unsure of this, but she needed some time to think alone. Unfortunately enough, being close to her mother was going to only cause more problems than fix them.

“Excellent!” The stallion cheered. “Please, do keep me posted your majesty. I look very forward to meeting you face to face!” he smiled happily. “Oh! Before I forget, you will have to get a train ticket for up north. But that shouldn’t be hard," he said with a wave.

“What about an escort?” Raven further questioned. “I am not allowed to leave without one.”

The stallion waved off her worry. “I will have a pair of plain clothes guards following you. They’ll stay out of the way unless need be. Give you some more freedom than being followed around like a lost puppy. Well… you will be followed and-oh never mind! I’ll await your reply. Yes?”

“...I’ll think about it,” she answered reluctantly.

The stallion opened his mouth but held his tongue for a second. He clasped his hands together and smiled. “That is all I ask, my princess. I hope to see you soon!” The room suddenly shook violently, causing Raven to yelp and grab the bed, her head frantically searching for what had caused the room to shake so violently. “The dream is collapsing, meaning morning has come,” the stallion observed, watching as a large white crack appeared on the ceiling. “My job is done for now. Good morning… princess!”

***

Raven slowly opened her eye and blinked the sleep from it. Sitting up, she rubbed her eye for good measure. Once she was set, she examined her room. Once her vision moved to the table next to her bed, sure enough, there was a rolled-up scroll wrapped in a black ribbon. Reaching over, she picked up the scroll and pulled it from the ribbon, unrolling it.

Sure enough, it was a map and a blank scroll.

Rolling them back up, she tied them in the ribbon and placed them in the desk next to her bed. Pulling the covers away, Raven rolled out of bed and stretched. She was going to do a lot of thinking if she was going to pursue this endeavor.

Author's Notes:

I always find it interesting how things come out when it comes to writing. I had a different idea with how I wanted this to go, but I think the way this came out was much better. The way this story has headed is so far left of what most would expect. We have the operator and the warframe, but joining the two without The War WIthin never happening was probably my biggest kicker. Because this is a Warframe story and there are requirements to how the operator and warframe interact, just 'magicing them' together is just stupid, and the lore of the game matters, tying it in in a way that works is so complicated and to top it all off, making it this big grand event because its a freaking story and boring otherwise was another problem.

So after a stupid and probably confusing rant, this was probably my hardest chapter to write out of this entire story.

-Red

Chapter 16

View Online

The wheels on the train clicked and clacked as they raced along the tracks. Inside one of the many travel cars, the door to one of the private living quarters opened and closed as a small figure stepped inside, dropping the bag they were carrying on one of the benches. Walking over to the bed, she flopped down with a sigh. Reaching up, Raven sighed as she unzipped her hood, revealing her face.

Well… this was it.

In the coming days after the meeting with Nebula, Raven had gone and done what she was asked. The biggest problem that she had regretted the most was not saying goodbye. But here's hoping her and her mother could come to common ground after this meeting. Everything had been set, all she had to do know was wait. The trip north would come to a stop at a place called Shady Hollows, about a day’s trip by train. Next was a long trek to a mountain called Thestralshire, the final leg of this trip would finish with hike into the frozen north towards the outpost.

The fact that this was a 3-month round trip was disconcerting.

But everyone knew, and that's what mattered. She would be back before the fall semester. Sitting up, Raven rubbed her face. She was exhausted, but at least she had identified her guards. Two mares had stayed back as ordered, watching from afar. She identified them from the winks and smiles they had given her when she finally found them.

She was also glad to have her new outfit.

Honey -like always- had outdone herself. The outfit was exactly as requested. The knee-high boots fit perfectly and were easy to tie, the pants looked amazing the dress like fabric added to the hips gave it a bit of pizzazz. The jacket, with its full body zipper and buttons gave it that bit of Canterlot flair, and the hood covered her whole head, the fabric thin enough to allow the girl to see through it. The arm cover was another nice addition of flare and sophistication, a nod to the first nobles of Canterlot.

The spells Honey added were even better!

A cooling spell and a heat spell that would activate respectively. In heat above 70 and below freezing would activate the spells. It was standard issue for all military personnel in the guard, so it made sense to have it added for the princess. With nothing else to do, Raven decided to settle in for a nap.

3 Weeks later

Raven whistled impressively at the shear, well, impressiveness that was Thestralshire. One month into the trip and she was already exhausted. To… much… walking! At least the company was nice. Sargent Spearpoint and Corporal Arrowhead had been best friends in Baltimare that decided to join up and serve together. All in all, they were a wonderful pair to hang out with.

By this point in the trip, the hiking had been the worst part. Thankfully, they had supplied up in Shady Hollows for the rest of the trek towards Thestralshire, once there, they would spend a few days there to recuperate before making the final, and hardest hike, towards the outpost and Nebula.

Now, it should be explained that the citizens of Thestralshire were something entirely different. Other than the fact that they were, well… Thestrals! Apparently, how Arrow had explained it loosely, was that Thestrals, or Bat Ponies, wanted to be completely isolated from the rest of Equestria. They still traded with the rest of the nation and since they were within country borders, were registered as one of the many cities that populated the land, but well…

“Oi! Watch it yah twat licker!”

Yeah… apparently all Thestrals have a colorful… personality as it were.

A complete opposite of what most of Equestria spoke and acted. Yes, ponies cursed, but most of the time under circumstances of extreme stress or anger. Here, in Thestralshire, saying a sentence that lacked a single curse word might as well have been an arrestable offense.

“Fuck you yah filthy cunt!”

Kinda like that…

Or maybe Raven’s exposure to this rapid change of lifestyle has made her horribly soft? There were so many times she chewed out a noob for doing something stupid back in the Origin System. Getting shot and subsequently downed while out in the open, or letting the pod that needs defending explode because said noob wanted glory, maybe even leaving the rescue target behind and so on…

Fair share of stupid happens when someone joins a random squad because they need help.

As the trio wandered the streets of the city inside the mountain, the cool air lowering the temperature that was the hot Equestrian summer, significantly. In the weeks that followed, the temperature had risen, like always. But the northern winds that blew in from the frozen north offered a cool, relieving breeze the closer the young princess and her two guards got to the thestral mountain.

But once inside it was a godsend!

All three wandered down one of the many streets of the Market District, many-a-time they received frozen stares. After the fall and death of the Night Queen, thestrals had carried around a bad taste for anypony that was not ‘of the night’.

One hour, three yelling matches and a fist fight later, all three females finally made it to a nearby Inn.

“Hi!” A rather cheery -almost unusual in this town- voice greeted the princess and her guards. Exhausted, and one slightly bruised, all three girls lifted their heads from their staring of the floor and recoiled slightly from the sight.

Standing just behind the front desk, was a bright pink thestral with a very enthusiastic smile and two tiny fangs poking out from her upper lip. “Hello!” she greeted again with a wave and a cute head tilt. “And welcome to the Night Hawk!” she introduced, gesturing to the large sign above the desk with her hands before holding them down low and smiling yet again. “How may I help you three?”

Wow…

This was… wow…

Everything up until this point had been a flurry of curses and glares, and yet here was a young mare that was suspiciously happy? It was almost like she was buttering them up so that she could harvest someone's kidney.

“Uhhh… one for three?” Spear requested awkwardly.

***

“Eeeeeeeee!” The bright pink teen mare skreed as she viciously hugged Raven, rubbing her face all over the princess’. “I can't believe that the princess is here in my Inn!” she cheered happily, bouncing excitedly in her seat. “And she’s having tea with me!”

Raven, who was smiling from the sheer excitement that this little mare seemed to bleed off spoke kindly with a giggle. “You’re very welcome, Rosy,” Raven replied happily before sipping from her glass of tea. Rosy Blossom, the brightest thestral in all of Equestrian history… maybe? As Raven came to learn, the little mare was so opposite… that it was actually quite nice.

“I still can’t believe it, though!” the little bat mare squeaked. “I had heard so much about the new daughter to Celestia! And now you’re hear talking to me! Eeeeee! I AM SO HAPPY!”

As the little mare started to bounce in her seat, Raven sat back in hers, a content smile adorned her lips. So this is what it’s like to have multiple friends? The princess thought. I like it…

“When you’re done with this trip can I please visit you!?”

1.5 Months into The Trip

The winds wailed like a banshee and the piercing, biting wind cut through the air like a knife. The frozen north of Northern Equestria sure held up to its name! Didn’t help that the small group was post holing through several feet of snow…

In a whiteout!

All three were covered from head to toe/hoof in warm clothing, the snow clinging to them like glue. The howling wind make communication near impossible and the 50+ kilometer wind nearly had them on their backs. The only thing keeping the trio from losing each other was the rope tied around their waists.

“We should be to the compound shortly!” Spearhead shouted from her spot at the head of the line. From what her enchanted compass said, they were getting close. By this point in the trip the wind was getting old, Raven hadn’t slept well in days, her legs hurt from the constant high lifting and punching into the deep snow, and she was almost sure she was deaf by the screeching wind.

They continued to trudge through the snow for several minutes before the two mares came to a stop, Raven not far behind. “We're here!” Spear announced. Confused, Raven searched the bare nothingness. Far as far as she could see, it was nothing but snow. No ponies, gates or buildings.

What?

A hand forcibly grabbed Raven by her right arm, followed by her left. Panicked, she stared at the two gloved hands before looking up at her two unhooded guards. Mere panic filled her being as she stared at the maniacal look that Spearpoint was sporting, dark wisps of black smoke emanating from the corner of her eyes.

“Sorry, princess!” Spear spoke, her once soft-spoken voice all but gone, replaced with a demonic two-tone one. “But the King requires your assistance!” The pair of ponies in the group started to fade as magic enveloped their forms, the once colorful pair were replaced with two, jet black floating ghosts.

At this point Raven was flailing in a vain attempt to escape.

The wind started to die off as the earth shook violently. The young princess screamed out in terror as she watched the ice below her feet tare open into a vast, darkened abyss. This was a bad idea! Why did she trust this guy without checking first!? The demonic ghosts reared back, angling their captive to face towards the abyss...

And they dropped…

Raven screamed out the whole way as they sank into the abyss. The wind deafening her as her captors dragged her deeper into the ice. Closing her eye, she prayed to the Void that she would wake up from this horrible nightmare! She could feel her heart pounding in her chest and her lungs burned from her screaming and heavy breathing.

Opening her eye for a reason she couldn’t think of, she gasped when she saw nothing but solid ice at the bottom of the crevasse.

There was an ice shattering explosion as Raven was slammed into the ice, spider webbing it upon impact. Whimpering, she cried silently to be back in her mother's warm embrace and not so far into the frozen north. For the first time in days, all was silent for her. But this was the mere calm before the proverbial storm that would soon come crashing down on the young child.

How could I be so blind!

Groaning and sobbing as she rolled onto her back, she weakly opened her eye…

To star right into the eyes a smiling Nebula. “Glad you could make it princess…” he leaned down and placed a hand next to her head, his muzzle coming next to her left ear and whispering, “I have much use for you and your… body!”

There was a flash as Raven watched in horror as the stallion dematerialized into a black mist, like her two escorts from earlier. But instead of attacking her right out, it hovered above her aching form, examining her. It took in her form, the way she moved, the way she watched... “Your king thanks you kindly,” the mist spoke, pulsing with every word. “And now, I shall make my triumphant return!”

Raven screamed out when the mist slammed into her form…

Chapter 17

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Back at the castle months prior…

This is bad this is bad this is BAD!

Bubbles came to a sliding stop in the doorway of the throne room, a panicked look on her face. Princess Celestia, Raven Inkwell, and Notepad Inkwell looked up from the most recent paperwork they had been going over. The two guards on each side of the mare watched her from the corners of their eyes.

All eyes were on her…

“RAVEN’S MISSING!”

Celestia’s face paled further more than her normal pale fur. The room went deathly silent, a pin drop would have sounded like a magical explosion. Even the guard’s jaws dropped. “I searched everywhere!” Bubbles continued through her sobs. Oh, gods above she was so fired! “No pony has seen her, and her guards were not informed! She just… disappeared!”

By this point, both guards were staring at the mare, equal amounts of shock adorning their features. As soon as their eyes fell on Celestia, they knew what was coming next. “WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR!? FIND MY DAUGHTER!”

In the coming minutes, the castle would come under lockdown. Bronze, upon hearing the news, locked down the castle and mobilized the guard. Maids dropped what they were doing to join in the search. Squads of guards poured into the streets of Canterlot one objective on their minds.

Find… the… princess!

“Search every house if you have to!” Bronze ordered his troops as they ran past. “Fucking find her! NOW!” The stallion spun around, slipping his helmet over his head as he headed for the castle. His intentions were to spearhead the whole search form the castle. Unfortunately, that plan would come to a halt as he came to a stop when Cadet Armor and the rest of the cadets came running up, dawned in full armor.

“Sir!” Cadet Armor saluted, the rest following suit. “We wish to aid in the search!” Bronze stood there and watched the teens with a keen eye. He really wanted to deny them, they were not ready whatsoever… but… “Follow me!” He ordered, stepping past the crowd. “The princess is missing, and we have an A.P.B. out for her! This is your first assignment cadets! GET READY!”

“YES SIR!” they all answered in unison.

“Cadet Armor,” Bronze started as he and the rest of the cadets entered the castle gates. “Break off the cadets into squads! You have full permission to do anything necessary to find the princess. Kick in doors, flip tables, I don't care! The welfare of the princess is of the utmost importance.” The stallion spun on his heels, stopping the cadets. “I am enacting martial law! You don't need warrants, you don't need permission. Any and all info on Raven’s whereabouts is important and will be treated as such, understood!?”

“Sir!” the cadet confirmed. The young stallion wasted little time in turning to his remaining cadets and barking orders. Bronze had already left the group and headed back to the command center in the castle to wait on any info he could get his hands on. As soon as the cadets left the grounds of the castle, the broke off into squads.

It was a dark day in Equestria.

***

In the coming weeks the nation would be in a state of horror and worry. Reports would come and go, 99% were false info or misidentification. Raven’s picture was in the papers and the talk of the nation.

One month in, Cadet Armor rubbed his face with both hands as he stared down at the table, which was covered in various sheets of paper, each holding a possible clue. Nearby, Cadet Dawn stood in front of a wall covered in pictures, papers, and red string, each connected to a central picture of Raven.

As the cadets continued examine the evidence, the door to the room opened and an exhausted Bronze entered the room. Cadet Dawn glanced at their captain. “Captain on deck…” she addressed rather unenthusiastically. Cadet Armor lazily saluted from his seat without looking. Cadet’s Dawn and Longbow along with a few others who were scattered across the room did the same. They had given up on formalities until the princess was found.

The exhausted stallion approached an open seat and sat down. No matter what he had done, everything came to a grinding halt. He had promised Celestia that he would return her little girl via any means necessary…

That was weeks ago.

“What do we do?” Shining questioned as approached his commander from where he stood and took a seat in an open chair, Cadets Dawn and Longbow following close behind, but remained standing. Bronze was the only one the young cadets could seek to for guidance. Except…

He had none this time.

Bronze remained silent for several seconds as he glanced from one cadet to another. “Look,” he finally answered, leaning back in his chair. “And look and look…” It… came out grimmer than he intended. It was even worse, due to the fact, that Princess Celestia had been taking this loss the worst. It was justifiably so, of course. But the fact that court had been canceled for the prolonged future was a great concern.

The mare very rarely left her room.

When she did, she was a shell of a living pony. She ambled like a zombie with a blank, empty stare. Her once prestigious and flawless fur was matted and messy. Her cheeks were covered in unremoved mascara and… well, she smelled. Bronze had visited as often as he could -much to his nostrils chagrin- and, more often than not, found the mare huddled up under her bed sheets sobbing. No matter what he said or what he did garnered a response. The only thing he could do would be that he would have to have Raven right here, right now, right in front of him.

But as each day passed, it went from a rescue… to a body recovery.

“Just keep searching,” Bronze continued as he started up at the ceiling, almost hoping that it would have the answers he so desperately needed. He sighed heavily before lifting his head from the back of the chair and looking toward Cadet Armor. Bronze took a breath as though to speak but held his tongue as he gently bit his lower lip, thinking about his next statement. “I… Three weeks. Three weeks is all we can afford to keep this search open,” he stated as he glanced at his younger trainees. “She’s been missing for a month now. As far as I know… we’re looking for a body.”

Cadets Dawn and Longbow stood a little straighter at the revelation, sharing a worried glance. The rest of the Cadets, who were listening in, felt the same chill run up their spines. But unfortunately… it was time to face facts.

If Raven wasn’t being held hostage… she was dead…

With an exhausted grunt, Bronze rose to his hooves. “Do what you can…” he ordered, exiting the room with a pathetic and exhausted salute, which came off more a wave than anything else. Taking that as his que, Shining rose from his chair with a depressed sigh. As he stared at the door, contemplating his next course of action, he took a deep breath and pursed his lips. He clicked his tongue off the roof of his mouth before turning around and going back to what he was going.

“So that's it?” Cadet Dawn stated rather passive aggressively. “We just… quit?” She threw her arms in the air in defeat. “Accept that she’s dead and go home!?”

Longbow blinked several times and glanced down at the floor in thought. “A girl like that wouldn’t just...” he started before shaking his head and staring back at his friends. “You saw how well she can fight. It would take a squad to wrangle her in!”

“Just because somepony thinks she’s dead doesn’t mean we have too,” Cadet Armor added, gaining the attention of his teammates. He glanced up from the papers he had gone back to reading. “I’m going to find her! End of conversation!”

And it was… for a few seconds.

“And if we don’t?”

The question seemed to weigh heavily on everyone. It was a legit question. They could all say what they pleased, so long as it helped them sleep at night. But the fact still remained, Raven isn’t here, she hasn’t been here, and every tip has led to nothing. So… what would they do if they didn’t find her?

“I’ll eat my helmet, quit the guard, and walk away from everything...” Cadet Armor stated.

...

"I'd pay to see that..." Longbow stated under his breath as he walked towards his post.

Chapter 18

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“Ahh!” Raven shouted as she sat up in a fit of panic. Once again, she was drenched in sweat and her body ached. She remembered everything! Her guards, the lies, and the pain! The unholy pain! The girl continued to scream and sob as she desperately searched the area for anything that could help her. A weapon, either gun or blade perhaps.

“Raven!?” Another voice shouted, male in sound. As she continued to panic, a pair of hands and a face came into view. Her light blue eyes snapped towards the face, but she struggled to get them to focus through her tears. “Raven! Raven its fine!” he attempted to comfort, which helped only slightly. Although she stopped screaming, she continued to breath heavily and squirm slightly as her helper pushed her back onto the bed…

… bed?

Still panting and weakly fighting her helper, she turned her head around to see that she was indeed lying on a bed. Perhaps now would be a good time to gather her thoughts. Using her right hand, she wiped her eyes. Once they were mostly clear, she could see that she was in a room. A bedroom, one of white walls and golden trim. The face came into view again. He looked… very familiar.

“Who are you!?” she demanded between pants.

The young man furrowed his brow and silently mouthed the question to himself. “Who am… Raven it’s me! Chris! We’ve been friends for years!” The young girl sat there in disbelief for a moment as she let the words sink in. As she thought about it, she took in his features. He… he was the young man from her visions!

She remembered…

“Chris?” she panted.

The young man smiled. “Yes… yes!” he breathed before releasing her and sitting back down in a conveniently placed chair. He took a deep breath and breathed a sigh of relief. “I was so worried about you.”

Confused, but significantly calmed, Raven questioned. “A… About what?”

“You hit your head. Remember?” he answered. She glanced to the side and thought about it for a moment before looking back at him and lightly shaking her head. He sighed a sad sigh and closed his eyes, tilting his head slightly to the right. “We were playing a game of Lunaro when you took a hit and hit your head.” He paused, planning his next words. “You’ve been out for three days. Your mother was worried sick! I… was worried…”

She internally winced at the word ‘mother’ but didn’t further question it.

“Where are we?” she questioned, examining the room she was in.

“Your room,” Chris replied. “The doctor said that you could be moved here for the time being.”

She glanced back at him with a curious gaze. “What do you mean ‘my room?’”

The young man furrowed his brow, his look, to Raven silently sounded like ‘what stupid question is that?’ “Your room,” he emphasized. “In your parents living quarters?” Raven just gently shook her head. The young man facepalmed and muttered something to himself, which gave him a slight smile when he lifted his head. “The Zariman! You know, lead ship headed for the Tau System!”

Something about that name gave Raven the chills…

And she really, really, did not like it.

Lifting her right hand, Raven rubbed her face and shook her head. “I…” she paused and rubbed her right eye. Her working… right eye. Was… was it all a dream!? Throwing the blankets off herself as she attempted to stand. “I… I-I need to go!”

Chris immediately stood up in a panic. “Woah woah woah!” he cautioned, grabbing her arms. “You are not going anywhere!” he ordered, easing her back onto the bed, much to her chagrin. She needed to figure something out.

She paused and let him place her back before looking up at him with a pleading eye. “Please… I… I really need to pee!” That caused him to stop his actions and look down at her. Coincidentally… she did have to pee. He snorted lightly and smiled. “And I want to see mom!”

Seemingly at an impasse, the young man considered his options. “I’ll help you to the bathroom. And your mother is still probably with mine… she will want to know you're up.” With a pause, he made his choice. Reaching down, he helped her out of bed and towards the bathroom.

***

“That's one heck of a story Raven,” Chris replied as the pair wandered the halls of the Zaramin. After the bathroom break, she pleaded her male friend to get her out of the room. Once he caved, she started to explain everything that she had remembered from her time of being out cold. A wild story of weapons, warfare, suits of flesh and metal, magic, and lies.

It felt so real…

“But then again, I have heard some very crazy dreams before,” Chris continued, cutting off her train of thought. “I mean, I've sat through some of Scarlets stupid stories! That girl can rant! Ha!”

“Yeah… funny…” Raven added, even though there was more confusion than laughter. Who’s Scarlet? As the pair continued, on more than one occasion they passed by guards and other passengers. They even passed by a large, panoramic window…

And the view was amazing!

Even though it was empty space, the endless lights and dots that scattered the black abyss created this sense of wonder and amazement. But… she had experienced this more than once though. Although her adventures had died down in recent months, it was gorgeous nonetheless. The pair shared a smile as they stared out the window before heading out yet again. As they wandered on, they passed a random hall…

That caused Raven to come to a halt as her companion continued onward.

Something… felt off… cold even...

And the fact that the lights were flickering didn’t help any. Confused, Raven blinked a couple of times before rubbing them with her hand. As she opened her eyes, she jumped slightly at the sight of someone standing in the darkness. Concerned and slightly panicked, she searched up and down the original hall she stood in. With no one in sight, she took a step back and glanced back down the adjacent hall. “AH!” she screamed as the large figure stood mere feet from her. Far from his original position. A chill ran up her spin as the urge to run came to mind. He didn’t move, he didn’t speak, and his blank helmet made her slightly ill.

“Remember!”

Her breathing started reach borderline panic. It became ragged as she started to sweat and shake. Just as she was about to scream for help, she blinked for just a moment… and he was gone…

And all was normal.

The lights didn’t flicker and the sounds of people talking filled the air. But it did little ease the rising panic. Raven stood there, paralyzed. She didn’t move, speak, or… do anything. She didn’t even notice her friend approaching and calling her name. Just as he reached out for her…

She screamed.

She screamed at the top of her lungs, causing Chris to wince back and other passengers to come running. Just as her blood curdling scream came to an end, Raven doubled over and vomited on the floor. She felt a hand and her back and heard reassuring words, but they didn’t register. She just continued to empty her stomach until there was nothing left, dry-heaving not long after.

“That's it, I’m taking you back to your room,” Chris stated, removing his hand from her back and standing up and turning around, looking for some help from the gathered group of people. “Someone get a janitor to clean this please!?” he requested towards the now gathered crowd before turning back to Raven. “Come here,” he said to her softly before bending to pick her up. Lifting her bridal style, he held her close before heading back the way they came.

Raven panted as they walked, clutching her partners shirt to steady herself. She took a few deep breaths before she finally decided to speak. “W... Wait… wait,” she requested, causing the young man to come to a halt.

“Yes?”

“I-” she hiccupped and burped slightly before moaning sickly. “Ugh… I… I’m fine… I promise.”

Chris started at her like she was nuts. “No, you’re not,” he stated authoritatively. “We’re headed back to your room, and I’ll get your mom later!” With that, he started walking.

She panted once again before speaking,” Please?” she begged, turning her head to face him. He came to a stop and looked down at her with a deadpan expression. “Please?” she begged again, added on a little bit of cute. “I… I’m fine, I swear! Please… put me down?”

He continued to stare at her for several seconds before sighed and threw his head back. Once his head came full circle, he looked down at her with a wry smile. “You’re lucky your cute!” Gently, he started to ease her down onto her feet. Once she was set, she could feel her knees shaking. Trying to be a big girl, she attempted to take a step…

And nearly fell… if it weren’t for the hand the grabbed her arm.

Glancing over her shoulder, she gave Chris a grateful smile, one he returned with a smile himself. Stepping forward, he helped her stabilize her footing before he… grabbed her hand and held it in his. She stared down at their intertwined fingers before she slowly lifted her head to look at the young man that was… holding her hand!

“You’re blushing!”

“...gah!”

***

“Raven!” a young woman squealed when she saw the girl. Running up, the young redhead practically tackled the girl, wrapping her arms around her, hugging her. The teen, similar in age to her male friend Chris, Raven could only assume that she was supposed to know the girl. Releasing Raven, the girl leaned back and grabbed her cheeks. “You look horrible… sit! I need to fix your hair!” she stated, leading Raven over towards an open seat, before starting to braid Ravens hair.

“Don’t push your luck, Scarlet,” Chris said as he approached. “You know how she gets.”

“It's fine!” Scarlet dismissed. The teen redhead, was a fair girl, with rather striking blue eyes, similar the set Raven saw when she looked in the mirror last. That was quite the shock when the girl staring back had light blue eyes, not the snow white one she was accustomed too. Scarlet wasted little time in grabbing two handfuls of hair and braiding what little there was.

“Your mother is on the way,” Chris spoke up. “She should be here shortly.” The trio sat in relative content silence. Raven started out a nearby window while Scarlet continued to braid her hair while Chris stared down at a data pad, seemingly lost in a little game. All three were so preoccupied they failed to notice as two older women approached.

“Oh, my precious baby!”

All three lifted their heads from their respective positions to watch as the women approached. When Raven lifted her head and saw the women, all she saw was a faceless being. “Ah!” she winced, closing her eyes and grabbing them. Everyone seemed to ignore her plight. Blinking away the headache that formed, Raven lifted her head in time to be smothered by a body. For the second time that day, her face was grabbed by a pair of hands, coming face to face with an unfamiliar face. The woman seemed to search Raven’s face for something, even going as far as to search her hair for possible injuries.

“Good to see you awake Raven,” the second woman said. “We were quite worried about you.” She glanced down at Chris, a worried look in her eye. “We all were…”

“I hope there aren’t any scars!” the first woman, who she assumed to be her ‘mother’ said rather worriedly. “I don’t want any showing before the wedding!” Raven’s eyes widened at the blatant announcement.

WHAT!?

Scarlet, saw it fit that she stand and make her leave. She knew where this conversation usually went. “Don’t scare her!” the second woman chastised. “She won't be ready for another year or two.”

With a worried look, Raven turned towards her friend for help, who only answered with a worried look of his own and a deep sigh. “Mom, Mrs. Donavan? Could you please leave me and my… bride… alone? I need to finalize some things with her.

Donavan?

Was that her last name? All Raven had ever gone on was exactly her name, Raven. That's all she was ever addressed as, that's all she went by… it was all she ever knew. It was her call sign, her war name. It was respected. It was honorable. It was… the only thing she had…

Both women were facing the teen by this point. They both shared a glance before coming to a common, yet silent, agreement. “Of course. Come Laura, she is in good hands with her fiancé,” Chris’ mother said, before the pair made their leave. Laura, Raven’s now named mother, spared one last worrisome glance over her shoulder before leaving the room.

Raven let the words sink in as she sat back, staring at the floor. Next to her, her supposed fiancé took a seat. “What did she mean by ‘wedding’?”

He sighed, leaning forward and interlacing his fingers, he said. “Do you not remember?”

“No Chris, I don't remember anything!” she shouted at him. “Not like I've been in a comma for three days!”

Chris, who sat quietly, didn't say anything for several seconds. “You still believe in that tale you told me?”

By now the area they were in was vacant, leaving the pair in silence. “Yes-maybe-look I don't know!” Raven shouted again, extremely unsure of herself. “It's all I know!” She turned to face him, looking frustratingly into his eyes. “I barely remember you, I don't remember Scarlet, my own mother, this ship, or that damned wedding!” She finished listing, throwing her arms over her head and slamming them down on her seat. Tears started to well up in her eyes.

Chris, who listened intently, only nodded his head. By now, Raven was sobbing silently. Even if it was a dream, she wanted to be back in it. At least there she was loved and appreciated. The young man next to her, who was lost in thought, stared down at the floor, then up to the wall, and finally, Raven.

“In about two years, when I turn 18… we are to be wed.,” Chris started gently. “As is Orokin tradition. It is predestined at birth that the first-born son and first-born daughter of preselected families are to be wed. when the boy becomes a man, no matter his wife's age… well at least you’ll be 16 by the time we marry…”

So I’m what? 13, 14?

“I don't like it as much as you,” he continued. “Simply for the fact it's a forced marriage and I would prefer to take this at a different pace, but… well it's what it is…” standing up, he stepped over and offered Raven a hand, to which she only glanced at out of the corner of her eye. “Let me take you back to your room and I’ll leave you. Okay?”

She stared at his hand for a few seconds before nodding. Taking his hand, Raven rose to her feet. The pair headed down one of the many hallways of the ship. With so much to process, and after waking up from severe head trauma, she was rather exhausted. If this was actually true… she might as well, make the best of it…

Right?

Leaning over, Raven wrapped herself around her man’s torso, grabbing the front of his shirt with her left hand and wrapping her right around his waist. At least he was cute, at the very least. Surprised, he stared down at her before accepting his fate and wrapping an arm around her smaller frame.

When the pair entered her subsequent living quarters, they wandered over to the bed before releasing each other. “I'll be going now. See you later.” Chris said as he turned to leave, only to be stopped by Raven, as she grabbed his wrist. What came next was a huge gamble. If this was how it was going to be… how it truly was.

She might as well live life to the fullest!

As much as a teen can at least.

“Stay with me?” she requested meekly, she could feel her face flushing. By the Void, of all he thinys she had done, yhis one was the most nerve wracking. Smiling, he nodded before stepping back and wrapping her in a loving hug.

“It'll get better. I promise.”

A few minutes later, the duo had stripped to reasonable sleep attire. Raven favored a shirt and panties while Chris sported a pair of pajama pants. She had climbed in first before he was finished in the bathroom. Following her lead, he climbed in with her.

And for some reason, Raven hadn't felt that relaxed in a long time.

Wrapping an arm around her waist and spooning her from behind, Raven drifted off into what would be, the greatest night sleep of her life...

Chapter 19

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Raven sat silently atop her bed, contemplating her next move. In the few days she’s been up, her perception of reality had been in question for days. It felt so real. The battles, the enemies, the change in her life. It was so vivid and clear. She felt the metal, she saw the violence and horror, and the love and care by Celestia.

Celestia’s smiling face came back very vividly.

“Ah!” she winced, grabbing her head. For some strange reason, for every painful memory of what was, came an equally painful head throb. Once the pain subsided, she sighed painfully, rubbing her forehead in an attempt to rub the pain away. She had chalked it up to hitting her head the week prior. That, and the doctor said the same. With nothing left to do, Raven stood up and left her room. In the living room area, her fiancé sat silently, playing a game on his tablet. Lifting his head, he smiled at her before closing his game and standing up, placing the tablet on a nearby table. Taking his arm, the pair left the room and headed off into the guts of the ship.

The pair wandered in content silence, neither wanting to break the peace as they walked. There was not much else to do, really. The ship was still quite a ways out from reaching the Tau system and all available options for entertainment became dull after a little while. With nothing more to do, they simply enjoyed each others company. As they walked hand in hand, they failed to notice the group of figures that seemed to be shadowing them. As one of their shadows took the lead, he slowly rose to stand taller that his vic-

“Oof… ahhh-ha…” he moaned as he held his stomach.

“Nice try, Kal.”

Raven giggled as her fiancé smiled victoriously at the successful gut punch he just landed to the young man that was following them. The young, jet black haired teen groaned from the strike. Next to him, a young woman, just slightly older than him, approached with a roll of her eyes. “Could you not hurt my soon to be husband?” bending down, she held a hand against his back before she adjusted her glasses.

“He’ll be fine ‘Fita,” Chris dismissed.

Kal Di’Garro and Nu’Fita were a bit of an odd couple. In her time hanging out with them, Raven had learned that they were not a true Orokin couple. Nu’Fita was older than him by about two years. Opposite of what it should be. But age was about the only difference. The two were often found together though. Making kissy faces towards each other.

Okay, Raven was kidding about that last part.

“Well if he didn’t pull stupid shit like that, he wouldn’t be so broken, now would he?” Turning, all four-people watched as another young man approached. The silver haired teen smirking at his friend misfortune.

“Allein, good to see you!” Chris greeted with a smile, offering a hand. Taking it, Allein shared a handshake with his friend.

Turning to the now recovered pair, Allein said, “Nu, Kal!” he greeted, slapping Kal extra hard on the back, causing him to shout painfully with a wince, his bride to be to gasped as she took a step forward to comfort Kal. She shot Allein a glare with a growl. “You’re such a pussy, Kal!” Kal shot a glare of his own towards the silver haired man. The two stared each other down before Allein decided to give, hold up his hands and backing off.

Raven stepped up, taking her fiancé’s arm. She had a rather strange relationship going here, much like so many others her age. It was… odd, going from solo to friend zone in such a short time. “So where were you four headed anyway?” Allein questioned. “No funny business, right?” he added with a suggestive wiggle of his eyebrows.

“Raven and I were going to get breakfast until we ran into these two,” Chris replied with a point of his thumb at Kal and ‘Fita.

“We ran into them,” Nu’Fita replied.

Kal groaned, his stomach still aching, “What she said…”

“You really are a sissy,” Raven added with giggle.

Kal, just rolled his, subtly smiling. “Would you like to join us?” Chris offered the three. “We haven’t talked in a little while.”

“Sweetie?” Nu’Fita asked her man.

“Are you going to punch me again?” he questioned wearily.

“Depends!” Chris answered with a smirk. Next to him, Raven rolled her eyes, punching him in the side. “Oof! Okay, okay, no more hitting.” With a resolute nod, Raven was satisfied. “Allein, how about you?”

“I’ve eaten,” he stated with a wave of his hand. “Besides, I need to do a few things anyway. Talk to you all later!” He said as he departed, waving a hand over his shoulder as he turned to leave. Everyone else gave him a wave as he left. As he turned a corner to leave, and with everyone in agreement, the quartet was off towards the dining hall. After a short walk, they grabbed their meals and took a the an available table that could support them and some. The four of them shared small talk until someone poked Raven in the side from behind, causing her to wiggle and squeak before a pair of arms wrapped around her from behind, hugging her.

“Hi Raven!”

Raven was caught midbite, forcing her to swallow. “Mmmmm! Hi Scarlet!” she greeted the redhead. Releasing her, Scarlet decided to sit next to her in the open seat. As per recently, she started playing with Raven’s hair, braiding what little there was or just running her hands through it. For some strange reason, one that Raven didn’t question nor stop, Scarlet liked to play with the girl’s hair. Raven enjoyed it.

“Hey Scarlet,” Chris greeted her, having to look past his girl before he glanced over his shoulder, then turned once he saw who was standing there. “Hey Sunny, Asp, Amar.” Adjusting herself to look behind herself, Raven was greeted with three more guests, two male and one female. One thing she never understood, or liked, was how people dyed their hair. Because the young man on the left was bright orange, along with the glasses he wore that matched his hair. Maybe it was just a pet peeve. Well, for some people it looked good, she would use Scarlet as an example, if it weren’t for the fact that hers is natural. She wasn’t sure, it just bothered her for some reason. But, whatever, she had no control over it.

“How many times do I have to tell you to call me, Wolven!” the orange haired male teen stated angrily.

“And how many times do I have to tell you it’s stupid!” Kal interjected. Chris simply glanced at his friend before emphasizing the statement with a point of his finger and a smirk. Amaruq ‘Wolven’ Noble, hated it when people didn’t use his self-prescribed nickname. One he created as his gamertag. He was also sporting an aggressive scowl and with huff, crossed his arms in frustration.

In the center of the group, another young man sporting bright red hair stood, chuckling at his friend’s misfortune. Aspire Perringer or Asp, for short, was more often than not found with his two-other flame haired friends. Since the only female in the group, had hair that looked like fire, her name is Sunlight Trailblazer, or Sunny, because people were lazy. Of the three of them, Raven rather liked the name. It reminded her of-

The spoon she was holding clattered against her plate as she clutched her head. A terrible migraine settled in as Raven started to see spots. Everyone at the table shouted her name, but it only seemed to aggravate the issue further. She felt Scarlet release her and a different hand was placed on her back, trying to comfort her. As the pain continued to worsen, the lights in the room started to darken and flicker. With each flash the dining area changed drastically. When the lights were on, she saw her worried friends, when they were off, she saw blood, bodies, overturned crates and a lone figure standing in the center. Oh no… she knew what this meant!

She couldn’t pry her eyes off him as his opaque form before began to solidify with each flick of the lights. As the intensity of the flashing continued, his form only became clearer and more solidified. It was only then when the lights finally went dark and it was only her and him, did something happen. Raven sat panting at the table in the ruined dining area. Bodies of the unlucky littered the room as they sat in pools of their own blood. Crates of food littered the area, many already looted or tipped over, spilling their contents along the floor. The room was a hollowed shell of what it once was.

“...Remember.”

With a flicker of the lights, gone was the destruction, death, and bloodshed. Returned, were her friends and the glory that was the Orokin ship. Raven was back in her seat panting, as she continued to clutch her throbbing head. She held that position for several tense seconds…

Until her eyes rolled up in the back of her head as she passed out…

***

“.... she’ll be… thank you… Zion…” Raven stirred, wincing as she moved around slightly. Gently, she opened her eyes and was greeted by the grand white walls of her room. Gently lifting her head, she surveyed the area of her current situation. She was in her bed, and next to something really warm. Feeling around with her left hand, she felt something solid against her palm. “Good to see you awake, sweetie.” Barely opening her eyes, Raven adjusted her head to face the voice. As she looked up she quickly came to the realization that the warmth she was feeling was coming from the body she was lying against, which was her fiancé. He smiled down at her as the two locked eyes. Smiling weakly in return, she adjusted her head more comfortably and noticed the other occupant in the room.

The young man had jet black hair and light blue eyes. From Raven’s angle, he looked like a goth, his facial expression was rather blank too, adding to his strangeness. “I think we’re good Zion,” her fiancé stated. The young man nodded to the young man in the bed, who returned it before Zion turned to face an exhausted Raven. Without saying a word and with gentle bow of goodbye and respect, he turned and left the room.

Closing her eyes, Raven nuzzled his chest. “Who was that?” she mumbled in her half-awake half-asleep state.

The young man turned to face the door. “His name’s Jake Feldsparr, but he prefers to go by Zion. I… really don’t know much about him. He never talks, kind of an enigma really.” He shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know, he was passing by as I was bringing you and offered to help.” Running a hand through her hair, he gently stroked her scalp. An action she rather enjoyed.

The two laid in content silence for sometime, neither wanting to say anything as they embraced each other. Raven was on the verge of falling asleep again before her fiancé spoke softly, “I’m worried about you.”

She groaned internally and had a feeling that she knew where she was going. “I’m fine…” she answered groggily, nuzzling his chest.

“Raven I’m serious!” he said sternly. “This is the second or third time you’ve had one of these episodes!”

Stopping his ministrations and removing his hand from the top of her head, she opened her eyes and adjusted her head to look up at him. She winced internally when she saw the look of concern that adorned his features. Immediately avoiding eye contact, she shied away and even slid under the covers just slightly, feeling rather uncomfortable. She felt him run his hand through her hair comfortingly.

She didn’t speak for several minutes until she had something relatively reasonable to say. “I… I keep seeing someone, or… something?” she started hesitantly. “Every time I have one of these, ‘episodes’, I see him.”

“What does he look like?” Chris questioned as he continued his ministrations.

“Exactly like the Warframe from my, uh, dream.” There was no way that was a dream, it was too real. Something had to be off, she just couldn’t place-

“Raven…” he said softly, stopping his petting to wrap his arms around her. Confused, she let him pull her up and into his lap. Hugging her from behind, he wrapped his arms around her waist and resting his head on her right shoulder. Placing her hands over his, she rested her head against his cheek, nuzzling him softly.

“He always says one thing too,” she said quickly before he started speaking again. Rubbing the back of his hand, she just waited for his response.

“What is it?”

“Remember.”

The young man furrowed his brow as he thought about it. “Remember what?” he questioned.

Raven shrugged, unsure of how to answer. Well, unsure how to answer him. She had a theory, but… With no means to test both its basis and validity, she was left with nothing. With nothing more to ask, the couple simply sat in their embrace, lost in thought. Raven lifted her legs and held them to her chest. It was some time before their mutual silence came to a halt when the electronic door to the room opened. Both Laura, Raven’s mother and her fiancés mother entered the room.

She reeled back slightly from the faceless pair.

Yet again their faces were nothing but a blur. Like a censored screen. First entered her mother rather hurriedly, next was Chris’ which entered in less of a panic, finally was the warframe.

…

The lights flickered yet again and gone was the well cared for and decorated room and now was the dull walls and demolished room. Where the two mothers once stood, were two maniacs, both sporting a broken blade. Their clean suits were torn and tattered, their once manicured fingers were crooked, their fingernails long and broken, hands coated with blood. Their once long flowing hair was tattered, ends split, and covering their wicked smiles and bloodshot eyes.

When the lights flashed to normal, everything was normal. The pair approached, the closer of the two had her arms opened, ready to grab her daughter lovingly. When the lights went out, her evil claws reached for Raven’s neck. The intensity of the flashing increased in speed dramatically. Love, hate, love, hate, love, hate, love…

Hate…

Raven’s eyes went wide as the creature lunged for her. Frozen in fear, she didn’t know what to do until she flinched away when a gunshot rang out and the creature screeched in agony, missing her on the bed and landing on the floor next to the bed, dead. Raven stared at the corpse of what used to be her mother before turning to face the area the gunshot came from. She did a double take as her fiancé stood near the bathroom door with a pistol in his hands and was no longer holding onto her.

Traversing the gun towards the second creature, tears rolled down his face as his mouth moved. No words came but she could tell he was begging her for something. The creature, stared at him, its eyes covered by its matted hair. With a screech the animal raised the knife and charged after him. She didn’t make it far as a series of gunshots sang out as she fell at his feet, lifeless, in a pool of her own crimson blood.

Dropping towards his knees, he could only stare at the corpse of his mother as he sobbed. Raven herself didn’t, couldn’t feel anything. As she watched the young man as he continued to mourn his mother, she pulled the covers off her body and stood up. He didn’t so much as look at her when her boots thumped against the metallic floor. Walking over to him, she lifted a hand, ready to place it on his shoulder…

She retracted it, when another hand grabbed him. Stepping back, she watched as a version of herself grabbed him, hugging him as he returned the embrace. He sobbed into her doppelgangers hair as her doppelganger sobbed into his shoulder, both clutching each other tightly. She could only watch in utter fascination before metal on metal grabbed her attention, almost like footsteps.

Turning around to face the noise, she came face to face with the warframe for the second time that day. “What do you want?” she demanded.

“Remember!”

Clenching her hands into fists, she felt her anger start to rise. She could see the two out of the corners of her eyes as she clenched her teeth. She was sick and tired of this game, she was tired of the horror, she was sick of the bloodshed!

“I don’t want to remember!”

She stared up at him with fury in her eyes as the blank purple helmet stared back.

“You will…”

And with that, his frame dissipated, like dust in the wind. The room shook violently that Raven stumbled to keep her footing the sounds of metal grinding caused her ears to ring as walls and ceiling began to crack violently, showing the flesh-like interior. The still embracing pair paid little mind as the room began to fall apart. The lights flickered and flashed as they came loose. Bracing herself against the bed, Raven glanced over her shoulder and watched as they too, faded away like dust. As a chunk of debris crashed down atop the bed, Raven fell backwards, hitting her head and losing consciousness.

Both her eyes snapped open as she panted, a light sheen of sweat covering her form. Coming down from the high that was such a nightmare, she noticed that gone were the decrepitude walls and back was the bright white of the ship. Looking down, she was back in her bed, where she started. Glancing over her shoulder, she locked eyes with her worried looking fiancé. When she saw the look of horror upon his features, she gasped and reeled back as though she had just been slapped.

What happened!?

Turning around, she came face to face with her scared and saddened mother and an equally worried mother to her fiancé. Once again, she could see her mother’s beautiful face and wonderful blue eyes. The anger from before was immediately replaced with regret. She must have said something during her episode. If she did, she couln’t remember it. “I’m sorry…” she turned around quickly to face her fiancé as tears started to well up in her eyes. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” Lunging forward, she wrapped her arms around his torso, hugging him tightly. “Please don’t let me go! Please don’t let me go!” she shouted into his chest, which came out muffled by his clothing. “I need this… I need you!”

Gently, she felt his arms wrap around her smaller frame as he hugged her back, nuzzling the top of her head as her tears of sadness and joy stained his shirt, but he paid it little mind. As the duo sat in their loving embrace, Raven felt the bed behind her depress as the two mothers decided to sit down. She felt a hand caress her back comfortingly and assumed it to be her mothers. Unbeknownst to her, her soon to be mother-in-law rubbed her sons arm as she mouthed the words ‘You will be a perfect husband’ to him, causing him to smile lightly.

Eventually, gone were the tears. Gone were the parents and left were the lovely couple. Embraced in their sleep attire, Raven held the arm around her waist tightly as she rubbed her bare legs against his. As she came to the realization that everything she had experienced during her coma was nothing more than a mere dream. All she could do now, was embrace her future.

She could not be more excited!

Chapter 20

View Online

Chapter 20

15 years later.

Raven hummed a little tune to herself as she wandered through her home. It had been many years since the events on the Zaramin. Since then, the ship had reached its destination in the Tau System. Everything was as expected when the Orokin Ship had landed upon their new home planet. It took almost five years to finish basic construction of homes and buildings. During that time, as was the tradition and expectation, Raven and Chris were wed.

Since then, Raven had matured greatly, both physically and mentally. She was 28 now and absolutely, beautiful. In recent years she had let her hair grow out from its shorter era, which now draped down just past her shoulder blades. She had grown in height too, now standing at an average five foot six inches. As per any growing young woman, both her hips and breasts had widened perfectly, and she sported a pair of average C-cup breasts. Her husband didn't complain about the last part one bit!

As much as she wanted to enjoy some private time with her husband, she couldn't.

Not at the current moment that is, she had to finish some of her preparations for tonight. So, she wore a simple pair of jeans and a black tank top, something she could get dirty in as she cooked. She never realized how much she enjoyed doing it until she actually learned how to do it. Reaching into one of the cupboards, she pulled out a larger plate and set it on the kitchen counter before moving towards the oven. In the next room, her husband was busy on the holo-phone.

“We still on for tonight?” he asked.

“I can't,” the hologram of the man answered. “Something came up.”

“Come on Shon! We've been planning this for weeks.”

The video feed of the blond headed man closed his brown eyes as he sighed. Shon Nar'feng was a coworker with Chris in the mining industry. Both were assigned as work partners when they started their jobs, and in recent years the two had become rather close. More often than not, they were seen together doing guy things -generally something stupid. Hence why women live longer than men- and they shared a lot about their lives with each other.

“I'm sorry…” Shon apologize. “I… my father has become ill…” The mood between the two had taken a turn for the worse. Chris’ disappointed mood changing into a sympathetic one. “He doesn't want it to become too big, but… he has lung cancer. It's stage four…”

For several seconds, Chris didn't say anything. “Well… maybe you should have lead with that,” he finally said, now understanding his coworker’s situation. “I gotcha, go be with your family. Tell them we say hi.”

“Will do. See you next week.”

“Peace.”

The feed buzzed and faded as the call ended. Leaning back against the couch the man rubbed his face out of exhaustion. Throwing his head back, he stared at the ceiling as he sighed. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Raven enter the living room. Wandering around the couch, she stood in front of him.

“So, what's the word?” she asked.

Sitting up, he answered. “Shon can't make it, he has a family matter that came up.”

“Oh, well that's too bad,” Raven replied, rather saddened.

“What about Scarlet? She bringing the twins?” he asked as she aimed her way back towards the kitchen.

“She'll be here,” Raven answered as she rested her arms against the back of the couch, finally taking a moment for a much-needed break. She decided that as a bonus, she teased her man with a generous showing of her cleavage, clearly revealing that she had forgone a bra this morning. “What about Kal and ‘Fita?”

“They’ll be here. Along with my mother, yours too!” he answered, removing his lustful stare away from the top of her bare breasts. She in turn smiled lustfully down at him as he slowly lifted his gaze up towards her eyes. With a smirk of his own, he lunged towards her with open arms, “Come here!”

“Eep! Ahaha! Eeee!”

Wrapping both arms around her smaller form, she eep'd and started giggling hysterically as he held on to her, pulling her over the end of the couch and into his lap. She continued to giggle and squeal as he manhandled her until he silenced her with a deep kiss. “Mhmmm….” she moaned into his mouth as she melted into the kiss, her wiggling coming to an end. The pair held the embrace for several seconds before reluctantly parting their lips for much needed air. Barely opening her eyes, Raven kept her gaze lidded as she rested her forehead against his.
She closed her eyes and got herself comfortable in his lap, snuggling into the crook of his arm. The duo sat there, enjoying the company of one another for some time. He wrapped his fingers around the back of her neck, gently massaging away the day's strains. Fifteen years, hard to believe after fifteen years that this is what her life had become from the strange set of nightmares she once had. While the nightmares had subsided, they still occasionally haunted her.

Blood and violence, her mind filled with hatred. Most of the time she couldn’t ever confide in her husband. He just didn’t understand. It scared her too. Waking up dosed in sweat. Seeing strange flashes during the day. It was… brutal and miserable.

The sounds of the front door opening grabbed her attention.

“Mommy? Daddy? Where are you?”

How long had they been like that?

Glancing at the clock confirmed what she had been thinking.

Three o'clock. Schools out.

She must have fallen asleep or just got lost in her musings.

With a deep breath, Raven rose to her feet and stood up, making herself presentable before she turned to face the door, beaming joyfully despite her darker thoughts from earlier. Seeing her boy always brought great joy in her life.

“Mommy, daddy!” the little brown haired blue-eyed boy squeaked out as he entered, his little backpack bouncing as he ran.

“Sweetie!” Raven replied with equal enthusiasm as her little boy as she opened her arms, bending down to catch him. The little seven-year-old was all too eager to embrace her. Hugging him, she wrapped her arms around his tiny form and lifted him up, holding him close to her warm breast, nuzzling his cheek.

It was several years into their marriage before Raven even considered the prospect of having a child. Of course, they had dabbled in the area of sex and they often experimented with positions, places, and the kinkiest shit they could do. Nearly getting caught was now way up there in their kink list. They wanted their time together before a third member of the family would interrupt their life in general.

When Raven was 20 did she finally consider having children. She was the one to bring it up too. One great fuck and a long night of nonstop sex, followed by several more attempts for good luck to make sure his sperm took was all the assurance they needed. Nine months later, their son Zachariah was born. Granted, mandatory 'breeding' by the survivors also caused a bit of an issue. Pushing to have a kid sooner rather than later didn't help.

Certain activities in the bedroom hadn’t changed much, but that wasn’t important.

“How was school?” she asked as she placed him down on the ground, taking his backpack off his back.

“Good!” Zachariah answered giddily.

“Learn anything interesting bud?” Chris asked his boy as he leaned forward on the couch, interlacing his fingers as he rested his elbows on his knees.

As father and son started to talk about the day, Raven hung up her sons bag on the coat hooks next to the front door. Without missing a beat, she decided to head towards the kitchen to check on the meal that had been cooking all morning. Running her hand through her son’s hair as she passed by, her husband slapped her on the ass, causing her to squeak and jump forward slightly. She glared at him as he smirked back at her. raven rolled her eyes and shook her head.

Entering into the kitchen, she giggled playfully while their son thought it nothing more than a simple game.

As she entered the kitchen, she got to work on finishing what she had started. Checking the roast quickly, she moved onward towards preparing a wad of dough for biscuits, messaging it in preparation for baking.

Humming a little tune to herself, she was so lost in her work that she failed to notice her husband come up behind her, hugging her from behind. “Hey baby~” he sang into her ear, cupping her right beast is his palm, messaging it gently. She ignored his messaging as she continued to work on her preparations. “You know, I've been thinking…” he said into her ear, gently biting her earlobe between his teeth as she felt his other hand rubbed her belly.

“Did it hurt?” she quipped, ignoring his exploration of her body.

Chuckling around her ear, he released the trapped flesh and nipped at the side of her neck. She was putting up a strong front by not garnering a reaction to egg him on further. It was faltering, but she was resisting. Nibbling at the sensitive flesh on her neck, she hummed approvingly, tilting her head slightly, she allowed him access to pleasure her a little bit more. “I was thinking…” he said between each tiny kiss. “That maybe… we could… have another kid?”

Raising an eyebrow, Raven turned her head to look over her shoulder questioningly at him with a ‘you really serious?’ type look, forcing him to stop and smile innocently at her. Sighing, she pulled free from his enticing grasp, turning around on the spot and resting her elbows against the kitchen table. Stepping back, he simply admired her perfect hourglass form before she decided to say something. “You want another kid?” she questioned.

Stepping forward, he rubbed her bare right arm with his left hand, enjoying the contact of her soft skin against his rough palm. Resting his forehead against hers, the pair simply enjoyed each other’s company and embrace. “I know how much you wanted to have a child, and Zach is a wonderful son.” Her husband rested his hands on her hips as he stepped a little closer, sharing a smile with her. “But why not give him a playmate? Maybe see what… I don’t know, having a daughter might be like?”

“You're as horny as a Pobber, you known that?” she stated as he gingerly rubbed her sides with his hands. Turning around, she pulled away from his touch. Probably just in time too, before she decided to say, ‘fuck it and fuck me!’ and let him jump her right there in the kitchen.

“Well? What do you say?” he asked as he stepped up next to her, resting a hand on her shoulder as he watched her work.

“You'd like that wouldn't you?” she said. “To see my swollen belly bounce with my tits as we fuck. Right?” she questioned cheekily, garnering a lustful and all too eager smirk from him.

“Well, you still owe me one from the other night!”

Turning around, she pecked him on the lips lightly. “Well… if it's any consolation…” she whispered breathlessly, putting on her best sexual front she could muster, teasing him before her tone changed dramatically. “You still owe me for pulling me away from work the other day…” she said, promptly changing her tone from sultry to bemused.

Uh oh, busted.

“Yes… well…” he slowly replied both confused and defeated.

“We already have enough challenges as it is with him. I don’t know if I’m ready for another child,” Raven replied as she held a hand to her chest. She then turned around and rubbed her head with her fingers as she let out a lengthy sigh. Slowly, she rested both of her hands on the countertop. Worst of all, she could feel a headache coming on. The stresses of raising another baby on top of her son, balancing the two along with work and home life. Just when she felt like she had fallen into a good life rhythm, this happens.

A pair of hands slowly wrapped around her midsection as a head rested on her shoulder. “I’m sorry for pressing. We can discuss it more later,” he apologized as he hugged her from behind.

“Thank you…” she muttered, reaching up to cup his cheek with her hand. “It’s just… too much, okay? I’m open to having another kid, just not this moment. Taking a deep breath, she gathered her senses as she stood up straight. “Now go play with your son. I need to finish up here,” she shooed. As he left, Raven searched the room quickly before finding a bag of flower. Grabbing it, she attempted to open it.

Just as Chris entered the living room, he was about to head towards his son, who was playing with one of his toys when he heard what sounded like a bag tearing. Then the sound of Raven squeaking caused him to turn around and quickly head towards the sound of his wife's distress. Upon entering the kitchen, he immediately snorted a laugh at the sight before him. Raven stood in the center of the room with a now torn open bag of flower in her grip, her head and face covered in white powder. She coughed cutely, causing a small puff of the white powder to escape from between her lips. Gently opening her right eye just enough to see out of it, she slowly placed the bag on the counter with the tips of her fingers.

“Come here,” her husband requested, stepping up towards her. Turning around she stood still while he gently cupped her chin. Using his sleeve, he gingerly wiped the flour from her eyes. “Okay. I’d kiss you, but you'd taste like flour,” he laughed.

Cautiously opening her left eye, she looked around the room before opening her right. Well, it appeared that most of it was on her and not everywhere else. Still, not good regardless. Holding out her arms in disgust, she looked down at her soiled clothing. The shoulders of her tank top were now snowy white, and the tops of her breasts looked as though she shunned the sun with a fiery hatred. With a sigh, she turned and headed towards the bathroom speaking as she left. “Please clean this while I get clean?”

“Got it baby!”

Heading up the stairs and into her bedroom, she wasted little time stripping her tank top. With a sigh of relief from freeing her trapped tits, she headed towards the attached master bathroom. Swatting off as much flour as she could into a trash can, she tossed her shirt into the hamper. Deciding to change her pants and underwear to, she stripped out of her pants and panties and added them to the pile. She needed to change everything anyway, it was hot and she was going to dress up for the dinner anyway. With a full body stretch, she held one arm over her head, enjoying the freedom of her nudity for a few seconds before she had to get dressed again. Grabbing everything she needed, she quickly dressed her lower half. With shirt in hand, she headed off towards the bathroom yet again.

Wiping off the tops of her breasts with a dry washcloth, cleaning off as much flour as she could, she made herself as clean as she could without a shower. Running her hands through her hair, she shook them violently over the trash can, causing flour to rain down like snow both into and around the trash can. Using the rag to wipe her face clean. As soon as most of it was off, she soaked the rag with water from the sink and used it to collect the remaining particles of flour. Dawning her shirt, she turned on the sink and cupped her hands. Splashing her face with water, she let the warm water relax her.

Grabbing a nearby towel, she turned off the water and wiped her face. Running a hand through her hair, she threw the tangled mess across her back. She'd deal with it later before the party. She smelled like flour, food, and sweat.

People generally don't like other people smelling the latter.

Hanging up the towel she turned to check herself in the mirror. Turning her head to check her face, she noticed that she missed a little patch under her chin. Turning on the water, she lowered her head towards the sink to wash it off. Once she was good, she went to check again.

But it was not her looking back in the mirror…

“Ah!” she screamed as she stumbled backwards. Looking back at her was the nightmare she had long since forgotten! “No… no, you aren't real!” she shouted at the man in the mirror.

“Remember!”

Her fear was replaced with anger as she approached the mirror. She hadn't dealt with him in years and she didn't want to deal with him now! “You aren't real!” she repeated with an accusatory finger.

“Remember!”

“There is nothing to remember! You aren't real!”

She stood firm against this, this… thing! It was nothing more than a memory, a dream. She was happy! Nothing was going to take it away from her!

A hand wrapped around her mouth, causing her eyes to widen in horror. “MHMMMM!” Both hands wrapped around his wrist as she attempted to pull free. Her attempts to pull away continued but his cold, metallic hand held firm as her sock covered feet did little garner grip against the tile floor. As he slowly started to pull her towards the mirror, she struggled to fight back as hard as she could.

“BABY!?”

“MOMMY!”

She could hear both her husband and son running up the stairs and towards her direction, it strengthened her resolve to fight back. “Mmmm!” she attempted to shout around the hand covering her mouth as she placed her foot against the sink. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her boys in the doorway. She held out a hand, pleading for her husband to save her! “MMPH!” she yelped when her foot slipped.

And that's when she was pulled halfway through the mirror.

Tears streamed down her face due to the sheer terror she was facing. “Let go of my wife!” her husband shouted furiously as he grabbed both of her legs. It was frightening tug of war between her husband and this demon. She could hear her son crying and pleading in the background. It only served to make her ache even more. Through her tears she could only stare into the faceless helmet of her tormentor.

As the two struggled over her form, she could only pray that this was some sick nightmare and that she fell asleep in the kitchen again. The struggle stayed at a stalemate for some time before the demon had enough. Reach down he drew his pistol and pointed it right at her husband’s face. He opened his eyes long enough to see the barrel.

Before he was shot in the head.

“Mhmmm! Mhmph, MMHMMM!” Raven screamed into his hand. Her son let out a blood curdling scream as daddy fell backwards through the doorway. Raven's vision was blurred by her tears as her husbands form disappeared from her vision, hearing his ;imp form impacting against the floor. Holstering his weapon, he had no resistance whatsoever. Using his other hand, he grabbed her by the seat of her pants and pulled her though and into the white abyss.

“MOMMY!” her son screamed out for her, his small form begging for her to return to him as he ran towards her. She kicked wildly in an attempt to break free, but it was all in vain. Pulling her through, he held her up by her mouth while she wiggled and squirmed more and more in a vain attempt free herself. Opening her eyes, she froze when she saw Zachariah pressed up against the other side of the mirror. His little hands punched and pressed against the glass as he screamed for her, tears streaming down his face. With newfound determination she fought as hard as she could against his grasp.

Until she heard what sounded like glass breaking.

Opening her eyes, she focused on the mirror. A large jagged crack split the mirror in two. Zachariah backed away from the mirror to look at the crack. He flinched away when a second one appeared, followed by a third and a fourth. Soon, the entirety of the mirror was covered in spider web like cracks. With one last look of horror, Raven held out her hand towards her child, as though she could reach through the pull him towards her and to safety.

“MOMMY!” she heard him scream one last time as the mirror shattered to dust.

“Mmhmm!” she screamed one last time. The only thing she could do was watch as her little boy shatter into nothing more than mere pieces of glittering dust. In a sense… it was beautiful. The particles drifted like snow towards the ground.

Everything… was gone…

Her body felt numb. Her world was gone, shattered like the mirror. She had no purpose or reason to even fight back. Going limp in his grip, all she could do was sob. Her whole body shook, and her nose ran down her face.

It was more real than she ever imagined.

Below her, Frost continued to stare at the remnants of the mirror before turning his horned head towards her. Surveying her alien form, he gently grabbed onto her right bicep and released his grip around her mouth, using his left hand to her left bicep. She sobbed loudly, but he ignored her struggles as he gently placed her on her feet. Releasing her, she simply stood there… and sobbed.

Gingerly, he ran a hand through her hair, grabbing a fist full of her beautiful brown hair he gently pulled. Her long flowing locks came free without hassle, her hair taking on its once shorter form of her youth, its dark brown coloring bleeding into a jet black color. Releasing it, her locks faded like dust in the wind as it fell. Placing his right hand under her chin, he gingerly lifted her head and ran his left thumb across her right eye. Gone was her once perfect skin and gorgeous blue eyes, replaced was a dark black scar and jet black metallic eye patch. Reaching up, he placed both hands on the top of her head.

A bright red glow engulfed his hands and spread across the top of her head and down her body. Her whole form glowed bright red, enlightening the area and his form. The glowing stopped after several seconds, her physic having changing drastically. Gone was the beautiful married beauty and returned was the young teen from so long ago. Raven continued to sob and sniffle before she opened her one good eye and staring right at the suits abdomen.

She gasped.

As she saw her reflection in his polished armor. Blinking the tears away, she tilted her head to make sure that what she was seeing was indeed herself. Wiping her face with her sleeve, she did a double take as she leaned in closer to examine the eye patch. With a shaky hand, she held it over her scarred eye before she gingerly ran two fingers over the cold metal surface.

“What did you do to me…?”

Looking up at him, she demanded that he give her answers. Frost continued to stare down at her before finally speaking. “Walk with me, Operator.” Turning around, he started walking. With nothing more to do, she followed suite.

“Where am I?” she asked weakly, the recent events still weighing hard on her heart. She didn't know what to think anymore.

“Your subconscious, Operator,” he explained. “I have sensed a dark presence in your mind.”

Raven blinked. “Why do you care?”

He spun abruptly, forcing Raven to stop. “Because it's my job to protect you, Operator!” He lifted his head, seeming to search the area for something. “Our Somatic Link allowed me to sense some dark force inside your mind. But I am unable to identify its source.” Raven glanced down and to the side, lost in thought. A distant memory came to mind. Frost’s head snapped down to her. “You remember.”

“But that doesn’t explain how I seemed to have ended up here?” Raven questioned. “Or why I seemed to have lived out part of my life as normal?”

“Your subconscious created a false reality that you so desperately desired,” Frost answered. “One created by an older memory.” She tilted her head to the side, waiting for further context as she raised an eyebrow. “I have had plenty of time to search your memories. I have also been watching you for some time.”

Her eye went wide as she immediately avoided eye contact, a deep red blush covering her entire face. If that meant what she thought it did… well... “A-And that means what exactly…?”

“I attempted to contact you. But you refused to acknowledge me.”

“Why didn't you keep trying?”

“You willed it,” he explained rather simply. “Your will against the Somatic link was so strong that I was not able to contact you. Until you had forgotten that your will had faltered, Operator. Only then when the will was weak enough could we interact.” Holding up his right hand, it glowed bright white, a similar white orb of energy swirling in his palm. “Remember, Operator.”

Raven stared into the orb curiously. “What do you want me to remember, exactly?”

“These are the memories long since forgotten. This, is what you are!” he stated.

Cautiously, Raven stared into the orb. What she is? What does that mean? Gingerly, she lifted her right hand and held it near the orb but didn't touch it. As her hand shook nervously, she rotated her hand to look at her palm. “And if I refuse?”

Frost didn't respond, as though he was judging her. Perhaps silently asking ‘Are you fucking stupid?’ "I can return you to the reality you left. Where you will live the rest of your life until you die. Hereby your subconscious will fade into nothing.” She glanced down and to the right, remembering how happy she was. Some of it was nothing but a mere blur. “But Operator I must tell you this.” Leaning in closer he gently placed his left on her right shoulder. “The demon that possess your form will unleash your powers upon this world. He will use you to hurt those closest to you. That white one has deep emotions for you.”

Raven's eye went wide in terror. “...Mom.”

Releasing her shoulder, he stood tall. Once again, she stared deeply into the swirling ball of energy. “Will you be with me?”

“We are one, Operator. You are the mind, I am the body.”

Glancing down at her hand one last time, she lifted it over her head and slapped her palm against his. There was a blinding flash of light that forced her to close her eye. The memories came as fast as they went. Voices raced by allowing her to catch one word or another. All around her, she was surrounded by memories long since forgotten. The Zaramin returned as dark as ever. She could see an opaque version of herself surrounded by her friends. Blinking from view, she appeared several feet away, her friends celebrating her success.

"Harness your powers Operator. The Void Dash. Only you possess the ability to transfer through the Void!"

The memory faded as it was replaced with another. She stood trapped, surrounded by the corrupted monsters spawned by the Void. Pouncing her, she held out both hands as a powerful conic blast emitted from her open palms, knocking the monsters back.

“The Void Blast. Let no barrier hold you back!”

The memory dissipated and was replaced with a third. She could see a dark red outline as it slipped past two sentries guarding a corridor in the broken Zaramin. Once she was across, her invisibility faded, allowing her a sigh of relief. She yelped when the two sentries rounded the corner and pounded her, causing her to disappear as they landed on the floor with a roll.

“The Void Mode. You, Operator, are the catalyst between this realm and the Void. Harness its power!”

A pair of dark green eyes appeared staring down at her smaller form. She knew who that was, she knew what she had to do!

"Only through Transference may we be one!

Her eye shot open, glowing red hot. “I remember!”

An explosion like sound resonated through the area as she opened her arms wide, ready for a fight!

***

In the frozen tundra of the Equestrian North, a black mist exploded from Raven’s chest cavity, throwing her backwards and it hard against the ice, violently spider webbing it. Flipping through the air, Raven landed on all fours, sliding across the snow before stopping.

“No,” the mist said, clearly confused and somewhat frustrated. “No, I own you! That is my body!”

“Nobody owns me!” she shouted in defiance.

With a growl, the mist pulsed with anger. With a vicious scream, the mist shot forward. Raven didn't move as she called upon her Somatic Link. In a flash of light, gone was the young teen.

Now, stood the Warframe!

Reaching out, she caught the mist in her grasp. It dissipated around her form, revealing a jet-black stallion held around the neck. Grabbing onto her wrist, he gagged in a poor attempt to free himself. “How dare you! How dare you defy your King!”

Holding him up to her face, she stared into the kings smoldering eyes. “You're not my king!” she growled. Pulling him back, she threw him as hard as she could. The stallion impacted hard against the ice, shattering it further. Sliding down into a sitting position, he shook his head before growling angrily.

“You will not deny me my rightful rule as King!”

Shooting to his hooves, the king charged forward as fast as he could towards her. Shaking with anger, she was not going to take any more of his bullshit!

“You will not terrorize me anymore!” diving deep into her connection to the Warframe and the Void. Both of her metallic hands shone bright with power. Channeling her energy into the ice, she pulled with all her might.

The ice collided hard enough to shake the ground violently. A resounding crack of the ice impacting and cracking filled the frozen night air. The impact was powerful enough…

That it trapped the dark demon inside…

Chapter 21

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Chapter 21

Princess Celestia was a former shell of her once powerful self. Her once flowing mane and tail lay limp and dull, a drab pink had replaced her once flowing one. Her fur was matted, dirty, and unkept. Her eyes were bloodshot and puffy. She ambled like a zombie, dragging her hooves. Her body was numb and her mind blank. Her heart ached in misery. Just when she had though she was past her struggles, life had thrown her yet another curveball. Her star pupil had abandoned her in a fit of rage. Cursing her for everything.

It broke her even further…

Why was it when she got close to somepony… they abandoned her?

With a bottle of cheap whiskey hanging from her limp fingers, she stumbled into her bedroom, dragging her hooves with each step. Passing by her mess of a bed, the drunken mare approached her closet. Dropping the half empty bottle, it tinked loudly against the floor. Reached forward, she violently opened the doors and stared into the abyss.

It took three tries to turn on the lights, but when she did, she winced. It only seemed to aggravate a growing hangover. Blinking the pain away, she stared daggers at the purple suit of armor she had kept hidden in what was essentially a closet. “This is yur fult!” she slurred, pointing an accusatory finger at the armor. She tried to look as aggressive and angry as possible, it didn't work well with her swaying form and shaky hand. “Y-You did this!” Staring up at its faceless helmet and in her drunken state, she honestly expected it to answer her! “Answer me!”

It did nothing.

The suit only continued to stand there. In three months it hadn't moved, and she didn't dare touch it. It was under lockdown and only her and Bronze knew of its power and location. Surrounded by as many wards as possible, nopony would be able to get near it. Infuriated, she grabbed the knob of the closet door and tore it from its hinges. “ANSWER ME!” Her bottom lip quivered in anger before she grabbed her face with both hands. Dropping to both knees, she started to sob loudly, her entire form shook and tremored. Why… why… whywhywhywhy!?

Unbeknownst to her, the right hand of the suit twitched. Its fingers convulsed violently before opening widely and balling into a strong fist. It was as though some long lost connection was activated inside its metal form. It felt a pull and a plea for help. It must answer the call!

Protect, the Operator!

Celestia jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Removing her hands from her muzzle, she stared up in awe as the suit held onto her. A horrifying shiver ran up the length of her spin as the suit stared down at her. She locked up, horrified at what this thing could do. Stepping past her, its movements were blocky, stiff even. She could only watch as it headed towards the window. Once it made it towards one of the many windows that lined her bedroom. Gently working the lock, it pushed the window open, letting a warm summer breeze enter the room, causing the mares mane to flutter. Staring out over the Equestrian countryside, it starred off towards the north.

As though it could hear it's calling upon the wind.

In a flash of light and a strange sucking sound, it dematerialized upon itself.

And just like that… it was gone.

***

In the city of Thestralshire, a young mare coward in fear as two stallions stood over her. She knew nothing well was about to follow. Tears ran down her cheeks as one of the stallions forcefully grabbed o to her arm with one hand and grabbed her shirt with the other. She heard threads breaking as he attempted to pull her shirt off. Closing her eyes, she could only pray for somepony to save her. She felt his release her, not daring to open her eyes, she heard grunting, groaning and the sounds of punching. When nothing happened after several seconds, she shakily opened one eye. At her hooves, both thestral stallions laid bruised, beaten and unconscious. Lifting her gaze, she could only see the silhouette of a taller minotaur standing over her. Her savior…

Captain Bronze could only stare at the empty space that once held the suit. It was clear now that its disappearance was not the tales of a drunken mare lost in her haze. Unable to explain how it escaped on its own, he was at a loss. Glancing over his shoulder, he stared at the closed door of the princess’ master bathroom. Small wisps of steam escaped out from under the door. From his position, he could hear the muffled orders of a few maids tasked with helping the princess get herself clean.

Just south of the town of Thestralshire, a humble little unicorn family sat terrified in their coach. Held against their will, the mother held her two fillies close as her husband was forced to open their safe. Inside held all their riches that they would need to start their new life. The griffons holding them hostage looked unafraid to do anything drastic should the need arise. The stallion’s hands couldn't stop shaking as he attempted to work the combination lock. With the masked griffon holding a knife to his neck, he prayed to the gods for an angel to at very least watch over his family. The carriage shook violently, causing the family inside to scream. Confused, the male griffon looked up, coming face to face with the family’s hero...

Cadet Armor and his friends sat at one of the many diners that populated Canterlot. Swirling his still full cup of coffee, he was at a loss. There was nothing more they could do… All leads had led to a false hope. Many of the cadets had created this false reality that in some way, some shape or form, the princess was still alive. The rest of his friends looked as dull as he felt. With one last sigh, the stallion painfully swallowed his now cold cup of coffee before grabbing his spear and shield and headed off into the city, squad in tow.

On the edges of Neighagra Falls, a young colt held tightly against the cliffs. During his sightseeing, he had slipped from the trail and tumbled over the edge, landing on a barren ledge. Both his parents could only pace and plea anypony to help their son. No unicorn could see him, and the winds were too powerful for a pegasus. It would be hours before a rescue crew could get up there! As the father paced he saw out of the corner of his eye a flash of purple and white as somepony hopped the rail and disappeared over the edge. Shocked, everypony held tightly against the rail leaning over the edge of the railing in an attempt to see down the cliff. It was a tense several seconds before another flash of purple and white sailed past them. Landing not too far behind the crowd, the stallion stood tall with the colt at his hooves. Running a reassuring hand through the colts mane, the stallion gave him a thumbs up as the distraught parents came running and embracing their son. As the father turned to face their savior, he stood baffled, as the stallion had disappeared into the woods...

Princess Cadence could only stare longingly into the pot of soup she was stirring. In the living room, the filly she was foalsitting was reading a book. Her thoughts wandered towards her disappeared niece. While their time together was brief, she loved every second of it. Shaking her head, she refocused her thoughts and continued with her cooking before she called it good. Pouring two bowls, she headed into the living room. Handing off her bowl to the purple filly on the floor, she sat down on the couch. Sipping at her soup, the mare’s thoughts wandered back towards Raven. Silently, she started to sob.

Off the main line of train tracks that connected all of Equestria’s railways, ponies screamed for help as they sat trapped in their dangling car. Part of the train had come derailed and hung precariously off the edge of a bridge over Ghastly Gorge. To terrified to move, ponies didn't know what to do! With the car barely holding on by a thread, they screamed out in terror as the car shifted violently. Many of them were thrown from their secure positions. One poor mare grunted as she impacted against one of the seats, unable to stop her momentum, she screamed as she tumbled down the aisle and towards the open back door. Ponies reached for her, but it was all in vain. Slipping out the open back door, she knew she was done for! Grunting, she felt something stop her descend into the gorge. Looking up, she came face to face with the armor-clad stallion of her dreams. Holding an arm around her midsection, he pushed off the car and high into the air. Landing on the bridge, he gently set the mare down before turning towards the car with a sense of urgency. Channeling all his power into his hands, gusts of cold air and roaring winds resonated through the canyon walls as ice started to form around the cart before part of it and the bridge were consumed. Jumping towards an open window, he started pulling ponies out and to safety...

Bubbles sat at her dining room table surrounded by empty beer bottles. The mare sobbed loudly into her arms as her head rested on the table. In six months, all she had accomplished was drowning out her sorrows in booze. She was broken and dull. Her once vibrant coat reeked of alcohol and depression. Several weeks ago the mare had quit her job as a maid, unable to look the princess in the eye any longer. For the following hours, she continued to sob into the empty halls of her apartment.

At the edge of Canterlot, stood a lone figure. His armor shone bright in the early morning dawn. It was perfect and pristine. His horns tall and sharp, impressive enough to put any minotaur to shame. His muscular structure was as intimidating as impressive. His vibrant violet cloak waved delicately in the early morning breeze. It had been a long three months to get back here.

But it was well worth the effort.

Entering the grand streets of the city, he headed towards one destination. As he walked, ponies turned to face the newcomer. He walked with an air of authority and strength. He stood tall and proud. Was he Equestria's latest hero? Perhaps a Minotaur of royal blood? Was he a prince, a king, or perhaps a god? Okay, maybe not that last one. Ponies stood in awe of him. His armor was polished to a perfect reflection, glinting brightly in the late summer sun. His long flowing cloak flowed gallantly with each step. He was so enthralling that one little snow-white filly with a curly-q purple mane watched in awe as he passed her. He held his head high, both horns grinded to a perfect point. His metallic boots carried him so smoothly across the street, it was as though he was floating.

The once hustling and bustling city had come to a standstill. Who was this pony and what did they want? Stallions starred in both envy and respect, mares out of beauty and lust. Two guards ponies watched with a keen eye, expecting something bad to come of him. But it never came.

He continued forward unhindered though. As he walked, a tiny filly playing with a ball came out from a random street and paid him little mind until it was too late. Bumping into his shin, she fell backwards onto her bum with a cute grunt. Ponies all around gasped loudly, expecting him to explode from her foolishness. The tension was thick. Unbeknownst to the child, she was more focused on something else. Looking around herself, she grabbed her ball with a smile as she held it over her head victoriously, before she looked past the toy and up at the shadow looming over her. There was definitely one thing for sure that she didn't like...

The stallion was really tall and scary!

With a whimper, she clutched her ball tight towards her chest and attempted to look small. He looked really really angry. Tears started to well up in the corners of her eyes in fear that he will do something. She wanted her mommy! Closing her eyes, she whimpered again. And maybe if she didn't see him, he couldn't see her! It was fool proof! It didn't seem to work when she heard him kneel in front of her, followed by the sounds of magic being used. She felt him run a thumb across her face, wiping away the tears. Nervously, she opened her eyes to see him cleaning away the tears. It, reminded her of her mommy when she was sad. She always cleaned away the tears. Blinking, she smiled her thanks. Removing his hand, he rested it on her knee. With his other hand, he held it up from behind his back.

What she saw, caused her to gasp adorably.

In his palm, was a little ice statue of her and her ball. Gently placing it on the ground, her eyes sparkled with wonder as she stared at the tiny frozen version of herself as she leaned in for a closer look. As she heard her mother calling for her, turning around, she quickly forgot the little sculpture and ran towards her mommy! The unicorn mare embraced her child before giving her a scolding about running off. Looking up at the stallion who was in the process of standing himself, she apologized for her daughter. Waving off the apology, he then held up his right hand, palm up.

Pointing towards his open palm, the filly leaned inward, watching intently. Magic formed in his grasp as a small flurry of wind and snow swirled in his palm. Her mother was rather interested at what he intended to do too. The gusts increased in vigor as the snow became thicker before it exploded, showering the area in a light dusting. The little filly giggled happily before a tiny snowflake landed a top her muzzle, causing her to look at it cross eyed. She continued to giggle before focusing in his palm.

In it, was a little ice statue of her and her mommy!

It shattered and crumbled, causing the briefest amount of sadness in her tiny form before she watched in awe as another tiny statue of her and him appeared. If one looked really closely, they could see the first statue in his palm. The mother watched in awe as he used his ice magic to form more tiny statues. One was of Canterlot Castle, another the city, before finally the Princess, tall and proud.

The mares heart ached while her daughters soared.

As the little statue shattered one last time, closing his hand, he held his close fist for several seconds before rearing back and throwing a fist full of snow into the air. The filly burst out in a fit of joyous giggles as the flakes of snow fluttered towards the ground. Patting the little filly on the head, he gave the mare a courteous nod before heading back off onto his original destination.

As he approached the gates of the castle, two guards, Cadets Armor, Dawn, and Longbow conversed about their latest assignment. The three were on gate duty, taking practice from their superiors in the enlisted guard. Glancing to the side and down the road, Cadet Armor stepped forward with Dawn and Longbow stepped forward, the latter two crossed spears as Armor held up his hand.

“I’m sorry, but unless you have an appointment, the castle is closed,” he ordered.

The unknown stallion came to a halt and stared down at the cadet stallion. He continued to stare down at the blue haired stallion, refusing to move while the taller stallion continued to hold his hand out with firm resolution. The young stallion was about to give another command before he was blinded by a flash of light as a smaller being phased out from the armor and gently stepped down onto the ground, the suit standing patiently behind her. Every pony’s eyes in the immediate area went wide.

“Please move, Cadet,” she ordered.

***

Captain Bronze ran through the halls of the castle as fast as his hooves could carry him. As he threw caution to the wind, he stumbled slightly as he rounded a corner. Pushing in between two maids, he shouted an apology over his shoulder towards the two shocked maids. His lungs burned as he headed towards the stairs, jumping two at a time, he was almot to the top in a matter of seconds. By the time he made it to the necessary floor, he was soon realizing how old he was getting. Upon reaching the last step, his hoof stumbled, and he landed painfully. His armor did little to protect him from the step that had jabbed him in the gut.

Cursing his misfortune, he ignored his screaming ribs and pushed forward.

Racing down the final hallway he came to a sliding stop in front of a large set of wooden doors. Reaching forward with both hands, he pulled the right hand one open, flooding the room with light from the hallway. Inside the room, Celestia winced from the bright light. Opening her eyes, she sat up, letting her bright pink mane drape over her shoulders and breasts. Rubbing her eyes, she attempted to wipe the sleep from her eyes.

“Captain Bronze?” she questioned sleepily. “What’s so important that warrants my help?” Even though she was still down in the dumps, at least she had stopped the drinking and bathed regularly. Even with her mess of unbrushed hair, she still looked beautiful and down right cute as she rubbed her face. Bronze couldn't help but feel a little bit happier that she was recovering. But he still had more important matters to attend to.

The stallion panted loudly as he attempted to catch his breath. He dipped his breath as he sucked in as much air as he could before lifting it and staring straight into the princess’ eyes. “Princess! I-”

He was cut off as a silhouetted hand grabbed his shoulder, causing him to turn his head to face the unknown pony. Stepping out of the way, he let the unknown pony step past him and enter the room. Celestia sat in her bed shocked. There in the doorway…

Stood the armor that had long since left.

The mare could only stare in awe and confusion as to why it would return. It had no rhyme or reason to return. The last time she had a deep reaction with it was when it requested for the 'operator' what ever that meant. But yet here it was! As she waited for it to say or do something, there was a bright flash of red light that illuminated the room further, revealing a flash of pink and black before the light faded back into the darkness. Shadowed by the taller suit, a young filly stood before her. The mare cupped her muzzle with both hands as she gasped loudly. There in her bedroom…

Stood her daughter!

The mare sobbed loudly, covering her mouth with both hands. Holding out both arms as wide as possible, the mare silently pleaded the girl to come to her. Raven wasted no time at all and ran forward as fast she could. Diving onto the bed and into Celestia’s open arms, the mare and human embraced each other as they nuzzled. Celestia wrapped both arms around the child and pulled her in close, rubbing her face against the girl’s hair. Raven pulled herself against the mare’s bosom and did her best to wrap her smaller arms around the solar mare’s torso.

The pair held each other tightly, fearing that the other would disappear if they let go. Grabbing Raven by the cheeks, Celestia rested her forehead against Ravens. Staring deep into her snow-white eye, Celestia still couldn't believe it. “I'm sorry… I'm sorry… I'm sorry!” she profusely apologized, pulling Raven back into her previous embrace. “I love you so much! Please forgive me-e-e-e!”

Oh, how Raven missed this! The feeling of Celestia’s warm and soft fur. The love and embrace. Just everything about it filled a hole in her heart that she so desperately desired. She pressed herself into the mare’s soft neck as far as she could. “Sorry… sorry… sorry!” she shouted into the mare’s neck, her tears matting the mares neck fur. But Celestia cared little, as she cared about was the girl in her grasp! Wrapping her wings around Raven’s smaller form, the duo cried their sorrows away. They stayed like that for some time before Celestia turned her head towards the door and the stallion leaning on the doorway, arms crossed with a tiny, satisfied half smile upon his muzzle.

“Captain-”

He cut off the mare off by holding up a hand. “I will address the nation. You two have a lot of catching up to do,” he said, pushing off the door frame and uncrossing his arms and moving them to his hips. “I will contact Miss Inkwell and hold a press conference. We'll need proof. So, I do believe a photo will suffice.” The mare nodded, satisfied by the answer before she turned back to her child and wrapping both herself and her daughter with her wings. Smiling, Bronze turned towards the suit just standing inside the room. Slowly, it turned its head towards the twin-horned stallion. “Thank you, for bringing her back,” he thanked from the bottom of his heart as he placed a hand on the shoulder of the suit.

Tilting its head at the praise, it went back to watching the human.

Bronze accepted the head tilt as a form of ‘you're welcome’ and let it go. Tapping its shoulder twice, he left the room and entered the vast hallways of the castle. He was going to need to contact the newspapers, prepare a speech and contact a number of different ponies. As head headed down the stairs, he practically had to dive out of the way as a crying Princess Cadance shot past him as nothing more than a pink blur. He smiled as he watched her race up the stairs and out of his sight. For the first time in six months…

All was right in the Nation of Equestria!

The next day.

“Princess Raven has returned!” Captain Bronze announced over the gathered crowd his voice amplified by a series of spells that allow him to be loud enough to be heard by all of Canterlot. Standing on the edge of the balcony specifically designed for such occasions and announcements. Down below, in the streets of Canterlot, ponies had flooded into the streets, the crowd was so large that it poured out of the surrounding courtyard and far into the streets of Canterlot herself. Many ponies ranging from all shapes, colors, age, and backgrounds held papers. The front page of each and every newspaper read the same words in big bold lettering, ‘PRINCESS RAVEN RETURNED!’ followed by a very short article and a time of announcement and a picture of both Princess Celestia and Princess Raven embracing on her majesty's bed.

The crowd exploded in uproarious cheers upon hearing the declaration. Across the nation, ponies tuned in to the announcement crystals specifically designed to protect the face and voice of the pony talking when the announcement is of grave importance. From Las Pegasus to Manehattan and everywhere in between, the nation sang songs of praise. With an about-face turn, the stallion left the crowd to its celebration. Upon stepping back inside the castle, he was flooded by reporters who bombarded him with questions while his loyal guards held them at bay.

“Captain! Captain! Is it really true that the princess has returned!?”

“Captain Bronze! May we see the princesses to confirm your announcement?”

“Is it true that the princess was kidnapped!?”

“What is your opinion on the string of rescues by an unknown hero!?”

Coming to a stop just before a large oak door, he about-faced again towards these bloodsucking leaches. They continued to shout questions before he held up his hand in silence. For the first time in minutes, the stallion could think clearly. “There will be a press conference in an hour that will answer all your questions, thank you!” he promptly exited through the door just as they started up yelling more questions his direction yet again. Slamming the door shut, he groaned in agony as he rubbed his face.

“You look dead,” he heard somepony say. Looking through his fingers, he stared down at the orange hooves and golden shin guards of the mare standing before him. He knew those bright orange nut busters anywhere. “Lieutenant Flare,” he greeted as he lowered his arms and started down the hallway towards the conference room he mentioned earlier. “No deader than you.”

As he stepped past her, she fell into step with him as she placed her left hand on the pommel of her sword. “Ha ha… picking on the lowly mare, are we?”

“Blow it out your tail hole!”

The mare rolled her eyes but smiled nonetheless. It was nothing more than mere bantered between guardsponies. “Nah, you'd rather stuff it,” she countered with a smirk. Captain Bronze was really not in the mood for stupid antics. He was stressed and had ten-million things on his plate that he needed focus on.

With a frustrated eye roll and groan, he dropped the topic entirely. “I need you to keep ponies in line during the conference. You know how these bloodsuckers get, give them an meter and the take a kilo,” he stated as he went into ‘Commander Mode’.

“And her majesties?”

“Princess Cadance and Prince Blueblood will be there for the sake of P.R. As for Princess Celestia and Princess Raven, they are following through with a request from Princess Raven.”

***

The streets were empty as a single unmarked carriage sat outside of one of the many cookie cutter apartments that populated the street. With the upcoming announcement, this was a perfect time to do this. Inside one of the many rooms on one of the many floors, one little mare and one little human embraced each other lovingly. Bubbles sat on her knees while Raven stood as they held each other close. Both were sobbing, the mare a little louder. She was still a mess and her countertops were covered with both empty and partial bottles of booze.

Pulling away, Bubbles kept her grip on the younger girl's shoulders while Raven held the mare’s bare arms. Not expecting anypony at all, Bubbles was still in a dirty tank top and her panties. Sitting at the table, the princess waited patiently, a tiny yet warm smile gracing her lips. “Bubbles? I think this is as good time as any to ask you this,” Celestia started as she waited for the mare’s attention. Once she had it, she continued. “I… I would like to offer you your old position back.”

Bubbles wilted at the offer as she looked down to the floor, then to the empty bottles surrounding her kitchen, ears splayed. “I-I couldn't… I'm a mess and an embarrassment…” she admitted. Her apartment, filthy clothing, and simple fact that she rank of booze and sweat was enough of a point that she didn't need further explanation. “Besides… I… it's such a struggle to even look you in the eye after I lost her under my watch…”

Raven winced. She had yet to explain herself and her actions. Spending most of her time with Celestia, Raven didn't just wanted to be held. So that was most of what they did, was cuddle and be around each other. But, that topic was going to have happen here soon. She was already grounded and her guards under strict orders to never let her out of their sight no matter what so help me, me!

As per Celestia's orders.

As the little half naked mare opened her mouth to explain herself further towards her inability to return to her job, but was silenced when she felt her fingers interlace with Raven's. Squeezing the mare’s hands, Raven pleaded, “Please?”

She couldn't say no to the pleading filly. Tears welled up in the corners of her eyes. Grabbing Raven's hand with both of hers, she held them up in front of her face and squeezed them back, “O-okay… I will!”

Leaping forward, Raven wrapped both her hands around the mare’s neck. Nuzzling her mane… Raven took a deep breath…

Her eye snapped open as she pulled away quickly, clasping both hands over her nose, a look of disgust upon her features. “You need a shower…” she said nasally.

Bubbles blushed in embarrassment at the declaration. Well... at least someone finally said something. Celestia had been ignoring it for the sake of not embarrassing the fragile mare further. “Bubbles, I will gladly reinstate your position at the castle,” Celestia stated as she stood up from her seat. “Clean yourself up and you may return to work as soon as you can.”

Helping the mare to her hooves, Celestia smiled warmly. The mare returned it with a weaker, yet still grateful smile of her own. Celestia squeezed the blue mare’s hands lovingly. Running a hand through her mane, attempting to flatten out the stray hairs and make the mare more presentable, the mare continued. “We look forward to having you back.” Looking down at Raven with a smile, the girl, still clasping her nose, smiled regardless of the smell. Returning her gaze back to the mare in her grasp, she pulled her into a hug, holding back a wince as the stench of cheap booze and sweat assaulted the mares nose. Without hesitation, Raven jumped forward and in between the two mares, causing both to giggle.

Yes, all was right, in Equestria.

Chapter 22

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Chapter 22

Raven rubbed her face with both hands as she sat in her room, working on the missed homework she had to catch up on, to get a gauge on what she was going to have to do this fall for school. In all honesty, she wasn't overly thrilled at the prospect, but to say that she wasn't at least a little bit intrigued by how this school would work. Math and science came easily enough. Being a space ninja with an all knowing A.I. tends to allow for higher intelligence levels in those two areas. Equestrian History and Magic studies were the new kickers that had her interest.

The latter of the two was the most confusing…

As she went back to her textbook, she hummed along to the tune that played from the record player in the corner. It was a tool of wonder to her when she first saw one. It was even more fascinating when she saw how it worked. It had to be a system that predated advanced music systems by centuries. Amazing how being exposed to more advanced technologies made simper technology one of the strangest things in the universe.

Standing next to it, her Warframe stood alert. Frost Prime had never left her side unless ordered and he shadowed her wherever she went. At first, the castle staff were weary of this strange Minotaur bull that followed her everywhere. But after these last few months, it was just a normal occurrence inside the castle halls to see the pair together. It was also assuring to Celestia that she could at least trust this thing as one of her daughters’ guards. The first time one of the cadets tried to mess with her as a prank, the Warframe didn't allow it.

Raven also had to explain to him how the antics in the castle were for a mere laugh.

But as of right now, he was content with where he was. In a sense, he was happy. She still needed to study further into his systems and operations. Letting her hands rest on her desk, she spied the photograph that sat on her desk. There stood her and her friend Sunset with an arm over each shoulder as the pair laughed merrily. Grabbing the photo, the girl stared at it for some time. When she learned that the young mare had run off and disappeared into a magical portal, Raven was devastated.

It made her question her trust in others.

Gingerly, she opened one of the drawers in her desk and placed the picture inside face down. It was going to be years before the mirror portal opened again... At least she still had Cadance and Shining. Closing the drawer, she picked up her pencil and continued her work. In the background, she paid little mind as the song came to an end. Frost's gigantic head slowly turned to stare down at the record player. Gingerly, the suit removed the needle and the record, placing the latter in its sleeve and on a nearby shelf. Pulling a random one free from Raven's minor collection, Frost placed the vinyl on the player and gingerly moved the needle into place.

Smooth jazz started to play as the needle took to the grooves. Staring down at the player, it let the music play before turning back towards the music shelf, putting the sleeve away. It was amazing how everything seemed new to him. It was clear that he was processing it with every situation he participated in. He was not a mere drone or simplified A.I.

There was something more.

The room shook violently, causing Raven to grasp her desk out of reflex while Frost continued to stare at the music player, only moving to grab the player to keep it from toppling onto the floor. The sounds of ponies screaming, and rock crumbling made Raven try to look out her window. Unable to see properly from her seat, she pushed herself to her feet and opened the windows, sticking her head out to search the immediate area. She continued to survey the castle grounds before her gaze settled on something very unsettling.

On the far end of the castle, a gigantic purple and green lizard head protruded from inside the Wing of her mother's school. “Frost!” she shouted before she transferred into the suit. Leaping from the window towards the roof below, she shot off towards the threat. Staring up at the gigantic beast as she ran, she was trying to figure out how to fight this thing. It looked rather stupid, kinda like an Eidolon. They may look gigantic and menacing, but they are slow in the head.

Jumping towards the outer wall that contained this thing, she ran up its surface, relying on the suits strength to get her towards her target. Grabbing the edge of the roof, she pulled herself up with a flip into a standing position. Staring up in awe at the lizard, she tried to find a weak point. There was no shield she would have to fight through like the Orb Mother, but this thing’s hide had to be as strong as steel.

Eyes…

How the hell was she going to get up there!? This thing towered over the castle and it was significantly larger than the Eidolon she once bared witness to. Neither of her weapons would reach there, especially when this thing started squirming. Making her decision to climb, she bullet-jumped as high as she could and clasped onto it scales. With another jump, she reached out to clasp onto it again.

Pop!

“Shit!” she yelped when the gigantic animal just flat out disappeared! She flailed around in a vain attempt to grab onto something before used the Warframe's bullet glide the gently flutter down to a safe height before she just let herself drop. Landing on all fours with a thud inside the room, she startled everypony inside said room. Standing up, she could see her mother standing not too far away. With a sense of urgency, she rushed her way towards Celestia, drawing her sword in preparation for finding that monster.

Celestia's eyes widened in silent understanding. She couldn't physically see it, but she could sense the worry coming from her daughters’ suit. “Nonono, it's okay! It's okay!” she assured quickly, grabbing the suit by the shoulders. “It's fine, Sweetie. Just a little magical surge. It's all under control now!”

~Raven~ blinked as she let the words sink in. She vaguely remembered either reading about or someone telling her about magical surges. Magic build up or lack of magical control, or something along those lines. Turning her head, she could see that she seemed to be in a lecture hall. A few unicorns sat up high behind a desk, their fancy shirts, dresses, and hair disheveled and messy. Slowly turning around, there was a light blue stallion with a darker purple mane and yellow eyes in a nice suit stood next to a light grey mare with a purple and white mane and tail and greenish-blue eyes in a simple grey dress, both watched Raven with looks of worry. Just in front of the couple, a little purple filly with a two-tone mane and tail with matching eyes in a little school uniform and a cute lab coat stood.

~Raven~ could feel something different about the filly. She was strong, probably smart too. The little purple filly stared up at the helmet of the suit, studying its form with curious eyes. From the long-split horns and dangling snowflake tassels to his cloak and all the way down to his pointed metal boots.

A giggle down at her shin caused ~Raven~ to glance down. There, at her feet, sat a little purple and green lizard like creature. One very similar to the giant one she was about to fight. Was this it?

Reaching down, she lifted the giggling baby into her arms. The baby gurgled and giggled happily as he chewed on his tail cutely. His little green eyes sparkling with untold wonder. Squirming in her grasp, he pulled himself up ~Raven's~ shoulder, reaching out with his little claw towards something. Confused, she watched him as he was unable to grab the object of his desire. Glancing over her shoulder, she couldn't see anything of interest. As she turned her head back towards the baby, something out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. The snowflake tassel that hung from her horns swung with each little movement of her head.

Adjusting her head, she let him grasp the chain with his tiny claw. A small tug against her head told ~Raven~ that he got the object of his desire. She would have taken it off and given it to him if it weren't for the for the fact that it was permanently attached. Removing her gaze from the cute display, she focused on Celestia. The mare smiled warmly down at the child before her eyes moved to look at her daughters armored helmet when she felt as though she was being watched.

“Here,” the solar mare offered, reaching forward and taking the baby from ~Raven’s~ grasp. The infant's happy smile turned into confusion, then sadness as he was pulled away from his toy. His little arms reaching out and begging for his snowflake back. Pulling him close to her breast, Celestia held him with one arm as she used the other to pull her mane over her shoulder, offering it to the infant. Grabbing onto it, he immediately forgot his previous toy and held onto the princess’ hair, pulling it gently. “Good. Now that everything is under control. I think I can take it from here, Sweetie.”

~Raven~ gave the infant one last glance before she glanced over her should at the two parents. She didn't see the filly until she found her just behind her back, holding onto the edge of her cloak, seemingly studying it. With a yank, ~Raven~ pulled her cloak from purple girls grasp, surprising the filly. With one last look of disdain towards the shocked filly, she headed towards the door and out of the room.

***

Sometime later, Raven -now lacking her Warframe- stood side by side with her mother just in front of the throne’s dais in the throne room. The girl squirmed in her light blue dress. This was her first official meeting that was of the utmost importance that required her to dress up. She tried to get out of it, but the threat of further grounding shut her up quickly. Staring at the floor, the teens mind wandered back towards the events of yesterday.

Thankfully no pony got hurt.

Lost in her thoughts, she didn't hear the throne room doors open or hear the small group of ponies enter and approach the dais. Celestia smiled her greeting before she glanced out of the corner of her eye, seeing Raven staring at the floor, lost in thought. Extending her left wing, she poked the girl on the shoulder. Immediately lifting her head, Raven stared at her mother, expecting her to say or do something. Nudging her head in the direction of the gathered family, Celestia continued as though nothing happened. Clearing her conscious, Raven blinked a few times to gather her thoughts.

Just in front of the pair, stood the same pair of ponies from the day before. Each were wearing similar outfits from the day before. This time the stallion went with a black tux with a dark blue tie and the mare with a light pink dress. The latter of the two swaddling what Raven now knew was a dragon hatchling in her arms. Just in front of the pair was the filly from yesterday too in a simple yellow sundress.

As the little family bowed their greetings, Celestia bowed her greeting in return. Raven panicked for a second before she closed her eye and followed suite with her greeting. Just as she went straight, she opened her eye and yelped back. There, not even a foot in front of her stood the little purple filly.

How did she not hear her!?

The little filly examined the human girl with an adorable head tilt while her mouth made a little ‘o’ shape. She examined the princess with a keen eye. Leaning in closer to get a closer look, Raven leaned back to get away for the filly. The purple furred girl blinked twice before she leaned back slightly.

“What are you? How did you get that eye patch? Why do you have no fur? Are you sick? Princess is she sick?” she rapid fired a number of questions that only caused Raven to just lock up slightly. “How did you become a princess? Are you-” The filly winced when Raven blinked out of existence. The filly was forced to close her eyes as a cold breeze struck her in the face, causing her mane to flutter violently.

Both parents did the same as the same rush of cold air engulfed them. Turning around, the filly caught the slightest glimpse of the young princess as she opened the throne room door and slipped out. The filly blinked twice before she turned to face an equally shocked Princess Celestia. “Did… did I do something wrong?” she whimpered before biting her lower lip, tears welling up in the corners of her eyes.

Celestia sighed, “I’m sorry, she’s… we’ve had some problems recently, as you probably know. Please, will you join me for lunch?” the mare requested as she led the filly along with her hand. “Please don’t hold it against her?” Leading the family out of the throne room, the small group was led along in some rather awkward silence. Thankfully, the three mature family members were rather mesmerized by the vastness that was the Canterlot Castle.

The baby dragon was content playing with his holder’s hair.

Leading them into the private dining hall of the castle, Celestia offered the family to find a seat of their own choice, she took hers at the head of the table. With a little clap from her majesty, the doors that lead to the kitchen opened as a series of chefs and waiters entered the room, pushing carts full of covered food dishes.

Like a well-oiled machine or well synchronized symphony, the small army of confectionery ponies placed various dishes, plates, and confectionery meals across one half of the table. With precise precision, they culinary ponies placed everything in its correct location. As the chefs stepped away, the waiters held onto one or two lids and held their positions as they created a little suspense.

Dragging the metal lids across the metal platters, causing the lids to resonate throughout the walls of the dining hall. “Enjoy, Princess!” one stallion welcomed as he bowed towards the solar mare before he led the way back towards the kitchen doors. Every pony fell into step behind him, carts and dish lids in hand as they filed their way out of the hall and out of sight. As the mare watched, she thought of one last thing as she glanced down at the infant in her grasp.

As if on cue, a waitress appeared and pulled out the chair next to the seated mare and placed a foal seat on top of the larger cushioned seat. Voicing her thanks, the mare gingerly placed the infant in the seat and strapped him in. As he slapped at the table top, he giggled innocently while she gingerly patted him on the head lovingly, the mare felt relieved to finally be able to move her arms.

“Have you thought of a name yet?” Celestia inquired as she used her magic to graciously fill her plate with various fruits and vegetables.

“Hmm? Oh! Uhm… no…” the mare answered awkwardly after an equally awkward start. The stallion glanced at his wife with a look of concern.

“Please forgive us Princess, we’ve never dined with royalty before,” the darker stallion apologized. “It's still a lot to take in after yesterday. I think I'm still suffering from the consequences too, heh,” he laughed out of reflex and thinking back to the previous day’s events as he rubbed his right ear and pulling out a cactus needle. With a look of surprise, he gently placed it on the edge of his plate.

Celestia waved off his apprehension while also ignoring the random needle. “It's quite alright. But please, this is a casual-esk meeting on both welcoming and thanking your family!” The mare smiled, she really was happy about the latest outcome.

Even though part of the castle was leveled thanks to the infant at the table.

“I do hope that he hasn't been too much trouble so far?” the mare asked, referring towards the baby dragon. One, who happily slapped away at his food.

“Other than fireproofing everything, Velvet here is elated to have another baby, actually,” the stallion smiled as he leaned over to nuzzle his wife as she fed the baby. The mare smiled in return as she pulled a cloth napkin off her lap to clean the wiggling infant's mouth.

As the conversation continued, the awkward mood from earlier had faded and was replaced with a joyous one. The conversations ranged from helpful infant tips to preparations for Celestia's newest pupil. While questions were being tossed back and forth on both sides, it only came to a halt when the doors to the dining hall opened and Raven entered, no longer wearing the dress but her jeans and short sleeve grey shirt, with her gaze focused towards the floor. It was when she lifted her head and saw the scene before her that she froze.

Celestia offered a small, reassuring smile. “Sweetie, would you like to join us? There's more than enough.” The mare gestured towards the still stacked table. Staring at the abundance of available meals, Raven's stomach grumbled. She had come in here for a reason, but didn't realize that this was supposed to be going on. Surveying the table, she homed in on a possible meal.

Blinking out of existence, she reappeared next to the table. Grabbing a large, gooey cinnamon roll, she shoved it in her mouth to hold it, grabbed another with one hand, and finally an apple. In another flash, she appeared next to the door, opened it and disappeared. Celestia slowly closed her eyes with a sad sigh.

“Sorry,” the mare apologized.

Here’s hoping the upcoming future would be promising for her daughter. As the meal continued with more conversation and giggling from the baby dragon, the little filly raised her hand. “May I go to the bathroom?”

“You may, Sweetie,” her mother said, dismissing her.

As the purple filly worked her way out of the larger chair, the princess spoke up before she could leave. “The bathroom is out that door, take a left and it's the third door down on the left also.”

With a nod, the little filly headed towards the door. Heading out into the vast hallway of the castle, she followed the verbal instructions the princess gave her and quickly found two doors, both doors had picture signs of little stick figure alicorns, one with a dress and the other no dress. Heading into the appropriate restroom, the little filly did her business and washed her hands. As she exited the bathroom, instead of following the instructions in reverse, which would have led her back to the dining hall, she went left and off into the castle halls.

Lost in her reverie and sheer awe of the grandness that is the Canterlot Castle, leading herself with no direction in mind, the cute little filly was fawned upon by maids while guards avoided her as they either stood or walked. She took turns and went up and down stairs, getting thoroughly lost in her own little world. It wasn’t until she heard what sounded like hissing coming from a nearby door that caused her to yelp and knock her from her sightseeing. Her gaze landed on a slightly ajar door emanating a little bit of light from inside through the crack and into the hallway.

The hissing continued and caused a terrifying chill to roll up her spine. The sudden urge to run was all to prevalent. But there was also an urge of curiosity and it ultimately won over in the end. Slowly and quietly she preceded forward towards the door. Cautiously, she advanced towards the door, searching seemingly for anypony in the now desolate hallway. Holding both hands above her heart, she was starting to regret her decision, but she had to know who or what was on the other side of the door. Gingerly, as to not alert whoever was inside, she placed her hand on the door and pushed ever so gently, just enough to poke an eye inside. It looked...

Exactly like any other bedroom.

A bed, a partially filled bookcase full of both books and records for the nearby record player. There was a desk under the window and a few lamps scattering the room. It was, by all means, a bedroom. Opening the door further she stepped inside. “H-Hello?” she timidly asked. “Is anypony there?”

Receiving no answer, she cautiously wandered further inside. She watched every corner with a cautious eye. As her eyes wandered, she spotted something on the desk. As appealing as the small stack of books was on the right-hand side, a strange box shaped object with a handle sat in the center of the table. Stepping up, her curiosity got the better of her. She reached out gingerly but hesitated for a second before delicately wrapping her fingers around the handle, lifting it slightly off the table.

*Slam!*

She yelped and released the object, pulling both hands away as fast as she could and pulled them close to her chest as a metallic purple hand slapped the thing out of her grasp, pining it to the table. Staring down at her, loomed a dark, multi-horned shadow. He hissed loudly and angrily at her. “I-I don’t know what you’re saying!” she pleaded, backing away in a panic. There was a flash of bright red light and a warping sound that caused her to flinch her eyes shut.

“I said, ‘what are you doing in here!?’” a new voice shouted. The purple filly opened her eyes to see who was talking to her but yelped again when the princess grabbed her by the collar of her shirt. “Did your parents not teach you to not touch other ponies’ stuff!?”

The filly did her best to respond but only succeeded in stumbling her words, unable to form a proper sentence. She felt tears in the corner of her eyes as she was forced to stare into the angry eye of the angry princess. “Well?” the princess demanded. The filly failed to respond a second time, the princess rolled her eyes and shoved the filly backwards towards the door. “Get lost!” the princess ordered as she turned around towards her desk and suit of armor.

The little filly stumbled slightly, her hooves catching one another, causing her to stumble and fall. She landed painfully on her butt with a grunt. Sitting up, she rubbed her sore rear with a sniffle. Gingerly, she lifted her head and watched as the princess pulled out the chair at the desk and sat down, grabbing one of the books on the desk, she opened it. Grabbing the object that first held the fillies desire, she handed it off towards the suit, which grabbed the weapon and placed it on its hip. The filly watched in awe as the suit moved on its own. She yelped when the suit stared down at her.

She felt herself go pale.

Her eyes snapped towards the back of the princess when she hissed loudly. The suit slowly tilted its head towards the princess, removing its attention away from the intruder. It hissed softly in return while the princess seemed to shout back. The two seemed to go back and forth in their strange language. As the two went back and forth verbally, as strange as it was, the little filly pushed herself back onto her hooves and slowly approached the princess and her suit. Peaking over the princess’ left shoulder, she could see the princess struggling with what looked like a homework assignment.

The little filly liked homework!

The princess glanced over her shoulder before doing a double take. “What are you still doing here!?”

The filly shied away now that she was placed on the spot. “Uhm… helping?”

The princess narrowed her eye at the filly before she hissed something. The suit next to them stepped forward and turned the filly around before guiding her towards the door with its hand. “Wait, wait, wait!” the filly protested, but the suit refused to stop. “I know the answer!”

There was that hissing again.

The suit stopped, causing the filly to also stop. Pulling its hand away from the fillies back, it continued to stare down at her. She didn't like him. Like... at all! Tearing her gaze away from the suit, she could still feel his gaze boring down on her. The filly did her best to focus on the princess’ back as she waited for the other filly at the desk to say or do something.

“Come here…”

The little filly gulped nervously, glanced up at the suit, then decided to walk forward towards the princess. One she was close enough, she waited patiently as the princess placed her pencil down on the table and rubbed her face with both hands. “Look,” the girl started as she moved to rubbing half her face with one hand. “If you're going to be mom’s latest student.” She pulled her hand away from her face and turned to look at the standing filly while resting her cheek on two fingers. “I guess I'm going to have to tolerate you regardless… So, I might as well get a name?”

The purple filly hesitated, but ultimately answered. “U-Uhm… my…. My names Twilight… Twilight Sparkle...”

The princess didn't say anything at first, making the filly nervous yet again. “Alright Twiggles… the names Raven.” Raven pointed a finger towards the nearby suit. “That's Frost.” The filly turned to face Frost but turned back immediately when he turned his head to watch her. She didn't like how he looked at her. “First off, you're going to have to prove yourself to earn my trust and right now, you're off to a pretty piss poor start. Help me with this mess and you might get somewhere with me. You got the Twiggles?”

Twilight though about what she had just been told. “Uhm… my names not ‘Twiggles’ it Twilight.”

Raven stared at Twilight with a bemused expression. “...I know.”

Twilight wilted under the harshness of the princess’ tone of voice. “T-Twiggles is fine…”

“Good!” Raven nodded with a smile. “There's an extra chair around here somewhere. Go ahead and grab it,” Raven said as she looked around the room for said object. She didn't have to search long as Frost stepped up, chair in hand. “Oh! Thank you, Frost!” Frost simply placed the chair next to Raven as she scooted over. Offering a hand, he gently guided Twilight into the seat and pushing her forward so that she could see. Twilight thanked him kindly before he patted her head softly, which caused her to smile lightly.

***

Princess Celestia, the two parents of her new student, and the baby wandered the halls of the castle in search for little Twilight. “She must have gotten curious about something,” the mare stated.

“She's always been like that too,” the stallion added. “Ever since she wanted to be a part of the school, her curiosity has since gotten the better of her.

“We'll she'll be here in the castle somewhere,” Princess Celestia said. “My guards will find her, or a maid. She'll show up her soon. Perhaps Raven has seen her?” Celestia questioned towards herself as she tapped her chin, looking towards the ceiling. “May we…?” Both parents simply shrugged. The castle was so big, and they were pretty sure that they were in a part of the castle that was mostly restricted anyway. Neither of them knew where to go, let alone look.

Leading the way, the princess headed for her daughters’ room. From their current location, it wasn't far, and they were at one of the many large doors that scattered the hall. Engraved in the front of the dark oak wood door was that of a large jet-black bird with a white eye.

A raven.

The princess knocked twice before she opened the door and poked her nose inside. She smiled at the sight she was witnessing before she pulled her head out a looked at the two confused parents. “Found her,” the princess whispered while pointing towards the door with her finger. Opening the door fully, all three ponies silently entered the room. Celestia was pleased that Raven was finally getting out of her shell and talking to somepony her age. Both the purple fillies parents were happy that their daughter was getting out of her shell and talking to somepony that wasn't her foalsiter or older brother.

Both parents went to step forward but yelped loudly as a rather tall stallion stepped in front of the pair, slamming the hilt of his multi-pronged spear against the floor with a loud *clang*. Panicked, Celestia stepped forward to stop him while Raven and Twilight turned around, surprised.

“Mom! Dad!” the filly exclaimed excitedly, jumping out of her chair and running towards her parents, hugging both of them around the waist. As the trio hugged, Raven approached, placing her hand comfortingly on his wrist.

It's okay, Frost.

I must protect you, Operator.

And you have done just that. Thank you.

I cannot have a repeat of the Shadow.

You won't.

But-

Frost… relax.

… yes, Operator.

Celestia stepped away from the suit as Raven comforted him. Patting his arm, Raven stepped past him and followed Twilight's lead, hugging Celestia around the waist, the two embraced each other.

“Is it time to go?” Twilight questioned, looked up towards her parents.

“It is,” her mother confirmed. On cue, the baby yawned loudly in the mare’s arms, struggling to stay awake as his eyes fluttered. “And I think a certain somepony is ready for bedtime,” she giggled, poking the infant's belly with her nose before kissing him softly.

“Besides, don't you want to see your brother?” her father inquired. “I know he wants to hear the good news from his- oh what did he call it? L.S.B.F.F.”

Twilight gasped loudly. “I forgot! Can we!?” she begged while both parents nodded happily. Twilight turned to face Raven, who was currently holding onto Celestia’s hands as they rested on the girl’s chest. “Uhm… thank you… princess,” the filly thanked the younger of the two princesses’. “And you too, Princess Celestia, for making me your new student,” she thanked gratefully with a bow.

Raven waved her hand dismissively, “Call me Raven, Twiggles.”

Celestia glanced down at her daughter with a confused expression but didn't say anything. “And Celestia is just fine, Twilight.” Twilight opened her mouth to protest, but ultimately closed it and nodded. Releasing Raven, Celestia rubbed her daughter’s messy hair before approaching the filly and resting her hands on her knees to meet her smaller height. “Just remember Twilight, the first day of school is still about two weeks away. But you'll need to be here bright eyed and bushy tailed!” Twilight went to say something but was ultimately cut off as the princess continued. “But if you ever want to come by and visit either myself or Raven, I don't think that'll be a problem. Right Sweetie?”

Raven just shrugged.

It was settled. As they all said their goodbyes, the three ponies and one sleeping dragon chick left the room and were escorted out by a guard. With the day was over for both royals, Celestia simply resorted to snapping her fingers and in a bright flash of golden light, her snow white dress and gold regalia were replaced with a tank-top and a pair of pink panties before she stretched an arm over her head. That was it, she was sleeping in here tonight. No pony was going to stop her. Nope. Not even her daughter would have a say in it. Raven on the other hand rolled her eyes with a groan.

“Fucking magic…” she groaned under her breath.

“Language, young filly!” Celestia chastised with glare and a point of her finger.

Raven groaned a second time and cursed her annoyance in Orokin. Defeated, Raven settled with just pulling her shirt over her head and getting ready for bed. After brushing her teeth, going to the bathroom, and getting ready for bed she was ready to just call it a night and go to bed. Once she was ready, Raven climbed into bed next to Celestia. The larger mare cuddled up next to her daughter, wrapping her arm around Raven's waist. Raven was content with being the small spoon anyway. Intertwining their legs, Raven always loved how soft her mother's fur was.

“Your soft,” Raven mumbled.

“And you're adorable,” Celestia mumbled into Raven’s hair.

The two didn't say anything more as they laid in content silence, simply enjoying each other’s company and warmth.

“Love you,” Raven said softly, placing her hands-on top of Celestia’s, she rubbed the top of the mare’s hands. Celestia in turn removed one hand and did the same thing.

Celestia adjusted her head and breathed in her daughters’ scent. Tears welled up in the corners of her magenta eyes. She didn't want a repeat of what happened to her earlier in the year. Raven finally told her what happened, Celestia had a gut feeling she knew who propagated the whole thing. Meaning that something major was just around the corner. Near a thousand years and of course everything would come crashing down all at once.

She wasn't ready either…

The mare sniffled and hugged Raven closer. Last thing she wanted to do was use her daughter to deal with her personal problems. Destiny was on its way and was her daughter part of it?

She didn't want to think about…

“I love you too, Sweetie!” Celestia sobbed, burying her face in Ravens hair. “I love you so much!”

Nearby, the Warframe stood, ever watching…

Chapter 23

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Chapter 23

It was the start of the school year for Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns. Well, the school doesn't just focus solely on unicorns any more. One could go as far as to say that the school was referred to as Canterlot Municipal or Canterlot Public for a friendlier and more relatable feel. It is also worth mentioning that it wasn't the only school in Canterlot either, but it was the largest. It held that notoriety as the largest because it ranged in a variety of areas from simple math to advanced magic’s. With that student age for the school ranged from as young as four, to students well into their thirties or forties. Advanced courses were based on merit and skill and not age were how generally how those advanced classes were populated.

The school itself was broken down into two main schools. There was the general school and the advanced one respectivly. General was the base learning courses everypony will take in their lifetime to get their basic High School education. Whereas the advanced school helped ponies focus and harness their powers and prowess for the betterment of either themselves or others. College courses were found here too.

Twilight Sparkle was one of the select few fillies that that would be not only attending her usual classes, but with her magical surge and the princess’ declaration of finding a new student, would be honing her powers to better control them. Her current mana pool was slightly unstable now and required a delicate and experienced hand to help her control her powers. With that in mind, her class schedule would be different from her peers, but she was excited and glad to make due.

Raven was also one of the newer exceptions. Her mental prowess was more known than her magical abilities. She excelled in math and science so much so that she was taking intro college courses. But she had to take basic classes in History and Magic. The latter of the two was the hardest struggle. Magic, incantations, and spells didn’t really apply to Void Energy. With the return of her memories she remembered the days of the Tenno Schools. Schools designed solely to help kids like her to harness and hone their void powers. She mained the School of Zunerik, a way to harness her energy.

They believed the clearest path to victory was to Dominate the Enemy. They sought to choke an opponent of all resources; that sheer strength could erase any resistance.

One of the five schools of the Tenno. Victory through strength and her large energy reserves reflected just that. She concluded that without the help of the Somatic Link, her void energy reserves had built up with no passive burn off. It all just built up and up until she suffered her surges, which was her bodies way of expelling the excess energy. Now with Frost here and her ability to transfer into the frame and burn energy, her Void surges had yet to make an appearance. But with her knowledge of the Zunerik School, she was what could be by Equestrian standards, a formidable mage.

If only she could get past Magic 101.

It was so early in the year that she didn’t really care.

Twilight was also a huge help with Raven's homework. The little filly even introduced the princess to her little group of friends, even though Twilight was often found reading rather than playing. All five were unicorns and all five were right around ten in age. One little yellow one with a light blue mane named Lemon Hearts, a cream-colored filly with a pink mane named Twinkleshine, a mint colored filly named Lyra, a little light blue filly with toothpaste colored hair named Minuette, and finally, another little cream-colored filly with a mismatched red and purple mane named Moon Dancer. The human girl made the group rather strange.

It was that, that had led to bullying. Particularly with Twilight and Moon Dancer, since they were over achievers and what one would call ‘nerds’. The remaining three fillies were either not powerful enough magic wise or were to small physically to even fight back.

Currently, Minuette, Twinkleshine, and Lyra were all huddled together in a corner of one of the many halls of the school as a larger teen stallion stared them down. Moon Dancer was being held painfully by one arm by a teen mare while Twilight was on the ground begging for her doll Smarty Pants back while another teen mare loomed over her

All five fillies were in various states of panic, all of them sobbing their protests loudly.

Twilight reached out for her doll while the teen mare held it out of her reach, laughing all the while at the little babies struggles. This continued for some time, no pony bothering to come to the groups aid. Just how the bullies preferred it.

“A-hem…”

The three teens turned to look towards the throat that was cleared not too far away. Standing nearby, like an angel in the darkness. Princess Raven was staring towards the teen holding her friends’ doll with a bemused expression while she also held onto one strap of her backpack.

“Any particular reason why you’re harassing my friends?” the princess question with a raised brow.

“Well, well, well,” the lead teen started before she threw the grey doll at Twilight, hitting the filly in the chest. Twilight struggle to catch to doll and wasted little time in hugging her precious toy close to her chest, tears streaming down her little cheeks. It was a gift from her brother after all. “What is this freak doing here?”

Raven did nothing but stare at the teen as she approached. It was clear she was a punk and not worth the princess's time, let alone anyone else's. Torn jeans, jet black shirt with some sort of unrecognizable decal on it, a nose piercing, ear piercings, and the like. She was grey in color, with a clearly dyed jet-black mane, a less than desirable degenerate. As the teen mare walked up, she pressed her nose against the shorter girl’s smaller nose.

“Back up,” Raven ordered calmly.

“And what?” the teen tested.

“Back up,” Raven repeated.

“Or what?” the teen verbally pushed while also shoving the girl’s shoulder.

“Last chance…” Raven ordered.

“Or… what!?” the teen shouted, pulling her arm back and throwing a fist. If she wanted to fight… Raven would give her a fucking fight!

There was a flash of light and a warping sound as the teens hand impacted against metal before a metal clade gloved hand wrapped around the teens closed fist. She went wide eyed as she stared at her captured hand before staring up at the now taller, armor clad minotaur looming over her.

“I warned you,” the ‘freaks’ voice spoke from the suit.

The teen mare yelped painfully as her arm twisted downward in an irregular angle as her knuckles cracked before she was forcefully manipulated and spun around, the suit wrapping both her and his arm around her chest, grasping onto her nose and holding her in a headlock. Panicked, the mare did her best to free herself from his grasp.

She couldn’t.

“Mhmmm!” she panicked further as she struggled to breath. She pulled and struggled as hard as she could to break free. It did little as her lungs started to burn due to lack of oxygen.

“Don’t struggle, don’t struggle,” ~Raven~ suggested. There was another flash of light as the girl stepped out from behind the suit. “Hold her,” she ordered the suit. Turning her head, Raven cracked her neck loudly. “So… are we going to fight, or what?”

The teen holding Moon Dancer released the filly with a growl. Raven dropped her bag from her shoulder, letting it slam against the floor the top flipped open, spilling books, papers and pencils across the floor. The teen threw a punch but second-guessed herself when her target winked out of existence. Raven appeared behind the teen, blasting the young mare with her Void Blast. The mare flew forward, sparks of electricity dancing across her form before she impacted front first against the lockers lining the wall.

“Come here!” a male voice shouted. Raven grunted as an arm wrapped around her neck, lifting her off the floor, her feet kicking wildly. Grasping onto the larger male’s arm, she did her best to break free before giving up and holding her arm and a clenched fist over her head. Elbowing the stallion in the ribs, he grunted painfully but didn't release her. Raven elbowed him again before adjusted her head and bit his arm, her sharper teeth sinking deep into his flesh. As he screamed in agony, Raven tasted blood in her mouth as she squirmed and wiggled as much as she could. Using her right hand, she poked the stallion in the eye.

He screamed out and released her, grabbing onto his injured eye with both hands. Pushing off and free from his grasp, she landed with a grunt. Spinning around, she turned and punched the stallion in the gut, knocking the wind from his lungs, forcing him to bend over. Grabbing onto the back of his head she slammed his forehead against her knee. Stepping back, she brought her right leg back as far as if would go…

And she kicked him as hard as she could, right in the groin…

His wheeze was very high pitched as both hands snapped to cover his screaming nuts. He stared at the frowning princess before he fell over onto the floor in a tiny ball. Raven stared down at the stallion before her gaze softened and she looked towards Twilight.

“You okay, Twilight?” she asked softly offering the filly a hand. Twilight rubbed her nose with her sleeve and gingerly nodded her head before taking the offered hand. Pulling her to her hooves, Raven gently tapped the filly on the back, reassuring her before moving towards Moon Dancer. The cream-colored filly held her arm painfully while she sniffled her running nose. Raven gingerly adjusted the filly’s glasses and moved onto examining her friends’ arm. Lifting the girl’s sweater, there was a red mark of a hand print, but no further injury. She gave the filly a nuzzle and a hug before moving towards the rest of her three friends. Pulling them off the floor, she nuzzled all of them while examining their wounds, or lack thereof.

As all five fillies huddled around each other Raven made it her point to focus on the mare in her Warframe’s arms. “Now… what to do with you?” she said to no pony as she tapped her chin while looking around the hall. She though for several seconds before giving the teen one last, narrow eyed stare. “As much as I’d prefer to just kill you and get you out of the way, that’s rather frowned upon here…” The teens were as wide as dinner plates as she screamed into Frost’s glove, but it came out more muffled than anything. “Let’s see…”

***

Dean Lecture pushed his way through the gathered crowd of ponies staring up at the ceiling. He shouted for students to move and go back to their classes as he moved. It was several seconds of hard struggling and pushing before he finally pushed his way into the center of the circle.

“Alright, Alright!” he shouted. “Everypony go to your respective classes before I give all of you detention!” he shouted sternly with a scowl. Some ponies in the back of the crowd turned to leave while a few others continued to stare. He was ready to shout again before he was cut off as a large drop of water hit him on the head. Running his hand over the spot, he rubbed his fingers in confusion before he lifted his head.

And much to his horror, there was a female student, completely encased in ice save her nose, which was the only thing that allowed her to breath. She was stripped completely nude with the words ‘BITCH’ and ‘SLUT’ written in bold black marker on both her forehead and crotch respectively. His eyes went wide before he magicked a sheet and held it up high enough to cover the teens naked form. “CLASS! NOW!” he bellowed, causing everyone in the immediate area to either scatter, fly, or teleport away, leaving the halls deathly quiet. He gave the teen one last worried look before a locker nearby rattle loudly before a young mare fell out, hitting her jaw on the floor painfully.

***

Dean Lecture rubbed the side of his temples with both hands in disbelief as he sat in his office. He could not believe who of all ponies would do such a thing. “Princess… this is not how you deal with bullies! We have procedures for this stuff! If you have a problem, come to a teacher! Come to me and we'll talk to them!”

The girl in question sat opposite of the stallion with an indignant look and her arms crossed as she was forced to listen to the dean as she stared out a nearby window. Raven lifted a brow when he finished talking and rested her arms in her lap. “And when that doesn't work?”

Dean Lecture in turn furrowed his brow in confusion. “What? Princess we will talk to them and try to come to some sort of consensus.”

This time, Raven leaned back in her seat, crossing her arms indignantly. “And when that doesn't work?”

Dean Lecture mouthed the question to himself in confusion before he leaned forward with a scowl, intertwining his fingers and covering his mouth. “Listen here little lady, I’m going to say this once and only once,” he said sternly. “You cannot and I mean cannot treat other students like that if they are being mean. Come to us and we will deal with the problem. Princess or not, you are a student at this school. And as of right now, you will be punished appropriately. Am I clear?”

Raven snorted quietly as she smiled, finding the situation rather funny. “You are so simple minded it's laughable,” she said just loud enough for the dean to hear. Lecture wanted to say something, but he decided to hold his tongue and listen. He would scold her when she was done. “Talking won't ‘solve the issue’ as you say,” she explained using her fingers as air quotes. “The problem will continue regardless of what you do. But I'm more confused as to why I'm being punished for defending my friends?”

“Princess,” Lecture jumped in, pushing to get his point across. “Fighting is not condoned in this school regardless of what side you're on. Fighting is fighting.”

Raven narrowed her eye as she prepared her counter. “Violence is violence. And violence of any kind needs to be answered with equal or greater forces of violence. They assaulted my friends, I kicked their flanks.” She shrugged as she continued her explanation. “They should be thanking me that I even let them live… if the kills in my combat record are anything to go by.”

Dean Lectures eyes widened in both shock and horror.

But Raven continued regardless of his reaction, “But please, try your petty little help line that is absolutely useless. While I sit back and show you that her insolent behavior will never continue as long as I'm around!”

With that, she stood up, threw her bag over her shoulder and left the room.

As Raven exited the school's front door she sighed as she wandered down the stairs. There was still technically some time left in the school day. But since she had been in the dean's office for quite some time, there was less than an hour left in the class day. Might as well call it. As soon as she reached the bottom of the steps, she was rather surprised to see a certain blue haired cadet sitting on one of the many benches that scattered the front lawn of the school and he seemed to be distressed about something.

As he was lost in his bout of nervousness, he lifted his head towards the girl, lowered it back to his lap, then did a double take. “Princess!” he shouted, immediately standing from his seat and rushing towards the more casual girl with a panicked look. “I need your help!”

***

“I can't, I can't, I can't do this!” Cadet Armor panicked as he started to hyperventilate. Nearby, Raven rolled her eye at the display. The young stallion had conscripted the princess in helping him with doing the most dangerous, most craziest, hardest mission he will ever perform in his entire military career!

Ask Cadence on a date.

It was going really well until the asking part, wherein said stallion panicked and dove inside the nearest bush. The only remaining visible part of the stallion was the tip of his horn and his muzzle, the rest being a bright green shrubbery. From a distance, it appeared as though the human girl was conversing with said shrubbery. And for some time now, the pair had been waiting outside the school for almost forty-five minutes waiting for said pink alicorn. They had made a plan, talked it out, and had it all ready and raring to go.

It also had to be noted that the stallion was also panicking very, very hard!

“I quit!” the white muzzled bush-pony shouted. “I don’t want to do this anymore!” He’d rather be under his bed, holding his teddy bear that he totally, one-hundred percent doesn’t have whatsoever. And her name isn’t Captain Awesome Sparklez… with a ‘Z’. She definitely doesn’t have a tiny spear, shield and armor to boot. That's just absurd!

It must also be noted that she’s absolutely adorable!

Raven glanced towards the main door of the school, only to watch as Cadance and two random teen mares exited the school, gossiping and giggling about something. The trio came to a stop, creating their own little circle as they giggled and laughed about something, other students flowed around them as though they didn't exist. “Now’s your chance,” Raven said, referring to said mare.

The white muzzle made a strange noise sounding somewhere in between a wheeze and a squeak before pulling farther into the bush. Raven on the other hand groaned very loudly as she grabbed her face and shook her head. “You are such a lost cause…” she mumbled under her breath. “HEY CADANCE!?”

The pink princess and her two friends turned their heads towards the voice in question, only to focus on her cousin. Cadance gasped loudly and waved excitedly while shouting ‘Hi Raven!’ in return. Raven waved herself before pointing down at the bush planted next to her. “SHINING ARMOR HAS A QUESTION TO ASK YOU!” she shouted, ignoring the very persistent hissing and pleas of distinct objection from Cadet Green Leaves. “Good luck you spineless wuss,” Raven waved as she walked away.

Much to the stallion’s annoyance, he shot out of the bush fast as lightning, begging and pleading for his friend to not leave him here alone! “Raven… Raven don’t leave me!” His pleas fell on deaf ears as Raven waved over her shoulder as she walked down the sidewalk and towards the castle.

“Hi, Shining, you wanted to ask me something?”

He wheezed again.

“Why are you standing in that bush?”

The stallion locked up as he slowly turned around to face a confused looking Cadance with his look of abject horror. He turned to face a really… really… beautiful mare.

“Uhhh…”

He really nailed that one perfectly, he had her eating right out of his hand now!

He stared down at the lawn ornament currently trying to eat his legs. “What bush…?” he asked innocently as he stepped out and in front of the shrubbery, trying to hide its larger form behind his smaller one. It wasn't working. He laughed nervously as he rubbed the back of his neck.

Cadance stared at the flustered stallion with a confused expression before she giggled adorably. That cuteness was too much and caused Shining Armor locked up, he did always love that laugh. Especially when she held her hand in front of her muzzle like she was doing now. “Shiny you’re such a goofball!” she laughed before removing her hand and smiling. “But don’t you have something to ask me?”

Shit…

Serious shit…

Like… serious shit…

Super… like… serious shit…

…

WHAT DO I SAY!?

It’s said that no major plan ever survives first contact with the enemy. They tend to fall apart at the most inconvenient times. You never know what the enemy is thinking or knows, what they can do, or say. They could have somepony on the inside that learned your plans and knew exactly what you planned to do. Perhaps their defenses were stronger than anticipated. Or maybe they weren’t there to begin with. Or maybe, just maybe…

You didn’t plan to make it this far in general…?

Because that was exactly how this whole thing went down in Cadet Armor’s head. He was lying when he said he wanted to go on a date with Cadance. Yes. A total lie! A joke even! H-He wasn’t being serious!

SAY SOMETHING STUPID!

“You look purty! ” he shouted spontaneously.

Perfect.

Absolutely perfect…

He immediately slapped both hands to his face and covered his mouth and closed his eyes. He could feel his face flushing painfully red. Yep, this was it, shows over, he’d never be aloud anywhere near Cadance again. But… he still had a chance to salvage this FUBAR’d chance at getting a date with the girl of his dreams. He took a deep through his nose to calm his racing heart. He didn’t open his eyes, there was too much inherent fear to either see her horrified face or an empty space.

“C-Cadance… I… we… you... “He took another deep, calming breath. “I-I was wondering if… you… we could, I don’t know… m-maybe… get lunch? Together?”

There was no immediate response.

Yep… she was gone.

Shining Armor couldn’t help but sigh defeatedly as he dropped his head. Slowly, he released both hands from his muzzle as his shoulders wilted and drooped dramatically. He could feel tears welling up in the corners of his eyes at the rejection. Well… he might as well head back to the barracks and prepare for tomorrow's training lesson. Taking one last deep breath to at least look presentable, he prepared for his walk of shame towards the barracks. Opening his eyes…

He was surprised to see a pair of pink hooves and blue jeans still standing in front of him. Gingerly, he lifted his head and followed the pair upwards towards a belt, a light blue shirt and… a teared-up Princess Cadance as she held a hand to her muzzle.

“I’d love to!” she shouted, leaping towards the teen stallion and wrapping her arms around his neck, nuzzling his face.

Just around the corner of the building a certain human girl watched on with a gentle and proud smile. She had some planning to do.

***

That subsequent Saturday, and after some help from Raven on both sides, Cadet Armor and Princess Cadance spent a day on the town. They held hands, told jokes, of course had a lunch date, and had fun. All while being tailed by a few undercover guards and one protective princess. No, it was not Celestia. Unlike the guards, at least she made an attempt to stay discreet. Just as she had anticipated, nothing bad happened. Cadance has always been well loved by the Equestrian community. She's the relatable one to teens all across the country. That and being the Princess of Love is a pretty sweet title to boot.

All in all, it went well.

What Raven didn't expect, was the uproar it would cause.

The courts were currently in said uproar as dozens of noble ponies attempted to shout over each other. The throne room was packed full as Celestia’s guards did their best to contain the chaos. No amount of threats or intimidation would end the quarrel. Canterlot was in an uproar and borderline rioting when the papers printed, right on the front page too, a picture of Cadet Armor and Princess Cadance holding hands, followed closely by an article and more pictures explaining how the pair were acting. One search at the local library later for an old law involving royalty couples and that lead to an all-out riot within the nobility.

“This is an outrage!” one mare was heard shouting.

“Heresy!” shouted another stallion.

“No Princess of mine will should be allowed to marry a commoner, let alone date one!” another mare shouted.

In the center of the tallest throne sat Princess Celestia as she silently waited for the screaming to end. To her right, stood Cadet Armor holding tightly to a terrified looking Princess Cadance while Captain Bronze and Lieutenant Flare stood tall. The latter of the two guards’ eyes went wide when she stepped forward and lifted her shield as a random glass bottle sailed through the air and shattered against the metal surface, spraying fluid everywhere. Celestia was so surprised that she decided that now was the perfect time to end this right here and now!

*BANG!*

A loud explosion rang throughout the walls of the throne room, causing everypony to not only go quiet, but duck and grab their ringing ears. In the center of the doorway leading into the throne room, stood ~Raven~ in her Warframe, her smoking pistol held high above her head. “Blow it out your narcissistic assholes, you jackasses!” she shouted, holstering the pistol in a cross draw and putting her hands on her purple metallic hips.

No pony dared to even say a word.

“And who do you think you are!?” one young stallion with a light blue sweater tied around his neck shouted. The stallion immediately flinched back slightly but held his ground when the minotaur’s gigantic head turned towards him. The bull pulled a large spear from his back, metal against metal grinding as the weapon opened. Placing it against his shoulder the bull walked his way towards the stallion. Ponies dared not say anything for fear that they would be on the receiving end of his wrath and that multi-headed spear. They parted like waves flowing around a rock, he was their superior.

They were nothing.

The stallion gulped nervously as sweat started to form on his forehead. As soon as the unknown warrior was close enough, he slammed the multi-pointed head against the floor, causing a metallic tang to resonate throughout the hall. The sweater-necked clad stallion stood firm as he did his best to hide his weak and shaking knees. The bull continued to stare down while the smaller stallion starred up.

There was a flash of red and a warping sound as Princess Raven stepped out from the front of the suit as though it were never there. “Guess!” The stallion went wide eyed at the smaller girl. Raven scowled at the stallion before she stepped away. “I find great irony I the fact that the Princess of Love… isn't allowed to love?” she questioned as she walked around the center of the throne room, placing her hands on her hips and cocking them. “Since when was her’s, mine, or my mother's love life dictated by what you decide, huh!?”

“Since the princess herself decreed it!” One stallion shouted from the crowd, throwing a book in Raven's direction. There was a loud slapping sound as Frost caught it in his hand, a mere foot from Raven's head. Everypony in the room gasped in horror. They were done for now!

Turning her head, the girl stared at the book before her Warframe lowered it to his side. “I read it!” she shouted, turning in the direction where the throw came from. “It also states that if anypony has a problem with the relationship…” she let that hang in the air as she reached over and pulled something from her suits back. Holding the object behind her back she threw it sideways. The object spun rapidly before clattering against the ground and slid as a metallic sound filled the hall. As the object came to a slow spin, it was clear to anypony that could see…

It was a sword…

“That if anypony has a problem with the relationship that they must settle it in a duel!” Raven declared as she stepped into her Warframe in a flash of red light. Drawing her sword, she gave it a twirl. “To the death! ” The tension was so grand that I pin drop would have been equivalent to an earthquake. “But not against me… no, no, no. that would be unfair! ” she said, holding a hand to her chest and shaking her head. Flipping the ice-cold long sword into the air, ~Raven~ caught it by the blade. Turning abruptly, she approached the teen couple, offering her blade to the young cadet.

Shining stared at the handle with an eye of uncertainty. Slowly, he reached out and wrapped his hand around the handle. Wrapping his fingers around the worn handle, he would be lying if he said that he didn't feel empowered. The power of a thousand warriors spoke to him, encouraging him. He was so lost in its bright blue frozen finish that he didn’t realize that ~Raven~ had released it. He blinked, clearing his mind with a shake of his head. With a new sense of determination, he crushed any anxiety he was facing and clenched his hand harder around the blades handle. Taking his first step, Cadance grabbed onto his arm, pleading for him not to do it. But he was determined to defend this relationship by all costs.

Reaching the bottom of the dais, he looked across the crowd, waiting for a challenger. He jumped slightly when he felt a hand on his shoulder. “They’re pussies,” he heard the younger princess whisper in his ear. “Untrained and unrefined.” Stepping past him, she patted his back reassuringly. “Whoever here objects to this union must take up arms to battle for the princess hand!” ~Raven~ shouted to the crowd while holding both arms wide open before gesturing towards the not forgotten blade that lay motionless on the floor.

No one pony dared to move.

There were no whispers or hushed murmurs just looks of concern. Even Bronze and Flare shared their own looks of concern while Cadance could only watch on in horror. “No one?” ~Raven~ questioned, leaning forward slightly as though surprised…

She wasn’t, really.

“What happened to that fire you all had not too long ago?” She shook her head in understanding. Walking over, she picked up the weapon. “I want to see some bloodshed!” she shouted as she lobbed the weapon into the crowd. Ponies screamed in terror, scrambling to get out of the way. Others ducked and dove for the floor while some used each other as meat shields. The remaining crowd gasped in abject horror, expecting ponies to be out right killed.in the clear lack of carelessness. Even Cadet Armor was caught off guard. One mare’s high-pitched eardrum piercing scream echoed through the halls of the castle. Ponies were expecting a murder scene from that scream.

The young mare continued to scream as she held her hands to her chest with her eyes glued shut. She continued to scream until it dissolved into a high-pitched squeak until she ran out of breath. Only then did she open her eyes. When she saw that horrifying suit inches from her face did she take a deep breath and start to scream again.

“Not again!” ~Raven~ ordered, clasping her hand around the mare muzzle, clamping it shut. The little mare watched with tear ridden eyes as the princess slowly raised her right hand, grasping her gigantic armor-clad hand onto the handle of the weapon that was buried several inches deep into the stone wall. The noble mares’ eyes went wide when she saw the blade mere inches from taking her head off. ~Raven~ wiggled the blade before pulling it free from the stone. Releasing the mares muzzle, the princess patted the mare on the chest, just above her bosom as she turned to leave.

“Not so tough when you’re put on the spot,” the young princess stated as she flicked the weapon out of her hand, letting it clatter loudly against the floor in front of Cadet Armor. “You don’t dictate who I can and cannot be with just as much as we do to you.” She paused. “That and this is a b.s. law from a thousand years ago.” Turning, she placed her metallic hand on her purple hips. “I motion for a change to Law Number 73-26!”

Celestia, who had stayed silent throughout the whole series of events, understood exactly what her daughter was referring to. “Motion heard.”

“You can’t do that!” One stallion shouted from the crowd. Of course, when something didn't involve their lives did they speak up.

“I can so long as there are two or more princess’ present without the authority of the Royal Council or the House of Commoners,” Celestia declared. “Since there are three of them here, but, because this affects one of them two make the consensus in regard to the law. To the other princess present I have heard the motion. Is there a second?” Celestia raised her hand. “Me. Motion carries is there any discussion?”

“No!” ~Raven~ said immediately.

“No discussion. Motion moves forward,” Celestia continued as though no one was there. “All in favor?”

“I!”

“I. Motion passes,” Celestia finished, holding a hand to her chest. “I will make the proper changes to the law and inform Congress.” Stealing her gaze, the mare glared out over the crowd. Most of the gathered crowd shied away and averted their gazes. Celestia was the mother of this nation and her disappointing glare made ponies feel like children. “This meeting is dismissed! I hope you're all proud of yourselves!”

Everypony present wilted. The only sounds they made were the shuffling of hooves. As ponies were escorted out of the room by the Royal Guard, Captain Bronze and Lieutenant Flare approached from the dais, the former holding a rather older looking book in his hand, reading its open contents. Cadance ran past sobbing loudly as she hugged Cadet Armor tightly. Transferring from her Warframe, Raven rubbed her neck.

“I'll be damned,” Bronze said, surprised. “Yep, right there.” Holding a finger to a certain part of the page, he lifted his head. “Says it clear as day. If anypony has a problem with the union of the princess, they are to settle it via duel… to the death.”

“What about the Princess Overruling?” Lieutenant Flare questioned. She too, was curious about that. Bronze averted his gaze, staring into nothing as he thought about where that would even be.

The golden-brown stallion flipped the backside of the book over and cycled rapidly through the pages with his thumb. While they waited, Cadet Armor stepped forward and offered back the borrowed blade, thanking the alien princess softly. Taking it, Raven nodded. “I got your back!” she declared. Cadet Armor smiled and nodded his appreciation before turning to Cadance and rubbing the tip of his nose against hers. Raven smirked evilly, now having more blackmail material on the stallion, but didn't say anything.

This time…

“Yep, right here again,” Bronze said after some deeper searching. “If more than two princesses are present they may make an immediate or emergency amend or change to any existing law without the consent of Congress. Huh… good to know…”

By now, the throne room had been completely cleared, save for the two guards, three princess’ and one Cadet. Along with a pair of well-dressed ponies. “Fleur?” Raven questioned as she narrowed her eye at the light pink pony that approached. “What are you doing here?”

“We came to support our Princess!” Fleur Des Lis stated as her and Raven shared a hug and a kiss on each cheek. Turning towards Fancy Pants, the pair did the same. Upon finishing the embrace, the duo turned towards the gathered group. Stepping forward, Fancy reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a business card.

“Please Mr. Armor, I would appreciate it tremendously if you visited me for tea,” Fancy offered, handing the card over to Cadet Armor. As the pair shared a conversation, Fleur turned towards Princess Cadance.

“Princess, I would love it if you came to my store!” Fleur offered. “As an offer of generosity, I would love to make you a dress as an apology for what you had to suffer with!” The teen mare turned towards the human girl, grabbing her attention. “Perhaps we could make a day out of it? Go to the spa perhaps?”

As the three teen girls conversed and two teen stallions made their plans the remaining adults decided to call it a day. Unfortunately, Celestia was going to have to deal with a certain issue in the coming days. But that would be in the morning. The day was yet to finish, and dinner was on the next clock rotation, Celestia offered for Fancy and Fleur to stay for dinner. Which Cadance, Armor, and Raven happily accepted.

***

“RAVEN! GET YOUR FLANK IN HERE THIS INSTANT!”

The human girls’ eyes snapped open at the guttural roar her mother just let out that echoed across the city. She knew exactly what that was about, and she didn’t want to be anywhere near the castle! Throwing her blanket off her form she headed for the window.

“Fuck fuck, shit, fuck!” she panicked as she tried to get the window open. Pushing the window open she hesitated when she lifted her right leg out the window, reminding her that she was in a tank top and her panties. “Fuck it!” She didn’t care, she needed to get away! Sitting on the edge of the windowsill, she heard her door being smashed in behind her.

“WHERE IS SHE!?” Celestia demanded, her mane smoldering as she looked towards Frost standing next to the bed. Up until this point, he hadn’t moved until now, innocently pointing in the girl’s direction. Traitor. Raven yelped when her and Celestia's eyes locked. She wasted little time in jumping out the window in her panic.

There was a blood curdling scream that bounced throughout the walls of the city as a certain young princess was slowly lifted back into the room and through the window via a very painful wedgie. Celestia stood in her daughters’ room with a bemused expression with both arms crossed under her breasts as she tapped her hoof against the floor. Raven had both hands against her crotch, a pained expression upon her features and tears in the corners of her eye.

“You are in so much trouble young lady!” Celestia stated authoritatively as she turned around and headed for the door, Raven still suspended in the air by her underwear. Just as she was about to pass by her Warframe, the girl begged for him to do something, but he opted to just watch curiously. Reaching out, she grabbed onto his arm, but the magical force pulling at her underwear was causing her to lose her grip. Pulling with all her might, the act only served to cause Raven's underwear to rid higher between her butt cheeks. She continued to pull with all her might before her gaze landed on a certain something on her Warframes hip.

In the hallway, Celestia, with a look of struggle on her muzzle, used her magic to pull with all her might. “You… are… in… so much trouble!” The mare doubled her efforts and pulled even harder.

Her eyes snapped open when she heard a long tearing sound of fabric giving way.

Grabbing onto the doorway, the mare stood inside it and stared inside the room just in time to see Raven’s bare rear end jump out the window. Celestia starred with her mouth slightly agape at the girls discarded and torn panties, floating in the mare’s magical aura while Raven’s sword lay spinning on the floor in the center of the room. Several seconds later there was a loud splashing sound as the girl landed in the decorative moat, paddling as hard as she could for the edge before making a run for it across the Castle Gardens and out of sight…

Chapter 24

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Chapter 24

“You lost them!”

“I didn't lose them you lost them!”

“Well we better find them our it's our tails on the line!”

In the crowded market district of Canterlot, two ponies, one mare, one stallion, clad in golden armor looked around the sea of ponies in a panic. The two guards were frantic to find their lost charges. They knew without a definitive of a doubt, that their tails were on the line if they didn't find the princesses and the star student soon, trouble would find them. In the form of a raging ball of flame called a 'very pissed off princess.'

Just down the street, a certain pink princess, a one eyed princess, and a nervous student weaved their way in and out of hoof traffic. Ponies either shouted their complaints of annoyance or happily greeted the young royals. The three gave their greetings in passing when necessary or ignored the insults and protests.

“Did we lose them?” Cadance questioned as she glanced over her shoulder, trying to see if she could spot the guards that were assigned to them for the day.

“Certainly looks like it!” Raven confirmed as she peered through the crowded streets. As soon as the trio felt safe enough, their frantic pace turned into a more relaxed one. Cadance sighed in relief.

“Finally,” Cadance breathed, tossing her hair over her shoulder. Raven panted as she glanced over her shoulder. “I just wish I could get some time to myself other than at the castle and at school!” the teenage mare grumbled in annoyance before sighing.

Ever since the mare had ascended, she had been thrust into the limelight at such a daunting pace that quite frankly, she hated it. As a foal, Cadance had always wanted to be a princess. Perhaps it was a dream for all young fillies. But now that she was here…

She loathed her old life.

She grew up poor and now that she was rich beyond her wildest dreams, but she saw the corruption that followed with it. Along with the wealth, came the security. Guards were at her side constantly. Even when they weren’t at her side, she knew they were within sight somewhere. If her first date with her new coltfriend was anything to go by. She was able to pick out the few ponies that had been following her and her date all day.

She didn’t want to even talk about the mess her little bout of happiness created.

It still bothered her, even weeks after the whole incident had passed. Sneaking away from her guards was her only reprieve. She just wanted to be herself. She didn’t want to be a princess, she didn’t want to deal with anything, she just wanted to be Cadance. A young teenage girl without a worry in the world!

Raven, on the other hand, was indifferent. Whether she was being followed or not, she always had Frost to connect to. She was always safe now that she had that connection. Along with that, she never cared about wealth, Tenno were paid in bulk for their services. Especially by the Corpus if you kicked their asses in the Index or aided them against the Grineer or the Infested. Those morons basically threw money at everything until it either paid off in profit or went away. Shit, they coveted it more than their own lives more than often than not.

All Raven cared about was that she had been given a better second chance at life. Even though her old life had not gone away completely, it was a nice balance of the two. Being a princess had its perks and its downsides. Adjusting to a new life, with new laws, and new people had been struggle, but she was doing her best to adjust.

Twilight, on the other other hand, was extremely nervous. The little filly stepped closer towards her foalsitter and grabbed the elder teens hand. Twilight hardly ever went out alone. She had always been with her parents or Cadance, or her big brother when he was home. But even when she was with Cadance, there were guards nearby. Same went with Raven. There was always an adult with them.

Now they were alone… in Canterlot…

Alone…

“We-we should go back,” Twilight whined meekly, sparing a worried glance over her shoulder.

Raven stretched her arms over her head. “Relax, Twily,” the girl dismissed by rolling her neck, cracking it loudly. “We just want a little time to ourselves. We’ll be back at the castle in no time!” Twilight still felt uneasy, but didn’t voice her concerns further.

Over the course of the next hour or two, the three teens hit the town running! They bought some jewelry here and some clothes there. They splurged on ice-cream and other unhealthy snacks unfit for their positions.

Pretty sure their dietitians had heart attacks.

Twilight had eased up with her bout of nervousness and had relaxed when the trio started going around to some her favorite places. She had found a nice little hair clip that looked like a book and couldn’t leave without it. Cadance was sporting a new pair of earrings that she believed Shining would absolutely love! Raven wore a new, custom eye patch that the jeweler that sold Cadance her earrings, had made. The stallion behind the counter had insisted that he improve the princess’s image. This patch was bright white, with a golden halo surrounding an aggressive looking raven. It was much better than a jet black hunk of metal. She still kept the old one, but this one looked nice. She would probably have more made, so that she could swap them around from time to time.

At the end of the day, the three girls laughed and giggled their way back towards the castle. In the distance, the sun was starting to set on the horizon, bathing Canterlot in a gorgeous orange and red hue that glistended off many of the expensive homes and buisnesses in the area. The trio rounded a corner on their way home, as they did, a lone stallion in a hooded cloak blocked their way.

“Excuse us,” Cadance politely asked, but the stallion didn’t budge. The pink mare gave him a look of annoyance, while Raven felt her hair stand on end. Something was off and they needed to get out now!

“Come here!”

“What the!?” Cadance shouted as a pair of arms wrapped around her torso and lifted her into the air. The teen mare squirmed and kicked wildly as she did her best to fight back. She grunted and groaned as she tried to fight back. She only had enough time to activate her magic before a hand grabbed her horn, clamping a magical suppression ring around it.

Twilight screamed as somepony aggressively and painfully grabbed her right arm, she was forcefully lifted into the air, a hand and a ring grasping her horn and she was held in place. The young filly sobbed as she was stallion handled, begging for Cadance to help her.

Raven was the only one to successfully fight back. She ducked under the pair of arms that reached for her from behind. Elbowing the aggressor in the gut, she spun and kicked him in the crotch with all her strength. To the side, another one of these punks reached for her, forcing her to Void Dash backwards and travel threw his form. Leaping forward, she roundhouse kicked the stallion in the jaw, knocking him off his footing ad his jaw cracked loudly. Turning around, she blasted another stallion off his hooves with her Void Blast. Just as she was about to connect with Frost when somepony grabbed her by the back of her collar and covered her mouth and nose with a rag that reeked of something horrible.

She could feel herself fading.

The last thing she saw was a thestral stallion smiling wickedly down at her before everything went black.

***

Raven blinked groggily when she finally regained consciousness. Her vision was fuzzy and her mouth was gagged and hands binded. Based off the rough and itchy surface of what was rubbing agaisnt her bare skin, it must have been a rope tied around her wrists. As for her surroundings, the room was dark and packed with cardboard boxes. She moaned into the rag that gagged her mouth as she sat up with a wobble. Her eye went wide as the blood rushed from her head, making her moan painfully as a terrible headache set it. Resting her head in both hands, her head throbbed and vision spun. Whatever she was drugged with was very unpleasant.

She also felt uncomfortably cold. Probably from lying on the stone floor for who knows how long. The place was damp too, which didn’t add to her comfort. Slowly, she opened her eye and inspected her restraints. The rope tied around her wrists was taught and it scratched and burned her skin with each little movement she made. Looking down as far as she could, Raven did her best to see the gag in her mouth. It was a type of clocth, but unsure as to what type. Reaching up, she grasped it with both hands and pulled, forcefully trying to remove the object, but it failed to budge. Groaning in frustration, she quickly gave up. As she tried to push herself into a standing position, she felt something tug at her ankle, which was followed by the jingle of a chain. She surmised that that was probably was attached to the floor.

As she stared at the restraint, she could hear a heavily locked door rumbled and open within the room. The passage to her escape was hidden somewhere behind the dozens and dozens stacks of boxes. She must have been in a warehouse. Three ponies entered the room, based off the series of offset hoofsteps heading her way. She watched intently as three thestral stallions came weaving around from behind a series of boxes, the stallion in the center holding his arms wide. “Welcome Princess!” he greeted rather merrily. “So glad you could join us!”

Raven glared at the stallion as he approached, his two lakys taking up guard not to far away, each armed with a spear and shield. Raven adjusted her positioning by sitting on her knees, continued to glare at the stallion while also ignoring the rattling of the chain tugging at her ankle. The grey thestral’s fangs and overall cheery smile was so off putting it was disgusting as he approached. “Sorry for the restraints,” he apologized, kneeling down in front of the girl and running a hand through her short hair, moving it out of the way of her bad eye. “But we can’t have you running off now.”

She only narrowed her eye slightly in response and snorted like an agry bull through her nostriles.

“Oh don’t be like that!” the stallion said, as though he were addressing a rowdy foal. The way he seemed to be treating the whole situation like her was have a casual converstaion at a reastraunt only made her more angry. “It’s not very often you run into not only the princess’ prize student, but the two youngest princess’ in all of Equestria!”

Raven didn’t respond.

The stallion rolled his eyes and wiggled a finger in between Raven’s gag and her face,. She winced as his fuzzy finger worked its way between the gag and her cheek. Out of the corner of her eye, Raven caught a shimmer of magic as the gag relaxed and came free. There was enough room now that the gag gave way and slid down her face without further assistance as the stallion removed his finger, resting his arm on a knee. “See? Isn’t that better?”

Raven glanced down at the gag, then at the guard to her right, then her left, and finally, the smiling stallion in front of her. “What do you want?”

The stallion leaned back and sat on his hoof, looking towards the ceiling in though. “What do I want?” he repeated. “Well I want a lot of things, actually. A good mare, steady job, maybe a foal or two.” He glanced down at her, his happy demeanor fading into a scowl. “What do you think we want? Power you fuck-whit! That’s all anypony wants!”

The stallion stood up and held his hands behind his back as he slowly paced around the girl as he stared up at the ceiling. “You want the throne. Don’t you?” Raven questioned.

The stallion chuckle loudly. “Almost.”

Raven lifted a brow. “What do you mean ‘almost’?”

The stallion chuckled again as he came full circle. “This isn’t some petty story from the foals section Princess.” He bent at the waiste and leaned uncomfortably close towards the human girl. She refused to budge, even powering through the gusts of air that peppered her face with each breath he took. “Why would I tell you?” he whispered into her ear. Leaning back, he smiled the same welcoming smile he had when he entered into the room. “Any questions?”

Raven glared at the guard on the right… then the left. She was going to get out of here Void be damned. While she didn't have any questions, she did have something to say... “I'm going to kill you… and you…” Both stallions glanced at each other nervously at the declaration. “But you…” she said darkly towards the third. “I’m going to gut you like the dog that you are. You best starting counting. You're time is near…”

The stallion smiled even wider before he broke out laughing. In all honesty, he found that very comical. The guards couldn't find him here and the princess was tie to the floor! Like Taurtarus she could kill him! He continued to laugh for several seconds before he regained his composure. “You’ll be fed here pretty soon, and we’ll make sure to get you a bed. Goodbye princess!” he waved, dismissing her comment as though she never said it. He replaced her gag securly back on her face before departing back the same way he came. Seconds later, the sounds of that heavy set door closing filled the air…

Yet again, Raven was alone.

She had to get out!

This guy clearly had a plan, but she was going to have to cut it out of him when she got free. Right now, she needed to find Twilight and Cadance! Closing her eye, Raven concentrated hard. There was a bright flash of red, indicating the hell that was about to rise…

***

The two stallions tasked with guarding the strange looking princess had one of the most important missions of their career! Both were on edge, but more bored than anything. But the words of the captured princess echoed throughout their minds the longre they stood guard. Was it really true? She would kill them? Bah, impossible! She was in there, chained to the floor and they were out here in the hallway! But, because of that comment, both were still a little on edge. As they stood, both stallions failed to notice as wisps of mist permeated from underneath the door. Ice started to form and spiderweb its way across the doors surface, chilling the air around it.

One of the stallions shivered before he looked towards the door. “What the!?” he shouted with a jump.

The other stallion turned and did the same, but before he could say anything the door exploded off its hinges. Both stallions were forced to cover their faces with an arm as a cold mist bleed into the hall like a plaque, obstructing their vision and overwhelming their senses. Their throats burned with each frozen breath and their skin became numb. But it mattered little when the stallion to the left grunted and gagged when a sword pierce through his abdomen and out his back.

Like a shot from a gun, the other stallion grunted painfully, dropping his weapon when a hand gripped him around the throat and slammed him against the wall, lifting him high into the air. He could only stare at the demonic helmet staring back at him.

“Where are they!?”

***

Twilight Sparkle was terrified. She was cold, miserable, bound and gagged. Two long streaks of tears ran down her cheeks, matting her fur thanks to what felt like hours of sobbing. She wanted her mother, she desperately wanted to go home and the two stallions staring down at her only made the filly curl up tighter as they spoke about what they were going to do to her! She wanted her friend, she wanted out of here!

“No! You are not going to touch her, that's final!” on of the bat ponies shouted at the other.

“I'm not going to hurt her,” the second defended. “I just want to have some fun!”

“You're sick Tantabus,” the first said with a disgusting tone as he glared at his partner. “She's not even old enough!”

The stallion known as Tantabus gave his partner a bemused expression. “Do I look like I care, Denarius?”

Denarius scowled. “I hope you get what's coming to you!” with that, the stallion turned away from his companion. He didn't sign up for this shit. He wanted to start and win this war just as much as everyone else did. But he still had some standards! Tantabus rolled his eyes and gave Twilight a creepy smile as he too turned away as he went back to his post. Twilight for her part, was thankful he looked away, but she still sobbed and sniffled loudly into her gag.

The two stood in silence for several seconds before they heard the door to the room rattle loudly. Somepony was trying to work the lock and failing miserably. Didn't help that this was the only door in the entire building that required some finesse to open. “Get the damn door!” Denarius ordered loudly.

Tantabus growled and mumbled something under his breath. “Hold on!” he shouted, but the rattling continued. “I said hold-” just as he was about to reach the door, the large hunk of metal shot off its hinges colliding violently with the perverted stallions chest. The force of the impact was so violent, it not only killed the stallion on impact, but threw him several feet into the room, where he collided with a stack of boxes. Twilight screamed in horror into her gag and closed her eyes shut.

Denarius could only stare at the door and boxes that now covered his now former partners corpse. “Well… I warned him…”

The heavy sounds of boots entering the room caused the stallion to go tense. Nearby, Twilight still had her eyes glued shut. She could hear the hoofsteps as they got closer, followed by the pleas and screams of terror by the remaining stallion. She further whimpered, whined, and winced at the sounds of bones breaking, followed by a loud smashing noise as something was smashed into the wall.

There was a warping sound. It sounded kinda like magic.

“Twilight!” the fillies eyes snapped open at the sound of her friend!

“Mmhlh!?” she cheered into her gag, struggling to get closer towards Raven.

“Frost, watch the door!” Raven order the Warframe. The large horned suit nodded, taking up position near the door and holding his Detron at the ready. Raven came to a sliding halt in front of Twilight, gently grasping the fillies wrist with one hand and pulling a dagger from behind her back, furiouslycutting the rope. “Hang on Twilight, I'll get you out!”

Once the bindings came free, Raven carefully worked the blade between Twilights cheek and the cloth before she cut the gag free, Twilight lunged forward and hugged Raven, fearing as though her friend would leave her yet again as she sobbed into the girls dirty shirt. “I got you Twilight,” Raven cooed as Twilight continued to sob loudly into the human girls collar. “Frost! I need help here!”

At the door, Frost held off the numerous thestrals that had come to investigate the noise. Turning his massive horned head, he surveyed the hall one last time for anymore threats before he entered the room. Kneeling down behind Twilight, he grasped the shackle around the fillies ankle with both hands. He froze the surface until the metal became brittle before tearing the shackle in two.

“Come on!” Raven said, a clear sense of urgency in her voice. “We have to go!”

“What about Cadance?” Twilight said, her tone more panicked.

“She's next! Come on!” Raven answered. Transferring back into her Warframe, ~Raven~ pulled her Javlok from her back, extending the spear-like blaster. Stepping out of the doorway, she stepped over one of the many responders that Frost had gunned down. Twilight followed apprehensively, feeling rather ill at the cold and soulless stare of one of the corpses that littered the hall.

The duo weaved their way through various halls, ~Raven~ striking down any unsuspecting thestral that got in her way with an explosive blast from her weapon. Once she was where she needed to be, she could hear grunting and pleading, muffled whines from under the door.

Grabbing the mighty lock to the door, ~Raven~ was caught off guard when she found it unlocked. Stepping through the threshold, she was horrified at what she saw…

***

Cadance screamed into her gag as she did her best to squirm away from the only other occupant in the room. The stallion had whispered soft nothings into her ear as he covered her eyes with a blindfold. It was from there that she feared the worst. She wanted out of here! She wanted her guards! She wanted her cousin! She wanted Shiny! She continued to hope that he would bust through the door and save her!

She tried to kick her hooves as hard as she could when she felt a pair of hands grab her pants and pull them down her legs. Once they were off her hooves, two fingers went down the front of her panties, violating her as they were pulled them away, leaving her lower half bare. She tried to use her legs to cover and protect her delicate flower, but her aggressor was to strong. He pried one leg away and tied a rope around her ankle, then again with her other.

It was when she heard him unzip his pants that she sobbed and pleaded into her gag, frantically shaking her head for him to stop!

“Relax,” he cooed, which was followed by the sound of his belt and pants hitting the floor. “Trust me… it'll make it all feel better in the end."

The stallion was so preoccupied with his pleasure he failed to hear the door open behind him. He also failed to notice the large guard enter the room...

The stallion made it one step when something dark flashed in the corner of his eye, followed by a sharp pain in his crotch.

The stallion blinked, then looked down.

Where his erection once was, was nothing left than a bleeding stump, his stallionhood laying on the floor not to far away. Shock immediately set in. The horrified stallion's mind went blank before a horrible, agonizing pain started to set in. He had enough time to take a single, deep breath before an ice cold hand grabbed his shoulder and spun him around.

SHING!

The thestral stallion blinked, then coughed, blood splattering the helmet of the guard staring back at him. His gaze drifted down to the ice cold sword buried halfway to the hilt in his chest. He could only stare in awe at the blade before he lifted his gaze back towards the guards lifeless helmet.

~Raven~ adjusted her grip on the weapon and rested her palm against the hilt. With a mighty shove she hilted the blade in the stallions left pectoral. Stepping back, she lifted her right hand and bitch slapped the sack of shit, knocking him off balance and onto the floor.

And even though she couldn't see anything, Cadance could still hear.

“Cadance!” she heard Twilight scream. The little filly rushed into the room and grabbed onto the blindfold, causing the pink mare to wince in fear. When the blindfold was removed, only then could Cadance see her saviors. Twilight was at her head cutting through the gag while Raven worked the knots of her leg bindings. Looming over her would be rapist was Frost. Standing up, Raven hurried over and grabbed her sword from Frost's hip before returning to the trapped teen.

Lifting the blade over her head, Raven swung the sword downward and snapped the rope. She repeated the action with the other rope. Once free, Cadance curled into a ball as she sobbed into Twilight's ragged school uniform while Raven was doing her best to come up with a plan.

While her cousin and friend embraced wach other, Raven frantically searched for the teens mares pants.She already suffered a horrible fate, she didn't need to further embarace herself. Unable to find what she was looking for, Raven opted to unbuck her belt. She pushed her pants down to her knees before pulling one pant leg off, followed by the other as she bounced on one leg. “Here,” she offered. Cadance, looked towards the offered clothing, then towards Raven, who was now wearing a shirt, her panties, shoes and socks. With a shaky hand, Cadance took the pants and started to put them on. “Sorry if their a little small,” Raven apologized.

Cadance waved off her cousins concern as she slowly slipped her cousins pants over her bare legs and pulled them on. They were tight in the waist and many centimeters short, but they covered as much as they needed.

A shadow entered the room, causing everyone to turn and face the door. In the doorway, stood a wide eyed thestral stallion. “Alarm!” he shouted down the hallway. “Everypony on alert!”

In one swift motion that would put most guards to shame, Raven grabbed her blade off the floor and spun, throwing the weapon with all her might. But the stallion disappeared just as the weapon went sailing through the doorway, burying itself deep inside the opposite wall.

“Shit!” Raven cursed. Turning around, the girl ran over towards her friends. Still scared, but unharmed, she needed to get them out of here! “Frost! We need an exit!”

The warframe turned and examined the room with his advanced optical sensors in search of a weak spot. There weren't many options, so he opted for the obvious. The suit approached the far wall before placing both hands against the hard, metal surface. Flooding himself with power, the sounds of cracking ice filled the air as crystals of frozen water spider webbed their way across the wall from his flattened palms. The temperature began to drop significantly with in the room, causing Twilight and Cadance to shudder as they watched on. After several tense seconds, the wall was thoroughly coated in a sheet of solid ice. Pulling his left arm back, Frost slowly curled his fingers into a fist before driving it home. Ice shattered loudly as the Warframe pummeled his way through the wall with as eries of rapid punches. Little shards of frozen water sparkled and danced through the air like fireflies in the darkened room. Once he opened up a sizeable hole, the Warframe stepped back.

Through the hole, thelast wisps of daylight could be seen.

Raven grabbed both Cadance and Twilight by an arm, pushing them towards the hole. "You guys have to go!"

"What!?"

"Raven no!" Cadance shouted as she turned around, grabbing the human girl by the shoulders. "I'm not leaving you!"

"Cadance you have to go!" the human pressed, pushed the teen forward.

"Raven!"

"I said go!" Raven pushed the pair out and into the street. She didn't say anything more as she turned away from the concerned looks of her family and friend, turning around and transferring into her Warframe. Who ever this guy was and whatever he wanted, she was going to make him talk. She would tear him limb from limb to extract that information if necessary.

If it was a war he wanted, a war, she would bring.

***

Several thestrals ran for their lives from the ice demon that had released upon the land! One stallion stumbled through a pair of thick steel doors as his companions began pushing with all their strength. On the other side, two thestral stallions screamed and pleaded for their companions to keep the door open just a little longer! As the doors were closed with a resounding clang, the screams of the dead were muffled by the thick steel door.

Lord Umbara could only ground his teeth and anger as he watched his subjects try to hold back that demon. He wasn't going to let centuries of work by his family be brought to waste! He was so close to finally bringing forth the revolution his family had sought for so long! The queen would return by his hand!

CLANG!

Umbara was knocked from his thoughts when the doors buckled slightly. The air was thick with tension as all eyes watched intently. Umbara's stallions clutched their spears and shield tighter as they stood guard. There was another loud banging noise, followed by a very loud cracking sound of bone breaking.

A cold mist, bled through the cracks in the door...

Ponies felt a chill run up their backs. All of them shared the same thought.It wasn't enough. It wasn't going to be enough. The door wasn't going to hold! All of them jumped when there was another resounding bang against the door, followed by another before silence fell over the hallway. Seconds were tense as it felt as though the demon had finally given up?

Until the doors exploded and buckled in!

The left door was torn from its hinges and collided with a couple of guards, crushing them below its gargantuan weight. The right hand door banged loudly against the wall, cratering the sheetrock from the forceof the impact, sending dust and bits of debris everywhere. In the center of the left hand door, a thick, metallic spear stood upright, smoking from the explosive impact. The remaining door moaned as the demon pushed the thing out of its way as though it was never there.

Umbara swore he heard drums.

Ten powerful beats followed the monster.

"Kill it!" Umbara ordered before turning around and making a run for it.

Drawing her sword, ~Raven~ attacked. The first stallion swung his blade wildly, uncoordinated. Parrying the attack, she grabbed the stallion by the throat and smashed his form into the right hand wall. Bone broke and buckled as his body bent at an odd angle. Pulling her arm back, she backhanded the next stallion and thrusting her blade into his back. Shouldering the body off her blade, she dodged another sword swipe from one of two attackers. Reaching up, she caught the wrist of the second attackers and twisted his arm. With her pommel, she bludgeoned the stallion's face three times before lifting her leg and kicking the poor sod in the knee with enough force to shatter his kneecap. The stallions knee bent at a very odd angle as his weight collapsed his form as he screamed in agony. He didn't have time to scream when he was slashed across his neck. His hands went straight to his bleeding neck as he gagged in a pittiful attempt to breath.

Just as the first stallion was recovering from the parry, he gagged when ~Raven~ plunged her blade through his abdomen. Taking his sword from his grasp, the warrior girl pulled her blade free and turned. Two more stallions charged her. They shouted their warcry as loud as they could as they attacked, but their show of intimidation did little as ~Raven~ impaled both of them right through their chests, lifting them off their hooves and slamming them against the ground. Pulling her ice sword free, she left the other where it lay, buried in the concrete.

They just kept coming.

Standing up, the girl held up her left hand and channeled her power into it. A ball of ice appeared in her palm before she lifted her hand and slammed it against the ground. A wave of razor sharp stalagmites of pure ice radiated out from her palm. Ponies screamed in surprise and terror as most of then were impaled by the attack. Many were pierced their abdomens and pinned to the walls, some were torn to pieces and one poor stallion ended up being pinned to the ceiling.

Those that survived had taken shelter around the next hallway.

As she rounded the corner, she could see down the hall as ponies ran for the next safe area. She could even see that son of a bitch in the back. Just as she took a step forward, ~Raven's~ armor clad head bounced forward when something hit her. With a slight drop of her shields and a flash of sparks, she spun around and raised her sword in preparation for a counter attack.

"Oh…"

She lowered her blade and stared at the now frozen statue of her aggressor. The angry expression of the stallion as his sword sat just in front of his chest would be forever cemented on his features. Reaching forward, ~Raven~ pressed her palm against the ice statue and pushed it backwards. It tipped back before gravity took hold and it fell to the floor, shattering on impact.

Turning around, she stared down the remaining soldiers in her path.

"What are you waiting for!?" the baby ordered with a point of his finger. "Kill him you fools!"

The ten or so remain stallions hardened their grip of the swords and spears. One of the spear ponies charged towards the titan of a guard. He cared little of his safety as he continued forward.

He didn't make it far.

Grasping the shaft of the spear, just below the point, ~Raven~ lifted the thing and pulled. The stallions moment suddenly increased as he jolted forward. He gagged in shock when he felt the frozen blade of the Tenno's sword bury itself to the hilt in his lower abdomen. Pulling the spear free from his grip, she leaned to the side and placed her foot on the stallions chest and pushed.

With a disgusting wet slick, the stallion slid off the blade and fell against the ground, bleeding and left for dead. Flipping the longer weapon in her grasp, the knight threw the spear with all her might. The weapon sailed true, impaling one stallion with enough force to punch through his abdomen and impale another poor sod standing not to far behind him.

The drums were getting louder.

The hall was getting colder.

Umbara felt a chill run up his spine as his eyes locked with those of the demons.

He ran.

He had to ignore the scream of one of his stallions as he was thrown down the hallway, impacting against the wall. His pleas could be heard as he begged for his life before he was impaled through the throat by a rogue spear, gagging around the weapon. Umbara was so close to sanctuary, it's not like he would let somepony like this get him. He always had a backup plan. He just needed to get to his office.

His hooves impacted loudly against the floor.

He didn't care about sound, that thing was on his tail.

The drums were even louder!

The stallion grunted as he pushed against the heavy steel door of his office. Metal grinded as the hinges came to life for the first time as he heaved the door shut. He didn't dare look past the door, just taking that little bit of time to acknowledge the creature would bring him death. With one last burst of adrenaline, the heavy door closed with a thunderous click, as locks and tumblers closed him inside.

He did it!

Umbara smiled as he rested his forehead against the cool steel of the door. He was safe. He didn't have to worry! Princess… no, that Witch could drop the sun on this bunker and wouldn't leave so much as a scratch. He smiled. There were enough wards to last a millennia.

But it did nothing against the Void…

There was a loud bang from outside the door. Umbara stepped away, but smiled as the door held.

"You'll never punch through that!" he taunted.

Another bang.

"These wards will last long after you die!"

Another clang.

"Give up while you still can!"

There was no bang.

Only silence.

Umbara smiled as he watched the door. All he had to do was write a letter and wait for his soldiers to set him free. He had enough food and water to last a year. Full amenities, bathroom, bed, and kitchen that would put the castle to shame. All he needed to do was get that letter going! Stepping away, the thestral stallion relaxed as headed towards a desk in the center of the room. Pulling out the tall, regal chair, he sat down, opened a drawer, and pulled out a sheet of enchanted paper and a quill. He dipped it in the ink pot and started writing.

He smiled, humming a little tune at his victory.

He failed to notice the ice crystals forming on the inside of the door. They spread out like a spider web across the surface. Little crystalline crystals worked their way into cracks and deformations within the metal. They ignored the wards and runes as they crackled along. The spells didn't know what to think. The strange energy was there… but also not there. It existed, but at the same time… did not.

This, was a power stronger than most magic…

It was even more powerful than dark magic…

Umbara screamed and covered his form with his arms as the door exploded, shards of ice and frozen metal peppered his frame. As he looked up, he was petrified from fear.

The drums were overwhelming…

The demon stood like a shadow in the dooray.

"No…"

It took a step.

Umbara fell backwards out of his chair.

"No!"

It grabbed him around the collar.

"NO!"

It lifted his as though he was nothing.

"LET ME GO!"

He was nothing…

"PLEASE! I'LL TELL YOU WHERE THEY ARE!"

Umbara was dragged away by a cold, armored glove by his face.

Death… was going to be painful…

Chapter 25

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Chapter 25

Princess Celestia was a bored pony. A very board pony. She had spent another day in court listening to another pathetic and rather stupid argument made by another ignorant noble that could have easily handled the whole thing in a lesser court. Celestia didn't need to be bothered by every little petty thing that happened in this town. Like today, one noble had the gall to take the lawn trimmer to court because the grass was not the preferred height. Who even measures their grass anyway? It's not like the neighborhood councils cared that much. All they cared about was if your grass was cut!

She held the court for bigger precedings, the fact that ninety-percent of her court time was filled with shit like this?

It was dumb, in every literal and nonliteral sense.

Thankfully when six rolls around she's done with that crap. But today she spent another dinner in the throne room doing paperwork. Now most of her work revolved around simply signing paperwork. Her secretaries and the houses wrote just about everything, she just had to read it and either approve or disapprove bills, complaints, and the like.

Celestia sighed.

She was bored…

"Oh shit!" the mare cursed when she realized something. In a panic, she shuffled through the stack of signed papers looking for a specific sheet. In her blank state of mind, she realized that she had been lazily signing and approving bills and papers without even reading them. Not the best thing to do when your approval is so coveted. The mare slid her fingers dutifully through the stack of paper before she found one that she definitely remembered. With a sigh of relief, the mare transferred a small stack back to the 'unsigned' stack.

Celestia was now an unhappy pony.

The mare rubbed her face with both hands. She was exhausted. Unlike popular belief, she was just as much of a mortal as anypony else…

With one last sigh, she let her arms go limp, letting them slap against the top of her thighs. She was exhausted and wanted nothing more than to call it a day and go to bed. Maybe stop by the dinning hall and get a cupcake... or twelve...

Or thirty-five?

"You look tired," Notepad stated as she continued to read from something on her clipboard.

"I'm exhausted…" Celestia confirmed as she wilted in her throne.

Notepad glanced at the mare before she finished reading her document. "Here," the mare said as she slid a sheet of paper off her clipboard and in front of the solar monarch. "The orphanage has requested a thousand bits to repair some of their playground equipment. Apparently, it's old and the headmare is worried that might break and may lead to injury."

Celestia blinked. "Really? Well shoot… Headmare Care Taker knows how much I support the orphanage and the foals. I'm more than willing to give her anything she needs!" Grabbing her quill, the mare hastily signed the paper. "And give her four-thousand more bits for future issues." Celestia grabbed a blank sheet of paper and scribbled down a note before signing it as well. "And this note."

Notepad took both the document and the note with a nod. "I'll get it to her tonight. Since I'll be near there anyway."

"Thank you, Notepad."

"You're welcome, Celestia."

As the head assistant was getting ready to make her leave, the doors to the throne room burst open as Cadance and Twilight rushed into the room in a panic. Behind them were several concerned looking guards as they chased after the two teens.

"Auntie!"

"Princess!"

"Cadance? Twilight?" Celestia questioned before she stood up and rushed down the stairs of the dais. Once she was close enough, the mare noticed both teens terrified looks and wondered why Cadance was wearing Raven's pants. "What happened!?"

Both teens didn't answer as they rushed towards the mare, slamming into her and grasping the her dress tightly as they sobbed into fabric. Celestia was shocked and horrified at their current state. Their clothes were filthy, they reeked, their hair and fur were matted, and they had been actively crying for some time now.

"We found them at the gates!" one guard stated as he approached. "They kept mumbling about the princess and being foalnapped!"

"WHAT!?" Celestia sputtered. Frantically, she looked around the room for her daughter. "Where's Raven!? Where's my daughter!?"

"We've galvanized Royal Guard, Princess!" the unicorn stallion assured. "They're already searching for her!"

"I'm not going to sit her and let some freak have their way with my daughter!" Celestia shouted. "I'm going out there!" Both Cadance and Twilight protested, not wanting to be left alone. They tugged on her dress, pleading and pulling for her not to leave. The princess tried to protest and was about to go naked before the heavy thuds of boots coming down the hall and into the room grabbed everyone's attention.

That metallic, living suit entered the room, dragging some poor thestral stallion by his bleeding muzzle. The poor bastard had seen better days as he lay limp, bruised, cut and bleeding from his less than glorious drag through town. As he approached, Frost tossed the sack of shit forward. He landed with a painful grunt and a cough as he tried to push himself up on shaky arms.

Celestia stared slack jawed at the stallion before her gaze drifted towards the suit of armor. "There's your culprit," ~Raven~ stated venomously.

Celestia shifted her gaze to the equally shocked guard. "Please take my niece and my student to the baths and have my personal maids help them get clean."

The guard nodded as he stepped forward and gingerly ushered the teens from the princess and out of the room. Twilight and Cadance gave the Celestia one last concerned glance over their shoulders before they left the throne room. In a flash of red light, Raven stepped out of her Warframe. She looked no better than her friends, but the eye patch looked nice and somewhere along the line she had found a skirt to wear.

She glared down at the stallion as she stepped around him and hugged her mother. Celestia was both grateful and relieved to return the gesture, but never took her own gaze off the stallion as well. The stallion held himself up by his arms before he lifted his head, revealing his face to the throne room.

"Lord Umbara!?" Celestia sputtered in complete surprise. "What is the meaning of this!?"

"Son-of-a-bitch foalnapped us," Raven spat.

Celestia chose to ignore her daughter's inappropriate cursing. She had something else and significantly more important to deal with. The dark stallion glared at the solar mare as he did his best to sit up. This is not how he wanted to meet this witch, no, he wanted her kissing his hoof after he freed the dark queen.

The stallion dropped his head and smiled, finding this situation rather amusing. "Well… if you must know…" the stallion grunted as he placed a hand on his knee and pushed himself into a standing position. "I hate you, Princess…"

Celestia reeled back in surprise as though she had been physically slapped. "What! Why?"

The stallion huffed and threw his arms into the air in exasperation, making it look like it was that obvious. His arms slapped his sides before he started speaking. "Isn't it obvious!?"

It wasn't.

"No, Umbara. It isn't," Celestia answered, glaring at the stallion.

The stallion laughed in response to her ignorance. "I hate you for what you did to my people!"

"Did what!?"

"The subjugation we suffered after the Civil War!" he shouted.

Celestia released her daughter and took a threatening step forward, pointing a threatening finger at the ignorant stallion. "I didn't do anything! The Thestrals attacked in retaliation! And they were beaten!"

"You put us down like dogs! And you banished our queen!"

Fueled with rage, Celestia's mane and tale burst into white hot flames. "She's gone you ignorant fool! And she's never coming back!"

If Umbara was intimidated, he didn't show it. If anything, he tried to intimidate her back by flaring his wings. "You have done nothing but bring ruin to my people! You have ruined this country!" he shouted while pointing a finger at the floor and swiping his arm. "You adopt this pathetic excuse of an ape! And you will pay for it all!"

Raven saw the strike from a mile away.

Celestia didn't have time to react.

Umbara's fist was engulfed by the gargantuan glove as Frost caught the strike in his hand. Umbara stared at the glove in confusion for a second before he was forcefully pulled away from the pair and in front of something else entirely. The stallion stared at his captured fist before he threw a punch with his free hand, which Frost caught in his other hand. Umbara grunted as he tried to pull his hands free, but it was all in vain.

Then came the cold.

The unbearable, numbing cold!

Umbara screamed as a horrible, agonizing pain began to creep across his fingers. His screams began to increase in volume as his fingers began to go numb. His fur started to singe as his skin began to turn purple from the intense cold. The stallion was forced to a knee as his knuckles began to turn white. The horrible agonizing pain was unbearable as his skin became flash frozen. Frost began to clench his fingers harder and bend the stallion’s wrists backwards. By now, Umbara's screams had reached new heights before they finally gave way.

Ice shattered as Umbara's frozen wrists gave way. Frost tore the stallion’s frozen hands off his arms in one of the most violent ways imaginable. The Warframe tossed the severed limbs behind him, the frozen balls of flesh it the floor and shattered on impact. Raising his hands next to his head, Frost slammed his hands against the sides of the stallion's head.

***

Umbara awoke alone in a pale, white void. The stallion stood confused as he surveyed his surroundings. Or, the lack of surroundings. It was only him.

Then the temperature dropped…

The hairs on the back of the stallion’s neck went on edge. "Oh shit!" He spun around in a rapid attempt to find that demon. "Show yourself!" he demanded, his shout fading into the void of nothingness.

“How dare you threaten the operator…”

The stallion spun around, searching for the voice within the void, but ultimately found nothing. Umbara steeled his resolve, widened his stance, and ground his teeth in anger while clenched his fists in preparation for a fight. “How dare I? How dare!? How dare you! You ruined everything!” he shouted at the voice. The stallion started to walk forward as he held up a hand and pointed a finger into the void. “I was so close to achieving everything my people have wanted for centuries. And you destroyed it all!”

There was a slicing sound as a horrible pain came from the stallion’s shoulder as his arm made a meaty slapping noise against the ground. Confused, he stared at the severed limb in shock. His mind went blank as his brain tried to process what he was witnessing. He didn’t have time to even scream as a hand grabbed his shoulder where his arm once was and spun him around. Frost stared down at the stallion for a mere second before he lifted his sword over his helmeted head and shoving the weapon straight down and into the stallion’s chest. Umbara gagged as he felt the frozen blade pierce his skin and puncture his organs. The stallion fell to his knees as Frost continued to push on the handle of the weapon. Resting his open palm on the hilt, Frost buried the weapon to the hilt as the stallion was forced to kiss the hilt.

“You will suffer…”

Frost slapped his palms against the side of the stallion’s head a second time and held it in place. A resounding crack filled the air, followed by another. Several cracking sounds filled the air. The stallion’s eyes went wide as he watched as dozens and dozens of cracks covered the Warframe’s armor. The light emanating from the was blinding. There were several more explosive cracks before the suits armor shattered into thousands of tiny pieces.

The stallion’s eyes went wide as he stared up at the mutant creature before him.

“What are you!?”

Frost leaned forward, his disgusting, rotten flesh touching the stallion’s cheek.

“A demon…”

***

Princess Celestia looked away with a wince, gluing her eyes shut while Raven watched as the stallion screamed at the top of his lungs as Frost forced his thumbs into the stallion’s eye sockets. Blood spurted from the Umbara's eyeballs as Frost forced his thumbs all the way to the knuckle within the stallion’s skull. Releasing the Thestral’s poor body, the stallion landed with a meaty thud, gasping for air.

Frost turned to Raven and looked down at her while she slowly transferred her gaze from Umbara up to Frost.

He told me everything.

"Do you know where to go?" Raven questioned in Orokin.

I have a list of hideouts and names.

"Tell me…"

Celestia glanced at the stallion as the flames on her mane and tail sputtered out and died as she stared at, what she assumed to be, unconscious stallion. In the background, Raven and her suit, servant… friend thing, conversed in her native tongue. With a wistful sigh, the mare headed towards the doors of the throne room and pushed them open. Leaning out, she requested one of her guards to retrieve Captain Bronze and a doctor as soon as possible.

After several minutes -and a healing spell- Captain Bronze and one of the castle doctors entered the throne room and dealt with the treasonous stallion. As the back-stabbing thestral was dragged away, mumbling some sort of gibberish, Raven approached Captain Bronze and tapped him on the shoulder. Turning, the stallion gave the young princess a questioning look before she held up a filled out sheet of paper.

"A list of names, hideouts, and other important information about the insurrection," Raven explained. Bronze took the sheet and narrowed his eyes at it. He wasn't sure how she got the information, but he didn't want to find out what process was taken in order to gain said info.

Turning to one of his subordinates, he waved them over. "Get me Lieutenant Flare," he ordered. He was going to need everypony for such an event. Especially one that will take place over the entire nation. Thanking the princess, he took the sheet of key information and exited the throne room.

Operator, there is one more facility on the far side of the city.

Raven glanced at the Warframe for a brief second. It was so fast, even Celestia failed notice it.

Where?

A warehouse on the northern side of the city.

I think we'll check it out tonight.

Supposedly, tonight is the night of meeting. I thought you would like to pay it a visit.

Raven smiled at the Warframe remark.

I'd like that…

***

Four ponies stood around a long, rectangular table, in a dimly lit room within their warehouse. With the latest turn of events involving the deaths of many of their followers and the capture of their leader, the group was at a loss.

"Now what?" one stallion, clad in a simple white dress shirt stated. He was the one to finally voice what everypony was thinking.

"What do you mean?" one mare in a dark blue dress pouted. "Everything has been ruined!" she huffed, crossing her arms with a pout.

"Look…" a second thestral stallion in a red vest a grey shirt sighed as he rubbed his face. "Just because Umbara's gone doesn't mean we've been defeated. We still have plenty of forces and ponies on the inside to make this work! Well just be delayed a little"

The mare and the first stallion sighed, the former hugging herself and the latter resting his chin on his knuckles. All four of them stood in silence, contemplating their best course of action.

"What do you think we should do, Lacewing?" the mare asked the fourth stallion in the group. He didn't respond immediately, seemingly lost in thought. The three others just watched him for several seconds…

Before he slowly tilted forward, smashing into the table, his body then shattering on impact when it hit the concrete!

The mare screamed in horror as the two stallions jumped back, equally as horrified.

"Oops…"

Both stallions drew their swords but didn't attack. They knew that if this guard was good enough to sneak up on them, who knows how good they were in combat. The mare on the other hand, took the opportunity to hide. ~Raven~ didn't say anything but held up her left hand. The sounds of a rushing, winter breeze started to fill the air as a cold, misty fog began to coalesce at their feet and hooves. ~Raven's~ arm began to shake as a small ball of ice began to coalesce in her palm. The winds began to roar violently as the trio were surrounded by a flurry of fog and snow. The storm quickly became so violent that the pair of stallions struggled to even see!

It was as though… that guard was controlling the brewing storm!

Slowly, ~Raven~ lifted her palm over her head. In tandem, the storm seemed to intensify…

She closed her fist…

Like a sudden winter cold snap, the storm condensed in on itself like a black hole. The frozen fog and bits of snow target the pair of stallion's like a magnet. Their screams of agony lasted a mere millisecond as they were flash frozen. The action was so powerful and so violent, every cell in their bodies burst into nothing but ice crystals.

It was as beautiful as it was tragic.

Behind a large shelving unit stacked with boxes, a lone eye watched as her friends were frozen solid by that wizard. Her eyes went wide as she watched the pair as they died on their hooves. She needed to get out of here! Panting loudly, but hopefully not loud enough to get caught, the thestral mare rested her back against one of the larger boxes. Okay, so the door was just on the other side of the shelves opposite her. If she could move fast enough, she could get to the door and get out of here!

She peeked around the corner…

Her two friends were still there, nothing but frozen statues, never moving. But the elemental wizard was gone. Perhaps he left? Or maybe he was looking for her in a different part of the building…

She had to leave now!

The mare turned on her heels and sprinted for the door. Her heart pounded in her ears, her breathing was heavy, labored, and latent with panic. She winced as her hooves clattered loudly against the concrete floor, clearly giving away her position. But if she could get outside, she could get free! That wizard lacked wings, so he couldn't follow her into the skies!

"Gak!" she gagged when she was violently grabbed around the throat and lifted into the air. She struggled and gagged, palming the cold metal gauntlet that had lifted her into the air. In her panic, she kicked her legs and flapped her wings in a frantic -and rather pathetic- attempt to free herself. Her kicking and flailing form was quickly carried away from the door and back towards the center of the room.

"You… you can't do this to me!" she pleaded weakly. The stallion crushing her windpipe wasn't doing her any justice. "I am un-ARMED! ACK! I know my rights! You can't hurt your suspect!" The wizard didn't say anything, but he was clearly listening. "I know the law dammit!"

By now, the thestral mare had stopped her attempts to free herself and opted to just hold the stallion’s wrist and try to take some of her weight of her neck. There was a flash of bright red light that made the mare wince.

"Honey… I am the law…"

The mare’s eyes widened when she saw the face staring up at her.

Her screams faded into the night like dust in the wind…

***

Lieutenant Flare stared into the mirror as she focused on trimming her fur. The mare had been focusing on the small tuft of fur that had been getting out of control above her bosom. The little orange bits of hair gathered in the sink beneath the mare. Once she was happy with her look, she grasped on of her bare breasts and lifted it. Surveying her mound of flesh, she found nothing that needed trimming or fixing, she moved onto her ears. Grabbing the soft appendage, she pulled it down slightly and started to trim away at the longer ends. She removed a little tuft on the top of her ears that had begun to get out of control. A few snips later with her other ear, she placed the scissors on the edge of the sink. Turning on the water, the mare dunked her face and gingerly washed the hair from between her breasts and bosom. With a sigh, the mare turned off the water and dried herself off with a towel.

Exiting the bathroom, the mare greeted the day, and her apartment, naked as the day she was born. There was something about the freedom that she enjoyed. It was also something that felt natural. Like, they were supposed to do it.

She wasn't truly sure.

Horse People Go Naked? she thought. Interesting name for a story... or maybe a porn magazine?

Walking into the living, the orange mare sauntered past the other pony in the room as he stared into a full-length mirror, tying his tie. The stallion glanced at the mares bare back in the mirror. "You going to stay like that all day?"

"It's my day off," Lieutenant Flare replied before she jumped onto the couch with a relaxing sigh. "And besides it’s my apartment, I'll do what I want!" spreading her legs, the mare grabbed a magazine off a nearby coffee table and began reading it. What was beneath it was the local paper with the headline 'Revolution Inevitable?' followed by an article listing off a series of raids done across the nation by the Solar Guard.

The stallion stared back into the mirror and continued with his tie. "What about you?" the mare questioned as she turned the page, focusing on an article about a little filly and her latest clothing designs that were starting to take the nation by storm. "What are you going to do?"

The grey stallion finished off tying his tie and stretched his leather-like wings. "Unfortunately… I get the pleasure of trying to prove to the princess that I am trustworthy." Grabbing a hair roller, the stallion used the sticky paint brush style object to collect any hair on his suit. "What Umbara did was childish and self-centered."

"That bad huh?" Flare said as she moved towards a different article.

"That moron tried to bring back a war that has long been forgotten," the stallion explained. "There is a reason we gave up so many years ago." As he rested the roller on a nearby table, he looked himself over. Baring his fangs, he surveyed their pearly white surface.

"At least Celestia trusts you."

"She's not the one I need to convince," he admitted.

"You sound scared," Flare said as she glanced out of the corner of her eye, locking it with the stallion in the mirror.

"I'm over nine-hundred years old," he elaborated. "I was there when we lost the war, it wasn't worth fighting for after that. I'm proud of what I did, but what Umbara did is one of the most insulting things I have ever suffered from." The stallion leaned back from the mirror and started adjusting his cuffs. "If that moron had been there like I was, he would have known why we surrendered… if anything we Thestrals came out of it for the better."

"But you do realize that not only will the princess not be trusting, but most of Equestria will look down upon the Thestral community," Flare explained as she lowered her magazine. "I can only imagine what the Knox community will do. Or how they will feel."

"We're vampires. We have some fairly thick skin," the stallion replied.

"But you do realize the whole 'blood sucking' thing is going to make ponies freak out," Flare addressed while waving her hands in mock panic.

The stallion rolled his eyes. "It's not like we're a plaque. So, we don't eat fruit boo-hoo! And it's not like we need blood to survive." The stallion ran a hand through his hair. "Besides, most of those stupid rumors are made up anyway. If the fact I can see myself in the mirror is anything to go by…"

Flare giggled in agreement before grabbing her magazine again.

"I'm just sick of the b.s." the stallion huffed as he smoothed out a crease. "Thestrals need to stop acting like we're oppressed, and ponies need to stop thinking the Knox are vicious blood sucking monsters. So, we occasionally drink blood and practice a form or dark magic, it's not like we're trying to rule the world."

"But dark magic is bad, and you should feel bad!" Flare laughed in a silly, sarcastic voice.

The stallion chuckled. "You of all ponies know that dark magic isn't what it's cracked up to be. Just don't use it on yourself." The stallion tilted his to the right slightly as another thought came to mind. "Or most magic, if I'm being honest." Stepping away from the mirror, the stallion grabbed a pair of pins off the same table the roller was on. Reaching up, he pinned one of them to his right collar, adjusting the image of Celestia's cutie mark before he pinned the other one to the opposite collar, this one of an old flag of Thestralshire.

Turning around, he faced his nude housemate. Ironic really, asking someone who had forgone clothing to see how his looked. The mare laid -like one of those Prench mares- with her cheek resting on her knuckles, admiring her male companion. Approaching her, he stood over the nude mare and looked down at her while she smiled innocently up at him. Glancing down, she adjusted herself and reached forward. Grabbing his zipper, she pulled it down and unbuckled his pants.

Throwing his arms into the air in exasperation, he just threw away all that preparation for nothing. With a flick of her wrist, she unbuckled his belt and let gravity take his pants to the floor, his buckled clacking against the floor. Grasping the edges of his boxers, Flare pulled them down, releasing his semi-flaccid members from its hiding spot. Grasping his shaft, she leaned forward and began suckling his cock, bringing him to full mast.

"You know, if you were horny, you could have just told me," he said, slightly annoyed.

The mare nuzzled his erection. She could feel her nipples hardening and a familiar heat and moisture betwixt her legs. "You never answered my question so I…" she slowly dragged her tongue up the side of his long, dark prick. The Thestral stallion shuddered pleasantly at the loving attention. "Thought I would help you relax~"

The thestral stallion shuttered, his eyes fluttering. "I… I don't have time for this… shit…"

"You have an hour," Flare breathed as dragged her moist appendage across the flat head of his penis. "Besides…" His scent was intoxicating, and she could feel her moistening lower lips as her love began to leak down her ass crack and onto the cushions below. "You don't need to get naked…" Slowly, she ran her soft hand up the stallion’s shirt, rubbing his toned abdomen and pectoral muscles. "Mhmm… all I care about is between your legs…"

Standing up, Flare wrapped one arm around her lovers’ neck and used her other hand to palm his crotch, pinning it to his stomach as she tenderly rubbed the sensitive underside and used the tips of her fingers to tickle his scrotum.

"And I want it between mine~" she whispered huskily.

The stallion took a deep breath through his nose before he grabbed his mare by sides and forced her to spin around. Stepping out of his forgotten dress pants, he pushed the solar guard around to the end of the couch. With a mighty shove, Lieutenant Flare squealed as she tumbled over the armrest. With her ass in the air and tits rubbing pleasantlt against the fabric of the couch cusions, she moaned whorishly as he palmed and spread her butt cheeks. Now at the perfect breeding height, he grabbed his now painful erection and guided it into her awaiting folds.

Her lower lips spread around his invading member as he speared her, but her walls hugged him like a vice. The orange mare struggled to keep her hooves under her, the tips of them barely touching the floor as he mounted her. With a groan, she felt his large cock kiss her cervix.

"Then I guess I'll breed you for an hour," he said forcefully before grabbing both her ass cheeks, spreading them to reveal her tight star while also pinning her to the couch.

She squealed and moaned like a bitch in heat for the next hour…

***

Princess Celestia sat on her throne as her and Notepad were working on the latest bought of paperwork given to her by Captain Bronze. The raids had been a success and a number of ponies had been arrested across the nation. All that was left was to do the paperwork. Next to the seated mare, Raven leaned up against her mother's throne were her arms crossed and a deep frown etched on her face. So far everything she had done on this planet had nearly screwed her. She had been kidnapped, twice now, freed herself twice, she's been poked and prodded with needles.

Sighing, she hoped things would get better.

At least Twilight and Cadance were okay. Both were under heavy guard, for obvious reasons. Even though Raven and Cadance hated being surrounded by guards, but the latter of the two could not be happier to have them around. Unfortunately, on top of everything that the pink princess had to deal with, Cadance has an estranged relationship with her actual parents, the only family she had was Celestia and Raven, but since she was now in a relationship with Cadet Shining Armor, she had been spending a lot of time with him recently. He too, wasn't too thrilled about what happened either. Thankfully Cadance's attacker had been dealt with.

A boyfriend could worry though.

The girl was knocked from her thoughts when the doors to the throne room opened. Turning her head in that direction, Raven watched as a thestral stallion in a black suit entered the room, escorted by two solar guards. The girl watched as the trio approached. Once close enough, the two stallion guards saluted as the thestral bowed politely. Celestia, ever polite as always, stood up and bowed a well. Raven, on the other hand, glared at the stallion.

“Princess,” he greeted.

“Knight Lua, so good to see you,” Celestia greeted as she approached the Thestral with a welcoming smile. The stallion smiled as well as he hugged the mare, who in turn reciprocated the action. As the pair finished their embrace, the stallion looked past the mare and towards the young teen still perched next to the throne. Raven narrowed her eye at the now named stallion.

She continued to glare at him as he approached her. “Princess, a pleasure to meet you!” he greeted her as politly as he could muster while holding out his hand. The only courtesy that she gave the stallion was a glance at his open palm. Closing it, he pulled his arm back. At the bottom of the dais, Celestia gave her daughter a disapproving glare. “Anyway,” he said, changing the topic and turning around to the elder princess. “I’m sorry for everything that has happened recently,” he said as he descended the dais.

“I had no idea this was going on,” Celestia admitted as she watched him.

“No pony did,” Lua agreed one he reached the bottom of the steps. “Umbara was no idiot no less though.” Lua looked over his shoulder and spared Raven a sympathetic look. The girl rolled her eye with a huff and opted to hop down the steps of the dais. The girl accepted a soft peck on the cheek before she silently left the room, wanting nothing to do with the thestral.

With a sigh, Celestia watched as her daughter left the room. “Come, we can talk to her later,” Celestia said, leading the stallion out of the room. “We really need to address this issue right now. How is your sister, by the way?”

“She just gave birth to a filly,” Lua answered with a smile. “She named her Vinyl. Sweet little thing. She looks like a marshmallow with blue icing for hair.”

“Awww!”

Over the course of the next few hours, the trusted stallion did his part in representation for the Thestral and Knox communities. Like he had done dozens of times before, he clarified misconceptions, answered key questions, and told all of Equestria that this was the acts of a mad stallion with delusions of grandeur. All he really did was go through the motions.

But his thoughts kept falling back to the young princess.

He needed to prove to her that not all Thestrals were bad.

He would get that chance though.

Lua, who desperately needed a break from hours of talking to news ponies, large crowds, and countless others, he headed towards the last area where he needed to talk to. All he needed to do was addressed the new cadets about the situation. As the stallion rounded the last corner into the castles training grounds, he was greeted by watching Raven sparring with a sandbag. He watched as she punched and kicked the bag violently and without remorse.

Now, was as good as time as any.

He didn't make it two steps when he was stopped by a significantly larger minotaur bull. Surprised, the stallion stepped back as to not aggravate the new arrival.

"Excuse me sir," Lua said politely, but the guard didn't budge.

"He only listens to me," Raven said as she kicked at the sandbag, the fabric making loud thumping noises with each strike. "And as far as he is concerned, no one gets near me unless I approve." The girl finished her strikes and headed towards a nearby table, leaning against it and grabbing a towel, wiping the sweat from her brow. "And considering what has happened recently, you can stay right there."

Lua sighed internally. "Princess I assure you-"

She silenced him by holding up a hand. "While I admit that I jumped to an unnecessary conclusion when you arrived. I can tell that there is something different about you," she grabbed a water bottle and took a long swig of water before lowering the bottle and started speaking again. "And I don't like it."

The stallion broke eye contact briefly, glancing to the side at being called out.

"I knew it…" Raven stated with a glare. Lua bit the inside of his cheek nervously. In front of him, the princess's guard rested his left hand on the pommel of his sword. Lua knew he wasn't wanted, but he decided to push his luck and hope for the best.

"Princess please-"

"Fuck off!" Raven cursed, waving her arm at the stallion. Pushing herself off the table, she threw her towel over her shoulder and started heading towards the showers.

"I'm a vampire!" Lua sputtered. Raven stopped walking and the declaration. She didn't move further, not even bothering to look over her shoulder. "I'm what's known as a Knox-Cal. A sub-race of Thestrals. I…" he hesitated, but sighed, continuing anyway. "I'm one of the few surviving Knox from the Lunar Revolution."

"And what is your point?" Raven slowly turned around and raised an eyebrow. The stallion suddenly felt nervous as his eyes locked onto the teens metallic eye patch. He and many of his comrades had suffered during both the revolution and his long life, but he could only imagine what tragedy took place to cause her to lose an eye.

He quickly realized he was staring longer than socially acceptable. But looking into her good eye didn't do him justice either. He saw war, death, and atrocities no mortal should ever bear witness to...

"We…"

Was it getting hot in here?

The stallion pulled nervously on his collar. "I'm not quite as old as Celestia but I am definitely up there in age. I… your mother trusts me. She has done me well over the years." The stallion lifted his arms slightly and let them drop as he thought about his next words. "I know my words mean nothing as far as an apology goes but please believe me when I say we're not all bad!"

Raven didn't say anything as she looked to the floor, then the stands, and lastly, the door behind her. Turning around, she left without a word.

Lua let out the breath he didn't realize he was holding. "...shit," he cursed in defeat as his hears went limp against the top of his head. "Flare was right… she'll like that… I guess?" Turning around, he ran his hands through his mane in disbelief. Of all the ponies he needed to convince, she wasn’t going to let the stallion near her for the foreseeable future. He was so lost in his failure, he didn’t notice the Warframe step up behind him. Feeling a tap on his shoulder, Lua turned around and faced the armored stallion. “Yes?”

Frost held out his hand.

Lua raised an eyebrow but grasped the cold metal firmly after a few seconds.

He expected a handshake…

That is the closest answer of acceptance you will ever get out of her.

He did not expect a voice in the back of his head!

Lua silently jerked his hand free and held it close to his chest in shock, a look of surprise etched on his features. His blood red eyes were wider than saucers as he stared at the Warframe. “You know you could have just told me!” Lua doesn't like it when ponies use telepathy on him. It makes his skin crawl!

Frost hissed at the stallion in response to the stallions complaint. At first Lua took that as a threat, thanks to that primal response. It was common practice for Thestrals to hiss at each other in a show of intimidation. He didn’t react accordingly for two reasons. The first, because it was in appropriate. The second was because he realized that the stallion was actually speaking.

“...never mind.”

Frost gently grasped Lua’s hand and held it.

Give her time.

The stallion stared at where the pair were connected and let the word truly sink in. The princesses guard was right. With a half smile of acceptance, he nodded his head.

He would.

Chapter 26

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Chapter 26

It all started off perfectly. She woke excited as could be and as happy as ever. She could hardly contain her glee! The school day was perfect, no bullies to deal with, friends to talk to, and everypony was happy to talk to her. The day had been perfect!

It wasn’t until the party that everything had gone downhill…

First, the location was not where she wanted it. She wanted it to be at the castle with her friends, not the local arcade with several of her classmates. They said that this place was perfect! But in all reality, it wasn’t. It was loud, the kids were obnoxious, and none of the games were of any interest to her.

Twilight Sparkle was not a happy filly.

If proven by the fact the she had run out of the building in tears. The little purple filly had been sitting on the front step of the building for who knows how long, sobbing loudly into the night. Her brother couldn’t come didn’t help in the slightest, neither could Cadance when she came down ill. Celestia really tried, but she was pulled aside for emergency negotiations. She was angry that her parents didn’t listen to her, but she was also sad that they didn’t notice that she was gone…

Twilight’s birthday was a miserable failure.

When the door opened, the little filly looked over her shoulder as watched as Raven, her best friend, exit the building and sit down next to her. Twilight was both so happy and so depressed at the same time. She cried into her friend’s shirt as the princess held her, speaking soft coo’s and words of encouragement to her. After several minutes, Raven convinced Twilight that they could salvage the night. With a new sense of determination, the pair entered the building.

It was at that moment, a poor, unsuspecting waiter, carrying a large order for one of the children slipped on an empty soda can that had fallen on the floor sending his tray into the air.

The contents sailed through the air, its burning hot, sticky filling landing atop Twilight’s head. The poor little filly screamed at the top of her lungs in both shock and searing pain. Raven acted quickly, removing the quesadilla from her friends head, but the sticky -and rather disgusting- cheese got onto everything. It was in Twilight’s hair, her fur, her clothes and only continued to burn her further.

Twilight would go on to spend the rest of her birthday in the hospital…

***

”I’m so sorry sweetie,” a female doctor apologized as she wrapped the final few bandages around her patient’s arm. Twilight sniffled as she continued to hold out her arm for the kind doctor. Luckily, all she had were minor first and second degree burns thanks to that unfortunate mishap, but that wasn’t what truly scared her.

The poor little thing had to be shaved…

For the areas where she had been burned, it was understandable and they were hidden by the medical bandages anyway, it was her hair that had taken the worst hit…

The cheese was so bad, that doctors were unable to get the goo out effectively. In order to clean and dress the wounds atop her head, they made the executive decision to shave all her mane from atop her head, leaving her bald and ashamed. The poor doctor could feel the sadness radiating off her little patient. But she still did her best to salvage the situation. After telling a very sympathetic nurse about what happened, the nurse had returned with a gracious bowl of ice cream and was even kind enough to bring a small chocolate cake for the filly.

Which lifted her spirits some.

”Twilight!”

The fillies ears perked before she sat up a little straighter and looked to the door expectantly. The sounds of a familiar pair of shoes padding down the hall kept the filly on edge. She heard her name being shouted a second time, this time much closer to the room. She knew exactly who it was but was too exhausted and depressed to respond. She continued to watch the door expectantly as the sounds of her friend’s approach got closer.

”Twiligh-” Raven appeared rapidly but disappeared just as fast. “Shit!” Raven cursed as her shoes lost traction, making a loud squeaking noise against the floor. The girl slipped hitting the ground with a meaty thud as the side of her head knocked loudly against the floor. She grunted and moaned in pain as she rolled onto her back, clutching her now throbbing skull. Raven ignored the throbbing in her side and head and pushed herself onto her hands and knees. Initially she struggled to get her feet under her for several seconds before she did finally stand up and limp her way into the room.

“Raven!” Twilight squeaked at the sight of her best friend. The two teens embraced each other in their arms, the filly sobbing into her friends’ collar. Hugging her friend tighter, Raven soothed her pony friend as she cried. Behind them, Frost entered the room and stood by the door.

Ignoring him, the female doctor gently grasped Twilight’s arm and finished bandaging the girl’s wounds. Just as the doctor was finishing up her work, Twilight’s parents entered the room. The frantic parents openly panicked over their daughter as Raven silently glared at the pair. This was their fault and she knew it. Twilight had expressed to Raven for days that she wanted to just have a small party with her actual friends at the castle. Twilight also wanted her brother and Celestia there as well, but neither made it…

When the doctor pulled the parents aside to explain the situation, Raven and Twilight embraced yet again in another hug. “Raven…” Twilight said softly into her friend’s shirt. “I… I just wanted to have a party with you and Celestia…”

Raven blinked as an idea came to mind before she hugged her friend tighter…

***

Twilight was a miserable pony…

The poor thing did her best to hide her shame. The entire event had spread around the school like wildfire. Forced to wear one of her hoodies to hide her bald head and long clothing to hide her bandages, she just went through the motions.

Sit down, take notes, next class, repeat.

Thankfully no pony dared to harass her and there were ultimately two reasons for that. The first being that insulting anypony suffering from some sort of wound or disability was highly frowned upon and it was an unspoken rule to harass somepony like that. Second and probably the most important, was that Raven was liable to beat the ever-living shit out of them…

And no pony was going to dare stop her…

And would probably silently agree to said beating.

On any normal day, Twilight would be excited to see the Princess for her personal studies. Today though, she barely lifted her hooves as she mindlessly stumbled towards the castle. As she approached the gates, the two guards at the front gate gave the little filly a look of sympathy as their hearts ached for her.

“The Princess is in her quarters, Miss Twilight…” one of the guards informed the girl as he opened the gates. The little filly didn’t respond, opting to hide further into the hood of her sweatshirt. Unfortunately, the rest of the walk into the castle was a blur. Before she knew it, she made it towards the Princess’ quarters.

She didn’t enter… not at first, at least…

She stared at the handle for who knows how long, un-moving.

She didn’t want to go in there, but out of all the ponies that would understand her situation, it would have been Celestia. Taking a deep breath, Twilight sighed as she rested her hand on the door handle and pushed the door open and stepped inside.

“SURPRISE!”

“EEP!” Twilight yelped as the lights flicked on and multiple ponies jumped out from behind a couch from within the room. The startled filly stared at her assailants. Princess Celestia, Shining Armor, and Raven smiled happily at the filly. “What… what is going on?”

She clearly failed to notice the table of goodies, cake, and large banner saying, ‘HAPPY BIRTHDAY TWILIGHT!’ in big bold letters. Stepping out from behind their hiding place, the Princess approached the filly.

“Twilight, first off I want to apologize for not coming to your party the other day,” The mare apologized before she sat down on her knees in front of the much smaller filly. Grasping her students’ hands, Celestia gave them a gentle squeeze. “I should have been there for you.” With one last reassuring squeeze, the mare offered one last equally reassuring smile.

Standing behind the mare, Cadet Armor smiled down at his little sister. “I’m so glad you’re safe Twily,” he said, relieved as he rubbed the top of her bald head. When Captain Bronze heard about what happened to the young cadet’s sister, he immediately relieved the stallion and told him to go be with his family. Celestia released her young prodigies’ hands and let the purple filly hug her older brother.

The greatest reaction was when Raven stepped forward. The filly gasped in shock, holding both hands to her mouth as tears welled up in the corners of her eyes. “R-Raven… your mane!” The human teen smiled widely as she approached her friend. The girls bare head glistened in the light.

Running a hand over her bald head, Raven blushed and giggled sheepishly. “I didn’t want you to be alone, heh…” Reaching out, the two friends embraced each other. “You like?”

“Raven… you didn’t have to… but I do appreciate it…” she said the last part softly as they released each other. “Is Cadance coming?” she asked Celestia.

“She still has her cold,” Shining answered. “She really wanted to come, but better if she didn’t”

***

“Raven? You okay?” Twilight asked as stepped forward. “You look kinda bored.”

The girl in question lifted her head. “Huh? What no!” Standing up from her chair, the girl grasped her drink and smiled. “Just reminiscing.”

“On what?”

“That one birthday,” she smirked, making Twilight’s smile fade as that memory came to mind. Groaning, Twilight rolled her eyes. “Ugh… I’d rather not…” Raven laughed in response to her friend’s annoyance. “I’m still scarred by that night!”

“I know!” Raven chuckled at her friend’s expense. “Which is why I got you a quesadilla for your birthday!” Tipping back her drink, she slapped an angry looking Twilight on the back. “Happy sixteenth birthday Twi!”

Twilight glared at the back of her friend’s head.

Approaching the snack table, Raven leaned forward and examined her options before she opted for a cupcake. Peeling the wrapping from the confectionary delight, she popped the entire thing in her mouth, moaning at its wonderful taste. In the center of the room, Cadance and Private Shining Armor danced away. Off to the side, Celestia clapped her hands to the beat of the music as she watched her niece dance with her coltfriend.

Celestia glanced at her daughter out of the corner of her eyes. In the last five and a half years since she found the girl, she had wondered where the time went. Gone was that little filly, now, standing before her was a gorgeous young mare. Her long dark hair had grown back in full since the day she shaved it for her friend and was now tied up in a long ponytail. Now almost twice as tall, the nineteen-year-old had filled out wonderfully.

She was the epitome of femininity.

She had a pair of wonderful, pert teats, a nice, hourglass waist that lead to wide, childbearing hips. She was going to make some stallion very happy one day. While not as big as Celestia, Raven still looked great in a bikini.

If that one photoshoot is anything to go by…

Of which Celestia did not approve of…

As the song came to an end, Shining and Cadance finished with a dip. Standing tall the pair beamed as Twilight, Celestia and Raven applauded. “When are you going to get a coltfriend sweetie?” Celestia asked her daughter with a cheeky tone.

“When I feel like it!” the girl in question dismissed with a smile.

It had taken a while for things to finally calm down. The attacks had come to an end after the events of the Umbaran kidnapping. Both Twilight and Cadance still suffered from the occasional nightmare and jumped at loud noises. Cadance also had problems with unknown ponies, especially stallions, getting too close to her. Raven was just glad that things were more relaxed.

None of them would have it any other way.

Although Celestia would probably enjoy less paperwork.

But that was a different tale, and a boring one at that.

As the rest of the part went on, Twilight was so appreciative of her family and friends. “Hey Raven?” the teen asked, approaching the young princess. Raven turned towards her friend, munching on a cupcake. “You going to the upcoming dance?”

Like a hungry gorilla, Raven shoved the remaining half of her treat in her mouth, swallowing it whole. “I would if somepony invited me,” she said, wiping the crumbs from her mouth with the back of her sleeve. “Otherwise I I’ll just hang out at the castle, maybe harass the guards a little bit.” She shrugged her shoulders, grabbing another cupcake. “I don’t know. But what about you?” Raven asked as she bit down on her treat. “You going?”

Twilight shrugged, closing her eyes. “Maybe if you go? But there isn’t anypony that I’m interested in going with.”

“What are you talking about?” Both teens turned to see Cadance as she approached, grabbing a glass of soda as she passed the table.

“Oh nothing,” Raven dismissed her elder cousin with a shrug. “Just your love life,” she smiled slyly.

Cadance snorted, scrunching her nose, which as cute to both Shining and Raven. "Funny," the pink princess said sarcastically. "But what about you two? When will you two get in a relationship hmmm?" Cadance countered.

"I didn't tell you when we met and I wont tell you now!" Raven replied with a smile and a laugh. Twilight found it best to avoid this conversation as whole and opted to go and talk to her brother.

"What about the upcoming dance?" Cadance asked before she tilted her head back to take a drink.

Raven shrugged and mirrored her cousins actions, but spoke before she took her sip of her drink. "Unless someone asks me, I probably wont go..."

***

Raven groaned, rolling her eyes as her latest batch of bullies attempted to garner a reaction out of her. Apparently, they had never heard of what happened to the last ponies that harassed the girl. Or how badly they had ended up in the hospital. She couldn’t believe that now as an adult and into her college years, the fact that this crap continued to happen only served to piss her off. Ignoring the laughing trio of morons, she sipped from her milk carton in silence. The entire dining hall was silent as they watched in silence. No pony dared to step in and intervene out of fear of what might happen.

Both for them is the third party and for the bullies.

Twilight and Moondancer watched, annoyed as they silently munched away at their own meals. Pursing her lips in anger, the one-eyed girl finished her drink and crushed the carton in her hand, slammed it against the table and started to stand up.

“L-Leave her alone!” Raven was halfway out of her seat when she froze. Standing not too far away, was a light bronze unicorn stallion with a blonde mane. He wasn’t very impressive as far as physical structure went. He wasn’t gangly or awkward, but he wasn’t built like an athlete either. But he was shorter than Raven by a few centimeters. But he had this look of determination on his face that made the girl take notice.

The three aggressors stared at the smaller stallion in confusion before they stood up. “Or what skinny boy?” the lead stallion threatened as he loomed over his shorter challenger. Her savior however wilted under the glares of the three stallions.

The tan stallion gulped as he hugged the textbook he had been holding, tighter to his chest as he continued to wilt out of fear. “I… it’s not nice to bully a young lady like that…” he squeaked, his tone three octaves higher than normal.

“How about I-AH!” the stallion yelped in pain when Raven grasped his wrist and twisted it at an awkward angle. There was a loud cracking sound as his shoulder strained to stay in its socket.

“You guys truly are idiots, I swear,” Raven stated as she forced the lead tormentor to the floor. Off to the side, one of the other bullies stepped forward. She caught his movement out of the corner of her eye. Thrusting her foot forward, she caught the stallion in the crotch, sending him to the ground in a ball of agony. Turning to the last guy, she raised her brow at him as he took a defensive stance. His shaking knees gave away how he truly felt. “Really? After that?” she said, referring to his down friend palming his crotch. Tilting the other guys arm forward, there was a mighty crack as she dislocated his shoulder.

Releasing the poor stallion, she let him drop forward, clutching his shoulder. Turning towards the remaining stallion, Raven took her defensive stance. She was well trained before coming to Equestria and now, she had spent almost everyday training to get where she was now. But luckily for him, the remaining stallion opted to take his chances, turning tail, and made a run for it out of the room. Relaxing her stance, Raven approached her savior.

“Thank you for standing up for me!” she smiled at him. “And your name is?”

The stallion blushed as he shied away from the Princess. “C-C-Cop-p-per…” he swallowed nervously. “Coin…”

“Nice to meet you Copper!” she greeted him. Leaning forward, she pecked the stallion on the cheek. “Thanks for standing up for me,” she whispered in his ear, causing the stallion’s blush to deepen into near blood red. “I hope to talk to you more.” Patting him on the shoulder, Raven headed back towards her friends, taking her pack from Twilight’s grasp and heading for the door. Just before she left the room, she looked over her shoulder and winked at the stallion.

“She kissed me…” Copper said near incoherently. "She kissed me… I feel light headed…” he swayed before falling backwards with a dreamy expression on his face.

***

I can do this… I can do this…

He couldn’t do this.

Copper had been staring into one of the bathroom mirrors in the school for several minutes now. It had been just over a month since he ran into the princess and in that time, the young stallion had fallen for her. Not he was not a pervert, but he did find himself admiring her more often than not. He would stare longer than socially acceptable. He also…

Glanced at her butt…

More than once…

The poor guy whimpered as his ears splayed back. “I’m not a bad pony… and I’m not a pervert…” he said to himself in a hushed tone. He just, really like her and he was desperately hoping she would say yes to his offer for her to be his date to the upcoming dance. He craved for a relationship. His mother in particular, constantly pressed for him to find a fillyfriend, but he was always too scared to ask anypony.

That and he hardly knew any girls.

But he was resolute with this one! Tartarus be damned!

He just really hoped she’d say yes...

Glancing at his watch, it read noon. It was time for lunch, and this was his beat opportunity to talk to his wayward crush. Now this wasn’t the first time he had talked to her, oh no. He had run into her in passing, and she did sit with him on occasion, but he found himself fumbling more and more as this tight feeling in his chest made him even more nervous than usual.

He was in love and Copper knew it.

After taking a deep breath and saying one last line of encouragement, the stallion grasped his invite and held it to his chest as though it was the most important item in the world. After exiting the bathroom, he headed towards the dining area. He felt confident when he left the bathroom.

When he entered the dining area however, Copper lost all his confidence. The poor boy locked up at the door. He went pale, his body convulsing violently in shakes of terror. From a distance, one might have thought Copper was having a seizure.

I can’t… I can’t… I CAN’T!

Tears welled up in the corners of the stallion’s eyes. Panic started to set in as Copper started to feel light headed, his breathing became shallow as he started to hyperventilate. Sweat started to drip down his forehead like a river as he started to panic more.

“Hey buddy? You alright?”

“Sir, are you okay?”

The only part of the tan stallion that moved were his eyes. Nearby, a mare and a stallion stood by, concerned looks pointed right at the poor guy. His knees went weak and his vision began to blur. He was losing consciousness. He needed to sit down. When he lifted his leg, it felt like a ton of bricks as he started working his way to the nearest chair, mumbling near incoherently that he needed to sit down. The two concerned ponies helped aid the poor stallion to the table, the mare easing him along and the stallion grabbing the chair. Copper reached out with his hand, failing to notice how violently it was shaking. He made it about two more steps before his legs gave out fully.

There was a loud crashing sound as Copper Coin smashed into the nearby table, tipping it over. Every head in the room turned in the direction as several ponies stood up reflexively.

“Somepony get a doctor!” the mare aiding him shouted.

To all the onlookers, the poor stallion on the floor looked like a ghost. He had gone terribly pale, his eyes started to glaze over, and he was shaking violently.

She would never go to the dance with him now…

“Copper?!”

No, she couldn’t see him, not like this!

Through his blurry vision he recognized that shape, those colors and that beautiful face. As he stared up at the unique mare, his vision cleared just long enough for him to see that look of utter fear upon her features. Without even thinking, he lifted his left hand. He wanted to reassure her that he was fine… honest! The girl glanced at his shaking hand before she took it in her own and gently rested it back towards his side.

“Stay with me Copper!” she yelled at him. Even in her panic, her voice was like honey. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out a knife and clicked it open before cutting at the bottom of his shirt.

No… third date… third date…

The sounds of fabric tearing filled the air as she tore away at his clothes. She’s strong too! “He’s soaked in sweat!” He felt her wrap her tender hand around his neck, and it was as soft as the finest of silks! “His heart rates through the roof!”

“R-R...aven…”

“Save your strength Copper!” she told him. “Dammit where is that doctor?!”

“R-Raven?”

“Copper don’t! Just stay with me!”

The poor boy gingerly lifted his shaky head looking the girl square in the eye. “I… love… you!”

With that, everything went black…

***

Copper Coin’s eyes fluttered open just before he groaned. His head was killing him, he felt kinda sticky, and was all around miserable. Grabbing his eyes with one hand, the young stallion rubbed them before he blinked his vision back into focus. He quickly deduced and figured out that he was in a hospital room. Slowly lifting his head, he winced when his head throbbed.

“Here,” a female voice said softly as a pair of hands grabbed his head and eased it back onto the pillow before pressing a cool glass of water against his lips. He sipped at it softly for some time until the entire glass was empty. Panting, the young stallion slowly opened his eyes. They went wide when he saw the beautiful face of his crush staring back. He squeaked before he felt his face begin to go warm. “You okay?” she asked softly.

Copper didn’t respond, opting better to sink a little bit farther under the blankets as he nodded his head ever so slightly. “Wait?” he perked up and lifted his head, looking down at the blanket. Confused, he lifted it and looked at the light green gown. He still had his pants on, but his shirt was missing.

“I cut it off,” Raven said as she stepped away from the bed and sat down in a nearby chair. That brought forth a flood of memories. “You had a very severe panic attack,” she continued to explain.

Copper sighed, then groaned as he dropped the bed sheet and flopped back against the bed. Well, not only was his day ruined, but so were his chances of going to the dance with the girl of his dreams. Raven, for her part, just sat silently, resting her elbows on her knees as she watched as the young stallion seemed to be at war with himself.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, concerned.

Copper shook his head. “Nothing…”

“It’s clearly something!” she said a little more firmly, inching forward in her seat slightly. She had been around enough ponies now to be able to read body language. Something was clearly wrong. “Copper, please tell me.”

“I love you!” he spontaneously shouted, glaring at the teen before he wilted and avoided eye contact. Raven for her part didn't react as he closed his eyes and started to sob quietly. Raven, for her part, still sat silently, letting the words settle in as he sobbed lightly before her. She heard his declaration the first time when he was on the floor back in the school. But right now, it confirmed what he was actually thinking.

Raven glanced at the floor for a second. “I know you didn’t walk in there to just say that… did you?”

The poor stallion felt sick now. Here was his crush, he declared his love to her, and she probably thinks that he’s some sort of pervert. Or maybe she thought he wanted her for her power and nothing more. He shook his head. “No… I… I wanted to ask you to the upcoming dance…. But… I guess I panicked. Now it's ruined..." he said the last part under his breath.

No one said anything for some time. Copper sat there and sobbed softly, that being the only noise that was made within the room. He couldn’t dare to look the princess in the eyes, well… eye, and she opted to just sit there and think. She tossed the idea of dating back and forth within her head for a little while. Her mother, and Void forbid, her cousin, had been pestering her for some time to find a coltfriend.

“...okay.”

Copper’s head immediately snapped towards the teen girl. “W-What?”

She shrugged her shoulders and canted her head slightly as she sat up. “I said okay.” She smiled warmly down at the stallion that continued to give her this look of shock. “I’d love to go to the dance with you!” she stood up and stepped up to the bed. Reaching down, she grasped one of his hands and gave it a reassuring squeeze. “But first things first, my favorite color is red, if you want to go to dinner there is a little place not far from the castle that is very good for very inexpensive. I’ll get my own dress, so all you have to worry about is your clothing. And, last but not least, mom will want to meet you when you feel better!” she slapped his chest twice as she released his hand and headed for the door. “Oh, and I’m free tomorrow if you want to hang out! Bye!”

Confused, Copper’s mouth opened and closed like a fish before he finally just closed his mouth. “What the heck just happened? Do I have a marefriend now…?”

Chapter 27

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Chapter 27

"U-Uhm… i-it's nice to meet… you!"

Copper Coin gulped very loudly and very audibly as he finished his initially greeting of his girlfriend's family. Unfortunately, the poor boy was shaking extremely violently and was nearing that point of total muscle failure in his legs, he was shaking that much. But credit must be given where credit is due, he was still standing after all. Nearby, donned in a simple, jet black dress, Raven giggled at her new boyfriends horrified antics and his clear emotional terror. Copper for his part, wore a simple black tux and white dress shirt, but the red tie stuck out, and Raven greatly appreciated it.

Across the coffee table where the couch the new couple were standing, Princess Celestia and Princess Cadance sat, the latter of the two, completely opposite of Copper, was visibly shaking with excitement, her overjoyed grin split from ear to ear. Celestia for her part, sat silently, no sense of emotion upon her features save for the ever so slight -and kind of threatening- narrowing of her eyes. The poor stallion knew she was glaring at him, judging him... Menacingly!

He didn't like it.

Raven gingerly wrapped her hand around his own and gave it a reassuring squeeze as she pulled him down onto the couch and forced him to sit down before she placed a soft peck upon his cheek to help him relax a bit. "Just take a deep breath," she whispered soothingly into his ear. Finding it smart to take his girls advice, Copper slowly took a deep breath, closing his eyes as he breathed in slowly, held it, and exhaled not long after.

"Please… please forgive me, Princess...zss," he said once he finally gathered his courage and opened his eyes. "I'm just really nervous…"

Cadance was practically bursting at the seams from her sheer enthusiasm. Her face was starting to turn blue as her cheeks puffed out big time due to her inability to actually take a breathe. Her whole body was starting to shake more violently as she tried to contain her glee. Celestia on the other hand continued to stare at the poor boy, watching him intently. After she made him suffer for a few seconds more, she opened her mouth to finally speak.

POP!

Cadance suddenly and rather unexpectedly exploded in a puff of pink mist and little red hearts as her excitement finally got the best of her. Both Copper and Raven flinched at the explosion before they turned back and starred in both horror and confusion at the remnants of the pink princess of love. Nothing remained as the last little bits of hearts and dust fluttered onto the floor and couch next to Celestia. Once she composed herself, Raven slowly shifted her concerned gaze towards her mother, who simply held up a finger, silently telling her daughter to wait.

"I'M SO HAPPY FOR YOU!"

"AH SHIT!"

The sounds of two bodies connecting filled the air as an energetic Cadance - with an RKO from outta nowhere- tackled her cousin, dragging the poor human off the edge of the couch with a yelp and violently pulled her onto the floor. Copper yelped as well, curling up into a ball in his seat when his girlfriend was body slammed and violently dragged off the end of the couch. As the pair rolled around on the floor like a pair of 'professional' wrestlers, one of them trying to smother the other and the other trying not to get smothered by her pony cousin. That left Copper alone and forced him to shift his gaze towards Princess Celestia.

He gulped.

"So… Copper… tell me about yourself," the princess said simply.

If he was any weaker, he would have probably pissed himself. As he would go on to explain himself and how he ended up where he was mow, the young stallion eventually began to relax just a hair, it was just enough to get comfortable in his seat. He was still nervous beyond all recognition; he was dating the daughter of the highest ruling power in all of Equestria after all. But he was able to get most of his life's story across, only stumbling his words and information here and there. About halfway through his conversation with Celestia, Raven had freed herself from her cousin just long enough to grab the pink princess by the scruff of her neck, drag her like a screaming and kicking foal across the room, and toss her out a nearby window. Cadance, for her part, seemed to forget about her ability to use magic as Raven slammed the window shut, just quick enough before Cadance clunked loudly against the glass, squeaking just as loudly as she slid down it rather comedically before she splashed down into the moat below.

Raven sighed annoyedly as she adjusted the shoulder straps of her dress that had come loose in the scuffle, flattened out the creases, and ran a hand through her hair and adjusted her ponytail. She continued to adjust her gown and hair as she sat down next to her boyfriend, idly listening to her mother and him pass small talk while grumbled about her cousin's fraternization with her love life.

Cadance liked to call it 'Shipping', but Raven had no idea how boats played into love.

"Well Sweetie," Celestia said as she turned her attention towards her daughter. Copper had a gut feeling this is the part he was dreading. This was the part his father had always told him when him and Copper's mother stared dating. Copper had the thought that his father embellished that story some, but considering everything that had happened recently in Copper's life, he wasn't sure anymore. This was the part he had been dreading since he arrived at the castle.

Approval…

"I approve."

Copper let out a big sigh of relief he… no he knew he was holding it, there was no doubting that. Raven in turn patted him on the knee as a show of reassurance. Even though they had only been together for a little while, they were happy together. "You two should probably get going too," Celestia mentioned as she glanced at a nearby clock. "Don't want to be late to dinner or the dance." As the mare stood up, Copper and Raven followed suite and stood up as well. "I will announce the marriage proposal and get the wedding ceremony planned as well."

Copper went stiff as all the blood drained from his head, making him go as pale as a ghost. "W-What?" he stammered. He never remember that being apart of anything that him and Raven had talked about at all!

Celestia's tight lipped crease of her lips broke into a big shit-eating grin as she giggled playfully. "Gotcha!" she laughed with a point of her finger.

The poor boy almost died.

Raven rolled her eye as she started to push her boyfriend towards the door. "It's a joke, Copper-now come on! I'm starving!"

As Copper's brain came back online, he quickly shook his head and started walking as she pushed him along. "B-Bye Princess! It was very nice to m-meet you!"

Celestia hid her mouth behind her hand as she continued to giggle before speaking. "It was nice to meet you too! Have fun!" As she watched the new couple leave the room the mare held her hands together, proud of what her daughter had become.

A loud pop and flash of teal sparkles as a very wet and disheveled Cadance popped into existence, frantically searching the room for her cousin. "Did they leave yet!?"

Celestia, for her part, rolled her eyes. "They just left. And you need to dry off, get changed, and maybe you should go back to your boat collection," the mare listed as she headed for the door, eager to raid the kitchens for some cake and maybe some cupcakes as well.

Cadance blinked in confusion. "I… what?" she said in a very confused tone. "It's not a boat collection!"

***

Dinner had been delicious and very uneventful. The pair simple talked about this and that. Plans for future dates and hangouts, how school was treating them, the usual stuff. When dinner came to an end, the pair headed off into the night, gently working their way back towards the school as she rested her head against his shoulder and arms intertwined.

As they entered the school they headed towards the ballroom. This dance had been the talk of the school. It wasn't prom, that was more of a high school grade thing, but it was all inclusive. The age range mainly revolved around high school to college aged ponies, bit there were a few younger and a few older couples. Middle schoolers with their crushes, high schoolers with their dates, and older couples with their significant others. A good plethora of diversity.

In the background, the band played some random song through the speakers. On the stage sat a four-pony band, a bass player, drummer, trumpet and saxophone player all next to the DJ booth. At the base of the stage was the dance floor, which had a few couples dancing to the music. Well, moving to the music was more like it, there was no choreography whatsoever between partners. Maybe once the slow music started to play that would change. Scattered across the room were decorated tables with a few flowers and white tablecloths while multicolored streamers and banners hung around the room. They were there to sit, talk, or eat from the snack and drink tables located on the left-hand wall.

Neither were all that hungry from their previous dinner not twenty minutes prior, but Raven did opt to head towards the drinks, instructing her boyfriend to do as he pleased as she passed him. Not wanting to dance alone, he followed behind her until he found an open table and took a seat, idly watching her go for a few seconds longer before he looked out over the crowd of ponies. Not long later did she return with two cups of red punch. She scooted her seat right next to his, opting to snuggle against his body as best she could as they sipped their drinks. Grabbing his arm, she wrapped it around her waist as best she could, resting his hand against her belly, rubbing the back of it with her own.

This was the part of the night they did not make explicit plans for. They would dance when they wanted to, maybe go for a walk, or just dip out if they got bored enough. The thing was going until midnight after all and it was only about seven. Neither of them wanted to stay that late though. Probably skirt off somewhere and hot the town, grab a shake or something.

After some time, when the drinks were long gone, Raven had to sit up due to the lower back pains of sitting in the chair awkwardly while Copper was relieved as well, he had lost feeling in his arm due to a lack of blood flow.

Unfortunately for school dances, they get boring rather quickly. Both of them had anticipated this as well, but Copper wanted to do this for her, and she wanted to oblige him. After a quick refill of their cups and a plate full of snacks, they headed for the dance floor. It was nothing special really, they just goofed off like the uncoordinated teens they were as the music played. They would continue their antics for a few more songs until the lead trumpet player announced the start of the slow dance.

This was the point where Copper blushed in embarrassment and sheepishly admitted to his date that he didn't know how to properly dance. This is also the time where Raven had a laugh at his expense and took charge. Unlike her rhythmically challenged boyfriend, she had to learn how to dance. Every year Celestia hosted the Fall Formal and every year since her arrival to Equestria she had been forced to attend and every year there was some stooge that had to dance with her. Out of all the stallions she had danced with, it was once in a blue moon where she found one that even remotely respected her. Many of them ended up unconscious and with a cracked eye socket.

Don't touch her ass and it might not happen.

Except now she had a partner that was allowed to do such an action~

One quick rundown and an explanation later, the pair swayed gently to the beat. It was awkward at first, Copper was blushing in embarrassment at his equally awkward shuffling, doing his best to not step on her feet again. Hooves hurt apparently, even though her thicker heels. But he managed though. With her arms wrapped around his neck and his around her waist, he still found himself looking down at his hooves -and down her dress too on occasion.

She didn't mind.

Made her feel sexy and appreciated.

When the first song came to an end, the next began just as quickly. This time the odd couple changed things up a little. Raven stepped forward and hugged him, resting the side of her head against his chest and closing her eye. Copper, for his part, blushed ever so slightly at their intimacy, but still found the ability to smile, nonetheless.

He was also trying really hard to not let his blood flow south.

This had been the most intimate he had been with a mare in his entire life. At least one that wasn't his mother or his older sister. He did it, he finally did it! He got a girlfriend and the one of his dreams to boot!

He still needed to tell his parents.

That was going to be one hell of a talk…

But for now, he got lost in the music. They swayed to the beat, only focusing on themselves and nothing more. Eventually he rested his cheek against the top of her head, nuzzling her dark hair as the faint smell of roses tickled his nostrils. No doubt it was her shampoo.

Before they knew it, the music was over.

Opting to call it for now, the pair headed back to their table and gorged themselves on cupcakes and punch, passing the time with light chit chat, jokes, and stories. Reaching into his pocket, Copper pulled out a pocket watch and glanced at the time.

"What time is it?" Raven inquired as she chewed her cupcake.

"Eight."

"Eight!?" she said in surprise, swallowing her cupcake next. "It's only been an hour!"

He was equally as stumped. "I know, it felt longer than that."

Raven groaned in annoyance as she flopped back in her seat, tossing her head back with a groan. "Well I'm bored…"

That stung a little to the stallion sitting next to her. "I enjoyed it…" he mumbled as he shifted his gaze towards the floor opposite of her. It was just barely loud enough for her to hear him. Her statement clearly wounded him.

She sat up and quickly tried to reassure him that she didn't mean for it to sound so disappointing. "No, Baby, it's not like that! I had fun, honest! It's just that dancing is only so enjoyable for so long, yah see?" she assured. She didn't mean to make him feel bad, honest.

He lifted his head and turned back towards her. The look of worry on her face was enough for him to be reassured that it wasn't his fault for being a bad boyfriend. But… well… if he was being honest…

He was bored too.

Both of them sighed in unison at their boredom.

"But this hasn't been bad… right?" Copper said sheepishly. He was still afraid that she might say as much.

"What makes you say that?" she questioned, raising her good brow. "No, I've pleasantly enjoyed myself up until now, it's just…" she paused, leaning forward and resting her elbows on the table as she took another cupcake in her fingers. "Can I be honest with you?"

"Of course!"

Raven sighed at the thought as she glanced to the side in a slightly depressed look. "It's just… ever since I ended up in Equestria mom has had me attend the Fall Formal every year for the last few years. Since that's Equestria's biggest dance, every noble and their dog attend!" She raised her hands and shook them with false enthusiasm. "Because I'm the Princess of Equestria and available…" she paused in thought before adding some very late air quotes to the word 'available'. "Well was… it's always been the same thing. I have this much money, I inherit this, we can rule together, nice ass!"

"W-What?" Copper stuttered at the last part of her tale. That caught him off guard.

"Ponies like to take the opportunity to try and grab my ass," she snorted her irritation. "Safe to say a trip to the castle doctor ends that rather quickly. Just wish the word would spread more."

"I can't believe ponies do that…" Copper said in disbelief. "To a princess no less."

"Well only one pony is allowed to touch this ass!" she declared enthusiastically.

Copper blushed.

Raven had a laughed at his expense. "Anyway," she continued, taking a bite out of her treat. "You can see why I'm not the biggest fan of dances." She reached across the table and took his hand into hers, looking him square in the eye as she rubbed the back of his hand with her thumb. "But I'm with you, so it's a bit more pleasurable, as long as we don't make it a regular thing?"

He smiled. "We can do something else, as long as you'll have me?"

"Coppy, you're stuck with me for the foreseeable future!" she giggled at his joke and sheepish expression. Copper had a giddy smile that he tried, and failed to hide, along with a profuse blush he had bleeding down his neck. The couple continued to sit in their silence, well, kinda. Raven couldn’t help but giggle behind her hand as she watched her blushing boyfriend continued to have an internal meltdown.

That’s when an idea came to her mind as her eye lit up excitedly.

"Come on!" Raven said as she grabbed Copper by the hand, pulling him from his seat and started to lead him towards the door. "I know a nice secluded spot where we can get away and have some fun. The couches are really comfortable too." Copper for his part just let his girlfriend guide him away from the crowded dance and out and into the quieter school. She led him along the many corridors and down a flight of stairs before they came to one of the many rooms that lined the hallway within the basement.

Raven released his hand and jiggled the doorknob before she opened the door and flicked on a single light. "Where are we?" Copper questioned as he followed his girlfriend inside. The room was almost like any other. There were a few round tables surrounded by some wooden chairs while about six couches were lined two per wall. The carpet was grey in nature and covered in stains, indicating that it was due for a good cleaning. The khaki colored walls fared no better. The entire room needed a deep cleaning.

"Just a random lounge I found," Raven answered. "No pony ever comes in here." As he walked further into the room, surveying it as he went, she closed the door. Before a sneaky idea came to mind. With her back to the door, she slowly locked the lock before she pushed off the wall and approached her boyfriend as he stripped his jacket, resting it on a nearby couch while loosened his tie. "You know~" she said with a hint of mischief. "I don't think we've kissed yet."

"Wha-MMPH!"

She didn't hesitate as she grabbed him by his tie and smashed her lips against his own. Copper went wide eyed and stiff for a moment. Her lips, they were just as he had always imagined! Warm, soft, sweet. He was drunk on love and never wanted the mesmerizing feeling to end. He slowly let his eyelids close as he continued to make-out with his mare.

Raven on the other hand, was feeling wet with desire. With her free hand, she slipped out of one of her shoulder straps. With nothing supporting her jet-black dress, it flowed like water as it slid off her body, pooling on the floor at her feet. She had also opted to wear a self-supporting bra and quickly peeled that off before her stallion became aware of her actions, moaning into his mouth at the feeling of the adhesive tugging at her sensitive nipples as she tossed it in a random direction. Boy, was she was going to love the look on Copper's face when he opened his eyes.

Their lips continued to dance and smack together loudly as she found one of his hands. Rubbing it with her own as she slowly and unknowingly to the young stallion, guide it down the front of her white cotton panties.

She moaned into his mouth a second time as she rubbed the back of his hand, letting the wonderful, soft tickle of his fingers dance against her moistening slit. Copper for his part, furrowed his brow in confusion at what he was groping. He was touching something that was very soft, equally warm, and equally wet. Confused, but never once breaking their union, he rubbed his hand along her tender skin. Then he found a crease in this spot. Curious, he dragged the tips of his fingers along it, about a third of the way down it, it parted around his middle finger, sinking the tip of his digit within its moist confines.

Raven moaned further into his mouth. Whatever he did, she greatly appreciated it!

Deciding that he wanted to be more intimate, the stallion lifted his free arm and gently wrapped it around her back. He rubbed her lower back, enjoying the feeling of his fur against her bare skin.

…

Skin?

That wasn't right, she was wearing a dress last he checked.

Copper opened his eyes before they went wide in shock, fully realizing what he was touching. His yelp was muffled by the kiss before he broke away. "RAVEN! YOU'RE NAKED! WHY ARE YOU NAKED!?" He glanced down at his hand, finding it buried wrist deep within her panties. She moaned, throwing her head back when she broke the kiss, immediately missing the blissful feeling of his hand leaving her aching slit.

"You like~?" she breathed huskily as she gave him her best bedroom eyes she could.

The poor stallion was blushing up a storm, his brown fur turning a wonderful shade of red as his jaw bobbed like a fish. After several attempts, he eventually got out the word, "Why?"

"Why not?" she giggled as she stepped out of her dress. Her heels clacked softly against the floor as she approached the stunned stallion. He reflexively closed his eyes as she pressed her naked body against his own. "Am I not good enough for you?" she pouted.

Copper shook his head no ever so slightly. "N-No!" he squeaked.

"Then what is it?" she said playfully.

"Were… were in school!"

Then something in her snapped. Raven took a deep breath and sighed. This was a bad idea, no, it was a dumb idea! She wasn't sure what had compelled her to do such a devious act, let alone in the middle of the school. Maybe it was the thrill of being caught. Maybe it was the thrill of actually having sex for the first time. Something about being alone with flesh and blood set off this want within her. Maybe it was the lack of true stimulation. She had a cooler. All females were practically issued one. There was the fact that heat week was pretty much a national holiday that said 'ride to your heart's content!

Or until you chafe your genitals so badly, they bleed.

Now she felt bad…

By the way her stallion was seemingly cowering from here, she clearly messed up.

"I'm sorry… I don't know what came over me," she apologized, well on the verge of tears. "This was a bad idea…" Dejectedly, the girl stepped away from her boyfriend and headed towards her dress. "I'm sorry Copper!" She sniffled as she tried to hold back her tears. Now thoroughly ashamed, she quickly grabbed her dress and used it to hide her scarred ad mutilated body as she slowly worked her way over towards her bra.

When Copper felt her step away, only then did he open his eyes, only to watch as she slinked herself away from him. He couldn't help himself as he admired her bare, scare ridden back and pantie clad behind.

And he felt kinda bad too…

It's not like he didn't want to have sex with her. That was probably ever stallions dream! He would have loved to bed her, not just because she was a princess either. He had those fantasies, no doubt about it, but this just caught him off guard. Here she was, naked, in the school, eager for sex.

And he turned her down.

Well, depending on who you are, you probably deserve to get slapped!

"R-Raven wait!" he said hastily, reaching out towards his mare. His heart ached at her saddened expression. Tears rolled down her cheek as she turned towards him, holding her dress tight against her chest with one hand, her bra in the other. He quickly took a few steps towards her, gently taking her bare arms in his hands. "I-I'm sorry, it's just… you caught me off guard...heh." He blushed rubbing the back of his head. "Please forgive me?"

A small, adorable smile graced her lips before she leaned forward and pecked lightly him on the lips. She repeated the action again and again before the pairs simple pecks against one another turned into something more intimate. Their lips danced with one another as Raven slowly released the clothes in her grip, letting them land at their feet. She moaned into his mouth as she wrapped her arms around the back of his neck while he in turn, wrapped his arms around her taught lower back, rubbing the toned muscles in her lower back.

They only separated due to a lack of air; a thin line of saliva glistened in the dimly lit room before it broke. “S-So… what do we do?” he asked breathlessly.

“Well…” she said teasingly as she tugged at his shirt, pulling it from its tucked position within his pants before she loosened his belt. Carefully, she snaked her hand down the front of his waistband. He gasped, his vision going cross eyed as she bit her lower lip as she messaged his package. Her hand was so warm, soft, and gentle as she rubbed the underside of his rapidly growing erection. She licked her lips in anticipation as she stroked his length with her palm, occasionally tickling the edge of his scrotum with her fingertips. “Touching each other would be a good start!”

“O-Okay!”

And that's what they did, eagerly too. Copper was quick to lose his tux as she stripped her heels, socks, and panties. Once they were as bare as the day they were born, the duo mashed their lips together yet again as they embraced one another in a very lewd and bare hug. They both made sure to leave enough space between their bodies in order to stimulate each other’s genitals while she made sure to press her breasts and stiff nipples firmly into her bare chest. He traced her moistening slit with his fingertips as she pumped his hardening shaft, occasionally making sure to use his own precum as lubricant as she smeared it up and down his shaft. They continued to grope one another for some time before Raven decided that enough was enough. Breaking their kiss, she pecked him on the tip of the nose before she slowly sank down onto her knees, coming face to tip with his penis.

It was darker in color, near jet black compared to his lighter colored fur. The blunt tip was designed specifically for breeding. Screw penetration, that sat flat against the cervix for optimal fertilization. He throbbed in need and desire as his sac clenched, churning with seed. Without wasting a second, she nuzzled his prick, rubbing the softer underside against her cheek, making the stallion gasp in pleasure. Never once had he felt such a feeling, way better than his hand!

Raven inhaled deeply through her nose, basking in the scent of his natural musk. She hummed and moaned at the lewd feeling of his penis rubbing across her face.

She had to taste it.

Copper groaned throatily as she dragged her tongue along the length of his cock. Pleasure that was once unimaginable sent sparks up the stallions back as Raven's lower lips quivered in anticipation. She continued to suckle and nibble at his spire, simply enjoying the lewd act that she knew her mother would not approve of. She loved the way her boyfriend moaned and mumbled her name, further encouraging her raunchy behavior. Focusing on his tip, she suckled it like a pacifier, swirling her tongue around his urethra hole while she used her right to jack him off. It was when he finally rested a hand on the top of her head, did she finally start sucking him off.

Copper let out a low moan as inch after inch disappeared down her throat. The pleasure was so good; the warmth, wetness, and tightness sent tingles dancing across his body. This was only her mouth! He could wait to see how her vagina felt. Reflexively he gasped, his eyes shooting wide open as he grabbed a fist full of her hair when her lips kissed his medial ring. Still she kept going. He watched in awe as she swallowed his prick whole until her nose poked his lap. The pair locked eyes for a moment, no expression whatsoever.

That's when she winked at him.

Well, wink as best as one can with one eye. Copper immediately threw his head back and moaned again, praising her name again as she closed her eye and sucked him of in earnest. With her right hand no longer in use, she palmed his heavy testicles, gently messaging them between her fingers to further heighten his pleasure. On her end, she was so aroused that she was dripping like a leaky faucet from between her legs. She kinda regretted not bringing her cooler now, but this was never part of the plan in the first place. So, she would have to make do with her hand. Raven palmed her crotch, rubbing her moisten folds with her fingers.

The lewd and wet sucking sounds of her swallowing his cock and her furiously masturbating echoed off the walls of the room as the stench of sex began to permeate. But their inexperience was getting the better of the couple. She wanted to do more to make him feel good, but she was unsure as to how and he wanted to play with her body as well but lacked the angle. So, it was just a simple mouth fucking. But Copper enjoyed it all the same!

"R-Raven, sweetie. I'm gonna cum!" he warned.

"Do it!" she encouraged as she quickly removed his spire from her mouth and used her saliva as lubricant to jack him off. "Cum in my mouth then I'll let you cum in my pussy!"

That was all the encouragement Copper needed. Raven quickly went back to her ministrations, rapidly bobbing her head across the length of his dick while she used her right hand to pump him along as well. That was the final straw. He shouted her name one last time as the first rope of seed shot down the back of her throat while he leaned forward, embracing the back of her head with both hands. Unused to this sort of thing, Raven quickly adjusted herself to better swallow his load. She suckled his tip with her delicate lips as he emptied his first ever official load into her awaiting maw. She continued to pump him furiously, trying to get every last drop as she milked him dry.

Once she was sure it was all secure within her mouth, she released his tip with a pop, tilting her head back in the process. With a single gigantic gulp, she felt his thick sperm slide down the back of her throat. With a satisfied and refreshing sigh, the horny teen stood up, wiping her mouth. Copper was still laid out on the couch with his head resting against the top of the couch. Unable to take it any longer, she stepped onto the couch. Copper lifted his head when he felt the couch depress and was a little surprised to come face to face with his girlfriend’s moist and glistening sex. He glanced up at her while she smiled down at him lovingly.

"Worship me," she whispered huskily. He glanced at her shaven mound before he slowly raised his hands and rested them on her bountiful rear. He gave them an appreciative squeeze before pulling her hips forward and smashing his muzzle deep into her core. Raven rested her hands against the wall while her bent knees came to a rest on the couch near Copper's shoulders. The anticipation was unpalatable as he slowly opened his mouth and stuck out his tongue.

Then he made contact.

She squeaked.

Then moaned.

Copper glided his tongue along the length of her sensitive slit, stimulating her in ways she had never felt before! Over the last few years she would occasionally pull out her cooler, maybe fill it with fake sperm and ride it for a while until she creamed. But this, this made her even wetter! She was vocal about it too. Raven arched her back with a surprised gasp when she felt his tongue penetrate her plump folds ever so slightly. Her breathing hitched as she gyrated her hips against her coltfriends eager muzzle. "Lick my clit, lick my clit!" she panted loudly. "YES! THERE, RIGHT THERE!"

Copper began to message and palm her ass cheeks vigorously as he pushed and pulled her hips against his mouth as she arched her back. "I'm gonna cum! I'm gonna cum!" Copper smiled into her soaked sex at her adorable squeaks and mewls as he continued to target her smaller love bud. "Ah. Ha! Ahhhh-EEP!" Raven squeaked one last time before she went tense for the briefest of moments.

"Fhuuuuuuuckkkkkkk…" she sighed as the pleasuring tingles coursed across her skin. Her hair stood on end and her nipples went stiff as she rode out her orgasm.

Between her legs, and with a raging erection, the sounds of Copper's lewd slurping filled the air as he eagerly swallowed his princess' succulent honey. Raven continued to ride out her high as he eagerly cleaned her slit. The smell of her juices mixed with the sweet taste drove her stallion on as he gladly cleaned her smeared labia and thighs. With her eye still fluttering and a dopey smile still gracing her lips, she pushed off the wall and away from the sloppy, yet pleasant lip service. Stepping off the couch, Raven grabbed her hair and tossed it over her shoulder as Copper continued to eagerly lick his lips. "Fuck me that was amazing!"

"I intend to~"

With a lidded gaze the girl stepped forward before she turned around and planted her taught and wonderfully rounded rear in his lap. Resting her hands on his knees, she began to grind her crotch against his own, smearing as much of her natural lubricant across the top of his penis as she could. It was a strange sensation. The warmth and softness was unlike the cold and rubber like texture of her cooler. The pair moaned in unison as she continued to pleasure him with her moist genitals. She finished with one last, antagonizing slow drag before she stood up and grasped his shaft. Copper could only watch as the girl gave him an eager wiggle of her hips, watching as her ass jiggled wonderfully, before they finally touched genitals. Both gasped again, Copper reflexively grasping her hips and helping her down.

Raven bit her lip as the pressure holding her slit together began to struggle before it gave way. She gasped breathlessly when her folds finally gave way and his blunt tip penetrated her once virgin flower. “OH~” Her body shook with excitement as she continued to eagerly lower herself on her stallion's cock. Raven bit her lip and held her breath as her lower lips swallowed him hole before something tickled her clitoris and labia. She blinked in confusion before her attention went down between her legs while she stared at the dick buried halfway in her pussy. Unable to see what the problem was, she spread her legs and leaned forward slightly, it was originally so that she could see, but it had the unintended consequence of his tip gently brushing her g-spot, causing her to shiver. Through her blurry vision, she noticed that her boyfriend’s medial ring had prevented her descent. Slowly, she turned her head and looked over her shoulder at her boyfriend.

He stared back at her with more of a look of concern. While he didn’t initially have to worry about hurting her, since she was on top and was controlling the pace, he was worried that he wasn’t going to fit inside of her. Which suddenly made him feel self-conscious. He swallowed nervously and it was only made worse by the fact that she didn’t seem to share his concern. She looked forward and set her jaw in determination and preparation for full penetration. She leaned forward, her breath hitching as he was removed from her velveteen walls as she tried a different approach. Raven began to grind and gyrate her hips vigorously on the top half of Copper’s shaft. Her walls began to flex as the somewhat alien feeling of his retreating member began to exfiltrate her body. Raven began to aggressively ride him in earnest, flexing her abdominal muscles around him.

It wasn't ideal nor like anything they had learned in school. Then again nothing about this situation was what they had learned. The traditional position for optimal sex was doggy style, which was supposedly the optimal way to reproduce before the supposed evolution from four legs to two, but that was still just a theory. Right now, they were on a couch in the basement of the school, partially doing that position. In their sex laden minds, the duo could vaguely remember the lesson that a stallion’s penis is also supposed to fully insert into the vagina. They were halfway way there as well.

The pair continued to rut like newlyweds in heat as she rode him as if her life depended on it. She continued to shiver and moan in delight as the broad tip of his head scraped and tickled her insides in all the right places. But she needed more! Her right hand shot between her legs. She was quick to find her swollen and engorged clit, which she rubbed to further heighten her pleasure. With her left hand, she reached past her crotch and grasped his swollen testicles, massaging and groping them in her delicate fingers. Her walls began to spasm wildly as she clenched around his length, she could feel her orgasm building!

"Raven… swe… sweetie!" he tried to warn through his panting.

"I know!" she replied through her moans and whimpers. "I -HA- I can feel it!"

That's when it finally happened.

Raven screamed out in drowning pleasure, while Copper cursed when she finally broke past that invisible barrier that had prevented her from hilting him. Her pussy lips absolutely spread around his length as gravity and sudden muscle failure caused her to suddenly spear herself on his cock. Her legs suddenly gave out as her feet slid across the carpet as the muscled in every inch in her body failed her. Her entire body weight dropped like a rock as she was now resting entirely on the erection bulging her belly out just below her belly button. She frantically kicked her legs out in a vain attempt to get her feet back underneath her but the sudden orgasm that came crashing through her body killed her coordination.

Her body followed its primal and natural desire to breed as she violently, and rather lewdly, squirted around her boyfriend’s shaft. Never in her life had she cum that hard. This was her first ever squirting orgasm to boot. Her clear honey drenched Copper's lap and soaked deeply into the stained carpet below as it pooled under their union.

Then he came.

Her breath hitched in her throat as she felt his shaft surge and flare with his seed within her burning depths. Time seemed to slow as she felt his load travel up his shaft, push past her labia where it continued to push her tight walls out of the way with reckless abandon until it reached his tip...

Which was resting nice and firm against her cervix.

Her eye went wide…

And she screamed.

***

Copper waited patiently in the ballroom while his girlfriend took some time to go to the bathroom and clean herself up a little bit. He hummed a little tune to himself as he waited, but over the music in the background and the somewhat loud voices of ponies talking, he failed to notice as two stallions approached him from behind. He was caught terribly off guard when a hand grabbed him by the shoulder and spun him around. Copper winced as he was shoved against the wall. "What are you doing her pussy boy?" the first bully stated.

Copper was quick to realize that these were from before he started dating Raven. Because he was a bit of a pacifist, Copper tried to act small and nonthreatening.

"Came here alone you coward?" the second threatened. "Your little bitch dump you already?"

"This little bitch is about to break both your kneecaps…"

Both stallions’ eyes went wide as they rapidly spun around, pulling away from a terrified Copper and putting on innocent smiles. Raven stood before them with her arms crossed as she impatiently tapped her heel clad foot against the floor. "Princess-"

"Can it!" she spat with a point if her finger. "Did you not learn the first time?" she asked as she pushed past them, grasping Copper by the collar and gingerly pulling him to safety. "Or do I have to smash a chair over your heads?" she threatened as she pressed her nose against the lead aggressor, who was wearing a black suit with a red tie. The other had a black suit and blue tie. The stallion flinched when she made contact with the tip of his muzzle. "Hmm?"

By now, both of them were sweating furiously. They knew she'd do it too; consequences be damned. She narrowed her eye at him, silently challenging him to try and call her bluff. When he didn't verbally answer her, so she knew she had her answer. "That's what I thought." She leaned back and crossed her arms again. "Unless you want to see how well they can fix you in the hospital, you best leave my stallion alone. Come on Copper, we're leaving. We can go to the castle and go for a swim or something." With that, she turned around and eased him away by grasping the front of his shirt, tugging him along.

"You want to know the difference between us pussy boy," the lead agitator shouted at the pair, trying to get in the last laugh. "At least we have backbones boy!"

Raven spun on her heels and without any hesitation and well over the blaring music, she shouted, "And unlike you, he's fucked the princess!" Every head and every eye in the room snapped towards the couple as a record screeched loudly. The entire hall had gone dead silent at the declaration. Both stallions’ jaws hit the floor like an anvil as she nonchalantly turned back towards her embarrassed and horrified coltfriend, slapping her dress clad ass to accentuate her point as she walked away. "Suck my clit, boy!"

With that, they left their star-studded crowd, speechless.

Copper, kinda wanted to die...

Chapter 28

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Chapter 28

In the few months Raven and Copper have been dating their sexcapades seemed to almost happen left and right... And up and down... And everything in between... Ever since their first experiment since their first date, it seemed like every time they were alone, they got frisky. There was a lot of groping, casual nudity, mutual masturbation, and sex of course. Most of it happened at Copper’s dorm when his roommate was gone, but there were a few times they did it in her room at the castle, since she didn't have much to do and since Celestia was in court or was mostly busy, they had the time. Other times during their breaks between or after classes, they would sneak off to their little hidey hole and make love.

It was a few months into their relationship during the spring when the temperature began to increase, and when Copper’s roommate was gone for a day or for the weekend, Raven would go and spend time with him, often closing the door so that they could relax in their underwear. Even in the heat they would snuggle together on his beanbag chair while they read papers or worked on homework. But being that scantily clad, it wouldn't take long for hands to wander. Her hand would sneak down his shorts and she’d jerk him off while he’d repay her love with a hand down her panties and finger her. Then she’d suck him off and he’d eat her out before they'd finally just strip naked and take each other on whatever position seemed interesting.

They were horny teenagers, nothing new, really.

It wasn’t until one hot afternoon, when the Canterlot Weather Team had gone on strike due to some sort of law, regulation, or rule that the team didn't like, that the princess and her consort came to the realization that they may need to tone down the amount of sex they were having. It was during their first experience with anal that everything came crashing down. There they were, buck ass nude, soaked in sweat, with Copper buried balls deep in her ass and on the verge of orgasm, that Copper’s roommate suddenly came home mush earlier than he said. Only to find Copper mercilessly thrusting into his princess from behind on his bean bag chair while they faced the door. Thankfully it was only Copper’s roommate and nopony else that witnessed the sound of Copper's testicles wetly slapping Raven's clit with each thrust. In their panic at the sight, Raven blasted the poor stallion out the door and slammed it before she shouted at Copper to finish.

He did, much to his immediate embarrassment.

She did too, showering his swollen nuts in her cum with the second most powerful orgasm of her life. She swore that he suddenly got harder and came twice as much. As embarrassing as it was, she relished in the feeling of his warm essence deep in her belly. They were defiantly going to do more of that, but that was not going to have a second round after that incident. But she was sure that the second round came along with the first one.

They were quick to extricate themselves from one another and get dressed before letting the more enthusiastic and proud stallion in the room. He had nothing but praise for Copper. Unfortunately for the tan stallion, Copper had this strange personality, as he liked to put it. He was easily embarrassed and often rather quiet. But when his girlfriend was around, there was something about her that made him just want to have sex with her. Perhaps it was instinct, or maybe something else, he wasn’t sure. All he knew was that he absolutely loved sex.

This morning's debauchery was no different. Especially when it ended up happening alongside Cadance and Shining Armor in the royal bath. It was originally supposed to be only them until the other young royal accident stumbled into the room. One thing led to another and suddenly the pink princess wanted to know more about the act of love making, as it were. Cadance was a bit too eager to learn about sex and considering it was downright hot to essentially have an orgy and even go as far as sharing partners. At the end of it all, Raven and Copper left the more intimate pair of ponies to have their fun in the sauna as the naked teens headed back towards Raven’s room to get dressed through the hidden passage way that lead to the bath.

“Well that happened…” Copper blushed as he entered his marefriend’s room and headed towards her bed where his gym bag sat. The two teens had originally spent the morning together in the castle’s gym having a workout session together before they decided to go and bathe. But they had their fun and now it was time to hit the town!

As he grabbed his bag and unzipped it, reaching inside to grab his clothes, Raven stepped past him and headed towards a dresser next to her closet and began to grab her attire for the day. “You liked it though, didn’t you?” she teased as he blushed further, averting his gaze he looked towards the floor. Raven smiled, dropping the clothing she had grabbed as she padded her way towards him, pressing her bountiful chest against his shoulders as she hugged him from behind. “I know I did~” she whispered into his ear before she nibbled it lightly between her canines.

Now that it was all said and done, he was starting to second question his actions. He got caught up in both the moment and his seemingly uncontrollable hormones. Raven could sense his internal turmoil, so she squeezed him a little tighter, pressing her body further into his, pressing her delicious bosom and stiff nipples against his back. She started to sway back and forth, leading him to an invisible beat to try and calm him down a little. "I love you and only you," she promised while she rubbed his chest with her right hand. "All that was a simple experiment of sexuality. Nothing more. Shining love's Cadance just as much as I love you and vice versa. We never have to do it again." She paused in thought for a moment. "I think I only proposed it is because I trust them as much as I do."

Copper set down the pair of underwear he had been holding and turned around, grasping her by the shoulders and looking deep into her pale eye. He never really realized how blind she actually looked with the white pigment. She was right, he loved her regardless of the fact that he busted a nut inside the Princess of Love…

Shit, he's banged two princesses now!

He was pretty sure the hearts in stallions across the country had just shattered. Banging one princess was an achievement in and of itself. But fucking two of them? He would be considered a god to every high school ale everywhere! But in that moment, all he wanted to focus on was her. Copper had a lot of things he could have said in that moment, but only one came to mind as his gaze drifted towards her missing eye and the patch the metal patch covered it. "Can I see you?" he asked vaguely.

Raven blinked and cocked her head slightly in confusion. "I don't follow."

"You," he repeated, pointing to her missing eye. "I want to see the real you."

She blushed and averted her gaze while she ran her fingers over her ear, pushing some of her still damp hair over her shoulder. "Are… are you sure?" she asked sheepishly while gazing back up at him. "It's not pretty."

His gaze drifted down her bare body as her many scars that covered her body, which glistened in the sunlight that poured into the room from the balcony window. Some of them were small, mere scratches and scraps, while others were bigger like the one she received from almost half a decade ago while another snaked across the underside of her right breast and came to a stop several centimeters above her belly button. She had several lateral scars down her legs and a pair down the length of back starting from her shoulder blades down to just above her buttocks. She never let them get the better of her though, often rocking a bikini when she can. Comparative to him, she wasn’t very self-conscious. He had a small scar on his upper arm, and he hid it all the time, never wanting to explain the short story that went with it. But she rocked them like a trophy! To him, she was the most beautiful creature in the universe. But he had never seen what was under that patch. “Can I? Please?”

She trusted him, right?

“O-Okay,” she mumbled as she suddenly became very self-conscious of her appearance before she dipped her head, her gorgously long hair spilling over her shoulders and covering her face for a moment. In turn, both of her hands went to her face as she started to remove the only bit of ‘clothing’ she had left on. Her hands quickly pulled away as she lifted her head. She set her patch down on her nightstand while her long flowing hair covered her mutilated eye. “Last chance,” she warned.

He gave her the tiniest of reassuring smiles as he braced himself for the horror that might follow. But he was going to be strong, for her. Gingerly, she grasped her hair and pulled it aside. The skin around her eye and eye lids was black and charred like the visible spots that spilled out from underneath her patch. It was no different than what he saw on a daily basis, only it covered the entirety around her eyes. It was her actual eye that was the worst. Her eyelids were scarred and tattered, indicating that it was cut by something sharp and jagged. Her remaining eye was the worst. It was mutilated, glazed over and covered in scars that had long since healed. She blushed adorably as she tried to hide her face behind her hair, rubbing the tips of her toes against the floor.

“I understand if it scares you… but-MHM! Mhmmm~”

He was quick to cut off her self-doubt by silencing her rant with a passionate kiss. She moaned into his mouth as he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her tight against his body, relishing the feeling of her bare skin against his fur. Her eyes fluttered as she rubbed her bare body against his own, shivering at the feeling of his fur tickling against her still sensitive nipples. Their tongues danced to the song of love as she lifted her right leg, rubbing the back of her calf against his own. He was quick to support her thigh with his hand, pulling her even closer as she began to shamelessly grind her clitoris and hood against the underside of his now hard shaft, smearing her juices along the underside with each pass.

They broke their kiss out of the necessity to breath, panting as they rested their foreheads together, but never ceasing their pleasurable dry humping as they stared deeply, lovingly into each other's eyes. “I love you, Raven,” Copper spoke softly as he gently lifted his hand and ran the back of his fingers tenderly across her cheek. “You’re beautiful, scars and all.”

She smiled at the love and praise to her inherent beauty and looks. “Thank you,” she thanked softly as she hugged him tighter, but the feeling of his erection poking her in the belly was not to be ignored. “One last round?”

Copper gave her an eager and lustful smile at her mischievousness. “Deal!”

They were quick to separate as she hopped past him and onto the bed, bouncing once before she crawled to the edge, sitting down properly before she slowly, seductively, laid back into the blue silk and lifted her legs, pointing them to the ceiling before she slowly spread her legs to reveal her swollen and eager flower and darker puckered star. “You want to know something?” she asked huskily as she watched him from between her legs.

“What?” he replied as he stepped up, never once breaking eye contact with her drooling slit while he gently grasped her ankles and flopping his erect shaft against her delicate slit, lubricating himself with her warm essence while also making sure to use his medial ring to stimulate her clit, making both of them moan in ecstasy.

“Mhmmm,” she moaned before she palmed her breast, sinking her fingers deep into her fleshy bosom. She opened her fingers and captured her nipples between them, tweaking them as she groped herself. “I can feel it inside me,” she explained, referring to Copper’s seed safe within her womb and Shining’s deep within her rectum. “So warm and safe deep inside me. Churning with each-” she gasped as her words died in her throat when he finally penetrated her. “Fuck me!”

“I am!”

***

Raven gingerly nursed her drink from her spot next to Copper in her favorite restaurant. Copper continued to lightly munch at his meal as he sat next to the wall while she rested her back against him, casually cured up on the booth, her bowl long since forgotten. She had ravaged her plate like an angry alligator, wolfing her noodle bowl down by the spoonful before she pushed the empty kitchenware forward with a refreshing sigh and a small burp. Copper preferred to go at his meal at a more reserved pace. Especially since he currently had his right arm around her, lovingly holding her like a prized possession.

Which she was.

He smiled as he idly rubbed her full tummy as he continued to read his new book. On their way to their favorite restaurant, they had made a quick stop at the library so that he could grab a book he wanted, even saying hello to a studying Moondancer in the process before they went to get a bite to eat. They were eager to eat as well, especially after several proactive rounds of procreation and burned calories. She smiled around her straw; she could still feel his love sloshing deep within her belly with each little movement she made. Nearby, and unaware to this mornings activities, Raven’s guards munched away at their own meals as Saffron Masala cleaned a nearby table. There weren’t any patrons in the foreign restaurant other than the four present. It was one in the afternoon and after the lunch rush. It didn’t help that the building was located in a relatively obscure location.

“Would you like any desert?” Saffron offered as she approached the young couple with an adorable, yet welcoming smile. Both Raven and Copper lifted their heads and give her their direct attention, shifting their attention to the young mare in her adorable foreign outfit.

“Who am I to refuse,” Raven smiled eagerly. “Copper, sweetie, how about you?” she asked as she tilted her head up to look at him.

He glanced down at her while he swallowed his current mouthful. “Whatever you want, we can share.”

“We’ll do your fried bread,” Raven requested. “It’s to die for!” she praised the young chef as she addressed her coltfriend with an adorable kick of her legs. Saffron was quick to take down their order before she headed over towards the two armored stallions nearby. She took down the order of one on them and refiled the others drink before she went to retrieve the food. Everypony spent the rest of their time in silence as they finished their meal. Raven paid their bill and left a generous tip. Saffron waved the royals off as they exited the building. The young couple intertwined their fingers as they headed off into the busy streets of Canterlot.

There wasn’t much to do in Restaurant Row other than eat. That's what the area was designed for. Much like the market sold trinkets and other merchandise. As they wandered a shout could be heard from down the street. The two teens shared a confusing glance at one another. Now that had their attention. If it was severe enough, Raven had the authority to make key decisions in lieu of her mother. Outside of one of the many restaurants that lined the row, a substantial crowd had gathered in a half circle around the front of one of the main entrance. Concerned and rather curious, Raven released her coltfriend's hand and shoved her way through the crowd while Copper and Raven’s guards followed suit behind her. Once Raven reached the inner circle, she was expecting a fight, but paused when she saw a mare and a stallion arguing. The mare almost looked like a ghost and her plastic surgery only added to the effect. She wore an elegant business suit and a lengthy, dark purple trench coat. The stallion was wearing a casual blue shirt and black dress pants.

“Who is that?” Raven said under her breath.

“Zesty Gourmand,” one mare whispered back as she leaned in towards the princess without taking her gaze away from the action. “She’s an up and coming restaurant critic. Her opinion might as well be law! So far her approval has been life or death between-PRINCESS RAVEN!”

The girl in question recoiled back, reflexively cupping her ear with her right hand and wincing as her eardrum practically exploded inside her skull. Raven quickly shook her head to try and regain her senses as she rubbed her the pain away before she turned and glared at the mare. The purple mare in question smiled sheepishly under the scrutinizing gaze, whispering her apology as she immediately backed away in her embarrassment. Maybe there was a marehole she could climb into and die in? Raven grit her teeth as she continued to rub the ringing sensation from her right ear, before her attention went to the ghoulish mare suddenly approaching her.

“Princess Raven,” the mare greeted in a professional tone. “Perhaps you can help me quell this outrage.”

It wasn't a question, it was clearly a demand.

Raven eyed the mare from hoof to the tip of her hooked nose, clearly noting that for a food critic, she seemed rather emaciated. Then there was that nose! The girl was so amazed by that funny looking schnauze, she struggled to take her gaze away from it. How was that even attractive? The princess was so sure that she could balance a bit on that point. And the way the mare’s cheeks seemed to recess into her face, exposing her cheek bones only served to make the young ruler slightly ill, which also went as far to reminded her of a Grineer Ghoul. How anypony found that attractive, she wasn’t sure. This mare had to be single because there was no way any stallion in their right mind would want to date, let alone marry, that.

“And what outrage would that be?” Raven questioned, ignoring the plethora of insults and remarks she was thinking as she stepped forward, lowering her arm now that the wringing in her ear was more manageable. She spared a glance at the nervous stallion still standing by the decorative door as she stepped into the center of the horseshoe that surrounded them. He held both his hands together pleadingly and his cheeks were matted and he was clearly in serious distress. Zesty spun, holding out a finger like death coming to reap a lost soul as lightning and thunder exploded and flashed from above.

Raven flinched, reflexively ducking before she ended up glaring at the skies as she turned her attention towards a very embarrassed weather mare pushing an errand thundercloud. “S-Sorry!” she was quick to apologize and was even quicker to make her escape with the cloud so that she could, at the very least, save her dignity as the poor girl wrangled the cloud along, startling several more ponies in her wake as she flew down the street.

“Would you please tell this daft stallion that he is a fool to question my judgement,” Zesty explained as if nothing had happened whatsoever, her tone dripping with disgust as she lowered her lengthy arm. Raven glanced at the poor stallion yet again before she glanced at the sign above the door which read, The Bountiful Harvest. She wracked her brain as she tried to remember a time if she had eaten there, but nothing came directly to mind.

Being a fair and equal judge as her mother had taught her, Raven responded in kind, “I can’t pass judgment when I have not heard his side of the story. Or in this case, taste his food at the very least.” She turned towards the stallion. “Unfortunately, I’ve just eaten, but I am willing to try a few things. For the sake of a fair assessment, a soup, main dish and a dessert will suffice.”

Zesty didn’t speak at first, “Very well. But let me tell you that I warned you beforehand.” With that the two females and the distressed stallion entered the building. The place was nice, with a small-town diner kinda feel. The booths were covered in red leather and the carpet could be a different color than the green it was. There were pictures that lined the walls that were taken of various famous structures and a few random towns from across the country. It wasn’t her first choice of decor, but it definitely wasn’t the worst. Behind the trio, Raven’s guards, Copper, and most of the crowd entered the tiny diner. The human princess picked a booth near the kitchen while Zesty sat opposite of her. Nearby a khaki colored stallion weaseled his way into the seat next to the princess.

“Excuse me,” Zesty excused in that disgusted, yet professional tone of hers. “And who, pray tell, are you?”

Raven gave the mare a bemused expression like she herself had just been rudely insulted. “My coltfriend!” Raven spat. “And as far as you should be concerned, his opinion is as good as mine!” The stallion that had been defending what she assumed to be his restaurant stepped forward with a menu. Raven politely held up her hand and gave the stallion a welcoming smile, trying to show him some affection and kindness that the mare across from her was clearly lacking in. “We’ll do a bowl of your soup, whatever your special is, and your best desert.”

“Y-Yes Princess!”

He nodded before he headed towards the kitchen and the cook behind the serving window. He quickly filled up a cup full of tomato soup. “So, Zesty, care to explain your decision-making process?” Raven requested as the stallion rested the cup in front of her. She grasped her spoon and dipped it into the creamy meal before her while the mare spoke.

“Appearance, presentation, and taste,” the mare in question listed rather simply as she watched the princess sip from her spoon. “If one of them is not up to my standards, they are not worth my time, let alone Canterlot’s.” Raven licked her lips of the remaining soup before she offered Copper her spoon, who took it and followed her lead.

“And your thoughts?” Raven asked as she intertwined her fingers, resting her elbows on the table and her lips against her fingers.

“Appearance is outdated and simple, it has been long since Equestria was in this state,” Zesty explained. “As embarrassing as it was. No pony wants to remember such an awkward and rather embarrassing time. As far as presentation, it was not professional by any means. And the food was lackluster and downright terrible. Bland and disgusting, I feel insulted by the grim that was presented to me! But I am interested as to what the daughter of Princess Celestia believes?”

“You will hear my opinion when I am finished, end of conversation,” Raven stated firmly and that's exactly what she did. The rest of the meal was eaten in relative silence, leaving the audience holding their breath the entire way. The stallion set down two plates consisting of a stack of pancakes on one plate and hash browns on the other, along with a bottle of syrup and a bottle of ketchup as well. She slathered both food platters with generous amounts of each condiment before she bit into them, only licking her lips to clean them before Copper did the same. Finally, the stallion brought out a wonderful looking cheesecake. Yet again, one bite each before Raven sat back in her seat as she prepared her judgement. “You want to know my opinion Miss Gourmand?”

“It does intrigue me.”

Raven didn't hesitate as the poor stallion hunched over at the end of the table was about ready to die of a heart attack. This was the part he was dreading. “While I do agree that the carpet and the chairs clash and I recommend that maybe swapping to tile would be better and I do like the small-town feel. Right now, I will dismiss the presentation since my lovely waiter looks like he's about ready to have a stroke. As far as the food goes…”

Everypony leaned in in eager anticipation.

“The soup could use a little more herbs but the consistency was definitely on par with that of the castle chefs. Thick and creamy, just how I like it. The pancakes were fluffy, warm, and I don’t know what is in the batter, but it was amazing. The hash browns were cooked to perfection, not to crisp and not to limp. And the cheesecake was amazing, ten outta ten, would recommend,” she listed as she balled up her fabric napkin and threw it at the table as she pushed Copper out of the booth and stood up. “As far as I’m concerned, you’re full of shit,” she finished all but spitting on the mare before she turned to the limp jawed owner. “Sir, if any pony has any trouble-” she grabbed a random menu and a marker sitting in a cup near the bit register and began to sign her name, big and bold. “You can point to his saying that it has my seal of approval!” the girl turned towards the door as the sea of ponies separated around her like she was some kind of food god. “Anything this mare says is to be taken with a grain of salt and assumed to be a lie!” Raven shouted to the crowd, pointing back at a dumb founded Zesty as the mare gaped like a fish. “Because she doesn’t know taste if it punched her in the cunt!”

As Raven exited the building, she let out a pleasant and exhausted sigh as she relaxed in the midday sun. Copper was right behind her as he wrapped his arm around her waist. She smiled up at him lovingly before they headed down the street towards Canterlot Park. “So…” she led on as she leaned into his embrace. “What did you think of the food?”

“Reminded me of home, actually,” Copper reminisced. “Mom and Pop places like that always have the best food. Which is usually why I like to eat at places like the Tasty Treat or just about any fast food place like that. But I really liked the food there. You might have just saved them.”

“Lunch there for our next date?” Raven hinted, teasing him with an eye flutter.

“I’m okay with that,” he agreed.

Raven smiled yet again before pecking him on the cheek. She loved this, especially since her day had nearly been ruined by that little side quest and her anger was now on the decline. But the day was still young, and they had plenty of time to relish in each other's company. It was only a few minutes’ walk as they entered the park. They spotted the perfect spot to hold up right under an old oak tree. But they barely made it three steps into the park before a small group of fillies seemed to appear out of nowhere, swarming the young princess and flooding her with questions and praise. Raven gave Copper a sheepish smile knowing that there was no way she was going to get out of her fan service.

“Go read your book,” she urged him before giving him the softest of pecks on the lips. An older mare approached the group of rabid ankle biters and profusely apologized for their misbehavior, but the young royal was quick to wave it off, gladly accepting the various questions and picture requests. Copper for his part, would go and sit under that perfect oak tree, relishing the feeling of the cool grass against his warmer body, pulling his book from under his arm and picking up from where he left off. Occasionally he watching his girl from the corner of his eye, it brought the faintest of smiles to his lips as he watched her lean down with the fillies, striking a pose, smiling for the camera as what he assumed to be a mother to one or all of the six fillies before taking the picture. It was sometime again and several page flips later when he spared a second glance, watching as his marefriend was now doing cartwheels, flips and rolls, earning several claps from a slightly larger crowd and even a few ponies directly away from the fun clapped along as well.

She does really well despite her handicap…

Copper opted to watch her this time as she played along with the fillies, thrusting her fists forward as if she was fighting in an actual fist fight, giggling with the foal’s playfulness. She then transitioned into holding her hands over her head like a a pair of antlers, roaring playfully as if she as a vicious monster smiling all the while as she chased the screeching foals across the open plane, catching one filly that fell, pulling her up bridal style and tickling the poor child. Her adorable squeals, giggling, and screeching before she placed her back on her hooves. The mare approached the panting teen with a thankful bow, thanking her for her generosity. Raven responded in kind with a smile and a bow of her own before she bent over, resting her hands on her knees and waving at the sweet little fillies as they left. When he saw her approaching, Copper went back to his book.

The panting teen approached with her guards in tow before she dropped onto all fours, crawling towards her boyfriend before she spun around and started pulling her pant legs up.

“That was fun,” she smiled as she started to untie her bootlaces, pulling her boots from her feet, which was followed by her socks, setting them together as she rested them nearby. The girl sighed as she wiggled her toes momentarily before placing them onto the cool grass, relishing the feeling of each individual strand of grass between her toes. With a satisfied sigh, she leaned back and rested her head in Copper’s lap, grabbing his hand and resting it on the top of her head. He rolled his eyes, catching the obvious hint as he started to casually message her scalp. She moaned, closing her eye and relishing the tingling feeling of his delicate, yet firm fingers as they pressed against her scalp and danced through her hair. Messaging away the days stresses.

“So,” Raven started as she tilted her head, making sure Copper targeted a spot she exceptionally like him to scratch. “Got any plans for the week?”

“Not really,” he replied without taking his attention away from his book as he flipped the page with his other free hand. “Maybe study a little for my next assignment. Or send a letter to my sister. I know she would be eager to meet you. Same with my parents. I can only imagine what they will do when we see them.”

“I’m excited!”

“I know you are! But what about you, have any plans?” he asked as she looked down at her and away from his book.

She shrugged. “The girls and I were going to have a sleepover at the castle tonight.” She held up a hand and examined her fingernails idly. “I don’t know. It’ll be fun and I am always happy to see them but…” she trailed off.

“But?”

“It,” she sighed as she lowered her arm, her demeanor turning into a longing sigh for something more. “It’s just kinda boring, to be honest. Twilight and Moondancer nerd out as they talk about something science-y. Lemon is kinda quiet and Minuette never shuts up about her latest crush, which tends to change on a weekly basis. Don’t get me wrong, I love them all, but there is also the fact that I am the oldest compared to Twinkleshine who’s fourteen. But she won’t be there, which is fine and probably for the better. Some of my personal games are kinda… race-y.”

“Like Cards Against Equinity?” Copper teased.

Raven nodded. “It’s fun, and I love it, but there is a reason it’s rated the way it is. Especially if you get the other packs. But it’s not the best game for the rest for the girls.” She sighed wistfully yet again. “I don’t know, I’m very outgoing and adventurous and the only other one of us that is remotely close to what I like to do is Minuette. I kind wish we could do more,” she pouted as she finished her little rant.

Copper patted her head in a comforting manner, like the dutiful coltfriend he was, he listened intently as his girlfriend laid out her woes and sought solace in him. Raven's demeanor had turned rather glum as she stared up at the sky, silently hoping that the clouds would hold the answer she was looking for. Copper sat in silence for a bit as he brainstormed ideas. “Well… since it’s going to be you and the girls, you could always suggest something. I know they look up to you from the few interactions I’ve had with them. I bet they would be more than happy to listen to you and do something adventurous.”

Raven closed her eye and idly shook her head back and forth as she contemplated the idea. Perhaps that’s what she would do tonight?

The rest of the afternoon was spent in the comfortable silence of each other's company. He continued to read his book while Raven opted to take a nap. She only had to move as Copper decided to follow her lead, shutting his book and lying back in the grass while she curled up against him, intertwining her leg with his own as she rested a hand on his chest and her head on his shoulder. The human girl opened her eye briefly as she nuzzled his cheek softly before she pecked him on the nose. “Love you,” she whispered.

The faintest of smiles graced his lips as a storm of butterflies flew frantically in his belly. “Love you too,” he whispered back as he nuzzled her hair with the tip of his muzzle.

***

Later that night, three of the four teen mares and one human watched as their light blue friend stood at the door to the princesses’ room. They watched as their toothpaste colored friend hopped up and down, trying to psyche herself up for what was about to happen. Raven had taken her coltfriend's advice from earlier that day and suggested some more interactive games.

Like the tried and true, truth or dare.

The game started off rather dryly though. Truth seemed to be the most requested option out of the two options. It was mostly questions of ‘who do you like,’ ‘would you date this pony,’ stuff like that. But the real shocker came when Minuette, in her boredom, suggested that they make the game more exciting. In all honesty, Raven was the one expecting to do as such, but it definitely wasn’t unwarranted nor unwanted. It started off harmless, screaming as loud as you could from the balcony, do a flip, then Minuette and Raven got adventurous. Which is where it had led to now.

Minuette continued to hop on the tips of her hooves, psyching herself up for the bare-naked run she was about to do through the castle. Minuette was all too eager to do it as well. Her little pink pajamas with white polka dots laid out on Raven’s bed while the nude seventeen-year-old finished her final preparations with a quick shake of her head.

“And…” she teased as she grabbed the doorknob, building up the suspense. “We go!” Both night guards standing outside the room jumped when the door burst open and a bare naked blue blur shot past them. Both mares had to do a rapid double take as they watched the teen mares naked flank and hourglass cutie mark streak her way down the hallway, only catching her toothpaste colored mane and tail fluttered around the corner. Before they could even react further, Raven and her entourage of friends exited the room, the princess cheering her naked friend on with a shake of her fist.

“Run Minuette run!”

Both guards’ mares stared in disbelief before they shared a look of concern with one another. “She would stop her?” the one on the left asked her partner, ignoring the cheers, concerned and embarrassed looks of the teens.

The second mare blinked. “My job is to watch this door and nothing more,” she dismissed with a nonchalant shrug of her shoulders. The remaining friends continued to giggle and laughed uproariously as they went back into the room, closing the door in the process, leaving the two mares to guard the silent hallway yet again. The guard mare on the left side of the door kept glancing down the hallway where the buck ass nude teen had disappeared a few minutes prior.

The second guard, sensing her partner's apprehension, spoke up, “We were that young once Bell. Remember that time in college when we went to that lake and lost our clothes? And we had to run home naked?”

The mare known as Bell blushed as she puffed out her cheeks and scrunched her muzzle in anger at being reminded of that particular event. “I thought we agreed to never speak of it again, Cypher!” Bell seethed through her teeth.

Cypher rolled her eyes at her friend's anger. “The point I’m trying to make is that we were young and stupid. Let them have some fun. Besides the castles closed and this is technically the private part of the castle. If they want to have a little bit of a, refreshing jog, let them have their fun. Most of the guards on duty right now are mares anyway, so it’s nothing anyone of us haven’t ever seen before. We have the same biological make up. Relax, sheesh!”

Just then, the naked teen came around the opposite corner of that she disappeared from, her hooves clicking loudly against the floor with each step. Cypher was quick to grab the door and open it, offering a “Welcome back,” and a smile as the teen slid into the room with a 'thank you,' and out of sight as the guard closed the door.

"I think that was terribly inappropriate."

"And I think it was rather funny Bell, keeps the job entertaining. Better than staring at the opposite wall all night long.”

***

The next morning, everypony save for Twilight had left for home, leaving the two friends to do their own thing. They had gotten dressed, Twilight in her usual school uniform and Raven in a much less formal jeans, t-shirt with a cartoon dragon on it and her signature, shin high boots. They had hung out in the dining hall for a decent amount of time after breakfast, simply relaxing and gorging themselves on unhealthy snacks and juice. Celestia had stopped in as well for a midmorning snack, greeting the lively teens at the table, kissing her daughter on the top of the head before she turned towards her prized student, hugging her with just as much enthusiasm as she would Raven.

In some way, Twilight was like a daughter to her as well.

They were together for hours during the teens study sessions and clung to the mare like a scared foal when she was in the castle. They had spent quite a bit of time together honing little Twilight’s powers in and turning her into a very powerful mage. If her mage certificate was anything to go by. Twilight had set the record for being both the youngest student to graduate mage training and the fastest to boot. She was done in less than three years whereas most need a minimum of six years to earn that certification and she did it in half!

Celestia loved them both, nonetheless.

With a wave of goodbye and an ‘I love you,’ to both of the teens, Celestia left the girls to their devices. But they didn’t stay long, especially when Blueblood arrived and quickly killed the mood. He didn’t dare say anything as he glared at his cousin. It was sad really; he carried this smog cloud of hatred and entitlement with him -and if it was any thicker it would kill. Raven had tried to get along with him after the first major event she had with him years ago.

Which did put him in place.

But it only seemed to deepen his sense of malice towards his foreign family member. She had tried talking to him at her mother's discretion and pressuring, but they could barely sit in a room together before insults started flying. One session, of which Celestia was glad she was sitting in on, because they had ignored her pleas to calm down when Blueblood in a fit of rage jumped across the table and threw an uncoordinated punch. Raven was coldcocked across the cheek before she was able to get in a firm kick to Blueblood’s abdomen before the matriarch used her magic to keep them separated.

They were scolded later but the damage was already done.

It was pretty clear that no matter how hard Celestia tried, the pair would never get along. It was depressing, especially since Bluey was such a sweet little thing as a foal, but the older he got, the more corrupt he seemed to become. Canterlot and its noble hierarchy and political prowess had that negative effect on ponies. It was tragic, really. But at least they weren't trying to slit each other’s throats in the sleep. But Blueblood shared his disdain with the rest of his upper-class entourage and political delegates he had ties with. While he was a dick, to put it bluntly, the young stallion wasn't an idiot. But most ponies tended to ignore his complaints about either of his female cousins since both of them had been very active in the community. They were loved by the lower-class populace. If they nobles wanted to keep their positions, they never said or did anything. They also couldn't touch any of the princess' without the proper reasoning. But yet again, Blueblood seemed to be the only one with a problem.

Twilight and Raven left the room before things had escalated and the latter of the two just opting to ignore the young stallion. They wandered the halls with nowhere in mind as they chatted about the events of the night before or some upcoming event or something. They were lost in their conversation before a guard slipped and fell, surprising the pair when the guard hit the floor with a heavy thud and a loud metallic bang.

"Oh my gosh!" Twilight gasped. "Are you alright?"

The guard didn't move nor respond verbally, clearly indicating that something serious might have happened. He had landed on his side facing away from them, so they couldn't see his face. He must have knocked himself out cold. "Come on," Raven urged as she hopped forward before, she started to jog down the hallway, Twilight in tow. When there were about halfway to the stallion, a thick, armored boot stepped over the downed guard.

Like rolling thunder, the demonic Warframe, the fallen Tenno stepped out from around the corner. The jagged great sword pulsing in his grasp.

"Nothing but Tenno strings. Shadow, let your hatred free!"

Raven's eye went wide in horror while a chill ran up her spine as she stared face to face to the very man that had hunted her down. The man that had ruined her life. The one that intended to kill her. Time slowed as she spun on her heels, frantically screaming at her younger friend with the only words that were appropriate...

"TWILIGHT RUN!"

Chapter 29

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"Twilight run!"

The young mare in question couldn't move as she stood frozen, struck stiff with fear as she watched as the dark knight approach her, his weapon still dripping blood, staining the cold stone below. Utter fear gripped her smaller form as she stared deeply into that blank, soulless helmet. The only thing that knocked the teen from her paralyzed stated was Raven when spun on her heels and absolutely screamed into her friend's face.

"TWILIGHT RUN!"

That quickly knocked the teen from her intense and immediate fear as her head snapped to her best friend as she focused on Raven's absolute look of horror. It was in that moment that Twilight didn't even hesitate further as she turned tail and ran! She needed to get help, she needed to get the princess!

For her part, Raven had just enough time to transfer into her Warframe as she turned around, drawing her sword to block the incoming strike from the gargantuan great sword that slammed into her smaller weapon. The impact was so strong, Raven's metallic boots garnered no grip as she slid several feet across the stone floor while her cryotic blade held fast against the possessed caber.

"I see you have found a new body," Hunhow stated as the red energy near the hilt of the weapon pulsed evilly with each word it spoke. "Shadow, cleave her from its chest!"

Raven grunted loudly, struggling to hold the man at bay while she did her best to stay strong, She couldn't give him an inch, lest she lose not only her life, but her Warframe as well. With every ounce of strength she could muster within Frost's systems, Raven pushed against the fallen Tenno with all her strength, but Stalker was far too strong, too powerful! She was rapidly losing strength in her legs as she was forced to her knee when Stalker grasped one of the two blades that made up the weapon and pushed. "Like hell you will!" Raven shouted in defiance to the sword’s declaration.

She could feel her arms shaking violently under the immense strength and her knees giving way further as the blood red energy began to get dangerously close to her armored head. She struggled to keep her footing as she was forced to a knee. Her struggling was intensifying as she too, pushed back against her own blade to hold Stalker back. If she lost Frost today, nothing would stop Stalker and his rampage! It was right when she started to lose all hope…

That was before a loud metallic clang filled the air as Stalker was immediately knocked from his feet and sent sailing towards a nearby wall.

"You have a lot of nerve attacking my princess assassin!"

"Bronze!"

The armored stallion, with spear and shield in hand, and a rather eager for a fight, stood protectively between his charge and the clear and immediate threat before him. He was the wall between life and death. Captain Bronze didn't waste a second as he was quick to reset his defensive stance as he lifted his shield into its proper position with it protecting his torso and his spear pointed directly at his target’s chest. Placing the tip of the caber against the ground, Stalker used it as leverage to push himself back to his feet before grasping his weapon with both hands and heaving it up and resting it against his shoulder.

"You have heart, I will give you that," Hunhow stated but Bronze was unable to understand the sword. "But it will be your downfall."

"I don't know what you just said assassin, but let me teach you a lesson!" Bronze shot back over his shield.

Like a shot from a gun metal banged, clanged, and moaned in agony as electrical sparks flashed off curved surface the stallions shield. Surprised by the sheer speed of the attack, the Captain grunted but his position under the weapons immense weight as he thrust his spear forward. Bronze was hoping to catch an opening in the armor, but the metal tip did nothing as it glanced off the Stalker's electrical shield, making him flash blue momentarily. Bronzes eyes went wide, the guy was protected by some sort of magic!? He didn’t have time to dwell on it though, he just had to hold the mysterious stallion at bay until reinforcements arrived! Pulling back, Bronze angled his left arm and subsequently his shield to the side and forced the gargantuan sword to the ground through the use of gravity and bashed Stalker on the back of the helmet with his shield, hoping to disorient him.

About halfway up a nearby wall, Raven hung there and waited patiently for an opening. It wasn’t until her friend was safely out of the way that she lept at her target. Stalker's shields flashed brightly a second time as she landed her powerful strike upon his open side before she fully landed with a roll as well. Raven didn’t let up as she pulled her Javlok from her back, extending the weapon o it's full length before she held it under her right arm and took aim. But she wouldn’t have the opportunity to fire as Bronze charged headfirst into the fight, preventing her from firing her weapon. Metal grinded and sparked once again as Stalker parried Bronze's spear thrust with his sword. The pair were forced to grapple one another before an opening presented itself for one of them to land a strike. Stalker pommeled the tan stallion in the chin, knocking him back and making his teeth clack loudly. Bronze grunted from the sudden strike as he stumbled backwards, blinking through his suddenly blurred vision. The strike though, a momentary blessing for the two Equestrians and a curse for the Stalker, had caused the tip of the gargantuan sword to punch deep into the floor due to gravity yet again.

But Stalker was quick to not let them breath as he pulled his partially buried weapon from the floor and swung wildly and with malicious intent. Bronze, who was still recovering, was quick to hold up his shield and block the blow with a bang. But Stalker would not let up and it left Bronze grunting with each violent impact against his quickly buckling and failing shield. The metal of Bronze’s well-made defensive tool moaned out and screamed with each dent it received upon its surface but the tool held just as intended, a testament to its engineering and craftmareship. But Bronze and his shield were enough to keep the assassin distracted long enough as an explosive shot hit the dark soldier right in the side, making him stumble and throw of his attacks. From just down the hallway, Raven continued to fire her weapon as she walked forward, never once holding back as each explosive round struck true right to the Warframe's chest, forcing Stalker backwards with each lethal explosion.

But Stalker had a counter.

He let his shields absorb each and every explosion before spun his weapon in his hands, holding it reverse style as the enemy of the Tenno used his blade as a makeshift shield. But now it was Bronze’s turn to attack! Charging forward, the captain thrust his spear at the man yet again with intent to kill, but just like the many strikes before it, it was all in vain. It helped none that Stalker saw the attack coming from a mile away. The armored man reached out with a thick glove and caught the tip of the spear in his grip and just as quickly jerked the weapon from the stallion’s hands, tossing it aside like a mere toothpick. Now without his offensive weapon Bronze was forced to use the remnants of his shield and all his training to avoid being struck by the razor sharp sword as Stalker began swinging at the closer target as he tried everything to kill his target. Unfortunatly for Captain Bronze, this was nothing like the stallion had ever faced before, training or otherswise! The metal and energy of the two weapons clanged loudly throughout the hallway as they connected with his shield and echoing off the thick stone walls of the castle. Much like Raven before him, the smaller captain grunted under the weapons immense weight as he tried to hold the weapon back, trying to keep it from punching through his head. He could feel his arms and knees shaking under the immense weight as he used every ounce of strength he had. He had to hold the stallion at bay! Captain Bronze glanced at his spear from the corner of his eye and was quick to form a plan and was just as quick to implement it. He pushed back with all his strength, removing the caber from the surface of his shield, throwing his opponents balance off just enough for him to escape. Captain Bronze dove forward, rolling over his tattered shield and reaching for his spear, grasping the wooden shaft with his right hand. Now, his original plan involved him landing on his hooves and taking up his defensive stance with a little bit of a respective flare. When in reality, he kinda just flopped on his back like a turtle before scrambling to get to his hooves.

But now with weapon in hand, Bronze watched as Raven swung the spear-like head of the Javlok over her head like a ruthless mace, causing sparks to flash brightly as the weapon impacted against the ethereal blade of Stalker's great sword. The assassin was quick to lift the weapon over his demonic, helmeted head, and blocked the incoming strike before it could connect with his body. Now it was Stalker’s turn to feel her wrath! Raven held her speargun in both hands, using her Warframes superhuman strength to her advantage, swinging a second time with even more power. Like a pair of trains, they collided like an earthquake as yet another explosive boom filled the air. This was the duel she had been waiting for and one she had intended to win! One of them was fueled by rage, the other hatred, and like an unstoppable force meeting an unstoppable force, neither one was moving, they wouldn't give in until the other was dead at their feet. Both Warframe's did their best to out push the other in their struggle for dominance.

It mattered little as the third party of the fight and like a raging bull, Bronze cried out with his best battle cry as he charged forward before he shield bashed the assassin a second time that day with his barely recognizable kite shield. The action sent the suited man sliding across the floor yet again as Bronze stood there panting and exhausted. In response to her freedom, Raven drew her sword and holstered her Javlok.

"Shadow! What are you doing!? Destroy the Tenno!"

Bronze didn't understand the words that came from the pulsing sword, but he didn't like how both it spoke and how his opponent shook his head before looking at the weapons pulsing core, then to the princess. Lowering his sword, Stalker rested one of its tips against the floor as he stood up before tightening his grip around the jagged handle. With a single swiping slash, an arc of pure, demon red energy shot towards the pair like a blast of magic. Raven was quick to jump straight into the air while Bronze activated his horn and disappeared in a flash of magical particles. The arc of energy impacted against the wall farther down the hallway, shattering and scorching the stone into mere dust. In a flash of magical particles, Bronze appeared just in front of the man, surprising Stalker and confusing him just long enough for Bronze to thrust his spear forward. His weapon didn't make it far, let alone connect with its intended target as it was caught between the two blades of the great sword. With a simple twist of the dual-bladed weapon, the wooden shaft of the stallion’s main offensive tool was rendered useless as the metallic tip snapped clean off and clattered against the floor.

The ground shook violently and suddenly as ~Raven~ landed between the two and grasped the broken spear point and used it like a dagger as she started swinging in tandem with her sword. Bronze was caught off guard as he stumbled backwards and stared in confusion at the jagged end of his now useless spear. He was quick to drop the equally useless shaft, letting it clatter against the floor before he reached across his body and drew his sword. Now flooded with adrenaline and a sense of duty, Bronze still had a job to do!

Tightening his grip on both sword and shield, he did what he did best…

Fight!

His hooves clacked loudly against the floor with each determined step as his armor banged against itself, but that was music to his ears, the beat of war drums. He was a soldier, bred from a long line of loyal soldiers for the crown. His family fought and died for his country. He would fight from the deepest pits of Tartarus to the highest of heavens and everywhere in between if he had too. To protect. To serve. To die if he must!

No pony touches the princess'!

"RAAAAH!" he cried out once he was close enough, letting the strength of his ancestors lead him forward into glorious battle! He ducked as the princess sailed in his direction and over his head where upon she landed somewhere behind him with a violent roll.

Metal ground against metal as swords sang their violent song and danced their elegant dance. It was a flurry of sparks and banging metal as the two fought with all their strength, doing everything they could to one up one another. Slashes, thrusts, blocks and parries were all performed by the duo as they clashed blades. Armor protected limbs, metal buckled, moaned and groaned with each strike while electric shields sparked, flickered, and blinked. By now, Bronze's shield was dented and scratched beyond all repair, so he was going to have to get a new one when this was all over. But thankfully his armor was faring significantly better than his forgotten shield. His armor was only dented here and there with a few scratches in places as well. Nothing a simple buffing at the castle smith couldn't fix.

Bronze lifted his shield above his head for one last strike before the demolished metal finally gave way as the great sword sheared its way through the top of the shield and halfway through it. Bronze winced but was quick to let out a sigh of relief as his left wrist guard held together. That could have been messy. Without missing a beat, the stallion dropped the shield, pulling his arm from the restraint and grip as he grasped his sword with both hands. By now, it was very clear that Bronze was tired and soaked in sweat, but he willed himself on. He would fight with everything he had!

He had the advantage in this fight, he was lighter, nimbler, and faster whereas his opponent was larger, slow, and if caught off guard enough, uncoordinated. With each strike performed by the assassin, Bronze got in several! Stalker would take one swipe and Bronze would duck and slash at the man's back. He would try a downward strike, which ended up getting buried in the stone floor and Bronze would never relent with his strikes. With each miss, Stalker was growing ever more frustrated.

And he finally had enough!

Just as Stalker missed another strike, he waited until the stallion got within arm's reach.

Then it happened.

"Gak!" Bronze gagged as a gloved hand suddenly wrapped around his neck. The stallion struggled to breath as he was slowly lifted into the air. Bronze released his sword letting it fall from his grasp where it clattered below his elevated hooves as he frantically pawed at the hand around his throat. Even through his struggles, frantic kicking, and rather pitiful attempts to break free, Bronze glared into the helmet as he did everything he could to try and break free. But just as he was about to teleport away, Stalker reared back and threw the stallion like a rag-doll. Bronze tumbled violently through the air before he smashed back first against a random table within the hallway and shattering the expensive vase that was atop the table. The good captain groaned as his back screamed out in agony from the hit. But he was still in this fight as long as he could get up and get his sword. He winced as he tried to stand up.

That’s when metal violently ground against metal…

And a single screech of his name echoed throughout the entire castle.

"BRONZE!"

At first, the initial strike felt like a punch to the gut but was quickly followed up by a sharp and agonizing pain in the stallion’s chest made him seize up. It was a pain like he had ever imagined. He had fallen, he had been struck, cut, and broke bones in his years of service, but this by far, was the worst pain he had ever felt, surpassing all of those injuries combined. He began to shake violently as he grit his teeth, trying to push past the pain, but it wasn’t helping… The stallion gasped loudly when he felt the twin blades of his opponent's sword punch straight through breastplate, right through his sternum, and right out the back and deep into the wall. He was shocked. He could only stare at the hilt and handle of the weapon protruding from the gaping wound his chest. He was kind of confused for a second as he started at the weapon with bated breath.

He coughed…

That was a lot of blood…

Blood sprayed and splattered everywhere across his armor, the sword, and the floor as he violently coughed a second time, which made him spit up more blood than the first cough. Bronze couldn't believe it, nor could he move as shock began to set it. He felt cold and rather embarrassed at letting this travesty happen to him. Then, the poor stallion gagged in utter and terrible agony when the weapon moved within his torso, churning his internal organs in ways that they were not designed to move as Stalker grasped the handle of the weapon with both hands. Friction alone was enough to pull his body from against the wall, its sharp edges grinding against his tattered armor before Stalker rested his boot against the defeated stallion’s right shoulder. Like unsheathing a sword from a stiff scabbard, Stalker pulled his weapon from the poor stallions barely breathing corpse.

Lieutenant Flare could only stare in horror at her injured friend as he lay at the feet of the unknown attacker, bleeding and dying from the immense and gaping wound in his chest. She was one of the first to respond when the castle wide order had gone out that there was an intruder in the castle and she was quick to grab her spear and her shield and charge through the halls of the castle. From where she had been in the castle, she had heard the fighting and was quick to respond. She knew that she had to get there quick... but she was already too late. She had just seen the tail end of the fight when she arrived and she was forced to watch ever single second as her friend was disemboweled right in front of her…

She locked eyes with him…

"Finish it…" Bronze mouthed.

Just as Lieutenant Flare stepped forward, fueled by rage and hatred, a thick wall of ice manifested itself within the hallway, cutting off her access to the fight. "NO!" Flare screeched as she pressed up against the frozen surface. She frantically pawed and pounded at the wall of ice, trying to find a weak point and get to her friend!

"I won't let anyone else get hurt," ~Raven~ stated as she lowered her arm from the wall of ice she had created before glaring at the man that had ruined everything! She spared a single, painful glance at her injured partner and did her best to ignore the rapidly growing pool of blood as Bronze coughed as he looked towards his princess with a single, pleading look. He didn’t want her to keep going. She needed to run. She needed to get away. "If you want me!" She held out her arms nice and wide, begging him to come after her. "I'm right here!"

"Shadow, cleave the heart from its chest!"

Tightening his grip, time slowed as Stalker took a single step before he came forward like a shot from a gun!

The resounding crack of metal as Stalker's electric shields resonated like a bomb. ~Raven's~ fist connected and stayed connected to Stalker's helmet for what felt like an eternity before an explosive sound reverberated through the air. There was enough force in that punch that a small shockwave was visible before the man and his worthless blade were sent hurtling through the air with enough force to smash straight through the thick stone walls of the castle at the far end of the hallway.

There wasn't much time!

Grasping Bronze's forgotten sword, Raven transferred from her Warframe and started to render aid as best as she could. But the poor stallion was losing blood faster than she could stem it. Her hands were soaked in blood as she tried -and unfortunately, failed- to stem the bleeding. "Hang in there Bronze!"

By now, the wound was so bad, a large, visible puddle of the stallion’s blood seeped from his injured form. The gaping hole in his chest seeped the crimson fluid that stained his pristine golden armor.

Deep down, both of them knew he wouldn't survive...

Slowly and with a weak, shaky hand, the dying stallion grasped his princess's hand within his palm. Raven froze from her attempt at medical aid and lifted her head and gaze away from the wound and looked at the softly smiling stallion. "Princess…" he said weakly before he coughed, spraying blood across her nice clothes. The color from his fur was beginning to fade as he went pale. The poor stallion coughed violently, spraying blood yet again as his form was wracked with violent tremors. Waving Frost over with a weak hand, the Warframe stepped up and offered the stallion his sword as a show of respect and honor to the fallen warrior. Bronze, unfortunately lacked the necessary strength to hold the weapon up and let it land hard in his lap, the tip of the blade tinking against the floor. "Please… keep them safe…" he whispered as he gently squeezed Raven's hand before he lifted his other hand and rested the handle of his sword in her grasp.

"And kill that Son-of-a-bitch!"

***

"PRINCESS!"

Twilight continue to run, screaming at the top of her lungs as she raced through the halls of the castle after the one mare that could help. She ran as fast as he legs could carry her, even after they ached and her lungs burned for her to stop and take a breather. The girl screamed at the top of her lungs, startling several maids while several guards ran in the opposite direction towards the sounds of fighting. Tears welled up in her eyes as she continued to sprint as fast as her hooves could carry her. If felt like an eternity once she rounded that last corner just catching the princess as she was exiting the throne room.

"Twilight! Where is Raven? Are you okay-" Just as the mare began to ask questions, she was effectively silenced as one of the many windows that lined the throne room behind the pair shattered violently as a body came sailing through, smashing through one of the many stone columns as well. He landed with a roll, his large great sword clacking with each full rotation. Both mares could only watch as the dark warrior shakily rose towards his feet, using his sword as a crutch. But just as he locked eyes with the elder princess, a purple and white blur crashed into him, sending him smashing back first through the adjacent wall.

Outside, stone and broken glass exploded from the side of the castle, showering the ground below with dangerous bits of broken glass and debris while startling several of the servants and soldiers below. The explosion itself was so violent that it caught the attention of several Canterlot citizens in the area. They could only watch in horror as two ponies sailed through the air, crashing and rolling on the street. The darker pony landed uncoordinatedly and rolled across the stone street, smashing loudly into a ponies stall, sending cabbages in all directions. The other one of the two landed a little more gracefully with a slide.

Ponies dared not move as the twin horned bull pointed his weapon towards the dark knight, threatening him as the knight began to stand. Ponies were struck stiff with fear as the dark knight slowly turned his head towards the gathered crowd. He hissed something towards the bull before he rapidly raised his sword, spinning on his heels as he went for a slash towards an innocent mare.

The young butter collored teenage mare with long pink locks, dressed in a long flowing yellow dress screamed in horror as her short life flashed before her eyes.

Metal moaned and screeched as the sword showered electrical sparks everywhere. The dark knight cocked his head in confusion at the metal shield protecting the creature he was about to cut in half. From under the shield, Private Armor grunted as he held the sword back with his shield. With every ounce of strength, he had, the stallion thrust his shield forward, grinding metal as he retaliated, standing like a beacon of hope between the mare and the assassin. The poor teen mare promptly fainted just before a blue pegasus teen with a rainbow mane came to her aid.

"You have a lot of nerve attacking innocent civilians like that," the private growled. Reaching across his body, he drew his sword, not even bothering to go for his spear that was still lying on the ground where he had dropped it earlier. "You want a fight then I'll give you a fight!"

Stalker didn't have time to respond verbally, grunting when ~Raven~ wrapped both arms around his abdomen, suplexing him as she bent backwards, smashing his head and shoulders against the ground hard enough to crack the stone. Stalker folded in half from the strike as the princess rolled off of him. Just then, Privates Longbow and Dawn suddenly appeared, crossbow in the former and sword and shield in the latter. Longbow was quick to take aim, lining up his sights center mass before firing a single arrow from his weapon. It sparked off Stalker's shields, but he had no time to recover as Dawn went for the stab. He rolled to the side, dodging the attack as he kicked her in the side between her armor. Dawn winced, prying her weapon from the ground while Longbow was quick to reload his weapon.

"Everypony back! Get out of here! Go!" Shining Armor ordered as he started to wave and usher ponies out of the hot zone. Ponies were quick to turn tail and run while others tried to hide and watch the fight unfold. Back in the street Private Dawn and ~Raven~ locked blades with Stalker, fiercely holding him at bay while Private Armor continued to clear the area by shouting and waving his arms. Through the chaos a small squad of guards who had been on patrol along with a few of Canterlot's finest pushed their way through the crowds. The officers were quick to take control and started shouting and waving for ponies to clear the streets while the guard jumped into action. They charged forward, locking shields in a phalanx formation as they tried to keep the threat contained.

By now the castle was on full alert.

Bright red flares were shot high into the air from the castle, exploding into puffs of red smoke. Guards from all across the city were quick to drop anything they were doing and head for the castle. They dropped charges, spilled food and drinks, and shoved they way past anypony in their way as they made a frantic beeline for the castle. Commanding Officers and Non-commissioned Officers were shouting orders at the top of their lungs, screaming for guards to get their flanks in gear and get to the castle! But the guard were quick to find the fighting outside of the castle instead. The more that arrived they tried to contain the threat. Like the first squad before them, each and every mare and stallion locked shields until the circle was complete around the assassin. With reinforcements now available, Privates Dawn, Armor, and Longbow were quick to pull back through an opening.

~Raven~ was reluctant to leave, but eventually decided that was her best option. With a single leap, she sailed over the line and behind her guard, leaving Stalker alone in the center of the circle.

"Surrender!" one officer shouted from outside the circle. "Or you will be dealt with accordingly." As if to accentuate the point, the gathered guards stomped forward, tightening the circle. "Drop your weapon!" he shouted a second time, yet again, the guard stomping ever closer. But even under the threat of spear point, Stalker still refused to release his weapon. “Final warning!” Yet again the guard stomped forward, now they were well within thrusting distance of their spears. All they had to do was wait for the order. Raising his weapon over his head, the guard went tense as they prepared to attack…

Stalker raised his weapon over his head slammed the blade into the ground, point first.

Everypony let out a sigh of relief.

It didn’t last long as Stalker leapt into the air, smashing both feet against the hilt. It drove the weapon further into the ground as a massive shockwave of blue energy radiated from the weapon, sending the guards ponies sailing backwards and off their hooves. Only a few behind the initial line, that weren’t knocked down by their fellow squad mates, stumbled over the pile of bodies and into the fight.

It was a slaughter...

Stalker pried his weapon from the ground and impaled the first stallion under his chest plate and swung the poor stallion off the weapon and into another stallion. One mare went for the swing, but Stalker was too fast with a slash of his own. She screamed out in agony as her arm was severed at the elbow, grabbing the seared stub with her remaining hand as she fell backwards. Another stallion landed a glancing blow but received an elbow to gut and was immediately beheaded when he doubled over. Two mares locked shields as they went forward like a battering ram, but they weren’t fast enough to dodge the next wild strike. The mare on the left was sliced across the face while the other was blinded by the electrical sparks that flared into her unprotected eyes when the dual-edged blade made contact with the top of her shield.

One stallion dove forward, grabbing Stalker around the neck and pulling the assassin into a headlock as he locked arms. Two more stallions went for the stab and slash respectively, but the first received a kick to the gut in response and tumbled over a body. The next stallion got a strike in, but was headbutted as he too, stumbled backwards, grasping his face with both hands. With one arm, Stalker reached back over his shoulder and grabbed the arm of the stallion that was holding him, pulling the boy forward and over his back. The stallion landed hard with a grunt on his front, but was quick to prop himself on his hands, only to watch as Stalker spun the weapon over his head and sliced at the stallion’s neck, causing him to go limp.

~Raven~ smashed her weapon against the Stalker’s in yet another flurry of sparks to keep his from hurting anypony else. They fought for dominance yet again before they pushed back, both of them sliding down the street as they went. Longbow dove forward, rolling over the bodies before he leveled his crossbow and fired. The arrow deflected harmlessly off of Stalker’s sword as he charged forward, causing the younger stallions’ eyes to go wide. Longbow was quick to get to his hooves as he pulled on the string, cocking the weapon and reaching for an arrow from the scabbard on his back. He would never fire the arrow though as the wooden weapon exploded in his grasp as he used it to try and block the incoming strike, showering him in splinters. Longbow dropped the two broken pieces and haphazardly danced around each strike aim for him, frantically trying for his sword still sheathed on his hip! Private Dawn reached into her pocket and wrapped her fingers around a set of brass knuckles and threw a strong haymaker.

A resounding crack filled the air as Stalker’s head buckled to the right, dropping him to a knee.

She hung there, panting as she glared at the stallion before her, knowing that she finally put him in his place!

He slowly turned his head towards her and stared her down. The poor mare’s eyes went wide while her ears splayed back in terror. “I’m sorry!” she whimpered softly just before he backhanded her. The resounding slap echoed off the walls of each building as she was sent spinning through the air. Longbow could only watch as his friend went sailing out of control before his attention went back to the killer before him. Longbow went for his blade and drew it just in time to deflect the initial strike aimed for his head, but that threw him off balance!

That's when it happened…

Long wailed loudly into the air as his leg was severed below the knee, sending the poor boy crashing to the ground as he grabbed at the wound. He continued to curse and hyperventilate as the man loomed over him, weapon in hand, ready to strike that final blow. Longbow’s life flashed before his eyes and even though he was missing a leg, he was not ready to die!

Stalker took a step forward, trying to keep his balance as if something hit him in the back and forced him forward slightly. A pair of lilac arms wrapped around his torso and heaved him into the air. For the second time today, he was suplexed into the ground.

A pair of hands grabbed Longbow by the shoulder straps of his armor. "I got you 'Bow," Private Dawn assured as she started to drag her wounded friend away from the fight. She had fared no better as her right eye had swollen shut and a cut on her cheek just below her eye was oozing blood. She was quick to get him around the corner and in the hands of other guards before she went back for another. Dawn then grabbed the mare missing an arm and repeated the process, dragging the mare to safety before running back for another. She grabbed one of the more severely injured by the collar, dragging him away as the wall of a nearby building exploded, casuing the mare to wince and reflexivly lift an arm to heild her head before ~Raven~ came leaping out of the demolished building and back into the fight. Dawn grabbed a larger stallion and heaved but she couldn't quite lift him.

"Dawn. Dawn. DAWN!" a voice shouted at her, finally grabbing her attention. "He's dead!"

"What?" she breathed, blinking at the stallion talking to her. The girl was exhausted and had been working on autopilot. The poor girl didn't even realize that she had grabbed a body that was clearly missing a head. Shining Armor was next to her with both a concerned look and an actual survivor in his grasp. Dawn dropped the corpse, gagging at the sight before she moved next to her companion and started helping, getting the actual survivor to safety. Once they were safe, Shining Armor was quick to get back in the fight while Dawn headed back to get another survivor.

Back at the fight, ~Raven~ held Stalker by his chest piece, smashing the Warframe through a brick wall and into a random building, freight training him into and through several tables and chairs of a random restaurant, startling several unaware patrons in the process before they smashed through a window and into another densely packed street. Right behind them, Shining Armor was hot on their heels, jumping and hopping over several bits of debris and shattered tables while a number of other guards followed suite, checking on anypony that may have been hurt in the process.

It was at this point that the gates to the castle had opened as Lieutenant Flare, a massive contingent of guards, and a fully armored Celestia exited the courtyard. The solar mare, clad in bright golden armor from head to hoof, wielding a large halberd lead the charge in the frantic search for her daughter. She needed to get to Raven! They were quick to find the carnage of the first major fight and the injured and dead that littered the street.

"They went that way!" Private Dawn shouted as she pointed in the direction that the pair were last seen. Just down the street, the second story wall of a random building exploded into dust and debris as a black mass sailed over the street and impacted into the wall, not a second later ~Raven's~ Javlok sailed past, smashing deep into the wall and exploding in a massive ball of fire. The long horned Warframe came crashing down like a missile as she landed on top of Stalker's back with both heels while he sailed away from the explosion.

"Hang on Baby!" Celestia shouted at her daughter as she took to the skies with a single flap of her armored wings, weapon in hand. Like a razor-sharp and heavily armored bullet, the princess aimed the thick spike of the weapon forward, using every ounce of momentum she had and impaled the assassin clean through the gut, pushing him down the street and smashing him into yet another wall. Celestia pulled back just in time as the entire wall began to collapse around her. With a single flap of her armored wings, the mare pulled back and let that part of the building crumble.

That was going to be expensive…

Glancing over her shoulder, the mare was relieved to see as her daughter's armored suit approached her while reloading her spear-like weapon. The two shared a quick hug, since Celestia's full helmet wouldn't allow her to kiss her daughter before they released. The fight was finally over. Several guards approached from the rear, asking and questioning the pair to see if they were okay.

"You think you've won, haven't you?" The demonic voice spoke from the red and white sword that sat cockeyed in the ground. That drew the attention of everypony as they turned towards the weapon with confused looks. "It has only just begun! Shadow!"

The debris pile suddedly exploded as bricks and large hunks of debris shout out from the pile at lethal speeds. Raven was quick to form a protective Snow Globe that deflected and protected both her and her mother, along with a few guards. Others weren't so lucky as they were pelted by debris. The globe dissipated not a second later by Stalker's hand as he tackled the Warframe and dragged her down the street back towards the castle. Celestia was quick to chase after them while Lieutenant Flare was forced to watch.

That was the end of the line for the orange mare. With her anger finally reaching its boiling point, she closed her eyes, held out her hands, and began to speak in a strange language that no pony recognized. Black wisps of smoke emanated from the corners of her eyes as the shadows that hid in each and every little crevasse shot towards her from all around the street, casuing the remaining guard to jump and flich. She tapped into a force so powerful, so ancient, and evil, only a select few were ever allowed to practice it. Her blood red eyes shot open as she spoke in a dual toned, demonic tone, "Ancient spirits of old give me strength! For together. We. Are. Legion!"

The mare fell forward, screaming in agony and scaring the shit out of her fellow guards as her body began to change. Her bright fur turned a darker and rather faded shade of orange as the sounds of bones cracking and rearranging themselves could be heard as her skin seemed to crawl like something was alive inside her back. Her ears changed into that of a thestrals while a pair of bat-like wings suddenly protruded from her shoulder blades. Flare's eyes turned into thin slits like a cat on the prowl as the possessed mare leaned back and screeched. And a screech so unlike anything, pony or otherwise could make. If the Boogeymare was real, she would be hiding under her bed at this very moment. The dark alicorn unfurled her wings, and with a resounding crack, shot off with enough force to violently knock the remaining guards off their hooves.

"I'll show you pain. When I suck the life from within you!"

This was the power of a dark, ancient vampiric magic. Lieutenant Flare peeled her remaining armor from her body like a tin can with her jagged claws. She was now faster and stronger than anything anypony had ever witnessed. She was even stronger than Celestia. She clenched her jaw of ragged, dagger like teeth as she pushed her new form to its limit.

Back at the Castle the two Tenno smashed through the exterior wall and into the castle grounds. Several exotic animals scattered and ran, screeching and crying in panic as they went. But the pair never relented as they were a flurry of strikes and sparks. A blur of black and purple faster than the eye could process. Celestia came in low and fast when an opening presented itself, sticking her right hoof out and smashing it square against Stalker's chest armor, shattering both the chest peice and his electrical shields. The Warframe folded around the hoof in a flash of blue light and sparks before physics took over and he was sent violently spiraling out of control. He came to an very sudden and immediate halt when a greyish orange blur smashed into him from the side before it teleported out of sight and appeared above him and drop kicking him back into the ground.

~Raven~ spared a glance at the possessed mare as she landed next to Celestia as all three of them approached the smoking crater with bated breath.

They barely had time to react as Stalker came out swinging like a mad man. His right shoulder guard was broken and jagged and his syandana was tattered, but overall, he himself was unscathed. A loud clang filled the air as Celestia used the solid metal shaft of her halberd to block the attack, but there was enough force behind the attack that it still threw her terrible off balance. With a guteral screech, Flare grabbed the dual blades of Stalker's great sword with her elongated fingers and held on with all her strength as the two grappled for control over the weapon. She hissed at him, spraying saliva across the front of his weapon as he suddenly spun her. Like a strange looking dancer routine, where the lead was trying to intentionally murder his partner, Demon Flare lost her hoofing and her grip on the weapon as she was sent spiraling out of control, skipping across the ground like a rock on the surface of a lake.

Stalker used his momentum to fire off an arch of pure blue energy at the charging ~Raven~. Desperately, she dove over the blast as it impacted against the ground. The shock wave that was produced was enough to throw her off course as she started to tumble through the air. Stalker stepped forward, bending at the waist to dodge her flailing for, but it was not enough to save him. ~Raven~ extended her arm as far as it would go, wrapping her fingers around the hooked tip of Stalker's blade, dragging him with her as she sailed over the top of the castle wall and off the edge of the mountain.

"RAVEN!"

Celestia and Lieutenant Flare could only watch as the pair of Warframes smashed against the wall and toppled off the edge of Canter Mountain.

The pair of armored humans tumbled uncontrollably as they smashed down on the rocks below. Stalker folded in half around a large boulder as he glanced off of it while ~Raven~ landed on her side as she smashed shoulder first with a puff of dust as she began to roll uncontrollably. Where upon they tumbled down the side of the mountain as gravity took hold. This was the worst side of the mountain to boot. The west side of the mountain was the steepest and most jagged. The jagged rocks, boulder fields and steep cliffs were enough to put even the most experienced of explorers to the test. Large boulders and sharp rocks broke loose and began to tumble along with the pair, creating even more hazards.

In an act of desperation, Stalker stuck his feet out to try and stop himself but it did nothing except lock his knees and vault him forward while ~Raven~ threw her hands forward to try and stop herself but ended up rolling, cracking her back on a large boulder. They continued to roll and tumble out of control as they approached a random cliff. The rock field towards the cliff had drastically changed in geography, with less larger boulders and with more larger stones. It was just enough for the pair to land on their front and back, sliding down the field like some sick drag race. Both of them were more concerned about trying to stop!

Stalker held out his arms and legs, frantically kicking and grabbing at anything solid enough to grab onto while ~Raven~ tried to dig the pointed tips of her boots into the ground while simultaneously pushing her hands out to try not to hit anything in her path. All their frantically movements did nothing as they slid off the edge of the cliff. They tumbled head over heels before smashing back and shoulders first into the debris field below, folding in half on contact before they started rolling uncontrollably yet again. This was when they decided to fight back.

They stll had quite a ways to go.

When Stalker reached the arch of one of his spins, he swung his weapon, firing an arch of energy at the opposing Tenno. ~Raven~ threw up her arms, her shields flaring brightly as the strike threw her momentum even more out of control. The two of them crashed smashed down head and shoulders first and arching yet again. This time Raven fired a fist full of pure ice at Stalker, missing him by a mile before they hit the ground yet again.

They continued to fight one another with every bounce and arch they made as they tumbled down the mountain. By now they were about a third of the way down the mountain and had reached maximum velocity.

A little further down the mountain and completely unaware, a departing train that was slowly winding its way down the mountain was directly in the path of the out of control fight that was headed straight for them. A loud bang resonated off the roof of one of the cars, causing everypony aboard to scream as the roof suddenly dented inward and a large purple and white object flashed past the windows facing towards the valley below. Several ponies turned towards said windows to see what it was, but all they could see was what appeared to be a pony tumbling terribly out of control as he rolled down the mountain. What happened next was even more terrifying as Stalker smashed back first through both walla of the train. Ponies screamed out in absolute terror as the car suddenly jerked, pulling off the tracks slightly from the impact as the fallen Tenno sheared his way through the second wall of the train.

Farther up the mountain, Celestia flapped her wings as hard as she could as both her and Flare tore after the out of control pair of warriors. She was absolutely helpless as she watched her daughters armored frame haplessly continue to spin, tumble, and smash their way down the mountain and all while wildly trying to attack each other at distance, even occasionally locking blades when they ended up getting close enough, but they never had time to even strike one another before they were back to their violent tumbling.

It would continue the entire length of the peak. Uncontrollable tumbling and rolling as they seemed to hit every boulder, rock, and pebble on the descent. It felt like an eternity for both Tenno and for the two watchers before they finally, finally, they reached the bottom of the mountain. Both Warframes landed hard as their momentum had finally come to a crashing halt as they came to a painful roll. And Raven felt each jab, edge, and poke from every rock she hit, and her mental state was overloading with agony. Stalker for his part landed with a violent roll, stumbling violently as he tried to gain his footing, but ultimately fell forward, his weapon tearing from his grasp and landing point first in the dirt several meters away.

They were both hurting...

Badly...

~Raven~ propped herself up on shaky arms as she carefully got her feet underneath her. Her shields had absorbed most, if not all the blows but the momentum and impacts could still be felt with each hit, but now that her electrical shields were done taking abuse they flared to life, shining a bright cobalt blue before settling into their clearer surface. She stumbled as she stood up, holding an armored hand to her head as her fusion began to clear. The armored teen shook her head and slapped her helmet slightly to get her sensors back in order. She slowly took some tentative steps forward, still stumbling as she drew her sword.

~Raven~ had to take this moment while it was still present. She continued to walk towards the still downed Stalker before she stumbled yet again, this time she fully lost her footing and dropped to a knee. She was exhausted and Frost was definitely injured and would require a lot of time to heal his internal wounds. ~Raven~ pushed herself back to her feet but didn’t make it another step when Celestia and Lieutenant Flare landed next to the Warframe, immediately supporting it.

“Stop. Stop!” Celestia urged as she rested her hand on the Warframe's armored chest.

“We… we need to kill him now!” ~Raven~ panted as she tried to push the two armored mares away, but they were stronger.

“You should have headed her advice!” Hunhow warned, causing all three of them to turn back and stare at the pulsing sword. “Shadow! Kill them all!”

The possessed blade began to wiggle, then shake violently before it pried itself from the dirt and shot off right at the two mares and Warframe. Celestia and Flare didn't hesitate as they dove for the dirt as ~Raven~ stepped to the side, grasping the weapon by one of the blades as it sailed inches from her chest. Her boots dug deep into the ground, digging small trenches in their wake. She came to a rapid halt, pulling at the weapon with all her might as Stalker stood before her, arm fully extended as he willed the weapon towards him. ~Raven~ pulled with all her strength, channeling every ounce of power her suit had left into his arm and legs. In her suit she grit her teeth and lifted her armored leg and slammed it against the ground, inching the hovering weapon away from the Warframe before her.

The sword was starting to panic!

“Shadow! Shadow, help me!”

She lifted her other leg and slammed it against the ground and pulled away. Stalker clenched his fingers as he started to pull on the weapon, dragging her several inches in the opposite direction she wanted to go. She was starting to panic as she felt her fingers starting to slip!

Just them, a golden glove and an orange hand wrapped around her own, pulling the weapon back with all their might!

“Shadow? Shadow!”

Then came the crack.

Hunhow continued to scream and beg for help from his dark guardian as the structural integrity of the weapon began to give way. The joint where one of the blades connected to the hilt made a loud tinking noise, indicating the smallest of cracks in the metal. That would be the weapons downfall. ~Raven~ felt the blade jerk in her grasp as it started to buckle. By now, Hunhow was starting to really panic! With one last jerk of her systems, Raven pulled the weapon in vertically and used her boot as a wedge between the two blades…

She pried…

And the weapon snapped right in half!

Hunhow's metallic voice began to flicker, crackle, and fade as he spoke his dying breath. “ “Shadow! P-Protec-c-ct… me...“

A beam of red energy shot from the weapons hit, striking Stalker square in the chest, causing the Warframe to seize as the power that he was once granted and now long wielded was severed straight from the link. He began to seize and shake violently as he hovered in the air before he curled into a ball of fear and terror. Like a black-hole, particles of red light that bleed form the swords hilt, targeted the levitating Warframe as it started to rapidly condense around his form, causing his armor to glow red hot before it was too much…

In a flash of blinding light, the lethal assassin violently exploded as the three survivors were thrown from their feet and hooves…

Chapter 30

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Chapter 30

From an unknown location, a dark figure had been waiting, watching, and biding her time for vengeance. She had been trapped for a thousand years with nothing but her mind to delve into. Originally it was nice, trapped in her greatest possession as she plotted her revenge and usurp of the Equestrian Throne. But overtime, it started to drive her mad as the solitude and lack of companionship took hold, but now? Now she could feel the magical seal breaking. With the seal breaking, there were cracks in the systems which allowed her to watch her future subjects and her wretched sister. For sometime she had been watching, observing, planning. She had been witnessing everything her sister had done and had been doing in recent years. She was also watching an rather interesting battle that had unfolded in her future castle.

"So, it would appear my niece is stronger than she looks," the dark figure hummed as she moved slightly, causing the magical chains surrounding her body to rattle. "Hmmm what is this?"

She watched as another dark figure -one that nearly ended everything prematurely- exploded in a flash of blood red light. She watched with a curious eye, assuming at first, he had died, but that was far from the truth. With his power severed, the assassin was being transported to his new prison. She thought that he was heading to her, but his trajectory indicated that he would miss location her by a long shot. He was probably headed for a star. Probably because her pathetic sister couldn't give her the pleasure of at least speaking to another, so she who will not be named would trap him in one of her precious stars. She bared her fangs as she ignited her horn, pushing past the pain as her bindings flared with magic, but their power was weak and her will was strong. She captured his essence as it passed, pulling on it with all her strength.

She had to speak with him.

In the dark void of her prison, the figure pulled the assassin into her cell. Stalker landed with a stumble as he was quick to catch his footing before he surveyed his surroundings. It was dark and he was unsure of where he was. "Well, well, well, what hath we have here?" a voice spoke from the dark void, making the Warframe go on the defense. "No need to fear us," she assured as she spoke in fluent Orokin.

"Show, yourself!" Stalker demanded.

There was a flash of blue light as her shadow was revealed to the fallen Tenno, taking him by surprise. Stalker spun, his tattered cloak and broken armor fluttering and shaking in the wind as he faced the threat. "Fret not, my little assassin for we have work for thee," she spoke as smooth as a foal’s bottom. "We will give thee a deal." She offered while if Stalker had eyes, he would have narrowed them skeptically at the offer. His last proposal had just ended on a very sour note and nearly ended his life. "We can tell that thou hath feelings against mine… sister's daughter. Whereas we hate thine sister. Join us and we will reward you with milk and honey!"

Stalker for his part, was still skeptical as he stared up at the silhouetted prisoner. She was clearly in no position to make propositions, trapped by chains and an unfamiliar, yet very strong power. "We can sense thine apprehension, become our king and you will have thine revenge!" He lowered his head and glanced to the side in thought. The power binding him to Hunhow and the Sentients had clearly been severed and left him vulnerable and alone yet again. But his hatred was strong and had been fueled by that wretched girl that had bested him, nearly killing him in the process. Lifting his head, Stalker gave her one, resolute nod.

His mistress bared her fangs with a malicious smile.

"Huzzah!" she cheered proudly. "But unless thee can break these wretched binds," she accentuated her point by pulling at her chains, forcing the ruins to glow and the metal to chatter. "We are trapped here for a year’s time. Do not fret though, for my stars have been aiding us. For now…" Her horn glowed as she activated her magic once more, fighting hard against the glowing runes of her binding chains. She concentrated hard before in a flash of blue light flashed above the Warframe while a curved weapon made of the finest Equestrian steel descended, coming to a hover before her new king. "A gift, to mine new King!"

Stalker stared at his reflection in the viciously hooked, razor sharp blade. Now resolute in his decision, he slowly lifted his right hand, wrapping his glove around the weapons metal shaft and support its full weight within his grasp. He swung it at first, testing the weapons balance before he got more intricate and started to swing at an invisible target. Yes, it would do nicely.

"A weapon fit… for a reaper…"

Chapter 31

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Chapter 31

Lieutenant Flare, now dressed in a tank top and a pair of sweatpants, who was thoroughly exhausted, held an ice pack to her throbbing head as she stumbled forward, unceremoniously plopping herself in a beanbag chair with a painful groan. The mare was in a lot of pain, both physically and emotionally and it was very clearly showing. Within the room, Princess Celestia sat in an actual chair with her arms on her knees as she stared blankly at the table. She was still clad in her golden armor save for her helmet, which sat on the table before her. Raven was fretting over Frost, constantly asking him questions in her native tongue as he nodded back to her, assuring her that he was alright. Private Shining Armor sat with his head in his hands at the table while Captain Stormy Flare of the Wonderbolts rubbed his back in condolence. Around the table, several of the highest-ranking officers in the Equestrian military sat with the same dim expression.

No pony dared to talk.

"How many?"

Lieutenant Flare spared her fellow orange mare a single glance. "We're still figuring that out…" she informed her fellow soldiers as she addressed the table entirely. "Several more were found here in the castle with the same gaping wound caused from the weapon before you." The roughly dozen or so guards glanced at the broken great sword that was currently laid out on the table before them.

"How did he get in?" one male sergeant asked.

Flare sighed as she adjusted herself in her seat, her bag of ice rattling slightly. "Unsure."

"Who was he after?" another sergeant, this time a mare, questioned.

"Is it not that obvious!" Lieutenant Flare spat as she sat forward in her seat before she hissed, grabbing her side as she fell back in her seat, groaning and squirming in agony.

"He was after me."

Everypony's attention went straight to the younger princess, who was now facing the crowd. Celestia turned back and glanced at her daughter from over her shoulder. "Honey you don't know-"

"Yes, I do mother! Raven interjected as she raised her voice. "He's the reason I ended up here in Equestria."

That bit of information silenced the mare while her heart went out to her daughter. They would be talking later.

"Yes, well, knowing that," Flare added rather dumbly. "Anyway. He's dead now."

"Are you sure?" Stormy Flare -the other Flare- questioned.

"I watched him explode myself," Flare said aggressively. "There was nothing left but a scorch mark!"

"I sensed no trace of magic," Celestia added as her attention drifted around the table. "So, he clearly didn't teleport away or use any other form of magic to escape. Whatever power he had within that weapon must have backfired and was immediately absorbed into his body."

Raven was still very unsure. He was gone, but it was absolutely no guarantee that Stalker was dead. He found her here by some strange means, who was to say that he wouldn't come back?

"Princess?" Raven lifted her head as she searched the multicolored faces for who had spoken. A young mare, another sergeant with blue fur spoke. "How do you think he got in?"

She had a feeling she knew, explaining it was going to be a bitch. "Teleporter," she theorized, but essentially knew deep inside. She had faced him once before, but she had a team with her and he did not have Hunhow's power backing him. He appeared with a flicker of the lights, indicating that the power he was using to arrive, was messing with the ships electrical grid. When they had beaten him, he quickly disappeared in a flash of light and another flicker of the lights.

"But," another stallion sputtered as he sat back in his seat. "We have runes and spells in place to prevent unauthorized teleportation within the castle! The closest you could get is to the gate!"

"I said teleporter not teleport," Raven clarified. There was a clear difference when it came to ponies teleporting from their internal power, which relies on the casters internal mana pool. An external system is significantly more powerful. The machines located in the Void were extremely powerful. They could take you through dimensions for fuck sake! And they worked very differently from the weaker ones she's seen here in Equestria. "A machine, essentially. That bypasses the spells. I'm pretty sure that's how he got in."

"Stationary teleporters are powered directly from the latent magic within the planet. So, they tend to be much more powerful. Put a few extra magically strengthened gems into it and maybe some dark magic as well and it could basically bypass anything, especially if you intend to just get in," Lieutenant Flare explained.

"Speaking of dark magic," Raven cut in. "Care to explain what that was!" the human spat at the injured mare as she turned to face her. Flare for her part, winced and immediately averted her gaze. She was boned. "That demonic look you were rocking back there!"

Everyponies eyes went wide as they eyed the unicorn in confusion. "Something that I have allowed the good lieutenant to practice when necessary," Celestia was quick to interject and dismiss. "Which in this case, it was. But were not here to discuss my new… Captain… we're here to discuss the latest breach in security."

When the solar mare hesitantly said the word 'captain' ears splayed back, gazes were averted, and hearts ached. Celestia sighed as her gaze drifted towards the only empty chair and the now abandoned helmet that sat on the table in his place. "We have dead to bury, injured to pray for, and medals to hand out." Celestia paused while everypony lowered their heads in remembrance. "Bronze was a great stallion and a wonderful friend. He will not be forgotten…"

A moment of silence was shared by the collective as they bowed their heads and prayed in the way of which they were accustomed.

"He fought like he was in the gates of Tartarus," Raven said softly as tears welled up in the corner of her eye. Bronze was almost like a father to her. He loved her, trained her, and spent time with her. He was such a great pony and now that he was gone…

The teen sniffled as she tried to hold back her tears. Celestia stood up and embraced her daughter, pulling her into a tight hug as the girl grabbed at her mother's armor. Celestia did her best to comfort her child. All of them, they had all died for her. "This meeting is adjourned," Celestia declared as she kissed the top of Raven's head and cooed gently nothings to calm down the sobbing teen. "The fallen will be buried in Canterlot National Cemetery. We'll do a medal and ranking ceremony at some point as well. You’re all dismissed.”

Everypony except Shining Armor and Lieutenant Flare stood up and saluted before they exited the room slowly and one by one. A teary-eyed Captain Stormy Flare patted Private Armor on the back twice before she herself exited the room. Private Armor sniffled as he stood up, wiping his eyes before he saluted weakly and left the room. “Cadance is in her room with Twilight. They could help cheer you up, Shining,” Celestia informed the stallion as she reached for her helmet and picked it up. He knew where he was heading as he left the room. Wincing, Flare stood up from her softer seat and held her left arm across her belly as she too, saluted with her right hand, which still had a now partially melted ice bag in it and left without another word.

Celestia and Raven were the last to leave as the matriarch led her daughter out of the room, taking the fallen captain's as they went. The castle was still on high alert as guards locked down the building. Squads of royal guards continued to patrol the massive building, saluting as they passed by the glum pair with concerned expressions of their own. The two rulers were quick to head towards Celestia’s room, which now had triple the amount of guards at the door. Celestia led Raven to the bed and sat her down while she began stripping her armor. It only took a few minutes, which were spent in silence as she rested her armor on a skeletal rack within her closet. Once her armor was back in place, she pulled her undershirt over her head, letting her breasts bounce before she grabbed a tank top and pulled it over her head before she weaseled out of her pants and changed into a pair of jeans before she approached her daughter and sat down next to Raven and embraced her, pulling her into a very loving hug.

“This is all my fault…” Raven sobbed as she hugged her mother, grabbing at the mares shirt.

“No, it’s not,” Celestia tried to assure as she rubbed the teens back.

Raven’s lower lip quivered as she started to feel really nervous. For years she had kept a very important secret from her family. Now more than ever, it had come to the light. Her whole body was starting to tremble in fear of how her mother might react.

“M-Mom…”

“Yes, Honey?” Celestia replied as she leaned back and looked down at her daughter.

“Can… can I tell you something?”

Celestia embraced her daughter yet again as she started to sway back and forth comfortingly. “Honey, I love you with all my heart. You know you can ask me anything.” Raven bit her lip as her fears started to violently take hold in the form of uncontrollable shaking. It was blatantly clear to Celestia that something was ailing her daughter. She hadn’t seen her this bad in years. “Honey, whatever is worrying you, I promise that I can handle it.”

Raven took a deep breath to steel her resolve the two of them separated from one another. Raven took another deep breath as she rested her hands in her lap, nervously rubbing them together while Celestia waited patiently, only running her hand through her daughter's hair so that it didn’t cover her face. “I’m… I’m an alien…” she finally admitted.

Celestia blinked. “I know you are. You don’t exactly look like a pony!” she laughed at the silliness of the statement.

“N-No!” Raven denied, shaking her head as she started to sob even more as tears streamed down her cheek and dropped onto her pant leg, darkening the material as it puddled there. “I’m an alien from another planet!” she shouted as she turned to face her mother, surprising her mainly from the volume of the admission. Celestia furrowed her brow in confusion as she searched Raven’s expression, thinking that this was a bad time to make jokes. But the longer she searched deep into Raven’s eye, the more she knew she wasn’t lying.

“You’re serious,” Celestia eventually spoke in minor disbelief. “I… am not exactly sure what to say.” And that’s exactly what she opted to do. Just not say anything as Raven spun this wild tale of another solar system, experimentation, space ninjas, greed, robots, and war. She spoke tales of weaponry beyond anything that Equestria could have ever possessed. Tales of wars and battles long forgotten. All the while Celestia sat patiently, listening intently as Raven continued to explain a long-lost secret.

Tales of vast, space faring craft. A galactic empire with ruthless intent and a money laundering cult that steals in the name of profit. An empire long since dead and planets full of strange life. People with robotic enhancements and others that survive on the flesh of a living tower. Part way through the explanation, Frost entered the room and approached the pair, pausing momentarily when he saw her wounded expression. The Warframe approached his operator and sat down next to her and gently stroked her hair as a sign of support and love.

Raven continued to tell her tail for some time before she finally explained about Stalker and the sword, Hunhow. She went into deep detail about how she ended up in Equestria. “I… I brought him here!” Raven sniffed before she rubbed her eye with the back of her sleeve, wiping away the painful tears. She continued to wallow in her shame while Frost tried to comfort her, all the while Celestia sat there in silence. “This is all my fault!”

“That is enough young filly!” Celestia suddenly stated authoritativly. Raven winced as she closed her eye and reeled back, as if preparing to be struck. Celestia glared at her horrified child before she let out a depressed sigh, immediately calming down at the sight of her terrified child. “Come here,” the mare said softly as she reached out and grabbed her daughter and pulling her into a loving embrace. Raven didn’t put up a fight as she let the mare move her into her lap. Just like when she was smaller, Celestia pulled the girl into a full body hug, embracing her fully. Tears welled up in the corners of the mare’s eyes. “I don’t care where you came from,” she whispered into Raven’s ear. “You may not have come from my loins, but I have raised you like my own. I love you. I love you with all of my heart and all my soul. You are a princess but most importantly you are my daughter! Nothing will ever change that.”

Raven sniffled and smiled as a sense of peace and relief washed over her. For many years she had feared this exact moment. Initially it would have never been a problem for she had not been acquainted with everypony as deeply as she was now. Now, she had a family, and they loved her, and she loved them. The war, the death, and loss was gone. She had the life she had always wanted!

Frost suddenly leaned over and less than gracefully, he kinda just flopped against the pair, startling them at first before they eyed him curiously. Then he slowly lifted his arms and embraced them as well. Both Raven and Celestia shared a giggle at his antics while the relished in the moment. “I love you,” Celestia cooed one last time before there was a knock at the door.

“Princess,” one the guards spoke from the other side of the door, grabbing the attention of all three occupants. “There is somepony here for you.” That confused the pair of princesses as they shared that exact glance as well. The castle was still under hard lockdown, meaning that no pony, griffon, yak or otherwise was allowed into the building. “Mister Copper Coin is here to see you Princess Raven.”

“Copper!” the teen exclaimed excitedly as she extricated herself from her position and was quick to get to her feet. She rushed towards the door and embraced her coltfriend as soon as he entered the room.

“Raven are you okay!?” he frantically said as soon as he entered the room, gladly accepting her eager hug before he held her by the biceps and examined her for injuries.

“I’m fine,” she dismissed as he continued to look her over. She let him fuss over her well-being for a moment longer before they embraced again, this time with a passionate kiss before resting their foreheads together lovingly. “Guess we won’t be heading to your parents place this weekend...”

Copper and Raven had been planning for a while now in going and visiting his parents for the weekend so that he could finally introduce her to his parents and sister. But due to today's unfortunate circumstances was going to put that on hold. “It’s fine,” he dismissed before he turned his attention towards Princess Celestia and gave her a light bow. “Are you alright, Princess?”

Celestia nodded. “Very much and I told you that you can call me Celestia.” Copper nodded in response before he leaned forward and embraced his marefriend one last time. Holding her nice and close, making sure that she wouldn't be disappearing any time soon.

“I know this is asking a lot, and you don’t have too but…” Raven blushed as she averted her gaze momentarily. “But… Could you please be at the funeral? I could really use the support... “

He nodded. “Of course.”

***

It was a day which would live in infamy.

The flags were flown at half-staff in honor of the fallen.

A nation was mourning the loss of their brave.

At Canterlot National Cemetery families and friends, Commander's from each branch of the E.U.P were present along with all of the royal guard. Princess Celestia, along with her daughter and her coltfriend, niece and nephew stood before the seven caskets, each draped with the Equestrian flag. In the background, Taps played as the fallen were set to rest with the rest of their fallen brothers and sisters. Dressed in full regulation dress blues, the Royal Guard stood at attention, but they were not without emotion as their commander had fallen for his country. Mares and stallions alike sobbed, their hearts broken and shattered. On the center casket of the line of seven, sat the commander's helmet, for even in death, his authority never wavered.

Celestia had given her speech and the fallen were to be finally laid to rest. The flags were folded and handed off to the surviving families of the fallen. The six stallions and one mare had left behind wives, marefriends, foals, parents, a husband, and siblings. Captain Bronze was the last to be laid to rest as commander. His helmet was removed, and the flag was folded as they were dutifully, and respectfully, given to his sister, the only surviving member of the family before he too, was laid to rest with his brothers and sisters.

A lone cannon was fired in his honor.

Just before the casket was lowered, every guard under his command removed their insignia pins. The now Captain of the Guard, Captain Flare was the first to rest her pin against the casket and slam it into the wood with her fist before she honored him with one last teary-eyed salute. As she stepped away, Private Dawn approached next as she wheeled Private Longbow forward. The stallion, dressed in full attire, sat in his wheelchair, his right pant leg empty. They too, pinned their insignia pins into the wood. Private Armor was next. He didn't dare to hide his emotions as he lowered his head to his fallen commander while slowly pressing his pin in with the palm of his hand.

The rest of the Royal guard would continue to honor him just the same...

By the time the last guard had pinned her metal and salute, the entire surface of the golden coffin was filled with medals of the crown. Celestia, Raven, Cadance, and Blueblood were the last to approach the coffin. In the solar mares’ hands, was a medal. The ribbon was purple and gold with a bronze colored star underneath it. "For you acts of valor and bravery in the protection of the crown in a time of great adversity. I bestow the…"

Celestia trailed off as she wiped her eyes…

"I bestow upon you, Captain Bronze Shield, the Equestria Medal of V-Valor!" the mare sniffled. She hadn't lost a commanding officer in the line of duty in centuries, this… was a real travesty. The mare didn't say anything further as she pinned the medal to the casket and saluted.

Forever at ease…

Captain Flare inhaled deeply as she addressed her ponies. "GUARD! AAA-TTEN-TION!" The sounds of hooves and arms shuffling filled the air as the royal guard went straight to attention. "COMPANY! OFFICER ON DECK!" Everypony snapped to salute as they honored their commander one last time. "TO THE LAST SHIP! TO THE LAST SPEAR! TO THE LAST MARE! WE FIGHT!"

"WE FIGHT!"

Another cannon fired, resonating through the air, resembling the forever fight within each and every one of them.

Taps played one last time as the decorated stallion was lowered into the ground…

Raven could only watch on as tears of agony streamed down her cheek…

***

It was a few days later that the survivors of the fight stood before their Princess in the partially repaired throne room. The smashed column was standing but surrounded by scaffolding and the windows were covered with plastic. Princess Celestia, wearing her signature white dress, stood before the dozen plus guards. Raven stood to her mother's right, wearing a golden dress and her crown while Cadance stood to the mares left in her light blue dress and crown. At the front of the line stood Captain Flare in her dress blues.

"For your actions in protecting the crown," Celestia started before reaching over and side hugging her daughter with one arm. "And for protecting my daughter. You have all been chosen for promotion or awards. Or both in some cases. Captain, you have the floor."

"Thank you, Princess," Captain Flare nodded as she about faced towards her small contingent of guards. "Just as the Princess stated you all showed exemplary service in the face of such a threat. And while some of you have lost something-" She was referring to the missing leg of Private Longbow, the arm of Corporal Remington, and the eyesight of Corporal Winchester. "-you fought like Tartarus and will be honored for your actions." The mare paused as she looked over her troops. "All of you will be ranked immediately in thanks for your actions. But first," the mare turned back towards Celestia expectantly. The mare nodded as she stepped back and grabbed a red pillow that had been resting on a table next to her throne, which had three medals on it. Three purple ribbons with a heart shaped medal attached to it. The outside of the heart was gold while the center was the same dark purple of the ribbons with a silhouette of the Princesses head and shoulders on it. Holding the pillow with both hands, she descended the dais with Raven in tow before she stood before the new captain. Captain Flare took the first medal and stepped forward towards Private Longbow.

She pinned the medal to the stallions left breast before she stepped back and saluted. Longbow returned the salute from his position in his wheelchair. “I wish I could say congratulations,” Flare stated as she lowered her arm. “To any of you, really. But the loss of limbs… let alone life, is nothing to be proud of. But you deserve to be recognized for your actions. I will congratulate you all on your rank advancements.” Captain Flare grabbed another medal and pinned it to Corporal Remington, pinning it to her left breast and saluting. This was the only time that the mare was allowed to salute with her left arm. Finally, she approached the final injured mare. Corporal Winchester stood at attention with her red and slightly glazed over eyes. She was blind enough that she was going to be honorably discharged from the Royal Guard, but she was going to be going out with high honors and the rank of sergeant, along with the backing of whatever medical insurances she may need. But the mare still had enough of her sight to salute her actions. Stepping away, the flame orange mare addressed her guards further. “I will be submitting all of your proper paperwork as soon as we are done here. Thank you for your service!” She turned and faced towards the younger princess. “I do believe that Princess Raven has something she would like to say.”

The girl turned towards her mother, who had a sword hovering in her magic. Taking it in her grasp, Raven held it with both hands before her for a moment, then she unsheathed the weapon and examined its glistening surface surface. "This…" she trailed off as she lowered the weapon and looked out and over her guard. Her saviors. "This was Bronze's. He gave it to me with the intention of killing that bastard…" She paused, inhaling slowly to keep her composure. "But it is not intended for me, but for another." She took another deep breath before continuing. "Bronze intended to pass this onto another that he found worthy of taking his place. Private Armor!"

The stallion in question stiffened up slightly. "Ma'am!"

Raven stepped forward as she sheathed the weapon with a click. "Captain Bronze Shield had already put forward rank advancement for you recently. So not only are you being promoted to the rank of Corporal, but Sergeant as well." The young stallion blinked at the surprising declaration. "But Bronze, my mother, and myself see more in you. You have the heart of a leader! Which is why."

The princess paused as she held out the weapon with one hand to the young stallion.

"Captain Bronze intended to pass on his praise, congratulations, and most of all his sword," she listed as she offered him the weapon. "To you Sergeant Armor. Captain Bronze intended to train you himself, but… You will be learning your officers training from Captain Flare. You've made not only your country proud. But your commanding officer proud as well!"

He didn't know what to say!

What was he supposed to say!?

Sergeant Armor could only stare at the offered weapon with a limp jaw as it bobbed up and down like a fish. Tears of sorrow began to build up as his vision blurred. "I-I… I don't know what to say! I don't deserve this!" he sobbed, closing his eyes and averting his attention away from the offering.

"Shining," Raven spoke softly, causing him to lift his head and open his eyes, looking right at her depressed expression. "He was my friend too. He gave me this weapon with one purpose and fulfilled it, now it belongs to you.

"I suggest you make him proud and prove him right by taking the sword."

Shining Armor raised a shaky hand, but he paused, his open palm hovering over the weapon as he hesitated. But if what she said was true, he would be insulting the fallen stallion if he refused. So, he steeled his resolve and palmed the weapon, taking it from her open palm and holding it close, cherishing it. With a nod, the sergeant snapped back to attention and saluted.

"Make him proud soldier!" Raven encouraged as she saluted herself. "That goes for all of you!"

With one last, resolute shout while the dozen plus guards snapped to attention, "YES MA'AM!"

***

Thunder boomed over head as a torrential downpour fell from the skies above, patting and slapping against the soft fabric of the umbrella that protected the young teen from being soaked to the bone. The girl stared longingly at the grave before her. It was a stark difference from the sunshine a few days prior. She showed no emotion as she stared at the name on the gravestone before her. "I miss you…"

Stepping around the still bare dirt that filled the grave, she patted the gravestone twice as a silent goodbye before she glanced at the remaining six graves, her heart tearing at the sight. In a sense, it was her fault, but at the same time, she had no control over it. She didn't want to dwell on it either, especially now. So, she simply turned, and let sleeping dogs lie. Not too far away, under an umbrella of his own, Copper watched as his marefriend mourned the loss of her friend and father figure. Beside him, mourning in their own way as well, were a pair of guards, one male and one female, their armor protecting them from the frigid rain.

On she was close enough, Copper offered her an arm and a warm reprieve from the frigid air. Raven was eager to take said offering as she leaned into his embrace, closing her umbrella as she went.

He comforted her as they exited the cemetery and out into the near dead streets of Canterlot. As the quartet headed into the streets of the capital city, the few ponies that were active in this storm, stopped to offer their condolences. Stallions tipped their hats while mares lowered their heads out of respect. It wasn't the castle that was mourning. All of Equestria had felt as it had been wounded by the acts of a tyrant.

No words were said as the pair entered the city square, where the both the flags of Canterlot and the Equestrian flag flew, both, at half-staff. Before them, stood an elder stallion, dressed in an outdated uniform, as he saluted his country, his flag. To anypony that had been watching him, they would have never noticed the tears that dripping down his cheeks, which mixed with the droplets of rain that dotted his face. He continued to mourn in his own way before suddenly, the rain stopped. The stallion blinked, before he saw the umbrella above him. Turning, he came face to face before one of his prestigious rulers. The young girl smiled to the retired soldier before she snapped to attention…

And saluted the stallion.

Tears of pain were immediately replaced with tears of joy, respect, and honor. The elder lowered his arm before he bowed towards his princess out of respect. Raven was quick to return the action by stepping forward and embraced the stallion in a gentle, yet warm hug as she thanked him softly for his service.

"You're dismissed, Sergeant."

"Thank you, Princess."

"No, thank you, for your service to the crown."

Before they parted, she offered him her umbrella, but he declined with an open palm before he about-faced and left the city center. As she turned back towards her escorts, Copper waited patiently while the two guards followed their elders lead as they saluted the flag of their fallen. With one last salute, Raven let the way towards the train station.

Due to the increase in security, the princess’s private car had been attached to the rest of the train. Armored beyond anything ever imaginable and covered with every single ward and rune created. The car could be dropped off a cliff and the occupants inside would have never known. Speaking of the inside, it had every amenity that a pony could ever desire. Full bar with every drink imaginable. A full-fledged kitchen stock with meals fit for royalty. A single bedroom with a king-sized bed layered with the finest of silk sheets. There was a single table for dining or playing games that was made of a single piece of stained oak wood. Lastly, there were two benches with the finest of velvet as seats for the bench and a few plush bean bag chairs scattered about the room.

Raven paid none of it any mind as she headed towards the sleeping area. "I'm going to go lie down, you can join me if you'd like," she informed her guards and offered towards her coltfriend. The pair of guards nodded as one of them locked the door before they headed over to the table, one of them pulling out a deck of cards.

"We'll wake you when we get there, Princess," the male guard stated as he sat down, his female partner not too far behind.

Copper opted to join his mare and comfort her. She was still in much distress, and it hurt him to see her that way. He closed the door behind him as she sat down on the bed and untied her boots. Her socks followed next as she stuffed them. Inside her boots and set them next to the bed. Next, she removed her blue rain jacket and tossed it towards the only seat in the room. Her shirt followed next, followed by her bra. Copper's eyes drifted towards her bare breasts and darkened nipples as she let her girls free. He continued to watch her as she stood up and immediately unbuttoned and unzipped her pants, shimmying out of them and her panties before she stepped out of her pants. He could feel the start of an erection, the natural response to such a scene. His mare was bare naked before him and he knew the glory that pussy could provide him, but this was not a time for sex, and he knew it, she just wanted to relax.

She climbed under the sheets and gave him an expectant look. He was quick to get the hint.

He stripped out of his clothes and grabbed a book from the bag he had brought with him and climbed under the sheets with her. Propping himself up with a few pillows and held out an arm invitingly. She pressed her nude body against his own, snuggling against him like she always does, intertwining her leg with his own. She sighed, closing her eye as he opened his book. To pass the time and to thank him for being there for her, she palmed his testicles and idly played with them and his penis as they relaxed. In turn, he groped her left breast, messaging the orb between his fingers as he read.

Nothing more came of it for the rest of the trip...

Author's Notes:

So on my, chapter dump story... I guess is what I am calling it. If you want to see what I had planned for chapters 28 and 29, go ahead and check it out. Especially if you want to be left hanging.

I guess I'll add this here as well. As far as the Coronavirus is concerned...
I'm not that worried about it.
I have not brought much attention to it because everyone else has said something about it. I am a healthy 24 year old with no underlying medical conditions. At this point I practically know everything revolving about the disease -since people can't seem to shut up about it. My wish is that people would stop blowing it horrendously out of proportion. This is not a disease where 'people are dying faster than we can burn the bodies.'

At this point, I am more concerned about people panicking -over a slightly worse case of the flu- and doing something stupid because of civil unrest than I am of an upper respiratory system infection.

People do dumb shit when they get scared.

But I will say, if you are sick, Coronavirus or not, just don't go out and do anything and rest. Wash you hands. Keep a gun within reach, you never know who is coming after your secret stash of TP.

Chapter 32

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Chapter 32

In one of the many quaint subdivisions that scattered around the booming town of Baltimare, sat a one little home in particular. The solid white building was built of two stories, the perfect home for the family within. The neighborhood was sweet, and almost like any other small community within the area. Thankfully it wasn't like the cookie cutter homes that were popping up all over the country. A lovely little place with a large front porch, luscious green grass, and a beautiful garden of exotic, multicolored flowers from across the world.

There were three gentle knocks at the door.

Three pairs of ears swiveled towards the door. In the living room, a young silver colored earth pony mare with a blonde mane and tail in a pair of black shorts and a blue tank top had been laid out on the couch in the room, lowering the brown backed book she had been reading. Opposite of her in a warm, yet very comfortable looking and well used brown recliner, sat an older looking earth pony stallion. Much like the mare near him, his fur was silver in nature with a few errant patches of white. But unlike the younger mare, his mane was brown in nature with a few strands of grey visible. He lowered his paper, revealing the black rimmed pair of reading glasses resting upon the bridge of his muzzle and the untucked dress shirt and black dress pants. Both ponies eyed the door expectantly.

"Honey would you please get that?" the stallion requested of the younger mare.

"On it, dad!" The mare was quick to place her open book on the coffee table before her as she stood up and brushed her clothes flat and free of any errand wrinkles. She had to at the very least, look presentable after all. The silver colored mare ran her hands through her mane and adjusted her ponytail just as she reached the door. Once she felt as though she was set, she grabbed the door and opened the door with a smile.

"Silvy!"

The mare gasped and squeed, and much like the stallion before her, greeted him with equal amounts of enthusiasm. "Coppy!" she lunged towards the slightly smaller stallion and pulled him into an excited embrace, hugging her younger brother with every ounce of her earth pony strength she had before she pulled him into a playful head lock and gave him a firm, but loving knuckle rub to the head.

But instead of whining or trying to fight his older sister, Copper playfully laughed at her antics as she dragged him into his childhood home. "Mom, Dad, Copper's home!" Silvy called into the house as she dragged him along into the entryway of the home.

"Silver release you brother!" the firm, yet loving voice of Copper's mother ordered as she entered the hallway from around the corner. Unlike her daughter, the elder unicorn mare was a khaki color much more in line with Copper's fur color. The elder matriarch was dressed more conservatively than her younger daughter in a pair of long grey sweatpants and a red sweatshirt and pink apron. She tossed a damp towel onto her right shoulder, glaring at her daughter, silently ordering the young mare to release her brother. When Silver finally released Copper, the matriarch's glare turned into a welcoming smile. "Ohhhh, it's so good to see my little baby!" she greeted with a warm and welcoming hug.

"It's good to see you too mom," Copper replied as he gladly accepted the embrace. Releasing one another, the mare stepped aside to allow her husband to step forward and see his son. “Dad!” Copper’s father smiled as he stepped forward and embraced his boy.

“It’s so good to see you my boy!” Copper’s father greeted him as he too, hugged the smaller stallion. “What’s with the surprise visit? Not that any of us mind.”

“Well…” Copper lead as he rubbed the back of his neck nervously upon his release, averting his gaze momentarily. “I kinda brought somepony you might want to meet.”

Both parents blinked before they glanced at each other with a look of confusion. Copper’s sister however, got it what he was implying after a moment of thought as she gasped loudly and rather excitedly. “HA! You got a marefriend didn’t you!?” In her excitement, the elder sibling almost tackled her younger brother as she squealed with equal amounts of enthusiasm, hopping up and down with just as much enthusiasm. “Where is she? What’s her name!?” Silver screeched into her brother's face as she pressed her muzzle against his own.

“Should I come back later?” a feminine voice giggled from the still open front door.

Silver gasped as she spun on her heels to greet her little brothers new marefriend. “Oh, my goodness! My names-PRINCESS RAVEN!?”

Raven gave a gentle wave from her spot at the front door, her soft smile just as welcoming as she waited patiently for her coltfriend's family to finish their meet and greet. All three members of Copper’s family could only stare in utter awe and blatant confusion at the teen standing in their home. With their jaws still on the floor, Copper’s parents and his sister slowly turned towards the sheepish teen.

“Ahehehe…. Surprise!” Copper admitted with a blush.

Silver promptly fainted.

***

“I don’t know what to say… I actually don’t know what to say…”

Raven continued to openily laugh at the mare's expense as the silver teen held an ice pack to the back of her head. Unfortunately for Silver, her parents were too dumbfounded to even move, and Copper wasn’t fast enough to catch his sister as she fell backwards, cracking her head against the wall when she passed out. Raven sat next to Copper as he sat next to his sister, nursing her injury by occasioanlly checking on the lump on the back of her head.

“Well, I think greetings are in order,” Copper’s mother suggested as she entered the living room with a tray of tea as she set it down on the coffee table before she sat down in a nearby chair. Raven sat up and gave the mare her undivided attention as she reached out for a cup. “My name is Lee Enfield, but everypony just calls me Enny. This is my husband, Gold. You already know Copper. Finally, little miss injured over there is our daughter and Copper’s rambunctious sister, Silver. And we're the Coin family!” the mare listed as she gestured towards each member of the family.

Raven had waited patiently, looking at each member of the family. When Enny had finished her welcome and family list, Raven looked back towards the mare with a confusing look and a slight cock of her head to the left. “Lee? That sounds like a stallion's name?”

“My father wanted a colt,” Enny pursed her lips inward and shrugged her shoulders, silently saying that there was nothing she could do about it. “Anyhow, perhaps you could introduce us to your friends here?”

Raven glanced back at her two guards standing at attention at the entrance to the living room. “I guess what I should say first is that they have to follow me just about everywhere and they’ll be rotating out on an eight our basis. We can have them leave if you’d like?” she offered but continued her explanation regardless. “The mare there is Sergeant Maresfield and the stallion is Sergeant Mauser, they'll be the two we see the most of."

The two guards tilted their heads in greeting. "Sir, Ma'am," they said in unison.

"My father wanted me to be a guard," Enny said offhandedly. "Not to be rude, but I'm kinda glad that never happened."

"Why didn't you?" Raven asked.

Enny leaned over and patted her husband on the knee. "Well, I met my husband here during college."

"We hit it off immediately," Gold jumped into the explanation. "I was going on an extended trip for my archeology class to do work in the field and I had an offer to take a beautiful young mare with me as company. Who was I to refuse!"

"My father wasn't too amused that I just up and left, but what could he do? I was halfway across the world!" Enny explained with a shrug and a chuckle. "Within two years we were married. A few years after that and once we were back home, Silver was born and Copper not long after that."

"And we've been here ever since!" Gold finished the simplified story. "But occasionally we get called to help with digs here and there. Mainly to help identify coins or lost treasure. Or we help with the local museums and help them prepare for the next exhibit or where to send the next dig team."

"But unlike my father, we let the kids find their own path, supporting them as much as we can," Enny added. “Silver is more in line with what we do, often joining us on some local calls. Copper wanted to go to university, and we couldn’t be more proud of him!”

Copper blushed as the tiniest of smiles graced his lips at the praise.

Raven paid him no mind as she looked around the room and the various items and nicknacks that scattered the walls. There was one wall in particular that was dedicated to a large shelving unit that was dedicated to a plethora of older artifacts. There were several coins sitting on pedestals in various states of age and materials. There were several gold coins, some silver, and a ton of them were copper. Some of them were covered in dirt while others were covered in oxidization. There were old documents, maps, paintings and pottery as well. There was a small fortune there in artifacts. Right in the middle of it all was a single certificate from Manehatten University with Gold’s name on it.

“Anyway,” Enny said, grabbing the attention of the young princess. “I think it’s a good thing I just cleaned out the spare room. You can stay here if you’d like princess-I mean Raven. But I do have to set some ground rules. Princess or not you are in my house,” the matriarch stated firmly. “I do expect you to clean up after yourself and help me in the kitchen with cleaning or cooking. If you are in the house, we eat together for dinner at the very least. And lastly…” The mare narrowed her gaze at both her son and his marefriend. “If you two are going to hang out in either bedroom the door stays open. Period! I will not have you staining my sheets with semen and marecum.”

“Moooooooom!” the whine in particular came not from Copper, but his sister Silver.

“I won’t.” Enny said firmly. “Only your father and I get to do that!” With that, the mare stood up and headed towards the kitchen, leaving her husband cackling as he slapped the armrest of his chair while her children were left blushing up a storm.

Raven turned towards her blushing Copper, kissing him softly on his burning cheek. “I like her already!” Standing up, the teen followed after the older mare. “Enny? When do you want to start dinner?” Raven called after her as she entered the kitchen. Back in the livingroom, Silver stood up a second later and ran into the kitchen after Raven.

“Hey Rave, can I call you Rave? Hey, want to go to the beach tomorrow?” Copper heard his sister ask as she entered the kitchen.

That left the two males of the home to their devices. Wiping an errand tear from his eye, Gold stood up and approached his son. Copper looked up and smiled at his father. “Proud of you son,” Gold praised as he rested his open palm on his son's shoulder, squeezing it. “Your mother is a princess to me, but I don’t know what you did to actually catch her eye, but I’m proud of you!”

“He fainted!” Raven shouted from the kitchen.

“HA!” Silver laughed not a second later.

Copper blushed while his father rolled his eyes, giving his son a reasuring squeeze. Gold was just about to open his mouth to say something when Enny beat him to it. “So did Gold when he proposed.”

Both stallions blushed and shared a slightly embarrassing chortle as the patriarch wrapped an arm around his son's shoulders, leading him into the kitchen to enjoy the sight of their respective mates wonderful backsides as they started to make their meal for the night. Dinner would go well as the five ponies would talk and swap stories or tell jokes. But Copper just had this underlying feeling that something was off…

***

Copper laid on his back in his bed, silently staring at his ceiling. It had been an hour since he had gone to bed, but his mind wouldn't let him. Like the concerned boyfriend he was, he could sense Raven’s internal distress even though she had been externally excited to meet his parents and older sister ever since they had gotten off the train. He sighed exhaustedly, before he rubbed his face with both hands. “Here’s hoping this can be more enjoyable tomorrow…”

Deciding not to dwell on it lest he be up all night long, he took one deep, soothing breath, exhaling slowly before he closed his eyes for good. He laid there in silence for a little bit before he heard the faint jiggle of his doorknob being stealthily played with before his door clicked open and closed not long after. At first, he had thought it was his mother, or even his sister, but when he heard the door close, he was positive he knew who it was. Especially when he heard her set something on the desk next to his bed and lifted his sheets.

“Raven,” he warned, slightly panicking as she climbed on top of him. “If mom catches you in here, we’re both in trouble, princess or not!”

“Copper please,” she begged. “I need you right now!” To accentuate her point, he hissed through his teeth when he felt her press her slit against his penis, humping against his shaft through his shorts.

“Raven this is not the time or the…” he paused when he felt something wet drip onto his chest. It happened a second time and that’s when he knew what had caused her to sneak into his room. “Are… are you crying?” Through the moonlight that just barely seeped into his room from between his curtains, he could see her shaking her head. His panic was immediately replaced with immense concern. “Raven, what’s wrong?” he whispered as she sat up and gently grasped her shoulders.

It was abundantly clear that she was naked.

But he paid that no mind as he slowly wrapped his arms around her bare shoulders and pulled her into a much-needed hug. He could feel his loins stir at the feeling of her breasts against his bare chest, but ignored it as he held her close, resting his hand on the back of her head and rubbing it through her hair. “What's wrong?” he asked again as he rubbed her between her shoulder blades.

“I-I miss him!” she sobbed.

“I know,” he cood. “I know…”

She would continue to sob for some time while he sat there and held her. In the time he had known her, he had never seen his confident girl look and feel so vulnerable. It was so clear that this had hit her closer than anything he could have ever imagined. He was starting to wonder if coming after such a traumatic event was a bad idea?

“Copper…?”

“Yes?”

“Can… can we please make love?” she begged, leaning back and running her hand lovingly through his hair. “Please,” she whimpered as she sat back and ground her hips against his own. She began to increase her thrusts, dragging her sensitive lower lips across the length of his tented shorts, thouroughly soaking the fabric. “Does your bed squeak?” she panted.

“N-No!” he shuddered. “I need you to get off of me though!”

From there it delved into not an act of animalistic lust but of love and care. Cooper was eager and so was she. But he knew deep down she was doing this to ease her mind of the sorrows she was carrying. He took her from behind, making his thrusts last long and gentle, to bring out the pleasure they would both receive. This wasn’t going to be yet another mindless fuck to state their teenage desires, this was out of love and care for one another. He was even kind enough to help her relax through a wonderful message as well before he really got started.

It was only when they were both close to their blissful end did he really start to act more primal with his thrusts. His bucking became short and much harder by her request. When they finished, she screamed into his pillow to keep from waking anyone else up in the home as he groaned through his teeth as he came deep inside her canal. Coming down from their respective highs and basking in their post orgasmic bliss, they were pleasantly exhausted, soaked in sweat and the room reeked of the distinct stench of sex. Copper’s bedspread was soaked in her cum. Leaning down, Copper gently rested his chest on her back, softly kissing the back of her head before he tenderly ran his right hand through her hair. Copper began to pull back, extricating his still hard erection from her still pulsating slit before she reached back and grabbed his right butt cheek.

“Wait… wait…” she panted. He couldn’t see it from his angle but tears softly rolled down her cheek from her good eye. “Can we please stay like this? For a little while longer?”

He nodded. “Of course.” Copper eased himself back into her tight canal with a full body shudder before hilting himself within her canal yet again. But he couldn’t stay propped up above her like he was for the foreseeable future, so he gently snuck his right arm between her belly and his bed before he eased both himself and her to lie on their left-hand sides. With her as the small spoon and him the bigger one, he hugged her with both hands as she snuggled into his embrace.

She sniffled…

Copper squeezed her abdomen to accentuate the fact that he was there for her. She shuddered against him as her emotions finally took hold. She sobbed softly into his pillow as he did his best to comfort her, which came from the acts of kisses, soft shushes, and gentle rubs of her sides and belly.

“It was all my fault…” she sobbed.

Copper shook his head into her hair. “No, it’s not.” Regardless of his words of encouragement, she started to shake rather violently in his grasp, which caused him to pull her that much tighter against his naked body. “Raven, sweetie, you could have never predicted what happened not matter how hard you tried. And I think we both know that he would not want you to act like this. Even though I didn’t know Captain Bronze that much, I think I can say that he would prefer you remembered him for what he did, not how he died.”

She sniffled yet again, wiping her runny nose and wet eye with the back of her arm. “You sound like my mother…”

“It’s what my father told me when my grandfather died,” Copper explained before he kissed her softly right behind her right ear. “I love you, my princess.” She couldn’t see it, but tears of sorrow and pain ran down his cheeks as well. “But I don’t like seeing you like this.”

She didn’t reply.

As cheesy as it was, he was right. Stalker was always that type of ‘person’ that always appeared completely out of the blue. He could never be predicted. So how could she have ever predicted his appearance? What she really didn’t like was that he had tracked her to Equestria. What scared her even more was the fact that she knew he wasn’t dead. She just hoped that he was long gone and would never be seen again…

“Love you…” she eventually spoke.

The faintest of smiles graced his lips and he leaned forward yet again and kissed her on the cheek. “Love you too…” he whispered before he pecked her cheek again, then started to pepper her neck with soft butterfly kisses.

She let out the softest of whimpers before her walls clenched around Copper’s still hilted length. Copper moaned into her ear, reflexively bucking his hips. His left hand slowly rubbed its way across her warm, damp skin before he cupped her right breast, giving the orb a tender squeeze.

“One more?”

“One more.”

***

“Raven this is Starbound, my coltfriend,” Silver introduced the somewhat laid back, cobalt blue stallion to the princess. The stallion in question stood next to his marefriend his lengthy dyed white mane slightly covering his vision as it spilled over his eyes. But the stallion was unable to respond as he stared at the girl before him. Copper had thought that he was having a brain aneurysm because the laid-back stallion was usually a little more vibrant than this.

Suddenly, he came back to life.

“Copper my dude, congrats on the catch!” Starbound cheered as he suddenly jumped slightly, throwing his hands into the air in excitement. “You are one lucky dude to catch the eye of the princess.”

“Thanks Star,” Copper smiled. “I did what I could.”

“Anyway,” Silver cut in before her coltfriend went on some tangent. "It's warm and I'm eager to get to the beach! Let's go!"

On their way to the beach, the trio, with two guards in tow, had made a quick stop to grab Silver's coltfriend Starbound and make a quick introduction before they headed towards the beach. Silver led the way through the suburbs before the quaint homes turned into a semi-bustling boardwalk and finally the beach. Raven had been expecting them to post up somewhere on the main part of the beach but was pleasantly surprised when Silver led them to a secluded little alcove.

Star helped Copper help set up their towels and unloaded the latter of the twos backpack, setting up a small container filled with drinks and snacks while the girls were eager to strip their clothing, revealing their swimwear that they had been wearing underneath. Raven had been sporting a custom bikini made by her friend Fleur. The dark purple background was the backdrop for the large, yet majestic raven on her left breast while the moon was on her right. Silver for her part just wore a simple black one piece.

"Oooooo," Silver 'ood' as she fawned over her new friends’ swimsuit. "That's pretty," she complimented as she leaned into to examine the inlay and handiwork further. "Where did you get that?"

"A friend of mine in Canterlot works for a boutique there," the princess explained as she turned around and ran her hand along the fabric that covered her behind. "I've been eager to try it out!"

That's when silver noticed the scars that covered the unique teens back. Her excited demeanor turned a bit grim as she leaned back. "How did you get those scars?"

Raven winced at first, then sighed as she slowly turned around, rubbing her arm lightly. "It's something that happened a very long time ago, I'd rather not remember."

Silver held up her hands, immediately dismissing the comment. "Forget I even asked." Raven smiled appreciatively before she stepped forward and slapped Silver right on her right butt cheek, causing the mare to yelp as the muffled strike echoed through the air.

"Ow! You bitch that hurt!" Silver cursed as she hopped forward a little bit from the strike, rubbing the affected area as she glared at the laughing princess.

Without a second though -and a bit of revenge- Silver stepped forward and with open palm, slapped Raven on the back, right between her shoulder blades.

"AH! You cunt!" Raven in turn cursed as her back arched and her face contorted into a look of agony. Silver was laughing hysterically through her left hand before she turned around and gave her rear a teasing shake, daring the princess to come and get her before she took off running. Raven, with a nice red palm print on her back, shot after the mare like a bat outta hell. Copper for his part, giggled a bit as he sat down on the towel, leaning back on his propped-up hands while Star, now shirtless, laid back onto his own towel with a content sigh.

Copper opted to watch as his marefriend and his sister acted like foals as they tripped and fell or watch as Raven tried to grab Silver by her suit and take her to the ground. Eventually, he couldn't help but chuckle when he watched his girl full body tackle his sister when she had tried to escape into the water. They made a less than graceful and large splash as they disappeared under the surface of the water momentarily before they surfaced, giggling as though nothing had happened. Deciding to follow his fellow males lead, Copper leaned back and closed his eyes as he basked in the sun of the midday warmth. With the alcove providing ample shade to protect them from the intense sun.

“BY CELESTIA'S MASSIVE TITS YOU’RE WET!” Star suddenly shouted next to Copper.

Uh oh…

Copper yelped as the sudden and very wet body landed on top of him and pulling him into a very tight hug. Both females laughed maniacally as they held onto their coltfriend’s nice and tight against their soaking, dripping wet bodies, torturing them with the cool ocean water. “You’re warm,” Raven stated through her cackles as she wrapped her legs around Copper's waist. Eventually, the squirms of the boys died down while the cool wetness coating their bodies began to warm and eventually evaporate while the two couples relaxed in the midday warmth.

Initially, the small group didn’t do anything other than snuggle with their respective others as they napped for a while. Eventually, they did decide to go for a short swim in the warm ocean to cool off their bodies and clean off any errand sand before they decided to go for a walk down the boardwalk. The girls headed off to do their own thing, taking some bits with them to go and do some shopping and maybe grab a bite to eat while the boys left to catch up with one another. Raven’s guard split up appropriately as well, Sergeant Mauser with the boys and Sergeant Maresfield with the girls.

The two teens were quick to draw the attention of several stallions as they watched the teens as they walked. They knew that ponies were watching them, especially their bountiful, bouncing backsides. At first, they ignored the stares, but they were quick to turn it into a game to try and bust whoever they could. So, every once and awhile, they spun on their heels and glared at anypony they caught staring and such an action was quick to embarrass several stallions.

And even several mares.

But neither of them cared in all actuallity, they were in current relationships that would reward them with more than a few stares. Once they entered the storefronts of the wharf, heading into a swim store to try and find anything interesting. They searched through the available swimsuits before they selected a few to try on. As Raven stripped out of her current suit and was in the process of trying on a cute one piece she liked when Silver spoke up from the dressing room next to her.

“So, Raven,” Silver started, grabbing her companion’s attention as the human as she tied the necessary knots around her neck before she tied and clipped the strap around her back. “I was wondering. Have you made my brother a stallion yet?” They stepped out from behind their respective curtains at the same time.

“If you mean by sex than yes,” Raven answered nonchalantly as she turned to face a fully body mirror, dragging her hand up her clothed backside. It was a nice suit, but it was a little tight in the chest area. “You want details?” Raven offered Silver with a shit eating grin as she eyed the mare’s pink bikini.

“No!” Silver was quick to dismiss with a playful smile.

Raven shook her head playfully before she stepped back into the dressing room. She appeared a moment later in white bikini with a sun emblazoned on the front of her bottom. It didn't take much thought as Raven immediately decided that she didn’t like the thought of ponies staring at her crotch and letting their imagination run wild. Well, more wild than usual. She quickly stripped out of that suit and into a plain black bikini. This one however, was slightly smaller than her other bikini and showed a generous amount of her breasts and the thong bottom left both ass cheeks bare for anypony to see.

It was a definite maybe.

She slipped back inside just as Silver stepped out in something she didn't see. The last suit was definitely something. Pulling the spaghetti straps over her shoulders, she tied off the knot between her shoulder blades before she stepped out and looked right into the full body mirror. The scant little slingkini barely had anything to the black fabric. And she wasn't even sure that he word 'barely' was the proper term. The tag was probably the biggest piece of fabric on the thing! The top had just enough fabric to cover her nipples and the bottom might as well just cover her clit.

Silver stepped out and went wide eyed before she looked down at her suit respectively. Raven turned and gave the mare the same confusing look as she examined the mare in the same scantily clad outfit. Thankfully they were somewhere private.

“Clearly one of us has to change,” Raven stated before they both broke out into a fit of giggles. They were both -barely- above legal as to the amount of skin they were showing. At that point, going naked would have just been a better option.

“So, what do you think?” Silver asked as the both of them examined their scantily clad bodies in their respective body mirrors.

“I don’t know what’s worse,” Raven admitted as she pulled at the strings of her micro-suit. “The feeling of this string practically giving me a wedgie.” The girl reached down and tugged at the fabric between her legs. “Or the fact that it feels like I have floss between my pussy lips.”

“I know how you feel,” Silver said with a bit of discomfort as she pulled the fabric covering her crotch away slightly and trying to spread the tiny triangle front so that it was more comfortable. “The only thing I want touching me like this is my coltfriend’s dick.”

“You have a very colorful mouth,” Raven pointed out. “I like it!”

“Mom and dad are very conservative when it comes to what we can and can’t say at home,” Silver explained as she kept her attention on adjusting her suit. “I tend to curse like a sailor, especially during sex. If you know what I mean~” she finished with a suggestive wiggle of her eyebrows. Raven smirked knowingly, she wasn't much of a screamer, but she knew what Silver meant all too well. "I'm curious," Silver inquired. "What's your favorite sex position?"

"What's yours?" Raven cheekily countered.

"Mating press," Silver immediately responded. "Just being folded in half as Star plows me senseless and fills me to the brim. Mhph!" The teenage mare's eyes seemed to glaze over for a second as she squeezed her thighs together. "Makes me wet thinking about it~" She sighed dreamily -probably imaging what her and her boyfriend would be doing at a later date- before recomposing herself. "But what about you?"

Raven hummed in thought as s he held a finger to her chin. Her and Copper had done several positions, mainly just whatever happened in the moment, but there was one that she thoroughly enjoyed the most. “Probably from behind.”

“Traditional style?”

“Kinda,” Raven agreed. “But I prefer to lay down on my stomach, maybe put a pillow down and raise my hips a little bit.” She turned back towards the mirror and adjusted her top to best cover her areolas but continued to speak. “It can be aggressive or gentle, fast, slow, or nice and deep. But I just love the way it tickles my g-spot. That and it allows easy access for anal as well.”

“You like anal?”

“Mhmm,” Raven nodded before she looked around the room to make sure no one else was listening. “Don’t tell your parents, but your little brother absolutely dominated me last night.”

Silver blushed. "W-Will do."

The rest of their time there just involved the teens trying on a few more comfortable and concealing outfits before they made their purchases. Raven bought a nice little one piece that she really liked and fit her along with a nice not-so-modest slingkini when she wanted to show some skin or get frisky. Silver however, left with a pair of bikinis. One nice purple one and another more revealing microkini that she too, should wear in private for her coltfriend. So, they thanked the lovely mare behind the counter and the two teens went on their way. Both Silver and Raven wandered around the pier, no real destination in mind, idly chatting before they spotted their coltfriends not too far down the way. But the closer they got, the more they noticed something was happening.

They appeared to be in an argument with some beach bullies.

Just as the two girls and their female guard started running, the first bully, with a red coat and white and blue swim trunks, shoved Starbound. The poor stallion lost his hoofing, falling backwards before knocking the back of his head against the side of a table. Copper, bless his heart, threw a punch, cocking the first bully across the cheek. The second however, with a blue fur color a fire pattern trunks punched the poor colt in the gut before pushing him as well. Copper stumbled back, throwing his arms out to catch himself as he crashed into another table.

He screamed in agony…

Raven screamed in righteous fury.

Both stallion's eyes went wide at the wretched sound emanating from the girl's throat. Both of the worthless fuckers knew that they had just made an utter and unforgettable mistake and instead of apologizing, they ran like the wind. The red coated stallion didn't make it far as Sergeant Mauser full body tackled the son-of-a-bitch, body slamming the stallion back first into the hard wood of the pier, pressing his hand against the red coat's face and holding his sword right at the pinned stallion's throat. The blue stallion thought he was in the clear when a bright red flash of light appeared before him like a monster. Raven, with one hand and a fit of strength that put most guards to shame, lifted the bastard a meter into the air and off his hooves by his throat, smashing the earth pony so hard against the ground that the very boards underneath him cracked and buckled.

The stallion gagged, pawing at her vice like grip, wheezing and begging for mercy through his tears of fear. Sergeant Maresfield went to aid the two injured teens while several Baltimare Police Officers that were patrolling the area came running up to see what had happened.

"These two bastards had the sense of mind to assault the princesses coltfriend!" Sergeant Mauser was quick to explain to the closest officer while he glared down at the stallion in his grasp. "You have a lot of nerve fucker!"

The red stallion whimpered, violently shaking in the guard’s grasp.

"Hey!" Maresfield shouted towards two more officers that had arrived. "We need to get them to a hospital and get checked out!" Copper was shaking violently as he held his bent forearm while Star was laying on the ground holding his head in his hands. Maresfield was quick to help Copper to his hooves and careful to keep his arm from moving while a pair of Baltimare Officers helped Star to his hooves and began dressing the wound on the back of his head.

Raven's hands clenched harder, both sets of knuckles going white with rage. The stallion below her was starting to turn purple due to the lack of oxygen as he patted at her arm, silently begging for mercy. She would only let go after an officer would take her place, cuffing and arresting the attacker.

Unfortunately, their day at the beach had been effectively ruined as the two stallions were escorted away with the promise of Sergeant Mauser coming to visit them later that evening. Copper and Star were escorted to the hospital and immediately checked over. Starbound was diagnosed with a concussion and Copper had a broken arm…

***

It was the next day and things around the Coin family were still rather tense and glum. Starbound was laid out on the couch while Silver and Enny tended to him. He was doing well other than the bump on the back of his head and the slightly blurry vision. Copper was doing good as well, if not better. His left arm had a compound fracture and was casted up under the orders to not do any heavy lifting.

Just then, the front door and Sergeant Mauser entered the room and sat down with a sigh, removing his helmet, which cancelled the concealment spell, turning his fur from grey to yellow. He sighed, running a hand through his light orange mane.

"So, when can we press charges?" Enny stated venomously.

The good Sergeant glanced at the aggressive mare as he sat down in an available chair, placing his helmet on the coffee table. "Charges have already been pressed and they will be serving several years in prison."

"What do you mean?" Silver inquired as she gently rubbed the top of her coltfriend's head.

Mauser spared her a glance. "I should probably explain a few things first. Because this has direct involvement with the crown those two boys already had their hearing."

"That was fast," Gold stated as he lowered his pipe. He wasn't smoking it, just aprehensively chewing on it a bit.

"Yet again, due to involvement with the crown, their trial was to be heard immediately," Mauser continued.

"How did they plead?"

"Not guilty."

"Those-" Enny seethed before Mauser held up a hand to stop her.

"That quickly changed when I presented them with my testimony and the testimonies of about fifteen other witnesses," Mauser explained with a cheeky smirk. "They tried to further plead with their lawyers, but when I slapped the judge with the fact that this revolved around the princesses coltfriend and direct ties to the crown, it was pretty much sealed right then and there."

"So how long will they be spending time?" Gold asked.

"Well you have to understand the laws that revolve around the relationship and how they stack," Mauser said, holding his hands up in a stacking motion. "Not only are they being charged for regular assault but there are several more charges based around the crown as well, since the family is protected under those laws as well."

"We are?" Enny replied, eyes wide.

"I comepletely forgot to mention that..." Raven remembered.

Mauser nodded. "Copper here is protected under royal decree due to his current relationship with Princess Raven. That extends out into the rest of the family, but the charges lessen the farther we go. These protections will last up until the point where either the princess and Copper either break up, or they will change if they were to get married. So right now, both will be spending twenty-five years, a ton of community service, and have to take anger management classes." Mauser snorted, smiling as he remembered the abject look of horror on those two stallions panicked faces. "They could have gotten off with less if they didn't keep shouting at the judge and saying that it was unfair. They still got off easy though. They could have spent life if I had really pressed the severity. I could have gone as far as to say it was an attempt on the royal consort's life. But I think they learned their lesson and they will have a chance to make a plea deal at a later time." Finally, the sergeant looked over towards his consort with a dim expression before he leaned forward out of his seat and dropped towards a knee, bowing his head. "I have failed you, my Princess. Please forgive me."

Raven stared down at her failed guard as all eyes landed on her. The tension suddenly skyrocketed as the Coin family thought she would do something drastic. After several tense seconds, the teen stood up from her seat. "You were following the orders of a superior, Sergeant Mauser. I distinctly asked you and Sergeant Maresfield to hold back. You acted accordingly in the face of danger. Please rise."

The sergeant nodded, rising to his full height. Raven smiled up at the slightly taller stallion and saluted him, causing the stallion to smile appreciatively in return as he returned the salute. "Thank you, Princess."

Raven sat back down, taking Copper's good hand into her own. "I want to visit the foal’s hospital tomorrow. I think it would be a great opportunity," she explained to her coltfriend as the rest of the family listened in.

Nearby, Silver rubbed her coltfriends hand comfortingly. "Mom, dad, I think I'm going to stay with Star tomorrow," the teen mare stated as she turned towards her parents. Both parents, with concerned expressions, watched as the young stallion continued to lie on the couch in pain. He had spent the night with them but felt good enough to go home.

"I'll help you get him home," Gold said as he stood up out of his seat, both knees popping loudly as he moved, casuing him to wince and hiss through his teeth. "Come on son, can't have you dying today." With help from both Silver and Gold, Starbound was on his hooves and slowly working his way to the door.

Enny watched her husband and daughter exit the front door with Star in tow. "I'll get dinner ready, Raven, if you would be so kind?"

Raven nodded, kissing Copper one last time before following the mare into the kitchen.

Chapter 33

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Chapter 33.

It had been almost a year since the events that took place on the castle grounds, but it was an event that not many would have recommended dwelling on. In that time not a lot had happened, thankfully. The biggest change was probably the fact that Spike, Twilight's little dragon brother, had been maturing at a very interesting and rapid rate. He was only about six, soon to be seven, but he was almost as mature as ponies twice his age. Something he clearly learned it from his older sister, no doubt about that. But Raven had also seen him as a little brother as well, watching him when needed when Twilight or her parents were busy. There must have been something about his draconian heritage as well that caused him to mature so well, because Spike was in a league of his own.

She loved the little guy, nerdy quirks and all.

Right now, it was just him and her in Twilight's observatory as they did their own things. Raven was posted up on a window loft, basking in her mother's early morning sunshine reading a book while Spike was down below, padding along happily in his favorite pair of warn jeans and favorite white t-shirt with a print of a pink donut on it, and carrying a red present wrapped with a yellow bow. The little drake hummed himself a tune as he wandered across his second home, waiting for his sister to arrive. Twilight had been out doing something and said she would be back at some point.

He just hoped it was before Moondancer's party that was happening later.

Just as he passed by the front door, it opened violently, smashing into his face and chest and sending him streaking across the floor.

"Spike!?" Twilight yelled as she entered the residence. "Spiiiiiiike!?" Spike? There you are!”

Raven sat up and lowered her book in shock but relaxed a bit when she saw Spike sit up and hold a claw to his head, while his eyes rolled within their sockets. “You know, Twilight?” Raven said as she leaned back against her perch and elevating her book back into its previous resting spot on her chest, causing the ears on the purple mare to swivel towards the young woman. “Spike is your little brother, not your slave,” she chastised.

Twilight rolled her eyes dismissively before jogging further into the building and up the stairs that led to the second floor, which was on the same level as Raven. “Quick, find me that copy of Predictions and Prophecies,” the mare ordered as she searched the shelves of her personal library while Spike slowly stumbled up the stairs and onto the second floor. “What's that for?” she questioned, looking towards the young drake.

Confused, Spike glanced over his shoulder before reeling back in surprise at what was going to be his gift to Moondancer, speared through and through by the spade on the tip of his tail. He brought his tail, and the poorly slaughtered gift around before he removed it from his appendage. “Well… it was a gift for Moondancer but...” he said dejectedly while he held the gift out in front of himself with both claws before a light brown teddy bear -that looked like it was on the receiving end of a serial killer- fell from the bottom, squeaking loudly as it hit the floor.

Twilight seemed rather annoyed as she glared at her younger brother before rolling her eyes, “Oh Spike… you know we don’t have time for that sort of thing!” she said exasperatedly while shuffling back through a stack of books, tossing a few of them haphazardly onto the floor.

“But we're on a break!” Spike whined, wilting.

Raven on the other hand, lowered her book and sat up on her perch. “Twilight, you have known for weeks about this event!” Raven explained as she bent a leg, resting her sock clad foot on the edge of her perch, placing her arm atop her knee. “You even agreed to go!”

Twilight however, had stopped listening as she glared at one of the tossed aside books at her hooves. The purple bookworm activated her horn, pulling several books from the tall bookshelf before her, muttering to herself, “No, no… no. No no no! Ugh! SPIKE!” she screamed at the top of her lungs.

Raven spared a glance at the drake who had already climbed a ladder and grabbed said book from a completely different bookshelf, all while she hadn't been paying attention to him. “It’s over here!” he hollered, waving said book around in his right claw. Raven went stiff when she saw the pink aura enveloped the manuscript, jerking at Spike’s right arm, nearly tearing him in half as he held on for dear life to both the ladder and the book. Instead of letting go of the book like he should have, his claws on his left hand gave way. Spike sailed through the air, landing face and front first with a loud slap against the floor at Twilight’s hooves. The mare leaned in closer to examine the blue cover momentarily, then leaning back with a satisfied smile. “Ah!”

The sounds of several books clattering against the floor filled the air as Twilight stopped supporting them with her magic, completely forgotten. She then turned around without so much as a thank you as she trotted off to a nearby table. Raven landed on the floor nearby before she wandered over, glaring at the back of her friend's head before she bent over and helped Spike to his feet.

“You okay?” Raven asked softly.

Spike nodded and smiled thankfully towards his friend as he stood up, but immediately wilted upon spotting the mess he knew he was going to clean up. Raven rolled her eye and immediately started to help him clean up battlefield of books, all the while Twilight was mumbling to herself as she searched through her manuscript.

“The Elements of Harmony, see Mare in the Moon?” Twilight muttered, confused.

Both Raven and Spike, the latter of the two already up a ladder with a stack of books in his claw, turned back to face the teen. “The Mare in the Moon? That’s just an old pony's tale,” Spike clarified.

“Care to explain that silhouette on the surface of the moon?” Raven questioned while looking up at the drake.

Spike glanced down at her and shrugged as his answer. That was good enough for her as she occasionally tossed books up towards the drake, who caught them and placed them in their respective places. Yet again Twilight was off to the side, flipping through her book and muttering to herself.

“The Mare in the Moon, myth from olden pony times. A powerful pony who wanted to rule Equestria. Defeated by the Elements of Harmony and imprisoned in the moon. Legend has it that on the longest day on the thousandth year, the stars will aid in her escape and she will bring about nighttime eternal!” Twilight read from the book before gasping in shock.

Raven had been watching the mare and failed to notice the ladder next to her beginning to sway back and forth. When she did however, she jumped at the worrying sight and immediately grabbed the sides of the ladder and eased it back against the shelf, much to Spike’s relief.

Twilight, still oblivious, turned towards her friend and little brother with a gasp and a frantic look of panic. “Do you guys know what this means!?”

“No,” Spike answered as he placed the last book on the shelf and slowly worked his way down and back onto the floor while Twilight approached the duo as Raven stepped aside to allow Spike to step off the ladder. Just as he turned towards his sister, he grasped the quill and parchment Twilight had in her magic and offered to him.

“Take a note please,” Twilight requested. “To the princess.”

Raven rolled her eye and crossed her arms, pursing her lips out indignantly.

“Okey dokey!” Spike confirmed as he unfurled the parchment and wrote dutifully, his quill a red blur across the paper.

“My Dearest Teacher, my continuing studies of pony magic have led me to discover that we are on the precipice of disaster!” Twilight started but was forced to pause as Spike struggled with the word ‘precipice,’ repeating the word several times to try and spell it. “Threshold?” Twilight offered, earning yet another worried look from Spike. “Uh… brink?” Spike finally wilted, lowering his arms and giving his sister yet another confusing look, making an ‘o’ with his mouth. Twilight finally sighed, “That something really bad is going to happen!” Spike was quick to scribble that down, so Twilight continued to preach like a lunatic on the street corner. “For you see, the mythical mare in the moon is indeed Nightmare Moon. And she’s about to return to Equestria and bring with her eternal night! Something must be done to make sure this terrible prophecy does not come true! I await your quick response. Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle.”

“You’re blowing this horribly out of proportion,” Raven stated as she watched her friend pace around the room while Spike signed off on the letter.

“Got it!”

“Great! Send it!” Twilight said excitedly.

“Now…?” Spike whined.

Raven let out an exasperated sigh as she finally uncrossed her arms. “Just do it bud. Mom will be quick to answer,” she explained before turning towards Twilight.

“Do you have any idea how serious this is!?” Twilight spat in a panic.

“Do you have any idea how ridiculous you sound?” Raven countered with a raised brow causing Twilight to reel back in shock slightly. “You are a lot of things Twilight, but a conspiracy theorist you are not.”

“Then how do you explain what happened a year ago!”

Raven went stiff briefly, her features darkening for the briefest of moments before she spoke. “That was not any sort of prophecy. That was not some stallion from myth and legend. It was a maniac on a mission that could have never been predicted!” Raven spat angrily, her tone increasing in volume the more she spoke.

Twilight winced at the aggressive tone, her ears splaying back on the top of her head. “Sorry, sorry,” she quickly apologized while holding up both hands placatingly. “That was bad of me. I’m sorry for bringing up such a bad memory.”

Raven inhaled deeply before letting out a long sigh, reeling in her anger. She closed her eye as she spoke, “The point I’m trying to make is that when can you name the last time one of these predicted prophecies came true?” Raven asked as she held up her bladed hand.

Twilight held up a finger and inhaled in preparation to give her answer but hesitated when she came up with nothing.

“My point exactly,” Raven confirmed as Twilight lowered her arm. “I’m going to get ready for Moondancer’s party, I expect to see you there,” she said as she headed for the stairs. As she descended the steps, she heard Spike belch and start reading the letter he had just received.

“Eh-hem! My dearest, most faithful student Twilight,” Spike read. “You know that I value your diligence and that I trust you completely. But you simply must stop reading those dusty old books!”

Raven sniggered a laugh at the sound of Twilight’s gasp of surprise.

***

It was about two hours later and Raven was leaning up against one of the few tables that inhabited the area of the western courtyard of the castle. As time begin to progress further and further, the princess was becoming more and more frustrated the longer she waited. The rest of her friends had shown up, but Twilight and Spike were still missing. It was only when Moondancer had asked the rest of the girls, they hadn’t answered immediately, averting their gazes as well. Lyra was running late as she had informed them earlier. But when Raven arrived, she assured her friend that indeed they were coming.

That was an hour ago.

Moondancer had always seen Twilight as a bit of a mentor and her inspiration to do better in school. So it meant so much to her that Twilight be there for her party. The redheaded mare was becoming more and more dejected and was on the verge of tears. It was in that moment that Raven, now thoroughly pissed off, pushed off the table.

“I’m going to go find them and drag her flank here!” she declared.

Raven stormed her way across the castle grounds, leaving her friends behind in the courtyard to try and salvage what remained of the party. The girl was across the castle grounds in a couple of minutes and she was at the teen’s observatory. Raven was quick to bang on the front door with her closed fist, shouting for the sole occupant that usually inhabited the building.

“Open the damn door Sparkle! I know you’re in there!” Raven was beyond pissed off now. This was becoming a regular thing the last couple years. Twilight would come to parties and events, but she wouldn’t participate in any of the activities or discussions. She would sit there in the corner, muzzle buried in a book while she mumbled whenever anypony talked to her. It was starting to tear her relationships apart. Raven had taken notice, but every time she addressed the issue, Twilight got defensive and dismissive, avoiding the topic entirely. So Raven grabbed the door handle and jerked on the locked door, but to no avail. Either Twilight had locked herself in her home reading again, or she was actually out of the house. As much as Raven wanted to kick the door in, Spike would have answered by now. That left the young woman with one last option, her mother may know where the purple nerd went.

With a frustrated growl of acceptance, Raven marched off towards the throne room.

It was about ten minutes later that the young woman entered the throne room, entirely ignoring the court in progress. Her mother, Princess Celestia, was in her usual spot in said room, right on her throne, listening to some noble blabbering on about something that did not even remotely relevant to requiring the monarch's attention. Raven didn’t care though, if anything her presence was a momentary salvation to the elder mare.

“Excuse me!?” the noble mare stated as she was rudely interrupted as the younger princess passed her.

Raven paused, turning towards the mare. “What?” she questioned, trying to not blow up on somepony that doesn’t deserve it right now. “Okay, what is your problem?” she asked, crossing her arms.

The mare blinked, but took the opportunity, nonetheless. “If you must know, I have had a problem with the local playground and the numerous foals that play there. They are simply making too much noise and are in clear violation the noise ordinance-”

“Day or night?” Raven cut it.

The mare paused. “Pardon?”

“Day or night?” Raven repeated a little slower and clearer.

“Day,” the mare answered. “But I will have you know-”

“No!” Raven stated while holding up and a hand before the mare could protest. “The noise ordinance only applies during the times of 8 p.m. To 7 a.m. If they are doing it in the middle of the day like you have told me. You have literally wasted my time and my mother's time!” Raven shouted out the last line in frustration, making the mare wince at the volume. “I don’t give a fuck what else you have to say over some stupid bullshit!”

The mare was floored, her lower jaw bobbing like a fish before she finally found her voice and turned towards the solar princess. “Are you not going to say something!”

“Language,” Celestia chastised in a calmer tone before addressing the mare in question. “She is correct though, if the foals are making noise during the times of the ordinance, then yes, you can complain, but not to me, contact C.P.D. If they are doing it during the day, there is nothing you can do about it. I’m sorry.” Celestia turned her attention towards her daughter with a confused and a concerning look as the mare she was listening to seethed while being escorted out of the room. “What is the problem sweetie? You seem… frustrated.”

Raven inhaled deeply to control her frustration. “Have you seen Twilight?” she asked in a calmer tone. “She isn’t at home and didn’t make Moondancer’s party.”

Celestia blinked in confusion this time. “She left for Ponyville not too long ago. I put her in charge of preparation for tomorrow.”

Tomorrow was the Summer Sun Celebration, which was going to be taking place in Ponyville, the little town just down the valley from Canterlot. Raven had been there once a few years ago to deal with some financial issues that had been plaguing the town at the time. But Raven and Celestia were supposed to travel down there early tomorrow morning.

But Raven wasn’t focusing on any of that…

“She… WHAT!?”

“I thought you knew?” Celestia stated with a hint of worry in her tone as she stood up from her throne and wiped the wrinkles from her dress. “Did she not say anything? Out of all of her friends, I thought that she would be the first to say goodbye.”

Raven was still in a state of minor shock at the declaration. Twilight just up and left? Spike must have gone with her as well. Without a warning, Raven dropped into a squatting position, holding her right hand to her head in exasperation. Celestia, shocked, suddenly lurched forward in panic, reaching out to her daughter.

“You okay honey?”

Raven was on the verge of tears, both out of the pain and anger of abandonment. She had already lost one friend to similar circumstances and to have it happen a second time was even worse. Memories of Sunset Shimmer flooded her brain and the pain of losing her friend under such horrible circumstances. She was so lost her emotions that she barely registered the pair of hands around her shoulders and the half hug she had been pulled into.

“I think I’m going to go to my room…”

Without another word, Raven stood up and left her mother's warm and caring embrace, mindlessly stumbling out of the room and towards her bedroom.

A guard would later inform the teens in the west courtyard, one of them would mimic the princess’ reaction…

***

Raven hadn’t slept all night…

She was exhausted, but she still did her best to look good, even in the early morning hours of the Summer Sun Celebration. Now normally, the tradition was to stay up all night -and party- before Princess Celestia would raise the sun, then the rest of the day would be spent with, as one would guess, more partying. It was practically all one big excuse to not work and drown oneself in booze, and no pony would bat an eye or say anything otherwise. But Raven had decided to just go to bed after what turned into a rather miserable day…

But she was still standing before her mirror, adjusting the straps on her black dress before giving her hair one last combing. As soon as she was sure that her hair would not try to fight back, the sleep deprived teen stood up after resting the comb on the table before her, before grabbing her crown and resting it atop her head. Once set, she donned her heels and exited the room and headed off towards the throne room. The poor girl yawned loudly, holding a hand to her mouth momentarily before smacking her lips and heading towards the throne room via her usual route. It was way too early and the train ride was probably going to force her to sleep.

That was the hope.

She really didn’t want to go to the celebration this year, especially after the events of the day before. It didn't help her any either that her anger was still festering. She knew that if she ran into Twilight, subtlety was not going to be her strong suite this day. Raven was a walking hand grenade and it was only a matter of time before her timer reached zero. As the princess rounded the final corner, she pushed the doors to the throne room…

And was horrified at the sight.

In the center of the room, Celestia was struggling hard, pawing at the light blue, armored gauntlet wrapped dangerously around her neck.

“Mom!?” Raven shouted as her tiredness was immediately replaced with serious concern as she rushed into the room.

Celestia, with panic etched upon her features, released the armor with her right hand and elbowed the dark mare holding her captive right in ribs. “Raven!” Celestia frantically shouted once she could breathe. The solar mare lurched forward, desperately reaching out towards her daughter. “Find Twilight, get the Elements of Harmony! AH!”

Celestia was cut off as the armored forearm tightened around her throat. That’s when Raven finally caught a glimpse of her mother's captor.

The mare looked like her mother but was Celestia’s polar opposite. She was clad in light blue armor that covered her head with an open-faced helmet, a pair of armored gloves that attached to a pair of armored gauntlets that came to a halt at the dark mare's elbows. She wore a chest plate that covered her ample bust, which exposed her toned, jet black midriff and six pack. She had a pair of shoulder guards that attached to the chest plate. Raven caught a glimpse of the armored thong that had two, dark blue loincloth strips of fabric that covered the mare’s ass and crotch. Lastly, she wore a pair of armored shoes and shin guards.

It was… more sexualizing than it was useful…

The mares head snapped towards the rushing teen, her cat like, light blue eyes narrowing at the human. “You will stay out of this you rat!” The mare spat, her fanged teeth glistening with saliva. Just as Raven was within lunging distance, strands of ethereal tentacles seemed to materialize out from the dark mare's back, engulfing both her and Celestia before pulling them into the stone floor. Raven came to a sliding halt at the site, all that was left, were wisps of cold mist.

Raven was left to stare…

Perhaps Twilight was right…

“SOMEPONY GET ME A FUCKING SHIP TO PONYVILLE NOW!” Raven shouted in the royal Canterlot voice as she spun on her heels, tearing off towards her room. Much like a year before, the castle exploded into a flurry of activity.

The guard were quickly mobilized.

Captain Flare and First Lieutenant Armor, both lacking their armor and dressed in their underwear -the former in a tank top and her panties and the latter in jogging shorts- stood before the young princess. Raven quickly ordered the entire lockdown of the country and demanded a chariot to be mobilized for her.

She was going hunting…

***

Ponyville -to put ot bluntly- was no better off than Canterlot Castle.

A majority of the town was in a panic, mainly around the town hall which was a flurry of activity and panic. ~Raven~ stepped off the back of the escort chariot in full combat gear and eager for a fight. The armored warframe surveyed the town for anything that may stick out immediately, but nothing stood out. But it was only when she started to move did the princess find trouble. She had made it only a few steps before several guards rushed her, leveling their spears and barking orders. ~Raven~ glared at the troops but her ‘saving grace’ was one of the guards that flew her to the town.

“Lower your weapons!” the sergeant ordered, grabbed the shaft of the closest guard and giving it a jerk. “You will respect your princess’s authority!”

All eyes in the immediate vicinity, both guard and civilian alike, went wide at the shocking declaration. The four guards with weapons raised, went pale with embarassment before they immediately snapped to attention. “Where is the pony in charge?” ~Raven~ demanded, opting to ignore the act of embarrassment done by the local guards.

One of them, a young corporal, gulped nervously, “Thi… This way, your Majesty!”

The poor stallion -who was sure that he was going to be demoted effective immediately- led the twin horned warframe into the town hall where upon they quickly found the nervous mayor. The light tan mare, who was dressed in a white dress shirt, a black skirt and wearing her signature green ascot, paced back and forth across the main room of the building. The mare paused though when she spotted the large bull and his guard approaching her.

“Tell me everything,” ~Raven~ demanded.

The mare was quick to recount everything that had happened up until that point in time. The description of the dark mare was to the letter to what she witnessed back at the castle. The mayor then explained how the princess’s student, who had been sent to make sure everything was set up for what was supposed to be a grand celebration confronted the evil entity. She finished her tale by telling the young princess how the student had taken off with several of the locals in tow.

“And where did they head off to?”

“They were last seen heading into the Everfree,” Mayor Mare explained. “On the path that leads to the old castle ruins.”

That was all that Raven needed.

With that, she turned around and headed towards the door. “Where are you going?” Mayor Mare questioned nervously.

~Raven~ drew her Javlok, metal grinding as it extended to full length.

“Hunting…”

She could hear the beat, of the Naga Drums.

***

Twilight landed hard and painfully against the cold, hard stone of the abandoned castle. Her clothes were torn in multiple places, exposing the singed fur underneath, and smoldering with magical smoke. The princesses star student had thought she could do this. That it was her destiny to defeat the Mare in the Moon by herself. But the dark mare was just too powerful! Twilight was so close too! The young student had found the Elements of Harmony; she had tried to ignite the spark. But even she was no match for the immense magical strength of an alicorn. Even though she had the mare right where she wanted her, surrounded by the arcing stone orbs, it was not enough.

The dark mare laughed maniacally, lifting a single armored hoof and smashing it flat against the floor so hard that it shattered the stone orbs.

Twilight was absolutely devastated…

But just as she was about to concede her defeat, Twilight could hear the shouts and assurances of her friends coming to her rescue. It was seconds as the five other mares charged into the room from the stairs. The two earth ponies were quick to take up defensive boxing stances while one of the two pegasi took up a Taekwondo stance -the other pegasus found it safer to hide behind a pillar. And lastly, the only other unicorn of the group clenched her fists and rolled her neck, taking up a defensive stance as well. Twilight felt emboldened, her magic swirling around her form and engulfing her outstretched hands, manifesting into two bright orbs of violet light. But just as she was about to fire off an attack, the dark mare beat her to it.

Twilight gasped, watching as the beam of dark energy was aimed right at her chest.

With a heavy, stone shattering thud, ~Raven~ smashed down in front of the six mares, swiping her arms across her body and activating her Snow Globe ability, protecting all of the females from what could have been lethal harm. The beam impacted against the frozen surface of the globe, ricocheting wildly and smashing through a nearby wall that encased the throne room. Twilight and her friends lowered their arms and stared in awe at the looming sight before them.

Nightmare however, growled angrily, baring her fangs. "You…" she seethed, fists clenching. "I had a feeling my little niece had that fire. No matter." The mare relaxed as if nothing was wrong, turned back towards the shattered throne. "Oh Shadow~"

Twilight went pale…

Raven clenched her teeth within her suit.

The man that was thought long dead emerged from the shadows of the throne. Stalker, more alive than ever, wielding a hooked scythe of dark steel in his grasp.

"Twilight," Raven ordered, grabbing everypony's attention. "You deal with my aunt and figure out how the Elements work…" Raven drew her sword, spinning it in her grasp. "Stalker's mine!"

The fight was on!

There was no hesitation as blades clashed with a bang and a flash of ethereal sparks as the two warframes locked ice and steel. ~Raven~ pushed back immediately, playing dirty as she kicked out, her boot smashing flat against the opposing warframe’s chest, sending him sailing across the room. Stalker landed with a roll but never had time to recover. She was faster, much faster. ~Raven~ palmed his broken chest plate, jerking the armored man forward, cocking him square across the front of his helmet as she stiff armed Stalker, clotheslining him hard.

Nearby, Twilight fired a volley of offensive blasts, each one as explosive as the last. But much like her niece, Nightmare Moon was quick too, she was still an alicorn after all. The dark mare, in order to dodge the magical strikes was even quicker to take to the skies, using her ability to fly to dodge several of the strikes, only blocking a few of them with her own magical shields when needed. It would have been easy for her to use her aerial ability if it were not for the blue pest currently hovering around her like a pesky fly. Nightmare’s attention was split between her two aggressors. She had to keep up her shield -which was starting to fail and spider web- while the rainbow maned pegasus was fairly nimble, even in her torn purple jeans and tank top, kept the mare's attention split. But while Nightmare was not used to such a foreign style of fighting, she could still hold her own against the pegasus. As the blue mare went for a kick, but Nightmare was quick to block the strike with her metal gauntlet. The pegasus's hoof clacked against the metal of the arm guard before Nightmare wrapped her left hand around the blue mare’s shin.

“Uh oh…” Rainbow said softly. “Woah!” she yelped as Nightmare gave her arm a jerk, sending the pegasus spiraling violently out of control. “Waaa-aaah!”

Raven ignored the blue mare that smashed down nearby, rolling violently across the floor and back first into a shattered column with a shout. Stalker’s head recoiled backwards from the powerful strike given to him by the plaid clad farmer looking earth mare. “Come on!” the farmer waved the man on, taunting him. “Yah yella fella?”

“He’s not yellow silly!” the pink mare in a pink top with white edges and a light blue skirt giggled, smashing a pie she had apparently pulled from her mane, right against the man’s helmet, blinding him. “He’s red!”

“More like a mahogany, Darling,” the mare with a curlicue mane and cut tail, wearing a pair of dress pants and a white, frilly skirt-like top with a black belt around her waist said. “But this is too gothic,” she waved her hand in a disgusted manner at the man as he continued to claw away at the confection blinding his sensors. “It could be better,” she shrugged before hopping forward, tucking her arms in close and smashing her hoof against Stalker’s chest piece, fully shattering the remaining armor plate entirely.

Nightmare smashed down in front of Twilight with enough force to not only shatter the stone beneath her hooves, but to cause the teen to stumble backwards, frantically waving her arms to keep her balance. Twilight cursed her luck and was about to try and teleport away before an errand whistle grabbed both mares' attention. A loud smack filled the air as a fist connected with Nightmare’s muzzle, causing her cat-like eyes to cross as she stumbled backwards towards Twilight. ~Raven~ watched the mare lose her hoofing and land on her ass, propping herself up on a single hand.

“Figure out the Elements,” ~Raven~ ordered Twilight, her gaze never leaving the form of the dark mare before her. Twilight was quick to listen and made a run for the shattered remains of the Elements of Harmony while her friend covered her tail. Raven stepped forward, grabbing the mare by her chest plate and lifting her off the floor. “Stop this madness at once!”

Nightmare panted, spitting out a mouthful of blood in the process. “Never!” she seethed. “The night shall last-”

Raven cracked her head against her aunts, knocking the mare out cold.

“Forever… I know…” ~Raven~ mumbled as she dropped the mare like a sack of bricks. “I can’t believe Twilight was right…” The warframe drew her sword, pacing her way over towards the group of mares standing around a cornered Stalker. “The fucker’s mine,” ~Raven~ declared as she rested her hand on the farmers shoulder, gently pushing her out of the way. “Guard Twilight.”

Four of the five mares were quick to take off after their friend while the farmer girl hesitated. “Be safe princess.”

~Raven~ assured her with a nod as she continued to glare at the warframe before her. As the farmer mare headed off towards the rest of her compatriots, Raven spotted the scythe laying at her feet. With a flick of her leg, she sent the weapon sliding towards the man, who spared her a confusing gaze. “I’m going to kill you… dead this time. Pick up the fucking scythe.”

Stalker observed the weapon before him but didn’t immediately grab for it. Perhaps he was second guessing his decision. Or maybe how much of a bad idea this was. But that was not the case, it ever would be. Stalker wrapped his hand around the shaft of the weapon, rising to his feet.

“You will perish on this day…”

~Raven~ cracked her neck, rolling her weapon in her grasp. “Try me bitch…”

“Oh dear oh dear oh dear!” The butter yellow mare in a green dress jogged towards the rest of her friends. “I hope you have a plan!”

Twilight stood in the center of the swirling circle of broken pieces of stone in her magical grasp. The rest of the mares felt useless, moving nervously in their spots as they watched the two warriors clash for dominance. All of them winced as they watched as their savior, frantically flailing his arms to keep his balance as the scythe wielding stallion marched towards his victim. He disappeared behind a stack of fallen debris…

The girls winced at the sounds of blades clashing and stone shattering before Stalker was sent sailing through the air, smashing through a still standing column. Several hundred pounds of stone came crumbling down atop the man, effectively burying him in a pile of rubble. But Raven knew better than to think that a pile of stone would end him. This time, several of the mares screamed out, all of them flinching and reflexively throwing their arms into the air to protect their heads when a wall of pure ice sent the man smashing through what remained of the roof, the bull leaping through the opening after the man not a moment later.

“I need to help him!” Rainbow shouted as she unfurled her wings.

“In three… two… one,” Twilight absentmindedly listed on three fingers. Just after she reached the end of her countdown, a different part of the roof collapsed in this time, much closer to the group, causing Twilight to flinch this time. She was actively starting to panic now; she was quickly losing focus!

“The spark the spark the spark!” she muttered desperately trying to rack her brain for every single bit of infor-

That’s when it hit her.

Time slowed as the purple mare eyed each and every one of her new friends that had helped her through these tough times. She wasn’t after the physical objects; she was after their spirits! Applejack had reassured her when there was doubt… she represented the Spirit of Honesty! Fluttershy, was the one to tame the manticore with compassion not shown by the rest of her friends. She represented the Spirit of Kindness. Pinkie was the one to laugh in the face of danger, she represented the Spirit of Laughter! Rarity calmed a sorrowful serpent with a meaningful gift represented the Spirit of Generosity! Finally, Rainbow Dash, who didn’t abandon any of them for her own selfish desire was the Spirit of Loyalty!

Twilight let out one gasp of realization.

If anypony had been looking deep into her eyes they would have seen it…

One, single, spark…

That’s when the power of the shards began to take their true forms. The five mares were caught by surprise when the shattered bits of stone began to hover around them on their own accord, it was as if each of them had their own gravitational pull.

“Hey!” Pinkie suddenly protested, talking and glaring to the ceiling. “Are you calling me fat?”

She was ignored as there were pressing matters to attend to!

“I’m not fat…” she pouted, crossing her arms under her ample bust and puffing out her pudgy cheeks.

They didn’t have time to waste though!

Nightmare groaned, holding a hand to her throbbing as she propped herself up with the other. Her vision was a bit blurry and the front of her helmet had caved in slightly. But when her vision finally returned, she was immediately blinded by a bright light, forcing her to shield her already bad vision with her arm. When she could see again, she gasped in horror.

The sixth element had made its presence known!

“No… no no no!” The mare seethed, quickly jumping to her hooves. “Shadow! Destroy them!”

The man in question, turned his head towards his queen before he focused on the six mares near the end of the decrepit room. Stalker pushed off the other warframe, making a desperate run for them.

“Like hell you will!”

The man suddenly lurched forward when something grabbed him by the back of the neck. Like a cane to a bad actor, he was pulled backwards and off his feet before the sound of metal breaking and flesh being impaled filled the air.

"This is for Bronze…"

Stalker’s entire body spasmed as ~Raven’s~ sword impaled the man straight through his back, the razor sharp, frozen point punching through the front of his chest. He could only stare in horror at the sight of the hunter, finally becoming the hunted. The assasin frantically clawed at the tip of thw sword but to no avail, because just as fast as it went in, it came out. She released him, letting him drop to his knees in defeat.

He put up no resistance…

~Raven~ hooked the curved blade of his lost scythe around the front of his neck and with a single swift kick square to the shoulder blades. With a wet slicing sound and the breaking of bones, the blade of the weapon sliced cleanly through the fallen tenno’s armor, his head thumping against the stone floor not a moment later. But the young princess didn’t have the time to bask in her victory, there was still one more threat that needed to be dealt with. Nightmare Moon was hot on the offensive as she charged towards the six mares still standing opposite her.

~Raven~ reached deep into her reserves, clenching her hand as cold wisps of mist, twinkles of ice and snow materialized within her open palm. With a single clench of her fist, a solid brick of ice suddenly materialized around the dark mares’ legs, halting her advance effective immediately.

Nightmare gasped in shock, her gaze snapping down towards her encased hooves. She was quick to draw from her own magical reserves to try and break free from her frozen restraints, but as she activated her magic, two more columns of thick ice shot out from the floor, encapsulating her hands immediately. The mare tugged at her bind, desperately trying to rely on her earth pony strength to break free, but each time the ice cracked or even a little sliver snapped free, the column grew in size, limiting her ability to move that much more.

It was then that Twilight and the other five mares started to glow brightly, the power of the elements coursing through their veins. It was stronger than anything they had ever felt, the power elevating them off the floor as the power contained within the spirits manifested itself as a swirling rainbow of pure magic.

Nightmare Moon screamed as the beam arched high into the air before slamming into the mare at full force. It swirled around her like a snake as it wrapped around her from hoof to head, swallowing her whole. Once she was fully engulfed, the rainbow magic condensed in on itself before it exploded in a blinding light.

Twilight and her friends landed hard back onto the cold floor, their bodies spent and thoroughly exhausted. They groaned as they sat up, their bodies hurting in ways they never knew they could. What laid before them was a little greyish persian blue mare with sapphire blue mane and tail, no older than Twilight herself, surrounded by the broken shards of her armor and in a very tattered blue dress.

"No! No have mercy!"

All of their mares turned towards the noise, immediately gasping at the sight of the same mare they had just defeated, frantically crawling away from the bull looming over her naked form. He palmed her by the throat, lifting her into the air as she clawed at her armored gauntlet, gagging and wheezing as the glove tightened around her throat.

“Shut your fucking mouth!” ~Raven~ hissed, pressing the mare’s snout against her helmet.

“-but I reckon we do represent the elements of friendship,” the farm mare stated.

“Indeed you do!”

It was at that moment the sun began to rise in the east before another ball of light manifested itself in front of one of the eastern windows. It bathed the room in yet another blinding light before it slowly faded away to reveal the once missing princess of the sun. The mare, unscathed from her earlier fight, stood tall and proud, wings outstretched like the angel she was. Twilight gasped as her new friends bowed towards the mare out of respect. But just as the solar mare was about to embrace her grateful student, she paused, going wide eyed at the sight of her armored daughter approaching with enemy mare in hand. Celestia's attention shifted from her daughter and Nightmare's and down towards the other princess laying on the floor nearby.

“It would appear we have a new problem,” ~Raven~ stated as she too, turned towards the smaller mare laying nearby. If she was being honest with herself, the tenno hadn’t even noticed the lighter blue mare until that point. The warframe drew her blade, spinning it in her grasp in preparation should anypony try to attack.

“Princess Luna!” Celestia said firmly, causing both mares to gasp, their eyes going wide and pupils to the size of pin pricks. The one in the warframes grasp curled into a tight ball as the other slowly propped herself up on her hands, turning towards the older mare with a look of utter shame. “It has been a thousand years since I have seen you like this…” Celestia spoke in a gentle tone as she approached the shameful looking mare. The mare known as Luna closed her eyes, averting her downcast gaze as Celestia kneeled before her. “It is time for us to put our differences behind us. We were meant to rule together, little sister.”

“Sister?” the six mares gasped.

“Will you accept my friendship?” Celestia offered as she stood to her full height. Luna began to shake as she stared at the floor in utter shame, her answer very hesitant and ears splayed back.

Then suddenly, she leapt to her hooves, jumping towards the elder mare, sputtering her apology. “I’m so sorry!” The mare, about two thirds the height of Celestia, graciously wrapped her arms around the solar mare’s torso, eagerly hugging her long lost relative. “I missed you so much, big sister!”

Initially, Celestia was caught off guard, but was all too eager to accept the apology and the hug. Tears of utter joy streamed down both their cheeks as the two long lost sisters were finally reunited after a millennia.

“Mom,” ~Raven~ gently cut it, causing both solar mares to look towards the warframe. Luna reflexively hugged her older sister a little bit tighter at the imposing sight before her as Celestia gently squeezed her back, assuring the smaller mare that nothing bad would further happen. “We still have a problem here…” The warframe gently set the nude mare on her hooves, violently forcing her to turn around and face the solar and lunar princesses, locking an arm behind the mares back and making her wince. It was like looking in a negative mirror. The dark entity looked exactly like Luna in build and features - but much less imposing due to her smaller stature and lack of armor. “What about her?”

Celestia glared down at the mare, glowering as she thought about what she intended to do with the little pest. But she was better than the plethora of malicious thoughts running through her mind. It was several tense seconds of glaring before she eventually made her final decision. Igniting her horn, Nightmare closed her eyes at the sight of the mare preparing an attack, sobbing loudly and openly as she prepared to breath her last breath. With a very loud pop that caused her to flinch, the dark spirit was surprised when she felt the soft touch of a blanket on her shoulders before wrapping around her lithe form, covering her modesty. When she looked up, Nightmare was floored at the sight before her. There was no malice, no harmful intent or hatred in Celestia's gaze.

Only concern and a tidbit of shame.

“You and I will be having a bit of a talk,” Celestia informed Nightmare before stepping forward and holding up her hand. Nightmare winced when she felt something cold descend down the length of her horn. It was an inhibitor ring. The sharp jolt that went straight through her skull caused her to whimper and tear up further as she accepted her punishment. “As for now, we have other issues to attend to.” Grasping the smaller mare by her right forearm, Celestia led her away with Luna in tow.

Twilight found this moment as the perfect opportunity to finally take a breather, thank her friend and introduce her to her new friends!

Eager and rather excited, Twilight approached her friend from behind with a smile. “Raven! I can’t-”

“What the fuck is wrong with you!?” ~Raven~ all of the sudden spat as she spun on her heels. Twilight reeled back as if she had been struck by the harsh tone in her friend's voice.

“W-What?”

“What? What? That’s all you have to say-” Raven transferred out of her frame, the sheer look of hatred etched on her features as she glared at the purple teen. “-is 'what!' What’s up with you!? Am I not good enough for you!” the human spat as she gestured to herself with both hands, looming over her friend and forcing her to start backpedaling. “You just up and leave! No warning, no goodbye! Not a see you soon or anything!” she continued to list angrily as tears started to form in her only good eye. “Do I not matter to you…” she sobbed, sniffling. “Do you not care about me? About our friends?”

Twilight was floored, sputtering her response. “What...what do you mean?” she said, choking back a sob. “I-I had a job to do!”

“So that gives you grounds to just up and leave! To say fuck all and walk away!” the princess spat exasperatedly. “To abandon everything, you had back in Canterlot? Do you even know what you did?”

This time, Twilight stood her ground. “I saved the world!”

A single, loud, echoing slap reverberated off the walls of the room.

Twilight's head recoiled hard to the right, her face burning and skin turning a bright shade of red as she stared in complete and utter shock. Raven was shaking, tears now streaming down her face like a river. “You didn't save the world. Because I did all the work! You abandoned us…” Raven bit her lip, holding up a threatening finger in front of the mare. “I already lost one friend and you were the one pony that I hoped was different.” She clenched her hand, her knuckles turning white, as if she was ready to beat someone’s ass into the floor. Raven looked like she was about to say something more but opted to just turn around and start walking away.

Raven knew that she was actually at the point of violence.

It was better this way.

Twilight slowly lifted a hand to her face, hesitation as her shaky hand hovered over the afflicted area, her fingertips lightly brushing across the burn, aggravating the area with each little touch of her skin. “I’m sorry…!” she sobbed.

“SORRY DOESN’T FUCKING CUT IT SPARKLE!” Raven finally exploded as she once again spun on her heels. “MOONDANCER WAS IN TEARS WHEN YOU DIDN’T SHOW UP TO HER PARTY! SORRY DOESN’T CUT IT WHEN YOU LOCK YOURSELF IN YOUR ROOM LIKE A WITCH! SORRY DOESN’T REPAIR YEARS WORTH OF IGNORANCE AND NOT CARING YOU BITCH!”

The girl was screaming at the top of her lungs, venting years of buildup frustration she didn’t even know she had been harboring. With each word, curse, and hate filled word, Twilight shrunk further and further into trying to make herself as small as possible as Raven approached her, face red with hate. But just as the human was about to be within arm’s reach, the cowpony hat wearing mare and the blue pegasus stepped in between the pair, quickly coming to the defense of their purple friend.

“You touch her again, and yur gonna hafta go through me!” the farm mare threatened.

“Yeah, where do you even get off?” the pegasus added.

Raven was forced to come to a halt as she glared up at the pair of ponies. The plaid clad mare was about a head taller than the human and the pegasus was about a head shorter, but neither of them were wavering as the former crossed her arms in front of her chest as the latter rested her hands on her hips. The human was panting heavily, but her urge to break something was curbed for the time being. Not because there were two opponents -she’s taken and killed more than that at once- but that their presence was a bit of a surprise. She never had anypony stand up to her.

Respect, for sure.

But Raven shifted her gaze away from the pair and right between them, back towards her ex-friend, holding up yet another point of her finger. “Fuck you… fuck you!” she then turned her attention towards the five mares surrounding her, wagging her finger at the muscular mares in front of her. “She abandoned us like we had never existed...” her gaze drifted towards the other three mares, all of them glaring at her with hatred in their eyes. “You best expect the same…”

With that, the tenno turned around and made her leave, transferring back into her warframe and heading for the door to the room, descending the steps, her shadow slowly disappearing from sight…

On that day… one heart was mended, another torn apart…

Chapter 34

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Chapter 34

“Hi Aunt Luna, how are you?”

The young mare in question winced a little bit at the surprise greeting, but quickly calmed down when the blue mare saw her strange looking niece approach her. “We are well,” Luna replied, lying as she looked up towards the night skies that she loved and adored so much. It was her only escape from her cruel thoughts. The lunar mare let out a weary sigh as her family member came to a halt next to her.

“You don’t seem very well?” Raven questioned as she leaned against the rail, resting her forearms on the cool metal. It had been days since the events of the event that had taken place days prior and Luna -along with Nightmare- were still adjusting to the changes. The world was not the one she had been exiled from. Words had changed, places had changed, grown, and disappeared to time. Princess Luna felt like an alien and a lost soul.

She was not the only one.

“Come on, what’s bothering you?” the human gently pressed, slightly leaning towards her aunt.

Luna let out another wistful sigh as she averted her gaze holding her hands close to her bosom as she spoke. “Doth thou know what it’s like to be a foreigner?” she asked.

Internally, Raven scoffed, but externally however, she glanced at the mare before her gaze slowly drifted out and over the royal city. Lights were starting to flicker on in the streets and buildings as evening gradually turned to night. “Strangely enough, I do.” The girl stood up and turned around, leaning against the railing of the balcony, crossing her arms and resting her sock clad foot against one of the railings cross members. “I mean, do I look like I’m from here?” Raven chuckled, gesturing to herself open-handedly with one hand. “It was a bit of a culture shock myself, to be honest.”

Luna couldn’t help but have the faintest of smiles grace her lips.

“Point is,” Raven continued as she leaned over and rested her hand on her aunts, taking it into her own. “You’re not the only foreigner in a strange land.”

“But we still feel as though we are not wanted…”

That statement caused Raven’s heart to ache.

“Is anypony giving you any shit?” she asked, genuinely meaning it too.

Luna nodded meekly.

“Staff?”

Another nod.

“Cadance or Blueblood?”

Luna paused as she thought about it. “Niece Cadance no, Nephew Blueblood yes…”

Alrighty, he was getting a beating…

“I’ll make sure that mom knows about what is going on,” Raven stated as she squeezed her aunt's hand reassuringly. The lunar mare went to open her mouth and say something negative, but Raven beat her to it. “I mean it!” Releasing the mare's hands, Raven crossed her arms again. “You’re not some criminal.”

“But we tried to kill our sister…” Luna sniffled.

Raven didn’t reply, just opted to take a deep breath and let it out as a lengthy sigh. She shifted her gaze towards the stars, imagining what was happening back in the Origin System. “I have killed ponies. Watched my friends die before me…”

Luna’s head snapped up in absolute shock at the admission.

“I’ve been experimented on like… some rat in a laboratory. Faced lethal, mutating diseases. My life was stolen from me. I’ve been called a demon and treated like a monster. Shunned by my own people. Slaughtered the ponies that tried to control me. There is a part of me that hates myself and everything around me. I have a bit of a temper and have been known to threaten ponies that like to press their luck.”

Raven shrugged, her gaze drifting back towards her aunt.

“Between you and me. I’m probably the one with the most demons.”

Pushing off from her perch, Raven patted Luna reassuringly on the shoulder as she went. “Feel free to talk to mom if you want to know anything else about me. Or come to me if you ever want to talk.” Just as the girl reached the door that led to the mare's new -although rather empty and standard looking guest- bedroom, she opened the door, but paused. “Also, you might want to take a second look at the city. You might be surprised by what you see,” she smiled before closing the door.

Confused, the mare blinked before she turned around and gazing out over the new capital city of her land.

She gasped…

Ponies… dozens upon dozens of ponies littered the streets, merry and joyous. Not scared, fearful and cowering. They were happy, excited, and enjoying her night. They were shopping, partying, and off in the distance, she could see a small group setting up a telescope in preparation for some star gazing.

Luna broke down, but not out of tears of sadness, malice, or hatred. But of joy. She crumpled against the railing, holding a hand to her mouth as sobbed.

***

The solar daughter smiled as she heard the soft sobs of joy by her aunt before she stepped away from the door and headed towards the other room that contained her other 'aunt.'

Nightmare Moon had been given an ultimatum. Prison or freedom. She was quick to choose freedom under the circumstances that she didn't try to do anything evil. It was strange really, technically having two separate beings of the same mindset in the castle. Well… they were technically twins, Raven mused. When the Elements of Harmony hit Nightmare Moon, instead of purging the dark spirit like everypony had expected. They separated the two, giving Nightmare a physical form instead of killing her, essentially.

It's what it was.

And in the last several days she has been in the castle, she has done nothing but act like the rowdy teenager she is. She locks herself in her room, yells when nothing goes her way, and is basically just an all-around pest. But Celestia had made the offer and it was to be honored by not only both parties, but everypony else. Maids and guards were not really allowed to just run and hide but work and be nice when they were around her. But if Nightmare was being a problem, the pony in question was to go to either Celestia or her daughter for help.

"Princess Raven?"

Such as now.

"Yes?"

Bubbles, her favorite maid and close friend -and now head maid- approached with a newer looking maid in tow. The new mare was smaller, a cute light pink with white hair and tail and as usual, in the castle maid outfit. Once the princess was close enough, she greeted her friend with a welcoming hug before getting down to business.

"Miss Nightmare is being a bit abusive to my staff again…" Bubbles sighed as she glanced at her subordinate with a concerned gaze. Raven glanced at the poor girl as well, seeing as the adorable little mare had been in tears and was still clearly in distress as she kept her head lower and gaze to the floor. "I don't want to be disrespectful, but I value my staff's mental and physical health above all else."

Raven sighed, rubbing her one good eye. This was probably the twentieth time she has had to, or has been near her mother, to deal with this. "I'll deal with her…" she said, rubbing the right side of her face before looking back towards the head maid with a smile. "Go and visit Luna, I'll go and see Nightmare."

Bubbles smile appreciatively. "Thanks Rave. Come along Dahlia." The head maid gently rested her hand on the back of her workers and led the poor girl along and away from the bad apple and towards the nicer of the two twins.

Raven waited until they were around the corner and out of sight before she stomped her way towards the room. The two unicorn guards stood at attention and unlike their maid counterpart, were veterans that had learned to take harsh words and not let it affect them. Spending years cleaning up the streets of Canterlot, they had been called everything under the sun and then some. So, a little verbal abuse was laughable to them. Raven didn't acknowledge them, just storming into the room, opening and closing the door in a single move.

The room was pitch black save for the little bit of light that entered through the open balcony door that silhouetted the rooms only occupant. Her ears on the top of her head swiveled back towards the door. "Did thou maketh right this time?"

"Wrong pony…"

"Ah… the battle princess returneth." Nightmare slowly turned around, her bright yellow eyes piercing through the darkness like a cat after a mouse. "Tell us, dear niece, for what bringeth thou to us?" Nightmare stepped into the room, her silhouette disappearing into the darkness, only her soul piercing eyes revealing her location.

"You're mistreating the staff again…"

"Hah!" Nightmare laughed, closing her eyes briefly. "They could use the strength it brings!"

"Well I'm not going to sit and tolerate it."

"Tell us dear niece. We hath seen your ability. We knoweth you do the same," Nightmare smirked as she continued to press her luck as she circled the human like a shark to a seal. "Do not deny it."

"I know what you're trying to do. "

"Is it working?" Nightmare teased, bringing her arms behind her back and grabbing one hand within the other. "You hath thee world. Why not take it?"

"Because I am better than that."

"Oh… well too bad!"

Nightmare suddenly spun on her heels, going for a sudden strike against her new family member. Her blade like hand was aimed right at her niece's throat.

Instead there was a loud thwack as her hand cracked against cold metal, a light flash of blue briefly illuminating the area. Nightmare cursed, hissing at the stinging pain shooting up her right arm and right into her brain. She cursed, grasping her palm as she bent over, distracted from the behemoth of metal looming over her.

"Nice try~"

Nightmare growled before throwing a wild haymaker, only for it to thump against the gargantuan glove that wrapped completely around her insignificant and tiny wrist. The poor mare's eyes went wide in shock before she finally saw the bull standing before her, like a dragon to a knight. The thud that came from the boots thumping against the floor was deafening as he marehandled Nightmare like the unruly child she was, dragging her squirming and panicking form across the room and into the light, her bright armor glinting in the moonlight.

Nightmare gulped, but quickly tried to act tough. "T-Take away the suit, what art thou?"

~Raven~ shoved the mare out onto the balcony, letting her stumble before Nightmare caught herself on the railing.

"Billionaire, playpony, philanthropist," Raven listed as she transferred from her warframe, crossing her arms and glaring at the mare. "But please, enlighten me." Reaching over, the girl drew her sword from her warframe's hip, resting it on the floor and kicking it over. "Strike me down and you may leave."

"You're kidding?" Nightmare questioned skeptically with a raised brow.

Raven gestured to the blade open-handedly.

Nightmare glanced towards the blade, then the woman, and back to the blade. Standing up, she continued to watch the human with a skeptical eye, never breaking contact as she slowly bent over and grasped the handle of the weapon, lifting the surprisingly well-balanced weapon before straightening back out. Trying to use speed and surprise to her advantage, Nightmare shuffled her hoof into the best position for a powerful, full body strike. Then, with a shout, she shot off, pulling the weapon back as far as she could as she aimed for the neck.

She caught nothing but air…

Even though the strike was tried and true.

Nightmare went pale as she watched the weapon faze through the girl’s neck like she wasn't there. That's when she saw the smirk of victory. Before she could even blink, Nightmare could do nothing as a pair of arms wrapped around her torso, grasping her from behind and lifting her into the air. The poor mare kicked and flailed frantically but it was all in vain as her niece reared back, suplexing the mare. Nightmare landed hard, shoulders first into the stone floor, knocking both the wind from her lungs and weapon from her grasp. Nightmare grunted on impact, as her opponent pinned her to the floor, knee square to the lower back and head pinned by a hand to the horn.

"We give we give!" Nightmare begged.

Huh… Raven... was a bit surprised by that. Nightmare was all bark and no bite it seemed. The dark entity was all high and mighty until someone better than her bests her at her game. The human was knocked from her thoughts when she heard a loud sniffle and felt the mare shaking under her grasp.

"Are… are you crying?" she tentatively asked the mare. Nightmare did not answer, most likely swallowing her pride than admitting it. "Jeez… you're just a big wimp when your older sibling kicks your ass. Come on, get up."

Raven gently stepped off the mare and grabbed her by the arm, helping a now actively sobbing teen to her hooves and into standing position before wiping off her grey sweatpants and t-shirt. "Okay look. No pony here is going to respect you if you keep acting like a bully. Because all that you're going to get out of it from me is another ass whooping," Raven explained, acting a lot like her mother as she scolded her new aunt, but with a twist. "Act your damn age and grow the fuck up!"

Nightmare nodded tentatively after a couple of tense seconds.

Raven stepped around, holding up an authoritative finger and dipping her head slightly, making her look rather disapproving. "I'm willing to help and be nice to you if you show a little bit of respect!"

Another nod from the dark mare.

"Alright," Raven said in a nicer tone before adjusting the mare's wrinkled top. "Stop harassing the maids and let them do their job. You can mess with the guards as long as it's harmless and garners a laugh. Because right now all you are doing is taking your grave and digging it deeper and deeper. Only then," she paused, looking the mare square in the eyes to accentuate how serious she was. "I cannot save you, because you are already too dead to try and resuscitate. No point in rescuing a corpse. Understood?" Nightmare nodded her head a third time. "I want to hear you say it."

"... We understand."

"Good!" The human did one last touch up with the mare's starry mane by brushing it from in front of her face before gently slapping her on the back as she stepped past Nightmare and picked up her sword, handing it off to Frost. "Don't fuck it up. I already have to deal with Blueblood, I don't want to have to deal with you as well."

Wrapping an arm around Nightmare's shoulders, Raven started leading her to the door. "I'm gonna go to the library and find something to read." The human poked the mare in the side, causing her to wince slightly. "I suggest you make a name for yourself."

Nightmare kept her head low and eyes to the floor. "It is not our nature to be kind…"

"Then I suggest you change that."

With that, Raven exited the room and headed down the hall towards the castle library. There wasn't much to really think about as the girl stuffed her hands in her pockets. The Grand Galloping Gala was coming here in a month or so. Her and Copper had a dare planed for the week. She was also going to go and visit some of her friends as well. Other than the occasional appearance, she didn’t have much going on. Other than finding a book…

And maybe rubbing one out…?

That's all she had left for the night.

But before she could do that, she would need to grab an actual book. So, the girl lazily wandered into the library, greeting the guards as she passed by. It was too late for the librarian to be in, so the guards were on duty. She wandered the aisles aimlessly for something interesting to read. The place was near endless, wall after wall, level after level of never-ending knowledge. No pony, not even an alicorn, could even get close to reading every book and tome within the castle library in their lifetime. But Raven was just after something to read.

She hummed in thought, grabbing the occasional book from a random shelf and examining its cover before putting it back in its rightful place. Eventually, she just opted to grab an adventure book by an up and coming author and was in the process of heading for the door when something grabbed her attention. It was a glint of violet that reflected in the dim light. Confused, the young princess eyed the books spine before she decided to investigate further.

She was a little interested at the sight of a stylized lotus flower embedded in the book’s spine. Curious, she hooked a finger and pulled the object from its place. The book was white on color with gold trim and no name. It was interesting say the least. So, deciding to just take it with her, she checked them both out with a scribble of her name and the books in possession in the checkout book and headed back towards her room.

Once she returned to her room, the human sat down at her desk, flicking on her lamp before dropping the two books on the table with a muffled thump. Frost watched her from his favorite spot near her record player as she decided to open the strange book first. Sliding it over, she flipped it over, eyed its fabric cover and tested it with a drag of her fingers across the rough and aged cover. Once she was sure there were no secret compartments -with an embarrassing picture of her at the Hearths Warming Party- that's when she finally opened the cover.

"Gods: Myths & Legends," she read. "Huh…" she idly shuffled past the table of contents and the introduction pages. Like the college student she was, she skimmed page after page, not reading a word and finding nothing of any interest. So, she closed the book and flipped it over a second time to try and find something yet again.

She decided to take a second, but much slower examination of the books content.

So, Raven opened the book yet again and started reading.

This book is dedicated to-

She skipped the intro again.

There have been many gods throughout history but none more famous than the god kings and queens of old. The formed the earth we walk, the water we drink, the birds in the sky and the fish in the ocean. They created us in their image, to be like them in every way.

"Where is this even going…?" Raven muttered.

From the god queen of the skies to the god king of the seas, this book was written based off the stories, legends, and miracles performed by our creators.

Raven rolled her eye as she sighed. "I swear, this is no better than some of the Orokin cults…"

She skipped ahead a few more pages.

In the early days, the gods watched over us like a shepherd watching of their flock, guiding us until were able to care for ourselves. The God King Inaros-"

…

Raven blinked....

She read that sentence again, aloud so that she was positive that her vision was not failing her. "The God King Inaros was one of the gods of the earth…"

A chill ran right up her spine.

"Mom!?" Raven suddenly shouted, immediately shooting out of her seat, grabbing her book and heading for the door.

Chapter 35

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Chapter 35

“Moondancer, I am offering you the trip of a lifetime!” Raven explained, rather confused as to why her friend had been so dismissive at such an amazing opportunity. Out of all of her friends, Raven was sure that Moondancer would be the first to jump on the opportunity presented to her. But instead it was slow going. The cream-colored mare had been holed up in her small rental home the once clean-living room was stacked floor to ceiling with books and the teen in question was rather disheveled. Her mane and tail were a mess, her favorite sweater was dirty and stained from the rapidly gathering stack of dirty cereal bowls resting next to the mare.

The stack started from the floor too...

Moondancer let out an exhausted sigh from her spot at the desk in her living room. She decided to just stay quiet as her friend spoke.

Raven sighed, rolling her eye as she further explained her offer. “I know you’re mad at Twilight, I am too. But this is the opportunity of a lifetime!”

Moondancer didn’t answer.

With one last, longing sigh, Raven stepped forward and placed a small sheet of paper on the desk next to the mare's left arm. “Aunt Luna and I are leaving in three days to Somnambula to investigate the pyramids there. You’re free to come if you’d like.” With that, Raven left the building and her friend behind to unfortunately wallow in her misery and self-destructive behavior.

Moondancer just continued to stare at the book before her until she heard the front door shut with a click. When she was assured that she was alone did she reach out and grasp the slip of paper and hold it to the light, slightly adjusting her glasses as she read the ink.

It was a train ticket for three days from now…

***

Princess Luna stood next to her slightly taller armored niece, dressed in the more casual clothes her family had helped her pick out after her return. She was very fond of the more comfortable, yet breathable clothing that she had picked out. She loved the light blue short sleeve shirt that was just a shade darker than her coat and the emblem of her moon stitched into the left sleeve only added to its appeal and she also loved the flexible, but breathable black shorts she was wearing too. Luna also wore a tan backpack that carried most of the supplies that she would need for this expedition, mostly extra clothes, water, snacks, and the like. Out of everything she had though, she was not a fan of the new modern invention called ‘underwear.’

The young princess found herself needlessly adjusting and pinching at her bra and panties in the areas where they pinched and binded against her skin and fur. “We do not see thine reasoning for wearing clothing under thine clothing,” Luna whined as she pried her panties out from where they were binding between her butt cheeks.

“So, you don’t chaf in those tiny shorts and you’ll appreciate the bra if we end up going for a jog,” ~Raven~ explained from her position next to her smaller aunt. Between the pair, the warframe might as well be twice the size of the lunar princess, but Luna really appreciated its looks. She liked the colors that reminded her of her night skies that she had once worked so hard to protect. Right now, the suit was carrying the rest of their supplies that would get them through their month and a half long trip.

All that was left was for their train to arrive and they would be off.

But as they waited, both human and mare eyed the crowd, opting to just pony watch from their spot near the tracks as they waited for their train to arrive here in the next couple of minutes. There wasn’t much else to do since the pair had spent so much time since Luna’s return to get to know one another. Raven really wanted to get to know her other aunt as well, but currently, Nightmare Moon was content with staying locked in her room in the castle, refusing to do much talking outside of her room. Raven had extended the offer to come on this trip as well, but Nightmare politely refused and that was that.

Eventually, the tenno spotted something interesting and familiar. “Well I’ll be damned,” ~Raven~ stated when she spotted a familiar red maned mare approaching her. Moondancer blushed, averting her gaze once she realized that she was being watched by her taller, armored friend. Even though it was not able to be seen, Raven was beaming within her suit. “Glad you decided to come.”

Moondancer smiled softly as she gazed up at the helmet of her friend's armor while Raven rested an appreciative hand on her friend's shoulder. “Since you were offering, who was I to refuse a princess?” Moondancer said playfully.

~Raven~ laughed, squeezing her friend's shoulder lovingly in the process. “Glad to see you cleaned up as well. Come on, I want you to meet somepony.” The warframe was quick to lead her friend over towards the younger of the two -well technically three now- celestial sisters. “Aunt Luna, this is Moondancer. Moondancer, this is my Aunt, Luna.”

Moondancer gave the royal a curt and respectful bow as her greeting, but the lunar princess waved it off. “Nay, any friend of Niece Raven is a friend of ours!”

“Thank you, Princess,” Moondancer thanked.

“Name as well,” ~Raven~ added. “Just feel free to call her Luna. This is a casual trip after all.”

“What are we doing anyway?” Moondancer asked, just before the train pulled into the station and started to offload its guests.

All three females eyed the train as it finally arrived before Raven decided to wave them forward and towards their staging area. “There is a temple, or a pyramid in the badlands,” ~Raven~ shouted over the loud, exiting crowd working its way off the train while simultaneously pulling her pack around and reaching inside, pulling out the white and gold book she found, offering it to the shorter mare. Moondancer opened the book to the book-marked page, eyeing the hieroglyphics on the paper and the one page that was dedicated to the God King named Inaros. “It was built to honor him,” Raven explained, pointing to the hieroglyph of the God King.

“I know his story,” Moondancer said as she flipped through the book. “Inaros, the great God King of the sands and one of the kings of the earth. It was said that in times of great desperation he aided and protected the ancient ponies of the badlands. He would provide water when there was none and it was said that he could control the sands themselves, often creating haboobs as big and vast as the very deserts he controlled. No mortal could ever best him in combat lest they suffer his wrath. And the only creatures that could best him in combat were the other god kings and queens. But they all lived in harmony, so there was never violence between the gods.” Moondancer lifted her head and eyed her friend with furrowed brow. “But why are you after him? Or more importantly, his tomb? Everypony knows that the god kings never existed.”

“Neither did Nightmare Moon up until recently,” ~Raven~ added, effectively derailing that argument.

“But still,” Moondancer stated, doubling down, closing the book and handing it back. “The gods are ancient and mystical beings of immense power and far older than even Celestia. They created the earth and inhabited it with their respective people. It had long since been considered that they had abandoned us as a whole after the planet was set and sustainable, going back to heaven to watch over us, or to plan their next creations. A so called ‘miracle’ hasn’t been performed in well over a millennia,” Moondancer finished with air quotes around the word miracle.

For Raven, the coincidence was too much for her to question. But she wasn’t going to explain that to anypony, not now at least. “Yeah well-where did Luna go?” ~Raven~ questioned, causing both girls to quickly look around the station for their missing compatriot. But just as they were about to start searching for the missing mare, Luna approached the duo, nursing a warm cup of something. “Aunt Luna what are you drinking?”

“It’s called coffee,” Luna explained as she sipped from her paper cup. “We like this drink!”

For some reason, Raven was expecting her aunt to huck the cup against the floor, demanding another. But that action never came.

“ALL ABOARD!”

All three females turned towards the train expectantly. “Come on,” ~Raven~ ushered towards the train, transitioning the conversation else where. The three were quick to board their train and find their car and bunk. As of right now, the trio were going to be stuck on the train for the next couple of days before they reached their destination. So, they picked their bunks in their suite and got comfortable for the upcoming ride.

***

The sprawling town of Somnambula was much older in style and livelihood than that of most of modern day Equestria. But what could you do when your biggest resource was sand? Wood was a resource that came in limited quantities and water even more so. Why any creature at all would want to live in such a harsh environment was a mystery in and of itself. But the vast outer walls of the village stood tall and imposing, made from thick sandstone built to hold even the worst of marauders at bay. Couple that with the ruthless rays of the south Equestrian sun, and it would make any siege all but impossible.

As far as the town itself, buildings were made from the very same sandstone that the external wall was built from. Stalls lined the buildings, each one mared by a stallion or a mare selling some form of food, pottery, or exotic good. But the market wasn’t bustling like one would expect, it was rather tame all things considered, with only pockets of buyers here and there discussing trade deals. Thankfully though, the trio would not have to trek long into the desert, risking their lives to robbers and limited resources. The town had weathered time itself, standing tall next to the last standing pyramid dedicated to only one who was worthy of its honor.

The great God King of the sands, Inaros.

The trio eyed the large stone statue dedicated to the very mare the town was named after as they passed by it in the city center. Moondancer was quick to snap a few photos from her camera, making sure to document everything she could for her own personal research. Much like the kings story, the teen mare knew some of the heroic mare’s story. Somnambula, the mare, not the town that was named after her, saved the son of the pharaoh from a ruthless sphynx.

But right now, Moondancer was more interested in a glass of water…

Wiping what might as well be a river of sweat from her brow, Moondancer fell back into step with her compatriots. “How can anypony live, let alone operate in this heat?” It was confusing to Moondancer how just about everypony was donned in long robes. It seemed counterproductive to trying to stay cool in the heat.

“You guy’s may want to go into the market and change your clothes,” ~Raven~ offered her friend and aunt. “Something about ventilation.” The young princess was lucky that she was contained within her warframe. At least she didn't have to suffer in the horrendous barren landscape.

It was going to be a bitch when she transferred out of Frost…

“I’ll go get us a room at the inn,” she said while she turned towards the two mares. “Maybe try and find a change of clothes.”

“Come friend Moondancer!” Luna said excitedly, even though she to, was looking rather disgusted in her sweaty attire. “We shall find appropriate robes post haste!”

Before Moondancer could even protest, she was being dragged off into the market by the much stronger and very eager alicorn. Ignoring them, ~Raven~ continued on towards the building with a large wood sign that read ‘INN’ in big white letters. She quickly checked in with the mare at the front desk, grabbing each her friend, aunt, and herself a room. Fron there, the tenno girl was quick to drop off her bag in her room before she decided to hit the town, maybe find her friends in the process.

The rest of the day would be spent with the three girls exploring the moderately sized village and spending a fair amount of bits on exotic goods. Luna and Moondancer were glad they had opted to find appropriate robes that helped immensely with the volatile desert heat. Luna was all too thrilled to go ‘commando’ as she had heard by some of the castle staff.

Raven was not as thrilled to tell her aunt that it was information, she didn’t need to know…

When the sun finally fell, and the temperature became much more tolerable that the trio spent their time by themselves. Moondancer opted to call it a night while Raven -now out of her warframe- opted to share stories and learn more about one another over a few drinks at a local bar.

***

The next day.

The loud click and the bright flash of a camera both echoed and illuminated the vast hall of the pyramid. Moondancer stood up from the shattered pottery she had been examining before turning around and facing the rest of her group as she waited for the picture to develop. The pyramid had long since been abandoned and was nothing more than an archeological site these days. But that was something that they had been expecting. The pyramids were built as a tomb to essentially be abandoned once the dead were laid to rest. Then they were sealed off and protected heavily by the locals. The Tomb of Inaros was the only pyramid that had not been raided by scavengers and tomb raiders, but she was still raided…

By historians and different ‘ologists’ that came to study the remains.

Most of the gold, gems, and historical artifacts still in -or mostly intact- were in a local museum set up by a historian who, in conjunction with the locals, made it his goal to preserve everything he could within the pyramid. But even after consulting the stallion earlier that morning, they were no closer to finding anything not already known within the structure.

“Anything?” Moondancer asked as she approached her friend while sliding the now developed picture into a special book she brought to protect her photographs.

“Aunt Lu?” ~Raven~ shouted towards the mare hovering higher within the room. The mare in question glanced down at her niece, shaking her head. “Damn,” the girl cursed under her breath. “There has to be something else here…”

“Like what?” Moondancer replied skeptically while raising an equally skeptical eyebrow. “Raven the ruins have been picked clean! What exactly are you looking for?”

“Something!”

“Something?” Moondancer replied a little more frustrated and skeptical. “Look, I don’t mind the fact that we are here. I’m grateful for the opportunity, really! But there is nothing here!” Moondancer shouted, turning around and holding her arms out as she vented her frustration to the large room, her voice echoing off the sandstone.

~Raven~ sighed…

Luna came to a hover, kicking up a slight plume of dust before her hooves touched down on the cool sand. “Friend Moondancer, forgive our niece but she is correct.”

Moondancer blinked, leaning in and cocking her head to the left slightly. “She is?”

“I am?”

“Yes,” Luna nodded. “Does thou really think that such a structure would be created like such?” Luna turned and keenly ran her eyes across the room, searching for some stand out that would give her the clue she was looking for.

Moondancer and ~Raven~ shared a confusing glance before the latter stepped closer to her aunt. “Aunt Lu, what are you talking about?”

“Did thine niece miss thee fact that a sarcophagus, let alone thee body of which this ruin was constructed for. Is missing?” Luna asked, glancing at her niece from over her left shoulder.

Both teens paused.

Luna was right. Out of all the artifacts, pottery, and other objects recovered from the ruins, the main reason why the pyramid had been constructed had never been recovered, let alone found. Even if the tomb had not been built for the God King, it still didn’t explain the lack of a mummy.

“Somepony... is not accounted for,” Luna added before he turned back to face the duo, further explaining her reasoning. “Somepony did not want to be found.” A half smirk wormed its way upon the lunar mare’s muzzle. “Perhaps we should find him?”

Without another word, the three girls were quick to break off to different parts of the main room with a renewed sense of enthusiasm. Luna took off towards the east wall, Moondancer the west and ~Raven~ towards the southern wall. The southern wall was where the entrance point to the pyramid was located, but all three walls had a small tunnel that led to other, underground rooms within the ruins. The southern tunnel, as mentioned, was the entrance tunnel. The east tunnel had led to a small room that once held the vast wealth that had been buried there. Luna pursed her lips inwardly as she crawled into the tiny room and began using both her hands and magic to look for any sort of secret that may lay contained within. Moondancer did the same in the sister room to the west, the room that once held the sacred death artifacts such as pottery, animal remains, and other personal objects. Much like the mare in the room opposite her, Moondancer began examining the room with her magic.

~Raven’s~ sensors were coming up blank within the southern tunnel. She groaned in frustration, deciding it best to just meet up back in the main room. The frustrated teen crossed her armored arms and let out yet another long, exhausting sigh. She tapped her foot in thought, her boot padding softly against the sand as she waited for either a scream or her friends to exit their respective tunnels. Thankfully it would be the latter of the two options. Luna was the first to crawl out of her tunnel, wiping off her hands and clothing of any excess sand once she stood up. Moondancer didn’t suffer getting sand in places she didn’t want as she came out hunched over from her tunnel.

“Well that was a bust,” Moondancer said, defeated before gathering up with the two royals.

“Something isn’t adding up,” ~Raven~ muttered softly, more to herself. “Moondancer? Do you still have that map of the other pyramids?”

“Yeah?” Moondancer replied with a slight hint of confusion. Removing her backpack, the redhead unzipped her pack and rummaged through the bags main compartment momentarily before removing a small stack of paper. Placing her bag back on her back she began unfolding the large map of a different pyramid ruins located several kilometers from the village. Moondancer fully flattened the paper with a few swipes of her palms across its surface as she rested it a top a large chunk of fallen sandstone. “Here we are.” Moondancer pointed towards the central room on the map. “Most of them are the same in design, the only changes that are really prevalent are differences in size to the superstructure. Tunnels longer, rooms bigger.” The mare leaned back and crossed her arms, holding her elbows. “It was both a mixture of a lack of ability to measure properly or how renown a pharaoh was.”

Luna leaned over the map and examined the layout. “Did anypony check the north tunnel?”

All of them shared a look of confusion.

“There's a north tunnel?” ~Raven~ asked.

Moondancer quickly swiped up the map in a shuffle while Luna and ~Raven~ rushed towards the north end of the room, jogging towards that area of interest. In the dimly lit room, the two family members were quick to start their examination while Moondancer examined the map.

“It should be right here,” she pointed towards the center most part of the wall before lowering the map. “But there’s no tunnel,” Moondancer added with an upward, confusing, horizontal swipe of her palm.

“What about a secret entrance?” ~Raven~ asked, looking towards her aunt.

“We and Tia used to love playing with the traps within thee old castle,” Luna added, looking back.

~Raven~ had an idea, giving her wrists a flick and wiggling her armored fingers, she stepped up towards the wall and rested her palms flat against the sandstone before her suit glowed, flowing with energy as she channeled her energy against the cold stone. Specks of ice began to form on the surface of the wall before it began to expand from her touch, rapidly encasing its surface.

“Raven you can’t just break down the wall!” Moondancer protested. “This is a sacred site to these ponies!”

“I’m not going to break it down,” ~Raven~ dismissed with that tone that usually led to disaster or serious injury. “I’m just narrowing down our search.” Once ~Raven~ was sure she had covered a decent surface area, she stepped back and held up her right hand, palm up. Clenching it, the ice shattered into tiny snowflakes that slowly drifted towards the floor. All three of them carefully watched the cool sparkles drift towards the sandy ground for several tense seconds.

“There!” Luna suddenly pointed.

A cavern, a vent, that was gently pulling at the cold flurry. Both warframe and mare jumped at the opportunity and ran their fingers across the stone, tugging and pushing at the blocks to try and find the one that either worked as a pressure plate or that could be removed. They slapped and pulled at cold stone, knocking up centuries of gathered dust.

That’s when Luna felt one of the smaller bricks give way under her right palm. She paused, holding her hand back as if the brick was a deadly snake before going back in yet again. The mare pressed a little harder against the surface and this time, she could hear the muffled grinding of millennial old gears behind the wall. As the machinery went to work, both girls stepped back and waited expectantly as the wall began to separate.

It was, a hidden entrance never once been discovered.

The two unprotected mares gagged, wincing at the musty stench of death and wet sand that seeped from the newly discovered tunnel. They pinched their noses, waving their hands to try and fan away the disgusting stench as it began to settle. All three of them were going to have to be strategic about this.

“What are we waiting for? Let’s go!”

Or Moondancer would be the first to be reckless!

The excited mare was quick to enter the abandoned tunnel, igniting the way with her horn as she ran inside. The sound of her friends’ frantic shouts for her to stop landed on deaf ears. She could see it now, being the first to find artifacts never once seen before and having the distinction of unveiling the lost sarcophagus to the world!

That’s when she found the pressure plate…

There was a loud hiss and a small puff of dust as her right hoof sank slightly into the floor. The poor girl went pale, her life flashing before her eyes…

That’s when she heard the snap of a bow string…

She snapped her eyes shut, hoping that her death would be painless. The seconds were tense as she waited… and waited… and waited…

But death never came.

Slowly, the poor redheaded nerd opened her left eye, then her right. She looked left, not finding anything other than bare sandstone. When she looked right, her heart sank, and her pupils shrunk to the size of a pinhead. There, just centimeters from the tip of her muzzle was the large obsidian broadhead of an arrow that most certainly would have killed her if it had struck her in the side of the head. Moondancer slowly craned her head back over her shoulder and stared at the armored helmet of the friend that had just saved her life.

“I tried to tell you to be careful…”

Moondancer gulped, eyes darting to the arrow briefly. “Duly noted…”

~Raven~ lowered her outstretched arm and stepped forward, easing and guiding her friend back to safety. “Aunt Lu,” she asked, holding up the arrow in her open palm for her aunt to see. “Thoughts on what we could be expecting in there?”

“Arrow traps. Spikes. Pits. Crocodile pits,” Luna listed as she eyed the hallway carefully. “We can safely say that thee crocodiles may hath died long ago.”

“How reassuring,” ~Raven~ added sarcastically. “Other than flying how do we get across?”

“Nay. Thy tunnel is too small to fly,” the lunar princess said with a shake of her head. “Magic too. We must find the path or activate the traps.”

“Why would a tomb have a path?” Moondancer added, causing both human and mare to look towards her expectantly. “I mean think about it,” she further explained, holding up her still shaking hands animatedly. “Why make a path when everything here is designed to be shut off when the dead are laid to rest. Who are they expecting to be visited by? Their grandchildren?” Moondancer held out her right arm towards the end of the tunnel and probably the room that lay at its end. “They’ve been buried with most of their riches. No pony would dare to let anypony, creature, or otherwise in there.”

~Raven~ nodded. “Right… so…”

She snapped the arrow she had been holding in half so that it could never be repurposed. The warframe began to back up several meters, rolling her neck in the process.

“Niece Raven, what art thou doing?”

“Going for a jog,” the girl in question replied rather casually.

Just before Luna or Moondancer could respond, ~Raven~ took off in a sprint, running right between the two mares, the younger of the two holding her hands to her muzzle as she gasped in horror. The sounds of pressure plates decompressing, gears grinding, the snap of bowstrings and the whoosh of razor-sharp arrows sailing right behind the tenno. Like a familiar scene in a Daring Do book, the ancient trap was triggered with each step, arrow after arrow firing from the right hand wall as dozens of dozens of arrows clicked, clattered, snapped, and stuck into the adjacent wall for the near probably fifteen or twenty meter length.

It had been a tense couple of seconds before ~Raven~ finally came to a small jog at the end of the trap before she turned around waving her friends forward. “Okay! Come on over!”

Both Luna and Moondancer shared a look of concern before Luna was the first to step forward, easing her hoof onto one of the recessed pads. When an arrow never fired, the mare eased her way forward a couple of tense steps. “Say close, friend Moondancer.”

Moondancer nodded, slowly easing her way closer to the princess as they eased their way forward. After several careful minutes, the pair had reached the other end where ~Raven~ had been waiting and looking for more traps. Luna for her part, picked up a few arrows in her magic and jammed them into cracks on the floor and each wall as a reminder that there is a threat just after that.

~Raven~ was the one to lead the way.

But nothing had happened for some time. They had stumbled across one of those aforementioned crocodile pits that Luna had mentioned, which was really just a low point where the path descended into a low divot that was nothing but sand and sandstone. Luna was right as well, the pit had long since dried up and the skeletons of dead crocs could be seen buried within the abrasive sand.

After that, Raven spotted a strange change in the architecture. There was a wooden panel on the ceiling that had never been there before. She held up her hand, halting the progress of her friends before carefully approaching the panel. She eyed the floor cautiously before she spotted a slight glint just off the floor.

A tripwire.

Holding tight to the wall, she approached the wire before dropping onto her hands and knees. Once she was within arm’s reach, she laid completely flat against the sandy floor, making herself as small as possible. Reaching out, she carefully grasped the wire and gave it a jerk. There was a loud thunk as the trap was activated. With a rush of air, the spiked drop trap slammed forward, the aged wood catching nothing but air. ~Raven~ could only see the back of the trap and released the wire in her grasp.

Only for the trap to reset.

The warframe watched as the door closed with a click before she set it off a second time. However, she made sure to cut the wire, which seemed to work as the trap did not reset. ~Raven~ stood up but winced at the sight before her.

“Ugh…”

“Looks like we are not the first to visit this place,” Moondancer commented as she eyed the impaled, dried corpse of a pony still stuck to the many wooden spikes.

“Nay. An unfortunate slave or worker,” Luna clarified as she eyed the body. “Thine clothing doth not match that of a thief." Luna turned, glancing down both directions of the hallway before pointing towards the direction they had come from. “Probably either a test subject for thine trap. Or was caught in thine construction.”

“Either way, we don’t want to get caught in anything like that,” ~Raven~ commented before turning to leave the poor bastard to his resting place. “Poor bastard.”

“Agreed,” Luna agreed as she stepped past the corpse.

Moondancer snapped a quick photograph and slipped it into her book.

They continued to follow the seemingly never endless tunnel further into the crust of the earth. As far as anypony knew, they had been lost to the sands of time. What should they have expected to come next?

A giant rolling boulder?

A rolling metal gong?

A face melting gold box?

Killer kittens!?

...

The sad part was that only time would tell.

They had to be getting close.

They could hear air rushing towards a large opening, clearly that was the end of the line, hopefully. But now was not the time to rush, they still needed to keep their eyes open. One step at a time. They eased their way forward, expecting to find that one…

Click…

~Raven’s~ eye went wide when her foot depressed into the floor. Her head snapped towards her boot, watching as little bits of sand cascaded into the depression like water.

“Raven duck!”

The girl in question’s head snapped forward before she dropped to the floor, just barely missing the gargantuan metal saw nearly slicing her head off. She yelped, not even having time to breath as another razor-sharp blade nearly sawed her in two as it came from the floor beneath her, forcing her to roll to avoid it!

Raven panted, gulping horrifically as she held a hand to her chest. The two saws continued to bob in and out of their recesses in the wall and floor for several seconds before ~Raven~ spotted the wooden gears moving in the corner of her eye. Angrily, she smashed one of the gears with her fist, silencing the blades. Her friend and aunt were quick to embrace her once it was safe, much to her and her friend's relief.

Once their panic had subsided, the three girls turned around towards the seemingly endless darkness. Luna created a bright magical ball before sending it off into the abyss in search for some source of alternative light source. It took them a second to find it in the dim light, but Luna was quick to point out a large metal basin that was attached to a series of small aqueducts. ~Raven~ grabbed her Javlok, extending the weapon, taking aim and firing a single flaming shot. The bright orange projectile impacted just above the basin, dozens of sparks showering through the darkness. Many of the sparks were snuffed out when they landed, but a few hit where they needed.

Both the basin and a few of the aqueducts as well suddenly ignited as the oil within burst into flames, burning brightly and illuminating the area. The trio waited patiently as the flames revealed the hidden room within. Jaws slowly dropped in awe at the vast sight before them.

“By the gods…” Moondancer cursed at the absurd size of the chamber hidden deep underneath the sand of Southern Equestria. “The pyramid wasn’t built to honor the king. It was created to hide this temple!”

Columns of bright red sandstone, in various states of disrepair stood tall, lining the main road that headed straight for the large, square doorway that was cut into a solid wall of sandstone. Even from their position within the cavern they could see the remnants of other buildings carved into the stone. There were windows and doorways cut into the very walls, where some time ago, ponies inhabited this land. They could see the bustling market, ponies and other creatures would exchange their goods and wares as families traversed in and out of their homes. The remnants of an ancient civilization long since lost to time.

Moondancer was quick to start snapping photographs as Luna and her niece descended the steps that led to the ruins. “Aunt Lu, what do you know about this place?” ~Raven~ asked.

Luna’s head examined the ruins, looking high into the dark windows, reminiscing to a more familiar time. “Not much we can say,” Luna admitted. “Thine sister and us never visited such locations. They never warranted thine attention, especially thee attention of a young royal.”

The pair had finally reached the bottom of the steps and onto the sand that had covered the forgotten pathway that led to many of the homes and the temple itself. Moondancer was in heaven, lost in her blissful activity of knowing that she had been one of the few that had discovered these ruins!

The only sound that filled the air was the soft pats of hooves and boots on the cold sand and the incessant clicking of Moondancer’s camera. Like a foal in a candy shop, the teen mare frantically documented everything she could, even changing her film a couple of times, making sure to capture every nook and cranny. It had been centuries since anypony had been there and she intended to write a long research paper on this topic!

~Raven~ and Luna waited patiently, watching as Moondancer gushed over sand, broken and barely holding together pottery, and forgotten ruins. ~Raven~ opted to watch her friend run around the courtyard clicking away while Luna casually looked around herself. After a few minutes, ~Raven~ finally roped her friend in, dragging the poor mare like an errand foal towards the main ruins of the temple. At the entrance were two tattered drapes, hanging between the entrance columns and the walls of the temple entrance and a third just above the door. When they finally entered the temple, the initial expectations were immediately dashed as they entered into yet another long tunnel, this time, it was covered with spiderwebs.

They followed it for a few minutes before they entered the main chamber, that’s where the real awe and power of this place really laid.

Moondancer let out a long and equally excited gasp.

At the center of the main chamber was an elevated platform where four main, square support columns sat around the circular dais while a fifth rested in the center, guarded by four statues of the god king himself. The two statues facing to the north and south respectively stood at arms, ready to battle with their imposing, split blade polearms jutting forward slightly while they held heir left hands out, palm to the sky as if he were granting mercy upon ones souls. All the while the two statues to the east and the west stood like mummies, arms crossed over their chests, resting patiently for their long-awaited return to the living. Two more torn, triangle shaped drapes hung from the external columns, attaching themselves to the central most column.

Moondancer was quick to snap a photo before she quickly caught up to her other two friends as they ascended the steps to the dais. That’s when the trio learned just how imposing those sandstone statues were. They were tall, going up several dozen meters well over their heads. They had been so lost in examining the imposing architecture, they failed to notice the lone sarcophagus waiting patiently at the top of the steps.

Moondancer was the first to take notice, gasped excitedly yet again, only this time it turned into a very girlish squeal as she held her hands close, prancing on the tips of her hooves. “Oh my gosh! It’s him! It has to be him!” she gushed, rushing towards the coffin like box. Much like everything else in this area, it too, was made from sandstone. The redhead’s eyes sparkled with mysterious wonder at the contents that laid within. The sides of the sarcophagus were elegantly painted with various hieroglyphs and depictions of the god king and the life he once lived. Moondancer leaned back, and took a quick, calming breath and gently waving her hands as she did. “Okay…” she bent over to gently observe the sarcophagus and adjusting her glasses. “We need to be careful when opening-”

A loud metallic bang echoed off the walls as ~Raven~ jammed a crowbar between the lid and the side of the sacred object.

“Raven!” Moondancer shouted, glaring at her friend. “Do you have any idea how old this thing is!?”

The girl in question paused, leaning against the crowbar ready to pop the lid like a can. “No…”

Moondancer pursed her lips out indignantly.

“Look, I don’t care that much,” ~Raven~ admitted, much to Moondancer’s transgressions and inner researcher. The tenno leaned on the metal bar, partially lifting the lid off the coffin. “I have to know what is in here. Now either help me or get out of the way!”

Luna was quick to join her niece as they struggled a bit to remove the lid before they finally got it loose with a hefty jerk. The stone lid banged loudly against the edge of the sarcophagus once, revealing a dark sliver of the unknown. With one last, strengthened push, the lid was finally pushed far enough for it to slid off the opposite end of the coffin, banging loudly as it landed against the stone and sand. It was so heavy that it even shook the ground beneath their feet.

Slowly, the three eased their way forward to look into the darkness.

“Bah!”

“AAHHHHHH!!”

“BAHAHAHAH!” ~Raven~ didn’t hesitate to bust out laughing, holding her bursting sides with both arms as she doubled over in her hysterics. Moondancer had stumbled back when the noise and the feeling of something suddenly touching her shoulder had caught her terribly off guard whereas Luna had shot off straight towards the ceiling in a blue blur. As the instigator leaned back in her revelry, she caught a glimpse of her aunt clinging tightly and shivering violently to one of the drapes above. “What were you expecting? A living mummy?” ~Raven~ giggled.

Moondancer gulped as her fears began to subside and were quickly replaced with anger. The mare grit her teeth as she stood up and wiped off her clothing, grumbling under her breath as she slowly worked her way back to the object of her desire. Luna -after making extra sure that the dead were indeed still dead- fluttered back down towards the ground, the ghost of a smile gracing her lips. At least one of them thought it was funny.

Eventually, all three of them leaned over the edge and stared into the sarcophagus. Inside was indeed a mummy, dead as a doorknob. The body was wrapped in traditional wraps and buried with a few rare coins and gems. ~Raven~ reached inside and pulled out a single, gold coin, examining its surface before she slipped it into a small pouch in her backpack.

“Oh wow...” Moondancer said, breathless. “It’s him… it’s really him… Inaros, God King of the sands!” She squealed, immediately grabbing her camera and snapping numerous photographs.

~Raven~ however, was still a bit skeptical. She eyed the body for the distinct physical features of an Inaros Warframe. But the cloth wrappings were impossible to see through. Other than the gold coins and numerous gems, there was a mask covering the head of the mummy. It was made of some type of bronze or brass like metal and was in the shape of a jackal's head. Reaching out, the tenno gently grasped the mask and lifted it from the mummy's head.

Revealing the wrapped head of a stallion.

“It’s not him,” ~Raven~ stated, defeated and disappointed.

Moondancer looked away from her camera while Luna looked up from where she had been squatting at the head of the sarcophagus. “What do you mean?” the former of the two asked in confusion. “Of course, it’s him. Look!” Moondancer paused, closing her eyes briefly, feeling kinda bad for having to break the bad news. “Okay look, I know how much this means to you and we did find the tomb! I’m sorry, but it’s pretty obvious that the God King was nothing more than another normal stallion…”

~Raven~ knew otherwise though, this was too big to be a coincidence. There was something that she was clearly missing. Resting the mask back in its place on the mummy's clothed skull, the human turned towards the statues. Lifting her hand, she rested it against the shin of one of the statues.

There was a bright light as the energy within her Warframe suddenly transferred into the statue.

Then came the cracks of stone breaking and the sound of sand falling, showering the trio in dust.

That’s when the leg on the closest statue suddenly jerked, then bent at the knee before its gargantuan foot smashed down between the three females, catching them all terribly off guard. Its arms jerked violently as it pried its weapon from the earth while years of dust build up cascaded down its form, making the statue look even more fearsome.

“PROTECT THE TOMB!”

“Raven what did you do!?” Moondancer screeched before her attention was pulled towards the second Guardian that jerked its arms and weapon free before stepping from the platform and eyeing the two mares maliciously. The ground shook violently with each step of the earthen golems palmed their weapons in preparation to attack their respective targets. “Run!”

Luna immediately took flight, igniting her horn and firing blast after blast of magical attacks. But her attacks seemed to do nothing against the stone golem as they flashed against its rock-hard hide, barely chipping away at its surface. The golem swung its weapon at the lunar mare, forcing the princess to dive to avoid the massive weapon while Moondancer made a run for the entrance tunnel. She didn’t make it far when behind her, the golem smashed its weapon deep into the sand, violently shaking the earth. Moondancer lost her hoofing, throwing her arms out to try and catch herself.

The sound of her head cracking against the floor was the precursor to her suddenly losing consciousness and rolling the last couple of steps before coming to a sliding stop, face up in the sand.

~Raven~ continued to cautiously back away, never taking her gaze away from the golem. Oh yeah, she was in the right place. The golem spun its weapon in its hands before bringing it down towards the warframe, trying desperately to spear her. The girl dove, dodging the strike before drawing her Javlok and taking aim. The explosive round struck with enough force to cause the golems head to recoil back in a plume of black smoke. The golem paused, slowly turning its head towards the human, revealing the jagged and newly broken hole. With a full body jerk, the golem pried its weapon from the ground and stood up, charging towards the tenno.

Raven reached out, drawing deep into her reserves and pulling at the moisture trapped within the ruins. Her arm tensed as the wetness within the sand froze, just in time for the golems massive foot to step on the frozen patch, causing it to slip violently, smashing down back first into the ground, tumbling like an out of control boulder before smashing into the temple wall, shattering the sandstone in a plume of sand and dust.

~Raven~ waited with bated breath as she watched the remnants of parts of the wall clatter and roll along the rubble.

“Well that was anticlimactic…”

Just as she turned around, she yelped when a hand wrapped around her entire torso and pulled her off her feet and into the air. Frantically looking towards the ground, she saw the upper half of the surviving golem. The statue's grip tightened around her torso, causing the girl within to wince in pain as she felt her warframe’s back crack loudly. She screamed out, pushing as hard as she could but it was all in vain. ~Raven~ screamed, flooding her systems with every bit of remaining energy she had.

Ice immediately expanded from her palms, quickly spreading across the surface of the stone and fully engulfing the entirety of the golems clenched fist. Once the last few cracks of ice filled each little crack and deformation within the stone, ~Raven~ lifted her right hand high over her head, clenching her fist and smashing it flat against her captor’s grip, spider webbing the surface immediately with a near deafening crack. She did it again and again before finally smashing right through the golems fist.

Now free from the guardians grasp, she landed on all fours before grasping her Javlok that had landed nearby, spinning on her heels and firing a single shot straight at the golem's head, which exploded, shattering into dozens of small pieces of debris.

Luna dove under another swipe from the stone statue, firing a beam of magic from her outstretched arms that dug a deep trench into the golems side and upper right shoulder. Unfazed, the golem spun with such force that it kicked up a thick wall of sand that blinded ~Raven~ who had been going after Moondancer. Luna generated a thick magical shield around herself and deflected the next strike, then dove a second time to dodge the next subsequent swipe. Even though the mare had a bit of combat experience, she was very rusty!

"Niece Raven! We needeth help!"

Just then, a loud metallic clunk filled the air as the golems head recoiled to the left. Luna just barely caught glimpse of her nieces’ pole-mace before it suddenly exploded in a flash of blinding flames. The golem stumbled back from the explosion, smashing back first through one of the stone support columns before toppling over and sliding part way down the dais. Both Luna and her niece watched the golem as the latter of the two approached her Javlok, pulling it from the sand before loading it with another magazine.

When it didn't move after several seconds, only then did the two look towards each other.

"You okay?" ~Raven~ was the first to ask.

"Verily," Luna replied. "How art tho-"

~Raven~ gasped in horror as the stone hand of the golem swatted her aunt like a pesky fly, sending the mare sailing through the air where she smashed back first into the wall with such force, that she cratered in the stone and hung there limply. ~Raven~ barely had enough time to jump under the swipe from the massive stone blade and had to jump a second time when it nearly came down on top of her. When she came down, she landed firmly on the stone blade, immediately running up the shaft and latching onto the golem's arms. The stone creature swung its body like mad trying to flick her off like a scared mare to a spider.

The tenno frantically held on with all her strength. Burmt her right hand gave way, causing her to spin on her left before she drew her sword in the chaos and buried it deep into one of the recesses within the stone. She climbed like a raccoon trying to get away from a rabid hound, pulling herself up with her legs and left hand while using her sword as an anchor.

Under the shadow of the colossus, ~Raven~ clawed her way up and onto the golem's shoulder and towards the creature's shattered head. She jammed her sword into the side of the beast's head, holding on for dear life with her left hand while she drew her Javlok with her right hand. She speared the sandstone with the armored head of her weapon before extending the weapon fully.

She dumped the mag.

Large chunks of debris, sand, and sandstone sprayed from the wound with each shot, violently chipping away at the weakened stone. The remnants of the golem's head finally shattered with the eighth shot, bringing the guardians reign of terror to its inevitable end. The statue swayed listlessly before it finally dropped to its knees and tilted forward. ~Raven~ rode the body like a surfboard as it slammed down, shattering at the joints into several large boulders that rolled several feet away from the impact zone.

~Raven~ took a few exhausted steps away from the center most boulder and bent over, resting her hands on her knees before connecting to her warframe through her somatic link. She was quick to ask him how he was doing, to which he replied slightly damaged, but fine. Nothing some time to let his body heal, would do. Just as she was about to go and help her friends, a voice, low, deep, and very imposing spoke.

"You have violated this sacred place!"

~Raven~ spun on her heels, drawing her sword out of reflex as she faced the threat before her. His dark armor glinted in the dim light, jet-black in color with blood red highlights. Head shaped like the jackal, the exact same shape as the mask from the sarcophagus. He was gangly and thin, emaciated if anything. The way he shook like a zombie did not add anything to how imposing the man should be.

"Inaros…"

"Silence!" The God King bellowed as he descended the steps of the dais on shaky legs. "You have violated this sacred place. Explain yourself!"

Raven stepped out from within her warframe, narrowing her eye at the Egyptian warframe. Inaros paused, tilting his head curiously.

"You are Orokin…" he mused. "What is an Orokin doing here!?"

"I'm here for-"

"Silence!" Inaros bellowed a second time, pointing a gangly finger at her. "You are human. You are Orokin! You have violated this sacred place!" Reaching across his body, the warframe drew a hooked, wickedly curved sword from his left hip. To anyone else, he wouldn't have looked that threatening, like a twig in a windstorm. "I will not let you ruin the life we have created here!"

Raven furrowed her brow.

"We? What do you mean by-AH!"

Raven grasped at her face from the surprised strike, sand immediately burning at her only good eye. She stumbled back, immediately transferring into Frost. That was one of Inaros' dirty abilities, but she didn't have time to whine as she drew her sword, blocking the incoming strike from the charging warframe. Through her warframe's augment optics, she glared at the man opposite her.

They pushed away from one another, but just as quickly, clashed weapons yet again. Raven knew that one should never take anything for granted. Even as weak and emaciated as Inaros looked, he was still a warframe, built by the Orokin to combat humanity's greatest enemy.

The two warframes clashed in blurs of steel and ice, frantically striking at one another, desperately trying to probe for any weaknesses in one another’s defense. The hooked blade of the Sand King's weapon was ruthless with each imposing strike. Both the tip and the hilt were much closer to cutting the young princess than the weapons main cutting point. Her straight sword, dagger like design was more in line with stabbing and almost put her at a disadvantage.

Inaros drew back, spinning wildly with a downward strike. The princess blocked the strike with a clang from her opponent's sword as she held him at bay yet again. She continued to glare at him before she noticed the chip in her cryotic blade. It caught her by surprise, as no other weapon could hold up to her frozen sword. But Orokin craftsmanship was the true test of the war-smith’s art. Weapons sharp enough to render steel useless. A true force to be reckoned with.

The tenno drew back, thrusting her armored knee forward and finally breaking Inaros' defense and catching the warframe right in the gut. The god king doubled over briefly, just enough for the princess to strike again, elbowing him on the back of the head before she scrambled away, trying to gain enough distance so that she could explain herself. But just as she opened her mouth, Inaros was on her like a jackal to a carcass.

Steele and ice collided with a bang, forcing the ice frame back yet again. Just as fast as they collided, they broke apart, this time however, Inaros went for the strike, lifting his weapon high over his head, ~Raven~ thrust her left hand forward and fired a blast of arctic wind, catching the warframe terribly off guard. Inaros flailed his limbs as he sailed through the air before landing square on his back, digging a small trench in the sand as he slid.

"I'm not Orokin!" The God King heard the deceiver say from within the chamber.

"You lie in this sacred place?" Inaros spat as he stood up, using his hooked sword as a crutch before he started walking down the steps of the dais, the tip of his weapon dragging at his side and tinking with step it dropped. "No human has set foot on this planet in over a millennia! You are not permitted here…"

Hidden in the shadows behind one of the pillars, ~Raven~ eased her way to peek around the stone column as she raised her sword. But before she could do anything, the princess jumped with a squeak when the hooked blade smashed around her neck. ~Raven~ thrust her fist forward, cocking her aggressor across the jaw, sending Inaros tumbling backwards and off the podium. Prying the weapon from around her neck and tossing it aside, ~Raven~ jumped after the warframe. But when she landed, she couldn't find him anywhere.

The tenno took a few tentative steps across the sand, searching for the errand and elusive warframe. As she went the princess failed to see the very sand below her feet moving to a nonexistent breeze. A body began to form behind her, materializing into the shadow of the God King himself.

She spotted him on her radar just in time.

Metal rang out as they locked blades yet again, trying desperately to out strength the other. "You have defiled this place! This land! And you will perish for it!" Inaros seethed, pressing firmly on the tip of his blade. ~Raven~ held him back by mirroring her opponent's action. "You have corrupted their minds!" Inaros spat, referring to both Moondancer and Luna. "They cannot be permitted to live lest they spread your lies!"

Reaching out, the sand-frame pulled at the sandstone ceiling, the stone cracking violently, bits of stone and sand fluttering to the ground below. It was as if he was pulling the very stone itself free before a substantial chunk of stone finally tore free, dropping like brick right towards Moondancer!

~Raven~ was quick to reach out with her left hand, quickly encasing her friend in a thick dome of ice, protecting her as the wagon size chunk smashed down, bouncing off the surface of the frozen dome. Instead of focusing on a lost cause that he would try to come back to, the God King reached out towards Luna, a square column of stone protruded from the wall with the lunar princess at the tip. ~Raven~ was equally as quick to manifest a ring of ice around the unconscious mare’s torso, firmly holding her in place. Inaros retaliated with a low growl, pulling his weapon back and going for the slice, but ~Raven~ was just as quick, catching the warframe's hand by the wrist. The princess mirrored the action herself, only to end up in the same position of her aggressor.

The two fought for dominance knowing full well that if they relented, their opponent would gain the upper hand. But unbeknownst to the God King, the demon had a secret weapon of her own. A hidden power. Raven transferred from her warframe, reaching out from her suit as her upper body and right hand extended out towards her opponent. She palmed his breastplate, tendrils of energy radiation from the source of light that had manifested from her open palm.

***

Raven blinked in confusion before her head snapped side to side as she tried to take in her sudden change in surroundings. She was in a building, Orokin in design, the pristine white walls and gold trim of the tower is always too familiar. She was in the weave, but it was a stark contrast to the weave between her and Frost. His was a white void, this had context to it.

It was a memory.

And an incomplete one at that. The closer the young woman looked, the more she could see the blurred and cut edges of certain spots on the walls and the fading objects such as plants, doors, and smaller details. She took a few tentative steps forward before the princess heard an ear-piercing screech. But instead of running, or trying to hide, the teen ran towards the noise. The hallway was long and the door at the end was the traditional gold and white oriental automatic door. With a hiss, the door opened and the human jogged inside.

Towards the center of the room, Inaros was hunched over a bloody corpse, sobbing loudly. The woman was dressed in an elegant white dress stained crimson with her blood, her hair hiding her face and upper body, and most likely whatever wound had caused the large pool of blood oozing from her corpse. Raven took a tentative step forward before she saw movement out of the corner of her eye.

Her blood was boiling hard.

The man may have been out of a nightmare. His body structure was the only human looking part of him. His skin grey, much like that of a stone statue, a stark contrast to the gold and white silk toga, socks and solid gold shoes, a traditional garb of the Orokin hierarch. His right arm was hidden, -as it should be, the man is a freak. He wore a gold necklace and his eyes, those empty white voids that pulled away from his snake like hair.

Ballas…

She watched him like the snake in the grass he was. But the Orokin High Executor didn't speak, he just watched, like a buzzard to a gut pile. That's when she could hear the warframes sobs. That woman meant a lot to the warframe. The girl watched on as Inaros' tremors and sobs came to an end.

It was dead silent.

Then in the blink of an eye, the warframe drew his hooked sword and thrusting it towards the executor’s stomach.

"No…"

Inaros froze, an invisible force holding him at bay. But the warframe was resilient still, shaking violently as he attempted to break free and strike down the man that did that to him!

He was a mutant, a monster, and a freak.

Inaros continued to struggle as he was forced to stare at that stupid smug smile!

Ballas took a step forward, inching ever closer towards the tip of the jagged weapon as he slowly lifted his arm.

Then out of no where, Ballas gagged.

Both beings slowly tilted their heads towards the weapon now buried deep into Ballas' gut. The Orokin hierarch slowly lifted his head as Inaros did the same, but the Orokin Executor wasn't looking towards the warframe. Inaros was surprised to see the Orokin girl standing next to him, her hand grasping the metal man's wrist.

"Rot in hell you sack of shit…" Raven spat.

"But… I created you…" Ballas gasped.

Raven grit her teeth before she pried Inaros' weapon from his grasp and hooked the blade around the man’s leg, jerking his feet out from underneath him. Ballas landed hard on his back and before he could even bag for mercy, the tenno spun the hooked sword in her grasp before she crossed her body with it and threw the weapon, spearing the executor square in the chest.

Inaros was dumbfounded.

"I told you I'm not Orokin," Raven told the still frozen warframe as she slowly turned towards him. Reaching out, she gently rested her right hand on the warframes wrist. "You have relived this moment countless times. But our minds are linked now. We'll face this together. You were a victim as much as she was."

The warframe turned back towards the woman, who was now standing, unharmed. She was gorgeous, deep blue eyes, and immaculate skin. Her smile melted his heart.

"You didn't do this… Ballas did."

Inaros began to shake violently, his fingers clenching around the handle of his sword. He tried to fight it! He couldn't! Not again!

But it was too late…

She screamed…

Drugged, tortured, eviscerated, and brutalized minds…

But nothing ever seemed to work.

For what seemed like the millionth time, Inaros dropped his weapon and fell to his knees… and crawled towards his murdered wife.

He embraced her…

It was not through force of will -her void devilry -not alien darkness … it was something else. She had learned to see inside an ugly, broken thing.

And take away its pain.

"I… want it to be over!" Inaros sobbed as he eased his wife onto the floor. "What's done … is done…"

"We accept this memory and move beyond its reach."

***

Slowly, both warframes released one another from their vice like grips. Frost watched on tentatively as Inaros slowly stepped back, examining his arms and weapon within his grasp. When he was finished, Raven transferred herself from the sand king before turning to face the warframe.

"I told you I'm not Orokin," Raven stated in Orokin to the warframe.

"But you are of their design," Inaros replied as he sheathed his weapon on his right hip.

Raven pursed his lips inward indignantly and rolled her eye. "So are you!" she countered.

"Not by choice…"

She sighed before she glanced up towards her aunt, who was just now coming into consciousness. The warframe took note and with outstretched arm, eased the mare towards the ground. Luna was surprised at first, but relaxed when she saw that the fighting had come to an end. Raven snapped her fingers at Frost and swiped her arm towards her aunt, silently ordering her warframe to release the blue mare. Frost clenched his fist, the ice around Luna cracking before shattering completely. Then he did the same with Moondancer's ice dome as well.

"What happened to your operator?" Raven asked, grabbing the attention of the king.

"My what?" Inaros replied in a confusing matter.

"Your operator," she repeated. "Someone like me. We control the warframes."

"Nobody controls me!" Inaros spat.

Raven gave him a bemused expression. When the shaky warframe refused to respond, the girl immediately transferred into him. Inaros was caught desperately off guard as he suddenly lost all motor functions. He felt like a prisoner in his own subconscious.

"If there is anybody on this planet that you don't want to fuck with, it's me," the tenno harshly countered.

She transferred out and gave the being his body back.

Inaros did a full body shudder as his mind regained control of his systems before falling back into his usual tremors. That was extremely uncomfortable and unpleasant. "What are you?"

"I'm a Tenno," Raven replied, holding a hand to her chest. "Have you not heard of us?"

The god king shook his head. "I have been here for some time, locked in stasis until you freed me."

"Niece Raven?"

The girl and the warframe both turned towards Princess Luna, who was kneeled next to a shivering Moondancer. "How doth though knoweth the language of the gods?"

Raven paused, a shiver running up her back. But she swallowed down her nervousness before replying with a point of her finger towards her aunt, "I'll talk about that later," she brushed off before turning back to the warframe. "How did you get here?"

"I will not answer that."

"Okay… why are you here?" she tried a second time with a different question.

"I will not answer."

The girl threw her arms into the air annoyedly. "Is there a question you will answer?"

"You ask too many questions," Inaros replied as he turned to walk away.

"I know you came here from the Origin System," Raven stated, causing the warframe to pause. "You are an Orokin weapon designed to fight in the Old War. A failed experiment that brought nothing but death and destruction in its wake. I know what you are, and I know that you are not like the one standing over there!" She pointed at Frost who was helping Luna and Moondancer. "You're not the only thing the Orokin abused to fight in their war. So tell me Inaros… what, the hell, happened!?"

Inaros narrowed his eyes at her as he turned to face the human woman. "I do not trust you!" he aggressively admitted. "You are of Orokin design. Unless you prove yourself to me, you will not receive the answers to your questions."

Raven took a deep breath, calming her rising frustrations. "What must I do?" she asked, then quickly added in, "Lest I remind you who saved you from your eternal turmoil?" The human stepped forward and pressed her pointer finger flat against the warframes, cold, red helmet. "I hate them as much as you do…" she whispered.

Inaros stayed silent.

He was under no obligation. No order or requirement. But he still felt compelled to at least tell the woman something.

So, he did.

"The answers you seek. You will find through the mist. Only then, will you find the will of the wisp."

***

"The answers you seek- ACHOO!" Moondancer sneezed, shuddering as she wiped her running nose. "I'm pretty sure you gave me pneumonia, Raven…" Moondancer snorted, nice and wet too. "Ugh… Anyway, the answers you seek. You find through the mist. Only then, will you find the will of the wisp."

The three females were on their way home after their little adventure, hold up in their train cabin on their way back to Canterlot. Moondancer was currently huddling under as many wool blankets as she could, with history book in hand, while Raven was above her friend on her bunk and Luna was opposite them, on the bottom bunk.

Neither of them were under their blankets, it was still too hot. But the lunar princess was reading a letter and the human was staring at the roof with her arms resting behind her head, lost in thought.

“What do you think?” Moondancer asked nasally.

“Well… what do you?” Raven asked as she leaned over her bunk to look down at her friend.

Moondancer snorted as she wiped her muzzle with the back of her sleeve. “Well…” she started before she flipped through her book until she found what she was after. “Wisp is one of the ‘Butterfly Queens.’ She’s known as the monarch, because of her signature black and orange coloration.”

Wisp was yet another warframe.

The will of the wisp. Wil-O-Wisp was one of the frames abilities. But that may or may not be part of the riddle. But what was certain was that Raven would need to find Wisp. But the second part of the riddle was the most confusing. Through the mist? What did that even mean?

“Through the mist is the part I don’t get,” Moondancer mused. “Luna? Do you have an idea?”

Luna lowered the scroll she was reading, rolling it up as she spoke. “We may have an idea… but we are not sure. Perhaps our sister will know?”

“Well, I still got about a month left on this trek, if you guys are still interested,” Raven offered. With still a lot to think on, the young princess leaned back onto her mattress, resting her head onto her cool pillow and closing her eye.

“I’m sick as a dog…” Moondancer sniffled.

“And Tia wishes for us to come back to Canterlot,” Luna added.

“Alright,” Raven shrugged as she hugged her midsection, relaxing and let the train lull her into a state of blissful numbness. “Anypony have any plans for when we get home?”

“Bed…”

“Whatever Tia wants us to do,” Luna replied before she rolled over onto her side so that she could better see her friend and part of her niece. “What about you niece Raven? Art though still courting that young stallion?”

“Indeed, I am,” the girl in question answered. “Maybe I can get him to come with me?” she mused softly to herself. “I am eager to see him.” Internally, she was squealing and extremely excited to see her coltfriend. But externally, she kept face.

“Has he made you a mare yet?” Luna teased with the same smirk.

“Ha!” Raven laughed as she opened her eye and rolled to face her aunt, matching her smirk with one of her own. “You kidding me? First thing I’m going to do is ride him like a bull! We fuck like rabbits just about every chance we get.” The girl laid back, then waived her left arm towards her aunt. “Don’t tell mom.”

Luna giggled as she too, rolled onto her back. “As long as you don’t tell Tia about how we occasionally grab a guard and ‘lock his world’ as it is now said.”

“It’s ‘rock his world,’” Raven clarified. “And deal!”

“Can we stop with the sex talk?” Moondancer whimpered with a blush, causing both royals to openly laugh at their embarrassed friends' expense.

“Moondancer… we need to get you laid!”

“We agree!”

Moondancer squeaked.

Then sneezed.

Chapter 36

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Chapter 36

"Thanks mom!" Raven praised and thanked gleefully as Celestia rested a delightful looking plate of pancakes in front of the teen. The mare in question smiled warmly at her daughter before she leaned in and kissed her little girl on the head.

"You're welcome sweetie," Celestia replied before she set another plate down in front of Copper, who simply gargled, a small line of drool escaping from the corner of his lips. His stack was much more elegant than his marefriends. His was stacked high with chocolate chipped pancakes and smothered in a generous amount of whipped cream, some sprinkles, and a single cherry.

"I feel bad for ruining such a stack…"

Raven's fork slowly eased its way over and into his line of sight, hooking onto his plate and pulling it away.

Copper quickly grabbed his plate, glaring at his giggling girl and her silly antics. Opposite them, Celestia rolled her eyes as she sat down in front of her own plate of banana covered cakes. "Well," Celestia started as she delicately cut into her breakfast. "I assume you found what you were looking for. Since you're home so early."

Raven nodded, her cheeks bulging from the delicious delight before she swallowed her mouthful. "We did. But it only seemed to lead to more questions."

"Like what?" Copper asked, finally cutting into his own meal.

A true travesty to destroy such a creation.

It was at that moment that the doors to the dining hall opened and Luna stumbled inside, looking like a mare who was suffering from a very bad hangover. Her mane and tail were a tangled mess and it appeared as though she was still in her sleep wear -a black tank top and tiny black shorts. Like a zombie she shuffled into the room and towards her seat, unceremoniously plopping down on the plush cushion with a loud fwamp. Her head hit the table like a brick, causing plates to clatter and drinks to swish.

Just a moment after that, a waiter entered the room from the kitchen doors, approached the seemingly dead mare, and gently rested a fresh cup of brewed coffee onto the table before making his leave.

Celestia continued to eat like nothing was out of the ordinary. Raven eyed her aunt with a raised brow. Copper looked rather concerned.

The light wisps of steam wafted through the air by the gentlest of breezes and towards the mare of the night, sneaking its way towards her nostrils. Luna sniffed once, immediately lifting her head just far enough for her eyes to spot the cup of life giving brew. Her orbs sparkled with child-like wonder. Slowly -and much like the king they had found- her arm shook violently as she reached out for the cup.

"Anyway…" Raven said slowly, turning both the conversation and her confusing gaze away from her aunt. "We ended up with a riddle. I'm positive we figured out the last part of it, but we are yet to figure out the bit before it."

"What's the riddle?" Celestia inquired.

"The answers you seek. You will find through the mist. Only then will you find the will of the wisp," Raven repeated.

There was a loud tinking noise next to the human, causing her to turn her head, only to see her aunt whimpering like a lost puppy, her mug of coffee spilled across the table. The poor pricesses life blood flowing away without her consent. Celestia rolled her eyes, holding her hand to her head with an exasperated sigh. "I swear Luna… I'd say act you age but you are still technically seventeen…" Resting her fork and knife onto her napkin, Celestia clapped her hands twice.

A pair of waitresses entered the hall and were quick to get into gear. Like a well-oiled machine, the two mares quickly cleaned up the mess with some rags and spray bottles. Within probably a minute -if not less- the table was cleaned, and a new mug of coffee was placed before the still depressed lunar princess.

"Sit up and act mature Luna!" Celestia firmly chastised, her inner mother showing. Luna wilted under the intense glare and harsh tone, fully sitting up in her chair and actually grasping her mug with both hands and gently sipping from it with a blush and averted gaze. Celestia sighed before turning her attention back to her daughter. "So what part are you not getting?" she asked, grasping her knife and fork and cutting back into her food.

"The second sentence," Raven answered as she cut into her now half eaten cakes and taking a big bite, her words a little muffled as she pushed the food to the corner of her mouth. "Through the mist. I don't get if it is a place or a metaphor."

"Hmmm…" Celestia hummed in thought, pausing her cutting. The mare closed her eyes, her horn igniting as the precursor to the book that appeared not a moment later. The princess eased it onto the table next to her plate before she used her magic to open it and shuffle through its pages.

"I thought I told you no studying at the table?" Cadance teased as she entered the room with Shining Armor in tow. Both Raven and Copper waved their greetings since their mouths were stuffed full while Luna inclined her head. Both Shining and Cadance were quick to grab their own seats next to Celestia. "What are you looking for?" the nosy pink princess asked as she leaned forward to examine the tome before her.

"You cousin has discovered a riddle and cannot seem to solve it," Celestia clarified, not taking her attention away from the parchment.

"Oh? And what might that be?" Cadance inquired, turning towards the woman in question.

"The answers you seek. You will find through the mist. Only then, will you find the will of the wisp."

Both the pink mare and the white stallion shared a look of confusion as they tried to think about any leads of their own. No one at the table could seem to figure out what it meant except for Celestia who was lost in her book search. As they thought, Shining and Cadance had made an order for their own meals. They missed out on Celestia's glorious hot cakes.

"Well…" Celestia started as she lifted her head away from the tome and towards her daughter. "The mist means two things, if I had to hazard a guess. The first one pertains to Canterlot Mountain. Before I established Canterlot after…" Celestia glanced at Luna briefly, the lunar mare closing her eyes out of shame. "Well, anyway. The Canter was known as the misty mountain."

"It was?" Shining questioned as he munched down on his strawberry smothered toast.

Celestia confirmed it with a nod. "Before we implemented a weather team, this part of the mountain would be in the clouds. It looked like something out of a crime novel." Everypony made their own little noise of interest at the declaration. "But there is nothing here. The mountain was once mined for gems but was abandoned a century ago. Then there is the fact that the mountain is so steep, that no pony would dare climb it."

"So, what is the other possibility?" Raven asked.

"Luna, you remember Mistmane?" Celestia asked her sister, causing the dark mare in question to look up from her drink before nodding her head. "Mistmane was one of the few mares that was crucial with defending Equestria a millennia ago."

"She was one of the Pillars," Luna added. "Along with Somnambula."

"You mean the town we visited?"

"I think you mean the mare the town was named after," Celestia clarified. "Anyway, Mistmane was one of Somnambula's acquaintances. Together they-"

Just then, the dining hall doors opened yet again, and a very exhausted and disheveled Nightmare Moon stumbled inside. She didn't even pause to say hello, just opting to grab a pineapple -a whole pineapple- from the stack of fruit on the table that had been ignored up until this point and bite into it, peel and all, before making her leave back out the door she entered from. Just before the door closed entirely, a bright orange and yellow blur flew in, gliding around the table once before she came into land with a couple of graceful flaps of her elegant wings.

Philomena squawked excitedly as she happily bounced her way across the table and towards Raven. The large avian was eager to see her human, cooing happily at the fingers as they scritched her neck and head. Once she received her fill of attention after a little while, the phoenix hopped her way towards the fruit pile, briefly examining her options before settling on a single grape. With meal pinched delicately in her beak, the bird hopped back towards her person, settling within arm’s reach for more needed -an very necessary- pets.

"So, about Mistmane?" Raven said, easing back into the conversation as she idly rubbed her hand through Philomena's soft feathers.

"Are we just going to ignore the fact that Nightmare went to town on that pineapple? Peel and all?" Shining questioned as he held up a bagel.

"We are not a morning pony," Luna added.

"We, as in you?" the stallion asked.

"We, as in both of them," Raven clarified. "They are technically the same pony."

"Mistmane is the Element of Beauty. The precursor to the Element of Generosity. Perhaps that is the link you are looking for. Monarch butterflies are very beautiful, so it would make perfect sense to start a search with her," Celestia finished, seemingly ignoring the previous three statements.

"But where would I find her?" Raven questioned, pausing only to hold up her hand away from Philomena. The pheonix's head immediatly snapped towrads the human, she never said stop.

"Perhaps you should start with her home. The mare has been dead for some time," Celestia clarified. "I'll make sure to get you a map. Do you plan on going with anypony?"

The human girl in question shrugged her shoulders as she looked around the room. "I know you want Aunt Luna here and you're probably too busy to want to come." Celestia nodded to both. That left Raven with a couple of options. So, the human turned towards Shining and Cadance. "You probably have plans."

Cadance nodded as she chewed her cereal. "I just can't drop my foalsitting job in a heartbeat."

"Flare probably has you doing all her paperwork," Raven said to Shining Armor jokingly. "Even though I could order you to come."

The stallion shrugged. Basically, a yes to both statements.

She turned to the bird.

"What about you Philomena? Would you like to go with me!" Raven said playfully as she ruffled the phoenix's head feathers. The bird seemed to be smiling at the playful tone, chirping away happily. "Guess it's on me." The human had offered it initially to Copper as well, but he was unable to get away from his job to go. "Guess it's just me then," she mused. Philomena hopped away to grab another grape while the human watched her.

"I do need you to help me with something before you go sweetie," Celestia requested, grabbing the teen's attention. Philomena hopped over to her owner and dropped the grape in front of her before hopping away. "Thank you, Philomena," the princess giggled as she took the grape and popped it into her mouth. "While you were gone, we had a massive influx in recruits to join the new branch of the royal guard."

Raven furrowed her brow in confusion.

So did Luna.

"New branch, sister?"

"The Lunar Guard!" Celestia excitedly declared with a beaming smile. "Tasked with the protection of the night."

Luna was hanging on every word her sister spoke and leaning in closer and closer as well.

"I want you to take your aunt to the barracks and inspect the new troops. They arrived yesterday and I haven't had time to visit yet. I know how much you enjoy harassing the guards," Celestia said with a playful smirk before turning her attention towards her sister. "And I thought you might enjoy the sight of our newest contingent."

Celestia paused, smiling warmly towards her younger sister, tears of joy threatening to break free.

"Welcome back Luna!"

The mare in question was a blue blur that shot off across the table, sending her chair sliding across the floor as she nearly tackled her older sister off her own seat. Raven and Cadance shared a glance, each sharing a pleasant smile, half smile. Celestia eased her way back towards the table with her much smaller sister still holding her tightly and sobbing tears of joy into the alabaster fur on her neck.

"You two best get dressed," Celestia suggested as Luna sat up.

She is like a child… Raven mused at the sight of her smaller aunt in her mother's significantly larger lap.

***

Luna -now dressed in her usual and elegant dark blue dress- followed along excitedly as ~Raven~ lead the way towards the training grounds. The human was rather eager to harass some new recruits by embarrassing them on their first day. Luna was practically bouncing on the tips of her hooves. All they had known at this point was that there was a waiting company of guards for the Lunar Guard. ~Raven~ spared her aunt a glance, smiling within her warframe as they rounded the final corner.

The castle training grounds were just as they had always been. Many ponies were training, some were running, and others were working out, all while under the gaze of their drill instructors, Sergeant's Dawn and Longbow. The two ponies watched on, occasionally chatting between one another about a recruit’s performances. ~Raven~ drew her Javlok just as they entered the room, holding it firm before she lifted it just far enough to rest the spiked head of the weapon against the stone floor with a resonating bang.

Dawn and Longbow paused their conversation, furrowing their brows in confusion at one another as they turned to look over their shoulders. Both guards of them might as well have died with how pale they turned as their eyes went wide. "COMMANDER ON DECK!" the instructors bellowed in unison, grabbing the attention of every recruit withing the training grounds. Much to their chagrin, every recruit froze in fear, causing both instructors to look like a pair of morons. "NOW!"

Dozens of ponies finally got it in them to run towards the two ponies. In was a ten second frenzy as ponies of all colors and backgrounds ran as if their life depended on it as they quickly got into formation. The recruits were sweating like mad under the intense glares of their instructors.

"That was sloppy recruits," Sergeant Dawn chastised as she glared her way down the line.

"They clearly need work," ~Raven~ mentioned as her attention moved to Longbow.

"You have no idea," he replied with a sly smirk.

Dawn marched his way down the line, glaring at his newest batch of recruits. The poor pones never felt so small as many of them began to sweat more and more under the harsh scrutinizing glare. Once she reached the end of the line, she nodded towards the princesses.

~Raven~ nodded in acknowledgement as she transferred from her warframe. "Everypony! Say hello to your charge!" She turned, holding out a hand towards Princess Luna, who stood stoic. But the mare was struggling to hold in her glee at having her own personal guard again!

"HELLO PRINCESS!" the collective unit shouted.

Luna waved.

"She will be you're new commanding officer!" Raven continued, turning back towards the new recruits. "Your job is to protect her, the castle, the royal family, Canterlot, and her night as the Lunar Guard! Can we trust you to uphold your oath and protect Equestria and her people?"

"YES PRINCESS!"

"Good!" Raven began to walk the line and inspect the front line of troops. A good majority of them were thestrals and it was good to see that they were branching out from their usually uh... 'shy' demeanor. If Raven's time in Thestralshire was anything to go by, this batch of recruits might be the hardest yet. But there were also several unicorns within the ranks. But the tenno swore she saw a snaggle toothed fang poking out from a lip of one of the unicorns in the ranks.

She wondered how that type of crossbreeding worked.

She didn't think too hard about it as she suddenly pressed her nose right against a stallion’s muzzle, glaring at him with her one good eye. "You want to know how I got these scars?"

He gulped, wilting under her intense gaze as his own drifted towards the marks and the patch covering her bad eye. "N-No... ma'am..." he squeaked in a tone that seemed to be much higher than one would assume for a pony of his build. Her gaze narrowed before she pulled and turning away, causing the stallion to let out a sigh of relief. But he immediately snapped back to attention when she spun back to glare at him further. Her gaze lingered on him for a moment longer before she headed back down the line.

Her watchful eye drifted over the sea of colored ponies before she saw one standout. There was a brint pink, tiny mare somewhere in the middle. She was much shorter than the rest of her allies. Raven cocked her head and narrowed her eye in though. She had to make sure.

"You, pinky in the middle. Front and center!"

The little pink mare went stiff, her ears perking at the order before she disappeared in the crowd. Raven waited patiently as the soft clip clop of hooves on the stone floor as the little mare came trotting around to the front. She ran straight and right in front of the young princess and right at attention.

"Princess!"

Rave stared down at the smaller mare as she racked her brain. It took her a second, but then it hit her.

"Rosey?"

The adorable little bat mare beamed up at the princess with a big, fang filled smile. "Hi princess! It's really good to see you again!"

"Holy shit it is you!" Raven beamed as she reached out and pulled the smaller mare into a welcoming hug. Rosey was more than eager to reciprocate the affection before they separated, holding each other by their biceps. "What are you doing here?" she whispered. THey hadn't seen each other since that time in Thestralshire a few years ago.

"When I heard that the lunar princess had returned, I had to join!" Rosey explained eagerly.

Raven glanced towards her aunt and friends before turning back towards Rosey. "Look, I have something I have to do. So, I am going to be out of a town for a while, but when I get back. I have a job opportunity for you when I return."

Rosey's eyes sparkled with gleeful excitement. "Really!?"

"You know it," Raven smiled. As they pulled away, the princess pointed back towards her gathered troops. "Now get in line!"

Rosey immediately snapped to attention and saluted. "Yes princess!" she acknowledged before scurrying back into line.

Raven decided to call it there. She wandered back towards her aunt and the two instructors and crossing her arms. "They need work, but that's the point of training." She gently slapped Longbow on the arm. "Keep them in line for me?" she asked before transferring back into Frost.

"Will do!" he smiled.

She stepped away from him and began to head for the door before a though came to mind. She spun her Javlok around, closing the shield that protected the barrels. "Oh, before I forget?" she asked, looking towards Longbow, causing his ears to perk. "Does this hurt?"

She smashed the closed head of her weaponright onto Longbow's right hoof.

Luna gasped in horror as the rest of the recruits did the same, flinching in shock and horror at the sound of metal resonating throughout the training grounds. Longbow screamed at the top of his lungs, grabbing at his leg with both hands and hopping around like an injured rabbit. He continued to scream out in agony for several more seconds.

Dawn wasn't fooled as she rolled her eyes, but smirked knowingly.

"AH! AH! AAAAAAAAAAH- I'm okay," Longbow suddenly stated as if nothing had ever happened, leaving everyone in different states of confusion and shock as he rested his leg back onto the ground. They continued to stare with wide eyes and covered faces as he wandered back towards his own group with a knowing smirk. Reaching down, he grasped at his right pant leg and pulled it up to reveal the metal prosthetic underneath. He knocked on it twice with his knuckles. "Wrong leg."

Everyone let out a sigh of relief...

***

~Raven~ wandered through the little town she had found from the map her mother had shown her. It had been a short journey towards the southwestern town, but the place was as lively as ever. Supposedly, long before Equestria was as large as it was today, the land had been ruled by a number of different royals, kings and queens, each in charge of their own city state before eventually merging with Equestria as a whole somewhere within the last five to eight hundred years.

The town of Sable, named after its last ruler, was about -if not larger- than Ponyville. Actually, it probably was larger the closer the human got to the settlement's city center. Nope, it was on par with Somnambula, a town not as big as Canterlot, but still bigger than the quaint town of Ponyville. Ponies of all walks of life, along with some other unfamiliar creatures wandered the town and marketplace. But ~Raven~ was not there to shop, she was after Mistmane's former home.

The walk was nothing special, at most all she received was a curious glance before she finally approached the ornate mansion. Surrounded by an ornate, stone wall with red overhangs and gold accent, it was clearly ancient Japony in design. Resting before the gate, ~Raven~ rested the mace head of her Javlok against the ground. She expected guards, but it was clear that the structure was nothing but a relic of a bygone era. Much like the Tomb of Inaros.

But she was shocked by the rather decrepit state.

The gardens were overgrown and the plants wilting. Vines and weeds devoured what they could, even going as far as to lay across the path that led to the palace. If she was going to be honest with herself, ~Raven~ was appalled. It felt like she was stumbling through some of the worst jungles that nation had. The girl immediately lost sight of the external wall and barely saw any of the buildings that populated the land. Somewhere along the line, she paused, leaning in to examine a pink and white, four leafed flower in a very sad looking pot. The only life this place seemed to have.

~Raven~ sighed as she looked around.

This was going to be a bust unless she found somepony lost in this maze of detritus. She was lost in her thoughts for so long that she failed to notice the being that descended behind her.

“Who are you?” a gentle voice inquired.

~Raven~ slowly turned around and was surprised by the sight before her. The butterfly-like being was nearly exactly as the name implied. She was orange and black in color, bright white emanating from her wings. But the cloaked and almost skeleton-like face of her helmet and the pair of twisted, burning pigtails added to the air of menace.

It was her; it was Wisp.

She found her.

Raven transferred from her warframe but before she could say a thing, the female warframe was quick to draw her Fulmin rifle, pointing it maliciously at the human.

“Woah woah woah!” Raven was quick to protest, immediately holding out her hands defensively before transferring back into Frost. “I already dealt with Inaros! I don’t want to deal with you too!”

Bad choice of words, now that she thought about it.

“You killed Inaros!?” The warframe demanded in shock, fully raising and shouldering her rifle.

“No no no!”~Raven~ quickly back pedaled. She really needed to reel her words back in in order to salvage this conversation. The girl paused, planning her next words carefully. She spoke softly and slowly, “Inaros sent me here to find you. We did battle, yes. But I did not kill him. I’m only looking for answers!” ~Raven~ wanted to make that explicitly clear first and foremost before she moved on towards a different topic.

"You are human! You are Orokin!" Wisp accused, floating forward threateningly. "You cannot be trusted!"

This again?

"I am not of Orokin descent," ~Raven~ stated before she decided to be bold and transfer from her warframe a second time, hands still held high and palms out. She took a few tentative steps away from her own warframe while the one opposite her tightened her grip on her rifle. "I was made by their knives-" the human lifted her shirt to reveal numerous scars. "-not by choice. Just as you were."

Wisp lowered her weapon briefly, as though she believed the words the human spoke. "You lie!" she suddendly accused yet again, raising her rifle and taking aim.

Raven tightened her lips into a tight line. That's when she felt something that could possibly change the warframe's mind. The tenno didn't have to wait long as Frost suddenly appeared between her and Wisp, the frozen king palming the weapons silencer, forcefully jerking the gun away and out of Wisp's hands. The female warframe could only stare up in shock as the bull loomed over her like a titan.

"F-Frost! You're… alive?"

He tilted his head in confusion at her.

"What?"

Raven's words, or just one word to be precise, knocked the warframe from her stupor. The armored creature looked past the ice titan and towards the waiting and confused woman. Wisp then glanced back towards Frost and towards Raven yet again. Wisp gently reached out towards her weapon, only for Frost to splay away from her holding out a hand to stop her while his other held the weapon over his head.

Wisp paused.

That's when the god queen decided to ease herself forward, resting her hands flat against the frozen king's breastplate. As though she was embracing a long-lost lover, she pressed the part of her helmet where her mouth should be against his own, the faintest of blue sparks arching between them.

"I will help you..."

Frost seemed to relax, lowering his arms and offering her matching colored weapon back to her. Wisp grasped her gun by the barrel and slipped it over her back. Floating past him, the Monarch finally presented herself to the operator in a much less hostile manner this time. Her Etheria chest plate flowed with pure, reddish orange energy. The life blood. On each shoulder was a bright orange lotus emblem with a tassel attached at the base. Lastly, her Vetala leg armor at her ankles seemed to keep her aloft along with her twisted, branch and vine like ends of her legs. Lastly, she was armed with a Pangolin Prime sword. An elegant, S style, hooked blade. A trusted starter weapon of many clans.

"I need answers," Raven bluntly stated.

"Then we must find Harrow," Wisp replied.

Raven let out another exhaustive sigh, glancing to the side. "What riddle do I have to solve…"

Wisp cocked her head to the side curiously. "What do you mean? I did say I would help you. In order to get the true answers, you seek, Harrow is the oldest of us all. He can help you. But we must find him first."

Turning, Wisp began to float away towards the gate. Raven transferred back into Frost and began to follow. "Where do we find him?"

"We will start with his last known location," Wisp replied, glancing over her shoulder. "At the tree of life."

"Where is that?"

***

"You have got to be kidding me…"

She was back at the castle that she had been at only about a month prior. The fact that she had to double back was one thing, the fact that she had been in the same building was another! The two warframes stared up at the old ruins. After a few seconds of examination, Wisp started towards the door.

"I do not remember such dilapidation," Wisp mused as she hovered through the open doors and into the main hall. "But it has been many moons since I was last here."

"Quite a bit has happened in recent years," ~Raven~ clarified as she followed behind the goddess. "But where is this tree of life? Last time I was here there was nothing but vines and weeds."

Wisp came to a halt, holding a finger to her chin in thought. "The castle was constructed over it as both a monument to its power, but to also house its protectors." She looked to the left, the right, and back to the left. "I believe it is this way," she pointed. Just as ~Raven began to follow, Wisp fluttered past her towards the opposite direction. "My apologies, it was this direction."

~Raven~ groaned…

"But this place is called the 'Castle of the Two Sisters,'" the human clarified.

"It has held many names," Wisp explained as her cloaked head examined the walls and destruction before she headed towards a descending hallway and staircase. "But the purpose has always been the same. It is clear that the meaning has long been forgotten."

"It was abandoned after my mother and my aunt had a bit of a fight here," ~Raven~ explained vaguely.

"They must be powerful unicorns."

"Alicorns," the daughter replied. "A combination of all three races."

"Interesting," Wisp mused under her breath, slowing down only briefly. "This way."

The pair continued to traverse farther and farther into the depths of the castle until they were deep underground. The halls were no better than the outside surface, perhaps even worse. The air and walls were moist and damp, the only thing that seemed to keep the dust down. The occasional rat scurried along the floor and from hole to crack, spiders dutifully guarded their webs while lizards clung to the walls. The squeaking of a bat could be heard somewhere within the darkness.

They were wandering some random hall, ~Raven~ watching the warframe flitter back and forth from wall to wall, rubbing the cold and wet stone, occasionally rapping her knuckles here and there. This went on for some time.

"You have no clue where he is do you?"

"There is a hidden room along this corridor…" Wisp answered. "Or perhaps it was that one back there…I'm looking for his quarter's not himself. I doubt Harrow would be-"

"I think I found him!" ~Raven~ hollered from an adjacent hallway. Wisp blinked in confusion, quickly glancing over her shoulder and fluttering her way back the way she came and around a left-hand corner. The hallway was lined with suit after suit of rusty metal and very outdated armor. About halfway down the line stood a very dusty looking statue.

But to the trained eye, he was more than a statue.

He stood tall and proud, head held high, left hand behind his back while his right held his staff firmly in place. It was almost the mirror image to the golems that guarded Inaros' tomb.

That, and he did not look anything like the battle suits that lined each wall of the hallway.

Raven transferred from her frame as she examined the dormant warframe before her. Well, if it worked with Inaros, she assumed that it would work with Harrow. So, the girl manifested a ball of bright red energy within her open palm before she tentatively reached inside his chest cavity and wrapped her hand around his exposed heart. The organ glowed a bright violet as she felt her unique powers leave her body. Raven squeezed the heart a couple more times before she felt it begin to beat under its own power.

The warframe shuddered, shaking off who knows how many layers of dust from his body, revealing the bright violets and whites of his armor and cloth. He shook his head, the front of his round helmet flowing bright with violet energy as the pointed halo to the rear ignited with the same color energy. The warframe groaned from hundreds of years of pain due to a severe lack of movement.

"Wisp?" Harrow questioned to the Monarch as he stepped down from his pedestal. "What are you doing here?" He then shifted his gaze towards the human next to him. "And why is there a human here?"

"She is seeking answers," Wisp replied as she fluttered closer to the warframe and began wiping dust from his sweeping shoulder pauldrons.

He looks like a priest… Raven mused.

Makes sense, Harrow is often referred to as 'The Void Priest.' But this one was a bit strange. His body was almost split in two, bits of the same energy between the gaps of his upper torso and hips looked a lot like a ribcage and the same sorta went with his arms. They were wrapped in white bandages and split at the elbow. Past the cloaks that covered his legs, she could barely see the portion where his shins were missing. Lastly, a long, black flowing cloak that descended to a tattered violet tip covered his back.

A shattered being bound by void and will.

When he turned back to Raven, only then did she perk up and give him her full attention. "What is an Orokin doing on this planet?" he questioned.

Raven internally sighed for the billionth time. "I'm not Orokin."

The warframe grabbed her hand and began to examine her skin. Harrow released her arm before he cupped her chin, tilting it slightly to the side to examine her face, his gaze lingering on her missing eye and the oatch that covered. He lifted her shirt, causing the human to blush while he examined the numerous scars that covered her body.

"It would seem you are correct," Harrow eventually spoke. "But you are still not trustworthy."

"Then how can I prove myself?" She asked as the warframe began to make his leave, Wisp in tow.

"Harrow," Wisp decided to cut in. "The world has changed. She has sought us out looking for answers. I brought her here because I knew you could help her."

"We have protected and cultivated this land and its people for the better to spite the Orokin and to prove that we are better than the monsters that created us," Harrow responded with what felt like an air of professionalism. "But it is clear that this human is of their design. She may not be Orokin, but she is of their design. I will allow her to walk free for now, but I do not have to trust her unless she is to prove herself."

"Then what am I to do?" Raven cut in, causing both warframes to turn and face her. "How must I prove myself to be worthy of your trust?"

The two warframes shared a glance before turning back towards the human. "Bring back my squad and I will answer all the questions you have," Harrow replied.

"Who am I looking for?"

"Atlas, Oberon, and Zephyr," Harrow listed, holding his left hand close to his chest. "Bring them to me and we shall talk."

"Where can I find them?" Raven requested. It would greatly reduce her search time. She didn't want to go after another wild goose chase. Her luck might not hold this time, especially not as quickly as it has up until now. Who knew how many other warframes were scattered across the planet.

"You can find them… through… the… erhm…"

Raven gave the warframe a look bemusement. If Wisp had eyes, she would have rolled them before fluttering towards her companion, resting a hand on his shoulder. "It has been a millennium since we have seen one another in one place. Last I heard, Atlas was headed towards the eastern seas. Same with Zephyr. I do not know where Oberon has gone. You best head that direction. As a begining."

Raven sighed exhaustedly as she wilted slightly. "Back to the library it seems…" she perked up and smiled as she thanked them. "At least I'm one step closer."

"I shall escort you to the entrance," Wisp offered.

With that, they were off, Harrow following shortly behind them.

***

~Raven~ was not thrilled to be back in Ponyville, but it was the closest town in the vicinity to the castle ruins. But the princess really didn't want to be in this little town, the chances of running into Twilight and her new friends had been high. Especially since Twilight had moved to the valley town several weeks prior.

~Raven~ sighed as she passed by the central statue. The place was bustling with activity with dozens of ponies out mingling and being merry. The tenno paid no mind to the occasional stares and reciprocated welcoming waves with one of her own. She only had one thing on her mind, which was get a meal while she waited for her train to arrive. So, the princess headed for what appeared to look like a place to eat.

It looked like a giant gingerbread house as she approached, stepping through the open door and into the little diner/cafe/snack shop place. It was bustling with conversation and excitement. Three little fillies, one orange, one white, another yellow sat around a table slurping away at their respective milkshakes. Couples shared their own milkshakes as well while other ponies munched away at their meals. ~Raven~ stepped in line, patiently waiting for her turn to place her order. The two ponies before her were quick to place their orders before she stepped up and opted to get a grilled cheese with some chips to go with it from a pudgy little blue mare behind the counter.

It wasn't much of a wait, a few minutes at most while she read the local newspaper. The princess could see the three fillies glancing her way and whispering about something, but she didn't bother to investigate.They could have their fun. Eventually the pudgy mare returned and set down ~Raven's~ order, so she fold up her paper and tossed a few extra bits onto the counter. Just as she turned, a frustrated voice called out to her.

"Hey! What are you doing her you big meany!"

~Raven~ slowly turned around and glared at the pony calling her out.

It was the same pink mare from the castle. The pudgy pony glared at the warframe with the disapproving sight of a thousand angry foals. The room went dead silent as ponies watched the bull and the towns premiere party planner stare each other down. The pink mare stormed her way over like an accusatory girlfriend, hunched over and hands balled up into fists at her sides.

"Why I should teach you-"

"Teach me. What?"

Pinkie went immediatly silent as she was cut off by the human partly transferring from her warframe and grabbing a fistful of the mare collar, pulling the pink mares muzzle square against her face, glaring deep into Pinkie's blue eyes.

Pinkie gulped, loudly.

"Uhm… not throw you a 'Welcome to Ponyville Party?'" she smiled nervously.

Seriously?

Raven continued to stare the girl down to see what she was trying to hide, but her profuse sweating and nervous look was more than enough to know that was it. The human narrowed her eye at the mare before she released her collar, the human fully stepping out of her suit and forcing the now scared pink mare to take a few cautious steps back.

"That's what I thought."

Turning back towards the door, Raven was quick to exit the building with Frost in tow under the gazes of anger filled glares. She found it best to just head for the station and wait for her train to arrive, because the princess clearly wasn't wanted in this town anymore.

"Hey! You one eyed freak!"

Raven groaned…

She continued walking as if she hadn't heard the insult from the scratchy tomboyish tone of the blue pegasus approaching her. The human continued to ignore the mare as the pegasus continued to storm her way over.

"I want to have a word with you!"

"Just ignore her…" Raven muttered under her breath. But it was all in vain as the pegasus cut her off by standing right in front of her. "What? What do you want?" She was beyond annoyed by now.

"You and I are going to have a bit of a chat," Rainbow threatened as she cracked her knuckles in preparation for a fight.

"Yeah, because cracking your knuckles is what you do before a 'talk,'" Raven replied with air quotes. "Unless you want to see how fast you will end up in the hospital, I suggest you move." She went to step past the pegasus, only for her to block her yet again. With yet another bemused expression, Raven glared at the pegasus. "Move…"

Rainbow leaned in close, her muzzle just millimeters from her opponent's nose. "Make me!" she retorted with challenging smirk.

Raven stepped right through her.

Not around, not over or even under but through.

"Gah!" the pegasus shuddered at the cold feeling of something going right through her body. She felt violated in ways she didn't know she could!

The rainbow maned mare spun on her heels and watched in awe as the princess just casually continued down the road as if nothing had even happened. The pegasus turned back towards the suit and immediately made him her next target. With brow firm and tongue strong, she pressed her hand firm against his chest. "Now see here bucko, you bring her back this- OW!"

Frost quickly grasped her hand, prying it from his chest, her wrist and knuckles cracking as she folded over to her right.

Nobody threatens the operator!

"Okay okay! I give I give!" Rainbow begged as the pain in her hand and arm quickly became unbearable. Frost continued to jerk her around before she was too far to the side that she could not recover quickly, that is when he would release her. When he did eventually release her, she landed on her side with a grunt and a small puff of dust. Rainbow seethed as she propped herself up, glaring at the pair as they continued on their way.

"Rainbow, darling, why are you wallowing in the dirt like a pig?"

The mare glanced towards the direction of the voice and was greeted by a pair of white hooves and dark pants. "Twilight's ex-friend," Rainbow grunted, pushing herself back to her hooves and brushing the dirt from her grey tank top.

Rarity hummed in response as she watched the princess and her armored guard walking away. "You best not antagonize them," the fashionista suggested. "We've seen firsthand what she can do." Rarity glanced towards Rainbow with a skeptical eye. "I suggest you leave them be." Reaching into her pocket, Rarity pulled out a small brush and began cleaning the dust from her brash friend's clothing.

"Should we let Twilight know?"

Rarity paused her delicate strokes as a look of worry graced her features. "Too late…"

Raven was a fair distance from the unruly pegasus when she felt somepony watching her. Her sixth sense had kicked up and at first the human glance to the right but didn't see anything. It was when she shifted her gaze to her left did, she notice who was watching her.

Twilight stood out in the crowd like a diamond in the rough. She held her hands over her heart as tears welled up in the corners of her eyes. The little purple mare reached out towards her friend, silently calling out for her best friend to come to her.

It never happened.

Raven did nothing but narrow her gaze, glaring Twilight down as she continued on her way, causing the poor unicorn to lower her head in sadness.

Raven just shook her head in disbelief. Twilight had one thing to do. Just one thing and for some strange reason she would not do it. It was unbelievable. She the princess marched on; her destination partially known. She would need to find Atlas.

The other God King of the Earth.

Author's Notes:

Alright...

I'm going to be honest, I have had little motivation do write due to everything that is going on in the world. So first off as I have mentioned before is that Covid does not scare me. People acting irrationally does, however. But I am sick of how horrendously the whole thing has been blown out of proportion. I'm also sick of hearing about the riots that appear to still be happening. It just pisses me off to no end that people are like this. Because there are times where I just sit here and think that there is no way people are this stupid or such lost causes.

Then I turn on the news and there went that ideology, right out the window.

Just like everyone else, I'm done. At this point, I'd find more pleasure shooting myself in the foot than dealing with yet another video or talk or whatever about the worlds current state of 'nuclear world ending' affairs.

I don't want to bring politics into this, but I just have to at this point.

Chapter 37

View Online

Chapter 37

Marecropolis was located roughly halfway between the nation of Griffonstone and Equestria and just about right smack dab in the center of the Celestial sea. Built at the base of a volcano, the bustling civilization was once the home to a land of strong warriors of immense strength. It was also the former home to an old folk lore hero by the name of Rockhoof. It had taken a fair amount of digging -pun not intended as Rockhoof had dug a trench to save his town- to which the princess eventually found one story that stuck out more than the rest she had found.

One, involving the God King Atlas.

Now it should be said that there were plenty of stories of his majesty performing great feats of strength. There were also numerous stories of how he formed the very mountains seen today. But there was only one story as to the last whereabouts to where the warframe was located.

***

Rockhoof stood at the base of the volcano, his trusty shovel in hand and fight in his heart, but even he knew that he would not be fast enough to save his village!

With sweat dripping from his brow, Rockhoof was about to give in and flee from the never relenting heat of the encroaching lava. But the stallion kept digging. Lives rested on his shoulders. But even with that heart, Rockhoof held hope.

So he prayed.

He prayed to the gods that they could give the strength he so desperately needed. 'One more,' he prayed as he heaved another shovel full. Just one more. He heaved. One more! He heaved!

It was then, his prayers were answered!

The mighty stallion failed to notice the as the god king stood before him until he accidentally chipped away at the king's stone hide. Rockhoof was taken aback at the sight before him.

Atlas, God King of the earth itself.

Rockhoof was not worthy but he begged for help, to save his people and his home. He offered himself as a sacrifice if necessary!

The god king only watched as the burning river came ever closer.

He turned to the stallion. 'Keep digging!' the king ordered. Rockhoof nodded, burying his shovel to the hilt with renewed vigor. As he worked, he was in awe of what he would go on to witness. Atlas, God King of the Earth, pulled at the very earth he formed, walls of solid stone jutting from the ground. The barrier holding true as thousands of kilograms of burning lava smashed into the wall and began to rapidly fill the trench Rockhoof had dug. But he still wasn't far enough!

He could feel the heat, he could see the flames, but he kept digging!

With no more sweat to give, Rockhoof kept going forward, one heave at a time. What happened next, was yet another miracle by the god. King Atlas stood side by side next to the mortal stallion and began moving the dirt and stone as well, like it never existed. Together, pony and god would finish the trench, hand in hand and save the residents of Marecropolis. When they were finished, Atlas would pull the exhausted stallion from the trench and watch as the lava flowed over the cliffs, oozing into the cool waters below.

That was the day I had been proven wrong. Fight is not the amount of strength you have in your body, it is not the the feats you accomplish, but the hope and strength you hold near and dear within your heart. Only then can you fight side by side...

WITH THE GODS.

The letter was then signed by one of the ponies that would eventually come close to Rockhoof and accepted the once skinny stallion into their warrior’s guild. She wasn't sure, but Raven had read that letter over now several times over the last few weeks and it was her only lead now. The letter had been written to Clover the Clever many years after the events of Rockhoof's heroic act.

"We're almost to the island princess."

Raven lifted her head from the parchment gripped within her fingers as she looked towards the stallion standing next to her. "Thank you, captain." The stallion nodded with a smile before turning and making his leave. It had taken a little bit of negotiating to find a ship that was heading for this specific location. But Raven was able to use one of her best resources -which involved mooching through Copper's parents- to get her aboard a ship carrying archeologists and researchers to Marecropolis before it would be heading to Griffonstone.

The wooden ship docked not too long after, her crew scrambling to get the ship tied off and ready for unload. Once that was done, did a gaggle of eager children descend the ramp to go and play in the dirt.

Everypony has their own definition of fun.

Raven was last to leave the ship with Frost in tow as they followed after the archaeologists towards the main dig. The air was humid, but it wasn't unbearably hot, and the pleasant breeze kept the human’s skin cool. She was glad that she opted to rock a red tank top and grey short shorts and boots, much like many ponies at the dig -obviously not in those colors, but still. The dig was bustling with activity as buildings and statues were unearthed, crumbling, but mostly intact enough to be identifiable. Tents had been erected to protect other areas of special interest or just as social places for food, water, and supplies. Other ponies were examining broken bits of pottery, rusty and dull tools, and other objects of interest.

Raven paused amidst the organized chaos, resting her hands on her hips and eyeing the now dormant volcano. Its last great eruption was hundreds of years ago, long after the island had been abandoned by her inhabitants. Which had buried part of what remained of the town in a thick layer of ash. The lava had yet again drained via the trench located towards the base of the volcano.

"Princess!"

Raven turned towards the voice and was quick to spot a light blue stallion approaching her. He was dressed in what would be typical of an archeologist. A pair of khaki cargo shorts, a stained and well-loved dark blue shirt, and lastly, a brown, wide brimmed hat.

"Yes?" she replied, lowering her arms and turning towards the stallion.

"Name's Dust Pan, but everyone calls me Dusty!" he greeted once he was close enough with a thick, 'down under' accent. "Gold an Enny told me ta keep an eye out for yah."

"I didn't realize that they actually contacted some pony," she admitted. "I think you already know who I am? Heh."

"That ah do!" Dusty beamed before he waved her along to follow. "Come on, ah'll show yah around. So, what brings yah ta Marecropolis?" the stallion asked as they started back through the camp and leading the princess along.

"I'm looking for any clue leading to Atlas. Do you know about him?" she answered.

"The god king? Nothin much ah reckon. Supposedly he had visited here ta save the village a long time ago. But what do you want with 'im?" Dusty replied as they passed by a group of researchers that softly greeting them. He replied with a simple wave and a smile.

"I intend to find him."

"HA!" Dusty let out a single, uproarious laugh at the notion. As he turned back to acknowledge the joke, his smile faded immediately at her rather serious expression. "Yer serious?"

"If I told I've found three of the gods, how would you respond?" Raven shot back, genuinely curious about his response.

"Well," Dusty mused as he turned to face her, holding a hand to his chin as he looked to the sky in thought. "If I had ta take a guess. Oh, how do yah Equestrian's say it? Full ah shit!" he laughed, garnering a smile and a playful eye roll from the young woman in response. "But please, enlighten me on the three you've found."

"Inaros, God-King of the sands. Wisp and Harrow as well."

"The queen of the woods and the king of wisdom?"

The princess paused as she thought about those words. She hadn't really looked too deep into either. All she knew was that Wisp was called the Monarch. Inaros was the King of the Sands -duh. Lastly, she found Harrow through Wisp. But in her fascination to learn about what was going on, she had failed to look very deep into the prospect.

"I guess?" she answered rather unsurely. "I haven't looked deep into their respective… oh what’s the word…" she said with a couple of snaps of her fingers. "Respective rules... if you know what I mean?"

Dusty nodded his head in understanding. "Aye, that I do. Well," he said as he began leading her and Frost back through the camp and towards a specific site. "We just started a new dig. Perhaps we can find something about Atlas in there. But it will be sometime before we excavate enough ground to identify everything in it."

"Well… I'm willing to work!"

Dusty let out yet another hearty laugh. "That's what ah like ta hear!"

***

Stepping out from her tent, Raven was dressed and ready to go for another day of hard and dirty digging. Dressed in her cargo pants, heavy boots and what was now, a very dirty and stained grey t-shirt, Raven was ready to start her day. It has been a month since she had landed on this little island and physically, her search had been a bust.

Up until yesterday, that is.

She had felt something while they had been digging the day prior. That surge in power and the call of… something. The human was close, and she knew it and knew it well. It motivated her to stay just a little longer before giving up. But the dig hadn't truly been in vain. A building, what appeared to be a church, along with several artifacts had been excavated from the dig. It had been a major discovery that had made headlines across the world.

Raven and part of her crew were front page news in papers and historical magazines worldwide. Copper was very eager to write her a letter, along with his family and her own immediately upon the discovery. Celestia was so proud, Moondancer was very jealous, Cadance hoped for a souvenir and Twilight-

Her letter had gone unopened…

Raven stretched her arms over her head, letting out soft little mewls at the feeling of her muscles loosening up. With a pleasant sigh, she took off towards the dig, cracking her neck very loudly before doing the same with her fingers before wiggling them to ease away the slight ache that came with such a pleasant action.

It wasn't that far of a walk to the dig, but it was definitely a change in terrain from the original dirt square plot that had been dug partially into the ash. Now what stood, or rather, dug into the ground was an impressive wooden structure. The building was mostly intact, a once welcoming building that stood tall and proud a millennia ago, now an empty shell of its former glory. Entombed within the ash, it had been protected by the elements and it was almost as if it had been built yesterday. All it needed was a good hosing.

All around the site, either within the pit or on the scaffolding surrounding the building, ponies worked away dutifully. A specialty crew had been called in and were working hard to keep the aging wood from degrading now that ot was exposed to fresh air and were trying to keep it well preserved while others were removing artifacts or trying to get inside. The structure seemed to almost be glued shut and the crew were trying to get into the secrets hidden inside without demolishing the thick wooded doors.

Raven landed in the soft, moist ash with a splat as she jumped from the last bit of scaffolding that lined the pit. "So, what do we got going, Spade?"

The light grey unicorn mare in question slowly turned towards the princess. She was much dirtier than the human, soot covering most of her body and clothes. "I think we’re getting very close to getting the doors open," Spade answered as she turned back towards the doors and the small crew that were in the process of trying to get the rusty hinges to move.

"Get me a crowbar and I'll have it open in a jiffy!" Raven joked, garnering several laughs from the crew. "Or an axe!"

"If only it was that simple," Spade replied with a breathy laugh and a roll of her eyes. "We don't want to destroy anything you maniac!" Spade finished with a playful elbow to the princess, who smirked knowingly.

Suddenly, there was a loud bang and a deep, metallic moan as a couple of ponies stumbled and landed with a wet splat and a roll in the ash. Both Raven and Spade watched on, concerned, that something bad had happened.

"I think we finally got the door!" one muddy stallion smiled before letting out a frustrated sigh as he sat up, flicking his arms, splattering mud everywhere before finally standing up.

"Is everypony okay!?" Dusty shouted from the lip of the pit.

"We're fine, Dusty!" Spade shouted back. "But we may have gotten the door!"

"Really!? Hold on! Ah gotta see this!" The blue stallion was like a monkey as he hopped from scaffold to scaffold, leaping through openings and forcing ponies out of the way before he landed within the pit, eager to see what was hidden within.

Raven transferred into her warframe and stepped up to the plate. She wasn't going to let anypony get hurt should something serious or dangerous arise. The princess had already been through Inaros' Tomb and those traps. Not again.

That, and Frost was a bit stronger than most ponies.

~Raven~ stepped forward and towards the door, grasping the edge that had been pried free just enough to get her fingers between. She pulled, not jerked, making sure to be careful and not break any of the wood or the rusty metal hinges of the door. She groaned as her warframes muscles were put to the test, but it was a success. The door jerked, then moaned as the ancient hinges finally gave way. The musty smell of old wood and wet soot permeated from the otherside of the door. It wasn't pleasant.

Once the door was open far enough to get through, Raven transferred from her warframe, gagging slightly at the stench. It was like an old basement or a musty attic. Spade stepped forward and the two females shared a cautious look. Dusty however, was eager and stepped forward, easing his way through the door and into the building. Both girls shared another glance before Spade shrugged and stepped into the abyss.

It wreaked like mold.

The two females pinched their collars and pulled them over their noses, using their shirts as makeshift masks desperatly trying to filter out the stench. Dusty -with typical male attitude- did not care at all. He was too excited as he drank in the sights within the building. When their vision adjusted to the dimly lit room, the sight was breathtaking!

Okay, maybe not with the mold.

Point being the sight was amazing.

Several wooden pews all faced towards the opposite wall of the main door in various states of disrepair. Many were either broken in two, backs were missing, or legs were snapped in half. The walls were painted with various depictions and paintings of something. No pony was exactly sure what the depictions meant; more analysis would be required. But it was what was at the front of the church that garnered the most attention.

There, right at center stage, stood a tall depiction of the Atlas, God King of the Earth. Fists clenched and at the ready, should he ever be called to battle.

"Well butter my buns and call me a biscuit," Dusty said breathlessly with an unbelievable shake of his head at the sight. "Guess this is tha clue you were lookin' for?"

"Guess it was!" Raven mused with a smile. Her and her two compatriots approached the statue while others from the dig team entered through the door behind them. Most of the dig crew was giddy as ever at the recent discovery, hugs and high fives were shared all around. While the crew celebrated, Raven could feel the power emanating from the statue, it was for sure the clue she had been after.

Now she was going to be damn sure not to touch it, she didn't want a repeat of Inaros and his guardians.

Spade was the first to approach the statue, her smile never faltering as she began to examine its surface. God King Atlas stood tall and proud like the warrior he was. Raw stone and gems made up his unique body. More earth than pony, a mountain, unmoving and forever strong. Reaching out, she ran her hand along the rough surface of his left shin.

"Ow!" Spade yelped when a spark of magical energy arched between her hand and the statue. She pulled her numb hand back, holding it close with a hiss.

"You okay?" Dusty asked as he hopped towards her, gently cupping her hand within his own.

"Must be some kind of rune," Spade explained. It wasn't unusual for artifacts to be protected by long lasting ruins. But just as they turned towards the statue, the room shook violently.

Everypony strengthened their stances at the sudden shake. At first, they thought it was an earthquake, then the next thought was the volcano. But neither seemed to be true when the stone statue shook, then a large crack suddenly appeared right across its chest.

"Spade what did you do?" Dusty chastised, his tone very disappointing.

"I just wanted to look. What, am I not allowed to as an archeologist?"

A deep crimson light seeped from crack before the earth began to shake a second time. It was then that the statue seemed to come alive.

Like a professional boxer going for the final blow, the statues right fist shot out like a bullet, stone breaking and shattering to dust, the statues fingers unfurling for the first time in centuries. Dusty, Spade, and Raven stared in horror at the sight. The left arm broke free a second later, flexing inward as if it were lifting an invisible dumbbell. Dusty and Spade were struck stiff in both fear and awe as they watched the guardian move and free itself.

Raven, however, was on them in a heartbeat, grabbing both ponies by the backs of their collars and shoving them towards the door. She didn't have time to spit orders when the stone hide of the statue shattered with an explosive bang. Sand, dust, and small pebbles became near lethal projectiles, shattering pottery, smashing through wood, and embedding themselves in the walls and the God King came back to life.

Raven landed hard against the floor, a look of absolute horror on her face as she frantically tried to back away and head for the door.

Atlas, however, was not having that.

His heavy frame shook the entire building as he stepped down from his pedestal, old rotten boards cracking and moaning under his immense weight with each thunderous step. He clenched his fists in anger, sharp and jagged bits of stone and gem formations protruding from his knuckles like jagged claws. Raven had seen how ruthless an Atlas can be under the control of an operator, this one, who knows what sort of destruction he could cause. Nothing, not even the strongest of rockets or even spells could knock him off his feet.

The princess continued to frantically backpedal towards the door, her shoes unable to catch the right traction for her to get up and run on the moist wood.

It all seemed to be in vain as he approached her faster than she could retreat. Atlas held up his right hand, clenching it into a ruthless fist and preparing for what would easily be a lethal punch. He pulled his right arm back as his left was pulled up into a guard. Just as he went for the lethal swing, somepony dove right between them.

"Wait!"

The God King's gargantuan fist froze mere millimeters from the tip of Spade's muzzle. The poor mare was shaking, her eyes glued shut as she had been expecting to be killed. But that never happened. Tentatively, the mare opened one eye, then the other, both of them soon focusing on the razor-sharp tip aimed right for her head.

Atlas pulled his arm back, his joints grinding as he moved.

"Move!"

His voice was deep, imposing, and filled with such authority that demanded the utmost respect. But even with her chest still rumbling from his resonating tone, Spade stood her ground.

"N-No!"

Spade continued to stand her ground; her lips held in a tight line as she opposed his order. The mare took a deep breath in an attempt to compose herself as she spoke further. "I'm sorry, my king but…" She gulped. "But I will not let you hurt my friend!"

Dusty appeared a moment later, standing firm next to his worker, glaring up at the titan of a golem before them.

"I thought you were supposed to protect ponies, not attack them!" Spade accused.

"You protect this demon!" Atlas boomed, pointing one of his gargantuan arms and craggy fingers at the woman behind the ponies.

"I will protect my friend, even from you!" Spade spat.

Atlas leaned in close, his massive head dwarfing the mush small mare, but she stood stout, just like the god before her. "Her people made me into what I am!"

Spade took that opportunity to lean in, trying to be as intimidating as the god king was. But her much smaller stature didn't seem to get the point across. So, the archeologists pressed her muzzle firm against his majesties’ smooth face. "She's not her people. She's a pony through and through!"

Atlas turned slightly, just enough for him to look past the mare and towards the human. The king glared at the human and Raven knew it, even with his lack of eyes. But it was also very evident that the King of the Earth would not attack these people. The warframes were seen as immortal, protectors of the land and her people. They wouldn't dare try unnecessary violence. Just as Atlas was about to speak further, he was surprised by the sight of yet another warframe entering the building.

He watched in awe as Frost casually approached the human, gently aiding her to her feet and into standing position. Once she was standing, did the ice-frame began by wiping the mud from her clothes and trying to get them clean to the best of his ability. Raven just let him work, all the while Atlas watched on, observing the interaction between the human and warframe. Frost finished not too long later and just stood next to his operator, waiting for his next orders.

"Took you long enough!" Raven chastised.

Frost slowly turned his head to look down at his human. "You have the ability to control him."

The princess blinked.

Then slapped her forehead.

Dumbass…

She let out an exhausted and somewhat embarrassing sigh, slowly dragging her hand down her face. Atlas continued to stare at the woman as she locked eye(s) with him through her fingers. He was thinking, bit he could probably use some convincing.

"I was created by the same knives that created you," Raven explained in Orokin. "By the same monsters that called you, called me, demon. They tried to control us. Two sides of the same coin."

Atlas turned his mighty head, eyeing the building he had laid dormant in for centuries. "Who sent you?"

"Harrow."

Atlas turned back towards the human expectantly, so she continued.

"He is awake and looking for you. At the castle above the Tree of Life in the Everfree Forest. Wisp is with him as well."

Atlas stared at the human, looking keenly for any mistrust or malice in her gaze or her words, but he could not find any. But if she was lying, she was very adept at hiding it. So were the Orokin.

The warframe continued to stare, unmoving for several seconds before he huffed, stomping his way towards the human. "If you are wrong," he threatened, holding up a single finger. "Your death will be… painful…"

"How reassuring," she replied, bemused and in Equis as Atlas lowered his arm and stepped past the human, and towards the door. Upon exiting the ancient structure, the massive warframe held a hand to the sky to shield his vision from the intense light of the midday sun. He stared at the orb for several seconds. It had been a long time since he had seen the light of day. Once his vision had appropriately acclimated to the light, only then did he lower his arm.

Like a beacon of hope, ponies from all across the dig had surrounded the pit and stared in awe at the God King.

An earth pony stallion was the first to take a knee and bow his head. An earth pony mare was quick to follow is lead, along with the rest of the earth ponies at the dig.

They were the tenants of the land, from dust they appeared and to dust they shall return. Their strength stems from the magic that runs deep from within the soil. He may have been the god of the earth, but he had chosen them, as his people. The rest of the dig crews eventually took their bows, lowering their heads in respect. Atlas turned his mighty head, eyeing a nearby stallion and mare before approaching them.

"Rise, my children," his words while deep in tone, were caring, and held the utmost respect. The young couple stood, standing proud, yet nervously before their rightful ruler. "I have returned." If he had a mouth, he would be smiling.

"Welcome back, my King!" the mare cheered, tears of joy streaming down her face.

"All hail King Atlas!" the stallion rejoiced, thrusting an equally excited fist into the air. Then the entire crew surrounding the pit cheered to the heavens at the return of the Earth King.

Raven however, had other plans as she stepped in front of the warframe and between the two earth ponies before him, "Sorry, but can I borrow him for a second?" She didn't let the two confused ponies respond as she continued speaking, this time towards Atlas. "Sorry, but I'm kind of on a mission from your boy Harrow. Do you know where Zephyr is?"

He eyed her with a scrutinizing gaze yet again, still weary of the women's direct intentions.

Eventually, he turned, holding a single, gargantuan arm and pointing to the east. "Head to the east, she is somewhere in the Griffon Kingdom."

"Thank you…" Raven sighed.

***

It had been tough, saying goodbye to all the new friends she had made on the dig. The stories that had been shared, the laughs that were made, and the ponies she had grown to know. But Raven needed to keep moving. She had found her charge, who was on his way to link up with the rest of his squad while she was on her way to Griffonstone. The princess had spent over a month at Marecropolis, a bit longer than she would have preferred, but she would gladly do it again in a heartbeat. Based off that, she knew that her summer was coming to an end and if this continued on like this, she was definitely going to miss the upcoming school year.

Raven was one hundred percent okay with this.

Even though she was out and seeing the world and everything it had to offer through personally experience. Raven had been out on this expedition for over three weeks, more if she includes her time with Inaros and Wisp as well. The princess had been home for a very short period of time and missed it dearly. Raven missed her mother, aunts too, and she especially missed her boyfriend.

Raven let out another wistful sigh as she leaned up against the railing of the ship as she waited for it to dock in Griffonstone. It took some time for the ship to fully dock, but for the second time during this trip, her ship had landed and was ready for offload. As Raven descended the ramp, she read over the letters she had received from home yet again. Her mother had set up a place for her for the foreseeable future and Copper apparently had a surprise waiting for her when she landed, which was a bit odd. But whatever it was, she knew she'd love it regardless.

Raven was… less than impressed with her first impression of Griffonstone. Because holy shit, the rumors were true! She had been told that Griffonstone had once been a sprawling and proud nation. Then thanks to some monster, the nation had now become a third world country run by greed. All of it nearly happening in the blink of an eye. But right now, the dock and one building near it seemed to be the nicest part thus far. Both of which were heavily guarded by some mixed Equestrian and griffon force. Which made perfect sense due to the fact that both structures were privately owned.

Everything else in sight was suffering from severe dilapidation. Buildings were filthy, missing shingles while many suffered from broken and boarded up windows. Graffiti covered everything that was accessible and within reach. It was horrible and a tale of tragedy and the fall of an empire. Crime had to be rampant and hiding in her warframe was probably the best idea to avoid not only avoid serious injury, but prevent an international conflict as well.

That's when she felt a tap on her shoulder.

Raven reacted accordingly, grabbing at the hand and dragging the pony forward into east striking distance, locking his arm behind his back.

"OW! Baby it's me!"

Raven's eye went wide as she immediately released the culprit with a loud and horrified gasp, holding both her hands to her mouth. "Copper! I'm so sorry!"

Copper winced, holding onto his right shoulder with his left hand as he looked towards his marefriend with a smile. "Still got it I see," he laughed, turning around to face his still shocked girl.

After the initial panic wore off, Raven glared at her coltfriend before she bunched up her hands into fists at her sides. "You know better than to sneak up on me like that!" she yelled before spinning on her heels and holding a hand to her head as she did a quick lap. "I could have seriously hurt you!"

"Well then it would have ruined the surprise," he chuckled, messaging his aching joint. However, his smile immediately faded when he saw the near tearful expression on his girl's face. So, like the good boyfriend he was, Copper's pain faded immediately and he stepped up towards Raven and pulled her into a very needed and welcoming hug.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, giggling softly and gently shaking her head.

"Mom and dad, along with your mother, made it possible for me to be here!" he explained, adjusting his head so that he could rest his cheek on top of her head as she grabbed at his shirt. "I told them how badly I wanted to go but couldn't, so they arranged for me to get off work and booked me a ship!"

Leaning back, Raven stared deeply into her coltfriend's eyes before leaning in for a much-deserved kiss. They let it linger a bit longer than what may be socially acceptable, but it was fine as far as they were concerned. Neither lover had seen the other in well over a month and were eager to make up for lost time. Upon breaking the kiss, Raven wrapped both arms around Copper's right and began leading him away from the dock with Frost in tow.

As they entered the streets, it really was as bad as the stories told. The once well-maintained streets were broken, riddled with potholes, and in some places, just dirt. Just like the buildings that lined them.

"Come on," Copper urged with a sense of worry, his head on a swivel. "I don't want to be stuck out here after dark!"

"Mom has a place set up for us," Raven replied as they sped up their walk. Romantic, it wasn't. She reached into her pocket and pulled out that specific letter. "What does that sign say?"

It took them a hot minute to find their way based off the instructions within the letter, but when they did, the building stood out like a beacon of hope. What they could see of the building, which was mostly the roof, was in pristine condition. The outer wall stood tall, made from the whitest of stone and heavily guarded. The trio approached the front gate and were immediately greeted by the pair of guards guarding the gate. After a short conversation, the guards let the trio inside.

They were yet again greeted, but not by a guard this time, but a maid, the head maid. A golden-headed griffoness, She informed them about the arrangements, how she was happy to have the princess here and that it was unfortunate that the home’s owner was out of town but more than pleased to house the princess for the duration of their stay.

As far as the royal couple was concerned, they were just happy to be off the streets.

Raven and Copper were shown to their room and didn't hesitate to drop their bags. She also asked about getting her clothes washed, to which the head made just took the bag and informed the human that her clothes would be clean within the hour. From there, the exhausted human flopped onto the bed, admiring how soft it was against her skin before Copper joined her a moment later.

They were out like lights in ten minutes.

***

It had been two weeks since Raven and Copper had landed in Griffonstone and they were no closer to their goal of finding the Queen of the Winds, Zephyr. They had spent many hours researching her whereabouts and nearly spent a small fortune trying to garner information from the local populace. A gold bit for a single sentence seemed to be the recurring theme and an ridiculous trend. But the royal couple seemed to have finally narrowed down a location. From between the written recordings and the verbal tales, it seemed that the location of the God Queen of the Winds was in this certain ravine known for two things. The first was the ravines howling winds, which were so strong that not even the best fliers in the world could fly through such ruthless air currents. The second thing was that supposedly the monster that stole the nation's precious idol had fallen in the pit, taking the Idol of Boreas with it. To which neither had been seen since that eventfull day.

Raven awoke to yet another decent day in Griffonstone. The human really couldn't say it was glorious with how depressing of a sight it was when they left the estate grounds, but it was still nice out as far as the weather was concerned. Sitting up, the human grabbed her eye patch and placed it accordingly upon her face. Once it was set where it belonged, did she finally toss the sheets aside and stand up to greet the day in all her naked glory. It had been rather warm at night that it was almost a necessity at this point, then there was the fact that she was a sexually active woman who sex drive was almost unstable.

Especially now that her boyfriend was here.

But that was not her focus now.

So she spared her still sleeping boyfriend a glance, confirming that he was indeed, still asleep. With that revelation firmly out of the way, the human wandered over towards the elegant makeup table and the mirror attached to it and sat down, grabbing the brush resting upside down on the tables surface and began running it through her hair. She did her best to straighten it from the rats nest it had become not only from sleeping like a rooting pig, but also the rooting around her and Copper did last night~

So, she continued to work delicately to not pull her hair to badly. Her hair had become quite long in recent months. With the lack of a decent hair stylist and trimmer both at the Marecropolis dig and here in Griffonstone, her hair had grown longer than she usually liked it. It was now down to her shoulders, often tickling her skin when she turned her head compared to the shorter length she prefered to have it at. More than once the girl had swiped at her shoulders, often thinking it was an insect touching her and not her hair.

But she'd call herself a liar if she didn't think that she looked good with longer hair -she just wasn't a fan of long hair.

Just as she was brushing her final strokes, did the door to her room suddenly open and without warning. Raven squeaked, dropped the brush on the floor and covering her nakedness out of reflex before turning towards the door with a glare.

Standing in the doorway, as professional as always, stood the head maid. The griffoness' golden eagle head searched the room briefly before finding the errand human. She quickly held up a letter in her golden talons. "An urgent letter for you, princess."

"Would it kill you to knock!" Raven spat angrily.

"It was urgent."

"I'm naked!" Raven protested. But the words fell on deaf ears as the maid wandered further into the room and placed the letter on the table next to the naked princess as if it were just a normal interaction.

Raven's glare never faltered.

"It was urgent, Princess," the head maid repeated. "It is nothing I have not seen myself, either. We are both female and Master Eclipse is known for bringing home a female from time to time. It is not a foreign concept, let alone the sight to me anymore."

Raven's face scrunched up in further frustration as she watched the head maid exit the room and close the door with a soft click. The human waited, hands still covering her private areas just in case the maid decided to poke her head in a second time. But that time never came, so Raven lowered her arms and placed her feet back against the floor before turning back towards the mirror. She grabbed the letter and read the front of it.

To Raven

It was postmarked to the castle back home, but the cursive was not that of her mothers, so she didn't really recognize who it was from. She flipped it over, looking for any more information, but found nothing.

"Who's it from?"

She spotted her coltfriend as he stood up from the bed and let out a full body stretch and a yawn, his semi erect shaft going limp now that he got his blood flowing. Raven continued to less than subtly stare before he turned and approached her, pecking her on top of the head once he was close enough. She was glad to see him more comfortable in his own skin. He had grown a lot, she was proud.

"Don't know," Raven replied before stealing another kiss to the lips before she bladed her finger and began tearing into the letter. Raven pulled out a very nice, blue card before tossing the plain envelope to the side. "You're invited?" she questioned, raising a brow as she read the front of the card. Copper rested a hand on the back of her chair, leaning over her shoulder to take a looky see. She glanced up at him, to which Copper just shrugged and shook his head in ignorance. So, she opened the card.

There was a loud pop!

Raven squeaked again.

Copper jumped.

Both of them were given -and covered- a light dusting of glitter that seemed to almost cover everything. Raven kept her eye shut, making very sure not to get any of the incessant sparkles in her good eye. She could feel the remnants of the small glitter bomb clinging to her bare skin and was still too scared to open her eye.

"Baby?" she asked, reaching out blindly to try and find her boyfriend.

"Right here," he replied to her right, her hand brushing against his forearm. Raven patted it a few times before fully grabbing it and holding on for dear life.

"Is my eye okay?" she desperately asked, her eyelid still firmly shut.

"Hold on." Copper gently blew the loose glitter from her face before she felt his thumb gently prod at her eyelid and wipe away the remaining glitter with a couple of tender swipes. "Okay, I think your good now."

Raven gently opened her only good eye and looked around before spotting Copper standing next to her with a reassuring smile. His upper torso sparkled in the early morning sunlight with a combination of multiple different colors. She turned towards the mirror and her hair, part of her face, and the tops of her breasts -along with most of her lap- mirrored her boyfriend’s tragic outcome.

Raven sighed.

Whatever, she needed a shower anyway. The problem was the fact that glitter tended to linger even after a shower. The princess would have to get the head maid as well, since there was glitter all over the makeup table and her beauty supplies as well.

She'd deal with it later.

Raven grabbed the card a second time -since she dropped it when it 'exploded' in her hands and just before she opened a second time, she paused. The princess angled the card away from her body and towards the mirror, angling her head away and squinting her eye just in case before slowly opening the card.

Nothing happened.

Both Copper and Raven let out a sigh of relief, the former rising from behind his hiding spot behind his girlfriend and the latter relaxing and looking back at the card to read.

"You are cordially invited to the wedding of Captain Shining Armor- wait! When did Shining become captain?" Raven questioned, lowering the card and looking over her shoulder and towards Copper.

"I think it was a few weeks ago," Copper mused.

Raven furrowed her brow before shaking her head, she'd gripe on Shining about it later before she went back to the card and starting over. "You are cordially invited to the wedding of Captain Shining Armor and Princess Mi Amore Cadenza…" Raven paused, lowering the card in confusion before holding it up again and closer to her face. "Since when in Tartarus did Shining propose!" Raven slammed her hands and the card against the table. "Copper!"

"I was not there! I do not know!" he quickly denied, slightly ducking behind her chair. "I might know Shining and Cadance, but you know were not really friends. Acquaintances is a better word."

Raven continued to fume for a few seconds before she let out a defeated sigh, resting her elbows on the table, caring not of the glitter as she held the back of her head and closed her eye. Raven secretly wanted to be there when he proposed, but she wasn't going to force to poor boy to wait until she got home.

Whatever.

The rest of the card talked about V.I.P. and reservation requirements, the date of the wedding and finished off with a photo of the happy couple. Raven would respond to the invite after her shower. So with great care, both her and Copper spent much longer than they would have preferred in the shower trying to get as much inesant glitter out of her hair and out of his fur as they could. Even after nearly forty-five minutes, they still didn't get it all.

Copper still looked like a disco ball and her hair was no better.

"So, when is the wedding again?" Copper asked as he grabbed his underwear and began slipping his legs through the holes.

"A couple months from now," Raven replied, pulling her panties up and over her hips with a wiggle. "But I don't want to stay here for that long." She grabbed her pants and began to put them on, buckling her belt as she spoke. "I'd prefer to get home within the next two weeks." Grabbing a shirt, Raven gave it a flick before pulling it over her head.

Copper mirrored her actions as he finished getting dressed.

Today they were going to scout out the Abysmal Abyss, the location of both the Idol of Boreas and Zephyr's last known location. Thankfully, Master Eclipse was able to allow them to use his personal chariot to get them close to the abyss, but the remaining hike up there was pretty brutal. The royal couple needed to be tethered as they climbed one of the rock faces that led to the out cropping that allowed them access towards the abyss. They made it with just enough time to look around, make a plan and leave.

So, over the course of the next several days, Raven, Copper and a few of Eclipse's workers help set up a sturdy anchor point on the edge of the abyss. They had found a great place that provided a very sturdy anchor point and would allow for a reasonably safe descent into the depths of the abyss. Then, severe weather had moved in and kept the princess away for over a week. Unlike Equestria, the weather had fallen back into its natural state of rain and wind came down in buckets.

Then it was another several days of resetting and replacing the gear they had up there with equipment that hadn't brutalized the ropes and hardware.

And now, four weeks after her initial landing, Raven was ready to make her descent into the Abysmal Abyss. The princess tugged on her harness straps before she double checked her knots. Raven waved over one of the griffon members that was aiding her in the climb. He tugged at her straps, jerked her rope and tugged at the knots as well before he nodded his head and gave her a thumbs up.

She slammed the top of her fist against her helmet twice before turning towards the crevasse.

Copper stepped up and gave her a loving goodbye kiss before resting his forehead against her helmet. "Be safe."

"I will," she smiled before they released one another. With one last thumbs up, Raven approached the ravine and took her stance. Her tether… griffon… gave her a thumbs up before he grabbed at the rope and took his own stance. With a nod, she began by taking the first few arduous steps. The winds were very harsh and violently blew at her pant legs, sending them flapping in the wind. Raven struggled to keep a good footing on the stone that had been worn smooth through years of abuse. But when she did find it, the princess began her descent into the roaring winds and darkness.

Copper watched on nervously as his marefriend's helmet disappeared finally from sight. With nothing else to watch, he just stared at the rope.

Then it jerked.

Copper looked away and closed his eyes out of fear as the griffon holding the rope jerked as well, breaking immediately and holding strong. There was another softer tug on the rope indicating that the princess was fine, so the griffon laid off on the rope and began letting her back down. He could feel the rope shaking violently, probably due to the roaring winds within the ravine.

This continued for some time, the only exciting -and horrifying- thing that happened was the occasional jerk of the rope, indicating that the princess had slipped yet. But the rope continued to move, clear indicator that Raven was still alive and kicking. Copper would have very much liked to make a conversation, but he was too nervous to even speak.

Eventually, and Copper was not even sure how much time had passed, but the line had come to a stop. Both Copper and the griffon stared at the rope before the latter of the two felt two hard jerks from the rope.

"She made it to the bottom," the griffon stated as he looked back towards the remaining rope that laid behind. "Good thing too, we only have a couple meters left." He turned back towards the ravine and relaxed his body, rolling his left shoulder. "Now, we wait."

"Should she be worried?" Copper asked nervously.

The griffon glanced towards the stallion before responding. "About what? The winds down there are so violent that nothing can really survive down there." He took a deep breath and sighed, closing his eyes. "Look kid, I get that you're worried about your girl. But there isn't much we can do up here. Better to try and relax."

"...okay."

The griffon leaned back and took a seat on a nearby boulder and reached into one of his pants pocket, pulling out a small notepad and a pen before he opened it and began writing something. Copper followed his partners lead and sat back as well, glancing back briefly, only to see the other two griffons that came with them, playing a game of cards.

There were sounds of what sounded like thunder or maybe even stone breaking that emanated from the crevasse, causing Copper to turn back towards the abyss.

The poor stallion really wanted to relax but his fears just kept building. His hands began to shuffle nervously. In one last desperate attempt to calm himself, Copper took a deep breath to calm his nerves. The stallion found it best to just close his eyes as well.

Before he knew it, Copper was taking a nap.

***

Copper slowly awoke an undetermined amount of time later to a strange whistling noise. Now fully awake, he sat up worryingly and was a bit surprised to see that the rest of the griffon crew were in similar sleepy states. Just as everyone started to sit up, did that strange whistling begin to increase in pitch.

It was then that there was a deafening explosion that kicked up a thick plume of dust and enough force to shake the ground.

Copper frantically threw up his arms to try and protect himself from the thick cloud of dirt as he closed his eyes to keep the small particulates from blinding him. The rush of air was brief, but nearly knocked the poor boy backwards. The dust however, continued to linger, causing everyone to cough violently, their lungs burning. When it was safe to open their eyes, Copper and the griffon crew were terrified by the sight before them.

Kneeling before them, was the Queen of the Winds, stood Zephyr. Built like a bird's she created, it was no question that it was her. From the griffon style head, to the long feathers that ran down the length of her arms and the pair of wings on her back, it was her. Her bright white color and light orchid highlights stood out, giving her this strange glow to her.

Raven stepped out from within the warframe a moment later, allowing the queen to stand to her full height and taking to a hover not a moment later. Raven's smile was huge and full of excitement, knowing full well that all she could go home now. She was also holding something wrapped in a large cloth that Copper failed to notice initially.

"Found what I'm looking for, " Raven declared happily with a point of her thumb over her shoulder as she approached her still stunned boyfriend. Holding out a hand, the princess helped him to his hooves before she approached her griffon crew member and helped him to his paws. "Oh, I also found this," she replied, tossing the cloth towards her compatriot.

The griffon male stumbled with the object and its weight before he fully had a hand on it. The other two griffon males approached their companion before he grasped at the cloth only to unveil-

"YOU FOUND THE IDOL OF BOREAS!?"

***

"I cannot thank you enough for what you have done for Griffonstone," Master Eclipse stated gleefully.

Raven stood before the jet-black griffon male. His bright yellow eyes sparkling with glee and joy as he held the Idol of Boreas in his golden claws and close to his pristine white suit. Once the griffon royal had heard about the return of not only the idol, but the Queen of the Winds as well, he was absolutely positive with both the idol and the help of the God Queen Zephyr, that he could bring the nation back to its former glory.

"You have done Griffonstone and her people proud, Princess," Master Eclipse continued to praise, reaching out with his right claw and grasping her left bicep briefly. He then turned towards Zephyr and bowed. "Thank you as well, your grace."

The warframe inclined her head before turning towards the human. "I shall link up with Harrow once I have aided my people. Thank you, Princess."

"No, thank you for the info. I'll go find Oberon as soon as I can," Raven replied with a smile before she turned towards Master Eclipse and gave him a curt bow. “Thank you, as well, Master Eclipse, for letting me and my coltfriend stay in your home. You’re proof that there are still griffons out there that care.”

“You’re very welcome, Princess,” he smiled

Raven turned, gently tapping Copper on the arm with the back of her hand before bending over and grabbing her travel bag before Copper did the same with his own backpack. With that, the young royal couple bid their goodbyes and headed off towards the dock they had landed at so many weeks ago. But now it was time to head home, Copper had to get back to work and Raven needed to find one last warframe.

Oberon, God King of the Forrest.

Oh, Raven also made sure to send her cousin a nice stink bomb letter as well.

Revenge for that glitter bomb letter.

Chapter 38

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Chapter 38

Raven was content, happy even to be back and asleep in her own bed. It was the perfect temperature as well, not too cold and not too warm. The sheets were clean, the bed soft. Nothing could ruin this moment.

She flinched however, when a tiny pair of claws landed on her forehead.

Raven groaned.

There went that moment of serenity...

With a second groan, the princess opened her eye and glared up at the creature that decided to use the exact moment to perch himself atop her forehead. Staring down at her was her new black and white pet magpie, Stardust. The obnoxious little bird continued to stare down at the woman, his head turning every which way as he examined his owner's less than pleased features.

Stardust chirped, clearly demanding attention.

Raven let out another frustrated groan at being awoken and disturbed so rudely and closed her eye, rolling onto her side and causing the avian to jump and flutter in the air briefly with a couple frantic wing beats as she turned over to go back to sleep. It was just after sunrise and still too early to get up. She liked her sleep when she earned it. Which she did.

Stardust landed back on the side of her head.

Raven let out yet another frustrated groan. "What?" she moaned to the magpie. "It's too early for this…"

Stardust hopped a quarter turn, then a second time with another quarter turn, paused, did a third turn before finally coming full circle back to his starting position with a chirp. Honestly, the human was so unsure as to whether or not he was actually as smart as she had been told he had been or was just trying to act dumb for attention. She continued to ignore the avian as best as she could with him still perched on her noggin.

Leaning over her face, Stardust chittered and chirped softly before he let out a very loud caw and flapping his wings.

Raven flinched at the ear-piercing noise that was let out directly in her left ear. Out of frustration, she growled angrily and slapped at the magpie, sending her pet bird into a frenzy of frantic wing beats and squawks before he quickly took off and flew around the room a couple of times.

He landed back on her head a minute later.

"What…" the human groaned.

He chittered softly before leaning over her face yet again.

Then, he pecked her on the forehead.

"Ow!" Raven yelped, immediately sitting up and grabbing at her throbbing forehead. "What? What did I do!" she seethed, glaring at the bird as he circled above before coming back and landing on top of her head yet again. She continued to glare at Stardust before letting out a defeated sigh. It appeared that he was not going to leave her alone. "What?" she asked a third time, defeated.

Stardust once again clocked his beak against her metal eye patch, which made a loud clicking noise that reverberated throughout her skull. He did it again, and again, and again, eventually settling on a constant rhythm of pecking. Raven stared at her wall with a bemused expression, slowly licking her lips.

He liked the noise it made.

"Stardust?" she asked, causing the bird to pause, adjusting himself atop her head to turn and look at her one good eye. "Could you please stop that?" she smiled, asking kindly.

Click.

Raven immediately frowned.

He really liked the sound it made. Now truly defeated and bested by the tiny avian, Raven slumped as her pet shamelessly clicked away at her eyepatch, occasionally biting at its surface and clicking his beak together. Admitting her defeat and with sleep no longer a viable option, the princess knew she was no longer going to go back to her cozy bed so she might as well get up. Raven tossed her sheets aside, Stardust never moving as he played with her eyepatch.

The human was about halfway towards her dresser when she felt the bottom of Stardust's black beak work its way under her patch. Before she could reach up and stop him, the magpie had already removed her eye patch with a jerk, popping it right off her face.

"Hey!" Raven immediately protested, but it was too late. Stardust had already taken to the skies and well out of reach. She didn't even try to jump after him, Stardust was already too high in the air and still very nimble at his age. The avian continued to squawk and circle joyously around the room happily at the acquisition as the human placed her hands on her hips in frustration. "Get down here mister!"

Stardust chirped, mockingly!

There were three knocks on her door that caused the human to turn towards the noise.

"Princess?" a maid asked as she gently opened the door and poking her head in. "Oh, you're awake." The maid fully opened the door and stepped inside, ready to greet the day!

Raven's eye went wide in panic. "No wait close the-" But it was too late. Stardust took his opportunity, beelining his way right for the escape. The little magpie dive bombed towards the maid, roaring right over the mare’s head and causing the poor girl to squeak and duck out of reflex. "Dammit!"

Raven immediately went after her pet, zooming past the surprised maid and her confused guards and out and into the halls of the castle. Dressed in nothing but her panties and a tank top, Raven took off like a bat outta hell, tearing after her pet bird to desperately try to get her patch back.

Her bare feet padded along as the woman ran frantically to try and catch her rascally pet.

She was very much debating whether or not she should have left him in that forest…

***

Weeks prior.

Somewhere in the eastern bogs just west of Fillydelphia was a small abandoned village located deep within the swamps. Swallowed up by the tests of time and the moss and vines that thrived and survived there. It was there that the princess could find her charge. In the abandoned town only one pony remained, a strange conjure by the name of Cattail, descended of the famed mare by the name of Meadowbrook.

Mage Meadowbrook.

One of the Pillars of Equestria and a healer by trade. A mare so in tune with nature that she had been given the district honor of meeting with the God King Oberon. The last pony to see him in the flesh and earn his blessing.

But the druid was elusive.

Much like many of the animals that populated his woods, he would be seen only when he wanted to be seen. Only those who were worthy could see him in all his glory. But he had not been seen by anypony in centuries. However, it was through Zephyr that she had given the human a few different options for her to do in order to find the missing druid, many of which she would never do. They were guarantees however, but she would never do them.

Like intentionally injure an animal?

No.

Live with a pack of wolves?

Pass.

Burn down the forest?

…

Pretty sure that would end in a serious lawsuit.

Just about everything involved being one with nature in some way or another. Meadowbrook had earned her respect through her ability to heal others with the uses of natural herbs and plants. She also knew how to conserve the natural resources, never once taking more than necessary. She even used her talents to aid the creatures of the forest as well by helping with injuries and illnesses. Meadowbrook loved everything and treated it with the utmost respect.

But that had taken years. Meadowbrook had started her apprenticeship as a mage at a very young age and before her disappearance, had spent nearly every day practicing her craft for almost a decade before she met Oberon during one of her herbal searches.

Raven didn’t have a decade.

So, she opted to go with the least damaging but most embarrassing…

“I can’t believe I am doing this…”

Raven took a deep breath and for the millionth time, surveyed her surroundings and making damn sure that no pony was in the area and watching her. But this was a guarantee, especially if she channeled her energy into the earth. Her best option was to be as natural as possible.

Basically, get naked and walk around while channeling her energy.

Raven shook her head in disbelief as she grabbed at the hem of her shirt but paused. She stared at the cloth before lifting her head and looking to her right and at her warframe. He watched her intently, his gaze still lingering on her hands. “No fancy idea’s now…” she threatened with a point of her finger.

Frost just lifted his head and stared at her in slight confusion.

Raven took another deep breath. Come on, she had done this plenty of times in front of her boyfriend and she was more than comfortable with her body! So why the hell was she so nervous all of the sudden? Perhaps it was due to the fact that she was alone, and it was solely for one purpose. Then there was also the fact that if any pony got a picture of her naked, it would be the talk of the world.

Raven took one more, deep and somewhat calming inhale. “Okay…” she breathed. With that, she tugged at her shirt, pulling it over her head and folding it as neatly as she could, letting her bra and breasts bounce once before she handed off her shirt to Frost before she quickly reached for her belt and undoing that, then the button on her pants, and unzipping her zipper. The princess lifted her right leg and tugged at her shoestrings before removing her shoe and sock in one jerk. She shuddered at the disgusting feeling of the muck and mud oozing between her toes. It was warm, wet, and vile all around. She barely even started this whole debacle and the princess felt so violated that a shower was in order. It took a little bit more time, but eventually, her left foot soon joined her right and the unfortunate woman let out a disgusted whimper.

Raven was a bit of a tomboy that had no qualms with playing in the mud and getting dirty when need be. But there was something about swamp muck that was just wrong. The water was nasty and undrinkable; the mud was thick like molasses and it stank. That’s not including the fact that it seemed to stick to everything.

With extra caution, Raven tugged at her shorts, pulling them past her knees and easing her muddy feet through the leg holes. It was a miracle she didn’t get any mud on the inside of them. Now left in her matching black underwear, the young woman's pants joined her shirt in Frost’s arms before she reached behind her back and unclasped her bra, easing it off her breasts and shoving the article at Frost, who gently took the garment. Raven grabbed the hem of her panties and quickly shoved them down her legs with such ferocity that put the best strippers to shame. Much like her shorts, she did her best to keep them clean.

Now fully naked -and blushing like a sunburned tomato- it was time to just be over with this embarrassment.

“I am so glad I don’t get off to this shit,” she grumbled, squishing her way into the forest and splattering mud with each step. “I think this will ween me of sex for a month, ugh…”

So she wandered into the woods, soon getting lost within the swamp with no destination in mind. But Raven did as she was told and channeled her energy into the ground, sending out a beacon in hopes of drawing out the sneaky druid. Raven wasn't sure how long she had been wandering for or where she currently was at the moment. So her footsteps seemed to be the loudest noise within the marshland, but she could hear frogs and toads croaking in the distance. There were even large insects, mostly dragonflies that flew between the trees like air small ships. Birds also chirped and sang their little songs.

It was beautiful, actually, in its own way.

Stepping over a fallen log, Raven continued to stare into the canopy. That mistake however, would cost her as she was not looking at her footing. Just as the princess was bringing her other leg over the rotten log, it was then that she lost her footing.

“Shit!” Raven cursed, falling backwards and making a very loud and wet splat as she landed back first in the thick and gooey mud. The poor girl was speechless, holding her arms up at her sides to keep from getting more mud on her already soiled body.

As if it would matter at this point.

Her initial shock however, slowly morphed into anger as the tenno threw her head back, screaming like a child and slamming her fists into the mud, which only covered more of her bare skin in thick muck. “FUCK!” she cursed, but her anger did not last. Why would it? She was covered in muck and nothing less than a good shower would fix the issue. Raven could feel the warm water ooze into places that it should never have or ever be allowed to have access to. She really hoped that her cleaning didn’t involve a high-powered hose between her legs…

With a defeated sigh, the human used the log as a crutch and pulled herself into standing position. “I hope I don’t get a rash from this…” Once her feet had a firm purchase in what she was now sure was nothing less than raw sewage at this point, only then did she shake her arms and send some of that muck flying. Raven did her best to wipe the muck from her body, mostly her legs, but it was all in vain.

She did her best to clean her crotch, to no good avail…

It was useless…

She was actually about to cry and could feel it coming on too.

Raven sniffled as a lone tear worked its way down her cheek and dripped into the water below with a soft bloop. It was followed by another and another before it became a steady stream of tears. The poor girl eventually lost all control, sobbing loudly as she finally admitted her defeat. She was filthy, naked, and felt like a cheap whore. The distraught woman turned around, planting herself on the log with a wet splat and resting her elbows on her knees and just sobbed.

Her body was starting to itch. She felt disgusted. Violated in so many ways and just desperately wanted to go home.

There was suddendly a chirp next to her.

The princess swore she was just hearing things, that it was just some animal off in the distance, so she just ignored the cry for help.

It happened again, then came a long string of them. Through her tears, the young human slowly turned her head to the right and towards the sound. Sitting next to her on the log, left wing limp at its side was a little magpie chick, not very old by the looks of it but old enough to have fledged. But he was hurt, very much so that he couldn't fly. He seemed to have noticed the human and came to her for aid. So, he hopped close to her, begging desperately for aid.

"Hey little guy," Raven sniffled, wiping her nose with one of the few clean spots on the back of her arm before she reached out with both hands, cupping them around the chick. "You look hurt."

She pulled him in close, easing the little fella onto her lap for examination. He stared up at her with that look of pain and anguish in his eyes that begged for help. He clearly needed that help and she was the only one who could provide it. So, Raven gently grasped at his limp wing, carefully lifting it so that she could examine it for further injuries. The skin wasn't broken, and it didn't appear to be broken either, perhaps sprained?

Thinking on her feet, Raven tenderly released the wing, letting the little guy rest before she reached over and pulled some loose strips of bark free from the rotten log. She measured them out to the length of his wing and snapping them to an appropriate length before grabbing at some vines that grew on the log as well. Lastly, she peeled off some soft moss as a buffer before she began working.

"This is probably gonna hurt little fella," she warned the magpie. Gingerly, she rested his wing atop one of the strips of bark and moss before sandwiching it with the other strip. Finally, she did her best to keep the splint snug and not to lose nor too tight as she tied it off with the vine. All the while the little chick let her work, doing his best to stay still. "There," she finished with the last knot. "That should hold till we get you to a vet."

"There is no need."

Raven jumped, holding the equally startled magpie close with one hand and using the other to cover her breasts while she crossed her legs to protect her crotch. The woman immediately looked over her shoulder and watched in awe as the being she had been searching for wandered his way around the log and in front of the human.

Oberon, God Kind of the Forests and Guardian of Nature.

Like the minotaurs far to the east, he stood on a pair of cloven hooves and skinny legs. The two pieces of his robe that draped down each leg were beautiful and looked like butterfly wings that molded up and into what almost looked like roots of a tree. Small pedals that resembled his robe protruded from his shoulders and forearms. His helmet was smooth save for the two vertical V shaped notches and six glowing orbs that almost resembled eyes. Lastly, a pair of curved horns with more leaves sprouting from them adorned his head. The final thing that Raven had noticed was the dark flowing cloak that covered his back.

As if to finish off the true druid of the wood’s vibe, dark purple lotus flowers randomly appeared and fluttered to the ground before disappearing just as fast as they appeared.

"May I?" He asked, holding out a single hand.

Raven glanced down at the little excited magpie chick that was squirming within her grasp. "Uh… sure… here."

She handed the little guy off and used her now free hand to protect her modesty.

"You know," Oberon started as he held up the little chick. "Sometimes, we all deserve a little compassion."

Raven watched with deep interest as the warframe began to heal the wound with a beam of violet energy, the little magpie chick chirping and squawking with joy as the pain seemed to seep away.

"There," Oberon said happily before he began to untie the splint.

A smile worked its way onto the princess' features as she watched the chick jump and flutter with joy. He took to the air, happily circling the warframe, who let out a deep, but joyous laugh.

Raven couldn't help but titter softly as the little guy came full circle and back to her, landing atop her head and perching himself there.

"Seems he likes you."

She glanced up at the chick, then back to the warframe. "So, it would seem," she smiled.

"So, tell me. What is a human doing in my woods… and naked at that?" Oberon inquired.

Raven's blush returned in full force as she shrank on her log, her grip tightening around her body. "Uhm… Zephyr told me this was a surefire way to find you," she admitted, averting her gaze.

"Oh? And what does my feathered friend seek?"

"Less about your feathered friend and more about your priest friend Harrow," she explained, looking back up at him. The chick perched on top of her noggin settled into a nesting position. "He wanted me to find you. Along with the rest of your squad."

The warframe hummed in thought at the news, rubbing his chin with a lengthy finger. "Hmm… and what of the others?" he asked, holding his hand out in question.

"Other than Zephyr, they should be waiting at the castle above the Tree of Life," she explained, shuddering as a light breeze ran across her skin.

The mud was also starting to dry…

"Then I shall head there post haste," he replied with a nod.

"Uh… before you go…" Raven asked softly, causing the warframe to look down at the bare human. "How come you have been treating me with respect?"

"What do you mean?"

"Everyone else has tried to kill me," she admitted.

Oberon didn't reply immediately as he thought about his response. "I buried my hatchets years ago with the Orokin. It brought me nothing but useless anger. That, and you are clearly not Orokin."

"Thank you!" Raven shouted, throwing her hands into the air.

She glanced down.

Both her hands immediately snapped back to where they had been a moment prior, her bluch returning in full.

"You may want these," Oberon offered, holding out a set of makeshift underwear made from vines and large leaves.

Raven stared at the makeshift garments before she let out a defeated sigh. She took them with one hand and quickly put them on. A pair of large leaves covered her groin and buttocks respectively while a different pair of leaves covered her breasts.

"Thank you…"

"You're very welcome," Oberon replied with a curt bow. "There is a clean pool not too far from here that you may clean up at. I shall lead you there if you would like?"

"That would be greatly appreciated," the human thanked the warframe as she stood.

That was also the day Stardust became her new best friend.

***

But boy was he being a particular pain in the ass today…

Bubbles let out a less than feminine and not so professional snort of a laugh as she watched her favorite princess tear past her and down the hallway leading towards the dining hall in nothing but her underwear. No amount of shouting or threats phased the determined magpie as he raced his way far ahead of his owner.

With patch in beak and dining hall door wide open, the magpie shot into the dining hall and out of sight.

Celestia was already at her seat, waiting patiently and occasionally sipping from her cup of tea as she read the morning paper.

"Get back here mister!"

The princess lowered her paper just in time to see her daughter's new pet swoop into the room and head towards the highest perch within the dining hall. He also appeared to have something in his beak. Her daughter padded in not too long after him.

She stared at her half naked daughter with a blank expression before going back to her paper.

"I know this is technically our house, but you just can't walk around half naked everywhere," Celestia chastised, raising her paper and going back to her reading. "Ponies do work here after all." Raven glanced towards her mother, panting slightly from her lengthy jog through the castle. "What is your new pet doing anyway?"

"He took my eye patch," Raven explained with a vertical swipe of her arm before letting it slap her bare thigh. The human glanced over her shoulder at the sound of hoof beats clicking against the floor. "Also, you might want to tell Aunt Luna what you just told me…."

Celestia furrowed her brow, frowned and swiftly lowered her paper before her eyes went wide.

"LUNA WHY ARE YOU NAKED!?"

Raven ignored her mother's quarrel with her aunt. She had bigger fish to fry.

Like trying not to kill her new pet magpie.

"Stardust you come down here his instant!" she shouted, pointing a finger at her feet.

He just placed her patch on his perch, holding it in place with his claw atop the piece of metal and…

Pecked at it.

Raven pursed her lips…

"Don't make me sick Philomena on you!"

That caught his attention, his head snapping up at the name.

Philomena had taken -pun not intended- the lost chick under her wing. She took care of him and watched over him as if the magpie was her own chick. She loved him with all her heart.

She was also a cruel bitch when she had to be. The phoenix handed out punishment without remorse or hesitation.

Stardust stared at his human as if silently asking, 'you wouldn't dare…'

Raven narrowed her eye threateningly.

She took a deep breath.

That was warning number one.

The princess pursed her lips in preparation for a very loud whistle.

That was his second warning.

Stardust didn't want to tempt fate and he jumped with a yelp, letting out a panicked squawk with a flare of his wings before he grabbed the patch with his beak and dove towards his human.

With a victorious smile, Raven held out her right arm for the avian to land on. He gently fluttered onto her wrist, to which she held out her left hand expectantly. The magpie forked over his toy and kept his head low and gaze averted as Raven placed her patch back where it belonged over her right eye before she glared disapprovingly at her pet.

But she couldn't stay mad at him.

Stardust shied away further, going as far as inching his way down her arm. The little chick was pleasantly surprised however when he felt her fingers begin to scratch at his neck feathers.

"You're a goofball, but you're my goofball," the princess giggled as she began to run her fingernails across his skin and through his head feathers. Stardust chirped happily and apologetically, crawling up her arm and eventually perching himself on her shoulder.

He gave her a loving nuzzle.

She returned the gesture in kind, rubbing her cheek across the top of his head before she gave him a soft kiss as well. With loving nuzzles and kisses received, Stardust made a leap for the top of her head, gently grabbing her hair in his claws and beak and pulling himself onto his favorite perch. The little magpie swayed with each step as the human padded her way towards the table, just in time to see her mother fall back into her own seat with a sigh.

"I swear, taking care of one child was hard enough …" Celestia mumbled exasperatedly as she held a hand to her head.

"In my defense, I had a fairly reasonable excuse," Raven replied as she pulled out her chair and sat down. "I'm also partially clothed as well," she said as she grabbed Stardust and gently set him on the table.

He immediately hopped away and towards the fruit platter in the center on the table. Philomena swooped into view not a moment later and landed next to her loving chick, happily nuzzling him.

"He stole my eye patch."

The phoenix paused, then pulled back before knocking her unruly chick on the top of the head with the bottom of her beak. Stardust flinched, holding both of his wings to shelter the new lump on his head as his mother glared disapprovingly down at him. Philomena pointed towards Raven with a wing and a squawk before crossing them over her breast. Stardust got the message and grabbed a grape before scurrying across the table and towards his human with wings flailing like a frantic child.

Raven rolled her eye playfully and held her arms out. But the poor boy was so scared that not only did he run straight to her, but the little magpie jumped right down her shirt headfirst. He wiggled partway down her bosom before he stopped moving, feeling as though he was more than hidden from danger.

Both Celestia and Raven giggled at the sight of Stardust's feathered butt and legs as they stuck out of the human’s top.

He whimpered pathetically…

"Come here you," Raven softly stated, pulling her top out with one hand as the other gently grasped the magpie and pulled him free. She gave him a reassuring kiss on the beak before placing him back on the table and holding him close to her breast, rubbing his head feathers tenderly.

Philomena hopped her way over towards the duo with a grape in her beak, glaring all the way at her chick. Once she was close enough, the pheonix dropped the grape with a soft thud as she settled in next to the chick, who had been averting his gaze as he nommed away at his own grape in shame. The flame paterened avian rested a wing atop his back and snuggled in next to her son.

It was at that moment that Raven caught a glimpse of something strange happening out a nearby window.

There was a bright flash of light before a dark purple hue bled through the windows, bathing the room in a violet tint.

"Mom, what is going on?" Raven worriedly asked.

Celestia, who had turned back to glance out the nearest window.

It has begun.

"Sweetie," Celestia said with the utmost seriousness as she turned back towards her worried looking daughter. "A threat has been made in lieu of the wedding." The solar mare glanced back towards the window as if to fully confirm her statement. "Shining Armor has deployed his shield. We're officially on lockdown."

One of the many protocols the guard could enact in times of danger. It was not often when the military would enact such extreme measures, but when it was, it was of the utmost seriousness. Many were having flashbacks.

"Where do you want me?"

"You," Celestia pointed at her daughter who was now holding both pets that much closer. "Are to help with the guard. We are cracking down on laziness, doubling patrols, and doing everything we can to make sure this attack never happens."

"Hopefully that is enough of a deterrent," Raven stated.

"Indeed."

"What of the wedding?" Raven asked, trying to lighten the mood, regardless of the massive shield looming overhead.

"Twilight and her friends should be here in a few days to help with preparation," Celestia explained as Raven suppressed the urge to groan. "You are to be Cadance's lead bridesmaid as you know."

Raven nodded.

"I get the joy of juggling both the wedding and this latest debacle…" Celestia bemoaned. "But don't hesitate to ask Luna, or even Moony for help."

"Moony?" Raven raised a brow.

"Nightmare hates it, so I pester her with it," Celestia smiled cheekily before going back to her more serious tone and look. "This is a perfect opportunity to strike a serious blow to the Equestrian hierarchy. With all the princesses, the captain of the guard and the rest of the royal family in attendance, we are at serious risk of attack."

"All of us in one place? For sure."

"Which is why I also want guards with you at all times," the matriarch ordered. "I know how much you don't like it, but we can't be taking unnecessary risks.”

“I think I can suffer through it for the foreseeable future,” Raven commented with a shrug. “We don’t need a repeat.”

“Indeed.”

With that, both mother and daughter shared their morning meal and discussed further plans for the wedding. Luna eventually returned -fully clothed this time- and joined in on the discussion and grabbed her own meal. Celestia was also kind enough to get her daughter a pair of pants before she left the room.

So, with belly full, magpie on head, and a lot to think about, the human wandered her way back towards her room so that she could fully change into something more comfortable and begin her day. As she rounded one of the last corners that lead to her room when she spotted Cadance headed right towards her. This was perfect, as the human princess needed to discuss something with her pony cousin.

“Cadance?” Raven smiled, causing the mare to lift her head from where she had been staring at the floor. “Are you okay? You look lost?”

The mare furrowed her brow and frowned. “I’m fine!” she snapped, causing the human to reel back slightly at the harsher tone. "And why do you have that… creature on your head?"

It almost sounded like Cadance wanted to say pest but kept it slightly more… 'civilized.'

"That's Stardust."

Cadance narrowed her gaze and cocked her head to the left slightly.

"My new pet?"

Still not ringing a bell.

"It's not important," Raven dismissed with a wave. "How are the preparations going?"

"Fine!" Cadance snapped again and casing Raven to furrow her brow in confusion. "Why does everypony keep asking!" she shouted this time, throwing her arms into the air. "Look, I have enough stress as it is! So just… leave me alone!" Cadance spat. With that, the mare stormed past the human and down the hallway.

Raven was dumbfounded. Terribly confused as she turned back slightly to see her cousin stomp around the corner.

"Niece Raven."

The human turned back towards the voice and was surprised to see Nightmare Moon approaching her from the same direction Cadance had come from.

"Did you hear any of that?" Raven asked with a point of her thumb over her shoulder.

"Indeed," Nightmare replied with a nod of her head and a frustrated look in her eye. "She snapped at us earlier." The dark mare came to a halt before the human and crossed her arms under her armored breasts. The mare was wearing her iconic armor, most likely in lieu of recent events. "Something is not right."

Raven glanced back over her shoulder. "I agree, Nightmare."

"Nightshine."

"Pardon?" the human asked as she turned back towards the mare.

"Our name," Nightmare replied. "Call us Nightshine."

"Okay…" That was going to take some getting used too. Whatever, there was a bigger issue. "Anyway, you're correct, something seems off about Cadance. She's usually not this… hostile. Even in her most stressful moments, she has never acted like this. She usually cries."

"Doth thou think it is because of the wedding?"

"I'm the head bridesmaid," Raven responded. "I'm supposed to be helping with the wedding. She knows that she can confide in me. The fact that she hasn't worries me." The human followed the mare's lead and crossed her arms as well. "Keep your eyes sharp and ears to the wind. Something's up. And I don't like it."

"Will do."

"Keep me informed as well."

"You have my word," Nightmare -er- Nightshine replied before both royals bid their farewells.

Chapter 39

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Chapter 39

"What in tarnation are you doing here?" Applejack demanded. As she stood, the apple mare was almost covered head to hoof in flour as she and a small army of family and castle cooks watched the confrontation from their respective locations within the castle kitchen.

Raven on the other hand, pitched the bridge of her nose and groaned. "I live her for one…" she sighed, knowing exactly how the rest of her day was going to play out now. "Also, I'm the brides head bridesmaid!" she snapped, holding her right arm across her body and pointing at the pink mare standing to her left. On her end, Cadance looked less than pleased that she was here right now. But several things still needed to happen before the wedding here in just a few days.

Applejack leaned back, crossing her arms and gaze narrowing. Behind the titan of a mare, sat an unfinished, yet immaculate, five layered cake that was yet to have its icing applied. With that cake, other parts of the kitchen were dedicated to other foods such as cupcakes and fritters that either needed to be cooked or garnished.

Cadance however, paid little mind to the squabble happening next to her as she levitated a finished apple fritter over, taking a delicate bite out of it.

The princess almost gagged at the taste. “Mhmm…. Delicious…” she lied. “I absolutely, love, love… love them…”

“I assume things are to your liking then?” Raven asked Cadance with a glance. Cadance forced a smile, trying to look as though she was happy about the food. With a nod of her head, Raven raised her brow. “You sure? Because now is the time to speak up?”

Yet again, the mare nodded, her scowl returning.

“Alright,” Raven conceded to avoid being snapped at. “You still have some time to change it if you would like.” The human lifted her clipboard, checking off the food part of her list. “Thank you.”

Applejack didn’t respond as the pair of princesses exited the castle kitchen and into the hallway, headed for their next destination.

“So, your dress is next,” Raven stated as she read from her clipboard. “Rarity is located in one of the castle towers. Might as well head that way.”

It took the duo only but a few minutes for them to head towards the right tower, but when they did, they found the white fashionista working dutifully at the cloth on the table before her. With a pair of small red glasses upon her muzzle and a fabric tape measure around her neck, she was mid stitch with the dress.

“Let’s get this over with…” Raven muttered under her breath. She had been forewarned about who was in charge of everything, but that still didn’t make any of this any less enjoyable.

Rarity apparently heard something, her ears swiveling atop her head. “Princess!” Rarity gasped as she shot towards the duo, bowing before the pink princess. “Can I just say what an honor it is to play a role in such a momentous occasion. Ahehehe.”

The white mare continued to bow awkwardly as Cadance stared down at her before she spoke. “Uh-ha. Is my dress ready?” she demanded, stepping past the mare and towards the obviously unfinished article of clothing that dressed a mannequin.

“Oh, uh, er, yes!” Rarity sputtered as she turned to follow the mare. “Well, actually, I’m almost there!” the fashionista corrected. “I've been working on it ever since I was given thee assignment. And I think you will be pleased with the results!”

Raven followed behind the duo as she eyed the dress. It was white, like all wedding dresses were, while the gold accents were not all sewn on, many still pinned in place and the teal colored fabric towards the top was unfinished as well.

Cadance eyed the dress before she turned away. “I was expecting something with more beading and a longer train!” she demanded, causing Rarity to immediately levitate a small notepad and a quill into her grasp.

“Oh! Yes. Of course!” Rarity responded, writing down the requested changes.

“And change the color of the these as well,” Cadance practically spat as she passed by the three other dresses in the room that were for her bridesmaids. Raven already had her own dress that she was going to wear, but still. The yellow sundress was nice and the pink one was cute as well. She wasn’t a fan of the polka dots, but it still looked good.

“You sure Cadance?” Raven questioned as she grasped the sleeve of the yellow dress. “Ow!” the princess yelped, pulling her hand back and glaring at the white mare that just slapped the back of her hand. “You know? I was going to say they were fine, but I’m glad I didn’t!”

Rarity harrumphed, writing down the changes before turning back towards her station. With a roll of her milky eye, Raven waved her cousin towards the door. “I still think Fleur would have been a better option,” she said just loud enough for the prissy mare to hear.

“Ah! I heard that!”

“Good!” Raven shot back through the door, never breaking her stride. “Come on, reception party is next,” Raven listed as she checked off the second thing on her list. Doubling back towards the lower part of the castle, the two ponies spent a little while wandering in silence before they entered the throne room, which was decorated to the brim with balloons, flowers, and ribbons.

“What in tartarus is this?” Raven said, baffled. “A kids birthday party?”

Just then, a pink something jumped out in front of her, gasping loudly and causing both human and mare to jump in fear, both falling backwards and hitting the floor.

“HA! You did notice! Thank you!” Pinkie Pie gasped, gushing at what to anypony else was clearly, not, a compliment. But then her cheery demeanor became sour as she frowned at the human. “You are a big meanie!”

Raven’s look of shock was replaced with a look of hatred as she glared up at the mare. Pinkie never saw the glare however, because she had already crossed her arms and turned around, sticking her nose in the air.

Raven closed her eye, groaning out a sigh. “This is a wedding! Not a birthday party!” she huffed loudly. “I don’t think Cadance even needs to say anything!” Raven pushed herself to her feet, brushing off her clothes and grabbing her clipboard. “I-” The human paused, blinking her eye at the sight of a board game, a flower pinata, and pin the tail on the pony. The human grit her teeth as she turned towards the childish mare, resisting the urge to wring her neck. “Fix this shit now!”

Pinkie gasped in shock yet again. “HA! You said a bad word!”

Raven however, responded by pressing her nose against the pudgy mare’s snoot and grabbing at her collar. “It’s a wedding, not a kids party. Understood!?” she seethed through her clenched teeth.

Pinkie’s head sank into the collar of her shirt, only her ears and eyes poking out. “Yes princess!” she squeaked.

Raven continued to glare at the mare for a moment longer before she released Pinkie’s collar. The human stepped back, her narrow gaze only briefly leaving the mare as she made a note about double checking the reception.

“Most explementary,” Cadance praised as Raven passed her, falling into step with her cousin.

“I can barely tolerate them as it is. The fact mom put them in charge of everything makes this even less bearable,” Raven grumbled as she looked at the next thing on her list.

“Well, it will all be over when the wedding is done,” Cadance promised.

“I know how much this day means to you. But I’ll be grateful when it’s all over…” Raven sighed exhaustedly, glancing at what was left. “Music. Easy enough, I hope.”

It was at that moment that a window smashed inwards, sending razor sharp shards of glass sliding across the floor as something blue came tumbling into the hallway, smashing into a table that had a decorative vase atop it.

That also smashed against the floor.

Rainbow Dash’s eyes rolled within her skull as she laid upside down, crumpled in the pile of broken wood and shattered glass.

“That was a priceless table you know?” Raven informed the blue mare as both her and Cadance passed the pesky pegasus. “Not much to do with her. She is doing some special trick after the vows.”

“Blow tailhole out your it,” Rainbow insulted as her head finally flopped forward, limp.

“Damn… you got me good…” Raven said dryly and sarcastically as a pair of guards passed the duo and heading towards the wrecking ball of a stunt performer. “I always hated that vase though.” Raven finished up by scribbling down something on her clipboard. "Still need to check music."

The last thing on their list was located down the gardens. So, after yet another short walk, the pair entered the gardens and were immediately greeted by the sounds of birds singing, in harmony as well. As they rounded the last corner, Raven and Cadance were greeted by the sight of Fluttershy conducting a small choir of birds. The yellow mare seemed to be lost in the music until a little red sparrow screeched out of key, causing everyone, including the rest of the bird choir, to wince at the horrendous sound.

"By the gods!" Cadance screamed. "Shut that incessant creature up!"

Fluttershy jumped with a squeak, her little choir chittering and chirping wildly as they scattered to the trees, leaving the embarrassed sparrow perched alone. Raven blinked, rubbing her right ear with a knuckle, her eardrum still ringing slightly.

"Yes, well, other than that one being out of key, it sounded good up until that point," Raven remarked. Fluttershy stayed silent, not wanting to aggravate the two any further. "Get that little guy in tune and we should be fine. Anything you'd like to add, Cadance?"

Cadance shook her head, glaring.

"Alright. Well…" Raven said, checking off the last thing on her list. "All that is left is the practice, which is a few days from now. I'll double check and make sure everything is ready. You seem stressed. Why don't you call it a day and go see your husband to be?"

"Yes. I think I will. Thank you," Cadance said strongly, stomping past the human and sparing one last, glancing glare at the yellow pegasus.

Something sure as hell isn't right. Not after today…

Raven let out a slow breath. She had a plan, even if it took the day of the wedding to implement. But perhaps she could catch her the night of the practice?

***

Cadance was in tears at the horrible accusations that had been made against her. And on the day before her wedding at that! "How could you say such a thing!" she sobbed.

"Twilight!" Celestia shouted.

The purple mare stood proudly before her brother, her foalsitter and her mentor. Or at least she had been. The realization of what had just transpired slowly began to settle in. The mare looked around the room and was very surprised at the fact that nopony, not even her friends were backing her. The poor girl started to sweat, but still tried to salvage the detriating situation.

"But I…" she paused, shaking her head. "You're not Cadance!" she accused, doubling down with an accusatory point of her finger. "Cadance isn't this… this… mean!"

"She's stressed, Twilight!" her brother shot back with a stomp of his hoof. The purple mare flinched back, holding her arms in close, now she was the one on the verge of tears. "It has been issue after issue with the wedding! We have had no time to be relaxed-AH!" The stallion winced, holding his hands to his aching head. Cadance jumped to his side, supporting her injured lover.

"Come on dear," Cadance sniffled, turning and glaring at the mare before her. Slowly, the duo descended the steps to the stage and past the dumbfounded mare.

"And you can forget being my best mare…" Shining growled.

Twilight's jaw hit the floor.

Now she really was going to cry!

"Don't bother showing up tomorrow either…" he spat.

"I hope you're proud of yourself!" Cadance sobbed one last time.

Twilight was frantic to find anypony within the room that was on her side, but not one was with her. Celestia crossed her arms disapprovingly, glaring at her student as her friends mirrored the action. They even went as far as to stand between the royal couple and their so-called friend.

Just as the young couple were about to reach the door, it opened. Both ponies lifted their heads to see who had entered and were surprised to see both Raven and Nightshine enter the room, the former holding something in her right hand.

"Sorry I'm late," Raven apologized before wiggling a finger between her and her aunt. "With so many changes, I needed help getting everything right."

"Sorry Rave," Shining Armor apologized for both missing the rehearsal and the fact that the rehearsal was over. "But you just missed it."

"Oh. Well that's too bad," the human replied as if she wasn't even disappointed. Instead, she held up her right hand, examining at the ball within her grasp. "Hey Cadance?" she asked, lifting her head and holding out the ball. "Could you please hold this ball in your magic?"

Cadance sniffled but nodded. "I don't know what this has too with the wedding…" But the pink princess relented and ignited her horn, lifting the little rubber ball in her green aura.

Before anypony could even react, there was a blinding red flash of light before a violet armored glove wrapped around the pink mare's throat, lifting her high into the air and smashing her back first against the floor with such ferocity that the stone spiderwebbed violently. ~Raven~ drew her Detron and pinned the mare to the floor.

"Raven what are you doing!?" Celestia frantically shouted. "Let her-"

"That's not Cadance!"

"Yes it-"

"Cadance doesn't have green magic!" ~Raven~ spat, her grip tightening around the mare’s esophagus.

Everypony went pale.

The warframe slowly turned her massive head back towards the mare, who was scowling dangerously at the armored human, tears long forgotten as she held on tight to the warframe’s armored forearms.

"You insolent little pest!" 'Cadance' spat, spit flying everywhere. Before the tenno and her dark aunt could react, a portal of green fire engulfed her before she molded into the floor. ~Raven~ jerked back, pulling her hand back and frantically searching the room for the intruder. "You just had to get in the way!" The mare's voice echoed throughout the room.

~Raven~ rose, holstering her pistol and drawing her Javlok as her Aunt Nightshine manifested her elegant scythe.

Twilight, who in both her fear and surprise slowly backed herself towards her friends, who all stood back to back, while simultaneously looking for the threat that seemed to have them trapped.

"Told you!" Twilight gloated.

"Now aint the time, Twi!" Applejack snapped back.

"I think we can discuss correct assumptions under dangerous circumstances later!" Rarity quickly added.

Celestia ignited her horn, standing at attention on the stage as Nightshine grabbed Shining Armor and pulled him in close, running her glowing hands over his head.

"Niece Raven?" Nightshine remarked, grabbing the human's attention. "He has been exposed to corrupting mind magic."

"What!?" Shining Armor shouted in shock and surprise.

It was in that moment that a portal of green fire ignited behind Celestia. ~Raven~ and Twilight both shouted out a warning, but it mattered little as the pink mare shot through the portal. Celestia's back arched and cracked as 'Cadance's' hoof connected right between the solar mare’s shoulder blades, sending her tumbling forward and down the steps to the stage.

Celestia landed with a slide before she got her hands to stop her. The solar princess, even with her back screaming and cracking as she turned back towards the threat, still managed to fire a beam of pure golden magic at the imposter.

The false mare fired her own beam of green magic which met the golden one in the middle. The light was blinding, forcing everyone to shield their eyes, lest they go blind.

"Get him out of here!" ~Raven~ ordered, swiping her left arm at her aunt and best friend.

Nightshine shook her head in understanding and grabbed Shining Armor by the back of his shirt. "Come Captain!"

"No! I need to fight back!"

"T'was an order, Captain!" Nightshine ordered, using her superior strength to jerk the stallion towards the door and out of the battle.

The classing beams began to falter as both mares stood strong, trying desperately to hold the other at bay.

Celestia seemed to be the one losing though.

She knew it too!

The solar mare let out a gasp, her eyes going wide as her beam started to get pushed back, her magic wavering. Celestia tried desperately to hold true, but it was all for naught. The princess's scream was deafening and sent chills up the backs of all that were present. Celestia shot back even further, sliding violently across the floor, her horn smoldering and black. The force of the strike was so powerful that her clothes were shredded, singeing the exposed fur and skin underneath.

"Mom!"

"Princess Celestia!"

Atop the stage, the imposter stared down at her hands in disbelief before a manic smile graced her lips. "I've done it…" she muttered before clenching her fists in victory. "I've become stronger than even Celestia!" The mare laughed maniacally at her victory.

Just as she opened her eyes, she had just enough time to dodge the spiked head aimed right at her skull!

There was a metallic clang that resonated throughout the room, the imposter flinching as she had expected the weapon to strike her square in the jaw. But the weapon missed, embedding itself in the wall to her left.

"Ha missed!"

The massive fireball explosion that followed was so powerful that it sent the false mare sailing exit stage left and smashing through a nearby window.

"Mom!" Raven shouted frantically as she transferred from her warframe. She dropped to her knees and took her mother's hand. The princess ignored the circle of other mares, her mother needed her most!

Celestia winced, holding her left hand to her stomach as she lifted her head.

"Twilight," Celestia wheezed. "Get the Elements of Harmony!" she ordered the mare on her left before turning her head towards her daughter on her right. "Sweetie…"

"Yes?"

The solar mare's gaze narrowed, her eyes burning with hatred.

"Kill her!"

Raven inhaled deeply and in a flash of light was armored and shot off like a bullet. She lept up the steps of the stage, tearing her Javlok free from the wall and dumping the empty magazine and loading a fresh one before the tenno lept out the same window her rival had obliterated and landed in the grounds below.

"Come on Princess!" Applejack urged, lifting the larger mare by her arms and dragging the poor princess to safety.

~Raven~ landed hard, asserting her dominance from the get-go as she rose, glaring at the mare before her. The imposter propped herself up on shaky arms, her head hung low and hair covering her face.

With a jerk of her head, the mare revealed her true self with a throaty hiss. The right side of her face was the same as it had been, but it was the left that was horrifying. Her once baby blue eye was green and catlike, and her beautiful pink fur was scorched black and hard. Lastly, a long fang dripped with green saliva.

"You filthy ape!" the mare spat, pulling her hooves under her and standing to her full height. "You will not stop this! I am inevitable!"

The green flames returned in force, fully engulfing the mare and burning away her disguise. The monster's fur and skin burned away, revealing the jet-black chitin, her candy-like main melting into lighter blue and her once elegant wings becoming insect-like, buzzing between her shoulder blades. Her pink dress molded into a sickly green that clung to her body as a pair of fangs protruded from between her lips.

A pair of guards stormed out behind the tenno and taking up arms.

The princess eyed her guards, feeling that much more confident that she could win this fight.

It was at that moment that the shield above Canterlot shattered. Showering the Capital City in ethereal sparks of failed magic. The creature took heed, smiling viciously at her victory.

"Kill her!"

Both guards' eyes flashed green briefly as they turned towards their princess, aiming their spears at the warframe.

~Raven~ was caught by surprise, frantically looking between her guards. "What are you two doing!?" she shouted at them, holding both arms out in disbelief.

The monster laughed maniacally, throwing her head back with uproarious laughter, finding the situation very amusing. "You honestly think I would be this dumb to come alone!" she gloated, laughing even more as she rested her hands on her hips.

~Raven's~ mighty head moved between her former guards.

No, imposters!

"Then it's a free for all!" the princess muttered.

The guard to the princesses left thrust first, his spear missing by a mile as she caught the weapon by its wooden shaft. ~Raven• dropped her own weapon, freeing her right hand and clenching it into an armored fist. With one single punch, she smashed the guard’s helmet, denting the metal and dissolving his disguise, revealing the black creature underneath the armor. The monster immediately lost consciousness upon impact.

Time slowed as she drew at her sword, pulling the weapon from her hip reverse style. With a single precise jerk of her arm, ~Raven~ jammed the weapon right through the front and straight out the back of the second guards’ helmet.

The queen's smile faded and for the briefest second, was replaced with a look absolute of horror.

Two guards fell before the demon. Just as the Orokin had once fallen.

~Raven~ held her weapon firm as she adjusted her grip, pulling her sword free from the corpse, jerking the body forward before the beast. An offering of war.

The creature stared in disbelief as two of her best infiltrators and warriors were felled in such a swift action.

"How dare you!" she roared. "Your death will be-"

But she would never finish her threat. Her eyes went wide as she reacted just fast enough to dodge the strike aimed right for her head. There was a stinging sensation in her right cheek as several severed hairs fluttered to the ground. Her moment continued as she lept back several meters from the point of impact. The insect-like being glared at the warframe's extended arm and sword.

The creature felt something warm ooze down the side of her face.

She poked at the spot with a middle finger, feeling something warm and wet on her chitin.

"All that for a drop of blood?" she asked, her gaze drifted from the green fluid on her digit and towards the warframe as she stood.

"Proves I can kill you," ~Raven~ remarked as she spun her weapon, splattering green blood across the grass.

Behind the warrior, a door slammed open, causing the tenno to turn and the creature to see as well. They both watched as the Elements ran up and stood side by side with the warrior princess. Both Twilight and ~Raven~ shared a look but now was not the time to squabble.

"Ah can't believe Twilight was right," Applejack seethed.

"I feel so awful…" Fluttershy muttered.

"Seems that I wasn't the only one with reservations then," ~Raven~ remarked.

The creature rose to her full height, looming over the mares like a pillar. "You think you can defeat me? Chrysalis, Queen of the Changelings!" The mare held her arms out wide for all to see and back in her glory.

"Oh yeah?" Dash challenged mockingly. "You and what army?"

Chrysalis merely smiled.

A black creature slammed down onto the ground next to the changeling queen with such force that it cratered the soil. It was followed closely by another and another! Dozens of changelings smashed down before the mares. They may have been smaller than their queen, but they were numerous. Their light blue eyes were cold, and their wings buzzed with excitement.

Applejack promptly slapped Rainbow on the back of the head.

"You had to say it…" Rarity muttered, holding an exasperated hand to her face and shaking her head.

“How was I supposed to know!?” Dash quickly shot back as ~Raven~ shoot her head in disbelief.

The closest creature engulfed itself in its green flames, it's hide burning away and covering itself in purple and white armor. The Equestrian's were dumbfounded at the sight before then as the human princess glared at her doppelganger. The six mares stared dumbfounded between the two iterations of the warrior princess.

Then the changes came in full.

Each creature doused itself in green flames, replacing itself with one of the seven females that stood in the center of the circle. ~Raven~ was probably the only one who was not fazed, but the Elements however were horrified at what was about to transpire.

"How do we know who's who!" Dash panicked as she looked out over the sea if clones.

"They're changelings remember!" Twilight frantically remarked.

"THEY'RE CHANGELINGS REMEMBER!" the collective of Twilight doppelgangers repeated, each one wearing the same smug smile as they advanced on the group.

~Raven~ looked around the legion of ponies -that she had serious problems with- and before they could close in and overwhelm the group, the princess swiped her arms across her chest. Winds roared and ice cracked, shocking both the element bearers and the false bearers as a dome of pure ice and roaring winds surrounded the seven mares and one warframe.

"That'll hold them back for now, " ~Raven~ stated as the first fake Twilight smashed into the dome with a comedic ‘thonk,’ like a pegasus hitting a window. A false Rarity opposite her fired a beam of green magic that ricocheted wildly and connected with a fake Rainbow Dash hovering above, sending her sailing out of sight, causing the Rarity to wince. "They don't seem very coordinated,” the warrior princess remarked.

The conglomerate of imposters turned towards their queen for guidance and with looks on concern.

The queen growled, clenching both her jaw and her fists. Fed up, she stormed her way through the crowd, shamelessly and aggressively shoving her subjects out of the way. She glared at the ponies within the barrier as she approached, standing before its frozen surface. She turned back towards her subjects, glaring across the sea of imposters.

"It's a magical shield you imbeciles!" Chrysalis spat, causing every one of them too shy back in fear.

~Raven~ glanced at her allies who looked to her expectantly. They wanted her to make the first move.

Very well.

The warframe approached the queen, standing before her. Before the tenno, the dark mare's ears swiveled atop her head at the sound of boots padding against the grass before she turned to face the warframe. The pair looked each other over, examining one another, trying to learn everything they could about their opponent.

"Have you come to surrender?" Chrysalis asked the princess, a smug, half smirk upon her fanged muzzled.

"You have?" ~Raven~ replied sarcastically. "I accept!"

Chrysalis was not amused, and it showed through her bemused expression. "Ha ha…" she said dryly. "Face it, princess. You have lost!"

"I'm still standing."

"Don't be stupid."

"There are two types of ponies that will be staying here today," the princess remarked as she looked around at the small army that surrounded the dome. "The dead and those who are going to die." Her gaze slowly drifted back towards the queen before her, staring deep into those cat-like orbs. "And I don't intend to die today. Still wish to give up?"

Chrysalis pursed her lips, her anger boiling. Suddenly and without warning, the dark mare smashed her fist against the ice, the dome resonating like glass.

~Raven~ didn't even flinch.

The dome was freezing through her chitin, but it mattered little as the queen wanted the gooey and soft insides. All she needed to do was crack that shell. Slowly, the mare removed her partially numb hand and let it rest at her side. ~Raven~ cocked her head slightly and noticed something interesting.

The queen narrowed her eyes as she too cocked her head to the left on thought. Her gaze followed that of her opponents and she too saw it.

A crack.

It was only a hairline but a crack, nonetheless. Chrysalis smiled wickedly knowing full well that she had the princess sweating now.

~Raven's~ HUD read ninety eight percent health on the dome, so she was not worried by anything happening within the next few seconds. The thing had plenty of health and she could boost it, or just make another dome if need be.

"I hope you are ready?" the princess asked.

"You still think you can win?" Chrysalis gloated.

"I'm not talking to you."

The changeling queen's boastful smile slowly faded.

A single armored glove grabbed fazed through the dome and grabbed the mare by the collar of her dress, jerking her forward and smashing her forehead right against the external surface of the ice dome. Chrysalis went cross eyed, her head throbbing as it recoiled backwards from the debilitating strike. She stumbled backwards and was swiftly caught by two of her subjects.

Just as she was about to bark out her orders, it was too late.

The warframe spun on her heels, a ball of frozen energy manifesting in the palm of her right hand. She pulled it parallel to her head before smashing it against the ground. Stalagmites of pure ice flowed like water as they protruded from the ground from the point of impact. Dozens of false Fluttershy's were brutally and ruthlessly impaled on the ice as others were sent flying.

Twilight threw balls of violet energy at every target she could find. Each changeling that was struck immediately reverted back to their natural states and immediately incapacitated.

Like an out of control train, Applejack charged through the crowd like a raging bull. Copies of her friends were sent sailing in all directions like bowling pins before she came to a sliding halt and started swinging like a professional boxer. Pinkie pulled a gargantuan pink cannon from her mane, slamming it on the ground and grabbing the string. With a single jerk, the cannon fired with a resonating boom, sending a flurry of confetti and a single cake that smashed into a Twilight clone. Rainbow Dash took to the skies and did her best to fly and strike as many of herself and Fluttershy as she could. The mare was much faster than her clones, forcing them to try and track her. Which led to many of the clones attacking one another out of confusion. Rarity was a flurry of kicks and punches, striking down whoever got in her path. Fluttershy was probably the smartest of the bunch, blending into the crowd and confusing the others and forcing them to attack their own.

With a sigh of relief, Fluttershy turned to try and sneak out of the crowd and to safety.

“EEP!” she squeaked, her eyes turning into the size of dinner plates as they focused on the razor-sharp edge that was aimed right for her skull. ~Raven~ held the weapon firm so as to not hurt the mare.

“Sorry,” ~Raven~ apologized as she pulled the weapon away. But Fluttershy never had a moment to breathe as the tenno grabbed her by the wrist, pulling the poor pegasus in close and thrusting her boot forward, catching an Applejack clone in the gut. The Tenno spun the mare like a professional dance partner, Fluttershy spun violently, her arms flailing out due to centripetal force, knocking several clone’s unconscious.

When the mare came out of it, the poor pegasus stumbled like a drunken sailor, her eyes rolling inside her skull before she flopped over, to dizzy to stand.

~Raven~ spun, pommeling a Rarity square in the nose, causing the false mare to grasp at her muzzle. But before she could recover, a boot sent her tumbling. But as she turned, several Applejack's stood eye to eye with the warframe. They cracked their knuckles advancing on her all at once. The princess kicked out, throwing the first to the ground before slashed the second, sending her bleeding across the grass, her wound deep. The third smashed into the warframe, but ~Raven~ bent, sending the mare toppling over her back. She thrust her blade forward, impaling the fourth straight through the gut.

Resting her hand and the pommel, she fully impaled the changeling and threw her weight behind her weapon. A Twilight screamed out in agony as she was impaled right in the side. ~Raven~ drew her weapon free, pulling the Applejack into a headlock and thrust her weapon forward, piercing Twilight in the throat, reverting her back into a black changeling. The same happened when she broke Applejack's neck.

The resounding crack caused many to flinch in horror.

~Raven~ lifted her weapon over her head and threw her sword with all her might. A Rainbow Dash jerked, her gaze slowly drifting down, staring at the weapon buried deep in her chest cavity. Green flames engulfed her form, revealing the black chitin covered stallion. His body went limp as he fell to his knees, eyes rolling into the back of his head as he fell backwards, a pool of green blood oozing from the wound.

The sword wiggled, bone and chitin cracking as the sword tore itself from the corpse, sailing pommel first right into ~Raven's~ open palm. She cracked her neck, spinning her weapon in her armored palm and advancing forward, lifting her weapon high in preparation for another heavy strike.

"ENOUGH!"

The word shook the mountain as the entire town of Canterlot was engulfed in a strange aura. Time froze, changelings still midflight hung in the air like ornaments as those on the ground still engaged in combat stood frozen. ~Raven~ recognized the familiar feeling of a Limbo's power thanks to previous battles. The Element Bearers were terribly surprised at the sudden halt of events but were more than grateful.

From behind one of the Changelings, Harrow appeared, wandering by. The warframe paid little mind to the frozen battle as he approached the human.

"I found Limbo and Protea," the warframe stated once he was close enough before the princess transferred from her warframe and approached the God King.

Another warframe approached through the crowd, sending a series of involuntary chills up the humans back as she watched him. He looked exactly like the very thing she hated next to the Orokin. His sentient like build made her slightly ill. From his skimpy legs that lead up to the two protrusions above his thighs that almost looked like undeveloped appendages. He looked emaciated with how thin his waist was. His shoulders were rounded over with a pair of energy and cloth strips dangling from each shoulder. His head was large and bulbous, with a single strip of cloth and energy dangling from the center of his head that came to a halt just above his groin. He paid the human and second warframe no mind as he wandered through the crowd. Twilight, however, was gushing at the sight of the God King of Magic!

Protea, however, was nowhere to be seen.

"Get ready," Harrow stated.

"For what?" Raven asked, confused as she looked back at him.

Before she could do anything more, time began to reverse as she was suddenly sucked back into her warframe. In rapid succession every attack, jump, strike, everything by everypony was reset. It was so fast that all any keen eye could see is that something had happened. Minutes of heavy fighting and destruction…

Had never happened.

Raven was standing before her cousin, ball in hand as she was getting ready to test a theory. " Hey Cadance? Could you-" the human paused, blinking in confusion.

What the heck just happened?

Hadn’t she just been outside in the courtyard and now she was back in the castle? Wasn't she just in the midst of a battle?

Her head hurt…

Raven rubbed her head with her free hand as everypony stood there in equal amounts of confusion and headache. Celestia for her part immediately looked down and ran her hands over her now healed and healthy body. Last she checked she had been hurt but now she was fine. She was also not in the infirmary. The element bearers were not mid battle but back where they had just recently been accusing their friend of blasphemy.

Cadance and Shining Armor groaned as they held their heads, now back in each other's embraces.

They shared a look of confusion.

Then it dawned on the stallion as his eyes went wide, everything coming back all at once and in force. He shoved the mare holding him and made a frantic run for the princesses before him. Chrysalis stumbled to the side several steps before she regained her hoofing. The mare growled, glaring at the human before she ignited her horn in preparation for an attack!

There was a warping sound, as the changeling queen was engulfed in a white aura. She froze where she stood, held in stasis.

Celestia blinked, before she slowly turned towards the God King standing just to her left, arm fully extended from his own attack. The solar mare could only stare in awe, feeling smaller than ever before as she watched the myth and legend standing before her in the flesh. The warframe lowered his arm, stepping down the steps from the stage.

"It would seem the changelings have gone astray," Harrow remarked as he approached from behind the human.

"Grendel will not be pleased," Limbo said in a deep, mystic tone as he wandered his way towards the entrapped queen.

"Nidus and Saryn either," Harrow added as he looked away from the queen and towards his ally. "It would seem we are needed now more than ever. Will you deal with the infiltrators?"

"I have. She is the only remaining one," Limbo answered, referring to Chrysalis.

"Good," Harrow nodded. "Then I shall deal with the others."

Limbo nodded his head before turning his gaze back towards the enraged changeling. He held up his left hand and snapped his fingers, causing the mare to disappear in a flash of white mist. The King of Magic shared one last nod with Harrow before sliding backwards, manifesting a white and black portal and vanishing into nothing before the portal slowly dissipated.

There was a soft humming coming from the hallway and through the open doors before Wisp came fluttering inside. "Hello everyone," she said happily with a wave. "It would seem we missed the party." The god queen fluttered further into the room and towards Celestia. "Hello princess, you look pretty."

Celestia sputtered incoherently, blushing and averting her gaze.

Oberon and Zephyr wandered in a moment later, the former immediately approaching the young stallion standing next to Nightshine. "Hold still," the druid ordered the young captain. Shining Armor dared not move as the king held the back of the blue haired stallion's head with his left hand and pressed the thumb of his right gently against his forehead, just below the horn.

Shining Armor winced in pain, then let out a moan of relief as his migraines faded away. He let the warmth work its way through his head and whisk away the pain.

"There is a reason why mind control is frowned upon," Zephyr ‘frowned’ as she turned back towards the princess and the elements, crossing her arms. "Take heed young ones, for we do not like creatures trying to control one another."

The seven mares slowly nodded their heads as Nightshine tugged at her collar with a nervous and sheepish laugh.

At the front of the room, Wisp fluttered around the back of Celestia and grabbed the mare's angelic wing, causing Celestia to blush and go stiff. The poor princess feared that even the smallest of movements would offend the god and bring forth her wrath. The warframe muttered to herself as she extended the wing. Releasing it, Celestia's wing immediately snapped back into place with a ‘pomf’ as Wisp fluttered forward and cupped the mare's face, examining her horn and eyes.

Oberon was in the midst of doing the same to an embarrassing looking Nightshine. "Does she have fangs?" he asked his friend.

"No," Wisp replied over her shoulder.

"Interesting," Oberon mused as Nightshine closed her mouth, licking her lips. "A new and rare breed."

"You two can play doctor later," Harrow interjected as he looked between the intrigued duo, trying to keep them on track. The two warframes looked towards their friend, then one another before releasing their respective subjects.

It was at that moment that a portal opened in the center of the room, grabbing the attention of everyone, the ponies in the room becoming nervous as the warframes waited patiently for Limbo to appear. But instead, it was Atlas who appeared first, followed by Inaros, the former cradling something in his arms. The massive mountain of a king turned towards the much smaller human and Harrow, revealing what was within his arms.

"Cadance!" Raven gasped.

Shining Armor was first to jump forward, resting his hands atop his lovers as a look of worry appeared upon his face. She was boiling hot and breathing hard in her unconscious state. Her hair was in a very disheveled state, clothes were filthy and torn, fur matted, and all around looked miserable.

"We found her in the catacombs beneath the city," Inaros stated as Harrow approached.

Oberon stepped up next to the young stallion and held a hand to her forehead, tendrils of energy crawling across her skin. "She is near death. Dehydrated and pneumonia. She must see a doctor immediately."

"This way!" Nightshine frantically shouted, pointing towards the door.

Atlas, followed by Shining Armor, followed the dark princess out of the room and into the hallway, desperately trying to get her to the infirmary as fast as they could. Nearby, Wisp and the remaining warframe's gathered up next to the human and watched the door, listening to the heavy footsteps of Atlas as he thundered through the castle.

"I shall find the others who are missing," Inaros stated. "She is likely the one of many."

"Go!" Harrow waved urgently. "Find as many as you can."

"I'll go with him," Zephyr added as she stepped towards the desert warframe. Before they could say anything more, the pair disappeared through the same portal that Inaros and Atlas had appeared from minutes prior.

Harrow turned towards Celestia, who watched him nervously. Upon noticing her nervous demeanor, Harrow held up a placating hand to stem the mare's uneasiness. "Fret not young one, we shall stay as guardians for the time being."

***

Several days later.

Today was a day that would live on for years to come. It would be the talk of the century. Hundreds if not thousands of ponies had gathered in the main courtyard below the castle's main announcement platform. High above the castle, the wedding was being projected to the masses gathered below. With the castle, the room dedicated to the in-pony wedding was packed to the brim. Guards lined the walls as the well-dressed masses sat before them. At the very front of the pews sat Shining Armor’s parents while Celestia stood on stage, waiting patiently for things to begin. Her smile was wide and pristine, her white dress wrinkle free. She couldn't be more proud of this day.

Even if her niece was being a pain in the flank and insisting this day happen. Because screw the doctor and her health, right?

But today was perfect. The sun was shining and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. The hall had been decorated accordingly. Packed to the brim, Celestia smiled at husband-to-be’s parents, Night Light and Twilight Velvet, the former of the two oddly enough, was the one who was crying. The wedding hadn’t even started yet.

Hopefully things were going well, Luna and Nightshine were with Cadance now and Twilight was with her brother. Raven was going to be the one walking Cadance down the aisle even though she was the head bridesmaid. Cadance’s friends would be out without their leader and Shining Armor had his grooms ponies out here soon, all of which were friends from the guard.

Celestia’s gaze drifted up towards the beautiful dark purple flowers and the white cloth draped from column to column and the arch was full, green, and decorated with the same flowers that hung from the columns. The red carpet was going to make Cadance feel like a star. Especially with the trumpeters that lined the carpet as well.

Philomena and Stardust glided their way into the room, heading straight for the arch before perching themselves there. The former of the two glanced at her chick before reaching over and pulling at the edges of his little bowtie, adjusting it with a nod.

The music started to play as Shining Armor, dressed in red and gold, with blue sash, dress uniform approached the stage, standing to Celestia’s left as he waited excitedly for what was about to happen. Luna and Nightshine appeared not too long after in their own respective light blue and black gowns. They stood just behind Celestia as they waited for things to kick off. Which wasn’t long. Twilight took the lead with her friends in tow, standing on the steps of the stage just before Sergeant’s Long Bow and Dawn arrived, leading a small group of uniformed ponies as well. All of which had a mare attached to their arms, all of which were Cadance’s own friends.

Now, it was the bride’s turn.

Celestia was almost in tears at the sight.

Her dress flowed like water, pure white with golden trim. The pink bow and ribbon tied around her midsection. The gold brooch with the light-yellow daffodil that rested just above her bosom, which matched the pair of daffodils in her hair, which held her veil in place. Raven was wearing a gorgeous dark violet dress made by her friend Fleur, who was somewhere in the crowd. It was simple, just as she had requested. The trumpets blared, horns held high above the duo as they approached the stage, slowly ascending the steps. Once they were close enough, Raven hugged her cousin.

“You better not say no!” Raven said nice and loud for all to hear as she looked towards Shining Armor, causing the entire room to laugh. Raven handed off her cousin, letting the mare’s husband to be, taking her hands into his own.

Celestia stepped forward, her smile grand and welcoming. “Mares and gentlecolts!” she spoke loud for all to hear. “It is with great honor that I bring to you today the joining of two souls through wonderful matrimony!” She held her hand out towards Shining Armor. “My Captain and friend of the Royal Guard, Captain Shining Armor!” Celestia then gestured to her now teary-eyed niece. “And my beloved niece, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza!”

Celestia paused as she held her hands together.

“But this is going to be a slightly different wedding,” Celestia said ominously, causing everypony in the room to mutter amongst themselves worryingly. “As much as I would like to preside over the wedding, I believe that this is going to be much better.”

At that moment, the doors behind the crowd opened, causing the entire room to gasp in shock. Harrow was the first to enter the room, walking down the aisle and past all the shocked onlookers. Ponies all around were in utter disbelief as the god king took the stage, taking Celestia’s spot as she moved aside. The warframe released his staff, the weapon balancing perfectly on its point as he reached behind his back, pulling his smoking thurible into the light.

The room suddenly shook violently, causing some to yelp and squirm in fear as King Atlas and Queen Zephyr entered the room, followed closely by Oberon and Wisp, Inaros bringing up the rear. The two queens stood by the bridesmaids as the kings took up guard by the groom's ponies. The Element Bearers were in awe and the crowd was dumbfounded.

“My fellow subjects!” Harrow greeted the crowd with open arms. “Believe me when I say that not only myself, but my friends here, are honored to be here today. Because believe it or not, in the years we have watched over you, I have never presided over a wedding before.”

The crowd giggled nervously.

“So, believe me when I say this is not only a special day for them,” Harrow continued, gesturing to the happy couple with his free hand. “But for me as well. Are you two ready?” he asked, causing both Shining and Cadance nodded their heads. “Very well!”

The warframe cleared his throat, resting his left hand behind his back.

“I welcome you all on this wonderful day, for today we see the union of two ponies that have decided that today they will no longer be separate, two flowers in a field but together as one. They have been through trials and tribulations, arguments, and sadness. But today, they have put that aside for one another. For today, they desire to become one and to stand before me together.

“Just as we do, we rely on one another to stand, to fight, and to live. For together you will face hardships, there will be anger and aggression, and there will be sadness and loss. But just as you are his shield, he will be your sword. When one of you falls, the other will pick you up and never abandon you. They will keep you on the straight and narrow, guiding you through the darkness like a candle.

“May you always remember that even through the hate, the anger, frustration, and hopelessness, love will prevail. Because alone, you are nothing, but together? You can stand with the gods!”

Harrow paused as he looked between the pair.

“If anypony believes that these two should not be wed, speak now or forever hold your peace?”

Raven really wanted to, but kept her mouth shut. Cadance’s wedding had already been ruined once, even if the human’s idea was a simple joke.

Upon seeing nothing, Harrow continued. “So, it be. The rings please?” Spike stepped forward, looking dapper as ever in his little black suit and top hat, holding up a red pillow that held two golden rings. Harrow turned towards Shining Armor first, taking the ring and handing it off to the stallion. “Do you, Captain Shining Armor, take Princess Cadenza as your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, till death do you part, according to our holy law, and this is your solemn vow?”

Shining held the ring in his right hand, holding up her right in his left hand. “I do!” he smiled, tears welling up in the corner of his eyes as he eased the golden ring over her ring finger.

Cadance sniffled loudly, tears of joy streaming down her pink cheeks. Harrow turned to her with her own ring, gently handing it off to her. “Do you, Princess Cadenza, take Captain Armor to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, till death do you part, according to our holy law, and this is your solemn vow?”

Cadance mirrored her lover’s actions, slipping the ring over his own ring finger. She desperately tried to speak, but no words came, so Cadance opted to vigorously shake her head, causing the warframe to chuckle.

“I will take that as a yes,” Harrow beamed. Raising his thurible, he lifted it over their hands, smoke wafting between the pair. “Then I, Harrow, God King of Wisdom, give you my blessing before this crowd.”

“And mine!” Atlas boomed, smashing his right fist against his chest.

“And mine!” Oberon added, though much softer as he offered a curt bow.

“Mine as well,” Inaros said as he inclined his head out of respect.

“Ours as well,” Wisp and Zephyr replied in unison.

“Then today I bring forth before you Mister and Misses Armor!” Harrow praised for all to hear. “You may kiss the bride.”

Shining Armor did waste a second as he pulled his wife in close, cradling her in the crook of his arm as he pressed his lips against her own. Cadance was still in tears but smiled with her husband as they sealed the deal. The room exploded into uproarious cheers of joy!

Night Light and his wife Velvet were in tears of joy as they embraced one another, watching as their son and new daughter in law stood up, never breaking their tight embrace as they turned and waved towards the crowd. Raven couldn't help herself as she jumped forward, embracing her pink cousin in a massive hug before moving towards Shining, pulling him into a friendly headlock.

She released the duo, letting them complete the last part of the ceremony. Cadance and Shining turned around toward the door that led to the balcony so that they could greet the ponies of Equestria. Rainbow Dash shot off through the air after zooming past the new couple, the explosion of rainbow light glistened in the midday sun, making the grand event that much more spectacular as Shining Armor and Cadance embraced themselves for one more kiss.

Copper, who had been in the crowd, approached his marefriend after she had waved him forward. Raven embraced her coltfriend, holding his arm and resting her head on his shoulder.

Celestia, being as sneaky as always, weaseled her way behind her daughter and Copper. “You’re next~” she whispered in his ear, causing the poor boy to jump, his heart skipping a beat as he frantically looked back at the solar mare and her ‘innocent’ smile.

“W-What?” he muttered.

“You heard me,” Celestia replied before turning to her left, beaming. “Luna! How was it?”

Copper’s heart was still beating like a drum as Raven watched her mother leave before glancing up at her boyfriend. “You okay?” she asked, concerned while resting her right hand on his chest. She could feel his heart beating through his tux, concerning her further.

“N-No…” he whimpered, the khaki stallion's ears spading back against his head. He knew it was only a joke and he loved Raven to death, but he wasn’t sure if he was ready to take that step just yet. He wasn’t laughing either.

“Come on,” Raven urged, causing Copper to glance down at her. “You and me are going to have a nice dance.” Raven followed her cousin and cousin in law…? Through the castle and down towards the garden area where the reception was going to take place.

It was a typical wedding reception. Ponies gathered around for food and fun stories. Shining Armor was the roast of the party, his guard buddies ranting about all the embarrassing events and incidents that happened during his time in bootcamp and throughout his time in the guard. Raven was quick to roast his embarrassing attempt at asking her out.

Twilight and Spike were next as they told their own childhood stories before the parents did their own. By the end of it, Cadance was in tears from all the hysterical laughing she had been doing as the poor stallion was desperately covering his face with his hand. He was laughing though, even through the embarrassment.

Eventually it was time for the first dance.

Raven watched on as two of her best friends went about the dance, holding one another close as they swayed to the music. Next came the 'aunt and niece' dance since Cadance didn't have a father. So Celestia and Cadance danced the night away, giggling like foals as they goofed off for all to see. Finally, it was time for couples to get in there.

Raven and Copped took center stage, the former resting her arms around his neck as the latter held her sides. They swayed to the slow, but romantic tune, lost in each other's gazes. It was only them; the world was but an afterthought. They smiled at one another, soft, loving, before sharing but a single kiss before Raven closed her eye and rested her head on his chest, letting him take her away from all the hardships.

She loved him, heart and soul. He loved her, heart and soul in return. No matter what the future may bring, they would stay close through it all.

Eventually the song came to an end.

"Love you," Copper whispered in her ear.

"Love you too, goofball," Raven giggled, whispering back her response before pecking him softly on the cheek.

By that point, the sun had since taken its leave and the moon was beginning to rise. The order had been given to all the ladies that it was time to catch the bouquet. Raven found Lyra in the group, earning both an excited hug and a bright smile from the minty green mare. However, that was quickly spoiled by one of Twilight's new friends. The white mare held her nose high in typical Canterlotian fashion to the princess.

Whatever.

Cadance however, stood before the crowd, beaming brightly before she turned around. The anticipation was almost too much for some as they waited for her to throw it. Cadance bent at the hip and threw the bundle with all the might. The bouquet sailed, arching though the air. Each mare screamed, frantically panicking over the bundle of flowers as though their lives depended on it.

Raven jumped, teleporting through the air, catching the bouquet and landed before the crowd. Many 'awes' of disappointment and the frustrated stamping of hooves filled the air at the sight.

Hey, it wasn't her fault the unicorns failed to use their magic or the pegasus girls decided not to fly.

"Hey Copper!" Raven shouted, holding a hand to her mouth to amplify the shout.

Copper, who was mi conversation with Lyra, paused, looking in the direction his name was voiced.

"Guess what I got!" Raven finished, thrusting the bouquet high into the air like a trophy.

The poor stallion went pale, dropping his drink while simultaneously, Celestia squealed excitedly.

The young princess was quick to run up to her frozen coltfriend, turning her back towards him and rubbing it against his chest as she looked up at him with a big puppy dog eye.

"Copper, when are you going to propose~" she teased, wiggling her brow mischievously.

Copper whimpered pathetically, feeling very scared and self-conscious. He was on the verge of a panic attack now. Raven, upon spotting this, immediately set down the bouquet and turned to face her stallion. She cupped his cheeks and pulled his head down, resting her forehead against his own.

"Calm down sweetness, deep breaths, it's only a joke," she said calmly. "Don't need you having a panic attack on Cadance's special day."

Copper took a deep breath, closing his eyes. "I think I'm ready to go home…"

"Okay," Raven replied gently, taking his hand into her own and grabbing her bouquet with the other, cradling it. "I'm ready to call it a night too. It's been a long day."

The royal couple decided to make their leave, heading towards Celestia as they went. Raven spotted her mother's mischievous grin and immediately swiped her hand in front of her neck. The solar caught on quick, glancing towards her daughter's coltfriend. Upon seeing his distraught look, she smiled, nodding her head.

Just before the two kids left, Celestia rested her hand on both their shoulders. "Glad you could make it Copper," she smiled, gently hugging the smaller stallion. "Go rest sweetie, you've had a long few days," Celestia finished, hugging her daughter.

Just as Raven was about to exit the garden, she was spotted by a certain rainbow maned mare, who immediately tapped her apple-family friend on the arm, pointing towards the couple. The two nodded at one another before they gathered up the rest of the crew.

After setting her boyfriend off for the night, Raven was so glad to be done for the day. All she wanted to do was go for a short walk through the garden. But unfortunately for her, her tail had been following her since she had weaseled out of the after party.

And by tail, she meant the six ponies currently following her.

Twilight and Fluttershy had tried to protest but Dash and Applejack had a bone to pick and insisted they talk. Both Rarity and Pinkie were terribly concerned by their own accounts. They knew this was going to end horribly and they knew that the princess was becoming more and more frustrated the farther she went, even attempting to lose them multiple times.

Eventually, Raven cane to a halt in the middle of one of the walkways that ran right next to the castle and one of the gardens.

"What?" the princess asked with a frustrated tone before angling her head slightly to talk over her shoulder. "What do you want?"

The six mares came to a halt not too far away, the two athletes taking the lead. They huddled around each other, the four innocents standing behind their warrior friends.

"You owe Twilight an apology!" Rainbow Dash demanded.

"I don't owe her anything."

"Don't owe her mah flank!" Applejack spat, taking a step forward and pointing at the ground. "You treated her like manure! You need ta apologize. Now!"

Raven slowly brought her head forward, still facing away from the small crowd of deplorables. Even if they were heroes and the literal embodiment of power. She didn't have to tolerate them. Let alone like or work with them. Even if she didn't hold power over them, she would not continue to tolerate this crap.

"You haven't told them I assume?"

Twilight winced, averting her gaze and catching the attention of the three ponies closest to her. Applejack and Rainbow didn't notice however, their glares never wavering.

"I thought not."

The princess had made it about three steps when a hand grabbed her by her right bicep, firmly holding her in place. She glared at the orange hand restraining her.

"Let me go…"

"Is that ah threat?"

"No," Raven replied. "It's your one warning."

Rainbow cracked her knuckles. "Princess or not, I'm gonna teach you a damn lesson!"

Raven took a slow, deep breath. So, it was a fight. At least some fun was going to come out of the night.

Well…

If they wanted a fight, she'd kick their flanks…

Without a single warning, Raven spun to her left, leveling her elbow and clenching her fist, trying to apply as much force as she could to the strike. Applejack was caught terribly off guard as the princess’s elbow clocked her right across the side of the head. Her vision went blurry as she grunted from the strike, sending her stumbling to the side and onto the grass several steps. Rainbow's eyes went wide, and she just had enough time to reflexively duck and block the strike aimed for her head.

The fight was on now.

Raven was a flurry of punches and coordinated kicks, each making a loud, but muffled smacking noise. Rainbow was in awe and a bit terrified to say the least, but she wasn't called the fastest pegasus in Equestria for no reason. She blocked strike for strike, but never once had the reprieve to hit back. Her opponent just never gave her the opportunity!

But the mare went block for blow, taking each strike and blocking them with her forearms, even the heavy kicks, which was murder on her muscles.

Raven was forced to change up her game, feigning a strike and forcing the mare to go for the block. To which the princess's fist connected square with her muzzle.

A loud whistle grabbed the human's attention and forced her to look behind her.

The resounding smack echoed throughout the garden as Raven took the punch square to the jaw, sending her head recoiling hard to her right and throwing her body around and away from the aggressor as she fell to a knee. Applejack smiled triumphantly, proud of the fact that she finally got a strike in. Raven for her part felt something warm running down her lip.

It was blood.

She could taste it too as she simultaneously held a finger to her now split lip, examining the viscous red fluid on her digit. The human wiped away what she could with her thumb and licked up the rest, spitting a nice red spot onto the grass.

Now it was serious.

She was going to have to beg for forgiveness later from Fleur as she grabbed the edge of her dress and tore at it. She jerked, fabric ripping nice and loud -much to Rarity’s abject horror- until she had a long line that exposed most of her left leg. Raven figured that she was going to need more mobility than what she had right now. Once she was set, the girl stood up and faced her aggressors with a look of utter hatred.

But there was also a modicum of respect.

Only a little though.

By now Rainbow Dash had recovered and stood side by side with Applejack, both more than eager for a fight that in their minds was long overdue. Applejack was, as Rarity had sometimes put it, a bit of a brute. But she was a brute that knew how to win a fight and take a hit. Rainbow on the other hand was trained in martial arts. She was much more coordinated and a bigger threat. But unbeknownst to all of them, even her once closest friend Twilight, Raven was trained in the many forms of melee combat offered by the Tenno Schools. Swords were her forte, but she knew how to throw a punch. Raven opted to go for the smaller of the two to start off with.

Applejack was the first to attack, throwing a wild haymaker. The larger mare caught nothing but air, shuddering at the cold feeling of something passing through her body as she stumbled forward and off balance. Rainbow had enough time to blink just before the human appeared before her from out of nowhere, striking her right in the left eye. She stumbled in a circle, using her momentum to add some extra power to the retaliatory strike. Raven caught the mare's arm, throwing her off balance as she shoved the pegasus to the side, presenting her back to the human. Raven threw the mare into an arm lock, spinning her violently before throwing her like a rag and smashing into a decorative vase and toppling over the stone stand it was resting on.

Raven grunted as a pair of gargantuan orange arms wrapped entirely around her torso and lifted her into the air. “Yur mine!” Applejack grunted as well as she hefted the smaller human into the air. Raven ground her teeth and closed her eye as the mare began to squeeze the life out of her. She was fully restrained and unable to fight back properly, she warped free from her aggressor’s grasp. “What in tarnation? OOF!”

Raven landed on her feet spinning on her heels and channeling her inner football player, she slammed her body right into the lager mare’s sternum. Raven dragged Applejack back several meters as the latter of the two wrapped her arms around the smaller human’s torso, holding her as best she could. But Applejack refused to be marehandled like this and used those apple bucking legs like they were meant to and dug her hooves in deep, halting the drag effective immediately. The mare lifted her right arm over her head and smashed her elbow right between the princess’s shoulder blades, knocking the wind from her lungs. The human immediately released the mare and took a quick step back, ducking and causing the next strike to miss.

Raven dodged the next flurry of heavy strikes before she bent at the hip and thrust her left foot forward, kicking Applejack square in the gut. The larger mare grunted, stumbling back several steps as she held her aching stomach. Raven spun, catching Rainbow’s outstretched hoof that was aimed right for her head, halting her attack. She dragged the pegasus to the ground and onto her back, locking the blue mare’s right leg and jerking it forward, causing the pegasus's hip to pop loudly and making her scream in agony.

Raven didn’t have time to let the mare suffer further as she released the leg and turned to the right, blocking the farm mare’s stiff arm with both forearms. The human kicked out with her right leg, fully extending it and catching the orange mare right in the left kneecap. Applejack winced as her leg buckled, throwing her off balance yet again and leaving her wide open to attack. Raven didn’t hesitate as she ducked and maneuvered under the mare’s titanic arm, turning so that she could face the threat before her. She punched the apple mare in the side with a pair of heavy strikes and finishing with a brutal uppercut.

Applejack’s head recoiled back violently from the strike as she grabbed at her face with both hands, leaving the rest of her body vulnerable and unguarded. Raven took that opportunity to strike at her opponents exposed midsection, a flurry of heavy, yet quick and precise strikes square to the abdomen. Applejack did her best to use her arms to guard from the attacks, but it was all in vain, she had been defeated. Her head was spinning, her gut was sore, and her opponent was ruthless and efficient. Now Raven kept a similar rhythm to her attack pattern, two strikes to the gut with a finishing uppercut before going back to the gut. Applejack in her daze threw out her left arm that was immediately blocked and was returned with a pair of quick jabs to her lower jaw before it was back to the abdominal strikes. Each strike was as hard as the last as the poor mare was sent stumbling backwards, her head recoiling more and more violently from every strike. Her nose was bleeding, staining not only her fur but her dress as well. Her eyes were swelling shut and turning purple, along with the other places she had been struck.

Raven finally finished off her flurry of attacks with one last set of abdominal strikes and the uppercut that did the taller mare in. Applejack stumbled backwards, her jaw and teeth clacking as she went full circle, landing on her knees. She could taste blood and barely see, but the human wasn’t finished, not yet at least. The warrior princess wanted to make sure the mare stayed down and for good. Raven windmilled her elbow dropping it right on top of the larger mare’s head, finally giving her a concussion and putting her down. But even that wasn’t enough to satisfy her blood lust as she grabbed the larger mare by the scruff of her neck and the back of her dress, dragging her sorry carcass across the floor and slamming her head first through a decorative vase and face first into the wall, toppling over the pedestal and leaving her in an unconscious slump.

The princess then turned her attention towards the still downed and injured pegasus. Rainbow, for her part, had watched the entire fight from her downed position and she went pale when her eyes locked with that milky white one. “W-Wait we can talk about this!”

The poor pegasus held up a hand of mercy as her other still clutched at her strained hip. But Raven wasn’t in a mood for negotiations as she smashed her knee right into the side of the pegasus’ head, knocking her unconscious. Rainbow’s body went stiff as though she was in the midst of a seizure. It was a concussion, for sure.

It was over.

It felt like an eternity, but in reality, the entire event had lasted less than five minutes. The human’s gaze drifted from the downed opponent at her feet and up towards the group of horrified mares standing before her. The princess had blood on the mind as she stepped over the downed pegasus and towards the four other mares who jerked back out of fear.

“Woah woah woah!” a new voice intervened as Sergeant Dawn stepped in front of the princess, standing firmly between the princess and the rest of the elements. “You won princess, alright! They’re down! No need to take it any further!” Dawn protested as she gently began to push the human back. “You have honor and respect, remember that!”

It was at that moment that Sergeant Longbow and several other guards appeared, along with Harrow as they began to survey the damage. Raven roped in her emotions, huffed and turned to leave. The guards and Harrow just watched her as the princess stormed off and out of sight. Sergeant Dawn motion for some of her guards to grab the two unconscious antagonists and get them the medical attention they clearly needed.

“You know,” the mare stated as she rubbed her face turning towards the still standing element bearers with a glare. “Just because you are heroes, it doesn't give you the authority to attack the princess.”

“But she’s a big meanie!” Pinkie stated before she wrapped her arms around her body, hugging herself.

Sergeant Dawn however, just glanced right at Twilight, staring her down and causing the purple unicorn to wilt. “You know, Princess student or not, you are the talk of the guard. It’s public information. But please, why don’t you enlighten them on certain events that have gone down in recent years?”

Twilight wilted further, whimpering softly.

“Of course you refuse to say anything…” Dawn said venomously as she fully turned to face the three other mares who had given the guard her full attention. "You idiots want to know why Raven has such a problem with your friend here?"

The other three mare's glanced towards their nerdy friend, who currently hung her head in shame.

"Twilight Sparkle abandoned her friend's here in Canterlot without so much as a goodbye," Dawn explained, causing the three mares to go wide eyed. "She up and left without so much as a goodbye!"

"What!?" Punkie gasped, jumping.

"After everything Raven did for you. She trusted you, even when she refused to trust anyone," Dawn all but spat. "You were the one pony that helped her after her first friend did exactly what you did now." Dawn shook her head in disbelief. "Would you like me to talk about the times she saved your life too?"

Twilight sniffled, her hair covering her face as she shook her head in utter shame. Sergeant Dawn huffed, shaking her head in disbelief.

"Pathetic, truly pathetic," she muttered, turning back to her guards who were working as though nothing had ever happened. Both Rainbow and Applejack were both loaded onto stretchers that had been brought in minutes prior. "Come on, get them up. Take them to the infirmary."

"Yes Sergeant!" Four guards confirmed as they grabbed the stretchers by each end and lifted the two mares off the ground.

Dawn spared one last glance towards the remaining element bearers. "From this point on and consider this your first warning!" Dawn faced them in full, her scowl deep and glare harsh as she pointed her finger at them. "No pony may ever lay a hand on her. Otherwise you will be treated as a threat! Am I understood!?" Dawn shouted, her face red with rage.

All the girls except Twilight flinched back in fear, hesitantly shaking their heads.

"Good…" Dawn replied in a much calmer tone. "I think a flank whooping was enough for these two instead of pressing charges. You really need to do something about this Sparkle. It's beginning to get more and more stupid."

Sergeant Dawn turned to leave, sparing the god-king a courteous nod as she passed. Harrow watched the guards leave before deciding to turn towards the four mares.

"You know," he said, stepping closer and resting his left hand behind his back. "It's easier to beg for forgiveness than it is to ask for permission." He paused, shrugging. "But it is also not wise to get yourself into such a situation anyway."

Chapter 40

View Online

Chapter 40

"It is evident that we have a problem," Harrow stated to the rest of the gods who were currently huddled around him. The five other gods listened intently as they stood in the early morning sun that bathed them and the castle gardens in its warmth and light. A problem was on their minds and it needed immediate attention, because this could not go on. "Grendel must know about this."

"Saryn and Nidus as well," Wisp added, looking around the group.

"How do you suggest we go about such an issue?" Atlas added, briefly uncrossing his mighty arms to hold out a hand.

"What about the girl?" Zephyr asked, briefly holding out her own hand, copying Atlas. "She was pivotal in reuniting us."

"I still do not trust her," Inaros bemoaned, crossing his lengthy, shaking arms in frustration. "Humans do not belong on the sacred ground we have created!"

"She is not Orokin, Inaros. Her appearance is nothing remotely close. She has proven herself otherwise," Oberon explained with a slight hint of disdain to his words as he glanced towards his fellow warframe. He, much like many of his companions, knew that the human was very important to them right now. He was willing to go against the pack they had created out of necessity for the survival of not only them, but the planet as well.

"It does not mean I have to trust her!"

"Just because you do not, does not mean we cannot," Harrow stated much to Inaros' displeasure. Inaros huffed, averting his angered gaze to the side and the ground as Harrow continued. "Whether we like it or not, the human has done us well when she did not have to. Or killed us given the opportunity."

"But she pilots an empty shell!" Inaros stated, desperately trying to save his argument.

"Our fate would have been similar had we not done what we did. As unfortunate as it is, it does not matter to us. Trust or not," Harrow continued, causing Inaros to huff indignantly. The sandman was not liking this the longer this conversation continued. He knew what they could do to his people, he refused to let it happen a second time.

"You know I can hear you guys, right?"

The six warframes turned to face the human standing nearby, who had been watching them with a scrutinizing gaze. When they didn't speak, so Raven took that as her cue to approach them. "My room is literally right there," she said with an upwards point of her finger towards an open window several stories up.

They all looked between one another, but they all knew they had been caught.

"Well, morality of eavesdropping aside," Harrow remarked, straightening himself as he spoke first. He turned his attention towards the young woman, stepping out and away from his crowd. "We need your help young one."

"Doing what?" the tenno replied, raising her brow.

"It would seem that the Flutter Pony hive is in disarray," Harrow stated. "We require your assistance in finding Grendel at the very least."

"And Saryn and Nidus if possible," Wisp added.

"The attack that happened was not what Grendel, nor any of us would ever approve of," Harrow continued.

"It is not what they were taught," Wisp continued. "They are also suffering from something."

"Something?" Raven repeated, cocking his head slightly.

"They are ill," Atlas informed her, grabbing her attention. "They appear emaciated and malnourished."

"Point is that we need to help them," Harrow finally finished, prompting Raven to look back at him. "They trust Grendel more than any of us. We need to find him."

Raven pursed her lips in thought. "You do realize that I need to bring this information to my mother? Because this involves more than you know."

"We know exactly what this entails," Harrow countered. "But it would be best to bring this forth to the very people it had affected."

***

"So, you need my daughter's help?" Celestia inquired as she eyed the god-king before her. Celestia, with a look of concern, glanced towards her daughter. The God's had brought forth and explained their plight and the princess, informing her of their plan to fix the problem that had arisen in recent days and why the changelings had attacked. But Celestia was having none of it, not if it put her family's life on the line!

"No…. No, I don't want her going. Not after what just happened!" Celestia stated, shaking her head. "I will not allow her to walk into a hornet's nest!"

"I deeply apologize for the worry I am creating," Harrow apologized, holding a hand to his chest plate. "But she is the only one who can help me at this time."

Celestia was still in disbelief, frantically, she began shaking her head as she began pacing back and forth in the throne room. Luna and Nightshine stood nearby, Cadance and Shining Armor watching from the base of the dais steps. It had only been a day and now Raven was being whisked away to go and walk into a Changeling Hive to try and look for another god.

"Mom, I can handle myself!" Raven pleaded, holding a hand to her heart, and taking a tentative step forward.

"I don't care!" Celestia shot back, tears welling up in the corners of her eyes. "God or not she is my daughter!"

Raven dropped her head shaking it as she let out a lengthy sigh. "Mom whether you like it or not I am going," the human stated resolutely. This was her calling and she had a job to do. She may have lost her life in the past, but that didn't mean she wanted to lose the one she had created here. She wanted to protect this land and this was the best way to do that.

"Raven Solaris!" Celestia gasped, using her daughter's full name as her frustrations increased. "I will not permit such reckless actions!" Celestia snapped her head towards her sister...s… but only focused in on one of them “Luna, help me out here!”

Luna held up her hands, staying directly out of the line of fire here. “She is your daughter, not ours,” the mare calmly replied as she shook her head.

Celestia growled, her cheeks puffing out in anger.

“Cadance!”

“Keep me out of this!”

Celestia grumbled, cursing under her breath as she rested her face in her left hand, her right crossing under her breasts. She shook her head in frustration. Jeez, was it really something. On one hand she could bring down her motherly wrath on her daughter while on the other, she also technically didn’t have the authority to ground an adult. Eventually the mare opened her eyes and looked through her fingers, her strict gaze never faltering as she focused in on her daughter.

“No!” she eventually said, still firm in her decision.

“Too bad!” Raven shot back, doubling down as she turned towards Harrow. “Come on, I need to blow off some steam.”

As much as Celestia desperately wanted to do something, she refused to move, her glare harsh and full of anger as she watched her little girl exit the room. The remaining royals were swept into an awkward haze, wanting to both say something but also stay quiet lest they get snapped at.

Eventually, Shining Armor tapped his wife on the shoulder and pointed towards the door with his thumb. Cadance nodded, her nervous gaze constantly flicking back towards her aunt as they quickly made their leave. Luna followed next, not saying a word as she left. That left Nightshine and Celestia, the former of the two lingering as though she wanted to say something but held her tongue.

“Just spit it out!” Celestia snapped, not looking back at the mare.

“She is not a child anymore,” Nightshine replied calmly, despite the venom faced towards her. “Is she not an adult?”

“What are you getting at, Nightmare?”

Nightshine grit her teeth but held her serpent tongue at bay. Instead, she opted to take that as her moment to leave, lest her next reaction become more violent. “All we are saying is that if there is anypony that can accomplish more than you ever have…” Nightshine let that linger for a moment as she approached the door, pausing within the transition point from the throne to the hall.

“It is her…”

The door slammed shut a moment later.

Celestia finally burst into tears.

***

“So where are we going?” ~Raven~ shouted over the roaring winds of the Equestrian north. The winds were sharp, biting and freezing any bare skin they could touch. The skies were dark and cloudy, indicating their desire to drop their heavy loads, but they held them at bay for the time being. The snow on the ground was deep, coming up to the two warframe’s knees as they trudged on. The heavy winds roared, kicking up the dry, loose snow and piling into multi-meter high drifts in some areas.

“Towards the Council Chambers!” Harrow replied over his shoulder. “We are almost there! The chamber entrance is located just over this ridge!” He accentuated his statement with a point of his staff towards the crest of the ridge.

“Boy I hope you’re right about this!”

It was a rough climb as the two post-holed through the deep snow, climbing at a snail's pace. The terrain between Equestria and Yakyakistan was jagged, rocky, snow covered, and with winds reaching almost one-hundred kilometers an hour. Some of the passes were populated with lethal creatures that preyed upon the weak and ill equipped. But hidden within the tall, jagged mountains was the perfect place to hide from prying, explorative eyes. There were still many peaks that had never been summited in the area. Many had tried, they had all failed in one way or another.

It was so brutal in some places, that bodies of climbers and lost explorers were used as travel markers.

It had been a brutal trudge through the snow, but eventually, the pair peaked on a secluded ridgeline, fighting the roaring winds that desperately attempted to knock them from their feet and send them careening down the jagged cliffs and steep drops that lay below. If the bitter cold or lack of oxygen didn't kill you, the fall certainly would.

“This way!” Harrow shouted with a point of his staff.

~Raven~ held an armored arm to her head, trying to keep her vision clear as she followed the god into a recess within the mountain. Upon entering the recess, the winds immediately died down, the walls sheltering the duo from the cold death that lingered outside. Both warframes brushed the snow that had gathered on their bodies from their shoulders and heads briefly before they turned towards one another. Now that they were safe, Harrow gestured towards the back of the cavern as he led the way.

~Raven~ was still skeptical of this endeavor but trusted the warframe before her. The pair wandered deep into the mountain, descending into the rock as Harrow ignited the tip of his staff, a small, violet orb of light that illuminated the area for them to see. The tunnel was nothing special, just worn rock and frozen icicles that hung from both the walls and the ceiling.

But eventually the terrain began to change, the barren ice covered stone soon melded into smooth, black stone, almost obsidian in nature. The occasional, jagged black and unlit torches lined the walls of the cavern. It was clear that at one time, this place had been occupied but had long since been abandoned.

~Raven~ wasn’t sure how long she had wandered for, but they were deep within the mountain now. They had probably descended as low as they had ascended earlier. But what was even stranger was the fact that the once freezing temperature was actually increasing. Ice had converted into water, causing the black stone to sheen in the dim light of the god-king’s staff. It dribbled down the steps and pooled in low spots at their feet, splashing occasionally as they stepped in them.

Eventually, the tiny cave gave way to a substantially large chamber. Upon entry, dozens upon dozens of torches ignited, their magic sensing the introduction of a new body into the room. Just like the grand town of Thestralshire, the entire mountain had been carved out, the walls of the mountain sailing high above the insignificantly small pair of explorers and peaking out high above. The torches continued to ignite, circling around the diameter of the chamber before finally, a large, gold cauldron that hung just below the peak of the chamber ignited, burning brightly as its bright, red and orange flames reflected off the smooth stone above, illuminating the ground below. It was so bright, that it was as though one was standing outside in the midday sun.

At the center of it all stood a gargantuan statue that seemed to fill the entity of the center of the cavern. It was a mare, an alicorn, but her wings were more insect-like than the traditional pegasus wings. She stood tall and regal, a gentle smile upon her muzzle. The statue was made from the same black stone as the rest of the chamber was made from, but this stone had been polished to a bright, reflective shine.

“Who is that?” ~Raven~ asked.

“Queen Honeydew,” Harrow replied as he too, looked up at the statue. “The first Queen. She was pivotal with the establishment of the first hive. She is held in very high regard for her deeds.” Harrow lowered his head as he looked at his partner. “Come, I need to send the call.”

~Raven~ followed suit as the warframe approached the base of the statue. Receded in the stone was a single, bright yellow citrine gem. Its face was smooth and edges perfectly square. Reaching out, Harrow pressed the stone with his finger. There was a brief rumble before there was a strange warping sound. Then came the loud, low, resonating boom that echoed throughout the chamber walls.

“There. The Queens shall respond posthaste,” Harrow stated. “Now we wait.” He then pointed his staff towards the wall and the archway carved into it. "If memory serves me right, the meeting chambers is that way. Otherwise there are other places around here too."

The wait would be at minimum, by Harrow's estimate hours to even days before the first queen arrived and even then, he was still not sure if Grendel or even Saryn or Nidus would appear. So, they waited, both wandering around and exploring the hidden chambers. They did that for some time before Raven eventually just decided to call it for some time and pulled out her sleeping mat from her backpack and laid it out before taking a nap.

***

The human awoke with a yawn -and a stiff back- as she sat up. She was unsure how long she had been out for, but it had been a while. Still, nobody had arrived, and Harrow was nowhere to be seen, so the princess repacked her gear and started wandering around yet again. She had yet to enter the council chamber, so Raven made that her next area of interest.

Wandering inside, the human was first greeted with a lengthy, rectangular, black stone table that was well used and well-aged. The once polished table was opaque and faded. It was covered in deep scratches in areas and the edges were chipped. All the marks located in front of equally warn throne like seats, thirteen in all. The seats themselves were in no better shape, many were filled with cracks, chips, one of them almost looked glued together after being broken in half somehow. One was missing the right armrest while another the left, some both. The only one of the thirteen that was still intact was the largest seat at the head of the table. Whoever its occupant was, took very good care of her seat.

Looking down the length of the table, that’s when Raven spotted them.

Standing on what almost appeared as a stage, statues of Grendel, Nidus, and Saryn stood tall. The leader of the trio, Grendel, stood at the front, hands resting atop his mighty Masseter, the once spinning, crankshaft of a great sword lay still. His short, pudgy stature was not to be underestimated however.

Raven remembered the story from the Leverian.

Many Warframes have speed and litheness but power, momentum, impact... those require mass.

And there... the creased midsection - the seam. Does it split? Yawning with a jagged, vacuous aperture to... to who knows? A certain Orokin may have found out.

That night when the people of Riddha ate their fill, feasting until the frozen mountains lit warmly with the dawn. It was toward those roseate peaks that the Executor fled, pursued by Grendel. What his fate was I cannot say, but as the people feasted, so the story goes, they were suddenly struck by a strange, deep sound. A rumble carried from mountain to mountain: a Single. Satisfied. Belch.

Her gaze drifted over the statue's left shoulder.

Saryn.

Elusive and deadly.

Unleashing an endless epidemic of contagious spores, the mistress of malady Saryn eradicates her foes through horrific decay. Erupt caustic pustules to spread her disease, shed deceptive husks to draw enemy fire, as she injects lethal venom and exhales deadly viruses to cleanse the System with her toxic touch.

She stood tall with an elegance of beauty; left hand held high in a clenched fist. Hyper lethal and deadly hidden behind her beautiful skin. Like a flower in a field. Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should sniff it. Deceptive, much like the blue flowers of the Poison Joke plant.

Then, there was Nidus, who stood tall over Grendel’s right shoulder, arms crossed over his mighty, broad chest.

Epitome of the endlessly evolving Infestation, Nidus bends the vile corruption to his will, mutates his genetic potency to adapt and assimilates his victims with an insatiable parasitic hunger.

Why fight the disease when you can embrace it?

“Harrow?” Raven shouted over her shoulder towards the chambers entrance. But when no response came in return, she glanced back at her warframe, who stood patiently at the doorway. “Could you please go and find him for me, Frost?”

The warframe nodded his head once before turning and exiting the room. She wanted him to be there for her before she did anything to try and bring them back from their slumber. The human was sick of being attacked just for being human.

I still haven’t gotten a straight answer as to why yet?

Something to keep in mind when she had the opportunity. So, Raven crossed her arms, resting her chin on the back of her fingers as she thought about the best way to go about awakening them.

But just as she was about to decide, someone, or better yet, someling, called out to her.

“Hey!”

Raven turned, her eye going wide at the sight of not one, but three queens standing before her, all being escorted by a conglomerate of guards. The queen to her left had a yellow mane and yellow eyes and wore a yellow sun dress. The one in the middle was blue, and the one to the right was pink, all pretty much identical. Their guards were much shorter than the taller queens and wore matching colored armor to their respective rulers.

“Who are you!” the mare in the middle demanded.

“And how did you find this sacred place!” the pink one demanded.

“Isn’t she the solar daughter?” the yellow mare questioned.

All three queens shared a look of concern before they focused in on the lone human, glaring at her as they bared their fangs, hissing loudly just as Chrysalis had done back in Canterlot. It was clear that the youg woman was unwanted and after what happened in Canterlot, unwanted.

“Grab her!” the blue queen ordered with a point of her finger.

All the guards, even those not matching her color, hissed, flaring their wings as they clenched their fists. The room echoed with the sounds of buzzing as the guards took to the skies, clinging to the walls like ants.

“Awe shit…” Raven cursed as she began to back away.

She could really use Harrow right about now!

The guards were slow on their approach to the intruder, making sure that she didn’t do anything desperate or surprising. Raven was surrounded, forced further back with each step. But that’s when her butt softly collided with the edge of the stage. Frantically, she glanced up at the three warframes looming over her before her decision came to fruition.

Here’s hoping it was actually them and not stone copies.

The princess spun on her heels, frantically climbing onto the pedestal. She ran behind the trio, using them as cover as she quickly thought about her next move. The guards were almost towards the stage now.

“Fuck it…” she muttered.

With hands glowing bright with red energy, Raven pressed her palms flat again the backs of both Saryn and Nidus. The response was immediate, her energy flaring off into tendrils of light that supercharged their dormant systems. Both warframes chests pushed out as they gasped for air, their bodies moving of their own accord. But before they could do anything more, Raven pressed both hands flat against the small of Grendel's back, causing his body to jerk as well.

The queens and guards froze in their spots, jaws dropping, and eyes widened in shock before them as the statues of the gods began to move on their own accord. Sand and dust flowed from their bodies, pooling on the floor beneath the trio as stone began to crack and moan.

Grendel was the first to really move, his fingers clenching, flexing as he lifted his right arm, palming the handle of his weapon. With a single jerk of his arm, he broke it free from the floor before jerking his body to the left, sending bits of stone and debris sailing onto the table below. The larger framed being tore his left leg from the ground, raising it into the air and slamming it down with such force that it felt as though the entire mountain shook. The chamber shook a second time as he did it again with his right. He puffed out his chest, joints and bones cracking loudly from a lack of use before he twisted his upper torso. Lastly, he shook his entire body, finally removing the last bits of dust and revealing the smooth, black and violet armor underneath. His portal faces, twin helmeted head took in his surroundings as the energy within the diamond opening of his helmet ignited with violet energy.

Next to him, Nidus’ right arm jerked, the only part of his body moving as he slowly brought it in front of him, flexing his fingers and examining them for any deformations before closing them into a tight fist. The sound was like an explosion as he smashed his fist against his chest, spider webbing the stone before he puffed out his broad pectorals, sending chunks of debris clattering onto the floor. Once he was free, the warframe jerked his right leg free, smashing it against the floor and sending out a line of jagged, mutated flesh that stopped several meters in front of him. Lastly, the god glanced down at his left leg, briefly wondering why it was unresponsive before he smashed the remaining stone away with his fist. Jet black armored skin oozed in places with green saliva, a tendril like head draped over his left shoulder with a cloak of infested flesh. A true nightmare.

Finally, Saryn pulled her arms in close before jerking them to her sides and thrusting her chest out as well, revealing the bright pink skin underneath. She glanced down at her body, seeing that she was still covered in dirt and dust, the god-queen shed her skin, stepping out from the disgusting, cocoon like substance before flaring her beautiful butterfly wings. Her armor was a gorgeous, bright pink, white energy flowing over her smooth, swooping helmet and flower like skirt. A large flower, as beautiful as it is deadly, rested on her right shoulder. Lastly, a strange white, toxic mist seemed to permeate off her form.

The three warframes glanced at one another, silently confirming who was who before Saryn leaned to the side and pointed at something behind Grendel. Confused, the warframe slowly turned and looked down at the human who was currently lying on the floor behind him.

“Hi!” Raven said meekly with a small wave. “Uhm… welcome back. But I was wondering if you could call them off. Like now!” she frantically requested with a point of her finger between Grendel’s legs.

The three warframes turned towards the now semi recovered changelings who were now advancing on them.

Nidus was the first to respond, screeching and hissing at the drones, the front of his head flaring open to reveal the disgusting green flesh hidden within. The drones immediately understood the order, quickly backing off in fear lest they see his wrath. Nidus’ screech slowly morphed into a soft clicking noise before his head sealed up once again.

“Thank you…” Raven thanked, relieved. Kinda.

She could have taken them.

Nidus turned back towards the human, reaching down with a single, black claw, grasping her by the collar of her shirt and lifting her into the air. But before he could anything rash, Grendel held out a hand of mercy, urging the mutant king to set the young woman down. Nidus' responded with several despondent clicks of agitation as he set the human down on her feet. But yet again, Raven didn't have time to relax before Saryn grabbed her by the shoulder, jerking the tenno around as the warframe roughly grabbed her jaw, holding her firm as she examined the women's features.

The warframe clicked and hissed as spoke to the other two gods. Saryn released the human's face just as aggressively as she grabbed it before grabbing the human's right arm, lifting Raven's sleeve, and examining the lightly tanned flesh underneath.

Raven knew what Saryn was looking for. She was searching for telltale signs of Orokin noble traits. The light blue, almost golden skin, the pure white and soulless eyes and the telltale, lengthy right arm. All of which, including her white pigmented eye, she did not have.

"Grendel!"

The three warframes turned towards the voice and away from the human. The three queens and their guards turned back as well, gasping at the sight of Harrow and Frost standing in the doorway to the room. Grendel stared at the two kings before the pudgy being sheathed his weapon, collapsing it, before he placed it on his left hip and stepped down from the pedestal with a heavy thump of his boots.

He never said a word as he walked around the table, his gaze never faltering as he approached. The changelings moved out of his way, not wanting to further face their master’s wrath. The drones were first to bend at the knee, bowing to the king as their queens hesitated.

But even they knew their place and fell to their knees.

They quivered in fear, gazes to the floor as his Majesty stood before them. Grendel came to a halt before them, his mighty boots slowly turned towards the three queens, causing them to shake in fear, knowing that they were not worthy to stand, let alone squabble before their master. With a single, heavy hand…

Grendel rested his hand atop the blue queen’s head, causing her to whimper, tears welling up in the corner of her eyes. Like a filly who had her hand in the cookie jar, she knew she was boned. He was going to strip her of her power, disband her hive, and instill a new ruler. Who knows what he would so with her. Would he sell her to-

"Rise, my daughter."

The mare gasped, her eyes snapping open as she swiftly lifted her head to look up at the armored god. She was in shock, disbelief even! She was not worthy to stand before him. She and her fellow queens were mere servants to the god. No, he was wrong!

"My king?" she asked meekly.

"I said rise," Grendel repeated, his voice deep and resonating. "All of you! Drones as well."

The queens shared a nervous glance between one another before they listened, standing on their hooves first, the guards following shortly after. They stood tall over him, but the females had never felt so small. They held their hands and averted their gazes. Embarrassed by the actions of others.

"What happened to the beauty we had reaped?" Grendel asked as he looked over the mare's emaciated and malnourished forms. "Look at you, all of you! Beauty, replaced with lameness."

The queens lowered their heads in shame and embarrassment.

Grendel sighed.

"No matter. We shall bring back the glory that was once held by my people!" Grendel lowered his head as he turned towards the door with a point of his finger right at Harrow. "You!" he said angrily, waggling his finger as he approached the warframe. "You!" He said again, Harrow never moving as he stood tall and string before his companion. "How are you?" the large being laughed, arms wide and inviting.

"I am well, old friend," Harrow smiled, pulling his friend in close for a welcoming hug.

The duo laughed, hugging each other closely before they parted ways. "So, tell me? Have you and Wisp finally tied the knot?" Grendel eagerly asked. If he had a mouth it would be smiling maliciously and teasingly at Harrow.

Harrow reared back, sputtering incoherently. "I… bu… excuse me!?"

"I have seen how you look at her!" Grendel laughed at his friend's expense. "She is rounder than me where it counts!" Grendel accentuated his point buy making a motion with his hands in the shape of a circle. Wisp was very bountiful where it counted.

"I will have you know!" Harrow blushed, his cheeks mysteriously tinting through his armor. "I will not tolerate such-"

Grendel waved the king off as he continued his cheeky harassment. "You and I both know what a bountiful woman she is. I do believe that you two would-"

"Alright!" Harrow interjected, cutting off the other warframe before this deescalated further. He sighed, palming his helmet before continuing. "Wife material aside. We have a problem." A desperate attempt to change the subject.

"Oh? I hope that it does not involve my subjects?" Grendel inquired.

"Actually, it involves them directly."

Grendel did not respond, simply staring at Harrow for several seconds before he finally turned towards the three queens, all of which winced, averting their gazes in shame. They knew, all the queens knew what happened. Both Nidus and Saryn further glared at the queens. There was going to be a talk and a strong one at that.

"Has the council been called?" Grendel demanded.

"That is why we are here my lord!" the pink changeling quickly answered. "The call was sent; we are the first to respond."

If Grendel had lips, he would have pursed them. "Then we shall wait for the others. Saryn, Nidus, it would seem that we are needed now more than ever for our people."

"Indeed, we are," Saryn replied, her voice was soft, yet firm as Nidus nodded. The two glanced down at the human who had been silent through the whole ordeal. "What of her?"

Raven had been standing off to the side and out of the way, silent, as the others conversed. She was the biggest stranger here to both changeling and warframe. Right now, she was relying on Harrow's word to keep her out of a violent situation. She was here to make peace, not to start another violent battle or even a war.

"She is influential in making this work!" Harrow quickly replied with a point of his finger towards Raven. "She is not to be harmed!"

"I thought we made an agreement?" Saryn questioned, rolling her head towards Harrow.

"She has proven otherwise," Harrow answered as he lowered his arm. "She is allowed to stay."

"Either way, the council shall decide what happens next," Grendel stated.

***

The council chambers were filled with the shouts and anger, eleven of the thirteen queens had arrived and all of them were screaming at one another. Fists were slammed against the table as chairs toppled over. Some of the queens changed forms to mirror different creatures. All around, it was like a school yard shouting fest. There was even a bag against the doors, causing them to buckle slightly.

Outside the chambers, Raven glanced towards Grendel, who had been listening intently to the chaos.

"This is madness," Raven remarked.

"This is politics."

Raven let that sink in. There was a huge air of truth to that. To much, to be honest. "Anyway, who are we waiting for again?" she asked, changing the topic. The fighting still continued and for some reason, Grendel, or even the other two were not intervening at all.

There was a buzzing of wings as the second to last queen had arrived, and she, was nothing like the others.

The mare was taller, significantly taller, taller than even Celestia. Parts of her carapace, her wings, and hair were crimson red. Her horn was long, jagged, and red at the tip as well. She walked with an air of elegance and authority that demanded respect, her blood red eyes boring into any souls that dare look her way. The changeling mare clearly ran the joint around here, without question either.

Her two guards were equally as menacing, towering over the human, built like brick shit houses and well armored in full metal suits colored the exact same blood red as their queen. They clearly didn't need weapons as their arms were probably considered lethal weapons.

She approached the duo, her gaze narrowing at the human threatening before drifting towards Grendel.

"My King," she bowed towards the stout warframe as he guards dropped to a knee. "I am pleased to see you and your triumphant return!" she spoke, her four mandibles flexing with each word. Now that she was closer, Raven noticed how much more insect-like the mare looked. The other queens looked like ponies without skin, this mare was much more… evolved.

"Queen Chimera," Grendel welcomed. "Gone is that little filly and standing before me, is a gorgeous mare!"

"Unfortunately, age has not done me well, my King," Queen Chimera responded with a blush as she rose, her guards standing as well. The queen glanced towards the human, her gaze narrowing. "And what of her?"

"She has a proposition," Grendel replied. "I believe you out of all the queens would find it beneficial."

"It will have to be quite the proposition. Especially after what Chrysalis has done," Queen Chimera stated, her words becoming venomous at the mention of the other queens name. Chimera then turned towards Raven. “Your words better be able to woo the council. Otherwise your knowledge of this location has put us all at risk.” With that, the mare stepped past the pair, shoving the two black doors open and entering the room.

“Wait here until I call you,” Grendel ordered the young woman. Raven nodded her head in understanding before the pudgy warframe followed the blood red queen.

The room fell into an eerie silence as the queen and god entered the room. Queen Chimera looked out over the council, counting eleven queens, her making the twelfth. One had yet to arrive and she -along with the rest of the council- knew full well who it was. As the elder mare stood, the other queens waited for her to call the council into order. So, without a word, she approached the lone seat at the head of the table, sitting down and letting silence linger, making the other queens nervous.

"It would seem we are missing one," Chimera eventually started, calling the meeting to order. "Where is-" her words however were cut off as the last queen barged into the room. e room.

Queen Chrysalis strutted into the chamber as though she owned the place. She ignored the many stares and glares from the other queens as she approached her seat at the end of the table on the left-hand side. It was also the one seat that appeared to have suffered the most damage from years of abuse. She sat down in her obsidian chair; head held high.

“Well…” Chimera started, bemused. “It would seem our missing queen has beaten me to the punch. You’re late… again, Chrysalis.” Chrysalis ‘harrumphed’, crossing her arms in response. “Well, given our unique circumstances it would seem we have three points of order for this surprise call,” Chimera continued, intertwining her fingers. “First off, I would like to welcome back, King Grendel!” The warframe stood behind the high queen, arms crossed as he watched the council proceedings. “I would also like to welcome back his and her majesties, King Nidus and Queen Saryn.”

The two gods in question sat on the stage they had been dormant on for a millennium. The Queen’s Council looked between the three gods, smiling, clapping, and silently celebrating their triumphant return.

“The second thing that has been brought to my attention…” Chimera’s gaze narrowed towards the Jade Queen. “That you have done something brash and reckless that has put our hives at peril!”

Chrysalis slammed her fist on the table as she stood out of her seat. “I did what I had to for the survival of my hive!” she roared.

“You have done nothing but put the rest of our hives at risk!” an orange queen shouted back with an accusatory point of her finger. “You have been nothing but a thorn in this council's side ever since your mother died! Queen Metamorphosis will always be a better queen than you!”

“How dare you!” Chrysalis spat, baring her fangs.

“ENOUGH!” Chimera boomed, causing the two squabbling queens to immediately go silent. “Flanks. Chairs. NOW!” Chimera was panting, her mandibles slightly open as she glared the lesser queens into submission. Chrysalis and the orange queen slowly sat down, their glares never faltering. A snake-like tongue worked over the mare's four mandibles, cleaning the saliva that had accumulated there. “We will decide your fate later, Queen Chrysalis. Right now, we need to decide the fate of our own hives.”

“My hive is starving!” Chrysalis was first to throw out there, cutting off the rest of the council.

“It is not our fault that you cannot rule your hive properly,” the pink queen remarked, causing the green queen to snap her head and growl at the mare.

“Unlike the rest of the council, Chrysalis, your poor planning and inability to gather love efficiently has brought your own downfall upon yourself,” Chimera calmly listed, causing the other queen to grit her teeth in anger. She didn't care about her fellow queens plight. Chrysalis was to much of an annoyance. “Queen Honey Suckle is right. You have put your mother to shame.”

Chrysalis was shaking with rage, her knuckles turning red with how hard she was clenching them. The mare's wings buzzed loudly as she tried to hold back her rage. But it was all in vain, however. “YOU BITCH!” Chrysalis roared as she shot out of her seat, diving across the length of the table.

Chimera stood out of her seat, her horn glowing with blood red magic. But before she could even get a shot off, a pair of black, jagged teeth grabbed the queen out of the air. Chrysalis screamed in horror as the rest of the council jumped in absolute shock. Off to the side Grendel’s abdomen separated in two, the monster’s mouth gnawed and munched away at the queen, churning, and tasting her flailing form before swallowing her whole. Her terrified form appeared, screams muffled with each gnashing of teeth and only loud when open. Just as quickly as it began, it was over.

From the horror game a single. Satisfying. Belch.

“I will let her ferment and stew on what she has done,” Grendel remarked as the seam on his belly sealed itself. He then turned towards a still stunned Chimera, who slowly sat down in her seat and lowered her head. Both were out of shame and so that she could fight the urge to vomit. “I distinctly remember teaching my people not to be greedy!” Grendel chastised the Queen’s Council, causing them all to avert their gazes. “I am the greedy one with an endless hunger. You were not to follow my suffering!”

“My king,” the blue queen started hesitantly, coughing. “We have tried to do well in the world you helped create. But ponies run in fear of us. They call us monsters, deceivers, and liars. We have been forced to live in the shadows to survive. We are parasites, nothing more.”

“Our people are not parasites!” Saryn shouted, grabbing the attention of the present mares, as she jumped off the stage, approaching and holding out her hand, clenching it. “Somewhere along the line, our teachings have been forgotten!”

Grendel turned towards Chimera, who lowered her head and sighed. As the eldest queen there, her knowledge was invaluable. “I do not know when specifically, it happened, my king, but ponies began to look at us with fear. Rumors spread, lies became truth and the other queens found it better to embrace the shadows rather than fight the lies.”

The three gods shared a look of concern.

“Perhaps now is the time for that third agenda point,” Grendel offered, transitioning away from the depressed mood. With a regurgitating gurgle, Grendel spit the green queen out and onto the table in a wet heap. Queen Chrysalis was horrified as green saliva and mucus dripped from her body, making the other queens gag. “Princess! You may come in now!”

Raven pushed the door open, Harrow and Frost following close behind her. She wandered around to the far end of the table, eyeing Chrysalis as the queen pathetically crawled back into her seat like a wet puppy and with a disgusting shiver. The queens next to her leaned away, pinching their noses in disgust. The queen's council eyes the human wearily as she took up position at the head of the table.

"Her majesty has made an offer," Grendel stated, holding a hand out towards the young woman. "One that you would all be wise to listen into. Princess?"

"I am willing to offer safe travels and negotiation offers with Equestria," Raven offered as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Right now, the country is in fear and I am willing to offer, both for our own safety as a nation, but for you all to step out of the shadows."

The queens all looked to one another with mixed feelings. There was fear, concern, anger, all negative emotions that permeated throughout the room. No 'ling dared to speak whatsoever though. It had been centuries since something good had happened between ponies and changelings. They were uneasy, it was a strange time and the threat of violence was high.

"We will have to discuss this without you, princess," Chimera eventually said, resting her hands on the table. "But why are you doing this? If I may ask?" Even she was confused, there was no reason for the Solar Princess to do such a thing. But Chimera could not deny that the offer would be very beneficial if it went through. But even she, with all her wisdom, was still very on the fence about it all.

Harrow stepped forward as he spoke. "She has been influential in our return. But it is evident that not only has Grendel's teachings failed, but so have mine," Harrow admitted, holding his left hand over his heart. "My people are just as guilty of their failures as some of you are. We would like to rectify that."

Chimera shifted her head towards Grendel. "My King?" she still couldn't decide, so she opted to look for advice from the creature that cared for her and the rest of her people the most.

"I believe with her help, along with the other kings and Queens, we may be able to make much needed progress."

Chimera inhaled slowly before letting it out. "We will need to discuss this amongst ourselves." She shifted back towards Raven. "You are dismissed Princess." She then turned towards Harrow. "You are permitted to stay."

Harrow nodded as Raven and Frost exited to the room.

***

It had been a long conversation since Raven had left. So the human found herself resting out in the main hall with the several guards that eyed her wearily, she read her book, as the muffled shouts cane from the council chambers. There had been a lot of yelling, cursing, and banging coming from within the room. It was clear that this proposition was a mixed bag of feelings. But ultimately, it wasn't until the chamber doors were torn open, smashing against the walls as Queen Chrysalis stormed out of the room. The mare stared at the human as she passed, wishing nothing but death upon the princess as the mare gathered up her rather wimpy looking guards, heading for the exit.

Raven closed her book, looking back at the chamber entrance and seeing the rest of the queens standing there, watching as Chrysalis left in a huff.

Raven closed her book and stood up, as Chimera approached. "She has been banished from the council," the mare stated as he guards joined her sides. "My only request is that you do not hold her actions over the other hives heads?" Even that question made her nervous, she knew the power of the princess'.

"Will do," Raven nodded.

"Good," Chimera nodded back, relieved. "As far as your offer is concerned, I only request that my hive stay neutral." The mare then turned back towards the remaining eleven queens. "Queen Saturnia, agreed to go with you on behalf of the seven queens that are willing to listen to you."

"And who is Queen Saturnia?" Raven asked, glancing from queen to queen.

Chimera pointed towards the pink queen at the front of the pack. "Queen Saturnia of the Fuscia Hive. She has volunteered herself to go with you. She will take her guards and they will be armed, that is not up for negotiation!" Chimera said sternly. "We already lost one queen. I will not lose another."

"I understand," Raven agreed.

"You will leave in the morning," Chimera stated as she turned towards one of the other archways that led to a different part of the hive. "I will show you to your room. No changeling is to harm our guest!" Chimera shouted to the congregation, earning nods from the queens and even their soldiers.

***

It had been days since Raven and Saturnia had set out to the train station that lead this far north and they were currently traversing across the open tundra, the former in her warframe and the latter as a polar bear. Her guards did the same as well. It was early in the morning and today was the last little required bit it would take. The sun was bright, which reflected off the blinding snow, but at least there was no wind and they could see the little station off in the distance.

Then suddenly, there was a faint boom in the distance as an opaque rainbow shockwave dissipated over their heads.

The three polar bears and one warframe looked to the skies, watching as the colors faded into nothing. Then came the wave of powerful magic that caused all of them to shudder.

"Should we investigate my queen?" one of the smaller bears asked.

"I do believe we should," Saturnia, the largest bear replied. "Something that powerful deserves our attention."

"Then the negotiations are going to have to be put on hold," ~Raven~ stated as she glanced down at the three bears. "Hopefully we can find it before something bad happens."

Adjusting themselves away from the station, the quartet began working their way towards the direction that the explosion came from. They wandered for some time, post-holing through the snow for who knows how long. But as they peaked out over a small rise, they were surprised by the stone titan that stood there.

"Atlas?" ~Raven~ asked, confused. The earth god turned his mighty head towards the group, surprised to see them as well. "What are you doing here?" It was not to much of a surprise per-say, the titan was the God of the Earth, he knew exactly what was happening around the wold. So he had to have felt the strange anomaly when it happened.

Atlas turned back to the direction he had been facing, pointing to a soft glow in the distance. "I assume you felt that too?" he asked. There was something, it was hard to make out in the distance, but there was something there. It looking like a structure, something that didn't belong out in this barren wasteland.

"We felt something," ~Raven~ replied as she squinted her eyes to reduce the glare. Down the valley, she could see green, and an array of pinks and blues as well. Yep, a very stark contrast to the white background of the northern tundra.

"The Crystal Empire," Atlas named, lowering his mighty arm. "I was unaware that she was even missing. Now it has returned." He shifted his head to look down at the shorter warframe and she looked up at him expectantly. "The earth ponies may see me as a god, but they," he said referring to the long-lost empire. "Are my true people."

"Well we better get going before this storm rolls in," ~Raven~ stated, noticing the flurry that was approaching from their left. The clouds were grey and angry, clearly a storm that would kill anyone unfortunate enough to be trapped within.

In agreement, the quintet now began descending the hill as quickly as they could. The two warframes lead the way initially before a penguin slid past them, traveling much faster than they did on their feet. Two more flew by, leaving the stupefied knights standing, watching them as they went. The three birds bobbed and weaved along the snow, laughing, and giggling as they sped down the hill.

“Weren’t they polar bears?” Atlas asked the Tenno, confused.

“Changelings.”

“Ah,” Atlas nodded, quickly remembering what the human had been doing.

~Raven~ decided to follow her companions' lead, sitting down on the snow, and taking up position to sled down the hill. “Might as well join them!” With a few pulls of her legs, the ice frame started to slide, quickly picking up speed as she too, laughed the entire way down. What? It was a ton of fun!

“I prefer to keep my feet on the ground,” Atlas said to himself as he eased his descent towards the bottom.

Minutes later, the titan reached the bottom.

It was just as the storm was begging to roll in that the little group entered the empire’s grounds. The only sound that was made was the clip clop of hooves, the clicking of stone on stone, and the thumping of boots on the crystal streets. Eyes poked out from behind curtains and through windows, peering wearily at the five creatures that wandered through the street. Those were the only indications that the town was populated, otherwise, the streets were dead.

“Head for the castle,” Atlas pointed towards the largest, pointed structure in the center of the empire. “Perhaps we can find answers there.”

Nabarus

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Nabarus.

Or also known as Nightmare Night to many. A day of fun and frights, parties and insanity. A night for children to dress up and go out into their towns to extort candy from the neighbors while adults use it as an excuse to go and party and drink on a weekday. But on this spooky night of fun and chaos, at a certain castle in a certain town, a wild party was right in the swing of things. Canterlot Castle was decorated to the nines for the yearly party. Carved pumpkins and candles lined the halls while fake webs and spiders hung from the ceiling. The distant sound of children and the occasional adult screaming in fear could be heard from the garden maze while ponies from all around enjoyed the festivities.

Others used the chaos to escape said chaos for a much needed break away from all the chaos.

Raven and Copper stepped out from one of the castle's many bathrooms, one of which they knew was well hidden and unguarded. A perfect place for a secret celebration of their own. As a testament to their fun, the former of the two pulled her hands from under her black dress, giving her underwear a tug of adjustment while Copper tugged at his belt before both of them gave themselves a brief once over, checking for wrinkles and stray hairs.

Hey, they were never told you had to celebrate a certain way.

But it was time to rejoin the main celebration.

Dressed as a skeleton in a tattered back dress, Raven led the way as her tuxedo skeleton lover followed close behind. It only took them a couple of minutes before they were quick to rejoin in on the main event and festivities in the main ballroom. They mingled and cheered, hugging, and masquerading amongst the masses. Games and prizes were abundant and well received. All around there was merriment and fun.

But those who fear the shadows, are right to do so...

For tonight was a night that would be not like any other...

For a monster approached from deep within the recesses of the castle hallways.

It stumbled and moaned, gagging, teeth dripping with saliva as its limbs twitched uncontrollably. With matted fur, skin discolored, eyes glazed over, it dragged its hooves with each step, scraping across the stone floor. It headed towards the sounds of the living, drawn by their merriment and fear. Once it was close enough to the door, it clumsily thumped against the wood, meeting a bit of resistance before the door creaked open.

Inside the room, Raven and Copper were co-mingling with a visiting husband and wife, barely even noticing the newest visitor to the ballroom. The committed mare stumbled into the room, barely finding balance on her hooves. Her mane covered her face as she stood with a hunch, arms dangling low.

"Wow! That's an amazing costume!"

The mare cocked her head to the left, slowly shuffling towards the pony that complimented her. A cute little angel pegasus stood nearby, smiling with great excitement. The hunched mare moaned softly, waving an arm at the little angel in an attempt to grab her.

"Ah ha! You're really committed aren't you!" the angel giggled as she played her part as the hapless victim. "Hey Star? Check out this costume!"

The first mare finally grasped her prey, pulling her in close and opening her mouth.

A blood curdling scream filled the air, grabbing everyone's attention and causing them to turn towards the door. Raven and Copper turned towards the noise, looking through the crowd to see a couple of mares laying on the ground.

"Help me! Help! Please! AHHHHHH! OWWWWW!" a little angel screamed at the top of her lungs, frantically trying to flail about to force the mare on top of her off of her smaller form. The mare on top, dressed like a zombie, bit into her neck, dowsing both of them in blood. "HELP ME!"

But no creature moved, laughing and wooting, finding the entire event amazing and silly. These two were very committed to the bit. It got even better when the zombie peeled a large chunk of flesh from the mare's neck, chewing on it as she stood. The poor mare on the ground, grasped at her wound, trying to keep the blood in her body before she began shaking violently as she desperately tried to keep her life blood in her body before she became too weak and let go.

That was… very convincing…

While ponies were focused on the convincing performance of the zombie, Raven was concentrated on the victim on the floor. That acting… looked a little too convincing. Especially the way her eyes had glazed over and how well she was holding her breath. Even that arterial bleed was a little too accurate to be fake. Raven spared the zombie a glance, finally seeing the mare's face as she ate. A good chunk of her cheek was missing, allowing the human to see within her muzzle.

Another quick glance towards the victim, Raven stared at the body, and deeply into her eyes.

They were cold and lifeless…

Raven had witnessed death enough times to know that you couldn't fake that…

Without a second thought, the warrior princess spun and grabbed a sharp cake knife from the confections table, flipping it once and catching it by the blade. She spun back around, knife held high while she calculated her trajectory, finding the zombie in the crowd as she reached for another clueless victim. With a grunt, Raven heaved the weapon, catching the creature in the side of the head with a sickening crunch and a yelp from the mare.

"Woah!" the stallion that was about to take a picture with the zombie yelped, staring at the mare on the floor before trying to find who threw the knife.

Raven pushed her way through the shocked crowd and towards the body. The head wound oozed a thick black tar and blood covered her muzzle. Kneeling, Raven rested her hand against the body, finding her skin clammy and temperature through the roof. The wound on her cheek was clearly not fake or even magic in nature and another examination showed a bit mark on the mare's arm.

This wasn't the Infested, but this was bad.

Especially when the initial victim of this monster gargled, making everyone glance at it in shock. Raven slowly stood, watching as the poor little angel gagged and coughed up a mouthful of blood, her back arching violently as she flailed upon the floor as if she was having a seizure. Bones creaked and cracked, a strange force over taking her form before the mare quickly rolled onto her stomach and latched her hand onto a poor stallion and dragging him to the floor with a yelp, biting into his exposed calf and tearing a substantial chunk of flesh from his leg.

All hell broke loose.

This was the real deal…

Ponies screamed in absolute, unbridled terror, the entire room breaking into a frantic panic as they tried to run for the door. All it did was bottleneck the main door, causing many to fall and either get trampled or be attacked by the ever growing swarm. Raven on the other hand, grabbed Copper by the wrist and dragged him towards the back of the ballroom, heading for a secret hallway she knew about.

"Raven!"

The princess paused, turning just as she opened the secret entrance way, finding Twilight and most of her friends running towards them. The princess didn't say a word, despite her feelings towards them all, as she ushered them all into the passageway, getting ready to slam the door shut when she heard a blood curdling scream not too far away. She quickly searched the tattered room, immediately finding a poor filly that lay frozen in fear on the floor as one of the infected hobbled towards her. Without a second thought, Raven stormed out of the hallway, charging the pair as fast as she could. She clenched her fist and held it high and with a single punch that had enough energy to break bone, she struck the monster in the jaw, sending it to the floor with a yelp before scooping up the poor filly in the same motion.

Copper slammed the door shut once they were close enough and locking it, the muffled screams of the dying still permeating through the walls. All of them stood panting, staring at the door while Raven comforted the little filly.

"You hurt sweetie?" Raven calmly asked the little filly in her arms. The little pink filly was dressed as Princess Celestia, shook her head side to side frantically before tightening grip on Raven's dress. "You weren't bitten or scratched?" Another silently no in the form of a head shake was her response. "Okay… is everyone else okay?" she asked the rest of the group. All of them looked around at one another, but no pony spoke up.

"What the buck was that!?" Rainbow Dash, the team's head astronaut shouted. "Are we not going to address the zombie attack that just happened!?"

Before the two skeletons and the princess was a mermare, a royal guard, the astronaut, a vampire, and a scarecrow, all of which were just as confused as the rest. Of course all of them were frightened to death.

"We need to find my mother, hopefully she'll know what is going on and how to stop it," Raven stated before she leaned back to give the filly in her arms a gentle affirming smile. "Hey precious, what's your name?"

The little princess rubbed her runny nose with the back of her sleeve. "Sunshine… Rose…"

"That's a pretty name," Raven complimented before she noticed and adjusted the fillies fake horn.

Sunshine sniffled as fresh tears appeared. "W-Where's my mommy?"

Raven opened her mouth, but hesitated as she feared the worst. It was a loaded question and no answer was right. But a memory flashed into the forefront of her mind, putting this filly with the angel that was the first victim of the night.

Oh no…

"I… I don't know where your mommy is," Raven lied. "But I'll take care of you until we find her okay?" Raven hoped that it was just coincidence, an older sister maybe or an aunt. But that too felt like a lie. Sunshine sniffled, prompting Raven to pull her in close, hugging the distraught filly. "Come on, we need to get to the throne room." Raven pushed past the others and took the lead. She knew these passages like the back of her hand and they were only accessible to a select few.

"Raven?" Twilight, dressed as a royal guard captain, whispered. "Can we talk?"

Raven spared the mare a glance, then Sunshine before she set the filly down. "Sunshine? I need to talk to my friend here. I'm going to hand you off to my boyfriend, Copper, okay? He's really nice!" Copper stepped forward and offered his hand with a smile. Sunshine hesitated, glancing up at him, but she clearly wanted to be with Raven. "I'll be close okay? Nothing is going to happen to you."

"Promise?" she sniffled.

"Promise," Raven smiled before she wiped away the tears with her thumb. Sunshine took Copper's hand while she led him away, asking simple questions to keep the filly occupied. "Yes?"

"You know it's not polite to lie to children," Twilight stated as the two walked along.

"It's okay when it's a life or death situation."

"No it's not!" Twilight gasped.

"Cadance lied to us all the time when we were kids," Raven counted with her ace.

"She did not!"

Just then, the muffled sound of a body hitting the wall next to them brought their conversation to a halt. "Help me! Somepony help me! No… stay away! Stay away-HUW-ACK!" Some poor mare just met her fate right next to them, her screams and pleas for help muffled by the stone wall. The two females spared one another a look of concern.

It was getting worse.

"Come on, we can discuss ethical morals in life threatening situations later, " Raven ushered, leading Twilight back towards the group. "The throne room is just up ahead!" Raven pointed out as she once again took the lead. Sunshine grasped her hand, holding onto both Copper and her now. The silence was killing them all, but thankfully the walk was short as they came to the throne room exit.

With a soft click, Raven opened the door and peered through the crack. No sounds of the damned or sights of walking corpses appeared, so she slowly and cautiously opened the door all the way. However, Raven quickly froze, staring at three blood soaked spear tips aimed right at her head.

"Princess!" the center guard, a mare gasped as she lowered her weapon. "Are you alright?"

"Could be better," Raven replied as the other guards lowered their weapons.

"Thank goodness you are okay," Celestia said with a sigh of relief as she stood from her throne. The others soon appeared behind Raven, bringing even more relief to the solar mare as she smiled softly. "And Twilight and her friends as well."

A guard closed the door with a click, sealing them all inside. Only Princess Celestia and four guards had sought refuge in the throne room. This brought the total number of occupants to a measly twelve. Both Spike and Pinkie Pie were unaccounted for. Hopefully they were safe and untouched.

"Where is Pinkie Pie?" Celestia inquired.

"We got separated just before the ballroom was attacked. And Spike was doing the haunted hallway at the same time," Twilight explained before her head hung low in despair. Fluttershy and Applejack rested their hands on her shoulders to try and comfort her.

"Mom, how did this happen?" Raven asked as she approached the dais.

Celestia turned towards the fourth guard in the room, the only one not possessing any weapon. "Our runner here was just about to tell us."

The poor guard glanced around the room like a child that had just been busted by his parents for doing something he shouldn't have. The poor lad let out a forlorn sigh, slumping against the wall and slowly sliding down it. He spoke softly with his head hung low.

"About thirty six hours ago at oh-two-hundred hours my partner and I were guarding the artifact room when we heard a strange thumping coming from the door. Confused and unsure what was making the noise, we decided to investigate with my partner opening the door first. To our shock, a stallion pushed the door out of the way and took my partner to the ground. In the ensuing tussle my partner was scratched and bitten several times by the intruder before I decided to take lethal action and speared the aggressor to death. After confirming the threat was neutralized, I stabilized my injured friend before hailing for medical treatment whereupon my partner was further treated at the scene before being medevaced to Canterlot General.

"I went to visit him that night, only to learn that he had taken a rapid deterioration and was not allowed to see visitors at that time. A day passed before I wanted to go see him again. So then, several hours ago, me and several friends of our squad mates went to go check up on him again, only to find the hospital locked down and no pony around."

"So this is your fault?" Dash hissed under her breath.

"Dash, hush!" Applejack snapped with a hiss of her own.

But the damage was done, the guard heard and winced, but continued, head hung low. He sniffled, holding back tears.

"We decided to investigate the situation and figure out why the hospital was under lock down. But by that point… the damage was done. We were attacked by… zombies! They overwhelmed us and pretty soon I was the only one left. I decided to come to the castle, hoping we could contain them before they attacked further. But by the time I had even made it out the door, ponies were dying left and right. And because Nightmare Night was already starting, ponies thought it was a show, not truly realizing the horror that had befallen us all. I tried to warn as many as I could, but they just thought it was a game…"

He held up his left arm, revealing a nasty looking bite mark on his wrist that made the survivors jump back in shock.

"Why is he even here!?" Dash screamed furiously. "He'll kill us all!"

Raven held out a hand to hold the mare back as she stepped between him and the others. "How long until the illness takes effect?" the human asked in a much calmer tone.

"Don't know," the guard replied as he lowered his arm. "Between twelve and thirty six hours. I don't know how long the hospital had been closed."

"And how do you feel?"

"I'll… I'm running a fever and I feel rather weak."

Raven pondered that for a moment. "Huh… because that one mare changed in what?" she paused, turning towards Twilight in thought. "A minute?"

"Probably less," Twilight added.

"But she had died from blood loss."

"Look I'm sorry for being here but the princess had to know!" the guard defended.

A tear slipped from his eye, tinted red with blood.

"He found us in the maze, " Celestia cut in as the poor tormented soul finished his explanation and began to sob softly. "But before I could even give an order for lock down…" Celestia trailed off, her gaze drifting towards a bloody rag tied to her arm that everyone had just noticed.

They gasped in shock.

Dash was first to respond, throwing up a fist to attack the poor guard, who flinched and threw his arms up in defense. Yet again, Applejack wrangled her in with a firm hand to the shoulder and a harsh glare.

"We were attacked in the maze, I got bitten because I was protecting those around me," Celestia continued with a sigh as she idly rubbed her wound. "It was in vain though…"

All the guards lowered their heads and averted their eyes. At first, the costumed survivors thought it was out of respect, but the stallion Raven was looking at, noticed her gaze and bladed away from her before he pushed his breastplate forward, revealing a bloody bite wound to the side. Her attention then snapped towards the other stallion, who lifted his arm to reveal a wound to the back of his bicep. Lastly, the female guard lifted her pant leg to show a wound to the leg.

They were all infected…

Everyone but Raven slowly gulped in fear.

A soft sobbing filled the room and drowned out the uncomfortable silence. Confused, everyone turned to see poor little Sunshine standing next to Copper, sobbing her poor little heart out into his pant leg. With a frown, Raven approached the poor little dear, gingerly scooping her into her arms.

"Sunshine? Would you like to meet my Mommy before we… uh… leave?" Raven asked in a gentle, loving tone. Sunshine gave Celestia a nervous look. The mare, ever loving, simply smiled as if there was nothing wrong. With the tiniest of nods, Sunshine complied. "Mom, you do realize this is an apocalyptic event of monumental proportions… right?"

Celestia nodded. "Which is why I have a shield that is currently encapsulating Canterlot to prevent any of the infected from spreading. I have also contacted your Aunt Luna in Ponyville. She has locked down the town and has seen no signs of any infected."

"But what about you? The shield won't last when-" Raven silenced herself there, not wanting to acknowledge the inevitable.

"Which is why I'll be using my connection to the sun to torch Canterlot when the time arises," Celestia finished before she greeted the filly with a smile. "Hello sweetie, what's your name?"

"Sunshine…"

Celestia gasped playfully. "My friends call me Sunshine! Now we both can't be called that, can we?" The princess playfully rested her hands on her hips as if she was insulted.

Sunshine giggled as she seemed to forget about the world and the devastation happening outside. While filly and mare giggled happily, the other survivors spared the outside world a glance. True to the princesses word, a golden shield encapsulated the capital city while fires raged in the distance, the streets littered with the walking dead.

"At least they can't fly."

Thunk.

Rainbow Dash and Rarity recoiled back from the window, watching in horror as an infected pegasus mare had just collided and deflected off the tempered glass before she went crashing to the ground below.

Rarity promptly smacked Dash across the back of the head before walking away with a huff.

"Me and my big mouth…" Dash muttered as she rubbed the back of her head.

Back with mother and daughter, Princess Celestia passed Sunshine off to her daughter. "It's getting late and each passing second is a death sentence," Celestia told her child with a serious look. But that softened when she cupped Sunshine's cheek, rubbing it tenderly with her thumb. "Anything you want to say before you leave?"

"You're really pretty…"

"And so are you!" Celestia replied playfully, booping Sunshine on the tip of her snoot, making her giggle. "You'll take care of her," she addressed her daughter.

Raven nodded.

Wasn't a question either.

"Princess?"

Celestia glanced down at Sunshine before she leaned forward in her throne. "Yes, my little pony?"

"When I grow up, I want to be like you," Sunshine said rather softly, almost embarrassed at the declaration.

"Well…" Celestia spared her daughter a smile and a wink. "With my daughter guiding you. You'll be an amazing mare. I guarantee it."

"Promise?"

"Promise!"

Both filly and mare shared one last departing hug and a nuzzle before Raven passed off Sunshine to her boyfriend. "You'd make an amazing mother," Celestia whispered as red tears streamed down her cheeks. "I love you. Now and forever more."

"I love you too, Mom…"

As the two parted ways and wiped away tears, Twilight stepped forward. "How do we get out of here? If you're going to do what you say you will, won't we be caught in the blast?"

A genuine concern that garnered a lot of head nodding.

"What about the armory?" the unicorn mare guard spoke up. "There are plenty of weapons and armor that you could pretty much just walk out the front door without issue."

"Except the armory only has two entrances and one door, not including the fact it is located one level below the main floor," one of the stallions added. He was starting to look a little red in the eyes.

"B-But you all got bit…" Fluttershy whimpered out, referring to how their armor did little to protect them.

"We're not in our full protective gear, just our castle post armor. It's more ceremonial than anything," the same stallion replied while simultaneously, the female guard started to cough into her forearm. She gave it a quick inspection before sticking a finger in her mouth and removing it just as quickly. It was soaked in blood. "But they still have to fight through what? Ten plus floors before they even get close to the armory?"

"They'll never make it," the runner, who was still sitting on the floor, stated. As if to accentuate his point, the sounds of moaning, thumping, and scratching came from the barred main doors to the room.

"Here," Celestia said as she stood near the back of the throne room, another hidden door was propped open as an escape route. "This passage will take you to the main floor. From there, you just need to make it one floor down. You remember how to get there, Honey?"

"I do," Raven nodded as she adjusted her grip on Sunshine. "But what about getting out of the city?"

"The royal train is located just a few blocks from here in a secured facility. If you can get there and get the train going, I'll make sure you get out of the containment shield." Celestia coughed once before she gave the corner of her mouth a rub with her thumb.

More blood.

It was spreading through her system faster than she thought.

"Time is of the essence, the faster you can get to the train the farther you'll all be from the blast," Celestia continued grimly. "Sweetie, link up with your Aunt and do your best to make sure this doesn't spread any further than it already has. Hopefully I can kill everything before that."

With a plan in mind, they all bid their last farewells. Teacher and student, mother and daughter all shared their last hug and exchanged their last 'I love you's' before they all piled into the secret passageway. Both Raven and Twilight watched with tears in their eyes as the door slowly closed. But just before it closed, a word of warning was shouted from the guards.

'Keep them safe,' her mother told her.

"Princess look-"

Boom…

The door sealed, cutting them off from the throne room as the sounds of shouting and spell fire were muffled by the stone between them. The survivors were all too stunned to speak, flinching only briefly when something hit the wall and was obliterated by spell fire before an eerie silence filled the air.

"Come on y'all, we need to keep moving," Applejack stated, leading the others away.

One by one they trickled away until only Raven and Sunshine remained. Eventually, even they left and fell in with the others. They were all silent for sometime as they traversed the dimly lit, cramped passageway. This time, it was the silence that was getting to them all as they made turn after blind turn and padded down stairways until they all came to their inevitable end.

Before eventually, they reached a dead end on the main floor of the castle. Just like before, Raven gently unlocked the door, opening it just enough for her to peek through.

She flinched, when a demonic moan gurgled nearby. The princess watched as a walker lumbered by, shuffling along on unsteady hooves as it wandered aimlessly and without purpose. All it was after was its next victim to devour. It wandered away and around the corner and out of sight. Once she was sure they were in the clear, Raven opened the door further.

"Okay… I think were-"

Chomp…

Raven screamed in agony, reflexively grabbing at the mutilated face of the abomination that just sank its teeth into her forearm. She grit her teeth to fight back the pain while she pried at its clenched jaw, slicing her fingers open in the process as she desperately pried its maw open before it could take a chunk out of her arm. When that failed to work, she manifested a ball of red energy in her grasp, blasting it with reckless abandon. Brain, skin, and a bone was obliterated in an instant, leaving nothing but the lower half of the skull and jaw on a limp body. With a shove, she pushed the corpse away and stumbled back into the passageway.

Copper slammed the door shut while Raven hissed in pain, holding her arm with her free hand as she examined her wound. A fresh bite mark scared her flesh as a black ooze traversed through her veins.

"F-Fuck that hurt…" She hissed through her teeth and stomped her foot in anger at her carelessness.

Everyone could only stare in disbelief at the bit mark on her arm. Black tar oozed down her arm and clung to her skin. But the worst wasn't over, not yet at least.

"Grrrr-AH!" Raven screamed in agony as she threw her head back, her back slamming against the wall while she kicked the wall to fight through the pain. Everyone else jumped back in horror, watching as their leader died right in front of them.

But that wasn't what was actually happening.

In her bloodstream, a mutation was at work. It detected a foreign body, scanned it, and determined it to be extremely deadly. The virus worked on overdrive, protecting both her red and white blood cells while it isolated, contained, and consolidated the pathogen. It worked hard to remove it from the injured area, pushing it out the same way it came in. While very effective, the body was now on overdrive to prevent the illness from spreading and worked hard to purge it from within. A painful process indeed.

That… was why Raven was screaming.

A thick black tar was purged from her fingers and bite wound, oozing down her skin until fresh blood was purged as well to prevent further infection. The entire process was over in less than ten seconds as her blood ran dry and halted her bleeding.

Raven panted, the painful process now over, but it left her lightheaded and exhausted. Her arms felt heavy as she grasped the edge of her dress with shaky hands, giving it a jerk, tearing a good piece of fabric from her costume. With a shaky hand, she wiped up the blood, soaking the makeshift rag.

"So that's what that feels like…" Raven moaned as she held the rag. She knew about how her blood could do that, but she never had to experience it until now. "Anypony have a lighter?"

Rarity reached into her bra, removing a lighter and tossing it towards the human. Raven caught it before opening it with a click. A couple of strikes later, a gentle flame flickered from the lighter before Raven set the rag alight, before she tossed it to the floor, letting it burn before she waved her fingers over the flame, killing any infection left on her skin.

"Rarity, I thought you stopped smoking!?" Twilight gasped.

"Just because I stopped smoking, doesn't mean I have to give up my lighter," Rarity shot back, catching her lighter when Raven tossed it back before she stuffed it back down the front of her costume. "Although I could greatly use a smoke right now…" she muttered under her breath.

"That's what you're focusing on here!? Not the mare that just got infected!?" Dash gasped in disbelief. "Am I alone here on this!?"

"I'm immune," Raven panted as she forced herself to her feet. "I have a virus in my blood that prevents infection. Guh… I'm probably the only creature on the planet that can't get infected." Raven paused, watching as her boyfriend wrapped her wound with a handkerchief he had in his pocket. Once it was tied, he hugged her, so glad that she was alive. "You I'm worried about," she told him, prodding his chest with a finger.

"So that's why you never got sick as a kid," Twilight mused as she held a finger to her chin.

"A product of the experiments," Raven further explained. "Okay. I'm good. Round two."

Yet again, Raven carefully opened the door, making sure to check near her feet this time. Nothing, confirmed nothing this time. Opening the door further, she went to step out but pulled back when she heard the clicking of something on the stone. She watched and waited, seeing as a shadow appeared along the wall, the precursor to…

"Spike?" she whispered.

True to her word, a terrified Spike rounded the corner, shaking violently in his Humdrum costume. His head whipped from side to side as he held his claws close to his chest. He looked… untouched, just scared out of his mind. Raven opened the door further, just about to call out to him when a shadow loomed over him.

"Spike, look out!"

Spike froze at the warning, failing to notice the monster looming behind him. But it was too late, when the flesh eating monster grabbed the drake by the shoulders and sank its teeth into Spike's neck.

Or… well it tried to, at least.

Spike yelped as he was marehandled, flung all around the hallway as the monster attempted to bite into his skin, failing each and every time to do so. "R-Raven! Woah! H-Hel-ap!" Spike was jerked and flung around, finding out first hand what Winona's squeaky toy must feel like when she played with it.

Raven damn near tore the hidden door off its hinges when she shot out into the hallway, charging forward for the second time that night, charging a ball of energy in her open palm and taking the shot. The zombie gagged as it was sliced right in half, releasing Spike in the process. He frantically back pedaled, but the corpse didn't relent, a hunger that only flesh could satisfy as it came crawling towards him before Raven finished it off with another blast of her power.

Panting, Raven and Spike waited several tense seconds, hoping the body fared not to move further. Raven and Spike embraced one another both awash with relief at being able to reunite with each other.

"Good to see you, Spike." Raven squeezed him a bit tighter, even more afraid that he would disappear if she ever let go.

His claws tightened as he grasped the frill of her dress. "What's going on?" he whimpered. The poor boy was shaking now that he was with someone he trusted. He whimpered, sniffling as his emotions finally got the best of him. "What happened to everypony?" he sobbed.

"You don't want to know…"

The two pulled apart as she held him by a claw. "Come on, the others are-" Raven said as she turned around, freezing when she failed to spot the others that were just behind her. "Oh no…"

Spike began to shake even more violently, holding onto Raven's dress and hand even tighter, lest they get separated should he let go. They were so lost in their own fears that both failed to notice as a pair of clammy arms reached out for them, slowly and menacingly revealing themselves from the shadows before it was too late.

"Raven!" Spike screamed at the top of his lungs, his claws shredding her dress in the process and being jerked from her hand. He was dragged into the shadows and out of sight.

"Spike!"

She called after him, running after her friend in an attempt to save him, but before she could even make it two steps, another pair of arms wrapped around her head, blinding her. She pawed at her aggressor, desperately trying to fight the creature holding her hostage. She kicked and flailed about, causing her to drop to the floor before she was dragged away to who knows where. Were there multiple of them fighting over her? Or were the dead evolving and becoming smarter? She didn't know, she didn't want to find out either!

A bite mark was survivable, being eaten en masse was not!

She struggled but it was to no avail. She couldn't die, not like this!

"Will you stop -ngh- struggling!"

Raven froze, she knew that voice. It was the missing element bearer. Now granted she didn't like the girl, but this was neither the time or the place to be in conflict with other survivors. But that didn't mean she was a fan of being dragged along the floor. So she still struggled to pull her face free, getting enough of her eye to peek through the entrapment of limbs to glare up at the mare. Raven could barely see Pinkie in the dim light, but she glared up at her nonetheless as she was dragged a couple more meters before a door was kicked shut by Pinkie's hoof.

"You're heavier than you look!" Pinkie panted as she wiped some sweat from her brow while she released the human. "Hi guys! I saved you from the horrible monsters!"

Raven quickly scrambled to her feet, just in time for Sunshine to slam into her legs and nearly take her back to the ground, hugging them tightly as she openly cried into the human's dress. Any anger and hatred that Raven had in that moment melted away at the need to comfort her little friend. So she scooped up the poor girl, holding her close as she spoke tender words of encouragement into her ear. Raven turned to face the room, seeing that everyone was safe.

Spike and Twilight embraced one another while the others sat around the room in different states of unease. Copper was the only other one to embrace Raven and Sunshine, ecstatic that they were okay. A quick glance confirmed that they were in one of the main floors, many smaller dining halls, which was connected to a small kitchen. As Raven calmed down, she looked out over the crowd before her gaze lingered on the very pony that saved her.

Her eye went wide.

Pinkie stood nearby, her eyes were bloodshot and blood dripped from her left nostril. Her fur color was faded and dull, fur itself matted and clammy. Her stomach rumbled out of a need to feed and further examination showed a bloody spot on her white roller derby outfit. She had been bitten and was in a far worse state than the other guards they had come in contact with.

“You’re infected….”

“Huh?” Pinkie replied dumbly as she cocked her head to the right slightly. A quick glance down at her body made her seem to remember how she ended up like this. “Oh! Yeah, I turned a while ago. No big thang!” Leave it to Pinkie to take something so serious with such a light hearted nature as she dismissed Raven’s claim with a wave. “I’m doing fine! Despite the never ending hunger for pony flesh! But, I’m always hungry, so it's what ev’s.”

Pinkie turned towards her friends, making them flinch as she eyed them all. “Boy would I love to eat you guys, if you know what I mean?” she added a naughty look and a suggestive wiggle of her eyebrows.

“I don’t know if I should be scared that she’s a zombie or that that statement felt more sexual than it needed to be,” Twilight commented as she shielded Spike with her body.

“Leave it to Pinkie to be a zombie and not change at all,” Dash added with a bit of dry sarcasm.

“I know right!” Pinkie replied joyously as she threw her arms into the air. “Kinda neat huh? Who needs a costume when you are a monster!”

An awkward silence befell the room as Pinkie slowly lowered her arms as she realized that her joke fell on deaf ears. Despite her happy attitude, it could not change the fact that she was a lost cause. For the second time that night, the uninfected found themselves in the graces of an infected individual. As much as they would prefer to be in an entirely different situation, the world was ending around them, it wasn’t a time for fun.

“Pinkie… how did you get bitten?” Twilight spoke softly, causing the mare to turn around and face her friend.

“Oh! Well I found this really cute colt and we started talking then started walking then he asked me if I wanted to find somewhere for a boink and I was like ‘totally’ cause I needed to burn off so steam you know? So we found a place nice and quiet and I boinked him then he boinked me and it felt amazing!” Pinkie paused, her tone because a little more depressed. “But then somepony busted us and I was like ‘hey! We’re having fun in here!’ but then they were like ‘bluh’ and I was like ‘bleh’ and he went like ‘ugh’ and I was like ‘nuh-uh’ and then he bit me and I bit him, then he bit my cute friend and then next thing I knew I was a zombie with an unyielding hunger for pony flesh!” Pinkie smiled, but her smile was rather unsettling with the bits of flesh stuck in her teeth and the red saliva that covered them. A rather long winded explanation that was a bit way too much for everyone to hear. So much that Copper had covered Sunshine’s ears to protect what little innocence she had left.

“It was a ton of fun until the whole zombie attack. I was really enjoying myself, yah know?” Pinkie continued before she gasped excitedly. “Twilight I could totally help you get some D! Because you clearly need it. I know a cute colt down in Ponyville who could-”

“Alright! Certain acts aside with certain individuals, we can’t lollygag around here. We need to get out of here and to the armory,” Raven cut in as she cut off the zombie mares rant. They were running on borrowed time here. If they wanted to live they needed to get moving.

“Oh the armory!” Pinkie jumped in, her previous conversation completely forgotten. “If you go through the kitchen there, it’ll take you right towards the west access hallway. Go down the stairs and it's the third door on the right!” Pinkie explained as she pointed and waved her arms around like wild as if she was making an invisible map. “The east access is too far away and guarded by a lot of mean looking ponies. They’ll actually eat you guys.”

With a nod, Raven waved them all towards the kitchen, passing off Sunshine to her boyfriend yet again, who led the filly away with a scared look. Copper eased her along, prompting her to glance up at him.

"What does boink mean?" she asked innocently.

"Uhhh… I'll tell you when you're older," Copper dismissed with a small blush.

Raven turned to follow them, just about to speak before a hand landed on her shoulder. She froze, turning to face the zom…

The mare that had helped them.

Pinkie wasn’t hostile or ravenous, she was saddened and worried. Bloody tears streamed down her matted cheeks as she openly cried. Raven slowly turned to face the mare as Pinkie lowered her arm. “I’m sorry… for… all the mean things I said about you. Just… promise me that you’ll keep them all safe?” Pinkie held her mangled hands to her chest, nervously rubbing her knuckles as she gave the princess her best puppy dog eyes.

Raven’s gaze drifted to the floor before she spared the kitchen door a glance from over her shoulder. They had all been looking towards her for guidance. They were her responsibility despite the conflicts she had with them all. They were the future, after all.

“I’ll do it to the best of my ability,” Raven promised.

That brought an appreciative smile to Pinkie’s lips before she pulled Raven in close for one last hug. Raven returned it, consoling the distraught mare one last time before she died.

“You smell really nice!”

Raven shoved Pinkie back and took a defensive stance as Pinkie playfully giggled into her hand. After a second, Raven let out a sigh, her heart racing from the horrible spike it just had a moment ago. Embarrassed, the princess relaxed her stance and rubbed her arm with equal embarrassment.

“Sorry, I couldn’t help myself,” Pinkie admitted sheepishly as she rubbed the back of her neck. “It’s Nightmare Night after all.” With a tilt of her head and a point of her thumb towards the other door, Pinkie spoke as she walked away. “I’ll distract them as best as I can. You guys just get to the armory. Okay?”

“Got it!” Raven nodded as they parted ways.

Stepping through the kitchen doors, Raven was greeted by the others who had been waiting. She scooped up a knife, it was flimsy, but a weapon was a weapon as she headed for the locked back door, peeking out the window and into the hallway.

“You killed her… didn't you?”

“Dash!”

Raven slowly turned around, eyeing the blue pegasus that glared her into the ground. Rainbow pushed her way past Rarity and Applejack, only freezing when Raven pressed her knife against Dash’s throat.

“You did, didn’t you?” Dash hissed as she ground her teeth together angrily. “She was cognitive but that didn’t matter because she was infected, right? So you killed her!”

“I didn’t kill her…” Raven hissed back defensively.

“Yes you did!”

“Hey you guys! Over here!”

Dash blinked, shoving Raven out of the way and pressing her face against the glass on the door. Just down the hallway to the left, Pinkie stood on the tips of her hooves and waved her hand over her head excitedly. The infected in the middle and opposing end of the hallway, turned and shuffled to face the mare.

“I found some poor schmuck that’s realllllly tasty! Just down this hallway!” Pinkie hollered with a point of her finger down the hallway next to her. The responding infected either took her words to heart… or what was probably more accurate, were simply drawn to the sound she made. Numerous different walking corpses shuffled and moaned, slowly meandering their way down the hallway and towards Pinkie. Dash watched in awe as the first zombie lifted its shaky arms, reaching out towards the mare. It tripped on its own hooves, landing right in Pinkie’s arms. True to her word, Pinkie was indeed infected, as the mare she caught pawed and pushed at the mare holding her.

Whap.

“Ow!” Dash hissed, rubbing the back of her head and turning around to face an angry looking Twilight who had just thwacked her on the back of the head. “What?”

“Pinkie’s distracting them for us!” Twilight hissed before she gestured towards the door with a tilt of her head. “Come on! We can’t let this go to waste.” Twilight was first to open the door, checking for any lingering dead before she took Spike by the hand and led him along. Copper and Sunshine were next, followed by Rarity and Fluttershy. Raven spared Dash a ‘told you so’ glare before she left the room, knife at the ready as she gave Pinkie an appreciative thumbs up. Dash was last, leaving the room but hesitating as she stared down the hallway and towards her friend.

Pinkie felt a gaze on her, turned her head and smiled at her friend with a gentle wave of her hand. Dash’s face became somber and wrinkled as her emotions got the best of her. Pinkie, despite being annoying sometimes, was still her friend and this would be the last time she saw her. So without a word and a weak wave, Dash buried her face in her elbow as she ran off and out of sight.

Pinkie stood there, giving her own moist eyes a wipe of her sleeve before turning her head towards the dead she had gathered. They were almost like a bunch of drunks, lost in their own little realm as they stumbled into walls, decorations, or one another.

Thump…

Pinkie blinked, turning her head back towards the hallway her friends had left through. Her decrepit ear twitched when she heard another heavy thumping. Followed by another and another. It was getting louder and heavier, all from the same place just down the hallway.She took off in a trot, heading towards the sound, following her ears as she rounded corners and down a few hallways. The banging was becoming louder and more frequent, as if somepony was trying to open something. Thump… thump… thump… ever closer she came before she rounded one last corner and found where the banging was coming from.

The main castle doors.

They banged and buckled, the locking beam barely holding firm, cracking further with each heavy strike. The moans of the damned were loud and ferocious, bleeding through the cracks and the walls. They knew there was food within and they desired that flesh for their own good. Pinkie's eyes went wide, but before Pinkie could even take another step, the support beam shattered, the doors smashing open as dozens of the dead tumbled inside the main entrance way. They tripped and trampled over one another, shuffling into the castle, sniffing out the deliciousness of living tissue.

“Oh boy…” Pinkie muttered before she took a deep breath in preparation for what she was about to scream.

“EVERYPONY RUN!”

The survivors froze in the hallway, turning around towards where the shout came from. They could barely make out the words, but the warning was there. Something wicked this way comes and it was after them all.

Moans and gags, hisses and gargling echoed off the hallways, looming shadows of the damned painted on the walls. Eyes went wide and gasps filled their lungs as hundreds of the dead poured into the hallway like a wave. They smelled the living and were eager to feed their never ending hunger. They pushed and bumped into one another, their weak muscles pushing them along at a faster pace than before.

“Go!” Raven ordered, knocking everyone from their frozen states. She struck a creature that got too close, busting her knife in the process before shoving the still living corpse away and briefly creating a speed bump in the flow. Copper frantically scooped up Sunshine and made a run for it while Twilight grabbed Spike by the wrist and dragged him along. Dash was next in line, followed by Rarity and Fluttershy. Applejack grabbed Raven by the back of her dress, shoving her forward before the larger mare pushed past the others and towards the front of the group, taking the lead.

They ran for their lives with the dead hot on their heels. They dared not look back knowing that doing so could bring them certain doom.

At the head of the pack, Applejack followed the signs and arrows, each pointing and guiding them towards the armory. When they came to the first door, she practically tore it off its hinges, waving everyone down the steps. They skipped and shuffled their hooves and feet down the steps, knowing that a fall would be more than fatal. Being the last one through, Raven tried to slam the door shut, but to no avail as the dead were already too close, nearly catching her in the process as they clawed at the door. She skipped down the steps while the infected, being very uncoordinated, tripped and fell. Raven damn near rode the wave of the damned with how fast they fell down the stairs.

With hearts near bursting capacity and lungs burning, the survivors all hit the floor in a trot, sprinting towards the vault that was the armory.

At the back of the pack, Rarity’s hoof clipped the edge of the second to last step, twisting her ankle painfully as her momentum took her to the floor with a grunt and a yelp. Fluttershy had been right behind her, which caused her to inadvertently kick Rarity in the stomach as she tripped over her friend, sending her tumbling down the hallway with a roll. Unbeknownst to what was happening at the base of the stairs, Raven was full race down the stairs, her eyes going wide as she too, tumbled over Rarity and smashing right into Fluttershy, taking her to the ground a second time. Both of them groaned in pain, propping themselves up and looking at one another before they turned back towards Rarity.

It was too late.

Rarity let out a blood curdling scream as mutilated hands pawed at the tail of her costume, dragging her into a feeding frenzy as they piled around her flailing form. She begged and screamed for help and mercy, but there were just too many of them as they swarmed around her. They bit into her and ate her alive, tearing chunks of flesh from her body and prying her guts from her abdomen. A truly gruesome way to die. It was like watching Kubrowdons on the Vallis.

“RARITY!” Fluttershy screamed at the top of her lungs. The desperate mare went to stand in a desperate attempt to go and try to help her friend, but Raven grabbed the pegasus by the scruff of her collar and dragged her the opposite way.

“She’s already dead! At least her suffering is over!” Raven shouted as she forced the pegasus forward. Unfortunately, her words were nothing but lies as Rarity's voice and gargling could still be heard over the feasting. They still weren't out of the woods yet as many more infected streamed around the feeding pile, still on the hunt for more victims.

At the front of the survivors group, Copper could see the door to the armory, but as he tried to come to a sliding halt, his hooves lost traction, sending both him and Sunshine to the floor, the latter sliding from his grasp. The poor filly whimpered painfully, sitting up and slowly opening her eyes.

She screamed in horror as a zombie reached out for her, it’s jagged maw dripping with black tar.

“Hng-guh!” A grunt resonated deep within Applejack’s chest as she punched the monster with such force that it dislocated its jaw. She didn't have time to throw another strike when another infected came after her, pinning her to the wall as she held the creature back with an arm to the neck and a hand to the head, trying to push it back while simultaneously attempting to not get bit. Applejack grit her teeth, seeing as the previous corpse rose out of the corner of her eye.

Copper sent it toppling to the floor with a firm kick to the gut before grabbing the back of the shirt on the other and throwing it off Applejack before scooping up Sunshine yet again and shoving open the armory door. Rainbow Dash was the first to slip inside, followed quickly by Spike and Twilight. They shouted at Raven and Fluttershy, waving them inside before slamming the door shut. Both Copper and Applejack were a flurry as they engaged the many locks with a series of clicks and thumping before Applejack finished it all off by slamming the thick, cedar lock bar into place before she rested her hands on the door, just making sure that if the door didn't hold, she would be there to keep it sealed.

Panting and exhausted, but safe, they all turned to face one another with relieving smiles.

"Consarnit…" Everyone turned to face the scarecrow, watching as she slowly turned around, grasping her right hand as she pressed her back to the door, sliding down it and onto the floor. Everyone gasped in horror, a fresh bite wound on the webbing between her thumb and pointer finger. "And ah was doin' so good too."

A quick glance around and Raven pulled a semi clean rag that was resting on the tip of a spear, gently rolling it up before rendering aid to her wounded companion, wrapping her hand before tying it off. Applejack hissed at the pain, but powered through it.

"Wait…"

Everyone turned towards a distraught Rainbow, who was frantically looking around the room as though she had lost something.

"Where's Rarity?"

Raven slowly stood, the only other creature in the room that didn't try to find their missing friend. All eyes soon fell on Raven, who lowered her head, silently informing them about the loss of their friend. She didn't want to be the one to say it, but they had a right to know…

"She tripped…"

Spike fell backwards, hitting the floor as he sat there in a state of utter shock. Applejack lowered her head as well while the others processed the information they had just been told. Dash seemed to be taking it the hardest. She shook violently in anger, clenching her fists in rage. Dash was losing it and this was the tipping point.

"You whore!" Dash screamed at the top of her lungs as she lifted her head. Her face was red with rage, tears streaming down her face. She was in emotional agony, her heart finally breaking. "You tripped her, didn't you! To save your own damn hide!"

Dash charged the princess, fist held high with illicit intent and making Raven go wide eyed. But before Raven could even move to counter or dodge, a yellow and pink blur stepped between the two. Dash didn't have time to pull back, striking the mare with all her strength. Poor Rainbow gasped at what she just did, pulling her hands back and covering her muzzle in utter disbelief as Fluttershy lay on the floor just to the right, propping herself up on shaky arms as blood dripped onto the floor beneath her.

No pony dared to speak.

"Rarity… tripped… Rainbow," Fluttershy whimpered out with her head hung low and mane hiding her face. "I was right behind her, Dashie… she slipped on the last step… the princess was right behind her and tripped too…"

Dash tried to respond, she really did, but everything was too much for her to handle right now. From the loss of her friends, to this entire night being a massive disaster. She just couldn't take it emotionally anymore as she finally broke, staring at nothing as tears streamed down her cheeks. Applejack continued to sit there, staring at her downed friend before she pushed herself to her hooves and gently moved Raven out of the way.

"Dash?" she asked softly.

Dash's thousand meter stare slowly drifted over and up at the apple farmer as the two locked eyes for just a moment…

"Oof!"

Dash grunted and coughed, the wind being knocked from her lungs when Applejack's closed fist socked her friend square in the sternum. Dash landed in a painful heap on the floor as Applejack slammed her hoof down next to Rainbow, looking over her like a kid that just struck their bully.

"Will yah stop blaming everypony!" Applejack snapped down at the pegasus. "That's all yah done all night! Yah blamed the princess, yah blamed the hospital, yah blamed that poor guard fer doing his job! I'm sick of it, Dash!"

"But… you got bit…" Dash moaned in one last attempt to defend her actions.

"Tryin' ta save that filly!" Applejack shot back, leveling a finger towards Sunshine, who was sobbing into Cooper's shirt. "Everything taday has been out of our control. Accept it!"

"H-How can I?" Dash wheezed.

"Because it's the world we live in…" Applejack admitted. "I couldn't do nothin' when my parents died and you could do nothin' when Rarity did too. The sooner you accept that the sooner yah can move on with yur life…"

Rainbow shuddered as a couple of errand, remorseful tears hit the floor beneath her. Perhaps it was her hatred, or more likely her means to cope through this tragic situation. The princess, her friends, innocent ponies all killed on a night that was supposed to be fun and exciting. Applejack was right too. The guards didn't know, they wanted to see their friend and subsequently opened an investigation, they had that authority. She was also right about death being out of her control. She was so focused on escaping that she never saw Rarity fall, she just assumes the princess did it. It was unfortunate that it had to happen on a night where ponies dress up as monsters and take things as jokes. Dash shuddered once again, slamming her fist against the floor.

"Come on y'all, yah don't have time ta doddle," Applejack reminded them. "Find some armor and weapons that fit."

All around them were racks and racks of weapons such as spears, swords, and many other weapons while sets and sets of armor rested on lines of racks that went deep into the mountainside. All of the survivors helped one another to find protective gear that fit. They all stripped out of their costumes, the boys helping each other while the girls helped themselves.

"You know…" Spike started softly as he turned his head away from the mares. They had all opted to stay in eyesight of one another despite undressing as far as they all did. "I never thought I'd see a mare naked like this…."

"Enjoy it while you can dude," Copper replied as he pulled his protective shirt over his head before pulling his chainmail shirt over his head. "Who knows when you'll get to see it again."

Spike sighed remorsefully before he rested his hand on his shoulder, trying to see the spot where he had been bitten. But there wasn't even a mark on his scales.

"You got a thick hide."

Spike nodded dully as he went back to putting on his armor. Towards the back of the room, Twilight had a helmet in her magic that she had just finished altering before she caught it in her hands and slipped it over Sunshine's little head. Raven knelt with a gentle clattering of her armor before she grabbed the chin straps on the helmet and tightened it.

"You okay in there sweetie?"

"Yeah," came the muffled reply.

Sunshine looked really cute in her tiny set of armor. "Okay." Raven smiled as she stood, patting Sunshine on the head. "Alright! I want all gear tight and locked down!" Raven addressed. Rainbow was in the process of fitting Fluttershy with wing guards while Copper helped Spike protect his tail. "Straps taught, necks and extremities covered, no exposed skin anywhere! Grab a shield, grab a spear, and a sword. You two!" Raven pointed at Dash and Fluttershy. "I want you guys to be our drones from the air, take crossbows and cover us!"

Dash nodded, tightening Fluttershy's armor before stepping away and grabbing a pair of cross bows and quivers.

"I'll take point, Twilight watch the rear, Copper, stay with the kids. We're going to move fast and hard. The royal engine is located about six blocks due east of the castle," Raven finished.

"I'll try ta distract them for ya. Clear you all a path while I'm at it," Applejack cut in as she tightened the straps on one of her wrist guards. Once that was tight, she slammed her armored fists together with a bang. "Toss me that hammer."

Raven grabbed the war hammer in question, tossing it to the mare. "Want the other one?"

"Sure."

Applejack caught the second one, one in each hand.

An awkwardness befell them all. Fluttershy, with her pink mane poking out from the top of her helmet, was the first to step forward and embraced her friend in one last fateful hug, her sobbing muffled by her helmet. Twilight was next, who was joined in by Spike as they hugged their larger friend. Rainbow was last, hugging her best friend as well. She wanted to make some witty remark or one last bet, but her heart couldn't take it.

"Ah love you all," Applejack said with a proud smile. "Don't you ever forget that." She then turned towards Twilight, making the armored unicorn perk up. "Watch after Applebloom for me."

"I will," Twilight nodded.

"Be safe y'all!" With that, Applejack turned towards the door, cracking her neck loudly before she stuck her right leg out, leaning on it to stretch her mighty muscles. She did the same with her other leg before standing and giving each arm a tug too. "Oh princess?" Applejack asked as she turned to face the human. "Take care of them. They're family, yah hear? I'll also be seein' you in Tartarus. Got that?"

Raven nodded.

Applejack acknowledged it with one of her own before turning and facing the door once more. Spike and Copper took up position, slowly and methodically unlocking the door.

"Hey Thunder Thighs!"

Applejack turned back yet again to see over her shoulder, watching the princess intently.

"Heroes never die. They just go to hell and regroup." Raven lifted an armored hand and pointed it right at Applejack. "Save me a spot. We'll meet up and fight our way out!"

That brought smirk to the apple farmer's muzzle before she turned and gave the warrior princess an approving thumbs up.

"Ready?" Copper asked.

No, she wasn't.

Just before she went to reply, a strange thought entered her mind. Well, more of a memory of when she was a teen with her childhood friend. They had been in the fields, working the harvest one year. When they were on break, her friend sang a line, a parody of a famous song.

These thighs were made for bucki'... and that's just what they'll do! These thighs are gonna buck all over, you!

It made her smile.

"Ready!"

Spike and Copper shared a nod, pulling the door open.

The first infected didn't even make it past the threshold as Applejack let out a throaty grunt, kicking the creature with such force that it cracked the stone on the opposing wall upon impact. The farm mare came out swinging as the two boys slammed the door shut behind her, locking her out fully. Applejack swung and kicked, shattering bone and skulls, soaking her once amazing fur in blood and gore. She strewn out bodies as each moaning victim perished at her hand.

If ahm gonna die… I'm goin' out swingin!

"Come on you undead varmints! There's a whole buffet right here!" She accentuated her point by giving her ass a slap, urging them to come and try to take a bite out of her.

Applejack grabbed a bloody collar of one large stallion, pinning its throat while its jaws clapped, gnashing teeth mere inches from her face. She used him as a makeshift shield, bulldozing her way into the crowd. She tossed the poor sod with all her might, bludgeoning several more in the process.

"Ah!" Applejack grit her teeth when one snuck up behind her, biting into her shoulder. "Let… go… of… me!" She demanded between ruthless strikes, pounding in the monsters skull further and further before it let go. Panting, she held the wound with a hand, blood trickling between her fingers.

Just then, a high pitched and familiar groan and gargle grabbed the mare's attention. Applejack watched as the familiar mermaid costume of what used to be her friend shuffled along the hallway. Rarity was almost mutilated beyond recognition. Most of the flesh on her arms was missing, revealing the bone underneath. Her right leg was twisted and mangled, guts dangling from the hole in her abdomen. She was missing an eye and an ear and a good chunk out of her cheek. Lastly, her once pristine fur was soaked in blood.

Sure wasn't going to win any beauty pageants looking like that…

"Yah know, Rarity?" Applejack said as she addressed the corpse, releasing her injury and tightening her grip on her weapons. Zombie Rarity only responded with a gargling wail as Applejack gave her neck another loud crack. "A part of me always wanted ta kill ya after that botched underwear shoot you made me do!

"Het-guh!"

With a grunt, AJ lifted her weapons over her head, swinging at the walking corpse before her…

The sounds of fighting trickled through the door as Applejack made her final stand. The dead moaned and gurgled as they were struck down, nothing but roadblocks to the titan. But pretty soon, the fighting trickled off down the hallway and out of ear shot. The survivors had waited in silence, not wanting to address the elephant in the room.

"Hey Raven?" Spike whispered as he poked his friend with an armored claw. "Where is your fancy suit?"

"He… is with Harrow and the others. They wanted to do something with him," Raven admitted before she grabbed her metal helmet and slid it over. "Otherwise I would be using him."

"Can't you teleport him to you?"

"Not from this distance," she admitted. "Even I have limits." With a sigh, Raven slipped her helmet over her head, strapping it down before giving it a few taps as she stood. "Come on. We're on borrowed time."

Everyone shuffled about as they took their positions and weapons. Copper and Raven took the lead, opening the door and stepping out, each facing the opposite direction. When they saw that no infected were after them, they relaxed a little bit.

"Applejack did this?" Copper commented as he looked out over the carnage. Bodies upon bodies lay unmoving on the floor, piled high and all beaten to death. Fully to death this time.

"It's amazing what you can do when you're mad," Raven added before she gestured towards the same direction they had come from "Come on!"

They all clattered along, stepping over and even on bodies as they worked their way down the hallway. They followed the clear pathway to the stairs, where even more dead lay in crumpled heaps on the stairs. They were all so distracted that they didn't even notice that they stepped past a familiar mare…

The squad came back out onto the main floor, more bodies acting as gruesome bread crumbs all the way to the main doors of the castle. Dash was really happy now that she didn't make a bet, she would have lost! Applejack had given them a great opportunity that would not go to.waste of be forgotten.

Raven brought the group to a halt just before the main entrance, peeking out into the courtyard. Some infected still lingered and even trickled in through the front gate. A glance at the floor found a pool of blood at her feet. She stuck her armored glove it, rubbing the tar with her fingers. She had a theory and it just might work. Raven smeared the gunk along her breastplate. She smeared more and more on before she felt like she had a good enough coating applied.

"What are you doing? That wreaks!" Twilight hissed.

"Camouflage," Raven countered. "Here goes something."

Much to the behest and complaints of the others, Raven stepped out and approached a walker. The poor stallion shuffled along, heading towards her direction. The princess froze, tightening her grip.on her spear and shield just in case as she waited with bated breath as he got ever closer…

And walked right past her.

She let out the breath she had been holding, moving her head just enough to see over her shoulder to make sure he didn't come back. As soon as she felt as though the walker was far enough away, she waved for the other to do the same. With a bit of hesitation, they smothered themselves in blood.

"Ew… it's stinky! Why do we need to do this?" Sunshine whimpered while Copper rubbed down her armor.

"To hide from the monsters," he whispered. "Now stay with Miss Twilight and Mister Spike okay? They'll keep you safe." Twilight offered her hand, which Sunshine took before they all trotted out into the courtyard. Quickly and quietly, they moved past a feeding pile that was munching on some poor soul. Most of them spared it a glance and nothing more, but Dash noticed something protruding out between a pair of legs.

A lone, gauntlet protected hand.

"Applejack…" Dash muttered. Her face contorted into tears and rage before she took two steps towards the pile, ready to shout.

There was a soft tinking when a spear shaft hit her chest, halting her.

"You alert the horde and we all die," Raven whisper-shouted as she gave her weapon a circle wave.

"I can't just let them disrespect her like that!" Dash shot back.

"You want to fight that?" Raven questioned with a gesture of her spear at the numerous walkers gathered around the body. "Or them?" She pointed at the many that still roamed the courtyard. Dash lowered her head out of spite, knowing that Raven was right. She would be putting them all at risk. "Even in death she's saving our lives. It's impressive she made it this far. Let her have her death."

"Girls!" "Twilight hissed.

Raven was the first to go, followed shortly by Dash, leaving the apple farmer behind for the last time. Sticking to the plan, Dash and Fluttershy -the latter struggling under the weight of her armor- took to the air while the others moved through the streets. Sure enough, Raven's theory was working, the blood masking their scent. From up above, the pegasi could really see the destruction. Buildings burned while the dead roamed the streets. Many feasted on those that were alive before being caught while many windows were silhouetted within walkers.

What a mess…

It took the group a bit longer than they had liked to finally reach the royal train station, slipping past the protective fence and into the building itself. Sure enough, the train engine and many attached cars waited inside. They all quickly ran for the engine, climbing the ladders and boarding the first passenger car via a short ladder. Once the pride of the train fleet, the sleek and elegant white and gold trim train was now their saving grace.

"Twi, help me with the engine. I'm not exactly sure how to start it," Raven ordered as she set her weapon down and made a beeline for the forward door.

"Got it!" Twilight followed the human, turning around and addressing her other friends before exiting the car. "Dash, Fluttershy? Could you please get on the roof and watch our backs?"

Dash nodded before slapping her pegasus friend on the chest with the back of her glove, making Flutter's squeak. "Come on 'Shy, let's make sure nothing sneaks up on us."

"O-Okay…"

While they did that, Raven opened the door to the engine room and stepped inside. She looked around the room before grabbing a book and sparing it a curious glance.

"Here," she tossed it to Twilight, who caught it and turned it around. "Maybe you can tell me how to start this behemoth."

Twilight thumbed to the first page reading the manual before pointing at a red lever. "Pull that, then press the red button over there."

While they worked to get the train online, Raven glanced back out the window at the many cars behind them. She took a deep breath and whistled to those on top of the first car, grabbing their attention.

"How many cars are attached!?"

Dash stepped over before taking to the air and hovering overhead. "A lot! Why!?"

"We only need one! No point in taking the whole train!"

"W-What should we do then?" Fluttershy responded as Dash hovered over her.

"There should be a lever or a handle that keeps them connected! Pull on it to disconnect the train!" Raven hollered back.

"Flutters?" Fluttershy turned to face her still hovering friend. "Go get the pin."

"W-Why me!?" Fluttershy gasped.

"Because I can protect you better than you could protect me, " Dash replied as she scanned the train yard. "I won't hesitate to kill something if it gets too close."

It was… sound logic and Fluttershy didn't like it.

"O-Okay…"

With a bit of hesitancy, Fluttershy glided down to the lower platform, then hopped onto the locking mechanism. Sure enough, there was a handle for her to pull on. So, with a shaky hand, she grasped the handle with her right, then her left. Getting her hoofing right, she tugged with all her might.

Nothing…

"Oh I hate this…" she whimpered.

But her friends needed her to do this. So the little pegasus that could tugged and tugged, twisting and jerking with everything she had. The handle barely budged the first couple of times, but after so good elbow grease and a lot of whimpering, the pin pulled free. But her momentum caused her hoof to slip, falling between the two locking mechanisms. Now free, both cars on the train came loose, but then just as quickly as they popped free, they settled back into place.

Crushing Fluttershy's hoof and shin in the process.

The poor mare screamed in agony at the top of her lungs, tears streaming down her face at the horrible agony that was coming from her leg. She whined and whimpered, biting her lower lip as she tried to pull her mangled hoof free.

Then, came the gargle…

Fluttershy's eyes went wide as a mutilated hand grasped the bottom edge of the train, followed by a second as a walker, gagging on blood and wearing a tattered train workers uniform pulled himself out from under the train.

"DASH! DASHIE PLEASE! HE-E-ELP M-E-HE-HEEEE!" Poor Fluttershy could move despite how hard she tried. The creature crawled out from under the train, slowly climbing to its feet and grasping at her leg. It's hands grasped her calf, opening its jagged muzzle before biting down on her calf.

Or, it would have if it's teeth didn't harmlessly click on her bronze shinguard.

Letting out a grunt of confusion, the monster bit again and again, breaking teeth off in the process as it failed to get at the soft insides. But it didn't keep Fluttershy from screaming any further. The monster continued, failing more and more with each bite, only accomplishing in smearing blood on the guard. As it pulled away to get an even harder bite, the thwack of a string and crunch of an arrow filled the air as the monster jerked to its right, hitting its head on the train car's locking mechanism.

Dash landed a moment later, apologizing profusely. "Flutter's I'm so sorry! The bow wouldn't shoot and I could release the string!" But Fluttershy didn't care as she grasped at her friend's armor, sobbing into her chest uncontrollably. "SOMEPONY MOVE THE TRAIN!" Dash screamed at the top of her lungs as she consoled her friend.

"What?" Copper asked as he opened the door, finding both mares stuck between the cars. "Raven move the train!"

The two sat there for what felt like an eternity before the train car finally moved forward. Fluttershy pulled her leg free with a gasp and a wail, Dash supporting her while they limped into the car. Dash grunted as she dropped Fluttershy into the closest seat, quickly removing her helmet before pulling off Fluttershy's.

"You're okay, Flutter's, alright? You're a big girl. Stay strong alright!" Dash consoled her friend while Copper started rendering aid. "We're gonna get you to Ponyville General and they're going to patch you up good as new!"

That felt like a bit of a stretch as Fluttershy's hoof was up horribly and her metal guards were dented into her skin. Copper held his dressing in place with a hand before he pointed down the aisle.

"Spike, there's a roll of duct tape towards the front, bring it here!"

"On it!"

"This is going to hurt," Copper warned Fluttershy. The poor girl held a hand to her muzzle, gritting her teeth in preparation.

"MHPH!"

Copper pulled his knot tight around the wound, making her scream into her knuckles and slam her other fist on the bench. Copper caught the roll of tape Spike had tossed to him before pulling a good strip free with a rip before he wrapped her wound.

At the front of the train, Raven and Twilight got the engines started. "Okay… I think we're good, we just need to get the gates open."

"Uh… not going to be that easy…" Twilight muttered before she pointed out the passenger window. Confused, Raven stood and peered out as well. Sure enough, numerous infected corpses appeared to be shuffling around the train yard. "They look like the train crew."

"They are the train crew," Raven answered. "Damn… we need that gate open."

Just then, the door to the engine propped open. "Hey? What's our ETA? Fluttershy's hurt and we need to get out of here!" Dash said as she stepped inside.

Both Twilight and Raven looked at one another as their answer literally just walked in the door.

"Hey ten second to cum, guess what you get to do!" Raven pointed with a finger gun towards the front gate and past the lumbering walkers. "We need that gate open and you get to do it!"

"What did you just call me?" Dash narrowed her eyes in anger. "Better yet, why do I have to do it? Why can't you!"

Twilight groaned as she pinched the bridge of her nose. "Because it would be easier and safer for you to fly over to the gate and unlock it and fly back. Honestly you would be done by know if you just did it…"

"But-"

"Just go Dash!" Twilight snapped. Her exasperation had finally boiled over as she let her friend have it. "I swear! You are the worst on the best of days and unbearable on the worst!" Twilight sighed exhaustively as she slumped back into the engineers seat. "We'll distract the dead, just get the gate unlocked and open…"

With a huff, Dash exited the engine car and climbed onto the roof, thumping her way to the front.

"She reminds me of you," Twilight commented.

"I don't blame ponies for actions out of my control," Raven countered as they rose from their seats and stepped out into the engines walkway. "Aim for those barrels," Raven pointed.

Twilight manifested a small ball of magic in her palm, firing it across the platform, striking a series of stacked barrels. They toppled and banged, clattering and rolling across the ground. That seemed to do the trick, causing the infected to lift their heads and moan, shuffling towards the noises to investigate. Meanwhile, at the front of the engine, Dash watched for an opening waiting patiently until the gate was clear. Then with a single flap of her wings, she landed before the gate, grumbling under her breath before unlocking the slide lock before pushing the doors open just enough for momentum to take over. Dash made a quick retreat back for the train, landing back on the engine walkway with a huff.

Raven threw the engine into drive, slowly causing the beast to lumber forward. A resonating bang filled the air as the engines plow struck the iron gates, causing them to crash against the fence.

"Should we be worried about infected climbing aboard?" Twilight questioned.

"They don't seem coordinated enough to do such a thing," Raven replied before shifting the train into second gear. "They probably would have done it by now if they were after us." Raven leaned forward to better see out the window when she spotted something problematic. "Damn…"

"What?"

"We need to change the tracks to get her on the mains," Raven explained. A glance out the window towards the back of the train confirmed that they had gathered a bit of a following. They must have been drawn by the engine and the gates smashing about.

"I'll deal with it!" Rainbow growled as she stepped past the open window with her crossbow in hand. The mare took her stance and leveled her bow, taking aim down the weapons sights. She spotted the transfer lever, slowly closing her left eye…

She took the shot.

With a whistle the arrow rapidly accelerated from the weapon, flexing and bending as it flew over the land.

Only to miss and stick in the ground several meters past the target.

"Ah!" Dash's eye twitched in utter disbelief. That was impossible! Her aim was tried and true and this always worked in the Daring Do books! There was no way she missed! It was a joke, she could hit it again. Practice shot!

But before Dash could even reload, the lever was encased in a violet aura, tilting with a low rumble as it transferred the tracks onto the main line.

"This isn't some hero moment Dash, just let it go," Twilight spoke softly from inside the cab as her magic dissipated. Rainbow grit her teeth, storming off and back into the first cabin car.

Twilight and Raven remained in the engine, bringing the train up to speed. It rumbled along, easily out pacing the crowd it had gathered while it ran over those that couldn't get out of the way fast enough. Now that they were on the main, Raven let out a sigh of relief, setting the train to a good coasting speed. They spiraled their way down the tracks and off the mountain.

But they still weren't out of the woods yet…

The quarantine shield was creeping up very quickly.

"Come on Mom, open the shield…" Raven prayed as they got dangerously close to crashing.

But just as they thought they were about to meet their demise in a fiery explosion, a hole, just big enough for the train to fit through opened, letting the locomotive to race on through before the shield closed before anything more could escape.

Both Raven and Twilight let out a sigh of relief, sharing relieving smiles with one another. Now free, Raven gave the horn a tug, signaling their clean escape and move to freedom.

They did it.

But at what cost?

However, they still needed to get off the mountain. So, Raven and Twilight stood, facing one another awkwardly before they embraced one another in a much needed hug.

Twilight sniffled as she finally lost her composure. "I'm sorry…" she whimpered.

"Me too," Raven replied softly, remorsefully.

Without a word, they headed towards the passenger car, Raven closing the door in the process while the others stood to greet them. They shared hugs and kisses, tears too as they embraced one another.

"You okay back there Fluttershy?" Twilight called out to her friend. Fluttershy still sat at the back of the car, only her pink mane and ears poking out over the top of the seats. She waved a shaky hand, indicating that she was still with them.

Round and round they went down the slope as the train rumbled along the tracks before it eventually hit the valley floor and headed towards Ponyville. While the survivors talked and made plans for the future, Copper winced when a blinding light hit him in the eye. He threw up a hand to shield his eyes as he and the others stood. Moving towards the right side of the train, they watched as the sun rose in the east, rapidly ascending into the sky at a dangerously fast pace.

"Why is the sun rising? It's only two a.m!" Dash gasped in disbelief.

"Mom probably can't take the infection any longer," Raven theorized as they watched the sun take heed over the capital city.

Then, it happened.

A blinding white beam of energy, brighter than even the sun, shot from the sun and towards the castle.

Standing on the main balcony of the castle, Celestia stood, her horn ignited with a white hue. Blood dripped from her eyes as she openly cried. Strewn out in the throne room, her once trusted guards laid un-moving, the infection having consumed their minds, turning them into ravenous monsters. Much to her dismay, Celestia had been forced to put them all down lest her plan fail.

Deep in the castle bowels, Rarity lay un-moving, what remained of her body was nothing but a mangled mess of blood and gore where she had been struck down.

In the courtyard, Pinkie wandered out past her dead companions, heading for one body in particular. Slowly she sat, grabbing the mutilated upper torso that had been crawling along, flipping it over and hugging her friend. Applejack, poor Applejack had been dismembered from her lower half, leaving her guts strewn out behind her while her upper torso was ravaged with bite marks and missing flesh. She gargled and gagged, waving her bone exposed arms around while Pinkie just sat there, stroking what remained of her friend's mane while she stared up at the sky and awaited the sweet release of death.

The beam of energy connected with Celestia's horn, before she was engulfed by a lethal flash of white energy.

The survivors watched in horror as Canter Mountain vanished in a blinding light, forcing them all to shield their eyes. First came the rumble, a deafening roar of energy that shook the train, threatening to derail them in the process. Then came the heat, so hot that it melted the paint right off the side of the train and caused the survivors to sweat in their armor, the car acting like a makeshift oven. But just as soon as it had started, it was over.

Panting, the living slowly opened their eyes, peering out over the landscape and watching with bated breath as Canter Mountain burned. Flames roared as black smoke billowed into the heavens. What remained of Canterlot's support structure buckled before collapsing onto the mountain side. At the mountains peak was nothing but a smoldering crater that weakened the rest of the mountain, causing the ground to collapse in on itself before a wave of molten lava exploded out the top, showering the land below in fire.

The survivors all ran to the back of the train to get a better look, opening the door and stepping out onto the platform.

It was gone.

It was done.

"No way anything could have survived that," Raven commented.

"At least we can confirm that this is all finally over," Twilight added as she spotted Fluttershy's mane rising from behind them all. She must be curious as to what they were looking at.

Copper pulled his helmet from his head and held it under his arm. "Now we just need to-MHPH!"

Copper was cut off when a pair of hands wrapped around his head, jerking him back through the door. He screamed into his aggressors lethal grip, eyes widening in horror at the sight. With a hiss, Fluttershy threw her head back, eyes filled with hunger as she sank her teeth into his exposed face, tearing a chunk of skin from his cheek.

"Copper!"

"What!?"

Raven winced, immediately shuttering her eye when a light blinded her vision. The poor woman whimpered as she rubbed her eye with her elbow.

"What? Baby what happened?" Copper asked as she felt a hand land on her knee. Then another rested on her shoulder before pulling away. "Ugh! You're soaked in sweat!"

Raven peeked out from over her arm and took in her surroundings. Okay… she was in her room, more specifically her bed. Stardust was watching her from his perch in the corner too. Next to her, Copper held out his hand in disgust before he turned back to look at her with a worried expression. Indeed, she was soaking wet with sweat and clearly had a very intense night of sleep. That nightmare was way too fresh in her mind.

"Why don't you go take a shower while I see about getting the sheets changed?" Copper offered.

Raven nodded lethargically, slowly tossing the sheets over her legs before climbing out of bed and heading for her bathroom. Copper watched her as she went before she disappeared into the bathroom. The shower started a moment later, which prompted him to reach over and pat her side of the bed. He let out a wince of disgust at the wet feeling of the mattress being soaked in sweat.

"Definitely not sleeping there again tonight," he commented before getting out of bed as well. The cool air was a bit rough on his bare legs and upper torso, but he would manage. Heading for the door, he propped it open just enough to poke his head out and find one of his girl's guards.

"Yes, Sir Copper?" the left guard addressed.

"Uhm… could we possibly get a change of bed sheets? Raven kind of ruined these ones," he paused as many thoughts ran through his head. "We didn't do anything like that and she didn't pee the bed or anything… uhm… Raven had a nightmare…" he sheepishly admitted as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Of course, Sir!" the guard nodded. "I can have a maid clean it post haste!"

"Uhh… could you maybe just have them leave a spread just inside the door?" he requested. "I'll deal with the bed."

"Understood, Sir!" the guard nodded.

"Thank you."

With a weary sigh, Copper closed the door and rubbed the back of his head, somewhat unsure as to what he should do. With an errand glance, he headed for the bathroom.

With water streaming down her body, Raven stood, propped up against the wall with both hands, her soaked hair making a U shaped tunnel around her head. It all felt so real and it scared her. Everything she had, had been killed one by one. She felt exhausted emotionally and miserable. So much so that the princess hadn't even bothered to clean her body, just opting to stand there under the water. Her hair was also getting a bit longer than she liked.

The sound of the door opening and closing, causing her to cock her head to listen over her shoulder. A pair of furry arms wrapped around her sides as her boyfriend hugged her from behind. Raven let him ease her back, resting her back on his chest while her head rested on his right shoulder. With his left hand, he tenderly rubbed the side of her neck with the back of his fingers. She always loved that, made her feel loved and relaxed.

"Wanna talk about?"

Raven opened her eye and sighed. "There were zombies…"

"Alright, never mind! You can stop right there!"

Raven couldn't help but crack a smile as she rolled her shoulders and adjusted her head so that he could access more of her soft skin. Copper let out a breathy laugh in her ear. "I've always hated Nightmare Night."

"That's why I didn't want to talk to you about it," Raven admitted. "So anyway, zombies attacked during the party."

"Okay I get it."

"And we had to run away."

"You can stop now!"

"And a lot of ponies turned into zombies."

"Alright, stop! I get the picture!" Copper stated as he spun his giggling girl around and held her by the shoulders. His serious tone was betrayed by the playful smile he wore. "Sheesh you're going to give me nightmares now." His hardened gaze softened as he pulled her in for a much needed hug. "Feel better?"

"Yeah…" she replied softly, snuggling his moist chest fur as she wrapped her arms around his back. "I… I just don't want to lose you… I've lost too many up until now…"

"Is that what happened?"

She nodded weakly, sniffling as tears threatened to escape the corners of her eyes. Copper tightened his grip around her, squeezing her and assuring Raven that he wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.

"Well I don't plan on leaving just yet," he affirmed.

With an appreciative and loving smile, she locked her gaze with his own before leaning in for a brief kiss before once again resting her head on his chest with a pleasant sigh.

"I can hear your heartbeat."

They stayed like that for some time, simply enjoying the comfort one another created for themselves.

"What time is it?" she eventually asked.

"I think the clock read a quarter to three or something," Copper replied.

"Ugh…" I'm never going back to bed now…" Raven groaned. She released him and took a step back, pinching the bridge of her nose and giving her eyes a rub before she took a deep breath and sighed yet again. "Well, might as well get clean." She spared her boyfriend another thankful and loving smile. So she took another step forward and stood on the tips of her toes, resting her hands on his chest before pressing her lips against his own.

"Mhm…"

They deepened their kiss, Copper's hands finding her sides. He pulled her in close with a squeak. They moaned into one another's mouths, their tongues wrestling for dominance. Then, without warning, Copper hooked a hand under her right knee, lifting her leg and holding her close. He did the same with her other leg, lifting her into the air while she wrapped her arms around the back of his neck. With a couple of broad steps forward, he pinned her to the wall and forcing her to break the kiss with a gasp.

"Let's take our time.. " she suggested with a steamy gaze.

Eventually, the two lovers would once again return to bed after a quick change of the bedding. But even as the morning came, Raven still had this lingering thought of paranoia. Tonight was Nightmare Night and the castle party. But she remembered her nightmare thoroughly. So she went and checked on the guards that guarded the artifact room and was a bit unsettled when she learned those that guarded the location were not on duty. After that, she headed to the hospital and was relieved to find that they were open and welcoming. A couple of questions confirmed that no pony had been brought in with bite wounds and definitely no guards were there either.

Later that night, Raven had security increased and even went as far as changing her costume from her original skeleton couple to a pair of angels. During the party, Raven tried, she really did too, to relax and have fun, but she always found her gaze drifting towards the doors.

"Wow… that's an amazing costume!"

Raven inhaled sharply, her attention snapping towards the door. There… stood another cute little angel before…

"I know right!?" the little zombie mare beamed with pride as she gave her shirt a tug to let others see her costume. "I have a friend going to art school and she was eager to do my costume!"

Raven let out the biggest sigh of relief she ever had.

"You okay, Sweetie?" Copper whispered as he rested a hand on her shoulder. She shook her head nervously, pointing towards the door as she lowered her head to try and catch her breath. Copper followed her finger, noticing the zombie and angel giggling and laughing with one another before they turned and struck a playful pose for a photo.

"U-huh-m… P-Princess?"

Raven blinked, lifting her head slightly. She stared in awe at what stood before her. A cute little pink filly, wearing a little black dress and an eye-patch over her eye stood nervously before the human.

I know her…

This… is what Raven needed.

So she put on her best, loving smile as she knelt before the cute little filly. "Well hello there, Princess. What's your name?"

"S-Sunshine Rose…"

"Well that's a pretty name!" Raven complimented before she scooped up the filly, making her giggle in the process.

Seemingly forgetting the nightmares of that morning, human and filly giggled and played the night away.

Watching from the outside, a dark figure peered through the window with her glowing cat like eyes. Her fur was black and mane flowing in an invisible breeze, Nightshine, the former corrupted entity known as Nightmare Moon, watched her niece as she smiled and played with Sunshine Rose.

"Sometimes we all need a little nightmare in our lives. Especially on a night such as this," the mare said with a wicked smile. "Perhaps she will learn that I don't like pranks that much." She shrugged, crossing her arms while she pulled away and into a hover, looking longingly to the moon.

"Nightmare Night, Nabarus, no matter the name, we must all be aware. Sometimes the monsters are fake, sometimes they're real, but no matter what they are, remember, watch the shadows. For you may never know what lurks deep within~" her smile became wicked as she stared at something. To the naked eye, there was nothing there. But she knew, she had that power.

"Isn't that right, esteemed reader?"

Yes, I know you are there. Please, I do hope you enjoyed my wicked little tale~

Nightmare Moon flashed a dark blue, fading into nothing but particles of glittering light that twinkled in the moonlight.

Nightmare Night, Nabarus, whatever you call it, I do hope you enjoy yourselves on this night of scares, laughs, and treats. But please remember. whatever you do on this fateful night, be safe, have fun, watch the shadows and more importantly…

"Have a happy Halloween!"

As a faint cackle echoed through the frigid night air…

Chapter 41

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Chapter 41

"Raven?"

The human turned back, looking away from the book in her grasp as she looked towards the door of the throne room. She beamed at who she saw, immediately setting the tomb down and running towards the excited mare. Both Cadance and Raven rushed towards one another and immediately embraced themselves in a welcoming hug.

"What are you doing in such a dangerous place?" Cadance asked worriedly.

"I could ask you the same question," Raven remarked back before spotting something behind the mare. "Hi Shiny!" she waved to the stallion who wandered inside. He waved back as he set a couple of bags down on the floor with a gentle grunt. The two shared a handshake and a quick embrace before breaking apart, the female of the duo resting her hands on her hips as he crossed his over his chest. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Auntie Tia sent us," Cadance replied as Shining nodded. "Told us to see what is going on. But what about you? I thought you had some special thing you were doing?"

"I was," Raven replied to her cousin. "We were heading back when there was an explosion and a rainbow light. We came to investigate."

"Who else came with you?" Cadance inquired with a furrowed brow.

"Hey princess?" a different voice called from the entryway of the throne room as Queen Saturnia wandered inside with a tomb in her grasp. "We seemed to have-"

"AHHHH!" Cadance immediately shrieked, diving behind her husband as he reached over his shoulder, drawing a sword and taking up a defensive stance. He was determined to protect both his wife and friend at all costs!

Saturnia's guards, who had just been out of sight, responded with their own drawing of swords and took up defense between the prince and their queen. The three sword bearers stared each other down, silently daring the other to make a move. To say that the room was tense was a massive understatement.

"WOAH WOAH WOAH!" Raven was quick to jump between the fighters, her arms held high and placating. "Friendly! Everyone here is friendly!"

"She's one of them!" Shining spat with an accusatory point of his finger at the changeling queen as she deathly glared at him. He then gasped in horror, looking towards his in-law. "She brainwashed you, didn't she!?"

Raven's expression went bemused immediately, but she knew if she argued that it would only lead to more confusion. Thankfully, she would not need to do such a thing. For another would call out their ridiculous antics.

"Bestow your weapons! All of you!" Atlas boomed as he entered the room, his stone feet shaking the castle with each thunderous step. "You are to make peace not war!"

All three guards flinched at the accusation and in unison, wearily eyeing one another before they hesitantly sheathed their blades. They all knew better than to question the titan of the earth, for they all knew he could best them all in a fight, fair or not.

"We have bigger problems to attend to," Atlas stated over his shoulder as he headed for the throne. Turning, the god king sat on the throne made of pure crystal with a resonating clack of stone. "Right now the empire is in a state of chaos that demands the utmost attention, not some squabble between xenophobes."

Shining Armor was about to retort, but Raven beat him to it. "Queen Saturnia is not a part of the hive that attacked Canterlot and -if anything- wants nothing to do with the queen that did. She's a delegate looking for peace, not war. I promised her safety."

Cadance reached around and grabbed her husband's hand, who in turn, held hers close to his chest, gently rubbing her knuckles with his thumb. "You better know what you're doing?" Shining questioned, still unsure.

"Wouldn't be here if I didn't," Raven replied with a reassuring smile. She then turned towards Queen Saturnia. "Anything?"

"I found this tome!" Saturnia replied happily while holding up a red leather tomb that had golden trim and a three pointed crystal on the front. "Not much to it though. Something about a fair and powering a mystical object. But I couldn't get the librarian to remember without it causing a headache." She flipped through the pages until reaching the end. "Missing some pages as well."

"We'll hang onto it for now. See if we can't find anything else," Raven then turned towards the king. "What about you?"

"They do not seem to remember who I am," Atlas informed them. "Unfortunately, without Nyx, I am unaware as to how we will break such a curse."

"Same thing?" Saturnia asked the titan, referring to the headache plaque that seemed to have many of the empire's residents in pain.

"Same thing," he nodded.

Cadance glanced back at the queen, subtly shuffling herself closer to her husband for support. "Raven?" she asked her cousin from over her husband's shoulder, grabbed the woman's attention with a whisper. "Auntie Tia and Luna are sending Twilight and her friends this way here in a few days. So we'll have more help."

Shit…

"Okay," Raven conceded. As much as she didn't like it, the princess was going to put aside her hatred for the sake of an entire empire that has just popped into existence. Ponies lives were at stake here. "How long?"

"A few days," Cadance replied, much more relaxed now.

"I'm probably going to have to eat these words later, but hopefully whatever made the empire disappear, doesn't harass us to much," Raven finished.

Out in the storm, a sinister smile appeared for the briefest of seconds.

***

"Oh buck… not again…."

"Curb your enthusiasm there rookie, we have something bigger on the line than our little family feud," Raven told a less than enthusiastic Rainbow as the mare limped into the room, followed closely by the rest of the element bearers. "Lest you want me to dislocate something else?"

"You proved your point…" Rainbow remarked, rubbing her still aching leg. Applejack eyed the human with a glare, her vision was still very blurry and she suffered from occasional headaches thanks to that beating she got during the wedding. "Twilight, is it too late to go home?" she quickly added.

"As unfortunate as our current relationship status is with the princess, she is right, Rainbow Dash. We are talking about an entire empire that was lost to time. They need to be considered above all else darling," Rarity informed the group. "How can we help you princess?"

"Whatever force or curse or whatever that had kept the place in limbo has also affected the residents. See what you can do to help them," Raven requested from the mares and Spike.

Just then, a loud, drawn out yawn from Cadance grabbed everyone's attention. Sitting next to Raven, Cadance sat on the throne, slumped over, exhausted, with heavy bags under her eyes as she fought to stay awake. The princess's horn was ignited as she did her best to hold up the dome that was protecting the empire. The poor girl wavered, her eyes drifting before she ultimately fell asleep, snoring softly.

"Some pony is flirting with your husband," Raven casually remarked.

"That bitch!" Cadance suddenly screamed, awoken from her ten second nap. She quickly realized what was happening and slumped over yet again. "Crap…"

"And maybe someone can get her more coffee?" Raven asked with a point of her finger at Cadance.

"How long have you been like this?" Twilight asked, clearly concerned as she approached her sister-in-law.

"Only a few hourrrr-AH's!" Cadance replied with a yawn and a wave.

"Cadance you're on hour twenty five. You need a break! Let somepony else handle this!" Raven chastised, throwing her arms into the air and causing the pink princess to wince.

"I know Raven but…" Cadance paused, letting out an exhausted sigh that slowly turned into another drawn out yawn. "You know as well as I do that I am the only one who's magic can keep the shield active."

It was true.

Both Shining Armor and even Queen Saturnia had tried to keep the shield alive, but it was weak and caused cracks as the storm outside tried it's damnedest to smash through and engulf the empire. So Cadance had taken it upon herself to keep the shield active. But she could only stay awake for so long. It was so odd, as Shining Armor was the greatest shield mage in all of Equestria and even he could not keep it alive.

Just then, three sparrows suddenly swooped in over the group of mares and one drake, hovering in and landing on the top of the throne.

"Seems our guests have arrived," the center most sparrow greeted with a feminine voice. "Though I bring unfortunate news." She looked down at Cadance, who had been watching her as well. "Your husband was attacked in the storm. I did my best, but even I have my limits. Rest assured he is alive! But do not expect any magic from him for the foreseeable future."

"What happened?" Cadance asked, worried about her husband.

"Some sort of black…" the sparrow rolled her wing in thought as she looked to the ceiling. "Crystals? Have formed upon his horn. But as I said, no magic.

"His penis is fine however. His words, not mine."

The sparrow smirked, the other two tittering into their wings, as Raven and Spike busted out laughing. They knew full well that those were indeed, not his words. But it was still enough to cause the rest of the mares, especially Twilight, to blush like mad as Cadance wished that the throne would open up and consume her.

Rarity coughed, her face a nice hue of pink as she fanned her face with her hand, doing her best to not imagine what the buff captain looked like in the nude. "Yes well… ahem… are we just going to ignore the fact that these birds are talking?"

"Sparrows. And that's spiciest," the center sparrow retorted with a swipe of her wing before crossing them. Her two companions nodded at the statement as did Fluttershy, but more in part with the first part not the speciest part. The little bird then looked to the tenno, silently wondering if she should do her thing.

Raven replied with a nod and a purse of her lips.

Pink flames engulfed the sparrows, revealing the black chitin underneath. The guards took to a hover, buzzing to the ground as Saturnia sat atop the throne like a beautiful gargoyle. Everyone jumped in shock at the sight before them.

"Hello!" she smiled with a wave.

Fluttershy promptly fainted.

"Cadance get back!" Twilight immediately shouted, taking a defensive stance as her horn ignited. "She's going to-"

"Stay for the foreseeable future…" Cadance yawned for the billionth time as she cut her in-law off, confusing the hell out of everyone else but Raven. "Queen Saturnia…" Cadance started while weakly holding up an am to the queen. "Meet my sister-in-law Twilight, brother in law Spike, and her friends." She paused, yawning loudly. "Crap… Rarity, Pinkie Pie… Fluttershy is the one on the floor. Applejack… and… uhm… Rainbow… Dash…" she faltered, snoring softly. She was asleep again.

"Cute foals."

"I will love them and pet them and name them George!" Cadance snapped awake, looking for the foals that needed pets, but was sadly disappointed by the lack of cute foals in her presence. "Dammit…"

The five mares plus Spike eyed the queen with a questionable gaze. Fluttershy was still out cold on the cold floor.

Saturnia frowned as she stood atop the throne, resting her arms behind her back. "Now do you see why we changelings have such issues with other creatures?" the queen asked the human.

"Which is why we are going to change this after this debacle is over with," Raven replied, watching the pink and black mare who was currently defying gravity and walking down the side of the throne. So casual yet so strange to see. Like Spidermare.

"Unfortunately the…" Saturnia paused as she eyed the group with her own look of disdain. "Toxicity may never leave. No matter how nice we are. Nothing but monsters!" Saturnia spat, baring her fangs with a snap of her jaw.

It was effective at getting her point across as he mares jumped back in fear, some taking up defensive stances. Fluttershy, who had awoken at that moment and saw what was aimed their way, yet again fainted against the floor.

The mare huffed. "Sometimes I wonder who the real monsters are," she mused before turning towards the human princess. "We are going to see what we can do in town. At least some do not look at us with fear and hatred in their eyes."

With that, the trio of changelings once again burst into flames, transforming into sparrows yet again as they swooped overhead and out of the room.

"The castle has a library that we have done our best to scour through and there is another public one a few blocks from here," Raven listed, trying to change the subject away from what was going to be a shit show of a week. "Do what you can to gather information and help them. Atlas is wandering around doing what he can as well."

"Did you try asking the author?" Pinkie asked with a raise of her arm as if she were in school. "I mean, he's seen the show too many times to practically say it line for line. But then again this is a written story and has an alternate universe tag for a reason! But I guess for the sake of plot development and keeping the readers entertained, asking him is not allowed," the mare ranted randomly.

Raven blinked slowly. "Well… crazy sociopathic rants aside. Find a way to break this curse."

The six mares and one drake all looked to one another, silently confirming their orders. Without a word they all left the room to do as what was asked of them. Well, all but Spike. The little drake wandered towards Raven, causing the woman to turn and face the drake, hugging him once he was close enough. Spike had been the only one who had written her and apologized for what had happened. Of course he had heard about what happened during the wedding and he desperately wanted things to go back to what they were, but he knew that it wasn't going to happen anytime soon.

"Bud, could you help keep an eye on Cadance for the time being?" Raven softly requested with a smile.

He returned the smile with one of his own and a nod. He approached the mare, sharing a hug with her as well. Those two loved each other deeply, as Cadance had spent a lot of time around the drake when he was a baby, often taking care of him in tandem with Twilight.

***

Hours later, Raven found herself with Twilight as the rest of the Element Bearers were out, setting up the last few touches of the festival with Queen Saturnia and Atlas. It had taken some time, but with Raven, Shining, and Saturnia having already searched most of what they needed, they had began getting things ready for what would hopefully, be the empire's saving grace.

But they were still missing a key artifact.

The Crystal Heart.

It was the one thing they needed the most and they had zero clue as to where it could be hidden. Assuming it was still in one piece too. Raven just had a bad gut feeling that this festival would mean nothing without such a powerful artifact. Manuscripts and other documentation told of how the heart had protected the empire, keeping the land inhabitable when the cold encroached into the valley. They needed yo find it before Cadance's barrier fell and lives were lost. either to the storm or whatever vile essence attacked them out there.

"Raven!"

The woman lifted her head, focusing on the young purple unicorn that came running into the room. Twilight was out of breath, hunching over and resting a hand on her knee, the other holding the book that Queen Saturnia had found.

"Raven! We have a problem! The Crystal Heart. It's missing!" Twilight panted, but the look on the princesses face made her reconsider what she was going to say next. "And you already know about it don't you?"

"I've been thinking about it for the last twenty minutes," Raven coolly replied.

"Do you know where it is?" Twilight inquired as she straightened her back and hugged the book close to her chest.

"If I had it I wouldn't be standing here. But... If it was me, there is only one pony I'd trust with such an artifact and that would be me. So I'd keep it in the most secure building in the city," Raven explained before she pointed at the floor. "And we're standing in it." She sighed, looking about the room, hoping it would relinquish the secrets that they held. "Just need to find it…"

"Let me help you!" Twilight quickly added.

"No."

Raven turned to leave as Twilight let out a small whimper. But that denial only seemed to increase Twilight's resolve. So the mare chased after the princess, nearly taking out Spike in the process as he came wandering by. The young drake, not wanting to be left out, promptly chased after them. While Raven went ahead, Twilight and Spike lingered back, silently watching Raven as she headed into the throne room, which was surprisingly empty. Just as Raven made it to the throne, there was a loud explosion that shook the building, followed by a loud screaming that died with a steamy hiss, like a hod rod being dipped in water.

"That's just the initial reaction!" Pinkie's voice could be heard from somewhere in the castle. "She'll wake up soon!"

"She better not be referring about the pony I'm thinking of…" Raven muttered before she turned her attention towards the throne. Twilight and Spike stepped up next to the woman, sparing her a glance then the throne. Without saying a word, Twilight opened her book, quickly searching for what she was after before her horn and hands started to glow a sickly black as dark magic manifested itself before she shot a beam up at the crystal throne.

The minerals absorbed the magic with ease, creating a dark, lengthy shadow along the length of the floor before the throne, revealing a hidden passageway that had been lost to time. Twilight stood proud, crossing her arms with pride as she expected the praise to rain down upon her.

Raven ignored her and stepped forward and peered into the abyss.

Spike hissed out a set of giggles into his claws while Twilight grit her teeth before they too approached the access. What appeared before them was a spiral staircase made of the same material as the castle that led down into a dark lower room of some sort. In a flash of light, Raven transferred into Frost, drawing her Javlok before taking the first tentative steps into the darkness. Not wanting to be left behind, both Twilight and Spike followed suit.

Their descent was slow and methodical as they made sure there were no traps or other dangerous secrets hidden within. But there were none to be found. All they did find was a lone, wooden door at the bottom of the abyss and nothing more. ~Raven~ cautiously approached the door, reaching out for the handle.

She pulled away as the door shot to the right.

It slid along the wall and over towards Spike, taking up position just behind him. Curiously, he did the same as his friend, slowly reaching out towards the handle. He flinched as for a second time, the door shot off to the left this time, sliding past ~Raven~ and towards Twilight. This time the mare was prepared, holding out her hand and shooting a beam of dark magic towards the crest, catching the door and holding it firmly in place on the wall. Beaming with pride as she reached out, grasping the knob, Twilight opened the door and stepped through.

"Princess Celestia?"

Both Spike and ~Raven~ shared a look of concern, the former of the two nervously biting his nails as he approached his older sister. Twilight stood there with a look of absolute devastation on her face, tears in the corners of her eyes as she blankly stared at the open door with a glazed over daze.

Spike jumped as his sister started to mumble and whimper, almost as though she was having a nightmare in her sleep. It was starting to build up in intensity, making the other two worry more about what sort of trap she had been caught in. But just as Twilight started to sob, the green gem above the door that Twilight had used her magic to connect to, shattered upon impact when ~Raven's~ Javlok connected with it.

The glazed look in Twilight's eyes faded, slowly bringing her back to reality. "Huh? Where am I?" she gasped, frantically looking around the room before her gaze landed on Raven, just as she transferred from her warframe.

"Please go tell Atlas what we found," the human said to her warframe before turning her attention towards Twilight. "Welcome back to the land of the living."

"What happened?" Twilight muttered as she wiped away the tears with her sleeve.

"Some sort of hallucination or mind control spell," Raven answered before she jumped up and pulled her Javlok from the wall. As she landed the young woman turned her attention towards the door, poking her head through the open veil. "Oh joy… more stairs…"

So they climbed.

Raven didn't like it after about ten minutes and not for the reason most would.

"Raven, please just listen to me!" Twilight pleaded as Spike lagged behind her exhaustively. They had been wandering up these stairs for an hour and no matter how far they went, it felt like they were going nowhere. All the while Twilight had been trying to plead with her friend, to no avail.

"I'm not going to listen to you and your abandonment issues," Raven shot back as she looked up the spiraling staircase that continued aimlessly into the distance. "There is no way this keeps going…" she muttered to herself.

Spike finally collapsed from exhaustion, his tongue lolling out of his mouth. That prompted Twilight to pause and Raven to push past her to check on him.

"Look I'm sorry okay?" Twilight pleaded. "How many times do I have to say it!?"

"You know if you cared about me or even your brother half as much as you care about your studies, maybe I could accept that pathetic attempt at an apology," Raven replied harshly, causing Twilight to wince. "But I don't care what you think anymore. I'm tougher than I look, it's Moondancer who you hurt the most." She paused, glancing back at the teen mare. "I doubt you've talked to her since I last saw you?"

Twilight's head slowly dropped.

"Figured." She moved her attention back to Spike, who had been watching intently. His exhaustion had long been forgotten and was replaced with concern. It didn't stop Raven from checking up on him.

Spike grasped the edge of the stairway, peering over and first looking down at the endless abyss then up to the same endlessness. "What if this is another trap? Like the door or the throne?"

"Should have figured," Raven sighed, sitting back. "We've walked longer than the castle is tall."

Through her tears, Twilight paused and found the strength to start thinking and planning. She ignited her horn, grabbing the two others in her magic. There was a strange warping sound as they turned one hundred and eighty degrees, their feet, hooves, and claws connected with the smooth surface below. To which none of their appendages could find purchase on the smooth crystal as they began to slide. Spike fell forward, screaming his head off as he slid down the slide head first. Raven fell backwards, frantically kicking her feet to slow her descent. Twilight was the only one to keep her balance successfully and surf her way forward.

The wind rushed past her ears so loudly that Raven failed to hear Twilight as explained how she thought of such a thing.

The trio raced down the crystal slide at such speed that before they knew it, they were spit out onto the roof of the castle. There was a lull as gravity seemed to right itself, all three grunting as they connected with the hard crystal floor. It was groans of pain all around, Raven helping Spike to his claws as though pushed past the pain. Nearby, Twilight gasped, her eyes sparkling with joy at the sight of the missing relic.

Hovering in the air, the light blue, heart shaped artifact spun slowly.

It was at that moment, that the shield protecting the empire shattered to dust. Panic overtook the trio as the impending storm encroached on the land. The cold winds burned at their skin, roaring over the peak of the castle. Jet black crystals shot out of the floor of the castle, causing the three to jump out of the way lest they be impaled. It was clear that whatever dark force that was attacking the empire had busted through and it was not to pleased by their actions.

"Twilight wait!" Raven shouted as the purple mare made a dive for the crystal.

But there was no time!

Twilight dove after the heart, grasping it in her fingers and holding it close. But there was a pulse of magic, the trap activating. Twilight frantically dove for safety, but it was all in vain as the heart was knocked from her grasp, bars of solid crystal entrapped her. Spike dove for the heart as Raven threw up her arms as she was pelted with razor sharp pebbles. The drake stood, holding the heart high over his head as he danced around the stalagmites that tried to impale him from below while Raven jumped around to keep from getting impaled from below.

"Spike, you have to go!" Twilight screamed at the top of her lungs.

"But what about-" Spike went to protest, but was cut off yet again.

"GO DAMMIT!"

Raven was on him in a heartbeat, grabbing him by the back of his collar and dragging the drake towards the lip of the roof. "Tuck and roll if you hit anything!" she shouted, transferring into her warframe and throwing the drake off the roof.

Spike screamed out in horror as he fell several feet before landing chest first against a crystal protrusion. ~Raven~ grunted as she hit the same spire, but her momentum kept her going as she slid right off the side, smashing back first into a different lip that protruded out farther below. She sat up with a groan, grasping her head before she spotted Spike as he slipped off the predominant above. It was just in time too as she witnessed Spike as he jumped towards her. ~Raven~ scrambled desperately reaching out and catching the drake by his tail as he fell short from his impromptu dive. Spike shook in her grasp as he dangled below her, desperately holding onto the Heart lest it -or more importantly, him- drop to the hard ground below.

Down on one of the lower balconies, Cadance and Shining Armor could only watch in horror as their loved ones dangled dangerously from above.

"Shiny throw me…" Cadance muttered, but her husband failed to move, still in a state of shock. The second time she frantically turned towards her husband, screaming. "SHINY THROW ME!"

Without a second thought, Shining Armor lifted his wife into the air and drew back like a professional spear thrower. Cadance did her best Supermare impression as she made her self as small and aerodynamic as possible as Shining Armor reared back and threw her with all his might. She opened her wings immediately, using them to propel herself through the air as she desperately held out her hand, reaching out for her brother-in-law. Upon noticing her racing towards him, Spike threw out his own claw, just in time for Cadance to catch the drake as ~Raven~ released him with a shout. Cadance held onto him for dear life as she did her best to quickly glide towards the ground below. But even for her, he was just so heavy and awkward to keep airborne, so she was forced to land.

Hard too.

Spike landed hard with another roll, taking Cadance with him as they tumbled along the stone street before sliding to a halt when their momentum ran out. The pair groaned on the cold crystal street, the Crystal Heart sliding towards the crystal stalactite and stalagmite in the center square under the castle and far out of their respective reach. Being built a little tougher, Spike was the first to stand, thankful that his body was a little bit harder to injure thanks to his dragon heritage, but instead of going for the heart, he went for the princess.

“Cadance, come on!” he urged, grabbing her by the arm as she groaned a second time. She held a hand to her head, afraid that she may have hit it on that rough landing.

But she didn’t make it to her hooves when a jet black hoof smashed against the stone not to far away. Both Spike and Cadance gasped at the stallion that loomed over them with a deep, fanged scowl. His fur jet black, clad in full iron armor, a red and white cape draped over his back. His eyes were bright, toxic green with blood red irises, a black, corrupting mist surrounding his eyes. His horn swooped back, razor sharp with a a red tint on the tip. The stallion growled, teeth razor sharp as he bared his fangs.

“Give… me… that… heart!” he boomed.

A thud smashed down behind the stallion and grabbed his attention. It was deep and resonating, to loud to ignore. So he turned, facing the threat that dare challenge him. But his eyes went wide at the sight before him. He recognized that armor. “You!” King Sombra spat, stomping his hoof towards the warframe. “You might have survived the first time. But you will not survive a second time!”

“Let’s dance motherfucker,” ~Raven~ taunted, drawing her blade.

The war drums played, the ten beats, of the Naga Drums.

Low and resonating for all to hear

Sombra held out his open palm as a black mist manifested into a lengthy, hooked sword within his grasp, igniting in a thick, black flame. But much to his surprise, his opponent simply laughed, taunting him further by her noises as she found his threat amusing and not threatening as he had wished. Was... Was this some game to her!? No, no, she was teasing him. She wanted him to react like this. So instead, Sombra doubled down as the stallion growled yet again, taking up his defensive stance. But instead of answering the challenge, ~Raven~ just simply pointed past him with a finger. Curious and confused, King Sombra turned back, his eyes going wide as he watched Spike rest the Crystal Heart on its floating pedestal. Immediately, the heart pulsed, sending out a magical wave so powerful that it smashed Sombra's corrupted crystal into nothing but dust in the wind. Ponies all around that were engulfed, were filled with new life. Their coats shimmered in the midday sun, their minds restored, the corruption wiped from their minds. They were free!

But much to their horror.... King Sombra still stood.

The stallion had closed his eyes and threw up his arms, preparing to die, but was surprised as the heart's power did nothing to him. He blinked, glancing down at his unaltered and still alive form. Just to double check that he was still indeed alive, Sombra slowly ran a hand down his chest, confirming that he was indeed still there.

“GAH!” Sombra screamed as ~Raven’s~ blade punched through the front of his abdomen and right through his open palm. With a hate filled growl, Sombra pulled his impaled hand free and was surprised to see how quickly the wound healed. ~Raven~ who had been watching over his shoulder, was surprised to see that herself. Sombra smirked, grabbing the protruding blade with that same hand, ignoring the pain of his bleeding palm. ~Raven~ pulled and jerked at her weapon, but it failed to budge from his vice like grip. Sombra cackled like the maniac he was, but all that did was earn him a heavy clubbing to the side of the head with a closed fist.

That punch had enough force to send the stallion sliding off her weapon and tumbling across the ground, spraying black blood everywhere. When he came too a halt, Sombra propped himself up on his hands and knees, his wound healing at an extraordinary rate. His armor even healed as well, sealing to its once pristine plate. But just as he was about to stand, Atlas appeared as he slammed the stallion into the ground with such force that it cratered the crystal as he landed on top of the demon. With a mighty hand, the titan heaved the stallion into the air and raised a stone clad fist and smashed it against Sombra’s chest with enough force to shatter bone and stone.

Sombra sailed through the air, sliding across the street and smashing back first into a nearby pillar. His broken body laid in the street, but he was not out of this fight. Bones cracked and healed, joints turning back into place. Sombra groaned in agony, sitting up as his ribs and once caved in chest cavity healed.

Oh boy, this was going to be a losing battle.

The two warframes, and even the rest of those watching were in awe that he survived such a strike. Slowly, Sombra stood on his hooves, swaying slightly as he held a hand to his crackling chest. The pain still lingered, if the expression on his face was any indication. But unbeknownst them all, a force was at work.

The Heart spun on her pedestal and called out for her allies. Allies that had laid dormant within the castle, hidden even from Sombra and his dark magics. She powered their systems, ignited their weapons, and called out to them. She begged for their help to defeat the demon that separates her from her home and her people. Crystal deep within the castle moved to the Hearts will as she brought the lost back to life. She wanted them. She needed them!

Two separate hands reached out, grasping their weapons…

The ground shook, causing those in the castle courtyard to stumble at such resonating power. Forces withing the crystal itself began to move as the Crystal Heart pulsed with untamed power. The castle itself began to almost move on its own, so powerful that it caused a mini earthquake throughout the empire. Two separate walls on the legs of the castle shot open with a bang, an ominous glow emanated from within the black void. An orange hue emanated from within one of the openings, a weapon igniting with holy fire.

Two mares, two gods stepped out and into the light.

The Heart took notice, spinning faster with glee. Her warriors. Her saviors.

Mirage, the Trickster.

Gara, the Glass Queen.

A Murderous Comedy and Death By A Thousand Cuts. A lethal pair to which no one is laughing. The blck and violet jester warframe spun the flaming blade of her silva, a weapon with a blade made of pure holy fire as her aegis shield ignited, the metal spreading out as flames connected between the pieces of the metal shield, holding the weapon together. Gara, the pink princess of glass. She for her part, drew a weapon made of pure, razor sharp glass. It glistened in the sunlight, blinding any who dared to look at its surface.

Sombra flinched too, holding up a hand to shield his eyes. Gara herself was blinding, nearly impossible to track in the sunlight. Both her and Mirage used that moment of distraction to strike. Sombra for his part barely had enough to react, reflexively stumbling backwards as he was once again blinded by the attack. His eyes burned with blinding pain, the god queen was too bright to stare at for too long. Worse, her attacks were quick and precise, but Sombra too was a warrior and just barely escaped harm.

That was, until she nicked his cheek.

The demonic stallion stumbled back, eyes clenched shut as he reached up, feeling a moist spot on his left cheek. Turning away from the blinding warframe, he felt at his wound, a thick black tar oozed from it. Much to his horror and ~Raven's~ surprise…

It didn't heal…

"All that for a drop of blood," he muttered.

"If you can make god bleed, people will stop believing in him," ~Raven~ muttered to her companions.

Sombra turned back, ready to retort at the tenacity that the queen had to attack him, but only had enough time to throw up a hand as Mirage slashed at him with her own weapon. Sombra threw his hand into the air, blocking the burning inferno of an attack. The flames scorched his palm, burning away his dark fur and singeing his skin. The self appointed king grasped at his mangled hand, hissing through gritted teeth as he stepped back, dropping to an agonizing knee. He panted, fighting desperately to power through the pain, but it was a losing battle.

Once again, Gara took advantage of his distracted state and slashed at the stallion. But Sombra saw this, firing a beam of blood red magic from his horn and sending the warframe sailing, smashing into the side of a building, her weapon skidding across the ground.

Mirage dove, her agility allowing her to close the gap, but it too was in vain as she was sent sailing with a yelp, smashing through a window thanks to another shot from the king.

Gara's weapon, however, did not go unnoticed. A pair of heavy boots thudded across the crystal ground, for ~Raven~ saw her opportunity and she took it. In rapid pace she scooped up the glass blade, holding it firm as Sombra fired a ruthless beam of demonic energy. It connected true with the sword, a cacophony of reds and pinks kaleidoscoping through the air. Sombra's dark magic was strong, dangerously strong. But the Tenno held firm, a statue in the flames. But it wasn't a clean cut fight as her arms shook violently, but she had to do this!

With shaky legs, the Tenno took a step, then another and another. Slowly, she began to advance on the tyrant through the blinding light. This however, did not go unnoticed by Sombra, who increased the power on his beam, sending ~Raven~ sliding even farther back. She tried, she really did, but this was a losing battle.

That was until a stronger force body slammed her out of the way. ~Raven~ landed with a grunt, her body nearly folding in half. To her shock, Atlas had taken her place, arms held before him, using them as a shield as he absorbed the attack. He spared her but a single look and in that moment she knew exactly what to do. Without any hesitation, the woman transferred from her warframe, grabbing Gara's sword before she swapped warframes.

Atlas relinquished control of his body, letting the Tenno take over.

He felt powerful, stronger even, more than he ever had felt before. His mind was clear and for once, he felt at peace. He knew deep down, he could do this. With her at his side, he could move the world. Gara's sword manifested itself in their hand, successfully blocking the attack and letting the warframe's shields regenerate. Their steps were heavy, calculated, and without fear as they advanced forward. Each step was like an earthquake as they advanced on the stallion.

Sombra only increased his power output, but all it did was drain his mana reserves. He tried, he really did, but it was too late, as the two were on him in an instant.

In a flash of light, his power ceased. The Tenno grasped her mighty hand around Sombra's collar, holding him firmly in place as they impaled the fallen king right through his abdomen. Sombra gasped, thick black blood oozing from his gaping maw. He was still in shock, staring up at the creature that killed him and couldn't believe that he'd been bested.

The Tenno pulled their weapon from the stallion, Sombra going limp, landing on his knees as he no longer had any strength to call upon. Raven transferred from Atlas, taking the sword from him as she stood before the fallen king. Resting her free hand on her knee, she frowned at the stallion.

Sombra grit his teeth, pissed that this freak of nature bested him. "You-"

Sombra would never finish his sentence as Raven jammed her weapon right through his mouth and out the back of his head.

Cadance gagged, averting her gaze immediately as she fought the urge to vomit. It was even worse when she heard bones cracking and breaking. Raven rested her boot against the body, jerking the weapon from the corpse, which slowly faded into a fine mist that dissipated into nothing but a fine ash. Turning, the young woman spotted a limping Mirage and a rather angry looking Gara, the latter storming her way past the human and towards Atlas.

Without so much as a warning, she slapped the titan across the face. It really didn't do much, considering his head didn't even budge. Her next strike involved a kick to the groin, which yet again didn't faze him. So clearly, he had nuts like boulders. Raven watched in utter confusion, raising an eyebrow at the strange interaction happening between the pair. The female warframe sputtered incoherently, clearly angry about something and Atlas just took it. Eventually and after many exaggerated shakes and waves of her arms, Gara stormed off, aggressively taking her weapon when Raven offered it to her.

"And she is angry because?" Raven asked the titan.

"That is my wife…" Atlas sagged.

"Ex-wife!" came the angered shout from Gara.

"My angry wife…" Atlas sighed, facepalming with a groan. "Current status of my relationship aside. It's good to see you Mirage. Are you okay?"

Mirage nodded her jester shaped head. "I am well, yes." She stepped forward and hugged the larger warframe before turning towards Raven. "Hello! I'm Mirage!" she greeted excitedly while offering a hand to shake. "I hope we can become the best of friends!"

Raven shook Mirage's hand, slowly.

"Oh! More friends!"

Mirage quickly released the human's hand before she eagerly skipped her way towards Cadance and Spike, offering yet another eager hand to shake. She was the only one acting as if nothing had just happened.

"Hi! I'm Mirage! I just love to make new friends!"

Atlas gently tapped Raven's bicep with the back of his hand. "Come, we have work to do."