> The World of Equestria
>  by Mona_Chromatic
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Chapter 1 - Celestia
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

A wish without a will is meaningless. A will without a goal is pointless. A goal that very well may never come to fruition is not worth chasing. And yet somehow, climbing the endless stairs, dragging her torn dress, dirty feet, and burnt leg, Celestia found herself to be actively trying to salvage anything, absolutely anything, from the situation that roared outside.

The stairwell was dark, and the wound in her side burned like fire. Trudging up the desolate stairs, Celestia brought her head up. The tower seemed to extend into the void of space itself, and felt just as cold. Dragging her tired feet, Celestia pushed forward and upward.

Eventually, she slumped over the stairway railing as her feet finally gave out. The lights above her flickered as her body slowly collapsed onto the ground. As her vision blurred, heavy footsteps echoed through the halls and within her fading mind. Her body grew numb, but the pain of her failure hurt more than ever.

She should have seen it coming. She could have very well stopped it from happening, she thought to herself. So why was her city and the people burning to the ground? No... it wasn't her city anymore...

They were the ones who took it from her.

Tilting her head to the side in sheer exhaustion, the sound of heavy footsteps drew near. Heavy boots and armored soles clanked and tapped on the marble ground, echoing endlessly through the tower. Celestia looked backwards, and once again began running. The footsteps only seemed to grow louder, yet there was no one behind her. She brought her eyes forward again, and hastened her pace. Finally arriving at the top floor of the tower, she arrived at the door that would lead her to the roof. Gripping the handle, she took a deep breath.

It was all too much for her. She hesitated, staring at the pale white skin of her hand fused to the doorknob, unwilling to see the state that her city had become.

The footsteps returned. Without second thought, Celetia opened the door and stepped out into a word that was as scarred and damaged as her body. The roof had a semi-circular pavilion, allowing her to look down upon the streets of Canterlot, the beautiful city she had once ruled.

Police sirens blared as the cars themselves were lined up in front of the central building that was her home, where she was raised and taught, and where she and her sister Luna would plan how they would go about negotiating with the other cities like YakYakistan and Griffinstone.

Speaking of Luna... Celestia, for a moment, muted out all the other noise, trying to concentrate using the last of her magic reserves to communicate with her. Usually, telepathy was no issue for an experienced magic user like her, but after what just happened, even that took almost everything she had. She didn't even notice when the policemen pointed their guns at her, and fired.

Two of the bullets grazed and hit her left shoulder, while a third lodged itself inside her abdomen. She leapt back, avoiding the rest, but falling to the ground on her back, coughing up blood as she landed.

She could hear the policemen yelling, the sirens, and the sound of her own heartbeat in her ears, but nother scared her more than what she heard next.

The footsteps were back. They were closer and as numerous as they had ever been. Celetia rolled onto her stomach, and got up on her legs, limping towards the door, where the sounds grew louder and louder. She slammed the door, barred it with the heavy lock that it (conveniently) was attached to, and stepped several paces backwards. The footsteps stopped, but through the narrow, small translucent window on the door, she could instead see the silhouettes of her pursuers. The door rattled. Celestia had nowhere to run. She used what limited magic he had left inside her, causing her palms to glow with a white energy as the door shook with greater force. Being a princess meant that you underwent a lot of different forms of training, and self-defence was certainly one of the training that Celestia remembered vividly, given how different and dangerous it was when compared with the other classes.

Unfortunately, it wouldn't matter in the end. The door glowed with a sinister, violet hue, before crumbling away like dust and stone, revealing the source of this insidious, dark magic. There stood a single man, dressed in a black hood, with his arm raised and cackling with dark lighting, his face hidden under the shadows, and his magic radiating out his body like the sun. He stepped outwards, revealing seven other figures behind him, each with a mask bearing the visage of a demon, each of them radiating dark energy, and each of them wearing the same cloak as the first.

The man lowered his arm, and glared at the princess.

"You," he said in a heavy, Swedish accent, "have been very uncooperative thus far, Princess Celestia." His annoyance was clear, as his voice was toned to a deep growl.

Celestia yelled in anger, lunging towards him with her energized fingertips. She dashed forward with great speed, almost blinding, and extended her arm in the effort to strike the man directly in his temple. Her attack, however, was stopped, when the man simply raised his other arm, catching her wrist with his middle finger and thumb. The black magic coursed through the man's arm again, and produced a shockwave that knocked Celestia down again onto the ground.

Some of the other cloaked members began to close in around her. One man that was especially tall, towering at a bit over eight feet in height, with forearms that were as thick as tree trunks, stooped down on one knee to grab the princess and pick her up with his hand that alone was as large as her head.

The moment he did though, he found her leg suddenly wrapped around his arm, and the princess swinging herself back up, and leaping off of the man's broad shoulders. Celestia dashed around two other cloaked members, launching herself into the air, her own magic pulsating through her fingertips. She fired off two consecutive blasts from her hands that curved and darted through the air, right before a more feminine figure of the group raised her long-nailed and pale index finger, causing the air within a wide radius around her to shimmer. Before once again being interrupted by the leader of the troupe. Raising both of his arms, he cast his dark magic once again, producing black chains that shot through the air like snakes chasing after their prey.

And catch their prey they did, and Celestia's body was wrapped around in the coil, and her body hit the floor.

"Finally," came a low, gravely voice from the gigantic man, who walked over and was now holding the struggling princess in his right hand. "Should we continue with the operation?"

"Come now," came a second voice from the group. Celestia, though exhausted of any and all strength, listened as well as she could. This voice came from that of a woman, with sultry and even lustful undertones. "There is no need to rush. Besides," she added, "I wanted to enjoy myself a little bit before we complete the final act." As the woman said this, she removed her cloak, revealing a pale yet silk smooth face, with lips as red as a rose, but with eyes that shone with such a dark blue, the irises could barely be seen. Not that Celestia could see very much, but at least she could still hear the voices for now.

The woman, who was just as tall as Celestia, leaned her face close to that of the broken now ex-ruler. She stuck out her violet, serpentine and forked tongue, and licked some of the dirt that was stuck on Celetia's right cheek. As she did that, the tongue left a green residue, that hissed fiercely, leaving a red streak that stood out from the rest of Celestia's pale, bruised face. Celestia winced as the strange substance burned her skin like a wildfire, and the woman noticed this.

"Oh my," the pale woman commented, "Not quite all out of strength, are we?"

"That's enough, Lilith," said the newcomer, who pulled back his hood as well. With this motion, the remaining six did the same.

Each of the faces that were revealed had distinctly human tones to them, and yet despite that, there was also something incredibly alien about their features. One could almost call them "demonic".

It wasn't hard to notice certain features of some of their faces that were easy to remember, even if Celeatia's vision was so blurry she couldn't even see how far up the stairwell she had come before being captured. The tall, muscular one holding her by her arm had a face that might as well have been engraved with the constant scowl he made with his mouth. There was a short, fat, greasy man who appeared to be in his mid-thirties, but his plump cheeks were folded three times and covered his neck. Two teenage boys of similar appearance, but one with devilish green eyes that was rimmed black with some sort of eyeshadow (Celestia guessed), while the other had fiery red eyes that gave him the appearance of a predatory bird eyeing a helpless mouse. The others were further away, and in the dark tower, Celestia couldn't make out any more details.

But as far as she could tell, they certainly were not human. That much was obvious at least.

Using what little energy she had left, she raised her head ever so slightly, to catch a glimpse of the eighth newcomer. From her perspective, he looked huge, but really, he was only barely six feet tall. His head and chin were clean shaven, and he looked to be in his late forties or early fifties. His bald forehead was wrinkled, which somehow formed three eye-shaped folds that, when connected, formed a small triangle. Contrasting with the greyish-green and tattered cloak he wore along with the others, the man wore a completely clean and well-ironed suit and tie that made him look like a CEO of a major company. Celestia tried to open her eyes wider, for a chance to see him better. She could have sworn she recognized him from somewhere.

Noticing her subtle movement, the woman with the tongue ("Lillith," as Celestia recalled), used her soft and leathery hands to raise Celestia's chin. Her long nails dug deeply into Celetia's left cheek, which was still red from the mysterious burn, and long, dark streaks of blood began to trickle out.

The pain finally snapped Celestia out of her dreamlike state. Now having a clear view of the people before her, she turned her head towards the man who stood in front of her. He turned around, and pulled out an old, black flip-phone, and dialed a few numbers. While his large hand held his phone close to his ear, Celestia could not see the man's face anymore. But she could see how much more danger she was in. The man, in his other free hand, held a knife, curved in a crude manner, and black and steely as the night sky.

She had to do something. She needed to somehow get out of here, far away. Slowly, she raised her right hand, reaching the silver ring that nestled on her left index finger. The tall cloaked man holding the princess took notice, and moved his hand to grip her wrists.

"Make another move, and I'll snap your arms like they're toothpicks," he growled in an angry but low sort of voice, tilting his thick neck staring his crimson eyes into the ones of Celestia. The man on the phone turned briefly, then resumed his phone call.

"Yes, of course the money will need to be transferred within the week," said the man in the suit, still keeping his eyes on Celestia while talking on the phone. There was a short pause, and the suited man's face turned and became angry. Lowering his head, he grumbled, "There is no alternative. If you do not comply, I will personally see to it that you are shamed, removed of power, and hated by your people, the world, and the heavens themselves."

Celestia raised her left leg, and bent her knee. If this was to work, she would likely faint from the process. The strain would be all too much on her depleted pool of magic.

This is my last option, she thought to myself. Sweet sister Luna, if you are there, if you can hear me, know that I will come back for you.

"You have a good day, too, Mr.President,'" scoffed the bald man, closing his phone. Lilith approached him.

"Did you get what you need?" she asked.

"Over one trillion dollars," hushed the man, pushing his finger against the succubus' lips. "This operation is a resounding su-"

Celestia swung her leg, leaping off the head of the short pudgy man. He gave a short yelp, and the giant man turned just in time to see Celestia's heel smash right into his eye. Dazed, he let go of the princess, reeling back and clutching his eye, already swollen.

The man in the suit raised his gun, and fired several times, while Lillith leapt forward and hissed. Reaching out her right hand, Celestia's fingers glow, as a whitish-green, translucent pattern of hexagons formed out in front of her, deflecting the bullets towards Lilith's direction. She cursed, moving to the side and hitting the stairway rail. Instantly, as the man reloaded the gun, Celestia's right palm made contact with the ring on her left hand. A ring of green fire encircled the princess. The flames rose several feet, and shone so bright the others had to shield their eyes. The ring began to fade from it's shining silver color, to a cold, jet black. Celestia glared at the figures.

"You..." she huffed as the flames began to twist around her body. "... you are going to pay for everything. I'll see to that myself..."

The roar of the flames drowned out all other noise, and just as quickly as they appeared, the flames and the princess vanished. The small traces of smoke and scorched concrete was all that was left on the silent stairway.

Still in shock, the seven cloaked figures took several steps back down the stairs, looking at one another. The man in the suit growled, straightened his tie, and glared at his associates.

"Don't just stand there with your mouth open like carps! Find her, and bring her to me, alive! Now!" he barked. All of them immediately were surrounded by black smoke, and one by one, they disappeared, except for one. Lilith turned to the man in the suit after he laid his hand on her shoulder.

"Master?" she asked curiously, pressing her pale index finger against her ruby rose lips.

"Celestia is not our only target," said the man. "Her sister has also escaped."

He began walking down the stairs, continuing his orders. "Luna will likely want revenge for this. Her very existence threatens this entire operation." - here he paused and looked back at Lillith. "I trust that you will neutralize her without much issue?"

Lilith cackled, her laugh echoing and ringing throughout the tower. "Of course. She could never run forever. It would be my absolute joy and pleasure to bring her to you with great speed, my Lord Grogar," she hissed calmly, her tongue vibrating in the air. "On the condition," she added, "that I may have my own fun with her before I do?". The man stared at her, eying her sultry expression, and nodded. Lilith laughed, and said, "You are too kind, master." As the words echoed out, the black cloud of smoke returned, and Lilith vanished, leaving an empty stairwell in the cold, dark tower....

But not before Grogar huffed and muttered to himself, "Drama queen..."
> Chapter 2 - Luna
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The grey skies clouded over the city, casting it in it's long shadow. The roads were lifeless, without so much as a rumble or hum of a vehicle's motor. The sidewalks were cold and empty, with wet autumn leaves floating down upon the cold gravel. The tall buildings of downtown Equestria were devoid of color and life, standing tall and grey, as the raining clouds began to drift over. The concrete buildings were set between the long winding roads, and could hide many a secret alleyway or two.

And that is exactly what princess Luna was hoping for. In the dark alleyway behind a red brick cottage, she peered around the corners, surveying the desolate streets. Her lavender eyes darted from one side of the street to the other, flinching at the slightest sign of movement. Finally, Luna exhaled, pulled up her dark violet pull-over hoodie, and hid her face from the harsh winds as she went across the road. Rushing down the roads, her back hugging the wall, and peering around every corner. Ducking behind a small, dark pickup truck, parked right outside the main entrance to the tall, rectangular building, that read with the bold words: "Town Hall", Luna checked both the small backpack she had, as well as her surroundings one more time . Peering through the windows, the dimly lit building provided poor visibility for her. Luna could only make out the subtle, small movements made by the few other people cooped up inside. Scanning her environment quickly, she opened the door with as much dexterity and stealth as possible, and closed the door behind her with only the small creak of the large, oak doors closing shut. Lifting the heavy wood-bar to enforce the door, she turned to the people inside.

"Is everyone accounted for?" she asked delicately, turning to the people inside the barricaded building. The dark building lit up with a deep violet light emitting from the dark orbs of pure magical energy that Luna was forming at the end of her fingertips, reflecting off her darker violet skin. Despite the orbs being only the size of baseballs, when she let the orbs float up into the air, the entire building was lit up with an angelic, white light. Long shadows were cast over the empty desks, and onto the group of people huddled together inside. People of various shades of red, yellow, green, and grey collectively slipped out of the shadows, meeting the violet princess. A low clamour of voices collectively gathered around her, greeting her. She took off her backpack, and handed it over to one of the older members in the group there.

"I brought some food,"she said,"but only enough for us to survive for about two days, even if we ration as little as possible."

The man nodded and said, "I will do the best I can. Thank you, Luna."

Luna gave a small nod back. "Your services are always helpful, Mr.Cake."

Mr. Cake nodded to his wife, and the two crept cautiously back into the building, where the meal they were cooking was just about to be done. Luna looked about all the other people, who continued to simply stand around idly. In a sterner tone, she raised her voice, but not loud enough for her words to reach outside.

"Has anyone seen princess Cadence?" she asked. In her mind, Luna was worried sick about the princess in training. With Cadence's pregnancy reaching its end, and the child expected to be delivered within the next week, the princess of the night knew that if the situation didn't change drastically, the child would not last for long.

One of the younger members of the group - a short boy with a chubby freckled face and orangish skin- tugged on Luna's jacket.

"She's with Shining Armor, in the meeting room," he whispered, in a high, crackling voice.

Luna nodded, motioned for him to return with the group, and walked into the hallways of the town hall. She turned left and went down to the third office on her right, knocking twice gently on the door.

"Come in," came a voice from inside the office. The voice was deep, yet fairly youthful, without being too coarse. Luna peeked into the room before entering it swiftly and locking the door behind her.

On the couch that was put snuggly in the corner of the dark room, was a young woman who was peering behind the curtains which was drawn, only glancing back at Luna for an instance. Her eyes were a light emerald green, contrasting with a pale but rose skin tone, and one hand pulling back the curtain ever so slightly, while the other protectively covering the unborn child in her womb. Alongside her was a snow-white toned male, with short blue hair that barely touched his ears, and stopped at his chin-level. His eyes gleamed blue, and his body frame was wide from shoulder to shoulder, but narrow in the way that made him look frail somehow. No doubt due to the lack of food that was available, not that he had the appetite to eat anything at the moment.

"Shining Armor?" Luna asked. The man turned, and sighed.

"What is it?" he asked, with the same voice he used to respond to her when she was outside. Now that she was in the same room as him, Luna could hear the worry in his voice, and got the sense that he was putting up an act of strength that was clearly falling apart. Not wanting to dig too much into his personal struggles (she already had a good idea of what was bothering him), she straightened herself before the captain of the royal guard.

"I need more information on the situation. How bad has it gotten?" she asked.

Shining Armor sighed, shaking his head in frustration.

"What do you think?" he asked gruffly. "I've sent my best scouts and infiltration teams, including Flash Sentry, to the main castle building hours ago, and they still haven't reported back to me. I trained them to at least inform me of their position every 30 minutes, unless they already told me they would be going dark."

Shining Armor was no stranger to fearing the worst, but this time his eyes were filled with both unfaltering rage and unshakable dread.

Luna looked over at the office table, as Shining walked slowly over to it, with his head tilted down in front of him and with both his hands scratching his hair. On the table was a map of the city, with the streets and landmarks labeled. Some thirty or so pins stuck out of it, each pinned at various locations, and some tied together with string. A two-way radio lay next to it, with the dials have been adjusted to minimize the low and faint but noticeable sound of static.

Shining Armor's weapons lay next to the map. A long two-edged sword that curved down the middle, and had a deep groove along the edge, to where the blade appeared to be two blades stacked on top of each other. A round shield, red and rimmed with bronze metal, embroidered with a silver charging unicorn, lay next to it, with the same two-layer design. Though the sword was quite large, almost five feet long and half an inch thick at its greatest, the shield eclipsed the sword in size, with its diameter longer than the sword and it's hilt.

As Shining stood at the table, staring at the map with his left arm across his chest and his right hand over his mouth, Luna followed Shining's gaze to a certain blue pin on the map. The pin stuck right over an image of Celestia, smiling and waving to an off-image crowd, still looking young and beautiful as ever...

The picture immediately made Luna tear up slightly. Looking at the picture again, her mind immediately went back to her sister and the fear that she may never see her again. Luna's memories flashed through her mind, recalling when they were younger, Luna had thrown a tantrum after a rather heartbreaking break-up. Celestia had come to her side to comfort her, and all Luna did was tell her sister to go away forever. She never forgave herself for that. Celestia was always there as her light and older sister, since the day they could first talk. Even after all these years, she didn't ever stop thinking of ways to repay her for her kind words that day, despite her sister's outright refusal to believe it was warranted. Every time, Celestia would smile exactly like how she was doing in the photo on the map, but with even more sweetness and sincerity to Luna.

Luna missed Celestia. Her worry for her sister kept rising, and would keep rising until they found her. She sincerely hoped "they" meant her and the others who wanted her to return safe and alive.

Her thoughts were interrupted when Shining Armor picked two united pins on the map and tossed one of them into a box of other pins. He twirled the second one between his fingers while eying the map, before throwing the pin like a dart with enough force to embed itself into the map and table. The pin landed on an intersection of roads south of where the palace was located.

"There," he said, as Luna approached the table. "That's where I dropped off my scouts before I had to rendezvous with Cadenza and take her to safety," he continued, briefly glancing at his wife on the couch, who only very quickly broke her gaze outside the window at the sound of her name.

"Luna, I think we both know what it means when a team drops off so close to the target, and they don't respond for that long."

"Shining", said Luna softly, "we don't if they... if they're... dead." She fumbled over the last word.

Shining stared hard at the map, huffed, then looked back to Luna, then to Cadence, then back to Luna.

"I'm not risking any more men than I already have, Luna," he said, his voice beginning to ever so slightly turn angry. "We still have zero idea as to who started the attack, or even what they look like, or what they want ..."

Here he turned to Luna. "Unless you have anything to add? Did you see what happened? Any details? Anything?"

Luna shamefully shook her head in response. "Once I heard the alarms, and saw my sister surrounded by cloaked people and screaming for me to run, I ..."She paused.

"I bolted out of there without even a second thought. Next thing I know, the whole city is up in arms and crying for her blood, as well as mine..."

Shining listened to her words cautiously. It did line up with what little he had heard from others and his own experiences. The unexpected alarms blaring, followed by the people wanting Celestia to be "held accountable for her crimes", which was followed by the report from one of his soldiers of a certain case of jewels being stolen. The people became anxious, calling out for Luna to tell them where her sister was, threatening her if she didn't tell them....

If it wasn't obvious at this point, the situation only escalated from there.

Shining, however, was not going to take any more chances. He nodded, sighed, and then reached for his sword, directing it's tip towards Luna's neck. Luna winced, and Cadence turned around in a state of panic and fear upon hearing the sound of the metal slicing through the air. The sword hummed, then produced an ethereal blue glow along the groove of the blade.The blood through his veins began to glow as well, producing the same haunting blue glow through his skin, while the skin around his hand which gripped the blade was glowing almost white.

"Shining, what on Earth are you doing?!" Cadenza yelled, panicked and shocked.

"Give me one good reason to trust you," said Shining Armor, his gaze unbroken and harsh. "You expect me to believe that you were the only person who saw Celestia at the time of the incident, then bolted out of sheer cowardance, without so much as even bothering to look back at the people attacking her?" he growled.

"You're not exactly convincing me here."

Luna paused, not moving despite the blade centimeters away from her neck.

"You weren't there," she responded defiantly, "You didn't see the energy pouring out of their bodies."

Shining's eyes showed glimmers of hesitation, but shook his head, shifting his body to a more comfortable position.

"I don't see how their aura have anything to do with your inability to even try-"

Luna cut him off, "Shining, their auras were not normal. They were much more chaotic, uncontrolled, like an ocean in the middle of a thunderstorm."

Shining huffed, unable to confirm or refute her claims. Luna continued, "I've only seen that kind of aura once before, and that was with...."

She gulped. "When she turned for the worse," she finally said.

A dead silence filled the room. Not a single person dared to say her name. It was a bad memory to Shining, a traumatic one for Cadence, and a painful one for Luna.

"Shining", said Cadence, who got off the couch slowly as her husband Shining Armor and Luna rushed to her side. "We're all confused here," she said, with a hint of knowing pain in her voice.

Shining looked at Cadence, then to Luna, who stood there silently.

"Which is why," continued Cadence, turning to her husband and standing up, "we should still wait and see if anything comes up-"

"Don't give me that crap," said Shining, who sat Cadence back down. Cadence clearly wasn't pleased with being cut off like that, puffing her cheeks in frustration. Shining got up again, grabbing his white shirt that was covered in dirt, pulling it over his head, and sticking his thick arms through the arm holes, before grabbing his sword and shield and the scabbard. Securing the heavy weapons on his back with the straps of his armor, he turned to Luna.

"Luna, now that you're here, I'm going out to check out the palace myself. Look after Cadence for me," he said, heading towards the door. In response, Luna stood up, and vanished before Cadence in a small flash of violet light, before immediately appearing before Shining Armor with the same type of flash. She put her hand on the door handle, blocking his exit.

"Shining, just listen to us," said Luna, Shining shoved Luna to the side, or at least, he tried to. Once he put his hand on her shoulder, Luna grabbed his arm, and used her foot to throw Shining off balance by sweeping his front foot. Shining stopped for a moment, stunned, but proceeded to throw Luna over his shoulder and slamming her onto the ground, causing a huge "thump" sound. Shining raised his fist to knock Luna out, right before Luna raised her hand in a clenched fist, several inches away from Shining's neck. Her hands shone with blackish-purple light, producing a white smoke-like wisps that enveloped around her entire hand and forearm. Within a blink of an eye, the wisp swirled and straightened itself, going from energy to gleaming metal, producing a simple but sharp dagger's blade between her index finger and middle finger. The dagger continued to emit the white smokey aura as the tip poked ever so slightly to Shining Armor's chin.

The two of them stared at each other, weapons gripped, but seeing that Luna clearly had the advantage, Shining was the first to let his sword hilt go. Standing up straight, allowing Luna herself to get up, he walked over to Cadenza, panicked and distressed at what just happened. Panting, Cadence allowed herself to take a breather as her husband kissed her forehead and lay her down on the couch.

"You can't stop me," he said. "I won't let anyone else die..." Here, his eyes grew distant, and his voice betrayed his hurt tone. Yet another painful memory that shone in the back of everyone's minds.

Luna looked at Cadence for a moment, who proceeded to sign in exasperation.

"Fine. You can go," said Cadence, who sat up slightly. "Just be careful, okay?"

Shining Armor was silent, considering her words. He put his hand on the door handle and took the radio with him.

"I promise I'll try," he said, almost half-smiling, and walked out the door. The two women watched as his shadow through the glass screens of the office room moved to the side before meeting with another shadow of a smaller figure.

"Evening, general," came a voice from past the wall, from the second shadow. The shadows passed each other again, once again the door opened. This time, however, Mr.Cake was the one who entered the room.

"Um, Luna?" he asked the princess, rather timidly. "We have a bit of a situation outside...."
> Chapter 3 - Shining Armor
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Shining Armor walked through the halls of the town hall, all the way to the front entrance. A large clamoring noise could be heard even from the halls. Hundreds of voices overlapped one another, creating a cacophony of calls and chants and screams. Walking through the main lounge, he saw several people that he recognized, but didn't remember them being in the town hall before this afternoon. When he arrived at the front doors of the building, he could see the crowds of people gathered around the building. Hundreds of people, chanting Luna's name, some throwing pieces of garbage or rubble, some at the building, and some of them at Shining Armor as he exited the building.

Shoot, they found us already? wondered Shining as he walked down the stairs towards the huge crowd demanding for blood. Some of the individual members of the group had already walked past him into the main lobby. Words were thrown about through the air, most directed at Shining Armor, some of them for Luna, and some of them even directed at -

"Cadenza and you should just come clean already, just tell us where Luna is, you trio of cowards!" called a voice from the crowd. Shining Armor reached the midway point of the steps, where the pavement stretched out a bit before the rest of the stairs, and stopped dead in his tracks upon hearing those words. Several other voices from the crowd agreed with the first clamoring as they began approaching him.

Why? Why did they feel the need to bring Cadenza into this situation as well? His first instinct was to rush back inside and warn the other two. However, after taking a deep breath and clearing his head as he exhaled, he came up with a better plan. Continuing his march down the stairs, he turned his full attention to the audience. Glaring hard at the path straight forward, his piercing blue eyes flashed like light bulbs exploding. A shockwave of powerful wind emulated from his body as he continued, causing the trash and small pieces of rubble to rise and fly outward and upwards. The crowd died down, some yelping in fear, as the general walked towards them. Once Shining Armor began moving through the crowd, in which people began to move out of the way for him, the wind died down. The cries and chants had been reduced to a few low murmurs and whispers. Shining Armor barely ever glanced at the people around him, his eyes set on the road ahead to the palace.

As he walked out of the crowd and onto the empty sidewalk, the same voice called to him again: "Oi, I'm talking to you, douchebag!"

The source of the voice was a young man, pale turquoise and thin, with floofy hair and beard that were an even more saturated shade of yellow, and who picked up a small fist-sized piece of stoney debris on the ground and threw it at Shining Armor's back in spite.

Shining turned around halfway and lifted his arm calmly, catching the stone in his hand. Just like before, a blue glow seemed to emulate from inside his arm, and his veins glew orange, like electricity coursing through his muscle fibres. Crushing the rock with his bare hand, he cast the crumbled debris to the side, and glared hard at the dumbfounded man. The man stepped backwards, eyes betraying his fear.

A small, slim figure appeared next to the man, having run through the crowd to him. She let out a small and quiet: "Wait!" as she hugged the turquoise man's arm. She looked up at what Shining assumed to be her brother.

"Zephyr, what in the world are you doing?" said the girl. Her skin was a pale yellow, paler than her brother's beard, and much less saturated with color. Her hair was long, reaching down to her waist, and a watermelon shade of pink. Her green headband held a small, delicate white flower, almost as dainty as her hands. In fact, her entire stature was quite small, especially when compared to her lanky tall brother.

"I was just.... getting his attention..." said Zephyr, in a rather sulky and contemptful tone. The girl turned to Shining Armor, slowly letting go of her brother's arm.

"I'm sorry for my brother's behavior, please forgive him," she said in a soft-spoken voice, bowing deeply before Shining. Shining, in response, only glanced, then glared at Zephyr, who felt another chill up his spine as the general seemingly stared into his soul. The crowd was completely silent at this point. As the girl raised her head, Shining shifted his attention to her, smiling gently before nodding his head before continuing on his way to the dark castle, casting its shadow as the evening sun set. The crowd, silent, continued on its way, slowly but quietly making their way to the town hall building.

Not for very long, unfortunately. As soon as Shining Armor disappeared around the corner, the crowd once again became loud, though not to the same level as it was before. Chants for Luna's presence arose once more, until they entered the lobby.

The people already inside were scattered around the vicinity of the front doors, staring at the mob. Most of them continued on their way, but others slowly walked away from the new guests. Thankfully, to cut the awkward tension, a chipper voice piped up from the back of the room.

"OH, we have some extra guests," said Mrs.Cake, as she and her husband popped their heads through the kitchen door in the back of the lobby. "Sweetie, can you get the extra tins? We'll need to bake more goodies," she laughed awkwardly. Her husband nodded excitedly, unironically, and headed back into the kitchen.

...

Shining approached the exterior of the castle walls. As he expected, the gates had been closed and protected by the 2 sets of iron portcullis in front. Looking around, he spotted a set of police cars parked in disarray, barricading the streets in front of the walls. He walked to the left, approaching the officers who stood by the cars and writing in the tiny notepads that they held. The distinct sound of attempted radio chatter was heard, even though their efforts were only met by an uncomfortable silence and static.

One of the officers called "ATTENTION!" when he saw Shining Armor approaching. All of the men looked up and instantly stood up straight, turning to face the general.

One of the officers came up and approached Shining, who gave a small sigh and muttered to himself, "Oh, great, not him..."

The officer who approached him was dressed nothing like the other officers. Instead of the typical blue and black uniforms that the other officers wore, he was dressed lavishly in a pure white uniform, with blue highlights along the sleeves and pant legs, which complemented his pale blue skin and green eyes. The gold trimming around the collar and shoulders shone, and spread down the top of his uniform like rays. His white gloves tugged at his sleeves as he sneered at Shining.

"General," he scoffed, turning his nose upwards in a smug manner.

"Prince Blueblood," said Shining Armor, and he got on his knees, took a deep bow, and rose again, dusting the gravel off his pants.

"Hmph, I'll have you know that you will be addressing me as 'Commander' for the foreseeable future," he smiled, with his annoying, disdainful tone.

Shining Armor opened his mouth slowly and only by a little bit, and raised his eyebrow in suspicion. He looked at the officers and men behind him. All of them looked at one another, and one of them nodded his head, looking directly at Shining Armor, as a sign of confirmation.

Shining returned his attention back to Blueblood, his face betraying a twinge of frustration. "Under whose command were you made into a commander?" he asked. His real question was "How in the nine realms of Tartarus did this pretentious little prick become a commander. (*Sarcastically*)Was his pretty little throne too uncomfortable for him?"

Blueblood ruffled Shining's hair with his knuckles, which really began to set him off. Blueblood continued to mock him, saying "Well, if you couldn't tell, nobility really isn't in a good light at the moment, so a few associates and I came up with a clever little plan. If I were to become more of a military leader rather than a useless political one, and assist in the hunt for Celestia, then I could get away without so much as the risk of being attacked in any way. So," here he leaned in closer to Shining Armor, " I had my associates pull some strings."

Shining smacked Blueblood's hand away with his own, having had enough of his hair ruffled, both figuratively and literally. Honestly, Blueblood's words were grating to Shining's ears at best, and nigh unbearable at worst. He felt his fists clenching tight, before he remembered why he was here in the first place.

After taking a deep breath for what felt like the hundredth time today, he asked, "Fine, but if you're a commander now, then you have kept record of the platoons and forces and their current status, correct?"

Blueblood stroked his chin, as if he was in deep thought. "I suppose," he finally said after a short pause. "I am made aware of the status of my teams in action through communications with our technology and specialists from the start of 9:00 today, the day after Celestia stole the Grand Jewel."

Shining narrowed his eyes, frowning ate Blueblood. "Let's not point fingers and name names just yet."

Now it was Blueblood's turn to frown. "Oh?" he asked, "You refuse to believe the obvious just to spite me?"

Hare, he turned his nose up at Shining and continued mocking him: "I know we have had our differences in the past, what with the situation with Cadence and all-"

"Leave her out of this, pervert. We both know she was and still is too good for you," Shining smirked, getting a few chuckles from the officers behind him. Blueblood turned around and shot them a look that shut them up entirely.

Turning back to Shining, he thought out loud, "And you think you are?" Shining ignored that comment, smiling a smile that was short lived.

"About those units..." Shining continued, clearing his throat as his expression returned to the stern look he had adopted since he arrived. "I need a report on scouting units F1-Alpha-SH and S1-Phazon-SH. What's their status?" he asked.

This time, Blueblood looked genuinely confused, as if he had absolutely no idea what Shining Armor was talking about. He muttered the unit's id's to himself, then his eyes shone as if he was a giddy child who had just solved a difficult puzzle.

"Oh-ho-ho-ho, no, my dear Shining, no..." he laughed, "I'm not in charge of any of those old, outdated factions that generals like you used to command."

"What?" Shining asked, enraged and confused.

Blueblood looked over Shining's shoulder, once again flashing that annoying smile, and clapped his hands in applause as he laughed.

"Speak of the devil. There they are now," he chuckled.

Shining turned around, following Blueblood's line of sight, expecting his teams to be there, and for his friend Flash Sentry to be leading them out of the castle. Instead, there was another team who had rolled up at the gates in white armored vans, standing directly to the sides of the gate's archway. The soldiers were clad in with black armor, with silver helmets designed in a spartan-like fashion, with the mohawk plumes and all. However, the mohawk plumes were not feathers, but behaved more like fire, flickering blue like a furnace that had gotten far too hot. Each of the men were armed with guns, black in color but thin, with white light glowing from the barrel and creating patterns on the gun itself. Each gun was far larger than the average rifle, yet the way the soldiers were carrying them, Shining could only assume that they were no heavier than the average dictionary.

The soldiers set several devices onto the steel portcullis. They were small, no larger than a cell phone, round, and emitted the same type of white glow along the edge. They newcomers set several of these devices on the metal of the portcullis. Blueblood walked in front of Shining Armor, still laughing and clapping.

"This," he said dramatically,"is my division of units - meet the "Equestrian Elite Guard."

The soldiers moved away from the disks, hiding behind the armored cars and nearby trees and walls. One of them pulled out a detonator, and after looking over his shoulder at the devices, pressed the button.

Electricity crackled around the disks, as they wrapped around the bars and zapped the ground close to it. The disks exploded, but not with fire and shrapnel. Rather, a black sphere of crackling energy surrounded the disks, expanding around the devices and the metal. The spheres detracted suddenly after reaching about 3 meters in radius, and disappeared along. The devices fell onto the ground.

Massive gaping holes, perfectly cut, were in place of the material that the black spheres consumed. The edges were cold, giving off condensed wafts of moisture and ice. As the new "Elite Soldiers" went into the castle through their newly created entrance, Shining narrowed his eyes.

"Black Hole detonator charges?" he asked both himself and Blueblood.

"The very latest model," responded Blueblood haughtily. "The R-1-P Axiom model. Rechargeable, efficient, powerfully destructive -"

"Illegal," Shining interrupted Blueblood's stream of boasts. Blueblood waved his hand in dismissal.

"Semantics, my friend. These desperate times call for desperate measures," he responded. His voice easily betrayed his arrogance. "Don't bother to try to uphold such petty justice when one must see the bigger picture."

"And the guns? Also Axiom model, I assume?"

"Of course. The only reason the Axiom models went under was due to their destructive nature, something we so desperately need."

Shining folded his arms, suspicious: "All of this just to track down and capture one person?"

Blueblood clicked his tongue and wagged his finger, annoying Shining Armor even more. "Who ever said we were only going to capture her?" Blueblood said, almost sinisterly. Shining Armor's eyes went wide at that comment. He took a step back in shock.

"You don't mean-"

Blueblood scowled, biting his lip, saying, "Celestia has robbed us of the Great Jewel - a crime of the highest order of treachery. Not only that, but her magical prowess ellipses every other mage or wizard in the entire kingdom. A threat like that can only be responded to with the intent of removing them out of the picture... permanently," he said, emphasizing on the last word.

Shining Armor was silent. He was ready to cut down Blueblood where he stood, just to see if his heart really was as empty as his words suggested. Blueblood's expression remained unchanged, signaling Shining that his mind would not change at the moment. The two bitterly stared each other down for half a minute, both who clearly expressed that they were dead serious in their ideas. Shining, however, was the first to drop the conversation, wishing not to waste any more valuable time.

"Forget it. Can I just head into the castle and find my team?" he asked quickly, his patience having already been tested too far today.

Blueblood shook his head. "I'm afraid not. I have been given specific permission to allow the Elite guard to enter the castle, but no one else, not even other forces."

Shining took in a deep breath, then crossed his arms. "So you're telling me," he said, "that you are on a kingdom-wide search for a potentially incredibly disastrous target, and yet only a very recently established elite force is allowed to do so? I find that incredibly hard to believe."

Blueblood opened his mouth to object, but no sound came out. He was at a loss for words. Shining smirked, before finally leaving towards the castle. Blueblood snapped out of his dumbfounded expression, and stammered: "Bu- but wait, I just said you can't enter the castle unless you are a member of the Elite Guard!"

"Yeah? And what's gonna stop me?" Shining asked, without even looking back. Blueblood growled, then reaching behind his back, he pulled out his own golden revolver, with a narrow barrel pointed right in the back of Shining's head. The other officers began to step forward to stop him, but halted in their tracks when Blueblood raised his hand at them, signaling them to stop. The moment he did, his hand holding the gun glowed with a dark blue tone, as he pulled the trigger.

Shining spun around and drew his shield from his back, anticipating the bullet's impact. Instead, the bullet flew completely past him, exploding near the gaping hole in the gate. The glow from Blueblood's arm increased in intensity, and a thin wall of blue energy formed from where the bullet detonated, blocking off the hole in the gate.

Blueblood pocketed his revolver into his holster and glared at Shining, who had turned to look at the barrier now blocking his way.

"Commissioner Armor, I have permission to arrest you if you continue to refuse to comply. You are to stand down and-"

Blueblood was cut short when Shining lept upward with sudden force, sending out a deep boom echoing through the city, and sent out white and orange shockwaves of energized wind that cackled like lightning. Blueblood squealed as he raised his arms to shield his eyes. The other officers followed suit, and the dust settled around them.

Blueblood looked up at the top of the walls, where the sunlight just barely skimmed over the massive structure. Shining Armor stood at the top, barely glancing back at those back on the ground. He unsheathed his sword, gripping it by his side, and rolled his neck, which gently cracked as he did so. He heard Blueblood yelling angrily at him, like a tiny echo in the back of his mind. The air blew across his face, seemingly blowing out from the castle itself.

He turned around back to Blueblood, who was jumping up and down and waving his arms like a refined baboon, if that makes sense, and screaming his name.

"I've already wasted enough time with scum like you..." Shining sighed, rolling his eyes at the sad sight of Blueblood desperately trying to deactivate his own barrier. The blue wall began to shrink and dissipate, but Shining had already hopped off the wall towards the main building, landing in the castle's inner garden. His feet made a small thump as he landed on the grass, surrounded by rows and circles of roses, varying in color and shape. Shining strolled through the grass, reaching a stone walkway leading both out and into the castle's east side. The walkway was often occupied by visitors, business people and tourists alike. Often, they would walk in silence, as the sight of the gardens themselves would speak for themselves. Even so, one would usually hear small bits of chatter, the sound of children laughing, the footsteps that were made on the cement, and the occasional camera shutter clicking.

The silence here, however, was very different. Only the faint sound of the buzzing wings of some four or so bees and dragonflies that hovered over the flowers could be distinctly heard. Shining walked along the path heading into the castle, pushing open the doors inside. The room inside was the main lobby. It was empty, with the clean marble floors looking more like dull concrete in the dim lighting. The chairs, large and royal, were skewed or knocked over. One of the pillars holding up the indoor balcony of the second floor was shattered, the rubble having been sent into a distant corner of the room.

Shining could sense someone else in the room. He exhaled, as the suspicious feeling in his head grew, and his fingers began to radiate in blue light. Drawing his blade, he continued forward, reaching the stairs leading up to the second floor. Checking over his shoulder, his eyes darted around the empty room, before turning left down the hall.

In his memory, the walls were always lit golden and white, as the chandeliers above would glimmer. In his eyes, the walls were splattered with red stains and splashes. The chandeliers flickered, shrouding the halls in darkness for split seconds at a time. Shining's breathing became heavy, and he felt sick in his stomach as he walked further down the hall, deeper into the castle.
> Chapter 4 - Twilight
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The sound of sirens echoed through the streets. As if that alone wasn't enough, Shining's insistence of his sister staying behind in their home did nothing to ease her fear. Twilight Sparkle was willing to stay behind, and for the first few hours, despite her panic, she did as she was told. Turning off the lights and locking the door, she curled up in her bedroom, waiting for any form of message or sign from her brother.

She would get one, but not one she wanted to see. The alarms began blaring, and several trucks carrying men armed to the teeth drove quickly passed the street in front of her apartment building. They wore the same uniform that Shining wore.

Her paranoia reached its peak. She grabbed her phone and her jacket, and ran out the door, slamming and locking the door with shaky hands. As she went down the flight of stairs, she pulled out her phone under the dim, flickering lights of the old hallway.

"Come on, Shining, please pick up..."

The tone hummed in her ear six times, and then her brother's voice came up.

"Hi, this is Shining Armor. Leave a message and I'll get back to you as soon as possible. Thanks-"

She shut her phone off as she fled the building, and ran down the road where the trucks ran, towards the sirens.

The evening sun had finally set, and the night air brought a fresh breeze through the streets. In the dark of the encroaching night sky, the sound of rushing footsteps was the only sound heard along the downtown sidewalks. 

At last, she spotted a large crowd outside the town hall, gathered under the streetlamp's yellow, warm glow. The air was cold, but as she drew closer towards the hall, she could smell the faint smell of chicken soup being cooked. Her pace slowed to brisk walk as she approached the foot of the stairs to the entrance of the massive building, with very dim lights within. She opened the door, passing a few who were sitting against the wall, and pulled back her hoodie to look around.

Her light purple-toned skin glowed comfortably in the yellow light from overhead. Her hair was  a much darker shade of purple, with lighter streaks of lilac and green going down the middle.  Her eyes shone purple, unobstructed by her hair, which was loosely tied back in a long ponytail that reached her upper back. They were still hidden behind a pair of glasses, with a thin black frame, and square in shape. She was somewhat tall for her age, and slim. Mrs.Cake spotted her across the lobby, recognizing her immediately, and rushed out to greet her.

"Twilight!" Mrs.Cake called out, grabbing her hands and startling the young girl. "I wasn't expecting you! I would have imagined that Shining Armor tucked you away in an armored bunker or something!"

Twilight's face lightened greatly in response, and smiled gently. "I wasn't expecting you to be here, either. I'm glad you're safe from..." she looked around, half anxious and half embarrassed. "Whatever this is." she finished quickly.

"Oh, Twilight," said Mrs. Cake, "its just terrible, simply terrible!"

"The Grand Jewel is gone, and half the city is already blacking out. Oh, and Celestia is missing and being blamed for the whole thing, and your brother went off to the castle all on his own, and -" 

By now, Mrs. Cake was talking at a speed where it seemed that her entire sentence was a single word.

Gently shifting her hands to a more comfortable hold, Twilight clasped lightly on Mrs.Cake's shaking fingers. 

"Whoa, s-slow down there Mrs. Cake. Tell me everything again, one at a time, slowly," she said.

Mrs.Cake heaved a heavy sigh of relief, before ushering her to follow, leading her past one of the long tables, where several people were gathered, drinking the heavenly-scented soup, and taking part in many loud conversations.

She sat her down at a table that was relatively empty, on an office chair that had been moved from one of the rooms meant for business meetings. Twilight pulled up a second chair from another table, and the two sat down from across each other.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

The night passed by quickly. By the time Mrs. Cake was done telling Twilight all she knew, the moon was near it's peak, and the cold autumn air ushered everyone inside. The city hall bustled with people, and Mr. Cake was rushing around the lobby with trays of soup. 

Mrs. Cake felt even worse than before Twilight came, as if her heart was being tugged at by a lost child. Twilight hung her head down low, her eyes were shimmering and watery, and said in a shaky voice, "Are you sure?"

Mrs. Cake nodded. "My husband overheard the whole thing. Shining left to find his squadron a while ago."

Twilight wiped her eyes with her sleeve. "How long ago?" she asked, still trembling.

Mrs. Cake inhaled deeply, and rubbed her head. "It was around seven-o-clock, so it must have been around two hours ago."

Twilight stood up suddenly, placing her hands on the table and startling Mrs. Cake. "Then there's still a chance I can find him!" she exclaimed. "Where's Luna?"

"W-w-wha-, I don-" Mrs. Cake stammered, still trying to process the first thing Twilight said.

"You said Luna was here, right? Where is she?"

Mrs. Cake paused and looked at Twilight, then shook her head. "I-I don't know."

Twilight tilted her head and narrowed her eyes slightly. She raised her gently hand towards Mrs. Cake, and a warm, light-purple light began to shine from her palm. Mrs. Cake, confused, leaned back slightly.

"Twilight, please, don't do it." Mrs. Cake ushered quietly. Her eyes began to glow slightly, and Mrs. Cake tense shoulders were now relaxed. Twilight closed her eyes and listened carefully.

The noise of the people dining on soup and talking loudly began to become more and more muffled. Instead, only Mrs. Cake voice could be heard in Twilight's ears. They echoed, ringing out like church bells, for only a few seconds, before she lowered her hand and opened her eyes.

"You're lying, Mrs. Cake," she said calmly.

Mrs. Cake sighed, throwing her hands up in the air. "Did Luna teach you that spell?"

Twilight's expression eased, forming a sort of half-hearted smile on her face. "I picked that one up on my own."

Mrs. Cake looked at Twilight with a gentle look in her eyes, saying, "If you read my mind, then you also know that I'm worried about you."

Twilight shifted her position, looking towards one of the many hallways leading into the offices. "Must have missed that one," she muttered groggily.

Now it was Mrs. Cake's turn to smile. "I don't need to read your mind to know that you're lying. Or tired, Twilight."

"You must be starving, too, dear," said Mrs.Cake, standing up. "At least let me go fetch some more soup from the kitchen for you."

Twilight began to respond when Mrs. Cake put her finger on her lips. "Ah-ah-ah, I want you to rest. I'll tell Luna you're here, but until then, I want you to sit down for a bit and REST," she hushed, adding some light emphasis on the last word. " Your brother will be fine, I know it. The worst of it is over already, so there is nothing more to worry about. Please, just slow down and think before you do anything."

Twilight hesitated, then nodded and thanked her, now realizing that she hadn't even thought about supper in her frantic trip to find Shining. When Mrs.Cake had gone back to the kitchen, she once again looked at her surroundings as she pulled out her phone.

The table she was sitting at was a small round table, wooden and waxed, barely large enough to fit a laptop, but she didn't mind the lack of space. She began dialing the keypad, putting in her brother's number, hoping that he would pick up this time.

The tone hummed in her ear six times, and then her brother's voice came up.

"Hi, this is Shining Armor. Leave a message and I'll get back to you as soon as possible. Thanks-"

Twilight turned her phone off. She had heard the same message being played at least seven times this evening. She laid her arms on the table, and rested her head on them. She was very tired, and her worry wasn't helping her wake up. The noise in the background faded, as Twilight thought about where Shining Armor could have gone, and how she could get to him.

The tears were coming back. Despite her best efforts and Mrs. Cake's comforting words, she couldn't stop her mind going to the worst possible scenario.

If Celestia truly was behind this mess, Shining would stand no chance. Even at his best, his power dwarfs in comparison to the queen of Equestria. Shining, how could you be so stupid, Twilight thought to herself. The sadness was quickly replaced with a slow anger that she knew was selfish, causing her to clench her fists. Why? Why did this happen? A blackish-purple aura began to flow through her hair, shifting the color to a slightly darker shade and causing it to move around gently. Celestia... if you really did steal the jewel... and if you lay a single finger on Shining... I swear, I will hunt you down like a dog....

"Um..... excuse me?" A small, tender voice interrupted Twilight's thoughts. She looked up, and hair lightened up to its original color. Standing before her was a girl, around her age, but seemed much younger. Her skin was a pale yellow, and her hair was a soft pink that contrasted with the green headband on her head. Her eyes were green, but also round, and her expression was soft. She leaned forward ever so lightly in a bow, and inhaled gently.

"I'm sorry, but I couldn't help overhearing your conversation with Mrs. Cake-san." she said, fidgeting with her fingers as she spoke. Twilight sat up straight, looking right into her eyes. The girl quickly shifted her gaze away, instead looking down at a point on the floor with nothing in interest.

"I don't know if this brings any comfort to you..." she said, eyes still shying away from Twilight, "but I think I saw your brother earlier. I even talked to him a bit...". By now her voice died down from her already quiet tone to an almost inaudible whisper.

Twilight sighed and shook her head. "Thanks for trying, but no, it doesn't help much."

"Oh," said the girl, who brought her shut one of her eyes and brushed aside a bit of her hair, as if she had been stung by a bee there. "I'm sorry..." she muttered.

The two were silent for a bit, but the girl awkwardly remained there. Twilight looked back up at her. Why is she still here?

"Is there something else you wanted?" she asked, trying her best to make the phrase sound as polite as possible.

The girl thought about this silently for a minute, then said, "Your brother seems to be a very strong person...."

Twilight raised her eyebrow. The girl stammered and waved her arms, quickly trying to explain herself. "Umm, I - I mean, your brother was able to..... fend off my brother's attack pretty well..."

"WHAT?" Twilight exclaimed, standing up, and her hair flickering back and forth between its original color and the darker shade from before.

Her outburst was quickly ceased when the girl before her screamed in response, gathering the the attention of a few nearby. The girl curled herself into a ball, arms over her head as if she was about to be attacked.

"Ahhh, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'll leave..." she blubbered.

Twilight, obviously taken aback by this, looked around at the staring onlookers, shooing them away with quick motions from her hands. When they were gone, she knelt down to the girl, bringing her to stand.

"I should be the one apologizing... I didn't mean to cause you to panic like that. I'm sorry," said Twilight, holding onto the girl's shoulders.

The girl wiped her eye with her finger. She swallowed her sobs, but continued to look down at her shoes. Twilight lifted her head with her hand, and spoke gently.

"My brother- what did he look like?" she asked. 

The girl touched her fingers together, pushing them against each other. "He was tall... blue hair and blue eyes... pale white skin... I heard his name...it was... 'Shining Armor'"

Twilight sighed. "Yeah, that's him...."

She decided it was better to leave this topic behind them and move on.

The clattering of plates caught everyone's attention. A man with teal-green skin was singing, dancing on the table and knocking off a few plates, much to the dismay of many. In his hand was a small bottle of liquor, nearly empty and held to his mouth like a microphone.

"Oh no... " whispered the girl, who ran towards the scene. Twilight followed her, catching a glimpse of Mrs.Cake walking out the kitchen and being shocked by the events unfolding.

By now, people were clamoring at him. Some even threw food at him, yelling at him to get off. He continued his dance, until he reached the end of the table, and fell flat on his face, shattering the glass bottle. The people gasped and went silent for a bit, as the girl went up to her brother on the floor.

"Zephyr, what did you do now..." the girl muttered. Twilight turned him over to reveal a large red mark where he hit his head, which was bleeding slightly.

"Zephyr... is he your brother?" Twilight asked, pointing at the drunken man. The girl nodded and held her small hand to her chest. "I'm Fluttershy," she added.

Twilight looked at him, and placed her hand on his forehead. A light purple glow began to shine through, as the man groaned. He coughed twice, then, turned to look at Twilight.

"Hello, beautifullll..." he slurred, causing Twilight to cringe. She removed her hand. The blood was still there, but the mark was now gone. Zephyr raised his hand to touch his forehead, getting some of the blood on his fingers. He simply shrugged and wiped the blood off on his shirt. As Twilight stood up, however, he grabbed her wrist.

"Where are you going, angel?" he brought her closer to his lips, ready to plant a kiss on the young girl's forehead.

Instead, what he received was a blow to the face. Twilight's fist was sparking with purple energy, and sent Zephyr across the room, causing him to land awkwardly on one of the chairs and send him back to sleep.

"That was for attacking my brother, pervert," said Twilight, lowering her arm.

Luna walked out of the hallway, with a disturbed and worried expression on her face.

"What happened?" she asked, before laying her eyes on Twilight.

She straightened herself up, and cleared her throat. "Twilight," she said simply. "It is good to see you."

"Luna!" Twilight explained, rushing towards the woman, and wrapping her arms around her waist.

Luna, slightly surprised by this public display of affection, chuckled and stroked Twilight's hair.

"We have much to discuss," said Luna.
> Chapter 5 - Sunset
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The night passed, and the sky went from a deep purple to a glowing orange as the sun rose over the city's skyscrapers. The lights within the city hall had been flickering throughout the night. The windows were foggy, cold to the touch from the chill air of the night. The autumn frost glimmered on the ground, squeaking and crunching under the shoes of an eager girl, running towards down the stairs of the city hall building.

The girl turned a corner a bit too quickly, slipping on the icy ground and tumbling forwards onto the pavement. She let out a cry as her face slammed onto the concrete, and laid still for a small bid. She twitched, and slowly rose from the ground groaning in pain. Her nose was slightly crooked and bleeding, and was dripping on her black skirt and pants.

She huffed, her breath condensing in the air, and continued walking down the street. The blood dribbled down her bright orange skin, illuminated by the sunrise. She pressed her palms on both sides of her nose, and with a defiant crunch, twisted her nose back in place.  Wiping the blood off her upper lip, her red-and-orange hair flew back into a frenzy as she continued to dash towards the shadowy castle at the center of the city.

She stopped right before the castle's front gates, the road barricaded with police officers and their vehicles. The air was filled with the distinct sound of radio chatter, and felt heavy with dread. Looking on at the faded castle, she huffed a sigh, muttering, "This place has seen better days..."

The girl approached one of the officers,  passing under the yellow police tape that was lined up. "Hey," she said, a little too loudly, gathering the attention of a few other officers around him. "I'm looking for squadron E-1A. You know where I can find them?"

The officer looked at his comrades, then chuckled. "Kid," he scoffed, "I don't know if you saw the signs, but this ain't no place for a kid."

The girl narrowed her eyes, walking right up to the officer. He was big, likely over six feet, she estimated, but she still could reach his shoulders at eye level. She glanced at his badge, then looked back a him. "I'm not just a kid" she said, folding her arms.

Here the officer laughed even harder, and his fellows joined. "That's adorable, kid, but you really should head back home. Wouldn't want you to get hurt."

The girl groaned in annoyance, unzipped and reached into the back pocket  of her skirt, and pulled out a small wallet, containing a badge. It was similar to the one on the officers' uniforms, but had a black rim, and was gilded in a gold color instead of the bronze the officers had. The officer's chuckling slowed, then ceased. He looked at the badge, then on the back of it, then looked at her.

"You're a member of the royal guard? You don't even look like your out of high school yet." he asked, eyeing her suspiciously.

She responded with a dead silence, smirking slightly.

"Oh, come on, they let a HIGH-SCHOOLER IN?"

"Sunset Shimmer, leader of squadron E-1A. I was notified by one of my friends to come as soon as possible this morning."

One of the officers standing to the side turned to her. "E-1A? We can't allow anyone other than the Elite Guard to go into the castle."

Sunset looked at him, confused. "I'm sorry, the what?"

"The new shining white knights on the block, called together by possibly the biggest dipstick in history," a voice said from behind her.

Sunset turned around, seeing another girl approach her. Her yellow-toned skin complemented her massively puffy, orange hair, and contrasted with her cold, purple eyes. Her figure was slightly slimmer than Sunset's, helped by the black and grey jumpsuit that she wore. It was lined with glowing lights that traced down the side of her arms and legs, and circled around on her back. The newcomer smiled and  outstretched her arms, embracing Sunset, who responded with the same action.

"Adagio," said Sunset, still embracing her friend. "I'm glad you're safe."

"So am I," said the girl, gently breaking off from the hug and patting Sunset's shoulder. The two began chatting, walking past the police officers while doing so. The officer standing on the side looked at his comrades. "Should we stop them?"

The first officer turned to glare at him. "You really want to get in the way of E-1A?"

"Huh?"

The first officer pressed the side of his ear, triggering a beep and a voice that said, "Any updates?"


"Yeah, did you call for squadron E-1A? Cause they just showed up and look ready to bust into the castle."

"....oh," said the voice, slightly nervous.

"Should we get everyone to intercept them, Blueblood?" asked the officer.

"No ,no, no, that would be a waste of both our time and men, " responded Blueblood. "I will have a small chat with them myself. Err ...  Which way where they headed?"

"Two of them just waltzed right past the cars on the northwest entrance, heading towards the East one."

"Excellent. Thank you, you are dismissed," said Blueblood, before abruptly ending the call.

"What? Dismissed? Sir?" The policeman tapped the device again, only to be met with the voice of a much angrier, different voice.

"What is it?!" the voice yelled, annoyed and irritated.

The police officer winced. "Silver Comet?" he whimpered.

"KNOW YOUR PLACE, BUDDY! THAT'S MAJOR COMET TO YOU!" the voice screamed in his ear, causing him to wince. His comrades looked at each other nervously.

The voice breathed heavily, then in a gruff yet calmer tone, asked, "What do you want?"

The officer took a deep breath, then said, "I'm not quite sure I understand what is happening right now-"

"No one flipping does, moron."

"I mean to say, major," the officer continued, "that Blueblood just dismissed us from the case after hearing that E-1A arrived."

"I know, I was there with him when you called," responded the voice. "Look, he means what he said. You can stick around if you want, but I have my squadron advancing around the perimeter. No one is getting in. And with E-1A here, albeit uninvited, we should have this situation covered."

The voice became calmer, but still was coarse and gruff. "If you got family, you might wanna check up on them. That is all."

The radio static cut out, and the officer standing to the side chuckled. "This major sounds like he isn't out of high school either."

This was followed by another dead silence.

"Oh, what the f-"

_____________________________

Adagio led Sunset down the roads, past a few onlooking police officers, as the sirens continued to blare in the streets. A series of large white tents were set up, where several officers could be seen lined up outside waiting to enter.

The two walked past it, squeezing by a few officers who, upon seeing them, immediately moved out of the way, standing at attention position. Once they walked by, the officers resumed their tasks. Sunset followed her friend into a dark grey tent, pushing open the heavy entrance flaps, and walking inside.

"We're back," said Adagio walking over to a table centered in the tent, around a few iron-frame beds that were untouched and made neatly.

Seated around the table were two other girls, each wearing the same jumpsuit as Adagio. The first one was leaning back in her seat, her feet and black metal boots up on the table. Her green and purple hair was tied back in two giant pigtails, that fell just above her waist. Her eyes were a faded purple, as was her skin. Black eyeliner rimmed around her eyes, which gave her a piercing gaze.

The second one had skin that was a light tone of blue, but her eyes were an even deeper shade of purple than the first one. Her hair reflected her indigo skin, but streaked with a dark blue, and tied back with a glittered rubber band, forming a ponytail that curved up, then all the way down her back before rising up again slightly. Her face was a mess, as she was currently chowing down on a pair of hard-shell tacos, each in one hand. She looked up at the two, then, with her mouth stuffed, waved her hands.

"Mmf... Guysh, yer bach! I wast gehtting worried!" she called, bits of food flying out her mouth.

The first girl groaned in annoyance, then took her feet off the table and handed her friend a canteen of water. "For crying out loud, Sonata, swallow your food already!" she exclaimed, dodging a tiny bit of corn that flew past her.

Sonata snatched the canteen from her sister, chugging vigorously before swallowing and exhaling in utter satisfaction. "Heh, sorry," she said, wiping her lips with her sleeve.

Adagio rolled her eyes, and walked over to a bed that had another black jumpsuit laying down on it.

Sunset walked to the table, and looked at the food on the table. "May I?" she asked, pointing at the some leftover fries in the box.

Both Sonata and the other girl responded at the same time.

"No, they're mine!"

"Sure, knock yourself out."

Sonata turned to her sister. "Aria!" she exclaimed, "This is my lunch! I'm not finished with it!"

Aria snatched the food from her sister, who whimpered as her eyes bubbled in utter sadness.

"This was supposed to be OUR lunch, and yet you ate three-quarters of the bag before any of us could get a bite. Heck, you even drank our sodas!"

"You should thank me! Your food was dry anyway!"

Sunset watched as the two bickered back and forth, munching on the handful of fries she took. Adagio approached her, holding the jumpsuit.

"How do you three even live together like this?" Sunset asked, finishing off the last of the fries in her palm.

"We're sisters. We make it work," said Adagio, tossing Sunset the suit. "Suit up. We'll head in there in ten minutes." She motioned towards the castle gate as she spoke.

Sunset took off her jacket, then her shoes. "Are we even permitted to do that?" she asked as removed her skirt before grabbing the jumpsuit.

"I'm afraid not," came a voice from behind her. 

Sunset turned around, stumbling as she slipped her feet into the pant legs of the suit. Blueblood stood at the entrance of the tent, wiping his monocle with a handkerchief, then placing it over his left eye. He sniffed the air haughtily, then coughed. "Ahem," he cleared his throat. "Have I caught you at a bad time?"

"I don't know. You walked in on an underage girl changing clothes, so you tell me," said Sunset, mockingly as she slipped on the sleeves.

Blueblood's eyes widened for a second, then closed his eyes  and inhaled deeply, then smiled and spoke in his trademark condescending tone, "Ah, well, my apologies. It's just that this particular matter at hand is of upmost importance."

"And besides," he added, approaching Sunset, "such beauty is not to be hidden under a warrior's clothes."

It was at this point Adagio stood up and gently tossed a long, grey case in Sunset's direction, who grabbed it, opened it and pulled out the item inside with her free hand in the span of a second. She aimed the sword she grabbed, still in its sheath, at Blueblood.

"Back off, buddy," Sunset growled, as she lightly threw the case on one of the beds nearby.

By now, her suit activated, and a deep orange glow began to began to flow through the mesh like a current flowing through a circuit. The suit molded, sprouting armor on the shoulder and back, and the mesh wrapped around her neck comfortably. From the back of the suit, the energy coursed outwards, curving around her eyes to make a sort of visor, and a black mask rose and covered Sunset's mouth. A voice from within the suit echoed:

"Recognized: Sunset Shimmer. E-1-A-2. Adjusting settings..."

Sunset used her free hand to press her left ear while keeping the blade towards Blueblood. The visor and the mask retracted, almost mechanically.

"I'm just here to look for my friend," she said.

Blueblood leaned slightly back, gently pushing the blade downwards and chuckling nervously. 

"Ah... heh, y-your friend?" he asked, with nervousness clearly betraying his voice.

Sunset growled. "You don't even care about your own men, do you?" she hissed, annoyed.

Blueblood scoffed, then said rather haughtily, "I now lead the squadrons of the Elite Guard. Any other division has been passed on to others of high position."

"Yeah, yeah," said Adagio, waving her hand in dismissal and rolling her eyes. "You got to be a big shot for once, and if you suddenly want to act like a good leader for once, go for it."

Here, Adagio pointed her finger at Blueblood. "The very least a pathetic featherhead like you could do is tell us where Flash Sentry and his squadron are."

Blueblood was stunned. For a moment, he was utterly silent as the four girls glared at him in contempt. Then, out of nowhere, he began to chuckle, then laugh out loudly.

"Phah, hah, ah, ha ,haaaaaaaah...." he wheezed. "Flash Sentry? Squadron F1-Alpha-SH? You expect me to know or care about that outdated faction? Oh, it's Shining Armor's request all over again..." his laughter began to die out.

Shining Armor was here? Sunset thought to herself. She looked at Adagio, who looked back in confusion and shrugged her shoulders. Aria arched her eyebrows in anticipation, while Sonata awkwardly twirled her hair.

"I'll say it as many times as I need," said Blueblood, who became very stern very quickly. "I do not know, nor do I care, about any other squadron besides the Elite Guard. All I know is that no one has been seen anybody exiting the castle. If you wish to go in and look for your comrade, be my guest."

He turned around and sneered. "I don't think I need to warn you of the dangers of fighting an unknown threat, do I?"

Sunset opened her mouth to say something, but Adagio interjected. "We can handle ourselves just fine."

Aria nodded. "Beside, your precious Elite Guard charged it without much info either. For someone so proud of his new toys, you really don't reap what ya sow, huh?"

"ENOUGH OF THIS MOCKERY!" Blueblood yelled. The sudden rise in tone startled the four girls, causing Sonata to spill her bottle of water onto the table. "Aw, crud." she mumbled.

"I am FINALLY being recognized for my natural leadership and ability, and placed in a position where I can finally put my flawless plans into action. No interference from Luna, or Celestia, or Armor, I can FINALLY HAVE THINGS GO MY WAY FOR ONCE!" he continued, seething with anger.

"And I will NOT be mocked by a group of four, naive little MINXES!" he added, finally storming our of the tent. 

"What a weirdo," added Sonata, wiping the spill with a shirt she had picked up.

"HEY! That's my shirt!" Adagio yelled, annoyed.

Returning to his tent, Blueblood turned to see the four girls, with their weapons in hand. Sunset's blade was sheathed on her back, and Adagio's larger sword was latched onto a belt around her waist, horizontally. Sonata had her narrow, pointed sword placed in her sheath hanging to the side, and Aria's pair of blades were latched onto her back, crossing each other with their hilts pointed towards the sky. The girls were quite a ways away, casually walking through the hole in the castle gates, much to the confusion and worry of the officers around them.

"Major Comet, I have a new task for you," said Blueblood, his eyes still transfixed on the girls.

"Finally," came a voice from inside the tent. Emerging from the tent was a tall young man, with skin as white as snow, and his hair long and sharp-ended, fading from the white at the center of his hair to an ashen grey near the points. The hair was soft and angled downwards, but stood up at the roots, almost like a hedgehog. He was adorned in an open white overcoat, with gold buckles and silver strips down the sleeves, and hung a few inches off the ground. His shirt was the same color as his hair, and his shorts were nylon and black, covering his knees. His red iris shone has he cracked his knuckles.

"What took you so long?" the boy asked in his gruff voice, craning his neck to the side.

Blueblood smiled. "Those four over there," he pointed at the girls walking into the castle. "While I do not think they will necessarily interfere with the mission, and believe that their power may be crucial to our success, they are currently another unpredictable factor that we do not need right now. More importantly, they are insubordinate, and will not listen to my orders."

Silver crossed his arms. "So you want me to deal with them?"

Blueblood nodded. "In a sense. I need you to reel them in, show them that we have things under control, and that they should act only when needed." Here he stroked his chin.

"Give them a sense of what it truly means to be an Elite, and 'convince' them to return to me." He said the word "convince" with a hint of animosity.

Blueblood pulled out his phone. "I'll call up a squadron to come with you into the castle."

"No," came the firm reply, as Blueblood looked up to see Silver grabbing a large sword, three inches wide and almost five feet long. Silver grabbed the handle, then twisted it until a mechanical click was heard. A second blade revealed itself, shooting out and spinning from the first blade and attached itself to the other end of the handle. He spun the now ten-foot long double-ended sword in his hand, then gripped it tight before looking back at Blueblood.

"I can handle those weaklings myself," said Silver, before walking towards the gates of the castle.

".........Right," said Blueblood. He grabbed a steaming mug of black coffee, pouring the cream in and sipping it gently. 

He sighed, then scoffed. "That guy needs to curb his ego."
> Chapter 6 - The Search
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Shining Armor continued trudging through the desolate halls, dimly lit by flickering overhead chandeliers that swayed ever so gently as he passed under them. He gripped his sword in hand, which seemed to twitch every so often, causing his thumb to fidget. He had not been walking very far, but he was breathing quite heavily, and a bead of cold sweat rolled down the side of his head. The sense of unease that had followed him all the way from town hall had made its home, at that moment, within Shining's mind.

The long hallways were silent, and narrow, but high, somewhat reminding Shining Armor of the inside of an airplane. He loosened and regripped his blade, his palm glistening in sweat. The hallway stretched onwards, to the point where every step he took seemed to add two more feet to the length of the hallway.

He did finally reach the end of the hallway, and stepped into a large, round room with a spherical glass ceiling that allowed the sun to illuminate a majority of the room. The room was about 120 feet in radius, with at the center, a large series of semi-circular desks, holding abandoned monitors and papers. Along the edge of the room were marble pillars, white and shiny, matching with the floor. They reached high up towards the roof, past the small indoor balconies periodically placed about the walls on the floor above. Shining continued walking further into the room, and looked to his left, then to his right. On both sides of him were a set of gilded stairs that curved outwards as they led to the higher floor. Above the stairs were two engraved figures staring upwards and outwards in opposite directions. The engravement on the left was silver, and portrayed a woman Shining immediately recognized as Luna, holding her hands to her chest in hopeful prayer. On the other side, Celestia was carved in gold, standing firmly and staring defiantly towards the ceiling, with a hopeful gaze in her eyes.

Shining suddenly felt more at ease, as if the hallways had been suffocating him, and this was the first sense of fresh air in hours. He walked towards the ring of desks at the center of the room. The room echoed with every step, and he delicately used his free hand to brush aside a few of the scattered papers lying on and about the desks, until he found a latch with a handle pointed upwards. He grabbed it and pressed down on the lock, pulling it up. The hinge creaked as it opened up, allowing Shining to enter the circle. He stepped in, looking at the monitors, and placing his sword back in the giant sheath on his back. Half of the  screens on the computer were black, and the other half of them had nothing but static fizzing on the screen. He went over briskly to one with a black screen, running the mouse back and forth to see if it still worked. The screen flickered for a moment, then immediately went black once more.

"Come on..." he hummed, moving to the next screen with static clustering its entirety. He put his hand on the mouse, moving it rapidly back and forth, to no avail. He cursed under his breath, and turned to the next computer. The same thing happened. It then occurred to him that whoever broke in and stole the jewel obviously would prefer if they could stay unknown and hidden away.

He clicked his tongue, and turned to leave the circle, when something caught his eye. It was a silver bell, the kind people would press on to ring for service. Next to it was a small folded piece of paper, folded to stand up, with thin, elegant, red ink strokes on the side facing Shining. The bell and the folded card sat neatly on top of the scattered pieces of paper, the ones he shifted when he lifted the latch to walk through.

Someone had placed them there just now. Shining turned his head, scanning every crevice of the walls and room. An empty silence stayed in the air, but now the air began to feel heavy once more. He picked up the card, reading the words silently.

Ring me.

Scrawled next to these words was a heart, with a little loop at the valley at the top. Shining crumpled the card in his hand, and unsheathed his sword. The sound of the blade exiting the sheath rang out. He closed his eyes, gripping the handle tightly, and breathed deeply.

This is a very bad idea, he thought to himself. After a short pause, he reached out his finger, and tapped the button on the bell.

The sound seemed to hover in the air for a moment, then spread out throughout the room. It bounced off the round walls, echoing back and forth. The moment his finger made contact, Shining leapt away from the bell, still within the circle of desks, with both hands on gripping the hilt. He held the hilt next to his head, feet spaced apart, and the tip of the sword pointed in the direction he face. His eyes darted around, as the bell's chime continued to echo through the room and ringing through the hallways.

The chime finally went silent after a few seconds. Shining slowly made his past the desks and into the open space of the room. He peered into the hallway from where he entered, then began ascending the stairs to glimpse through the doors on the upper floor. The hallways remained silent. Shining shifted his position, keeping sword steady, but now lower and in front of him. He slowly began making his way back down the stairs, keeping an eye on the rest of the room.

He caught notice of a single desk chair that was spinning, but had just now reached the end of its spin. Shining gripped his sword until his knuckles were white. He approached the hallways on the opposite end of the room, hoping to see his stalker. He was halfway through when the overhead lights began to flicker.

Shining steadily glance upwards to see the lightbulbs and hanging lamps flickering in unison. The frequency of the flickering hastened, until several of the lightbulbs burst from the inside. Glass and hot filament showered around the room. The entire room went dark, and the monitors with static suddenly went black. Shining blinked, trying to adjust his eyes to the sudden darkness.

He froze, suddenly feeling as if he was under the watchful gaze of someone who had no intention of being friends. He felt a bead of sweat roll down his neck. In an instant, he spun around with his sword, now faced the opposite direction of which he was facing a second prior, and in one swift motion, slashed his sword through the air. His hand cackled with blue energy once more, and blue and orange energy pulsed through his arm like lightning. His sword surged with the same energy, and from the slash came a thin wave of blue energy that sparked through the air and on the ground. The wave shot across the room, blitzing through the hallways and briefly illuminating the air around it.

For a single brief moment, Shining caught sight of two pair of glowing emerald eyes. The first pair owned by a figure of immense stature. It was hunched over as to avoid hitting it's head against the roof, and pressed against the wall to dodge the wave. The second stood across from it, standing elegantly with a feminine figure, making no effort to dodge the attack. Upon contact with the second, the wave flashed brightly, then dissipated like mist. The eyes shifted out of sight, and Shining could hear rushing footsteps approaching him. 

"Shoot," he whispered angrily. He began dashing towards the hallway on the other end of the room, sword now in a reverse grip in one hand. The approaching footsteps were now drowned out by the sound of his own, but getting louder with every passing second. Shining could now see the end of the hallway, illuminated by a faint light. A quiet giggle echoed through the air. The sound of the giggle came from a woman, but the voice was unlike anything Shining had ever heard. He dared not to look back, and burst through the exit. His eyes widened after they adjusted to the new light shining through the ceiling.

It was daylight. The stone and plaster of the upper floors were eradicated, smashed into rubble that now lay at the ground floor where Shining was. The midday sun beamed through where the roof would be, down onto the floor surrounded by piles of broken glass and rubble that reached the second floor. Shining glance behind him. There was no sign of his pursuers.

"What in Tartarus happened here?" he mumbled to himself, looking at the ruin around him. The door to the next room was blocked by giant chunks of stonework that lay broken in a pile. Digging his way through would take half an hour, and much longer if he wanted to try to be quiet about it. He considered returning the way he came from to find a detour, but he would rather leap into a pool of sharks blindfolded than walk through the darkness again. Blasting his way through would definitely be loud enough to give away his position. He carefully considered his options, keeping his eyes on the dark hallway.

He groaned in frustration, and pointed his sword at the pile. The energy swirled around his hand, flowing into the metal of his blade. A ball of energy began forming at the tip of his blade.

________________________________________________________________________

"Woah," Sonata stopped in her tracks. The other three turned their helmets, and shined the lights on the side of their visors at her.

"What is it now?" Aria asked angrily, clearly impatient, and already continuing her path forward.

"I'm picking up on some some energy readings. Big ones," Sonata read the numbers flashing on her visors.

Sunset and Adagio tapped their own visors, causing them to beep rapidly. Sunset scanned the information, then furrowed her brow.

"These readings look familiar..." Sunset declared, hesitantly. Adagio remained silent, then swiped off the visor. It retracted and retreated into the black shoulders of her jumpsuit. 

"Its coming from up ahead," said Adagio calmly. She reached to her side, unbuckling the sword strapped to her hip, and hoisted the heavy slab of metal over her shoulder. Brushing past Aria, she stopped at a corner, peering into the hallway. At the end of it, she could a faint light, dimly illuminating parts of the hallway.

Sonata and Aria gripped their weapons, while Sunset had hers out and unsheathed. The three looked at Adagio, who after a brief pause, signaled with her hand to follow her. The four of them slowly made their through the dark hallway, keeping close to the side of the wall. Sonata was hunched over, hands in front of her like a mouse, and tiptoeing as she went.

"Sneak, sneak, sneak, sneak, sneak, sneak, sneak, sneak," she chanted in a soft voice. She was only stopped when Aria and the others glared at her. Aria could hear her own blood vessel pop as she clenched her teeth, trying not to knock her sister out right then and there.

Sunset rolled her eyes, following Adagio to the end of the hallway. They were greeted with a bright light, shining down from a giant gaping hole in the roof. Looking in front of them, they saw another large hole leading them down to the first floor, surrounded by rubble. Sunset gazed upwards. The holes grew slightly larger the further she looked, and the sun was now fading past the edge of the top hole.

"What the heck?" She slowly made her way to one of the big piles of rubble that teetered on the edge of what remained of the floor, held up only by larger piles of rubble underneath. Peering over around the edge, she caught sight of a man clad in white, with blue hair, charging his sword with energy swirling around his hand, and pointing it at a giant pile of rubble in front of him.

"Hey, that's-" Sunset began. She was cut off when the man fired the ball of energy at the tip, blasting it into the pile and sending rubble flying in almost every direction. A giant boom resonated throughout the entire castle. The floor shook with the impact, and dust floated upwards all the way to the fourth floor.

Sonata yelped as a small chunk of stone fell down on her head and bounced off her hair.

"Ow!" She rubbed her head gently, as Adagio pulled her by the collar and lead her behind Sunset. Aria stepped back, pressing her back against the wall.

The man turned his head and sword in Sunset's direction. "Who's there?" he demanded.


Sunset breathed heavily, then recognizing the man's voice, she widened her eyes, and began standing up from her hiding spot slowly.

"Sunset Shimmer! Leading Captain! Squadron E-1A!" she called out to him, now standing within view and upright. The man lowered his sword slightly upon seeing her.

"Sunset?" he asked.

Sunset gave a small, short chuckle, then hopped down from the floor, sliding down on the rubble. She bounced off the debris at the bottom, and smoothly strode over to Shining.

"Hey! Sunset!" he opened his arms, and the two hugged each other. Shining held Sunset's shoulders.

"Wow! Look at you! Gosh," said Shining, taking a step back, "last time I saw you in that suit was about two years ago!"

Sunset looked down on the ground, slightly bashful, and rubbed her neck. "I know. Where did you run off to after you and Cadence tied the knot?"

Shining chuckled slightly, then leaned in slightly. "Well," he began, "to make a long story short, I'm gonna be a..." he paused again for dramatic effect. "A father," he concluded.

Sunset's eyes and smile widened greatly, and she gasped. "Oh my gosh!" she squealed. She began to congratulate him when Aria raised her voice.


"Oi!" she yelled, catching the attention of the two on the first floor. "You wanna explain some stuff?"

Sunset looked at Shining, then looked back at her friends. "Oh right," she said, as the the other three slide down the rubble. "This is Shining Armor. My old mentor."

Shining waved at the girls. The three sisters looked at each other, then back at the new face. Adagio smile slowly appeared on her face, and she reached out her hand.

"Pleasure to meet you, sir," she said, as Shining reached out his own hand to shake hers.

"The pleasures mine," he replied simply, then straightened himself and looked at the trio. He pointed at them loosely, and asked, "So, have you all been taking care of my pupil?"

Sunset rolled her eyes, and Sonata raised her hand and hopped up and down like a student in kindergarten raising her hand.

"Yessir!" said Sonata, giving a flamboyant salute. "We are the bestest of all friends, and watch each other's backs, ain't that right?" She vigorously glanced at her team, smiling nonchalantly.

Aria was not amused, and crossed her arms. She narrowed her eyes at the pale man before her. "If you're Sunset's teacher, how come she has never mentioned you before?"

Shining smirked, and eyed Sunset with a gleam in his eye. Sunset blushed, and laughed awkwardly.

"I.... might have caused some trouble for him last time we spoke," she said sheepishly. Aria raised her eyebrow in suspicion, then widened.

"Is this about 'the incident' with Flash you mentioned before?" she asked, with a serious look on her face. Sunset's blush grew even redder.

"N-no, of course not," she laughed awkwardly.

"I'm gonna say probably yes," said Shining, enjoying the misery of his student more than even he would like. Sunset's eye twitched, but the smile remained on her face. She glared at Shining Armor somewhat playfully, and gave a defeated sigh.

"So, what are you doing here?"

Shining cleared his throat, and his face became serious again.

"Well," he began, "to make a long story short, I came here to find clues as to what happened, but more importantly, I'm here to find my men. That includes Flash." He looked at Sunset with that final comment.



"Your men?" Adagio now had her arms crossed, and leaned on one leg.

"A pair of squadrons, actually. I don't suppose you've seen them? They got visors that go over their eyes? Red uniform? White armor?"

"Sorry," Sunset shook her head. "If we had found Flash, we wouldn't be here right now."

Shining puffed in frustration, then said, "Alright, then. This works out. We can search the area together. I've already been through there." He pointed to the hallway he emerged from, still dark and unlit.

Sunset swept her fingers across her visor, and a series of flickering lights and signs appeared in front of her. Shining grimaced as he watched her analyze the information and swiping across the visor.

"Please tell me those are standard model visors..." he said out loud.

"Mmm-hm. Why do you ask?" Sunset scanned the blinking symbols forming in front of her. She analyzed every reading that came across her eyes, checking over every tiny detail that popped up. If Shining said that his squadron was here, that meant Flash was here too. A new wave of hope washed over her as she listened intently for the beep that would confirm her hopes. Her hopes were dashed when the visor blinked red, and gave a different sound.

The group turned around at the sound. "What's that? Did you find them?" Shining asked, with hesitation in his voice.

Sunset's face held a look of confusion that dissolved into fear, as her eyes widened. "There's someone else behind us," she said, almost whispering. The visor beeped rapidly, as the numbers on the screen went higher and higher. "Their magic...it's absurd..."

From the third floor, a figure emerged into their view as they looked up, his shadow looming over them, and his blade gleaming in the sun. Shining took a step back and grabbed his weapon, and Aria thrust her palm in the figure's direction. A loud hum droned as a dense sphere of violet magic generated an inch away from her skin, before erupting into a beam that shot upwards, kicking up the dust around her. The beam made contact with the edge of the floor, detonating it and reducing it to a cloud of dust and raining rubble. The figure, dressed in a white cloak, burst from the dusty cloud, descending and landing in the middle of the group with a shockwave that violently pushed each of them into the wall.

The dust settled, and the five of them could now see clearly the figure rising from his landing position. A young man, with white, long, spiky hair, with piercing red irises in a gold and white overcoat that drifted barely above the ground. His sword had giant blades sticking out of both ends of the handle. He raised his head, his red irises gleaming like fire.

Sunset made a small "tch" sound as she stumbled up from the rubble she was sent flying into. "Your friend?" she asked Shining, drawing her katana from her sheath.

"Oh, what, you mean he isn't with you?" Shining retorted sarcastically, flipping off his back and landing on his feet, weapon drawn.

The figure pointed his blade at Sunset, and tilted his head. His lips curled into a unsettling smile.

"Finally," he said in his low, gruff voice. "Let's see if you lot are as good as he said, and challenge me more than the last 50 people I ran through today."