> Darklight
>  by snoninja7
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Prologue
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

For three nights, Celestia's bedroom tower had been closed off to the world—windows covered, balcony doors closed, locked, and barricaded—but it was not enough to contain the cries of anguish and despair from within.
Canterlot castle was empty, save for a few guards in the know. "The Princess is ill," was the official explanation, "and wishes to have a little quiet and rest so she can recover." Promises, reassurances, and other lies had eventually cleared the castle of the curious and concerned.  Those who knew the truth were ordered to wait, and keep quiet.
There was one pony who had courage enough to defy her orders.  From inside her darkened bedroom, Celestia could hear the faint sound of beating wings.  She could also hear two other pairs of wings fly from her own balcony to intercept the first.
One of the two guards spoke. "My apologies, Lady Seraphim.  I'm afraid that Her Majesty wishes to remain alone for the time being."
"I understand that as well as you," replied the mare in an even tone, "but I intend to see her anyway."
"I'm afraid you cannot enter, the Princess herself issued the orders!"
"I don’t acknowledge her authority to order me to do anything."
"Need I remind you that you are a guest in Her Kingdom?!" the guard said, more flustered than before. "You are here because Her Majesty has given you Her permission!"
"I’m here," the mare corrected, "because no pony can stop me from being here."
"Let her pass," Celestia commanded from within her tower.
"Certainly, Your Majesty," the guard replied.  Turning his attention back to the mare he said "I must insist that you disarm yourself immediately and hand over your weapons."
"I have yet to meet an Equestrian who can disarm a Watcher of The Unconquered, but I’m always looking for an exception... "
"Let her pass, Firewall!" Celestia commanded more forcibly.  The guard stammered an apology and resumed his post along with his companion.
Seraphim made no attempt to knock when she landed on the balcony, but quickly spun around and landed a kick powerful enough to be the envy of any Apple family member on the bedroom doors.  They flew open, splinters of wood mixed with the broken glass and furniture that was already covering the floor.  Moonlight flooded every corner of the formerly pitch black room.  The fireplace was stone cold.
Celestia lay on her bed, facing the back wall.  She could hear from Seraphim's purposely noisy hoof steps and from the clink of knife holsters concealed under her dress that she was approaching.  Celestia made no attempt to turn around and greet the silver blue pegasus mare.  She didn't want to look into those eyes.
"Tell me, ‘Watcher of The Unconquered’," asked Celestia. "Are you an angel of mercy, or an angel of death?"
"I am neither," replied Seraphim. "I’m a friend that must speak the truth."
"I wish you were both," said Celestia bitterly. "I am so very tired.  I don't feel like I have anything more I can live for.  I don't feel like I have anything left to give."
"There are many ponies who need you, Celestia.  Cadence and Blueblood still need you."
"Are you sure?" She rolled onto her back to face the moonlight that blanketed her room in a soft blue glow.  She usually loved the moonlight, it was a chance for her to be close to her sister.  Tonight, however, it was only a reminder of her failures.  She reached her hooves towards the moon, like she wanted to embrace it. "Will they slip from my grasp as well?  I couldn’t stop Luna from being taken away from me.  I couldn’t... “ she left her sentence unfinished.  Celestia rolled into an upright position, and away from the moonlight. “How is your husband?"
"He will wake up in a few days.  You know him, he collects scars like some ponies collect horseshoes.  But I’m afraid that the scars he has now will only be a source of shame for him.  His devotion to you is beyond question, and it is well within his character to take your secret to the grave.  Though for your sake, I hope he does not."
Celestia's voice became cold. "I will order him to be silent when he wakes up, the same way I ordered his subordinates in the Royal Guard."
Seraphim's voice was soft and pleading. "Please my friend, do not carry this burden alone.  You must tell your subjects the truth."
"I will say nothing."
"The ponies who will help you will be unprepared, and he will take advantage of this."
"I will say nothing," Celestia repeated.  She slowly arose to her full height, towering over the the much smaller Seraphim, and turned to confront her face to face even as she spoke. "I will tell you what I will do.  Tomorrow I will go back to my duties as Crown Princess of Equestria.  I will tell everypony that I am feeling much better now, and I will do so with a smile on my face.  I know what my subjects need, and their needs come before my own.”
Seraphim was quiet, but her face bore no trace of fear.  She met Celestia’s challenging gaze with her own penetrating stare.
“That is my final word on the subject,” announced Celestia, turning away to punctuate that finality. “So, if you have nothing more to say, I ask that you leave me in peace.”
Celestia knew that the conversation was not over.  Ponies of The Unconquered could be maddeningly persistent and direct, and Seraphim was no exception.  Celestia was well aware of the distrust that The Unconquered bore towards monarchs and dictators.  She accepted the fact that as much as Seraphim loved her as a friend, she would never bow to her.  In truth, it was refreshing to be able to talk to another pony as a equal, but tonight she knew that Seraphim was going to be a royal pain in the flank.
Seraphim wondered if Celestia was reading her mind, and she hoped she would.  Then she would see the terrifying fragments of possibility that even then were flooding her mind.  It was the lonely burden of The Sight that she and her family bore, a blessing and a curse all at the same time.  She would be the first to agree that Celestia was an excellent leader, and that she loved her subjects dearly.  Unfortunately, Seraphim knew that the decisions Celestia was then making, while done in love, would in time render her powerless to stop the forces that would threaten the very existence of Equestria.  There was only one chance left.  Celestia was about to get very angry at her, but Seraphim had little patience for sensitive Equestrian egos when the lives of ponies and the fate of civilizations were at stake.  Something had to be done to prepare the one pony left who could save them.
Seraphim paused a few seconds before she spoke. "Do you know that the Sparkle family is expecting another foal?"
"Normally, I would be delighted, but I hope you understand why right now I am less than enthusiastic."
"I think you should pay attention to this one.  Shining Armor will be getting the baby sister that he always wanted.  I tell you this because this young filly will be your light in the coming darkness, and only she can bring back your Solus."
Celestia whirled around to face her.  In an instant, her remarkable emotional control was overcome by a fiery rage. "Do not say that word! Never say that word again!"
"So it’s just a word now?” replied Seraphim in an even tone. “You will still hear it.  Do what you want.  Refuse to speak it.  Forbid its use by pain of death.  Strike it from the collective consciousness of your kingdom.  But I promise you, you will hear it every day of your life."
“Enough!  I refuse to listen to your taunting any longer!  I can’t believe my own foolishness, allowing into my confidence a trained assassin who's job is to kill me if I get out of line!"
"A Watcher is whatever the cause of freedom requires them to be."
“So that’s it then!  Are you using my sorrow to undermine my authority and drive me out of my own kingdom?!”
“No Celestia, I’m trying to help you.”
“Then let me deal with my problems in my own way.  I felt much the same way when I lost Luna, but I put aside those emotions and moved on.  I can do the same now.  I doubt you have any idea how many secrets I have accumulated over my lifetime.”
"Is that a challenge?  Try a few of them on me, I will wager that I can direct you to the correct shelf and volume in your section of the Library of Truth."
“Does that library of yours also tell you something I do not already know about being the ruler of my kingdom?!  
"It would be unwise to assume that the daughter of Silverblade the Uniter has nothing to say about leadership."
"You are the merest fraction of my age, what would you know about... "
Seraphim's voice exploded with anger, "Do you think that you have a monopoly on immortality?!  In me is the knowledge and legacy of generations of my people!  I have passed on that legacy to the ponies who have come after me, and I have lived every day of my life in a way that would honor the whole of The Unconquered!   Every moment is a blessing and a privilege, and I have lived a thousand lifetimes because I know how to truly live!" Then her voice softened as she continued, "And because I know how little time I have left."
Celestia knew what she was really trying to tell her.   Seraphim’s message was a reminder of what Celestia already knew: that immortality was a monotonous burden unless she focused beyond herself and found lasting happiness in helping others.  Her anger cooled as she listened, but it was the conclusion that surprised her, "I'm sorry, I didn't... how long do you have to live?"
"Two months.  It is the same illness that took my twin sister, but her children are strong and they have The Sight.  It matters more that my family's curse will end with me."
"There must be a way to heal you, I have powerful magic spells I can use... Is there anything I can do?"
"I would have asked if I there was, but it makes me happy that you offered.  I must confess to you that I have always felt a bit jealous of my husband's devotion to you as his sovereign ruler.  I hope you will grant me one last request: that you will give him leave to stay with me until I pass.  I have a few more lifetimes of memories that I would like to create with him."
"Of course.  I will give you all the time that you need."
Celestia embraced her friend and wept.  She clung tightly to her, as if that act alone would be enough to hold her back from fate.  She longed to bring back all of the many ponies who had taught her, inspired her, helped her to live on, but now only existed in her memories.
"After all this time, saying goodbye has never become any easier."
"It probably never will," Seraphim replied, tears of sorrow streaming down her own face, "Because you know how to love.  Farewell, my friend.  I am honored that I can live on in the memories of a pony such as you."
Seraphim turned and made a running dive off of Celestia's balcony.  Her wings spread wide and reflected the moonlight as she flew away towards Ponyville.  Celestia watched from her balcony as she disappeared in the distance.  The deep wounds in her own heart had far from healed, but she at last had hope.


* * * *


Seraphim looked more beautiful than ever when Celestia saw her again.  She was adorned with her favorite flowers, and surrounded by her husband, the Apple family and all of her close friends in Ponyville—and Celestia was delivering her eulogy.
Celestia looked for a long time in the casket at Seraphim during the viewing.  Even in death she looked so alive and vibrant, as if she was about to wake up and greet her with a smile.
When you looked into the future with those eyes, Celestia wanted to ask, What did you see of me?
In her mind, she thought she heard Seraphim's answer. You know how foolish it would be for me to tell you.  Speak too much about the future and you can be certain that it will not come to pass as it should, I know how manipulative you can be, Celestia.  Sometimes you have to let events fall into place by themselves.
She placed a flower inside the casket. "Thank you, my friend.  I will never forget you."
After the funeral, she dismissed her entourage. "I have another visit that I need to make before I return to the castle."
She flew straight to Canterlot hospital.  The Sparkle family was surprised and delighted that the Princess herself had come to see them in the maternity wing, most of all little Shining Armor, who was excited to show off his newborn baby sister.
"It was a difficult birth," the father explained, "There were complications, and we almost lost her, but she is a real fighter and pulled through just fine."
Celestia watched the tiny foal, asleep in her hospital crib next to her mother's bed, with a hint of deja vu.  In the same day she had seen two ponies in boxes, both with so much fighting spirit, at opposite ends of their mortal journey.
"Have you thought of a name for her yet," asked Celestia.
"We had thought of several names," replied the mother, "But none of them seemed to fit her for some reason—so we named her 'Twilight', after me."
The Princess became thoughtful for a moment. "Twilight—A light in the coming darkness."
"Forgive me, Your Majesty, but I do not understand."
"It's nothing, it's a beautiful name.  Thank you for letting me see her, I am looking forward to watching her as she grows up."
Celestia never spoke of Seraphim's prophesy again.  She carried on with her duties as usual, and waited for the coming storm.
	
> Chapter One: Prometheus
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Queen Chrysalis was in a very good mood.  She did have her reputation to protect, so it took a practiced eye to spot the signs.  Her minions could see it in the whole extra second she gave them to get out of her way before she shot them with a horn blast to the hindquarters.  There was also the way she shortened her daily diatribes by a few colorful expletives before she slammed the throne room door.  Changeling drones were not known for their intelligence, but it didn't take much to know that the Queen was excited about the arrival of her guest.
Unfortunately, he was late.  This particular guest was known for a great many things, the least of which was his impeccable punctuality.  It was clear to Chrysalis what was going on, even sequestered in her throne room in the depths of her cavern lair she could hear the door knock followed by the long silence.  Ever since that day, months ago at the wedding in Canterlot, the Changelings had craved an opportunity to show their ferocity, to prove their strength and courage to their Queen, and they at last found an opportunity with her guest. "The fools deserve what is coming to them," she chuckled to herself. 
She stretched lazily on the mountain of pillows that constituted her throne and took out a mirror and a hairbrush.  Beauty, like any weapon, must be cared for, and Chrysalis lost herself in the process.  She ignored the slow crescendo of explosions and unearthly shrieks and continued to brush her mane.  She paid no attention to the sounds of her own minions being driven back in droves by the magic attacks of an unknown assailant.  There was no sign of interest in her face even as the sounds of battle reached an apex and abruptly stopped.  The only sound that diverted her attention from herself was a polite knock at her throne room doors.
She placed the brush and mirror back in their hiding places. "Enter," Chrysalis commanded. "And step forward."
The massive doors swung open.  A pony stood in the darkness of the outer corridor, illuminated only by the blue bolts of electricity that arched and crackled around his body.  A hundred changelings surrounded him in a wide arc, hissing defiantly and bearing razor-sharp teeth in one final, yet hollow, show of strength.  The pony started to walk confidently into the throne room, with the changelings following at a safe distance.
Focused bioluminescent light illuminated a spot at the center of the room.  As the pony entered the light, a remarkable transformation took place.  The bursts of electricity and threatening demure melted away, leaving a unicorn pony who was the picture of respect and refinement.  His rich, honey colored coat and pitch-black mane were meticulously groomed.  He was fashionably dressed, with a long black cape that covered his hindquarters and concealed a great many things.  He looked as though he belonged in the royal court of Canterlot (an observation that was not far off), but not in a way that would make him stand out too much among his peers.  Although proud and haughty, there was real substance in his bravado, and his carefully crafted image only made him all the more dangerous.
Chrysalis cleared the room of her minions with a threatening look, and the door closed behind them. "I wish to know," she began "Why you were so bold as to seek an audience with me.  I must warn you that your longevity depends very much on how well I like your response.  You may speak."
The pony gave a low, practiced bow. "I thank you most heartedly, Your Majesty, for allowing me the honor of speaking to you today about matters that are of the highest importance.  I, as your Majesty is already aware of, am Prometheus, the Lightning Duke of Canterlot.  But before I bring to your attention the details of a potential collaboration that I know will be of interest to Your Majesty, please grant me the privilege of offering my heartfelt congratulations on your successful acquisition of my former homeland.” 
Chrysalis was not amused.  She made reference to the dilapidated antique furniture scattered around the cave as her as her anger built into a raging torrent. "Are you mocking me?  Does this look like Canterlot to you?!  Does any of this mildewed, antiquated GARBAGE remind you of the grandeur of Equestria?!!" Her eyes flared, her horn charged with mana for a powerful attack spell, "You have ten seconds to explain yourself before I blow a hole through your heart!"
Prometheus had no reason to fear for himself. Ignitus was a full three minutes, he thought disdainfully, This disgusting creature would be no more than two.  Still, he knew how to use charm to mask his real opinions. "Oh, forgive me Your Majesty," he said over-apologetically, "I'm afraid that I wasn't clear.  It matters little to me the length of your rule.  After all, the great geniuses of world history have often been undermined by unfortunate circumstances beyond any pony's control.  What really matters is that it was yours—you were the rightful sovereign ruler of the Kingdom of Equestria, and I am here to tell you that it can be yours again."
The fire in Chrysalis’ eyes cooled, and she calmly settled back onto her pillows with a restrained look of growing interest. "I'm listening."
Prometheus continued "You see, the key to bringing down any great machine, Equestria included, is knowing where to find the weak points, or linchpins if you will.  In the case of Equestria, I would argue that there are two.  I am sure that Your Majesty is familiar with the first linchpin as this was that 'unfortunate circumstance' that led to the loss of your acquisition.  The second linchpin is not so well known, but arguably would have a much more devastating effect when pulled.  It is already under my control and has been for some time.  The first, through a simple collaboration with Your Majesty, can also be brought under our mutual control.  Once these two pins are pulled, the governing body of the Kingdom of Equestria will fall, and be replaced by Your Majesty's own superior leadership."
"So what do you get out of this ‘collaboration’," interrupted the Queen. "As a rule I don't trust anyone, but I trust ponies who are not honest about their own goals least of all."
"As you should, Your Majesty.  For me, this would be the culmination of a lifelong quest for justice.  I also promised Princess Celestia that I would make three separate visits following my unlawful expulsion, and the time is fast approaching that I must keep my final engagement."
"Final engagement?" Chrysalis again interrupted. "It is common knowledge that you have only made one visit since your banishment."
"Oh, but Your Majesty, I assure you that I am being completely honest.  I will have much to tell you about this later, but I will say that this knowledge can potentially be very valuable to someone such as yourself who takes nourishment from strong emotions such as love.  Would you also be interested if I told you that you would be able to harvest these emotions from Princess Celestia herself?"
The Queen began to salivate at this welcome news.
"Of course," said Prometheus, "My plans would also include retribution for the wrongs Your Majesty suffered at the hooves of certain ponies that I'm sure you are familiar with.  Unfortunately, I cannot go into further details about my extensive preparations and planning, as I am sure Your Majesty understands from the sensitive nature of this information, to anypony who is not a committed part of the collaboration.  So my question for you now is: do we have a deal?"
Chrysalis did not trust Prometheus or his flattery, but she had to admit that it was a very lucrative opportunity.  It would last as long as she could get what she wanted, and end at a time of her own choosing. "I accept."
"Excellent, shall we get started?" In his younger years, it would have been unthinkable for Prometheus to offer the rule of Equestria to anypony other than himself.  Though the years had greatly multiplied his knowledge and talents, it had simplified his goals.  He no longer cared who ruled Equestria; he just wanted to smash it to pieces.
	
> Chapter Two: A New Book
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Spike had two very reliable gauges for determining, on any given day, exactly how boring Ponyville was.  The first was the actual frequency of Twilight Sparkle's 'monthly' overnight train trips to the palace library at Canterlot.  Major public events that require a great deal of preparation and planning, such as the yearly Grand Galloping Gala, pushed the book run to something that actually approximated monthly.  But life was dull again, and the more recent visits had already crossed the threshold of biweekly and soon would darken the boundaries of weekly.  Spike was now waiting for Twilight to return home from the latest visit fresh off the morning train with another stack or two of old books, and he sat reading the morning paper waiting for the spectacle to start.  It was an established routine that Twilight herself seemed only vaguely aware of: she would throw open the door and say "Spike! I just found the most amazing book!", he would try unsuccessfully to show interest, and she would go on-and-on-and-on about why this book was so amazing until she became so captivated by the book that she forgot who she was talking to, and he would be free to go about his day.
The second, and perhaps the most telling component of his 'Dull-O-Meter' (or 'Dullometer', he was still working on the name) was the location of Derpy Hooves’ missing pony photo in relation to the front page of the Ponyville Express.  This was rarely ever news.  Derpy got lost, was found, and got lost again (sometimes all in the same day) so frequently that it was easier to keep her picture in every edition along with a running tally of the number of days since her last confirmed sighting.  It was more for enjoyment than necessity that they kept the picture there, her unfocused eyes and big, infectious smile brightened even the most dire of news, and Spike thought with a chuckle that even in black and white she looked blonde.  Few ponies worried much about her absences. Being clumsy and accident prone, it was something of a relief when she was away.  Her absences had became much shorter since The Doctor moved to Ponyville, and Derpy would usually be back to work at the post office most mornings safe and ready to begin her daily route.  This morning, however, Spike thought it a little out the ordinary that the latest tally was over a week.
The door flew open and Twilight entered the living room followed by two large stacks of levitating books, "Spike!  Guess what I just found at the palace library!"
Spike of course already knew the answer but he wanted to mix it up a bit "Hmm, that's a toughie.  How about a huge cache of the rarest, most tasty gems I've ever seen."
"What?  No, of course not."
"A cure for boredom in the library?"
"Now why would anypony need that?  It's... "
"A love potion for Rarity?"
"... the most amazing spell book I have ever seen!" One of the floating books moved towards Spike so he could examine it more closely while the remaining books were carefully deposited in an empty corner. "I thought I had read every book in that library at least a dozen times, so I was surprised to find this one so close to my favorite reading desk.  I don't recognize the writing style, and the title page is missing so I don't know who wrote it, but whoever it was must have been a genius!"
Spike was more interested in the large yellow gem set into the intricate gold cover.  Rarity would love a gem like that, if he could get it to her before he got hungry...
"I tried several of the spells on my train ride back to Ponyville and they all work perfectly.  But the most amazing spell is right here!" The spell book opened to page titled 'Long Distance Teleportation' on cue with Twilight's narrative "Think about what this could mean for Equestria!  Ponies could travel between towns instantaneously!  Savings in transportation costs would be enormous!  I... " 
She hesitated for a moment.  Something was holding her back from moving forward with the decision she thought she already made.  Was it the right thing to do?  She shook off the gut feeling and spoke. “I'm going to try out the spell in my usual place."
Spike was suddenly jolted out of a Rarity fantasy "I dunno, Twilight.  Maybe you should ask Princess Celestia before you try it.  Remember the last time you tried a new spell without checking it first?”
"The warts went away, didn't they?  Plus I personally cleaned up every one of the slugs in Pinkie Pie's living room.  Trust me Spike, this book does an excellent job explaining all of the subtleties of spell casting.  Besides, it would be overkill to go see Princess Celestia when I just saw her yesterday." Twilight had already packed the book in her saddlebag and was heading towards the front door. "The teleportation spell works best for familiar places, so I will try going back to my house in Canterlot first.  I should be back in a few hours."
Alone again, Spike picked up the newspaper and made another attempt at deciphering Rarity's opinion piece on summer fashion trends.
There was a knock at the door, and Spike remembered that he had forgotten to tell Twilight about something important.  Fluttershy was waiting for Twilight to bring her a book from the Canterlot library, and had paid a visit early that morning.  That's probably Fluttershy right now, he thought to himself, and reached to open the door.


****


Twilight was glad that the grass was starting to grow back again at her favorite new spell test site.  It was becoming more and more difficult to see the scorch marks, and she was optimistic that eventually it wouldn't even look like a crater.
She opened the book to the long distance teleportation spell for one final review before she started.  If Spike had only taken a closer look at the spellbook, Twilight was sure he would have understood her confidence.  Most books on magic did little more than give poorly worded incantations and a few vague comments on horn gestures.  This book said everything: full page diagrams complete with comments on mindset, preparation, simple mistakes to watch out for, even proper hoof placement.  This was exactly what a spellbook should be, it was as if the book had been written specifically for her.
The book floated back into Twilight's saddlebag, and she charged her horn with mana to cast the teleportation spell.  Beams of light broke through the ground and formed into a circle around her.  She pictured in her mind the details of her house: the tall, spiral structure caped with a golden minaret, the lower level with the open air balcony, the upper level with the tall, mostly empty bookshelves—when was the last time I dusted?—the desk, the antique hourglass hoof-crafted by her great-grandfather, the huge window with the view of the castle that relaxed her and helped clear her mind while studying.  The circle brightened, and eddies of wind began to rush through her mane.  She concentrated on the pictures on the wall: the older photograph of her with her parents and big brother, the picture of her with her Ponyville friends taken a few months ago.  She could feel the mana flowing through her body strongly now, and the circle became so bright she had to shut her eyes.  Twilight knew that when she opened them again, she would be sitting in the very house she was imagining just then.
When her eyes did open, she saw that she wasn't home at all.  In fact, she had no idea where she was.
	
> Chapter Three: I Love You... Goodbye
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The sudden transition from a bright sunny morning to total darkness left Twilight momentarily disoriented, and it was a full minute before her eyes could adjust to the new surroundings.  It was a moonless night, but there were no clouds and the stars were bright enough that Twilight could make out the details of the nearby mountain ridge, as well as the forested valley in which she stood.  The species of trees and shrubs that she saw were all unfamiliar to her, nor could she identify the animals that occasionally called out into the darkness.
This doesn't make any sense!  The spell is only supposed to take me to places I've already been to!  I don't even think I'm in Equestria!
Twilight located a few key constellations and made some mental calculations.  By their position, she estimated that she was now in the middle of the Western Mist Continent, most likely in the remote and unincorporated central highland region. 
A cold chill of fear swept over her body.  She tried to reassure herself: Maybe I made a mistake.  Maybe I’m in the Dragon Spear Empire to the north of the highlands, or the Poison Lotus Empire to the south.  Twilight was fluent in both of their major languages, and could speak without an accent if she concentrated.  She could blend in, lay low, and look for a way to get back home.  Both empires were oppressive military dictatorships, but at least they were to some degree civilized.  At least they were not the Ghost Ponies.
Her line of reasoning was flawed though, because the climate was too warm for the Dragon Spear Empire, and too mountainous for the Poison Lotus Empire.  She was back at her original conclusion, that she had stumbled on the lands of the Barbaroi.  There would be no way for her to blend in or hide, she could only wait.  Wait to be spotted, tracked, surrounded, and then...
Calm down, Twilight.  They aren't expecting a pony to pop out of nowhere in the middle of their territory.  You got time.  Plenty of time.  Now focus, focus on the spell.  All you have to do is reverse it, you’ll be back in Ponyville in no time.
Twilight charged her horn and began reversing the teleportation spell for the return trip back to Ponyville.  Light beams again shot out of the ground and partially illuminated the dark forest in an ethereal glow.  Just as the beams were about to form a full circle, the spell stopped abruptly and Twilight received a jolt from mana flowing back into her body. 
Why isn't it working?  I read and reread the instructions several times, I know I did it right!  Did I miss something?  She consulted the spell book under the light of an illumination spell, calmed herself, and again tried again.  She concentrated extra hard to visualize every detail of the test site that she could remember.  The mana backflow was even more powerful this time, and the jolt made her fall to the ground in pain.
Twilight was trapped.  She was thousands of miles and an ocean away from home in the most dangerous place in the world.  She again cast an illumination spell, but this did not calm her growing fear.  Stories about the Ghost ponies that had kept her up at night as a foal now raced through her head.  Then came images of Barbaroi costumes that ponies wore for Nightmare Night, soaked in copious amounts of fake blood and carefully crafted to maximize their terrifying appearance.  She imagined that every sound she heard around her was from one of the many Ghost ponies who were now watching her and biding their time.  She moved her light in every direction she heard a noise, as if the light were a weapon that would dispel the threat along with the darkness.
Try your mage sight, she told herself.  She cast the simple spell while maintaining her illumination spell and looked around.  The spell would allow her to see the mana that ponies and all living things gave off naturally, and track its flow if a spell were cast.  To her great relief, there was nothing to see.  There were no ponies anywhere nearby.
Knowing that she was not in any immediate danger, Twilight's fear was replaced by perplexity.   Even the natural glow of mana that any healthy forest should have was almost completely absent—it was as if the whole valley had been drained of magic.  In the pale violet glow of her illumination spell, the trees looked sickly, with very few leaves despite it being late spring.  Many of them were cracked and splintered, with large branches littering the ground.
Stranded, and with nothing else to do, Twilight decided to look for shelter for the night and to investigate her surroundings a little more closely.  As she walked through the forest, other details came to her attention that initially made no sense at all.  There were dark patches all over the place, which on further inspection proved to be scorch marks.  Twilight's first thought was that there had been a forest fire, but this wouldn't explain the intense, focused nature of the burn marks.  She also noticed, from how the shadows were created by her light spell, that there were enormous flat depressions that varied in depth depending on the softness of the ground.  The regularity of their spacing suggested footprints, but Twilight thought that was absurd.  After all, they were each almost twenty feet across.
There was a low rumble outside the range of her hearing, and the ground began to shake violently.  An earthquake?  But there are no fault lines in this region.  She was relieved when the quake stopped abruptly after a minute.        	
Then the aftershocks began.  These were much more puzzling, as they were evenly spaced, as Twilight estimated, four seconds apart.  Plus, they were growing in intensity.  She started to get more worried as their intensity became greater than the original quake.
When the aftershocks were accompanied by the sounds of splintering wood, her mind began to connect everything she had seen up to this point: the ruined forest, the scorch marks, the depressions in the ground, the aftershocks, and she made a startling realization.  Something very large was walking towards her.  A red glow became visible as the quakes reached a terrifying intensity, and the sounds of both the earthquakes and splintering tree trunks became deafening.  Twilight extinguished her illumination spell and hid behind an enormous felled tree, watching as the whole forest became bathed in the unearthly red light.
Then she saw it.  An enormous dark shape appeared over the tree-line and obscured the stars.  Two red lights appeared, so bright that Twilight had to shield her eyes with her hoof.  With difficulty, she could make out details in the outline of the giant shape: a squat head, huge torso, two arms with clubs for hands, a pair of legs.  It looked like it had been carved out of the mountains surrounding her.  It was an earth golem.  She estimated that it was over one hundred feet high, and it was still coming towards her.  The red lights for eyes were mesmerizing, and she found that she couldn't look away.  She could read neither intelligence nor emotion in it's eyes, only a feeling of cold malevolence.  Her instincts did tell her one thing though, that the monster had known where she was all along.
Run.  Now.
The tree trunk that had hidden Twilight just moments before exploded into flame.  Splinters of burning wood rained down on her back as she retreated at full gallop.  A blinding beam of light swept across her field of view, and a wall of fire erupted right in front of her.  She skidded to a stop and reversed direction before she hit the flames.  The monster was trying to herd her.  She had to keep it guessing about her path if she was going to survive.  Twilight swerved and zigzagged through the forest, changing her direction before the light beam could cut her off.  The golem continued to step towards her, crushing burning trees with every step.
Twilight began to fire pulsed horn blasts at the monster to try and find a weak point.  The purple flares hit the monster in the arms, legs, and torso, but did little more than knock off a few loose chunks of rock. 
What about the eyes?  She continued her evasive maneuvers a few seconds longer, charging her horn for a mid-strength horn blast, and fired straight at the lights.  Her aim was dead on, but the purple flare was stopped by a hidden force before it could reach it's target.  Twilight could see the vague outline of a magic shield protecting the golem's face.  She waited for the golem to fire it's beam, then she skidded into a dead stop and charged her horn with mana for the most powerful horn blast she could do and hoped it would be enough to destroy the shield.  Right before she could fire, the ground right in front of her erupted into flame.  She flung herself backwards before the beam could hit her, and the horn blast flew uselessly off into the sky.  It was too strong for her to defeat alone, she had to get away. 
The forest ahead gave way to a grassy plain scattered with low rocky ledges.  Twilight was getting better at avoiding the beams, confusing the earth golem with her random escape routes.  She was beginning to put some real distance between herself and the monster, and she took heart.  Scanning the plain, she looked for a place to hide: a cave, a valley, anywhere she could disappear from the golem's view and wait for it to pass by.
That was when Twilight made her big mistake.  A light beam struck a rocky ledge that she had foolishly got too close to and rocks pelted her body.  Her saddlebag protected her from some of them, but it did nothing to stop the baseball sized rock that slammed into her head.
She felt like a bomb had gone off in her skull, and she fell limply to the ground.  She couldn't move, she couldn't focus.  Her eyes became blurry, and she struggled to stay conscious.  The red light began to brighten again, and the quakes became stronger.
Twilight knew that she was going to die.  She thought about her mother and father.  She thought about her big brother Shining Armor, about her sister-in-law Princess Cadence, and about Spike.  Then thought about her Ponyville friends: Applejack and Rarity, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie.  Finally, she thought about Princess Luna, and her teacher Princess Celestia.  What would they be doing right then: working in their jobs, visiting friends, having fun, doing what they did everyday?  Tears filled Twilight's eyes and blurred her already impaired vision, so she could see little more than the brightening red light.  Would any of them ever know where she had gone, what had happened to her, and how she had died?  She felt angry at herself for causing the grief and uncertainty they would feel.  With all her heart, she wished she could have just a few more moments so she could tell them all how much she loved them, and say goodbye.
The last thing Twilight could see were several pulses of red light moving towards the golem behind her, and a dark shape moving towards her.  She had the feeling of being lifted into the air and set to rest on something soft and warm, and her mind drifted to the distant past when her brother used to carry her on his back for fun.  She felt the soft, downy texture of a pair of wings, a cool wind rushing past her body, and finally, nothing at all.

> Chapter Four: Erebus
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight made a slow, arduous journey back into consciousness.  She was laying on a bed next to a blazing cobblestone and wood fireplace, wrapped in a crude but comfortable homespun blanket on a straw-stuffed mattress.  The smells of unfamiliar medicines mingled with the aromas of hot vegetable soup and fresh baked bread.  She opened her eyes and realized that she was in a cave, but one that was purposely fashioned into it's present form.  A large opening to the right of the fireplace lead to a spacious room that looked like it might be an antechamber, to the left was a small room that probably served as a kitchen.  The furniture and decorations were simple, but clean and well cared for.  Though Twilight had never been there before, it was a welcome sight.
"I'm glad you're awake." said an unfamiliar voice. "You were asleep for three days.  I have to apologize for not reaching you sooner, the earth golem frequently walks around at night for no apparent reason, so I didn't know that it was targeting somepony until it started firing it's beam weapon."
The voice was deep and soothing, but with a boyish quality as well. "You have a concussion, so it was good that you've had as much rest as you have.  I did the best I could to help you heal, but I'm afraid I am little more than a medic.  Anyway, you're probably very hungry after all this time, I'll have some food ready for you in a minute."
Twilight was having trouble locating the source of the voice.  She thought it was coming from a shadow in one of the far corners of the room. "I can't see you," she croaked, "Could you come a little closer?"
The voice was silent for a few seconds before it responded. "You don't have to be afraid."
The shadow itself moved towards her, and Twilight shrank back in fear from the apparition before her.  His entire body was covered in the most profound darkness that she had ever seen.  The darkness flickered and danced like a fire that was consuming him.  With some difficulty at first, she was able to discern the horn, wings, and slender but powerful form of an alicorn stallion, or at least what she suspected was an alicorn.  The only distinct feature that she could see at first was an enormous red gemstone in a gold setting on his breast, attached to a gold chain around his neck.  Besides all this, there was also an almost tangible sense of foreboding that seemed to radiate from him.
"It's okay, I'm used to it," said the shadow. "When I came here to continue my training, the golem was attacking one of the villages.  I was able to drive it north to this region, but many of the villagers were pretty scared of me.  I remember one foal in particular, she asked me if they would have to sell their souls to me as payment for saving them.  I told her that they didn't owe me anything, that I just wanted to help them out.  They've warmed up to me since then, but I'm still mostly considered an outsider."
Twilight noticed his deep blue eyes, the only other part of him that held a distinct shape.  His eyes seemed sad and lonely, and she felt bad about how she acted. "I'm sorry."
There was an awkward silence, as they both struggled to think of something to say that would lighten the mood.  They didn't have to, as the silence was broken by Twilight's long and embarrassingly loud belly groan of hunger.
They both laughed, and he started filling a bowl with steaming hot soup. "By the way, my name is Darklight."
"I'm... Twilight Sparkle."
"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you Twilight.  Hope you like the soup"  
It was a little too spicy, it didn't have very many of her favorite vegetables, and the texture was a little strange.  It was the best bowl of soup she had ever tasted.  She was grateful to be alive, and in good company.

****

The next few days were incredibly boring for Twilight.  Darklight did little to answer her many questions about the earth golem, "I know you have a lot of questions right now, but deep thinking is not the best thing to do right after a concussion.  I promise that I will tell you everything I know about it when you feel better, but for now you need to focus on healing." At first this seemed impossible for a pony who planned every detail of her day to the minute to maximize her productivity.  More importantly, she was anxious to get home to her friends, and to do so she would have to do something about the golem.  Her own fatigue won out though, and she spent most of the next few days resting.
Darklight kept very busy during this time.  His hoofsteps were remarkable quiet, and it was easy to miss his frequent movements between rooms if she was not paying attention.  Fortunately, his as yet unidentified commitments did not prevent him from being a thoughtful and attentive caregiver to Twilight during her convalescence.  He quickly learned her preferences and tastes, often anticipating her needs before she had to ask.
After two days, she was well enough to do a more thorough exploration of Darklight's home.  The antechamber next to the main bedroom had a series of wide tunnels of varying lengths leading to other rooms, which consisted of two guest bedrooms (one of which Darklight was now using himself), a bathroom, a storage room, a large workshop, and a laboratory.  There was also a long staircase leading upwards. "The mountain is solid granite, " he explained, "But I figured out a way to modify my horn blast so I can carve out rooms and ventilation shafts.  It's a lot of work though.  Father told me to have guest rooms ready, but I only finished them a few weeks ago.  I wasn't really expecting anypony to actually stay here with me."
It was in the workshop that Darklight had spent most of his time during the previous few days.  One side of the room was dedicated to glass blowing, with two kilns, a stone cut table, and a wide assortment of blowpipes, blocks, tongs, and shaping tools.  The other side was for blacksmithing, with a forge, anvil, and its own array of tools. "Fire magic has always been easy for me, and the flames don't hurt me if I’m the one creating them, so it seemed natural to focus on activities that involve a lot of heat.  I doubt I will ever be as good as Father, but I can use my skills to make things that I can trade for food and supplies.  The Barbaroi like a lot of my inventions and artwork, but they are still unimpressed with my swordsmithing (it's hard to catch up when they are the best in the world)."
"You must be an elemental-type pony if you can use fire magic like that!” said Twilight “That is very rare!"
"Actually, I'm not a pony, I’m a... Heh, imagine that"
The laboratory also occupied a lot of his time.  It was a smaller room, filled with glassware of his own making. "I use it to make medicines for trading.  Plus, I'm working on making the magic-infused dyes commonly used by the Barbaroi more thermally stable so they can be used in glass and fired ceramics."
Twilight noticed the lack of books, thinking that he preferred hooves-on activities over theory and book learning, but she was mistaken. "I love reading, but I couldn't bring any books with me when I came here, so I've had to rely on my own memory.  It's taking me a long time to learn to read and write in the Barbaroi language (it has close to ten thousand characters), and they won't even tell me where the Library of Truth is located until I improve my hoof-writing."
While Darklight worked on some of his glass blowing projects, Twilight found herself quizzing and lecturing him on physics and chemistry.  He answered her questions evenly while working, levitating a variety of tools while turning the blowpipe.  Darklight occasionally interrupted her barrage, even making her giggle with delight, when he blew flames out of his mouth and used it as a blowtorch on the molten glass. 
Darklight also told her more details about his history since coming to the lands of the Barbaroi, and about the earth golem. "The golem first appeared a few days before I arrived, far in the south near the Village of Fire.  Then it walked by each of the other six villages in a northerly direction until it reached the Village of the Moon, in which region we are now.  It didn't attack at first, but it did drain mana from the farms around the villages, so much that their crops were devastated that year and only their extensive food storage kept them from starving to death.  I arrived the same day that it reached the Village of the Moon, which was also the day that it started attacking.  It smashed through the lower defensive wall and several buildings before I could drive it away.  Luckily, no pony was killed, but many were seriously injured."  
"Then the Barbaroi captured me and put me on trial before the Grand Council on charges of trespassing, which is punishable by death... sorry, you don't have to worry about yourself and I will explain why in a minute.  Prism Heart proposed that I would be allowed to stay if I would claim sole responsibility for fighting and defeating the golem.  Raven's Wind and Eagle's Talon thought this was cowardly, but Prism Heart pointed out that they lacked the attack magic to fight it themselves, and they would need every pony they had to work just to recover from the attack, so they agreed to his proposal.  Raven's Wind gave her approval only on condition that I would be allowed to be trained, and that any of my guests would also be allowed to stay as well.  I still don't understand why she insisted on that last provision, but I'm glad now that you are here."
There were some rocky moments.  She asked about the amulet he wore, but he seemed very uncomfortable talking about it. "It's something that Father made me wear when he found me.  It keeps me from becoming what I used to be."
Two minor points also puzzled her about Darklight.  Why did he first address her in Equestrian, even before she had spoken herself, since none of the nations on the Mist continent spoke it as their native language?  For that matter, how was it that he spoke with a Canterlot accent?
From the start, asking questions about their pasts before arriving in their present circumstances seemed to be an unspoken taboo.  Twilight never told him that she was from Equestria, and Darklight never asked.  For some reason that she would have been hard pressed to explain, she didn't trust him enough to tell.
	
> Chapter Five: The Oracle
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was now day four since her awakening, and there was a knock at the door.
Twilight sat resting near the fireplace and watched as Darklight moved soundlessly through the anteroom towards the main entrance.  After exchanging a few words of greeting in an unfamiliar language, he reappeared leading a mare and two stallions through the anteroom and towards the workshop.  The newly arrived ponies wore long white hooded cloaks that covered their bodies and faces, and Twilight thought with some uneasiness back to the stories she heard about the ghost ponies.  Only their pegasus wings and tightly packed saddlebags were readily visible, but as they passed by the entrance she did catch glimpses of brightly colored clothing and the polished metal holsters of daggers strapped to their chests.  Twilight was also using her mage sight as they passed, and grew more nervous when she realized how opaque their cloaks were to magic—there could have been dozens of them watching her when she arrived and she wouldn’t have seen them.
Though this was the first time she had ever seen them, it wasn't a surprise visit.  Barbaroi ponies regularly came to Darklight's cave to trade and Twilight knew days in advance that they were coming.  Still, she prefered to keep to the background, hoping that they would ignore her presence.  Eavesdropping from the bedroom to the lively and sometimes heated negotiations going on in the workshop, which seemed to mostly involve the mare, she could only marvel at the unpronounceable vowels and consonants of the Barbaroi tongue.  Darklight sounded perfectly fluent himself, or at least to Twilight's untrained ear.
The conversation gradually became more subdued, and Twilight knew instinctively that the mare was asking about Darklight's progress with fighting the Golem.  His tone became more apologetic when he replied.  After a few moments of silence, a few more words were exchanged before the clopping of hooves signaled their departure.
Twilight moved quietly back to her resting place next to the fireplace to conceal her snooping. Darklight again passed by first followed by the mare, who stopped abruptly and stood motionless by the bedroom entrance, her face still obscured by the hooded cloak.
Before Twilight new what was happening, a dagger flew past her face and struck the cobblestone fireplace.  She looked in shock at the razor-sharp blade that gleamed in the firelight, which had been thrown with such force that it had lodged itself in the mortar.  Then she looked back to see a pair of ice-blue eyes peering into the depths of Twilight's soul.  
The mare calmly stepped forward, and Twilight found herself more terrified than when she first saw Darklight.  She was one of the most beautiful ponies Twilight had ever seen, bearing a striking resemblance to Fluttershy, except that the coloration was different, more pale, like she had been sculpted from a block of ice.  Her eyes held no anger or strong emotion, only intelligent and thoughtful curiosity, and they never strayed from Twilight's face.  With a quick, fluid movement, the mare dislodged the dagger from the fireplace and resheathed it in her holster.  Then she turned away, said something to a visibly concerned Darklight, and left the room.  Twilight noticed the two stallions were looking on with somewhat bored interest with the same ice-blue eyes as the mare, before following her out the front entrance.
When Twilight was again alone with Darklight, and had regained her courage, she was livid. "She tried to kill me, Darklight!"
"The Barbaroi don't 'almost' kill anyone." was his regretful response, "They’re testing you, or you’re dead."
"Oh, well forgive me for being culturally insensitive.  I'm used to the kind of tests that end with 'put your quills down' and where I'm still alive to go home afterwards.  Are you judged by the volume of blood loss or the dimensions of the wound?  Do I get bonus points if I throw something back!?"
Darklight was a little put off by Twilight's sarcasm, but he decided to be diplomatic. "I know Raven's Wind can be a little... intimidating at first, but she is actually one of the most kind-hearted ponies I have ever met."
"Well you obviously don't know very many ponies!  I know plenty of kind-hearted ponies back in P... my home town, and none of them would even think of throwing a knife me!"
"I think she was only... "
"And another thing!!  Where were you during this little altercation?!  I would think that a good doctor would try a little harder to protect their patients from danger!  But you just stood there!  What were you even thinking!?  Are you that much of a coward that you couldn't have at least tried to help me?!"
Darklight was deeply hurt by this. "I.. I'm sorry, I just... "
Twilight angrily turned away and refused to speak to him.  He wanted to give her a more complete picture of the kind of mare Raven's Wind really was.  Raven's Wind was the mayor or "chief judge" of the Village of the Moon, and that her husband, Eagle's Talon, was the mayor of the Village of the Sun.  It was customary for the Barbaroi to name their foals after attributes of deities and heroes to connect their children to their shared heritage and culture.  The wind was thought to convey divine knowledge, and ravens were supposed to be connected to their goddess of wisdom.  He wanted to tell Twilight that this strange mare with the scary eyes had, despite being badly injured during the golem attack, acted along with Eagle's Talon as Darklight's advocate during his trial, and over the years she had consistently proven herself to be a trustworthy mentor and friend to him.  Raven's Wind was also well respected and loved, but also universally feared, although not for the reason that Twilight would have thought.  Unfortunately, Twilight was in no mood to listen, and Darklight suffered her silent treatment for the rest of the night.
He had plenty of time to puzzle over the last words that Raven's Wind spoke that day. “... when your second guest arrives... “, he thought. I wonder who that could be.

* * * *

Twilight quickly realized that she had gone too far with her words the day before, but her own pride and stubbornness kept her from doing anything about it until the following morning.  It was obvious that Darklight placed a great deal of trust in Raven's Wind, and she guessed (correctly) that she had probably thrown enough knives at Darklight's own head to make him used to it.  Twilight wasn't ready to give Raven’s Wind the same level of trust, but she would at least try to understand Darklight’s feelings.
She climbed the long stone staircase through the tunnel that lead to the observation point.  Darklight went here every morning at dawn to practice his magic and observe the movements of the Golem.  This was her first visit, and she stooped low when she reached the top so that she could get a look at what was going on without being seen.
The tunnel lead to a small plateau on the side of the mountain that gave a sweeping view of the valley below.  It would have been a spectacular sight, if there was anything of value to see.  The ruined forest looked even more sickly in the daylight.  The dull white and grey color of the golem, which was meandering in a roughly southern direction about two miles away to the northwest, was largely the same color as the forest.  Dead tree trunks dotted its body like coarse hairs.  The red glow of its eyes was more subdued in the daylight, but the overall effect was no less intimidating.  Still, neither of them were concerned. If the Golem did know where the cave was, it never showed any inclination to attack it.  Random walks between periods of regeneration was not unusual.  
Vertical stacks of hoof-sized rocks were placed at seemingly random positions throughout the plateau, with Darklight standing in the middle.  After a short pause to focus his concentration, he made a slashing motion with his horn to cast a swiping block spell, and quickly fired a horn blast that knocked the top rock off one of the piles, leaving the remaining rocks in place.  Then he immediately whirled around, cast another swiping block spell, and knocked the top rock of another stack with horn blast.  This he repeated over and over again.  A couple times, he knocked the top two rocks off by mistake, or the pile would crumble, and he would give an annoyed "doh!" that made Twilight giggle.  There were a lot of stacks, and he didn't make a mistake very often.  He kept going until all of the rocks were shot away, then he turned and fired a long, continuous blast of fire from his horn at a large rock.  Then a ring of flame formed around his body and several rounds of fireballs shot towards the same rock.  
After he stopped casting spells, and she knew he would see her, Twilight confidently walked onto the plateau to where she could show off her own skills.  She levitated one of the toppled rocks into the air and fired a series of horn blasts that ricocheted off the rock and kept it in the air for a full minute.  She stopped the rock's final fall with another levitation spell, and, with smile and a wink, gently placed it back on the ground.
Darklight stomped an applause "Nicely done, but I already knew you were a talented magic user.  I hope you didn't think you had to prove anything to me."
"It's just a little game I like to play.  I like to keep my skills sharp as well.  It's been my lifelong dream to be a top mage-scholar in the land where I come from.  Do you have the same dream."
He was becoming uncomfortable again. "No, I don't think I will get the chance to... I don't really have a lot of dreams."
"Well you must have some long term goals.  Why else would you be up here practicing like this?"
"I'm... not allowed to talk about that."
There was a long silence as Twilight tried to think of something else to talk about to lighten the mood.  Then she remembered something else that she noticed "That's a nice telescope!" she said as she trotted over to the brass refractor mounted near the edge of the plateau. "Did you make it yourself."
He brightened up at this inquiry, "Yes, I made this a couple of years ago when I was still living with my Father.  It was the only thing that I was permitted to bring when I came here.  It had an equatorial mount, but it was too bulky to carry with me so I made an alt-azimuth mount for it here so I can use it for tracking the Golem."
Twilight studied the scope with a practiced eye for quality, and found that it more than met her approval.  "80mm objective lens, looks like an f7.5." She especially liked the clever rotary eyepiece mechanism that allowed the user to select different magnifications. "Is it okay if I take a look?"
She set it to its lowest setting and focused on the Golem.  Then something caught her eye when she moved the scope.  A tiny speck was moving through the air.  At higher magnification she could see that it was a grey Pegasus pony.  At still higher magnification...
"DERPY?!!  How the hay did she get out here?!  Why doesn't she see the Golem; what is she looking at?!"
Darklight looked through the telescope, "The Golem will be tracking her at that distance, we need to get down there now.  Hop on my back, I will fly you to the valley floor."

* * * *

Derpy Hooves was focusing all of her attention on the two objects she was holding in her hooves.  One was a large green crystal that glowed more brightly when it was pointed in a certain direction.  The other was a small metallic box with an array of colored buttons that at the moment did little more than give off buzzing sounds.  She wore her mail delivery uniform and an unusually large and well laden saddlebag.  The long flight left no visible sign of fatigue, as her only thought was reaching her destination.
She heard the earthquakes, but she chose to ignore them.  Don't be a featherhead, Derpy, she told herself.  An earthquake can't hurt you in the air.  Everyone will just laugh at you if you come all this way just to mess up at the end.  You're almost there, just keep...    
Just then, the Golem opened fire.  Derpy swerved erratically out of the way of the energy beam and searched for its source, finding, to her surprise, that the Golem's right arm was already bearing down at her.  She flew clear of the arm, but the rushing air currents knocked her into a tailspin that made her lose both the crystal and the metallic box.  Another beam swept past her as she dove for the ground to retrieve the objects.  One hard landing later, she stumbled towards the items, grabbing them and stuffing them in her saddlebag before the enormous feet could step on them.  She began to run away, but her path was blocked by a sweep from the beam.  Already in a panic, she couldn't find a path to get away.
Several horn blasts and fireballs hit the golem's face and body.  In the distance, she could see a purple pony riding a flying shadow.  The pony leaped off the shadow while it was still flying and ran straight at Derpy, firing a barrage of horn blasts at the monster.
Twilight?! she thought as she ran towards the pony, How the hay did she get out here?!
Twilight fired several more shots at the golem, then stopped as Darklight swooped in close to the monster's face and attacked with horn blasts and fireballs.  She made a quick stop and reversed direction, just as Derpy caught up with her, and the two of them galloped back to the cave with Twilight in the lead.
Darklight continued to fly close to the golem's head, distracting the golem so that Twilight and Derpy could get away.  It was all part of a routine developed over the previous two years: alternate fireballs and hornblasts to a rapid and consistent rate of fire that obscured it's vision, allow the monster to see him at just the right times to keep it moving towards him in the directions he wanted it to go, time his dives and barrel roles for when the beam cannon fires.  Darklight was very good at this routine, but he still felt like a complete failure.  As long as it remained operational, it posed a very real threat to the Village of the Moon and the rest of the Barbaroi civilization, and Darklight was no closer now to defeating it then he had been two years ago.  All he could do was retreat, which was what he did just then.  When the two mares were safely away, he concentrated all his firepower at its eyes just as he flew over it's head, then dove behind it and kept low to the ground as he took the long route home.
	
> Chapter Six: The Makings of a Plan
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Thank-you-thank-you-thank-you-thank-you-thank-you-thank-you-thank-you-thank-you-Twilight-thank-you-thank-you... ”
When Darklight arrived back at the cave, Derpy was still thanking and hugging Twilight in the anteroom.  He was forcibly pulled into a group hug when he was close enough and the outpouring of gratitude continued.
"I think that's enough thanks to compensate for anything done in the foreseeable future," Darklight said as he gently extricated himself. "By the way, I heard your name is Derpy, isn't it?"
"Yeah, that's me, I'm Derpy Hooves, but you can call me 'Derpy' or 'Ditzy' or 'Muffin Goddess', or... anything you want (as long as you ask me first!)".
"Well, I'm glad to meet you, Derpy.  I'm afraid that 'Darklight' is the only name anyone ever calls me."
Derpy became even more excited. "Oh, you're Mr. Darklight!  This is so cool!  You're the pony I came out here to meet!  I brought a letter for you!"
Darklight thought for a moment, and made a critical decision. "Why don't you hang on to that letter for a bit. You must be really tired after that long flight, and you are welcome to stay as long as you like."
"Don't worry about it, it's all part of the job.  I may not be fast like some pegasi that I know, but it's hard to beat me for distance!"
Twilight was still trying to come to terms with the impossibility of the present situation. "Derpy, how on earth were you able to travel all the way to the central highlands of the Mist Continent and find the one pony that you were supposed to find without getting lost along the way?"
"Oh, well, I just used this!" she pulled the glowing green gem out of her saddlebag. "It glows brighter when I point the long end in the right direction.  As long as I kept flying in the direction it told me to go, I never had to worry about getting lost."
"It's called a 'tracer gem'," interjected Darklight. "This is one of Father's inventions. The green gems are designed to glow when they are pointed in the direction of the yellow gem that it is paired with." He levitated a large yellow gemstone off of a shelf and brought it close to the one in Derpy's hoof.  The yellow gem didn't change, but the green one glowed more brightly than ever.  He demonstrated how they worked: "See, you tap them twice together like this to pair them, or in this case, to turn them off again."
Twilight was growing more exasperated.  She wasn't going to let a show-and-tell about magic gems get in the way of her interrogation. "But how did you get it in the first place?"
Derpy was matter of fact about her response, and hadn't noticed Twilight's change in mood. "Well, about two weeks ago, I came into the post office in Ponyville to begin my morning deliveries when I found a note with the letter and the glowing gem thingy in my mail bag.  It told me where I needed to go and how to use the gem to help me get there.  I was really excited that my boss finally trusted me enough to send me on such an important delivery to a faraway place, so I finished my other deliveries for the day, went home and packed my camping bag with a few dozen of my favorite muffins and some other things, and started right away."
"You didn't tell anyone that you were going?!"
"I..I though everyone at work already knew.  Plus I had the transporter thingy that The Doctor gave me." Derpy brought out the metallic box to show them. "Whenever I get lost or into trouble, I just press this big red button and it magics me back to The Doctor's living room.  I can also use it to talk to him on the way.  I also use it to tell him that I'm alright, though it's been acting all funny since yesterday."
"Derpy!  The highlands are thousands of miles and a whole ocean away from home!  It's bordered by no less than five hostile empires that would have captured or even killed you if they found you trespassing!  For that matter, the Barbaroi would have done the same!  Did you think of any of this?!"
“I thought I'd be okay.  I had my pocket boat when I got tired on the ocean, and I can use my transporter if I found someone scary.  I didn't think it would be a big deal..”
“It WAS a big deal.  You could have been in big trouble!  Why didn't you ask anyone before you left?  How could you be so thoughtless about something like this?!”
Derpy was starting to cry now. “But I'm not smart like you, Twilight.  I was just trying to do my job.  I just wanted to show everybody that I could do it, that I wasn't just a big screw-up that got lost all the time.”
Twilight had gone too far again, and was being hypocritical.  Derpy's camping bag was well stocked with all of the provisions and equipment she needed for the trip.  How prepared had Twilight been when she made her journey?  How many of her friends had she told before she left?  Being away from home, her friends, and her comfortable, orderly life was taking it’s toll on her.  She was lashing out at the ponies that were trying to help her, the ponies she needed if she was ever going to get back to Ponyville.  It was time to get past her feelings of distrust for Darklight and be a little more open about how she got there, and be a little nicer.
"I'm sorry, Derpy.  You were much better prepared than I was when I came here.  I didn't ask a lot of questions when I found that spellbook in the library.  I didn’t listen to Spike when he told me to check before I tried the spell that brought me here.  Now I just want to go home.”
Twilight told Darklight and Derpy about her journey in greater detail.  As she did so, Darklight seemed to grow more serious than usual. “May I see that spellbook?”
Twilight took the book out of her saddlebag and opened it to the page with the teleportation spell.  Darklight quickly made his assessment. “This is Father’s hoof-writing and style, I’m almost certain of that.  What I don't understand is why the spell brought you so far from your target destination. I've used it many times myself and it is a very reliable spell."
“Then why wasn’t I able to reverse the spell?” Twilight asked.
“I think the golem is causing some sort of localized interference, I haven't been able to cast a teleportation spell either since I came here.  It may also be the reason that your transporter device hasn't been working, Derpy."
“I’ll be okay if I can't use it, I can always fly back home," Derpy added, a little too optimistically, “Though it’ll take me... longer... since I can’t use the tracer gem.  But I don’t want to leave you here, Twilight, and I can’t carry you all the way back.”
Twilight thought for a few moments. “Well, I guess we have no other option than to do something about the golem.  How else are the two of us going to get home.”
“You are under no obligation to fight the golem,” Darklight said, sternly, “And nobody has asked you to do so.”
“Then how else are we going to get home?”
Darklight was very unsatisfied with Twilight’s answers.  He moved very close to  her, looked straight into her eyes, and spoke with an air of determination that surprised her. “I will tell you how you will get home.  I will fly you outside of the golem's interference field.  You can both return either by reversing your teleportation spell or by using Derpy’s transporter device.  You will be home in a day.  I can take you right now if you want.”
He was testing her.  Twilight's  own selfishness had caused her to act out of character.  It was time to be who she really was. “I’m going to stay and fight the Golem.”
“Why?” he asked. “I can assure you that none of those ‘five hostile empires’ care anything about what happens to the ‘Ghost Ponies’ of the central highlands.  At best, they are thought of as subsistence farmers with no resources or skilled labor to make them worth bothering with.  At worst, they are seen as the very definition of evil: bloodthirsty, barbaric, merciless cannibals.  Nopony in your home country will hear about what you do here for them anyway, nor will they care.  Why risk your life for them?”
“Ponies are in danger,” she said with conviction, “I don’t need another reason.”
“And I want to help too!” Derpy chimed in.
Darklight was smiling.  The shadows made it difficult to see his facial expressions, but Twilight was starting to find ways to look beyond the shadows.  He moved back to where he was standing before. “Thank you. Both of you.”
He thought again about last night’s visit. “When Raven’s Wind was about to leave, after he threw her knife at you, Twilight, she said something that I thought was a bit strange.  She said ‘This is the mare that you need, the one who will help you.  When your second guest arrives, you can prepare for the battles ahead’.” He sighed, “Unfortunately, I don’t think we can defeat it with only the three of us.”
“Why not?” asked Twilight. “It seems simple enough to me.  The only reason that the magical barrier is there is to protect the eyes, so that must be it’s weak point.  All we have to do is have one of us break through the barrier with a horn blast and the other destroy the eyes in the same way.”
“It isn't that simple.” replied Darklight, “And I have the scars to prove it.  One time I was just able to bring down the barrier with the most powerful horn blast I could shoot at it, then I had just enough time to fire a medium level blast at one of it’s eyes before the barrier was restored.”
“And what happened?”
“It... repaired itself, the other eye used some type of regeneration spell.  The barrier takes over a minute to be restored, but the eyes can repair the damage to themselves in seconds.”
Twilight tried to think of an alternate plan. “Why don’t we try to attack it during one of it’s regeneration periods, when it merges with the ground to absorb mana.”
“I haven’t been able to get close enough.  I’ve tried several times: flying at full speed, creeping on the ground, galloping on the ground, it always activates before I can get close enough to do anything.  It can sense ponies with magical abilities from a long way off, and non-magic ponies from almost as far.”
“Can you think of any other way that we can do it?”
“If we could find another way to bring down the barrier, the two of us could each focus our attacks on one of the eyes at the same time.  If the magic attacks are strong enough, we should be able to bring down the Golem.  Unfortunately, we don’t have another way to disrupt the barrier.  The Barbaroi don’t have the magic abilities to do so, and they are under oath not to interfere even if they could.”
A grey hoof rose shyly into the air.
“Do you have an idea, Derpy?” Twilight asked.
She was a little reluctant to speak. “Promise not to tell anypony?”
“I promise.”
“Pinkie-promise?”
Twilight laughed good naturedly “Sure, Pinkie-promise.”
“Well, remember the last Grand Galloping Gala?  I'm not sure if you knew, since you were invited to it all all, but there was a magic barrier set up to protect the guests at the party that was weak enough that you couldn't see it.  I couldn't get any tickets to go to it, but I really wanted to go and I had a really pretty dress and... well, The Doctor modified one of his screwdriver thingies so that I could use it to get through the barrier and sneak in.  He said that if you hit the barrier with it hard enough, it would totally mess it up completely, but if you were really careful about how hard you hit it, you could open a hole big enough to step through.  So I... used it to go to the Gala, but when I got there, I was so scared that I would get into trouble that I left."
The object that Derpy showed them looked nothing like a screwdriver, but more like a metal flower with a glowing green light.  Darklight said, "That may be just what we need.  Can you show me how it works?"
Darklight cast a shield-type blocking spell, enclosing himself in a low level protective barrier.  He probably meant for her to use the screwdriver to poke holes in the barrier, but she misinterpreted his intentions and disappeared through the door to the observation tunnel.  When she reappeared, she was in full gallop, holding the screwdriver in her mouth, and aiming straight for Darklight.  The green light of the screwdriver contacted the barrier and popped it like a balloon; then she slammed into him with such force that the two of them tumbled into the wall.
Derpy recovered first and started apologizing, but Darklight wasn't angry in the slightest. "Don't worry about it, I can already tell you're going to be a valuable part of the team."
Twilight suddenly got very worried.  Her own experiences with Derpy, the time she dropped anvils on Twilight's head, the time she practically destroyed the town hall while 'helping' Rainbow Dash decorate for Applejack's award ceremony, all of them made it absolutely clear that she could not be trusted with any part of a coordinated attack on a giant stone golem.  She would mess something up, and the rest of them would wind up dead.
"I don't think this is a good idea." Twilight confessed.
Derpy's elation slowly turned to sadness. "But how else are we going to do it?"
"You should let Darklight or I hold on to the screwdriver.  This is going to be a very difficult and dangerous operation, and I don't think you are ready to help out."
"But it only works if I'm the one holding it!  The Doctor set it up so that it only recognizes me!"
"Derpy, I don't... "
"I can do this, Twilight!  I know I'm clumsy, and that my eyes are all screwy, and I get lost a lot, but ever since I first met you I've looked up to you.  When danger came, when everyone else was scared, you were always so brave and knew what to do.  I wanted to be like that too, not just sitting on the side and watching, but doing something to help protect my friends.  I will do exactly what you tell me to do, Twilight, and I promise I won't let you down!"
Derpy's eyes were both completely focused on Twilight now.  There was a seriousness and passion that moved and astonished her.
"I can help her," Darklight offered. "I've been fighting the golem for awhile now, so I can teach her what I know."
Twilight sat down and was silent for a few moments as she thought it over.  Then she let out a sigh, "Alright Derpy, you can help us fight the golem."
Derpy hugged Twilight again and broke into another round of ‘Thank you's.  Twilight interrupted her. "I think you should put away that 'screwdriver' before you do any damage with it, though."
"Don't worry, Twilight," she responded, twirling the screwdriver in her hoof, "Everything the Doctor makes is perfectly harmless, it can't hurt any... "
A beam of light from the screwdriver shot past Darklight's head, leaving a black mark on the wall and a puff of smoke.  A few locks of his mane fell to the floor.
"I'm... gonna to put it away now." Derpy said, sheepishly.
Darklight looked admiringly at the dark mark on the wall. "Well, all I can say about that is: that was very cool."
Derpy was happy again. "I just realized that I completely forgot my manners," Darklight added. "Father would be furious with me right now.  Are you hungry?  How about I can get you something to eat."
"How about muffins!  Do you have muffins?"
"I'm afraid I don't... "
"Oh that's okay, I can make some myself."
"You don't have to do that, your one of my guests. Plus I don't have any muffin pans." Darklight noticed the look of shock in Derpy's face and changed the course of his reply, "Buuuuut, I can make some right now.  I have some sheet metal in the back, it will only take a few minutes.  I should have most of what you need in the kitchen if you want to get started.  There are a couple of sweet berry bushes near the entrance that are in season now, the Barbaroi don't have refined sugar so they use sweet berries instead... "
Twilight was left alone as the two of them set to work.  She noticed a few things during their conversations that puzzled her.  Not once did Derpy show any signs of fear when she was around Darklight, nor did she appear affected by the feeling of foreboding that Twilight even now felt to a small degree.  Darklight in turn had been especially accommodating to Derpy, not showing the least concern about her eccentricities, and had tried to help her feel better about herself.  There was one thing that worried her.  When Twilight handed the spellbook to Darklight, he had glanced at her with an odd look in his eyes.  It lasted only a moment, but she got the impression that he knew more than he was telling her.
Her gaze fell on the locks of hair that Derpy had accidently shot off of Darklight's mane, and Twilight found that there was something else to wonder at.  That's strange. Why are these hairs red?
	
> Chapter Seven:  Schooled
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The following day, the three of them worked through the details of their plan.  They also made a general survey of the land, under Darklight's guidance, for suitable locations to carry it out.  Twilight and Darklight discussed, and sometimes debated, how best to bring down the golem.  Derpy flew along with them, but mostly kept quiet and took pictures with a small camera she had brought with her.
That evening, when Twilight attempted to enter the workroom to talk to Darklight, Derpy met her at the door. “Mister Darklight’s working on something right now, so you can’t come in just yet.  Don’t try and sneak by either, these wall eyes of mine can see everything!”
Raven's Wind made a second visit later that evening, accompanied once again by the two pegasus stallions that Twilight learned were her oldest sons (their names didn't translate well), whom she always brought with her to Darklight's home for the sake of propriety—she was, after all, a happily married mare with a good reputation to maintain.
Twilight still did not trust her, and kept to the background as much as possible.  In contrast, Derpy was excited by the prospect of a new group of friends, and greeted them in her usual manner.
"Hi, I just baked a fresh batch of muffins... AAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!" She screamed in surprise when the three Barbaroi ponies responded to her gesture with a shrill battle cry and each drew their daggers with their mouths.  Darklight jumped between them and explained something to the combatants before any of them could slash Derpy's throat open.  They calmed down and resheathed their daggers.
"The word 'muffins'," Darklight explained to Derpy, "Sounds a lot like a word that is a major insult in their own language."
"But what does it mean?!" she asked.
"You... don't want to know what it means."
Derpy was almost as insulted as they had been. "Well, maybe I don't want to learn a language like that," she pouted, adding in a worried whisper, "But don't tell them I said that!"
Raven's Wind stepped forward, pushing Darklight aside, and burrowed into Derpy's soul with her penetrating stare.  Derpy trembled in terror, and held out the basket both as a protective shield and a peace offering.  Without taking away her gaze, Raven's Wind moved in close, picked up one of the muffins, tasted it... and smiled.  Darklight translated her response: "Delicious, almost as good as mine."
Derpy’s eyes grew wide with wonder, and she made an audible gasp.  Had she finally found it?  The most perfect muffin in the world? "The Muffin of Legend!" she whispered, "Could you ask her if I could try those muffins?"
"I'm sure she would be happy to make some for you," laughed Darklight.
Next morning, training for the big fight began in earnest.  Twilight felt it her obligation to warn Darklight about Derpy's many shortcomings, citing examples from her own experience.  His response was always a disinterested, semi-dismissive grunt, until he finally said “Sounds like a pony who could use a fresh start.”
They traveled to the open plain a few miles from Darklight's Cave and started with a flying exercise that Darklight learned from the Barbaroi.  Twilight would stand in one place and fire magic spells at the two flying ponies while they charged towards her; it was good practice for when they would have to do the same with the golem.  Derpy had trouble from the get go, causing several spectacular and very painful mid-air collisions with Darklight that caused both of them to plummet to the ground. “Told you so,” Twilight grumbled to herself.  She did have to admit that Derpy was surprisingly resilient; after each crash she would immediately get up and ready herself to begin all over again.  Darklight’s patience with her seemed limitless, and he gave her helpful suggestions on how to improve her flying technique.  Gradually, the collisions became less frequent as the day wore on, and Derpy showed some real progress in her agility.
Twilight also collaborated with Darklight on magic training, teaching each other a variety of spells that might come in handy later on. Twilight’s magic was more powerful, and she had a larger overall repertoire of spells, but Darklight was faster and knew more attack spells.  So Twilight helped him to improve the power of his magic attacks, and Darklight helped her to improve her ability to cast multiple spells in a short period of time.
Two of the spells that Twilight learned were especially interesting.  The first was a spell that transformed her horn into a sword blade that could slice an object in half before it wore off.  This was a relatively easy spell, and she used it to cut several rocks in two.  The second was called a kinetic spell, which gave objects, or ponies, a quick burst of speed. “This is a tricky spell,” Darklight warned, “The key is to keep your mana input low, because it doesn’t take much to make a big impact.”
Twilight was pretty confident that she would get the kinetic spell right the first time.  Darklight directed Derpy to hide with him behind a large boulder.  She levitated a softball-sized rock into the air and cast the spell.  The rock instantly went supersonic, leaving a trail of flames, and exploded in a fireball.  Darklight laughed, “That's what always happens the first few times, and it’s always fun to watch.”
“Pretty fireworks!  Try me next!” said Derpy.
Twilight also practiced leaping on and off of Darklight's back while he was in flight, as well as holding on while he performed aerial maneuvers that he would use to evade the golem's beam attacks.  She had practiced the kinetic spell several times by then, and used it to give Derpy a quick burst of speed while she flew nearby.  Derpy did need to practice flying under the influence of a kinetic spell, but Darklight would be the one to cast it when they were fighting the golem, so it was mostly a fun activity for Twilight.
The whole day had been fun, but it didn't last.  Late in the day, Twilight and Darklight were having target practice, alternating casting levitation and kinetic spells on rocks while the other shot them with horn blasts.  They didn't even realize that Raven's Wind was standing next to them.  She got right in Darklight's face and angrily berated him for the inadequacy of their training sessions that day and ordered all three of them to meet her before dawn the next day at that same spot. Who does she think she is? Twilight thought as Raven's Wind flew off.
Darklight was significantly more excited by this prospect than Twilight. "She's one of the best teachers they have. Ponies from all over come to her for training in precision flying, aerial combat, hoof-to-hoof fighting, and espionage.  She's a level thirty five combat flyer."
"Thirty five out of what—one hundred?  That doesn't sound that impressive."
"Actually, thirty-five is the number of tier-ten sharpshooters firing arrows at her in staggered, three-second intervals while she is flying two hundred yards towards a three-inch wide target, which she has to hit with a knife throw, in a 20 second time limit, ten times in a row.  Raven's Wind holds the record."
"Then may I ask what your level is?"
"I... can't get past level eight." He said with some embarrassment. "I get teased about it a lot."
'All the ponies here are crazy,' Twilight had once said in reference to Ponyville.  Evidently, she had a lot to learn about insanity.  She did have to admit that precision flying training would help Derpy, and perhaps Darklight as well, with the golem fight.  On the other hoof, nothing on that list sounded useful to her.
At dawn the next day, Raven's Wind began the training session instructing Derpy on flying techniques: how to improve the power and efficiency of her wing flaps, how to make sharp turns and dives, situational awareness, even how to compensate for her lack of depth perception.  Derpy concentrated on her every word, and even Darklight was doing more than just translating and seemed very interested.  Twilight saw little point in listening beyond purely academic curiosity and soon got bored.  She went off to practice attack spells, but she noticed several times when she looked back that Raven's Wind was looking at her with an ominous look in her eyes.
It quickly became apparent that this was not going to be a fun day at all.  Twilight casually fired her beam attacks as usual from the target location for the evasive flying exercise.  Raven's Wind led the flying ponies, twisting, turning, and dodging the beams with astonishing speed and agility.  Twilight was so amazed that she barely noticed the breeze as a dagger flew between her legs and embedded itself in the ground behind her.  Raven's Wind flew right up to Twilight, yelled something in her face, and body-checked her to the ground while she went to retrieve her dagger.  Darklight translated her words, "She said: 'Shoot at me like you are trying to kill me.'"
Twilight responded with clenched teeth, "With pleasure... jerk."
She got much more serious about her magic attacks now, mixing beam attacks with rapid fire horn blasts.  Raven's Wind dodged the attacks effortlessly, and finished off again with a dagger thrown between Twilight's legs.
Once, Raven's Wind chose to forgo the dagger attack and charged straight at Twilight.  She cut to the left at the last moment, and landed a sharp kick across her face.  Twilight responded by blasting away at her nemesis at nearly point-blank range.  Raven's Wind flipped in mid-air into a one-hoofed spring and flung a dagger straight at Twilight's heart.  Twilight deflected it with a hastily cast shield spell and charged in a blind rage straight at Raven's Wind, intent on impaling her with her horn.  Twilight was blinded for real when a white cloak flew in her face and a sharp blow to her neck knocked her face first into the ground.  She had barely enough time to untangle herself from the cloak and cough up a mouthful of dirt when she saw Raven's Wind bearing down on her with a second dagger.  Twilight launched her backwards with a concussion blast and fired several horn blasts as Raven's Wind back flipped out of the way.  Twilight was so angry now that she was quivering, "Just try that again and I'll... "
Raven's Wind calmly held up the locks of her mane and thoughtfully examined a few hairs that were still burning from Twilight's magic attack.  She smiled, nodded, and said "again" in her own language before flying off for another round.  She did 'try that again', many times.  Twilight and Derpy quickly learned the Barbaroi words for 'No', 'Wrong', 'Again', and 'Try and kill me.' The evasive flying exercise was getting very serious now, the air became saturated with every kind of magic attack Twilight could think of.  She entirely forgot that Derpy and Darklight were also trying to dodge, all she cared about was hurting and humiliating the mare who had now become her worst enemy.  The fights on the ground were getting more serious too, Twilight was so angry that during one round she forgot about the Golem’s interference field and tried to teleport, only to get shocked by the mana backflow.  Raven's Wind took advantage of her mistake and landed a flying side kick into the side of Twilight's face.
What really infuriated Twilight was the fact that Raven's Wind never seemed to get angry herself.  She would always have the same cool, thoughtful expression as she stared into her soul and learned the secrets behind her next move.  A couple of times, Twilight got so mad that she burst into flame and lashed out with long tirades laced with every unkind word she could think of.  Each time, Raven's Wind would yawn and go help Derpy with her hoof-to-hoof combat training until Twilight cooled off a bit.
A new dimension was added to the paired flying exercise.  Darklight would have to dodge, with Twilight holding on for dear life, as Raven's Wind and her sons (who had been there the whole time) tried to slam into them.  Twilight frequently found herself in freefall, and Darklight did everything he could to catch her and place her safely on the ground.  When he was unsuccessful, Raven's Wind would catch her and hurl her into the dust.  Darklight was already in a great deal of trouble with Twilight, so he worked extra hard to fly out of the way of his attackers, or at least be the one to catch her when she fell.
At sundown, Raven's Wind was still largely unscathed, and looked like she was ready to keep training through the night and beyond.  The rest of them were absolutely exhausted.  Twilight and Derpy stumbled back to the cave together, alternately supporting and tripping over each other as they went.  Raven's Wind and Darklight had a conversation together that she didn't understand, nor did she care to.  She only thought about the horrible fact that they would have to go through the same nightmare the next day. 
	
> Chapter Eight: Invictus
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Back at the cave, Darklight was once again playing the role of medic.
Her resilience gone, and extraordinary energy used up, Derpy lay on the bed in the master bedroom, halfway between blissful sleep and grudging consciousness.  Her body was covered in bruises from her own difficult training, as well as burn marks from Twilight's magic attacks.  Her efforts that day had been heroic; she had done everything she had been asked to do cheerfully and willingly, and would do so again the next day.  For now, she was content to let Darklight cast healing spells on her.
Twilight was more problematic.  "Who does she think she is?" she repeated.
Darklight turned to look at her.  She was sitting upright in a chair, with the fiercest, most malevolent scowl he had ever seen on her swollen and battered face.  Twilight had been this way the whole evening, staring off into space as she devoted her vast mental abilities towards revenge.  This particular question had already been asked three times, and the answer he gave the first time had only made her more angry.  He said nothing.
He turned his attention again to Twilight's wounds.  There were no burn marks, but she had plenty of bruises from the fights she had with Raven's Wind, along with scrapes from when she was thrown into the ground.  She showed no sign that she noticed his presence as he quietly cast healing spells.  He could have used Twilight's help with his own wounds, which were as extensive as Derpy's, but it would have been impossible for her to see them with the darkness covering him.  She was clearly in no mood to be helpful anyway, and he was used to taking care of his own wounds anyway.
"I get it now," Twilight said to nopony in particular, "She hates me.  She enjoys seeing me suffer.  She enjoys humiliating me.  It's the only logical explanation there is."
Darklight, perhaps foolishly, contradicted her. "I think you are reading her actions wrong.  Raven's Wind has a lot of responsibilities.  She is a high-ranking elected official, a well sought after teacher, and she has a large family to care of.  She only devotes her time to the things that she loves, so she must think that it is very important that you get this kind of training." Then he made his big mistake, "If it is any comfort, this is how she trains all of her students, including her children."
"So, she is guilty of foal abuse as well," Twilight replied, "Is there any limit to her crimes against pony-kind?"
"No, they weren't... "
"I swear, if you say ONE more nice thing about that mare, Darklight, I will hurt you!"
"I'm sorry, I just... "
"DEEP... HURTING!!" she warned, looking straight at him, for the first time that evening,  with a terrifying expression.
The scowl began again, and Darklight went back to his duties as medic.  Nothing that he could say seemed to satisfy her.  It had started when Darklight refused Twilight's request that he teach her all of the most colorful words in the Barbaroi tongue that would express exactly what she thought of Raven's Wind, and the
He thought about his own first impression of Raven's Wind.  At first he thought of her as some kind of invincible iron pony with absolute confidence in herself and no flaws, but over the past few years he had learned differently.  Even that day, he had seen the signs: the sad looks, the wincing that made it look like she was in physical pain, the faraway stare at nothing in particular.  Nopony was better at picking up the signs than Eagle's Talon, and when propriety allowed he would put one of his golden wings around his wife as a show of support.  Her family would do the same, but sometimes there would be the look of worry that someday they would be burdened as well.  It was the torture that was The Sight, the flood of images of the future that were impossible to block out.  It was this knowledge of the fates of ponies that made her feared by her own people.  They loved, respected, and trusted her, but they were always fearful of what she had to say about them.  Darklight wanted to help her too, but it was not his place to do anything.  Though he was welcome, he was still an outsider.  He asked many times to take the initiation rites, to become one of The Unconquered, and perhaps even join himself to the house of Silverblade, but he was always turned down. "Someday, you will find the land where you truly belong, and your real family," was the only explanation Raven's Wind ever gave.  He wondered if that were even possible.  He felt no connection with the ponies in the Dragon Spear Empire.  He was never allowed outside the grounds of Father's mansion, and the noble ponies who came to visit Father had nothing but contempt and disdain for Darklight, treating him like he was a sideshow freak. "Is that... him?" they would ask, doing little to conceal that they knew something about him but revealing nothing else.  As for family, he always knew that Father was not related, but he was unconvinced that a monster like him even had parents.
His mind drifted back to the conversation he had with Raven's Wind following the day's training.  He had remarked that she may have been a little hard on Twilight.
"I am surprised that you think that way," Raven's Wind had replied, "I thought you had seen enough of my lessons that you would understand my teaching methods a little better.  The question you should be asking is 'Why are you being so easy on Derpy, and on yourself?' I am not being any harder on Twilight than I have been on any of my other students.  It is the only way I know to prepare them to be equal to the challenges I know they will face.  They never appreciate this while they are my students, and I have no doubt she will be up late tonight thinking of ways to smash my face and gouge out my eyes. The educated ones can be very creative." She chuckled, thoughtfully. "They always want to go after my eyes.  Well, Eagle's Talon loves my eyes, so why should I care what anyone else thinks of them."
She paused for a moment, thinking, and continued, "When I look at each of you, I see three ponies who are trapped.  Derpy, for instance, is trapped by reputation.  The ponies in her homeland see her as being clumsy, foolish, and unreliable, but all they know is her caricature.  I can relate: there were plenty of ponies who thought it was a waste of time to train a timid, clumsy filly such as I was, and I will forever be grateful to the teachers who took a chance on me.  So I am helping her discover the real Derpy.
"Twilight is trapped by pride.  She has been taught by the best teachers in the world, can draw upon vast stores of accumulated knowledge, and has extraordinary magic abilities for a unicorn her age.  She believes that she has reached the top of the mountain when in fact she is stuck on a plateau.  What perplexes her the most right is why a pegasus pony would presume to believe that she could teach her anything of value about fighting a creature that can only be defeated by magic.  But I see a much greater darkness beyond the golem that I must help her prepare for, and she does not understand that the 'home' that she longs for will be a very different place when she returns.  At any rate, she will soon be ready to face that darkness, and you can tell her I said that when she asks, though she won't understand you.”  
How do you know all of this?, he had wondered.  How was it that she knew so much about ponies that she had only met a few days ago, who were unable to communicate in a common language?  From the first time they had met, Raven's Wind had always given him the impression that she knew a great deal about his background, perhaps even more than he himself knew.
"I know you understand this as well," she continued  "I find it interesting that you have taught her two of your best spells, neither of which will be useful to her during the battle with the earth golem.  It is almost as if you trained her to defeat you."
Raven's Wind was silent after this, but she could be just as profound with her silence as she could with her speech. 'How am I trapped?' was what Darklight wanted to ask her, but he was becoming uncomfortable with how the conversation was going.  He had made a promise to his father that he would not talk about the future, about his final mission, and he would continue to keep that promise.
"I've tried to explain your ways to Twilight and Derpy," he said, trying to steer the conversation in a new direction. "Before I came here, I did my best to learn your language and culture, but it always bothered me how little I could find that was accurate and unbiased.  I want to help them understand the truth."
"I am grateful for your efforts," was her reply, "But it makes little difference to me what other ponies think of my people.  If they want to call us cowards because we choose not to sacrifice thousands of our sons and daughters to replace one palace tyrant with another, they are free to do so.  If they revile our good name because the price of our freedom is too high for them to purchase with flattering words and empty promises, I will do nothing to stop them.  If a collection of scary stories can keep my people at home and our Watchers abroad safe, so much the better.  I really do not care if they call us cannibals, savages, 'ghost ponies', or 'Barbaroi', because none of those names have any meaning to us.  We are The Unconquered, and any pony who wishes to learn the truth behind that name is welcome to meet us on the battlefield, as many have already done.  Our friends will know the truth, and anypony who believes the nonsense spoken about us does not understand themselves."
Darklight was getting uncomfortable again.  He was moved by her words, but he couldn't help thinking about how they contrasted with those of his own father.
Raven's Wind watched him as he lost himself in deep thought, and sighed deeply. "Darklight, you are a true friend to The Unconquered.  All of us understand this.  Even Prism Heart, for all of his bluster in the grand council chambers, understands this as well.  I love you like you were one of my own sons, and I see the goodness in your heart, but even the best ponies can find themselves on the wrong path.  Are you certain that the path that has been prepared for you is the right one to take?"
Long suppressed images suddenly began to course through his mind, and he momentarily forgot his promise to keep silent about his final mission. "I... I know what I saw." he blurted out,  "I have to do something to stop it.  I have to save them." His eyes had a haunted look in them, a look that spoke of unspeakable memories that scar and poison the soul. "I wish I could tell you more.  I want to tell you and Twilight everything.  But... "
Darklight expected her to pelt him with questions he wasn’t allowed to answer.  He waited with dread for her to speak, but felt relieved when she, unexpectedly, changed the subject, or so he thought. "Do you understand the purpose of the Library of Truth?"
Nervously, he answered, "Only what you and the others have told me, that it is a record of world history through the eyes of the Watchers.”
"On an academic level, that is what it is, but to us it is a weapon against the lies of leaders who wish to corrupt history for their own gain.  Finding and recording the truth can be a very difficult thing, and sometimes our own personal bias and misunderstandings get in the way, or we are lead to believe the lies because of the actions of other ponies, but we find that the best ways to overcome these problems is to have multiple eyewitness accounts and to observe the evidence.  My question to you is, are there any ponies who seem to contradict what you thought you saw?
Darklight thought of Twilight and Derpy.  How would anypony who had experienced what he knew they had gone through be as trusting and happy as they were?  It made no sense, but he said none of this to Raven's Wind.
She bowed her head in sadness.  It broke her heart to see the fear and anguish in Darklight's eyes, but there was little more that she could do.  Raven's Wind was not the pony who could heal him. "I will honor the promise that you made to the pony you call 'Father'.  I will say only this: Twilight will soon be presented with the pieces to a very large and complex puzzle. When she has all of the pieces assembled, when she discovers the whole truth, I ask that you will listen to what she has to say."

Darklight was suddenly pulled back into the present when Twilight's hoof slammed down on the table next to her, knocking several medicine jars to the floor where they shattered and spilled their contents.
"This is STUPID!" she yelled,  "What does hoof-to-hoof combat training have to do with fighting a one hundred foot tall slab of rock?!  Why is she wasting my time with this?!"
"Raven's Wind told me," he offered, wanting to say more but afraid to do so, "That soon you will be ready to face the darkness ahead."
She sneered "And what, pray tell, is that supposed to mean?"
Never in her life did Twilight look less beautiful than she did just then, but Darklight was finally beginning to understand the feelings he felt when he saved her from the golem.  Darklight was in love, and all he wanted now was to be with the mare he loved, to find joy in being a part of her happiness, but it was a dream that could never become reality.  Darklight was trapped by fate, and the final mission was the only thing that lay before him.  Father had told him many times that Darklight would be bringing freedom and joy to millions of ponies who for generations had been without either.  Still, he knew that when he did complete his final mission, even if he survived, that there would be no place for him in Twilight's heart.
I love you Twilight, he thought to himself, And I want to tell you everything.
He said nothing.  Twilight didn't notice.
	
> Chapter Nine: Life
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight stood on the edge of the gorge and waited.  Winds from the plain behind her and the gorge below mingled and tossed her mane and tail.  She was ready, as much as anypony can be before a battle.
She only wished they had a better plan.  The one that they did have was very dangerous and woefully lacking in simplicity.  Unfortunately, it was the only one that would work.  Darklight would lead the golem down the gorge where it could be boxed in on two sides.  Twilight would ambush it, and along with Darklight would keep it occupied with magic attacks.  She would have plenty of room to run and dodge on the plain nearby.  Derpy would then fly up with the screwdriver and Darklight would cast a kinetic spell to give her enough momentum to hit the barrier and disrupt it.  Darklight would then carry Twilight up to the golem's face and each of them would hit one of its eyes with the most powerful (and the most dangerous) magic attack they could cast: a short-range explosive horn blast.  They would immediately follow up with a shield spell to protect themselves from the resulting explosion, and Darklight would catch Twilight and carry her to safety.  Absolutely crazy; the explosive horn blast spell had a long history of killing ponies who were not careful enough when they cast it cast it, including its inventor, but no other spell would be powerful enough to destroy the golem's eyes.  Still, they had practiced enough that they were fairly confident, perhaps deceptively so, that they could do it.
Derpy smiled and waved back to her from  out of her hiding place behind several boulders on the other side of the gorge.  Twilight signaled for her to get back into her hiding place, which she did after taking a picture.  Perhaps Derpy had the right idea, Twilight thought. Instead of over thinking the plan she should try and relax and enjoy the moment.  There didn't seem a lot to enjoy, as they were getting ready for a battle, but it wouldn't help them at all if they were too uptight.
There were plenty of good memories from back home, but for some reason she began to think about two days ago.  It had been the second day of training with Raven's Wind, and Twilight had the benefit of a good night's sleep to help cool her temper.  She had told Darklight: "Tell Raven's Wind that I want her to teach me how to kill her." Apparently, this was the right question to ask because the day went much more smoothly for everyone.  They trained just as hard, but Twilight learned much more and made better progress.  She still didn't see what use any kind of martial arts would be in the short term, but she decided it was pointless to keep arguing.
As her anger diminished, Twilight noticed a lot of things that had escaped her the previous day.  She was even more impressed at the amazing agility that Raven's Wind showed in the air.  She might be a match for Rainbow Dash or even Spitfire in a race, she thought.  If Derpy's astonishing progress was any indication, she was also an excellent teacher.  She taught them so well that at the end of the day (much to Twilight's satisfaction) her white cloak was ruined from all of the burn marks.  Then Raven's Wind surprised Twilight with a hug and a "Thank you" in her own language.  Twilight half expected Raven's Wind to try and break her neck, but instead she invited all of them to visit her village the following day.
In the early morning, just as the sun was starting to rise, Twilight held on to Darklight's back as he flew to the Village of the Moon.  They flew in a tight formation with Raven's Wind and her sons leading the way, with Derpy flying close to Darklight.  The sickly white and grey of the valley near Darklight's Cave gave way to the vibrant and nuanced greens of dense mountain forests.  Twilight had tried to imagine what the village would look like, and the picture she formed in her head was of a cluster of grass huts with a few small farms.  She was not prepared for what she actually saw.
They flew over a ridge of barrier mountains, and were blinded.  Twilight shielded her eyes with a hoof as they adjusted to the light, and realized that the mountain at the center of the circular valley was glowing with a rainbow of colors.  As they moved closer, she could see details of buildings carved from the rock itself or formed from brick, all colored with the magic-infused dyes and paints that Darklight spoke to her of.  The valley they flew over was filled with grain fields, orchards, and gardens, right up to the high protective wall surrounding the village.  Points of movement that dotted the village proved to be windmills, and on further inspection she could see trebuchets and other siege weapons all painted to partially blend in with the buildings.
Four additional pegasi accompanied them as they flew over the valley.  They had appeared just as the party arrived at the valley edge, and she realized that the Barbaroi used the spectacle of their village as a tactical advantage against invaders.  Raven's Wind made some quick turns and barrel rolls, in what Twilight figured was a coded means of communication, and the four guard ponies flew off back to their hiding places.
A large section of the defensive wall, a few dozen yards across, looked newer than the rest of it, as did the buildings above it.  Twilight guessed (again, correctly) that this was where the golem had attacked the city.  Even with Darklight's assistance, the damage had clearly been extensive.  She wondered, briefly, what it would be like if such a monster attacked Canterlot, but it was such a long way away that it was unthinkable, and she drove the idea from her mind.
They landed on one of the lower levels in the administrative district just below the town bazaar.  Several ponies had gathered in anticipation of their arrival, mostly to talk to Raven's Wind.  She told Darklight to give Twilight and Derpy a tour of the village and meet bring them to her home for lunch while she attended to her leadership duties.
Darklight knew the village very well, taking them along narrow shortcuts and hidden pathways as they made their way upwards.  He answered all the questions they asked, plus a lot that they didn't, giving commentary such as "try these, they're really good" or "don't eat too many of these if you can't handle spicy".  He greeted the village ponies warmly and always introduced them by name to Twilight and Derpy.  The villagers in turn spoke to Darklight like old friends, and Twilight got the impression that it had taken some time for him to earn the high level of trust that he had with the villagers.
The ponies of the Village of the Moon were in many ways different from those in Ponyville, or anywhere is Equestria.  Twilight had expected all of the ponies in town to wear white cloaks, but she found out later that except for high ranking officials, the ponies only wore their cloaks when traveling.  Instead, all of them wore brightly colored clothing that was very different from anything Twilight had seen before. The cloth glowed with it's own light, in the same way that the village itself glowed.  Most of the ponies there were pegasi, but there were also many unicorns and earth ponies as well, and everyone from the youngest foal to the aged mares and stallions were armed.  Pegasus ponies were lightly armored and carried combinations of throwing knives, bows, and crossbows.  Unicorn ponies had more extensive armor, and were equipped with swords and axes that they wielded using levitation spells.  Earth ponies carried spears that could be attached to their own heavy armor.  There were variations, depending on the preferences and special talents of the individual.  At times both Twilight and Derpy felt very underdressed, since they in typical Equestrian fashion only wore their saddlebags.  With so much emphasis on fortification and training for war, Twilight was concerned for their safety if a fight broke out, but nothing of the sort happened.  Fighting outside of training was very rare because their goal was not to compete to find out which pony was the best fighter, but to build themselves to that they could more effectively defend the ponies they love.  She was impressed at how happy and relaxed they were.
At noon they went to the home of Raven's Wind on one of the middle terraces.  A couple of ice-blue eyed fillies and colts happily sprang out the door and playfully leaped on Darklight the moment he arrived.  Raven's Wind came out afterwards to greet them, followed by a pegasus stallion that looked a lot like her sons, save for his beautiful golden coat, which Twilight realized was her husband, Eagle's Talon.  He had returned home from his own duties as leader of the Village of the Sun to be with his family.  
They had a large home, but there were plenty of ponies of all ages to fill it up with.  During lunch together, Twilight was surprised at how affectionate Raven's Wind was with her husband and children. She seemed like a different mare from the one who had pummeled her over the course of two days.  Then she understood. Raven's Wind was tough during training because she wanted her students, and family, to be equal to the challenge of a dangerous and cruel world.  This drive to bring out the best in other ponies was a manifestation of her love for them, and this same love was wellspring from which she gained her courage and determination.  Darklight had been right about her all along, Twilight thought.
Derpy was very popular at the home of Raven's Wind, and soon the young ponies of the house of Raven's Wind were climbing all over her as well.  She seemed to love a good party almost as much as Pinkie Pie.  After lunch, the older ponies brought out musical instruments and began to play as the other ponies danced.  Derpy tried to dance along too, imitating the other ponies as best she could, but Twilight had to dissuade Derpy from following along when one of the older daughters of Raven's Wind began to juggle three daggers with her mouth.  As more ponies began to dance along, Twilight and Darklight were pushed into the fray.  Twilight knew that her own dancing was downright ridiculous, but she felt less self conscious when she saw how awful Darklight was at dancing himself.  It also didn't escape her notice that the other ponies, Derpy included, kept subtly nudging both her and Darklight closer together on the dance floor.
Following the party, Raven's Wind had to spend time with her family, and Derpy wanted  to go back to the Bazaar to shop for her friends, so Twilight was alone with Darklight for much of the evening.  She didn't mind, Darklight was pleasant enough as a companion, so they continued to explore the upper levels together.  They made stops to visited the ponies that Darklight was acquainted with, and each time he would give them one of the glass art pieces or swords that Twilight had seen from his workroom.  The glass-works were always well received, but the ponies tended to give a more critical eye to the swords.  In all cases, they left on friendly terms, and though she couldn't follow much of their conversations, she gathered that Darklight was saying goodbye to each of them.
Twilight was pretty tired from climbing so many stairs that day, but Darklight insisted that they visit one more place.  They reached the observation tower, a rough-hewn wooden platform at the pinnacle of the mountain, just as the sun was about to set.  They sat together and gazed over the landscape before them, Darklight on one side to block the wind from bothering Twilight.  The untended clouds that covered the sky were at just the right angle, and began to glow red, orange, and yellow from the setting sun.  From below them came the sounds of creaking windmills and the smells of spices and sweet berries from the evening meals.  Twilight drank freely of the beauty around her, so different on the surface from Equestria yet so much alike at it's core, and savored the feeling of being alive and free.  Then she looked and saw that Darklight had been staring at her.  He looked away briefly, a little embarrassed that he had been caught doing so, but Twilight only smiled back.  They looked into eachother's eyes, and together watched the last few rays of sunlight dip below the horizon.
It was well after dark when they flew back to the cave.  There was just the three of them on the return trip, Derpy kept a respectful distance as Darklight flew with Twilight on his back.  The clouds had blown away by then, and the whole sky was bursting with bright starlight.  Twilight felt the warmth on Darklight's back and the feathery softness of his enormous wings as he flew.  She put aside her analytical nature for a short time and again enjoyed the beauty of the moment she had with Darklight.

The memories of the sunset and the stars, with Darklight, soothed and calmed her nerves, as she waited on the edge of the canyon.  She still didn't fully understand her feelings for him, but for now it helped her to relax before the battle ahead.
The earthquakes started again, at their usual, familiar interval.  They grew more powerful, and Twilight could start to see the Earth golem moving through the canyon towards her.  Darklight became visible as well, circling and diving in tight and deliberately random patterns as he attacked the golem with flames and horn blasts.
Twilight sprang forward in a full gallop and fired horn blasts of her own.  She looped back and forth on the plain, taunting the monster to strike out at her.  The golem raised its right arm and smashed the canyon's edge.  Twilight jumped out of the way as a large part of the canyon wall gave away and fell to the golem's feet.  Darklight kept to the golem's left and continued his attacks.  Neither of them would let the golem forget that they were there, giving Derpy the chance to attack undetected.
Derpy flew out of her hiding place and kept low to the canyon floor.  Her comrades stepped up their attacks to distract the golem as she flew up towards its face, the screwdriver clutched in her hooves.  Then the monster saw her, and fired its beam cannon at her.  It missed, but a follow up swing from it's left arm startled her and made her lose her grip on the screwdriver.  The hearts of both Twilight and Darklight sank as they saw the screwdriver fall towards the canyon floor.
Derpy went into a sharp dive straight for it.  She weaved out of the way of a beam attack that flew past her and pumped her wings to increase her speed.  At the last moment, she caught the falling device in her mouth and extended her wings.  She skimmed the canyon floor, flew upwards and circled back, charging at full speed into the golem's face.  Darklight cast a kinetic spell on her and she rocketed forward.  With tremendous force, she hit the magic barrier, which buckled from her momentum and shattered with a loud crack.  Derpy fell into a dive and let gravity carry her out of the way.
Twilight ran at an angle to the edge of the cliff and jumped into empty space.  Moments later, Darklight appeared just below her and she fell onto his back.  Their horns glowed with swirling, bright light.  A beam attack from the golem flew past them, so close that they could feel the burning heat on their skin.  Twilight moved into a crouching position on Darklight's back and prepared to jump.  They were so close to the eyes that they could see the flames that framed its dark, reptilian pupils.
"Now!" Darklight yelled.
Twilight leaped into the air, straight at the right eye, as Darklight flew toward the left.  She pointed her horn down and fired a white glowing sphere that broke through the eye surface and disappeared inside.   Then cast a shield block spell and covered her face with her hooves just as the explosion tore apart the eye and propelled her backwards.  She twisted around and extended her hooves as Darklight recovered from being blown out by the left eye's explosion and dove to catch her.  Only he could see that the golem's right arm, now lifeless but still retaining the momentum of a purposeful strike, was falling towards her.
"Twilight!  Above you!"
Darklight flew to her and grasped her head-on, pulling her close to him with his hooves.  He made a sharp turn and cast a kinetic spell that propelled them forward, just as the edge of the arm fell on him.
All of the air was forced from his lungs, and he began to cough and sputter blood.  The impact mangled his wings and propelled them in a high arch through the valley with a horrific backspin.  There was no time to cast a spell, no time to get into flying position, and no way to fly if he could.  He held Twilight tightly in his hooves.  With tremendous effort he used his broken wings to stop their backspin, apply drag, and turn so that his own back was towards the ground rushing towards them.  He hoped that it would be enough to save Twilight.
They slammed into the valley floor and tumbled together until Darklight lost consciousness.  Twilight broke free and spun end over end, avoiding several sharp rocks by luck alone, until she finally stopped: dizzy, shaken, and very much alive, but was she the only one?
"Darklight?!... DARKLIGHT?!"
She stumbled towards a dark shape that lay motionless several yards away.  She shook him with her hooves, calling his name, and placed her ear against his torso to check his vitals.  His breathing was almost undetectable, and his heartbeat was faint.  When she pulled away, she realized to her horror that her face and hooves were covered with his blood.
	
> Chapter Ten: "I... "
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Twilight!  What happened?!" cried Derpy as she landed.
"I... I can't tell where the blood is coming from!!" Twilight yelled, the growing distress obvious in her voice.
Twilight began casting healing spells a random, but they were useless.  The darkness covering his body made it impossible to see where his wounds were.  What about internal bleeding?  Her normally cool and methodical mind was beginning to give way to panic.
"Tell me what to do, Twilight!" came Derpy's unheeded cry. "Please tell me what to do!"
Twilight tried to think.  There had to be away, there must be something she could do to save him.
Then she remembered. "A life spell!  I can use a life spell!"
She thought of the day that Princess Celestia taught her to use a life spell.  Although powerful, it was not difficult to cast, but it came with a stern warning.
"A healing spell," Celestia had explained, "Simply reverses the damage done to living tissue.  A life spell is different; it involves giving a portion of your own life force, a combining of your core self, with that of the pony you cast it on.  Their memories and experiences mingle with your own, and there is a real danger that you will lose yourself in the process.  It is very important that you hold on to your own memories and never forget who you are when you cast a life spell.  The problem is compounded when the afflicted pony has strong magical abilities.  With training, you should have no problem with earth ponies or pegasi, but the potential for a dangerous backflow of mana means that you must use extreme caution if you use it on another unicorn.  And I hope for your sake that you never have to use it on an alicorn."
The ground next to Darklight began to darken as it became saturated with blood.  There was no time left; she made her decision.
Twilight raised herself on her hind legs, and her body began to glow with a brilliant white light.  The force of the spell slowed her descent as she came back down onto her front hooves.  Her head lowered, and she touched her horn to his.
An unseen force grasped her horn.  She immediately lost her concentration and tried to pull away, but the force held her tight.  Darklight's amulet glowed with a fiery red color.  The flames of darkness went out, revealing a shiny black surface, which began to melt into a thick liquid that grew and pulled her upwards.  The amulet moved upwards as well until it stared her in the face with a fiery reptilian eye identical to the ones the golem had.  She tried to move her feet, but the black liquid was gathering around her hooves and moving up her legs.  Her hooves began to sink...no, melt... into the liquid below her.  Derpy, the flaming wreckage of the golem, and the whole valley was replaced by empty blackness that even the bright red light from the eye did not illuminate.  The black liquid began covered her waist and back.  She tried to yell, to call out for help, but realized to her horror that she no longer had lungs to do so.  Her face contorted into a silent scream as the black liquid covered her eyes, filled her mouth, filled her nostrils.
Only her consciousness remained, but she was rapidly losing even this. "I'm Twilight Sparkle!  I have to remember!  Princess Celestia told me I have to remember who I am.  I... wait, who told me again?  What was I supposed to remember?  Why can't I remember my name?!  I.."
"I... "
"I'm... “
"I'm... a monster.  I destroyed the lives of many innocent ponies before Father found me, stopped me, changed me into what I am now.  I'm a monster, but because of that I have the power to stop her.  Then millions of ponies will be free, they will be happy, and I will earn Father's love.  I'm a monster, and I have to atone.”
Lights appeared in the dark void and took the form of a small room.  The voice took the form of a dark shadow in the shape of a tiny colt.  He sat on a low bed facing the door on the opposite wall.  The room was tastefully furnished, but there was no fireplace and the winter climate made it very cold inside.  The shelves and a table in the middle of the room were covered with books and star charts.  On every wall, there were at least two mirrors, so the shadow-colt could see his reflection in all of them: the dark flames that forever danced across this body, the form of an alicorn foal that he knew was not his true form, and the sad, lonely blue eyes.  The red-stone amulet with the gold chain and setting was enormous and cumbersome on his tiny body, but he was glad it was there, protecting everyone from what he had been.
He raised his tiny hooves close to his face.  Red and orange flames from a fire spell mingled with his own dark flames.  Doing this always calmed and relaxed his nerves.  He imagined that there was a secret hidden in the flames, that if he looked hard and long enough he could see it.
"Are you awake, Darklight?" asked a voice from the metal funnel on his right.  It was Father's voice. He could tell from how the voice sounded that he was in his personal laboratory.  Father was in that room a lot, though Darklight was never allowed to go there.
"Yes, Father," replied Darklight.  Father always liked simple, submissive responses.
"Did you have any nightmares about our trip to the Empire of the Demon Queen?"
"No, Father."
"Did you have any nightmares about your past?  Before I found you and turned you into an alicorn foal?"
"No, Father.  I haven't slept all night."
"You need to sleep," Father scolded, "It is very important that you get the rest you need to keep up with your training.  You need to be ready to face the Demon Queen.  I know from personal experience how powerful she is since I tried to stop her myself, but I am only a normal pony and I wasn't strong enough.  You, on the other hoof, are a monster like she is; and someday you will be ready to face her yourself."
Darklight closed his eyes and began to shiver at the thought of seeing her again. "Please don't send me back there, Father."
"I have to Darklight, I am so, so sorry to put you through this, but I have no other choice.  I had to take you so you would understand how important it is that you carry out your final mission.  You have to remember every detail of that trip so that the teleportation spell will work properly.  Think about all the good you will do when you stop her.  When I take the throne, millions of ponies will be free from her tyranny and will experience a golden age of happiness and prosperity unlike anything they have experienced in generations.  They will be grateful to you for the sacrifices that you made, and more importantly I will be grateful to you."
"Okay, Father."
"And I must remind you that you owe a lot to me.  You may look like an alicorn now, but this is because I chose that form for you.  The amulet I gave you is the only thing stopping you from reverting back to what you used to be, the terrible monster in your dreams, which is why you must never take it off for any reason.  You owe a debt of gratitude to me for my generosity, which is why you must do everything I say and stop the Demon Queen."
"I will, Father."
"And don't ever forget that if you defy me, I have the power to stop you."
"Yes, Father, I remember."
He wasn't saying anything new to Darklight, he said the same thing every day in some form without fail. "Can I count on your commitment to me?  To the cause of freedom of countless ponies for generations to come?  To the promise of my benevolent rule?"
"Yes, Father, I will keep my promises to you."
"Good, now get to sleep and don't disturb me.  I am in the middle of a very important phase of my research.  And keep learning your healing spells so you can recover faster after training sessions. I don't like blood stains on my expensive, white bed sheets."
Darklight lay back in his bed, but he couldn't sleep.  It was the same room, the same conversation he had almost every day, but something felt different.  He felt that he wasn't entirely himself then, that there was an unfamiliar part of him watching, questioning.  Why couldn't he remember anything of the visit to the Demon Queen's Empire.  The feeling was still there, the revulsion, the paralyzing fear, the resolve to stop her.  Why was he having doubts?  Father was always right, and he always told him the truth.  Didn't he?
The room began to blur again.  The lights dimmed and faded away.  The silence was replaced by the sounds from Darklight's oldest nightmares, what Father said were the memories of his true self.  Sounds of the death cries of ponies drowned out by his own piercing, unearthly shrieks.  
The sounds grew louder and louder, than faded into a distant echo.  Finally, there was silence, and nothing more.


* * * *


Only darkness remained.  No pony named Twilight Sparkle had ever existed, nor was there ever a monster named Darklight.  The void was at once everything and nothing.  No substance to give form, no consciousness to give purpose.  Emptiness.  It had always been that way, and it always would...
A small light flickered in the void.  There was a voice, a song.
The darkness stirred.
The light grew brighter, the song became more clear.  It was a lullaby.	
"I know that voice," said the darkness.
The light expanded and took form, the form of a mare.  A white alicorn.  The song continued.
"I know you."
The darkness began to take shape.  Head, mane, body, hooves, tail—a unicorn mare, running towards the light.
"I'm... Twilight!"
The darkness shattered and fell away to reveal a purple coat, mane and tail.  She could see the alicorn mare more clearly now: the white coat, the flowing rainbow colored mane, the golden crown and necklace, the outstretched hooves waiting to embrace her.
"I'm Twilight Sparkle!  My friends are Applejack and Rarity and Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy and Spike and my big brother Shining Armor and Cadence and Luna and you, Princess Celestia!  I love you all, and I'm coming home!!"
Twilight felt Celestia's warm, comforting embrace.  It was a mother's hug, with the power to show an astonishing outpouring of love.  Twilight was done being brave, done being a hero.  She had just been through one of the most traumatic experiences of her life, and for now all that she wanted was to open up the floodgates of her own emotions and surround herself in that love.
The dark void was dispelled by the light of a campfire.  Twilight slowly became aware again of her surroundings.  It was well past sunset.  Derpy was seated between the two sons of Raven's Wind, and all three were lazily watching the hypnotic yellow flames dance and crackle.  A homespun blanket covered a dark shadow, which rose and fell in response to a steady and peaceful breathing.
The hug was real, but it was not Celestia.  Twilight looked up into the face of the pony that was holding her, and half expected the mare to break her neck at any moment, but there was only compassion in the face of Raven's Wind. "Thank you," she said in her own language.
"Twilight!  You're finally awake!" cried Derpy.
"What happened?" Twilight asked, and she stirred in sudden alarm. "Is Darklight all right?!"
"Don't worry, Mister Darklight is okay now.  You got all glowy and stuff, then you touched horns and Mister Darklight started to glow too, and you fell over asleep.  Raven's Wind flew in and caught you just before you hit the ground and she has been with you ever since.  We've just been waiting here for you to wake up (I think her sons have a crush on me too).  I didn't catch all of it, but I think Raven's Wind said that it may be a day or two before Mister Darklight wakes up again."
Twilight looked up the valley and saw the smoldering wreckage of the stone golem blocking the narrow valley to the north. "We beat it," said Derpy, "Can you believe it?  We actually beat it!  I know The Doctor would be pretty freaked out if he found out I did something like this, he's been really protective of me lately."
Twilight chuckled a bit "Yeah, that was pretty amazing, though I don't think any of our friends are going to believe us if we told them.  I guess this means we can go home now." There was a hint of sadness in her voice when she said this.  She missed her friends and family, but she had formed bonds of friendship here as well.  Going home would also mean leaving Darklight, which made her especially sad. "I want to stay here a little longer, just until Darklight wakes up."
"I thought you would," Derpy said with an impish smile. "Well, I'll stay here as long as you do.  Whenever you're ready to go."
Twilight had other reasons for staying.  Her frightening experience with the life spell left her with a lot of questions.  Who, or what, is Darklight, really?  Who is this 'Father' that has been guiding him towards this goal, and what does he really want?  Finally, who was this Demon Queen?  This last question concerned her, and her hunch was that she was not going to like the answer.
	
> Chapter Eleven: Discovery
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight was back at the cave, and this time she was the medic.  Raven's Wind and her sons had helped carry Darklight back as well, but afterward they returned to their own village leaving herself and Derpy to handle things on their own.  Derpy focused on cooking and building their inventory of muffins while Twilight kept watch over Darklight.
Towards evening on the day following the battle, Twilight answered the knock at the door and found a large group of Barbaroi ponies waiting outside.  Raven's Wind and Eagle's Talon were there, along with their two elder sons, but there were also two unicorn ponies as well.  The older of the two was a hard looking pony with a scar on his face, who was armed with an enormous broadsword on his back.  Twilight knew instinctively that this must be Prism Heart, and he was accompanied by his son as well.  Clearly this was a very important visit.
The anteroom soon was filled with ponies.  Derpy emerged from the kitchen looking a little perplexed as to what was going on.  Everyone looked in the direction of Darklight, who was sleeping on his own bed in the main bedroom.  Raven's Wind motioned for Derpy and Twilight to stand over by the fireplace and watch, which they obeyed.  Prism Heart said a few words that they couldn't understand.  Each of the sons, with great ceremony, pulled back their parent’s cloaks.  The room suddenly became illuminated from the glow from the clothing they wore.  Their costumes were unlike anything Twilight had ever seen in Equestria, but they were magnificent: not showy, but perfectly captured their dignity.  She was especially taken with the clothing Raven's Wind wore, which shone with a rainbow of colors that accented her natural beauty.  Though Twilight knew that Raven's Wind would reject that title, she thought she looked like a princess.
The three Barbaroi Elders stepped forward and stood next to Darklight's bed.  Raven's Wind placed a beaded necklace on the bed next to Darklight before stepping back.  Twilight could see that there were two halves of what looked like a broken mask strung with the beads. 
The Elders stepped back a bit, and each made a low bow down on one hoof.  The other ponies did the same.  It was not a two-hoofed bow, the bow of submission to a conqueror, for the Barbaroi would never bow to any pony in that way.  It was a bow of deep respect and appreciation.  
The ceremony now complete, the ponies arose.  Prism Heart and Eagle's Talon, with their sons, walked back into the anteroom followed by Derpy.  The mood in the other room became more light hearted and relaxed as the ponies started to chat with one another.
Raven's Wind stood still for a moment, then she walked up to Darklight.  Her expression changed dramatically, her usual thoughtful but inexpressive look transformed into terrifying anger.  She looked straight at the amulet around Darklight's neck, at the red stone itself, like she was defying something that existed beyond the stone.
She turned to Twilight, the expression now gone, and motioned for her to follow her outside. They passed through the anteroom and out the large wooden door.  It was another clear night, brightly lit by stars.  Twilight closed the door behind her and watched her walk a few steps before stopping.
Raven's Wind suddenly flung her dagger at Twilight, which flew past her face and stuck fast to the door behind her.  Twilight did not flinch, nor did she take her eyes off of her.  She suddenly realized the truth about the test: it was not to measure her courage, but her trust.
"Good," said Raven's Wind with a warm smile. "Now... ready... listen."
It was a few seconds before Twilight realized in surprise that she was talking in her own language, the language of Equestria.  Her accent was very thick, and she was having great difficulty forming the words and phrases, but she had some very important things to say.
She walked very close to Twilight and spoke again. "Save... Darklight."
"I'm doing my best," Twilight said, a little puzzled. "He seems to be doing well... "
Raven's Wind interrupted her with an impatient shake of her head and continued. "Stop... false... darkness.  Stop false... stone.  Show... Darklight... true... self.  Fight... true... darkness."
"I don't understand... what do you mean?"
"Save... Solus.  Save... ", Raven's Wind spoke another name that Twilight didn't understand at first, but sounded familiar, like a different pronunciation of a name that she had known all her life."
Twilight repeated what she thought she had said. "Save... Celestia?  Do you know Princess Celestia?!"
Raven's Wind nodded yes.
"When you told Darklight that I was almost ready to face the darkness ahead, was this what you were talking about?"
Again, she nodded yes.
"And when you said that I was the mare that he needed... "
Raven's Wind only smiled.  There was something about that smile that made Twilight blush deeply and look away.
Raven’s Wind removed a talisman from her pouch, identical to the one she gave Darklight, and placed it around Twilight's neck. "Show Celestia.  Show... Uncle, fight... disgrace."
A thousand questions were flying through Twilight's brain at once, "Is there anything else you can tell me, anything that can help me fight this darkness?"
"You... not believe me."
"I will believe you!  Please, what do my friends and I need to know to fight... "
Raven's Wind again shook her head, and replied with a sad look in her eyes. "Fight friends... to save friends."
Twilight was beyond astonished.  Fight my friends?  Never!  Why would I ever have to do that?  Were they Discorded?  What was going on in Equestria?
She was about to ask more questions, but she knew it would do little good to ask.  Raven's Wind clearly knew a lot more than what she was telling her, but Twilight would only be confused by her answers.  There were things that Twilight would have to see for herself.
"I’ll do my best," said Twilight. "Thank you for all of the help you gave us, and I'm sorry I was so difficult with you, It took me awhile to understand."
Raven's Wind gave her one final hug.  Twilight felt like a burden was being placed on her shoulders, one that she didn't feel strong enough to bear.   
The two of them went back inside.  Derpy was serving freshly baked muffins to the Barbaroi ponies, who were loudly proclaiming their approval.  She was also being careful not to say the forbidden word.
Raven's Wind went to some saddlebags near the door and removed an object wrapped in cloth.  She unwrapped the several layers on a nearby table to reveal a basket, and held it up for everyone to see.  Remarkably, it's contents were still steaming hot, and gave off a delicious aroma.
"Muffins," she said with an ironic smile, and winked at Twilight.  All of the Barbaroi ponies laughed at the ridiculous word choice.  Twilight remembered Derpy's first encounter with Raven's Wind, and realized that it had been a test as well.
Derpy was at first surprised to hear her own language from her, then she beamed with delight as Raven's Wind offered the much anticipated muffins to her.  Twilight noticed that all of the Barbaroi ponies, especially Eagle's Talon, were grinning like they knew what was coming next.
Derpy picked up one of the muffins, took a bite, and stood motionless.  Her mouth dropped open, her eyes lost all focus, and she froze in a catatonic state, still holding in her hoof the world's most perfect muffin.
The Barbaroi ponies cheered.  Raven's Wind, in anticipation of a question Derpy would ask when she recovered her senses, simply said "secret." Then she place another talisman necklace around Derpy's neck.
Derpy remained in that state long after the Barbaroi left.  Twilight eventually got tired of waving a hoof in front of her face and went to check on Darklight.
Finally, the spell on Derpy was broken, "I must get that recipe!"


* * * *


Twilight was procrastinating.  She was afraid to think of what Princess Celestia would say if she found this out.  It really was unlike her to put off anything important, but something about the path ahead made her afraid.  The words of Raven's Wind kept coming back to her, and although much of it didn't make any sense, it worried her greatly.
Derpy had recovered herself enough to resume baking, although she would often look at her own finished creations and say, with a disappointed sigh: "I have so much to learn, Muffin Goddess."
So Twilight found herself helping with the baking.  There wasn't much for her to do, as Derpy was a much more skilled baker, but it gave Twilight the opportunity to get to know her better.
"You might think me strange for asking this," said Twilight, "But I was curious about your costume at Nightmare Night."
Derpy was excited that she had asked, and quickly answered. "Oh, you mean my muffin bag costume!  Well, it's a little hard to explain; You see, my grandma used to make the most delicious muffins for me when I came to visit her at her home.  She would always give me some brown paper bags to decorate and color on while she was baking her muffins.  Then she would put the muffins in the bags I decorated and let me take them home with me.  So now, whenever I see paper bags I think about Grandma and the wonderful times I had visiting her. It's my own special way of remembering her."
"Wow, that's a wonderful story." Twilight remarked, smiling.
"Thanks, and it really means a lot to me that you want to know.  I know I do a lot of things that ponies think is really weird and all, but I always have reasons for doing what I do and I'd be more than happy to explain if somepony would just ask.  But few ponies ever do, mostly I get looks like this:" she made a perplexed face with an eyebrow raise, "or this:" and followed with a mildly fearful face and made a 'gotta get away' shuffle.  
Twilight laughed at her pantomime. "I felt much the same way that night.  Nobody but Princess Luna seemed to understand my Starswirl The Bearded costume either.  I wanted to explain what it meant and why I admired his work, but I couldn't get anypony to be interested in it for long."
"Exactly!  I get that a lot.  It seems like a lot of ponies don't have time to really try and get to know someone. Maybe they think that all it takes is to watch for a minute and put a few labels on them so that they can get on with more important things.  With me, I want other ponies to understand me too, but I don't want them to think it's as easy as a couple of labels."
Derpy continued, "You probably know I like to take pictures.  My friends think that I just like taking pictures of muffins or something, and sure, sometimes when I make a really good batch I like to take a photo to help me remember, but what I really like to take pictures of other ponies, especially when they are doing something that other ponies wouldn't expect them to do.  Like when Fluttershy is giving one of her really scary bear massages... "
"That’s what that was?!  I thought she was trying to kill that bear!" Twilight exclaimed in sudden realization.
"Oh no, that bear was her friend, she told me all about it later.  Still, it showed a side of her that other ponies may not expect, that words like 'shy' and 'helpless' were not enough to capture who she really was.  I got other pictures of ponies I know doing things that go against their own labels, I have a couple of you too that I would love to show you sometime.  I want to show others that ponies are really complicated, that behind each of them is a really amazing story that anypony would love to hear if they just gave them the time.  And I hope that someday, maybe, they would realize that about me too."
Twilight was amazed at her insight. "I'm sorry Derpy. I think that I'm like those other ponies too.  I've known about you for awhile, but I never really tried to get to know the real you."
"It's okay," replied Derpy, "Though I get a lot of weird looks, I know that I help bring a smile to a lot of pony's faces too.  It's a way I can make the world a little better while I am here.  That's one thing I love about Darklight, I think he treats other ponies so nice and tries to help them because he knows he won't be around forever, and he wants to help other ponies be happy with whatever time he has left."
"How did you feel when you first met Darklight?  Did he seem strange?" Twilight asked, trying to keep the conversation going.
She paused from baking to think about Twilight's question. "You know, I didn't really think much about it at the time, I was just so happy that you guys came to rescue me and he seemed really nice.  Sure, I haven't seen any ponies that look like Mister Darklight, but who am I to judge others on what they look like.  I'm not beautiful like you, or Rarity, or Fluttershy, or... well, any of your friends.  I'm just, you know, lil' old me... hee hee."
"So you didn't feel strange when you were around him?" Twilight inquired.
"Nope, I knew that any pony who would risk his life to save me and you and all of the Barbaroi ponies from that rock monster can't be bad, no matter what he looked like.  In fact, if I wasn't already dating The Doctor... " she paused, and gave Twilight a knowing nudge before saying in a sing-song voice, "I'll bet he's not TA-ken!  Hehehehehehehehehehe... "
Twilight fell over in surprise and embarrassment, her face flushing beet-red. "WHAT!!  What are you implying?!"
"Well there's no need to get embarrassed about it, it's all perfectly natural for it to happen when two ponies that are perfect for each other get together... "
"We are not dating!" protested Twilight, "I barely met him!  We're just friends!"
"I don't know about that, I saw you looking at each other during the sunset."
"You SAW THAT?!” Twilight shrieked, equally embarrassed and angry. “DERPY!!  I... I better go check on Darklight." She picked herself up and started to leave the room.
Derpy realized that she had pushed her a bit too far with the teasing. "Wait Twilight, before you go, I want to say how happy I am to get the chance to spend time with you.  I don't have a very exciting job to do, and when I go on adventures with the Doctor he usually keeps me in the back so I don't get hurt, so for a long time I've been wanting to learn how to be a real hero like you are." She said quickly.
Twilight was still embarrassed, but now it was because Derpy was giving her more credit than she deserved. She sighed before speaking. "Derpy, the truth is, I'm not all that different from any other pony.  Some ponies tell me I'm so much smarter than them, but it's only because I've done a lot of reading throughout my life, I'm not doing anything that any other pony couldn't do themselves.  I can be pretty clumsy, and I get scared and make mistakes like anyone else.  I just try to do the best I can with what I have, and I ask a lot of questions.  Sometimes, the first step to becoming a hero is asking the questions that nobody else is asking.  And don't worry about being like me (one of me is more than enough), you will have so much more success if you be the best you that you can be."
They gave each other a hug. "Thanks, Twilight.  And before I forget again, sorry about dropping the flowerpot on your head.  And the anvil.  And the cartload of hay bales.  And the piano."
"It's okay, I've totally forgotten about that (maybe it was the head injuries).  Anyway, you better get some sleep, I'm going to stay up a bit to keep an eye on Darklight."


* * * *


Twilight could hardly regard herself as a proper caregiver.  There was very little she could do for him, the dark flames still obscured his body making it impossible to properly direct a healing spell.  Fortunately, his pulse and breathing were fine and he seemed to be in no immediate danger.
Twilight sat, watching him, and tried to make sense of everything she had learned so far about Darklight.  She remembered with a shudder what she saw, or thought she saw, when she cast the life spell.  Was that his true self?  If so, why did the hair Derpy accidentally cut off with the screwdriver beam turn red, instead of into a shapeless black blob?
Then there was the amulet. Darklight had said that it was keeping him from turning back into his old self.  His father had warned him about this, and he believed this himself, but was it really true?  Did the amulet serve a different purpose entirely?  The anger that Raven's Wind directed towards it was very puzzling, and she had admonished Twilight to stop the "false stone."
Twilight was reluctant to tamper with the amulet directly, but it wouldn't hurt to take a closer look.  Examining magical relics was difficult even for the most advanced unicorn mages, and her own experience was limited, so she wasn't sure what she would be able to find.  She charged her horn and activated her mage-sight.  She started to scan the amulet itself, but at first it seemed to be an incomprehensible jumble of many different spells that Twilight was not familiar with.  The darkness consuming Darklight's body blocked her scans and told her nothing, as he was almost invisible to mage-sight and cast no magical glow.
She then moved to the chain around his neck.  At first she could see anything unusual, it seemed to be nothing more than ordinary gold.  Then one link caught her attention.  She noticed that the link was cut in three places, each cut equidistant from the other two, and the link was held together by magic.  The spell that held them together was a simple switch spell, designed to wear off when a predetermined event occurred, but what event?
Twilight moved her horn back towards the amulet and noticed something at the edge.  The dark flames seemed to be moving slightly faster around the amulet itself, and that they were moving outwards from it.  Maybe the amulet is the real source of the flames?  She became aware again of the feeling of foreboding that she had ignored and almost forgotten, and she noticed that the feeling was strongest at the amulet.  Was it an elaborate disguise, one that Darklight's father intended to be removed at a specific time?
She stepped back and looked at the amulet with a building curiosity and determination.  If something happened, she told herself, she could just put it back on.  The warning was for Darklight to never take it off, but he never said anything about some other pony doing it for him.  Twilight cast a levitation spell and gently lifted Darklight's head.  Then she lifted the chain off his neck and placed it on the bed beside him.  The flames began to die away, forming progressively smaller patches of darkness that flickered out of existence and revealed the truth concealed within.
Twilight gasped in astonishment and stared.  Darklight wasn't a monster at all. He was an alicorn stallion not because his father had willed it, but because it was his true self.  His long and somewhat unkempt mane looked like it was on fire, not with darkness but with a mixture of bright red, orange, and bronze.  His coat was a brilliant white color, marred in several places with scars.  A long scar, probably from a knife, ran across his hindquarters and cut through his cutie mark: which was a picture of a fiery, red sun.  The mark was almost identical, except in color, to one she had seen many times before.  His glowing, opalescent coat, the style of his cutie mark, were almost the same as...
IMPOSSIBLE!! she screamed in her mind, I don’t believe it!  She thought back to the research she did after her embarrassing debacle with Cadence, when she didn't know that her old foal-sitter was Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, to prove her point in her own mind.  I know the names, ages, and relations of every member in the royal family, and I even have copies of their pictures.  There were no gaps, everyone was accounted for.  Still, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t deny the connection.
If Twilight could see herself, she would have seen that she was blushing.  She was so taken by Darklight's true self that she didn't notice that the amulet was glowing, just like it had with the life spell.
Suddenly, Darklight began to choke and gasp for breath.  He was suffocating!  Twilight fumbled clumsily with the amulet and put it back around his neck.  The darkness spread out from it like a mist and again engulfed his body in dark flames.  His breathing became normal again, and the angry red light died away.  Twilight felt guilty, she had risked his life for her own selfish curiosity.
Darklight stirred, gave a big yawn, and opened his eyes. “Now there’s a face I wouldn’t mind waking up to.” He said in a rather uncharacteristically cheeky tone.
Twilight was still embarrassed, “Oh..hey, Darklight, did you sleep well?"
"Fantastic, best sleep I've ever had.  How long was I out?"
"Just a day and a half."
"Really?!  Hope I wasn't any trouble.  It must have been a pain carrying me all the way back here."
"No, no trouble at all.  We had plenty of help from Raven's Wind and her sons.  I took care of you when we got back."
"I wish I was awake to enjoy that.  How bad was I?"
Twilight wasn't ready to talk about the Life spell or about what she had learned about him, so she began to lie. "You weren't too bad, I only had to use a couple of healing spells."
"You must be pretty amazing with healing spells," he remarked, but there was an odd look in his eye.  He tested his wings, which seemed to be in perfect working order "I wasn't expecting to be alive after what happened."
He suddenly changed the subject. "You know, I had a really strange dream.  It was a good dream; I've never had a good dream before.  I was leaving to go visit a library somewhere.  There was a mare that looked a lot like Raven's Wind, except that she had a timid voice.  She was asking me to get a book for her on caring for sick animals.  There was also a blonde mare with a country accent.  She brought a basket of apples for my trip.  I tried one of them, I’ve never tasted apples that good before.   A pink pony wanted to have a party with me when I got back.  There was a baby dragon, a white pony started talking about dresses (that was kind of weird), and a rainbow colored pony met me at the train station before I left.  They were all my friends, they were all happy.  The town was beautiful, the air smelled fresh, and all of the other ponies were happy too.  It was all so strange, it wasn't what I expected at all."
Twilight knew what he was talking about.  It was the day that she left to go to Canterlot to pick up books, before she found the spellbook that brought her there.
"Then everything got dark, and it became very quiet.  Usually when I dream I hear sounds, frightening sounds, that Father says are from my distant past, but this time I didn't hear them.  There was a light, I went towards it.  And for a few moments, for some reason, I thought that I... remembered... my... " He didn't finish his sentence out loud, but Twilight knew what the final word was.
Then Twilight made her big mistake. "Sounds like an amazing dream."
Darklight laughed, relieved that the building tension had been broken. "I know!  I feel ridiculous even bringing it up! I hope you don't think I'm weird talking to you about it."
"No, not at all, I'm really glad you are being so open with me." she replied.  Why couldn't she be open with him?
"Yeah, just a dream." He looked thoughtful for a moment. "Though it seems strange.  I don't see why I would have a dream like that, it felt more like a memory.  Are you sure nothing happened?"
"No, nothing." she lied.
"Well, thank you for taking care of me.  I'm really glad that everything worked out as well as it did."
"You don't need to thank me for anything," said Twilight. "You’ve been so nice to Derpy and I, saving us from the golem, letting us say at your home, putting up with me all those times I was in a  bad mood.  I never got the chance to say how grateful I was that I got to meet you. I want you to know that I didn't mean it when I called you a coward, I think you are one of the bravest ponies I know."
"Well, it was the least I could do, and what stallion would pass up the chance to have a beautiful house guest such as yourself."
"My, aren't we getting flirtatious." Twilight laughed. "Maybe beating the golem has over inflated you ego, time to take you down a notch."
"Not at all, I'm just stating the obvious."
"Well, as your nurse, I get to order you to get some sleep."
"Yes, ma'am," he yawned again and laid back down on the bed. "Goodnight, Twilight."
She waited for him to fall asleep.  The questions, the conflicts, and the lies, had all been swept away by the beauty of the moment.  Then, without thinking about it, she leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek.
	
> Chapter Twelve: Disgrace
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Darklight was up the following morning.  No one talked about it, but they all knew that it was time for Twilight and Derpy to return home, now that there was nothing keeping them there.
They traveled to the battle site one last time so Derpy could get some pictures.  There wasn't much to see, the lifeless monster was now little more than a collection of mounds that all but filled the narrow valley.  Derpy asked Twilight and Darklight to stand together on top of the mounds to pose for the pictures.  She kept motioning for them to stand closer together even though it they were mostly wide, panoramic shots.
Darklight explained the significance of the necklaces Twilight and Derpy were wearing. "This is a hero's talisman. It is given to ponies who have bravely defended others at great personal sacrifice to themselves.  It reminds the wearer that when you fight for the ponies you love, the only real sacrifice is your old, 'false' self', that in doing so you discover who you really are." Twilight later noticed that Darklight was not wearing his talisman. Upon asking him, he replied, "I don't think I'm ready to wear it yet, could you hang on to it for me?"
Twilight noticed that his mood was beginning to change.  The loneliness was returning to Darklight's eyes, and he became more quiet and introspective.  She thought about all that she had learned about him, from the glimpses into his past during the life spell, the cryptic words that Raven's Wind spoke to her the day before, and when she saw his true self after removing the amulet.  How much should she tell him?
The three of them were very quiet when they returned to Darklight's cave.  Finally, Twilight spoke to him. "Well, I guess it's about time that we went back home.  I hope you know that you are  welcome to come with us when I reverse the teleportation spell.  I have a lot of friends that I would love to introduce you too.  I think you would really like it there.  I'm sorry that I didn't say anything about my home country. You see, I'm from- "
"Derpy," he interrupted. "May I have that letter now?"
Derpy took a moment to remember "Aw, I'm sorry, I totally forgot about that." She opened her mail bag and pulled out the letter, "Here ya go."
Darklight opened the letter, holding it where only he could read it.  Twilight watched his eyes as he read. There was no sign of surprise, only a deepening sadness. "Darklight," she said, "is there anything wrong?"
He didn't answer right away.  He closed his eyes, almost as if he was fighting back a tear.  When he opened them again, there was a look of resignation, and of resolve. "I... guess I already knew.  I knew you were both from Equestria.  That you, Twilight... were her student. But I wanted to get to know you, to be your friend."
"Darklight, what is going on?" Twilight was starting to become more alarmed.
"Whatever happens," he blurted out, "Whatever you might think about me, I want you both to know that I'm doing it for the good of Equestria.  I've seen the suffering and oppression with my own eyes.  I know what the Demon Queen is doing there... "
"Demon Queen?!  Are you talking about Princess Celestia?!" Twilight almost started laughing at such a ridiculous statement, but stopped when she saw the haunted look in his eyes.  She remembered his childhood memory, how he had been terrified to even be reminded about what he had seen.  How could his experience in Equestria be so different from her own?
"I have to stop her.  I can't let the oppression go on for another thousand years." He said solemnly.
"What are you talking about?!  What oppression?!  Equestria is not like that!  Princess Celestia is a kind and gentle ruler!" Twilight practically screamed at him.
Darklight wasn't listening to her.  The two astonished mares barely noticed that their saddlebags were being placed on their backs, and a gentle nudge was moving the closer together.
"Thank you, both of you," he said with a sad smile, "For helping me to be a hero, if only for a little while."
"No, Darklight!" cried Twilight, "You don't understand!  I have some important things that I have to tell you!"
"Please don't interfere, I don't want anything to happen to you."
Darklight was already reversing Twilight's teleportation spell.  He had one last thing to say, before the circle of light engulfed the two mares.
"I love you, Twilight."


* * * *


They were home.  The crater was becoming overgrown with grass.  In the light of the moon they could see Ponyville in the distance.
"Twilight, what's going on?" Derpy asked, fear and curiosity in her voice. "What was Mister Darklight talking about?  What’s he going to do to Princess Celestia?"
Twilight started to cry. "I'm such an idiot.  Why didn't I tell him when I had the chance?"
She composed herself and quickly explained to Derpy what she learned over the last few days about Darklight. "I think his Father must have manipulated him somehow into believing that Princess Celestia is evil and that Equestria is being oppressed.  I think his Father wants him to kill the princess."
Derpy was alarmed now. “But why would anypony want him to do that?" she asked.
"I don't know, but I also took his amulet off while he was sleeping and found out what he really is.  He's a pony, just like us... "
"Well, I already knew that."
"And I think he is related somehow to Princess Celestia."
"WHAAAT?!  Did you tell this to Mister Darklight?!"
"No!  He thinks he's some kind of a monster who has to do this to pay for some past sins he thinks he's guilty of, but I was too scared to tell him the truth.  How we're too late, and it's all my fault!"
A plan suddenly formed in Twilight's mind. "We have to get to get to Canterlot and warn Princess Celestia!  I think we have just enough time to catch the night train if we hurry, I need you to fly ahead and get us tickets.  And hold up the train until I get there."
Derpy zoomed off towards town as fast as she could fly.  Twilight galloped in the same direction, but was unable to keep up with her.
Ponyville was strangely quiet, even for night.  There were a few ponies walking about, but when they saw Twilight they seemed surprised, even alarmed.  A couple of windows and doors slammed shut as she passed.  A few times, she thought she also saw ponies wearing the brush-topped helmets of the palace guards in her peripheral vision.  Twilight had no time to think about any of this, she focused all of her energies towards getting to Canterlot as soon as possible to warn the princess.
The train station was largely empty except for a few guards that looked gravely at Twilight when she arrived.  There was a train, but it was completely idle.  It appeared that the firebox wasn't even lit.
Where was Derpy?  Twilight wondered in exasperation if she had become lost on the way to the station.  She would have to leave without her if she didn't show up in a few minutes.
"I need a two tickets for the night train to Canterlot, please." she announced to the earth pony mare at the ticket booth.
The mare looked frightened. "I'm sorry, Ms. Sparkle, but the trains are down until further notice."
"But I need to get to Canterlot tonight!  I have some important information for Princess Celestia and it can't wait another minute!"
Twilight realized that somepony was behind her, and she whirled around in surprise.  Several palace guards were there, and they had surrounded her. "Wha... what's going on?!"
"Twilight Sparkle, you are under arrest for aiding in a conspiracy by the former Lightning Duke Prometheus to assassinate Crown Princess Celestia."
"WHAT?!  But I've never even met the Lightning Duke!"
"Please come with us."
"No!  I'm innocent!  I haven't done anything wrong!  Let go of me!  I have to get to... "
Twilight's legs suddenly went limp, and she flopped to the ground.  Her last thought was: A stun spell?  Did they really have to use a stun spell?
	
> Chapter Thirteen: Raison d'être
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Wakey wakey, sleepy head!"
Twilight was starting to become accustomed to waking up in entirely unexpected circumstances.  Expect to be in Canterlot, end up in getting attacked by a giant rock monster in Barbaroi territory.  Expect to be dead, find herself in the home of the world's friendliest shadow.  Save the shadow with a life spell, wake up in the loving arms of a mare who two days previous was beating the squee out of her.  Expect to be in the deepest, darkest, dankest dungeon in Equestria, wake up in Pinkie Pie's house.
Pinkie was bouncing around the room "It's already late in the morning and we have so much to do today!  I've got all of your favorite fun games ready for you and I have all of your favorite kinds of cupcakes plus a couple of new ones that I know you're going to love and Applejack and Rarity are coming over and... "
"It's okay Pinkie, you can tell me later.  I'm just so glad to see you again, but there are some things that I really need... "
"I know, you were away for over two weeks!  Two whole weeks! But now your back and we are finally going to have the party I promised and I had plenty of time to plan everything out and make it super-duper extra special just for you- by the way, love your new necklace.  And of course Applejack and Rarity are coming over... "
"But what about Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy?"
"Oh, they couldn't come, they're having a party at Rainbow Dash's place in Cloudsdale for Derpy!"
"That's a little unexpected, I thought R.D. hated giving her own parties.  Why don't they all come over... "
Twilight noticed that Pinkie's mane didn't have the curly bounce that it normally had.  She had only seen her like this once before, when she thought that none of their friends liked her parties anymore.  This time though, she was in her usual cheerful mood.  Or was she?
Pinkie seemed to be leading the conversation. "You don't have to worry about that, I helped her put everything together.  I really want to hear about your trip!  I hear you got to see the Ghost ponies!"
"Well, yes I did, I... "
"Did they try to eat you?!"
"No Pinkie!  They're... "
"I hate it when ponies try to eat me!  Maybe they think I taste like bubblegum, or cotton candy, maybe I should try me and find out."
"Pinkie, I need you to listen!  I have some very important information that I need to bring to Princess Celestia!"
"But you've been away for such a long time, I'm sure it can wait... "
"No, Pinkie, it can't wait!  Listen... "
Twilight stopped when she saw the change that had come over her friend.  The mask of pretended happiness had fallen away, and Pinkie wore a look of sadness and longing that astonished Twilight.
"Twilight," said Pinkie, "We know Princess Celestia is in danger, and we know that you want to help her, but can't you let other ponies take care of her, just this once?  Can't you let Shining Armor stop the bad ponies from getting to her, and stay here, for me?"
Twilight's heart was beginning to break,"Oh Pinkie, I'm sorry, but something terrible will happen if I don't go and explain what is really going on."
Pinkie was beginning to cry, "But if you go, I'm never going to see you again!  Ever!"
"You'll see me again, I promise!  But I have to go and report to Princess Celestia... "
"Can't let ya do that, Sugarcube!" said a familiar voice.
Applejack ascended the staircase to Pinkie's room, followed by Rarity.  Twilight noticed that they both positioned themselves close to the exit.
"We made a promise," Applejack continued,"To Nightmare Moon, that we'd keep y’all safe and out of the way til after today."
"Nightmare moon?  Don't you mean Princess Luna?"
"Ah’m tellin ya the truth, Twi!  I've always been honest with you and I ain’t changin’ now!  Ever since you disappeared and that Prometheus feller started send'n those threatenin’ letters ta Celestia, no-pony's seen hide nor hair of her, and Luna's been handlin all the leadership in her Nightmare Moon getup, sayin' that she needs it ta keep Celestia safe."
"But if Prometheus is the pony behind all of this, why did the palace guards want to arrest me?  What did I do?"
Rarity was the one who spoke. "There were some additional details in the letters.  Prometheus said that he had formed a collaboration with the shadow monster Erebus, and that he would also be acquiring the assistance of other ponies.  So, considering the reputation the Lightning Duke has developed for himself, and the news from the palace that you and Derpy had been kidnapped... "
"We weren't kidnapped!" said Twilight,"And Darklight is not Erebus!  The Erebus legend is just a myth, Darklight is a normal pony!  What really happened was I found a spellbook in the Canterlot Royal Library with a teleportation spell that took me from Ponyville to the Mist Continent, and Derpy was delivering a letter to Darklight."
Applejack was skeptical, "Twilight, you ain't makin’ a lick-o-sense.  Derpy once got lost in ma barn, how the hay would she get all the way out there?"
"She used a tracer gem.  Now listen, it's all starting to make sense now!  Prometheus was banished in part because he was using his magic powers to manipulate the memories of other ponies, he must have kidnapped Darklight when he was a foal and altered his memories to make him believe that Princess Celestia was some sort of tyrant!  Prometheus also forced him to wear an amulet that makes him look like a shadow monster so that he wouldn't know that he was a normal alicorn pony, and that he might have a family connection to the Princess herself!"
"Twilight," said Rarity, "You have to also consider the possibility that you and Derpy were the ones who have had their memories changed."
"And that y'all never actually left," added Applejack.
Pinkie broke her sullen silence, “But I heard that... ”
“I know you heard a rumor that Twilight was with the Barbaroi ponies, Pinkie,” said Rarity, “But I have to agree with Applejack; there isn’t one bit of evidence that the two of them ever left Equestria this whole time.”
Twilight began to feel afraid."You don't believe me?  You think I'm lying to you?"
None of her friends answered, nor could they look her in the eye.
"Is that why you kept Derpy and I apart?  Do you think we want to hurt the Princess?"
"No!  We know you would never want to do that!" cried Pinkie.
"Twilight, we know how much you love Princess Celestia." said Rarity. "We just don't know what Prometheus or Erebus did to you when you were taken."
"Jus’ give us one day!" said Applejack,"Then this whole thing'll blow over and we can make sure no one's been messin’ with yer head."
Twilight knew what her friends were implying.  She knew the Erebus legend of the Mist Continent as well as they did, that it had the power to control the minds of its victims.  Still, if Darklight had really been Erebus, instead of a real alicorn pony, certainly Raven’s Wind would have recognized this.
Then she began to doubt herself.  Were any of her memories from the past two or more weeks true though?  Had there ever been a pony named Darklight, or was he just a construct from the collaboration of Prometheus and Erebus?  Had there ever been a pony named Raven’s Wind, or a Village of the Moon?  Had she actually fought the earth golem?  Were all of these memories designed to blind her to the fact that she had been kidnapped to become a co-conspirator in a plot to kill Princess Celestia.
“I do have evidence!” she cried. “I have the spell book that I found in the library right here!”
She picked up her saddlebag, which had been left next to the bed, and took out the spellbook,”I can show this to Princess Celestia and Nightmare Moon and prove that... ”
The saddlebag still felt heavy in her levitation spell.  She opened the bag to look inside.  There was Darklight’s Talisman, and a bundle wrapped in cloth.  The cloth wrapping glowed with a dazzling array of colors.  It was the same cloth that she had seen in the bazaar in the Village of the Moon.  Twilight remembered that it had been her favorite, and she had thought about asking Rarity to make her a dress with it when she returned home, but it was expensive and she had felt bad about asking Darklight to spend more of his own money on them than he already was with Derpy’s shopping spree.
Her friends were amazed, especially Rarity. “Where did you get that fabric?!  I have never seen colors that exquisite anywhere in Equestria!”
There was a purple light emanating from within that became stronger as she unwrapped the cloth until it shone forth in it’s full glory.  Inside was a glass figurine that glowed with the light of magic-infused dye.  It was a statue of Twilight.  Gentle, intricate curves accentuated it’s beauty, and the face portrayed a strong sense of confidence, majesty, and courage.  It was Darklight’s magnum opus, the project that Derpy had kept her from seeing until after it was finished.  It was also an expression of the love that Darklight felt for Twilight, and it was a goodbye.
Twilight was turned away from her friends so they couldn't see her fight back her emotions.  She carefully, reverently, folded the cloth and place both the cloth and the figurine on one of Pinkie’s bookshelves.  Then she quietly strapped on her saddlebag and turned to face her friends.  The same confidence and determination that they had seen on the figurine was now on her face. “I’m going to save all of them,” she announced. “I’m going to Canterlot to stop Prometheus, and save both Princess Celestia AND Darklight.”
“Ya can’t do that, Twi!” yelled Applejack.  She jabbed a hoof in the direction of window. “Do ya have any idea what’s been goin’ on around here.  I can see three guards outside this here window!  They got the whole town locked down tighter than a barrel o’ pickles!  The moment ya step out that door, they’re gonna arrest you and lock ya up for treason!  Ah don’t care about Ghost ponies or gems or conspiracies or any of that stuff—I care about you, Twilight, and I’m gonna do everything ah can ta keep ya safe!”
“I know what you are doing, and I appreciate that you are trying to protect me, but there is a string of tragedies that are about to occur that only I can stop.  I’m going, and no pony is going to stop me!”
“Then yer gonna have to get through us first!”
Applejack and Rarity both began to step towards Twilight in a threatening posture.  It had never occurred to her that she would ever have to fight her friends to do what she knew was right, and the situation didn’t look good.  All three of her friends were blocking the staircase, the only exit she could use.  Going out the window was out of the question, Pinkie’s room was on the third floor of Sugarcube Corner and the fall would likely break her legs.  Twilight wasn’t strong enough to overpower an earth pony, let alone two of them, and the fact that Rarity chose to focus her magic on fashion design and gem-prospecting did not mean that she didn’t have a few tricks up her immaculate sleeves.  Then again, the last two-plus weeks had been a very productive learning experience for Twilight.
Twilight backed up slightly, then fired off a teleportation spell.  Applejack quickly turned and lunged at Twilight moments after she reappeared.  Twilight caught her hoof and flipped her over her head, causing Applejack to slam down on a table that broke and crashed to the floor.  As Twilight did this, she felt Rarity’s levitation spell forming about her.  She dispelled this with a quick swiping block and immediately fired off two kinetic spells that sent Rarity and Pinkie flying across the floor.  One more teleportation spell and Twilight had reached the top of the stairs, but she underestimated Rarity’s recovery time and a levitation spell caught her hind hoof and lifted her into the air.  Applejack caught her roughly in a mid-air tackle and pinned her to the ground.
Rarity appeared over Applejack’s shoulder and pointed her mana-charged horn straight at Twilight.  Applejack had her lasso rope in her free hoof.
“Hold STILL, Twilight,” yelled Applejack. “Don’t make me... WHAT in TARNATION?!”
Outside they heard a prolonged scream, or was it a battle cry, that grew in volume until the roof imploded with a loud crash.  Broken wood, plaster, and a streak of blonde buried the four of them.
Derpy proved her resilience once again and plucked the correct pony out of the pile of dusty, flailing limbs before flying with Twilight straight for Pinkie’s closed window.  Pinkie recovered next and jumped at them, but Derpy swung Twilight’s body and knocked her back to the ground.  They turned back towards the window, and Twilight fired several rapid horn blasts to blow out the panes of glass before the two of them were cut to pieces.
Pinkie screamed “No, Twilight!  Don’t go!”
Twilight, like Derpy, was now a fugitive.  The cloudy spheres of stun spells were already whizzing past both of the even before Twilight reached the ground and started galloping away at full speed.”
“Thanks Derpy!  We have to get to my house and retrieve the Elements of Harmony!”
Twilight didn’t have to ask before Derpy launched into her long explanation of what had happened to her. “I’m sorry I didn’t get the tickets like you asked me but there were a bunch of guards there and they shot me with a white ball thingy spell like what they are shooting at us now and put me to sleep and then they took me to Rainbow Dash’s place where R.D. and Fluttershy were waiting for me... ” long gasp for air. “And I was like ‘I have to go help Twilight’ and Rainbow Dash was like ‘No you have to stay here.’ And then I kinda sorta accidentally smashed Rainbow Dash’s electric guitar over her head and Fluttershy was like ‘Oh NO!’ and I was like ‘I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry’ and then I flew here and I guess it was okay because there was no way I could have flown fast enough to get away from Rainbow Dash but then Fluttershy flew off to get help and I think all of the Wonderbolts are after me now including the ones in retirement," extra long gasp.
Derpy said this as she flew alongside Twilight, dodging stun spells that flew past her.  Twilight kept up her gallop, swiping away spells aimed at herself and jumping in midair to block the ones that Derpy couldn't dodge.
Three unicorn guards were close on their rear, firing multiple stun spells that were hard to dodge as they moved through the Ponyville market.  Twilight aimed kinetic spells at carts on both sides of her as she passed.  A cart of oranges shot straight across the and knocked one guard over, a second slipped on the oranges as they spilled out.  The third tried to leap over a second cart as it flew under him, but tripped and face planted hard into the dirt.
Twilight could now see her house, but two earth pony guards from one street and another from the opposite one converged and ran straight towards them, blocking their path.
"You take the one on the right!" Twilight told Derpy, who paused her story to listen. "I'll take the one in the middle!"
Twilight shot several horn blasts into the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust that temporarily blinded the guards.  Derpy landed briefly and went into a low crouch, then shot straight up into an uppercut that knocked her guard off his front hooves, then she kicked out his back hooves with a leg sweep before getting airborne again.  Twilight imagined a certain mare's face in place of her target's to give the roundhouse kick that extra special something to knock the guard into the one beside him.  Raven's Wind would have been very proud.
The door flew open from a horn blast to the lock, and the two of them ran inside.  Twilight used multiple spells to hold the door shut and throw large items of furniture against the door before she led Derpy upstairs to the main library.
Princess Celestia had placed the Elements of Harmony in Twilight Sparkle's possession so that they could be used immediately if a serious problem arose, but this happened only recently and even her friends didn't know about this.  Twilight removed several books from one of the shelves and took out an unassuming wooden box. 'Good' she thought 'the Elements are still here.' She packed the tiara and necklaces in the saddlebag pouch opposite the one holding the spell book.
Pieces of glass were raining down on them now.  Outside, she could also hear Pinkie's voice screaming "Don't hurt them!  Don't hurt them!"  Derpy was getting to the part of her story where the Wonderbolts were after her, and Twilight realized why the guards were shooting out her windows on the top floor.
"Do you have the transporter box with you?" she asked Derpy, "We're going to need it to get out of here."
"Yeah, I got it right here, you just push this... no, that's not it... wait, maybe this... ooooooOOOOHHHH, MUFFINS!  Why are those little lights blinking like that?!"
The holes in her windows were now more than large enough to allow ponies to fly through. "You'll have to get it working later," Twilight commanded, "Get ready to fly us out of here on my signal!"
Twilight didn't know how to cast stun spells; it was a secret that only the guards knew, even Shining Armor wouldn't tell her.  She would need another method to fight her way out, so she made one of the toughest choices she ever made, to sacrifice some of her books for the cause.  She levitated a thick copy of "The History of Manehatten" into the air and cast a kinetic spell on it just as the first Wonderbolt flew in at them.  The book hit her square in the face, and she crashed into the bookshelf on the opposite wall. "Friendship and You" flew up and made the second Wonderbolt that flew in tumble out of control and hit the wall.  Twilight felled the third Wonderbolt in with volume one of "Magical Remedies" and used volumes two and three as cover fire before Derpy flew out the window carrying her.
Immediately, a swarm of Wonderbolts surrounded them in midair and forced them towards the ground.  Twilight shot a few horn blasts to try and drive them away, but they wouldn't fall for her bluff.  Palace guards formed a wide but shrinking circle that the Wonderbolts forced them to land inside of.
Derpy flopped to the ground and immediately resumed working on the Transporter box.  Twilight paced back in forth pointing her horn, which was charged with so much mana that it crackled and sparked, at any guard that even hinted that he was moving in towards her.  The look on her face was of fierce, animal-like defiance.
Outside the circle were several townsponies that Twilight knew.  Mayor Mare looked on in astonishment.  Cheerilee was trying to protect and console the Cutie Mark Crusaders, who were all crying.  Twilight could see Lyra, Bon Bon, Rose, Carrot Cake, Lotus Blossom, Diamond Tiara, Thunderlane, Matilda, and the look of fear on all of their faces.  Fluttershy was hovering behind the Wonderbolts, looking very concerned.
"We're not conspirators!" Twilight announced to anypony who would listen. "We weren't kidnapped!" Then she remembered, "Ask Spike!  He saw me!  I showed him the spell book I have with me right here!  He can tell you that I was going to use a teleportation spell... "
"Spike never saw you, Miss Sparkle," said one of the palace guards, somewhat dispassionately. "I questioned him myself.  No one saw you after you left Canterlot."
Twilight felt defeated.  None of them trusted her anymore, they would never let her come back to Ponyville.  She had lost everything.
Fluttershy looked surprised at the guard's words, and became thoughtful.  Derpy whispered "It's ready," to Twilight and placed the Transporter next to her hoof.
Suddenly, Applejack burst through the line of guards and stood directly in front of Twilight, more to stop the guards than to confront her.  Her hat was missing, and her ponytail had come undone.  "Twilight, ah’m really sorry we scared you back there.  Please, just come back with us ta Pinkie's place, we'll forget all about this, ah promise ah won't let anypony hurt you or take you away."
"I can't go back Applejack," Twilight replied sadly. "No pony will ever let me come back here."
"Please... Twilight."
"Derpy and I are the only ponies who can stop everything that is going on.  We have to tell Princess Celestia what we know and stop Prometheus.  It doesn't matter what happens to me... "
"Don't you DARE say that!" screamed Applejack.  Tears of rage and despair mingled and streamed down her face.
Twilight looked sadly at her, and at the rest of her friends.  Pinkie sat on the ground and sobbed, her hooves covering her face.  Rarity stood just outside the circle, about to cry herself.  Twilight knew more than ever that they were her friends, and would do anything to protect her.  They were all looking at widely separated parts of the same giant enigma, none of them knowing what parts were missing, or what parts were even real.
She touched the hero's talisman she wore with one of her hooves.  All her life, she had wanted to be a scholar, a pony renowned for her knowledge and magic abilities.  Without realizing it though, since she had come to Ponyville and met all of the ponies that she now loved so deeply, her goals had begun to change.  Twilight now knew what she was always meant to be, who she really was.  Her true purpose was to protect the ponies she loved, to be the hero they needed her to be.
"I love you girls, I love all of you." she said to her friends, and to every pony there. "Many times I thought I would never get the chance to tell you how much you have come to mean to me.  Thank you for everything you have done for me, and for being my friends, and I want you to know that I will fight for you with every bit of strength I have left.  You know where you can find me."
Twilight touched the large button on the Transporter box, and she and Derpy disappeared.
	
> Chapter Fourteen: Sworddancer
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight and Derpy found themselves in a sitting room standing on a table full of plates and partially eaten breakfast food.
The Doctor, who was sitting in one of two easy chairs next to the table, looked momentarily surprised.  Then he began a long monologue that neither Derpy nor Twilight could successfully interrupt.
"Why HEEELLLLLO Derpy, I am so glad to see you!  I heard you just got back and I wanted to see you, but then I found out that you had gone to Cloudsdale and I remembered that I was forbidden from going there after what happened last time (maybe I can fool them with my Ponyville accent and voice)... And HELLO Ms Twilight Sparkle I'm so glad you could finally come to my home... I really wish you would have let me come help you, Derpy, I know you said everything was fine but almost three weeks was such a long time without you, though, sure, it gave me plenty of time to do some, erm, repair jobs that have been building up around here each time you visit, so I'm afraid I haven't been keeping up with what is going on around here like I know I should... Oh my, you will never guess who has come over to visit me today!  You know, once you get past the abject terror he can be a fascinating pony to talk to, I must say he is an absolute treasure of historical knowledge.  Wait, did I forget to tell you tell you who he is?  Oh, HA HA HA, I feel silly that I haven't told you yet, you see he's- OH my GOODNESS!!"
A pair of wicked looking sword blades flew up under the power of a levitation spell and placed themselves precariously close to Twilight's and Derpy's necks.
"If you are as smart as I know you are, Ms Sparkle," said a gravelly voice, the same one that had terrified generations of palace guards, "You'll sit tight and give honest answers to every question I will now ask you."
A dark grey unicorn pony with close cropped mane and goatee, wearing a metal breastplate and empty scabbards on his back, stepped back into the room.  He was known as General Blade, not because he was a general (he was in fact the retired captain of the palace guard, and Equestria had no standing army), but because the name seemed to fit him better.  Plus, no pony except Princess Celestia and his late wife Seraphim knew his real name, and no pony was brave enough to ask.  He was only average height for a guard pony, but he could snap anyone in line with the force of his voice and commanding presence, and everyone knew that he had plenty of fight to back up his mouth.  He was also known as the Sword Dancer, though never to his face, because he could wield his swords with levitation spells while simultaneously casting swiping blocking spells with both his horn and two swords, doing so in such a way that he appeared to be dancing.
He glared at her, inches from Twilight’s face, and bellowed. "First of all, why are you here in clear violation of the terms of your house arrest?!  Let me remind you that every one of your friends and family members, at great personal risk to themselves AND their reputations, pleaded with Nightmare Moon on your behalf to keep you out of prison, and made binding promises to keep you out of trouble!  Now I don't look kindly on ponies who take a show of love like that from their own friends AND THROW IT BACK IN THEIR FACES!!  SO TELL ME, WHY DO I NOW FIND YOU HERE?!!"
Twilight and Derpy were both petrified with fear.  The two swords were still suspended close to their necks.  Twilight replied, slowly, trying to regain her courage, "I have information about the conspiracy that Princess Celestia needs to hear."
"And what information is that?!"
She answered his questions with brief accounts of her journey to the Mist Continent, of meeting Darklight and Raven's Wind, the fights with the golem, and the discoveries that she made about Darklight's true identity.  General Blade also questioned Derpy to collaborate the story with her own experiences.
"The amulet Darklight wears is a disguise that Prometheus makes him wear to conceal his true identity, even from himself," Twilight explained.  The swords had been pulled back a bit now, but they were still close to her neck.
"And what is his true identity?" asked Blade.  His eyes never left Twilight's or Derpy's the whole time he spoke with them.
"He is an alicorn pony with a mane like fire, and a coat and cutie mark that look almost identical to Princess Celestia." Then Twilight finally spoke the impossible conclusion that she couldn't shake from her mind: "I think he is her son."
Blade's expression didn't change.  The swords moved back, and with a quick flourish resheathed themselves in the the scabbards on his back with a metallic 'shink'.  The other three ponies finally started to relax.  He smiled and said, "You can always trust a Sparkle, that's what I always say.  I'm sorry that I had to be tough with you there, Ms Sparkle, but for the sake of my Princess I had to be sure about you and Ms Hooves.  I can see in a pony's eyes when they have had their memories altered by Prometheus, and I don't see it in yours.  The fact is I kept this little meetin' with the Doc because I had a hunch you would be stoppin' by and I wanted to hear your side of the story.  A lot’s been happenin' in Canterlot that’s been botherin' me lately, Princess Celestia’s pretty strict about protocol in the guard and right now those procedures are not being met, which has got me concerned.  I don’t think it has anything to do with Shining Armor or Thunder Chaser, as I hoof-picked them myself for the top command and I only pick the best.  I’ve got a feeling that there is something else goin' on higher up in the command chain, so I thought I’d take a trip up to Canterlot and check things out myself.  Mind letting an old warhorse tag along with you?”
“Absolutely!” said Twilight in relief, “You're the best bodyguard Princess Celestia ever had!  We’re pretty much on our own right now, we could use any help we can get.”   	
"Thank you kindly, ma'am, but I know I don't deserve that kind of praise.” General Blade said with a polite bow, "You know, any day I can't spend smashin' the face of evil is a wasted day.  What do ya say, Doc, are you up for a little business trip to Canterlot?"
"You know I am!" replied The Doctor, "It's been downright boring around here since the two of us fought off that weeping angel invasion at Canterlot gardens."
Blade looked nostalgic "Yep, good times were had by all that day."
Twilight had no idea what anyone was talking about. "But how are we going to get to Canterlot with the trains inoperative and everyone trying to arrest us?"
"Oh, you don't have to worry about that!" replied Derpy, sounding very excited.
"Why shouldn't I be worried?!  It's too risky to use a teleportation spell and we don't have any other way to get there!"
"Of course we do!  We're going to use the phone booth thingy!"
"Police box, Derpy!" the Doctor corrected, "And it's called the T... oh, never mind."
"What?!" cried Twilight, "You mean this thing MOVES?!" A chair appeared out of nowhere and boosted her into a seated position.  Straps secured themselves of their own volition around her.  Similar chairs secured her three companions, who were all more excited than she was.
General Blade was surprised only at Twilight's reaction. "What, you didn't know the Doctor's phone booth could fly?"
"POLICE BOX!" The Doctor loudly corrected.
"You'll be wise not to correct the pony with a pair of swords strapped to his back, son!"
"But I'm over nine hundred... "
"Let that be a lesson to you Ms Sparkle—always pay attention to what is going on in the background.  That's where both the enemy and your best allies like to hang out.  Remember that, it's my number one rule for preemptive flank kick."
The chairs carried the four ponies into a large control room with a central console covered with switches and levers.  A tube that glowed with a pulsing green light rose from the console up to the ceiling.  The Doctor started pushing some of the buttons. "I hope you like the new seats! With all that free time, I thought to myself ‘Why not have floating, flank-hugging seats that grab you just when you need them?’, and what with the infinite accelerations through time and space and the fact that I haven’t quite put my hoof on the problem with the inertial field failing at the wrong time.  Plus they’re so much fun to race around in, though I’ll have to do something about the colors, doesn’t quite go with the room’s drab alien theme. By the way, we will be in Canterlot in... well, five minutes ago if we want really."
"Take it slow, Doc," said General Blade, "I've got some things I have to tell each of you first.  Of course, doing so will likely get me court marshaled, but if it can save Equestria in the process, it's a small price to pay."
	
> Chapter Fifteen: Broken Ponies
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"First, a pop quiz Ms Sparkle.  What can you tell me about Lightning Duke Prometheus?" General Blade asked the group.
"Only what I learned from history books and my parents, since everything happened just before I was born," Twilight answered. "I know he was tried and convicted of murder, treason, and the unauthorized practice of dark magic by Princess Celestia, that he was banished but escaped and murdered Ignitus the Fire Duke for uncovering his plans."
"Good," said General Blade, "You know your history, but you'll find that there is a much bigger story that most ponies don't know about.  Second question, what do you know about Ignitus?"
Twilight thought for a moment, "I remember that he came from one of the oldest and most magically proficient families in Equestria, and that he was a loyal ally of Princess Celestia.""Oh, I can assure you that he was much more to her than that—he was her husband."
Twilight and Derpy's mouths dropped open in shock, and even the Doctor whirled around to look at Blade in surprise.
"And BEFORE you all start flappin' your gums at me and drive me back into retirement with all your ‘why didn’t she tell me, Blade?’ and ‘how is that possible, Blade?’-type questions, let me explain:  The Canterlot aristocracy back then was just about as useless and pointless as it is today, but with Prometheus’s machinations goin' on in the background, the atmosphere around the capital was downright caustic.  Celestia has always been very private about her personal life, and neither of them wanted to deal with the gossip and spectacle that would surround a public, royal wedding.  Ignitus himself had no ambition for personal advancement, he was happy where he was as her Duke and ally.  Don’t forget that Celestia is a bit of a prankster herself, and she and Ignitus enjoyed a good inside joke, so the arrangement of a secret marriage was a good match for 'em.  If you don’t believe me, I can tell you right now where the documentation is kept in the Canterlot archives, and name several trusted advisors who can collaborate my testimony.
“Then there was Prometheus.  He was mighty popular in his day, got a lot of sympathy from the court when he lost both his parents and older brother at such a young age. We only found out later on during the investigation that he killed them himself.  Can't say I ever liked him; I don't like ponies who blow sunshine and rainbows up my hindquarters at the same time they're trying to stab me in the back.  Still, the upper class loved him: he always dressed real nice, was a captivatin' speaker, kept up on all the gossip, and was an all around charmer. It was all an act though, all he really wanted was power.
"The real hero in the whole affair was Ignitus.  Though he was always loyal to the Princess and loved her deeply, in public he was more aloof and kept in the background, it was his way of keeping track of what was really goin' on.  He was also a skilled fire mage, which was why Prometheus sought him out as a potential ally in his plans to take over the kingdom.  Ignitus played along for awhile so he could find out what Prometheus was up to.  I don't think he ever got to the bottom of everything, but what he did find, which included forbidden magic and mind control, was enough to get Prometheus convicted and banished from the kingdom.  
"He saved Princess Celestia's life, but it cost him his own.  Less than a week after Prometheus left the kingdom, I heard intel that he had returned and that he was after Ignitus.  I went to his house as quickly as I could, but he was already dead—and Princess Celestia was the one who found him first."
General Blade paused for a few moments and closed his eyes, trying to push back the memory. "Just like that, the Fire family was gone, or so we thought.  Not long after that, Celestia found out that she was carryin' Ignitus' foal.  This was an awkward situation for her for a lot of reasons, but the biggest problem was the warning that Prometheus made on the night that Ignitus was killed.  He left a letter on his body saying that he had just made the first of three visits that he promised to make; on the second, he would come for her child, on the third, he would come for her.  So we kept the pregnancy a secret (you wouldn't believe the magic we had to perform to fool everyone), so that Prometheus wouldn't find out and kill the foal like he did her husband.  When the foal was born, it was an especially lonely time for the Princess, so she named him Solus."
That was that name that Raven's Wind mentioned! thought Twilight, How did she know that name?
General Blade continued his story. "Prince Solus was a beautiful foal, very healthy, and he was a real joy to Celestia.  She loved him more than any of us could imagine, but he still had to remain a secret to protect him from the threat on his life.  I and my best guards kept watch over him day and night. The security was never tighter in Canterlot castle and only the most trustworthy of Celestia's subjects, along with my wife Seraphim, who was one of Celestia's closest friends, knew about him, but it wasn't enough to keep the secret from Prometheus.  On the night that the Lightning Duke appeared, I had four armed guards, all of them powerful magic users, with me in Solus' nursery.  Prometheus defeated every last one of them in minutes.  He also cast a spell that made it impossible for Celestia and Seraphim to get into the room.  I was the final one to go down, and the last thing I heard was Prince Solus' crying.  All that was found of him was a bloodstain on the blankets in his crib."
Twilight thought about the scar running through Darklight's cutie mark.
"My guards and I almost died that night, it was only through the efforts of Princess Celestia that I'm talking to you now.  That was also the last we heard of Prometheus, until about two weeks ago."
"Why didn't she tell anyone about this?" cried Twilight, "Why didn't she tell me!?"
General Blade shrugged his shoulders, "What could she have said?  That she had been connected to a stallion by a marriage that nobody knew about?  That she had secretly gave birth to a foal that had later been killed or taken away?  I think most ponies would have a hard time believ'n that story, even coming from Princess Celestia herself.  Besides, she had a kingdom that needed her leadership, so after a few days of isolation she resumed her duties like nothin' happened and put on a happy face for everyone to see, hop'n someday that her expression would match how she actually felt inside."
"I turned in my letter of resignation to Celestia after I failed to protect her child, but she refused to accept it.  In a way, I'm glad she did that.  The only thing I've ever been good at, or thought I was good at, was protectin' ponies and teachin' 'em how to protect themselves."
"Celestia did start to feel happiness again eventually.  It was when you started magic school, Ms Sparkle.  I could see how excited she was to have you as a pupil.  I don't know if you realize it, but you mean much more to Princess Celestia than just a star student, I think you were also a chance for her to be a mother, a chance she lost for herself."
Twilight's tears had been flowing for some time now.  Derpy and the Doctor were very emotional as well.
"One last thing I want to confess to you two.  I had other reasons for knowing that I could trust you, and you are both wearing them right now."
He showed them a necklace that had been tucked under his breastplate. It was a hero's talisman.  A locket had been attached next to the broken masks. "I am not worthy to wear the hero's talisman m’self, it belonged to Seraphim.  I only wear it to remind me of her and honor her memory."
The locket opened and showed a picture of a pegasus mare.  She looked nearly identical to Raven's Wind.
"There isn't anything you can do about what's happened, Ms Sparkle. All we can do is focus on getting you and Ms Derpy to Princess Celestia and try and prevent a final round of tragedies."
The Doctor spoke, still a bit emotional, after checking the console, said "We are almost there, where do you want to set down?"
"South side of Canterlot on the valley floor," replied Blade, "There are some trees there that will give us some cover.  We're goin' to take the hidden entrance to the Crystal caves."
They emerged from the craft in that very location. "Alright, Ms Sparkle and Ms Hooves, you're with me. Lets go kick some tail."
The Doctor protested, "Wait!  I thought I was coming along too.  I don't want to leave Derpy without... "
"I think!" interrupted Blade, his loud voice coming back, "That leavin' an advanced alien spacecraft where it could easily fall into the hooves of the enemy would be a tactical blunder that we would never live down, if we live at all!  We need you to gather intel!  Besides, how many giant rock monsters does your girlfriend have to defeat before you trust her abilities as a soldier?"
The Doctor became embarrassed, "I... but I never told you... how did you know we were..."
"What, you think that knowin' somethin' about love and friendship in any way inhibits my ability to kick pony flank into next Tuesday?  Besides, I know from personal experience that pegasi mares make excellent spouses!  How do you feel about that, Ms Hooves?"
"Yay!  I get to marry the Doctor!"
"N... now... now Derpy, lets not get ahead of... "
"WHY ARE YOU STILL HERE SOLDIER!  GET THIS THING AIRBORN OR TIME-BORN BEFORE I BOOT YOU UP THERE M’SELF!"
The Doctor complied immediately.  The police box disappeared.
Canterlot towered above them from where they stood.  As they walked quietly along, General Blade kept the lead and observed their surroundings with a practiced eye. "There should be guards at several key places around here: there, there, and there." he said pointing to partially concealed observation points along the nearby cliff, "But they ain't there, and that's got me worried."	
He signaled for them to keep quiet as they approached the location of the entrance, which Twilight was familiar with herself.  Then they stooped down into a slow, silent crawl towards a low cliff overlooking the entrance.
They heard two voices, both familiar to Twilight.  One was Darklight, and the other was the same that she had heard during the life spell.
"You never told me that the earth golem was your creation," said Darklight to the other pony, barely concealing his anger.
The other voice was calm and matter of fact.  "Well I was going to call it the 'Terra Homunculus' but your name sounds fine too... "
"I don't care what it's name is!  Do you have any idea what that thing did?!"
"Well, yes... "
"It drained most of the mana from the farmland and almost completely ruined a season's worth of crops!  The Barbaroi would have starved to death if they didn't have food stored!  Plus it almost destroyed an entire village... "
"Well, it's not like they have anything of any real value to loose."
"And it nearly killed Twilight and Derpy!  And you knew about this?!"
Twilight and her two companions could see the two ponies now.  Darklight looked the same as he normally did, except for a black saddlebag that he now wore.  The second pony was richly dressed in noble finery and had a flattering but superficial air about him.  General Blade indicated to Twilight and Derpy with a silent whisper that this was Prometheus.
"Of course I knew," Prometheus replied cheerfully, "What you are telling me in such a hurtful tone is not news to me, in fact it all went exactly according to my plans.  I assure you that I have complete control over all of my creations.  I only instructed the earth golem, as you call it, to attack the village when I knew that you had arrived in the area and were in the perfect position to do something about it.  I'm only surprised that you are not thanking me for helping you get the real world training you needed to fight the Demon Queen as well as to be a hero to the Barbaroi ponies that you evidently have grown to love as well."
Darklight was still far from pacified, "So was risking the lives of both Twilight and Derpy a part of your plans too?!"
"Why are you even bringing that up?!  I would think that any fool would read the letter I sent you and know that it would have been no great tragedy to lose either one of them!  Which reminds me," there was a more sinister tone in Prometheus' voice now, "Why were you so foolish as to not read my letter the moment it arrived?"
Darklight became embarrassed "Well, I... "
Prometheus slapped him savagely across the face. "I will tell you why you did it!  You fell in love with that mare, didn't you!  I cannot believe that I raised such a foolish and stupid colt as my son!  Do you honestly think that the prize student of the Demon Queen herself could ever love you back?  I know plenty about this Twilight Sparkle, and I can tell you that she is guilty of a long list of crimes against ponykind, or she would not be in the position she is now!  Her reputation as a skilled manipulator and a ruthless killer is well known throughout Equestria!  I only sent her to you because her skills as a mage would be useful to you in defeating the golem, and you really should have let her die by its hand instead of risking your own life and the cause of freedom for the whole of Equestria to save her!  You have no one else to blame for this mess but yourself. You would have known all of this if you had only read that letter, plus you would have known a much easier way to defeat the golem than that ridiculously over-complicated and risky scheme you two came up with.  Now, unfortunately, she is still alive, and, I might add, in possession of knowledge that jeopardizes our whole plan!  If you want my advice, you will kill her the moment you see her again, because I guarantee she will try to do the same to you!"
General Blade held his hoof in front of Twilight's face to signal to her to keep quiet.  He could see that her blood was starting to boil.
The tone of Prometheus' voice became softer, almost on cue, "But don't worry too much about losing her, you haven't been around enough females to realize that there are much prettier mares than her all over Equestria who would jump at the chance to be your wife once you free them from the tyranny of Demon Queen Celestia."
Darklight abruptly turned away impatiently and said nothing.
Prometheus shrugged at his response, "Well, if that is the way you want it, so be it, but do not forget why we are doing this.  Think about the ponies who have, for generations, known nothing but misery and fear under Celestia's rule.  Think of how happy they will be to be free of her, to be a part a new golden age for all of Equestria as I take the throne.  Imagine how grateful they will be to you for the part you played."
"I don't see how their opinion of me will change," Darklight said sullenly, "I will still be a monster, and they will only see me as a monster who killed their princess."
"They will love you for ending their thousand year nightmare," Prometheus corrected. "It is only under my rule that you can ever be accepted, and I promise you that you will have a place in their hearts."
When he again was confronted by Darklight’s silence, the menacing tone came back again. "I'm beginning to wonder at your commitment to my plans.  Do I have to remind you of the power I have over your fate?"
The amulet around Darklight's neck began to glow, and he dropped to his knees and clenched his teeth in pain.  Prometheus seemed unemotional as he spoke, "I was the one who turned your life around, Darklight, and I have the power to take your life as well.  If not for me, you would still be attacking and killing innocent ponies.  I stopped you, changed you into your present form, and gave you a chance for redemption."
The amulet stopped glowing, Darklight began to gasping for breath.
"Can I still trust you?" asked Prometheus, "Can I count on you to follow through on your commitment to me?  To Equestria?"
"Yes," replied Darklight.
"Yes... what?"
"Yes, Father."
"Good, now is your 'map' ready?"
"Yes," Darklight's answer was more quiet, and he seemed even more unhappy.
"Then, begin!"
Darklight galloped into the entrance to the Crystal Caves.  Prometheus disappeared after casting a teleportation spell.
The tree ponies ensconced on the hill began to stir. "He has his father's voice," General Blade said thoughtfully to himself, then he turned to Twilight, "I think you're right about Darklight, Ms. Sparkle, but he's not on our side yet, so you be careful."
They walked into the cave entrance after Blade made sure that it was clear, and both he and Twilight cast light spells to illuminate the way.  Then he stopped them. "I'm going to have to do somethin' that I really don't feel comfortable doing, but I have a hunch that I need to trek on alone.  If I'm wrong, and I hope I am (though I rarely ever am), I'll be right behind you.  But if I'm right... let me just say that it's my duty to check things out in a couple of key locations down here in the caves before I go topside.  I don't think Prometheus has exhausted all of the tricks in his goody bag just yet, so it is important that the two of you get to Princess Celestia right away.  Do you know how to get through the caves?"
"I'll be okay," said Twilight, "I did a thorough survey of the Crystal Caves after the wedding, so I can find my way through, no problem."
"And I'll be right there with you Twilight," exclaimed Derpy.
"Alright, soldiers," said General Blade, "I'll be up there before you run into any trouble you can't handle on your own.  I know Shining Armor will listen to his little sister no matter what his orders are, but Thunder Chaser can be a bit thick-headed sometimes so you might have some trouble with him.  Just stick to your guns and tell them what you told me."
"And one last word on Prometheus," he continued. "It's not just my opinion that he may be more a more powerful mage than anypony alive today—and that includes you Ms Sparkle.  You take him on as a team, or you fall back until you have a team. You don't have any other option.  I don't want to hear any horse manure about 'fair fights' either.  We are at war, and in war you fight to win because ponies who you love and care about are going to die if you lose.  Am I clear?"
"Absolutely," Twilight answered, "Derpy and I will be just fine together."
They parted ways as General Blade took a side passage.  Twilight led the way with her own light with Derpy galloping close behind, heading along the main route to Canterlot.
	
> Chapter Sixteen: Justice
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight tried not to be distracted by the reflections off the numerous, mirror-like crystals that surrounded them on all sides.  She focused on getting through as quickly as possible.  Derpy continued to follow close behind, she had never been in the Crystal Caves before and was worried that they would get separated if she didn't keep up.
There was another light coming from the next chamber.  Twilight diminished her light spell until she saw who it was coming from, then she began to charge her horn for a powerful attack spell.
"Twilight, what are you doing?" cried Derpy in a worried whisper, "Mister Blade told us not to attack him yet!"
Prometheus seemed like such an easy target.  He was standing there, in the middle of the unusually large chamber, alone and with his back to them.  Light orbs hovered overhead and provided plenty of illumination to properly target him.  It's so easy, Twilight thought to herself, I can end this all with one shot.  I've fought and beaten enemies much more powerful than an ordinary unicorn.  I'm more than a match for him.
Prometheus suddenly turned around and greeted them joyfully, "Why, Miss Twilight Sparkle, I'm so glad that I finally get to meet... oh is that really necessary?"
Twilight roared his name in fury and fired a powerful horn blast straight at him.  A shield block protected him from the attack, and Twilight suddenly found herself counterattacked by several spells at once.  She used several swiping blocks, but a levitation spell caught both her and Derpy by their tails and lifted them into the air, carrying them towards Prometheus.  Derpy flapped her wings to try and get away, but the spell prevented her from getting into flying position.  Twilight arched her body to try an aim her horn at him for another shot, but the spell jerked her back and forth making it impossible to do so.
"I hope this isn't how you greet all of the stallions you meet—oh my, isn't this fun, I feel like a tamer playing with a snake!  Well, my little cobra, how do you ever expect to get a coltfriend if you greet everyone like this, especially being as plain as you are."
Twilight was about to shoot off her own tail, but the spell released her and dropped her painfully to the floor.  She quickly got up and prepared to fire point-blank at Prometheus, but when she looked up she found herself staring down the shaft of a red crystal wand, suspended in the air and pointed straight at her face.
“Incredible, is it not?" he said with pride, "The greatest scholars of magic tried... "
"SHUT UP, JUST SHUT UP!" screamed Twilight. "I don't have time to waste on you!  I'm going to tell them EVERYTHING!  Princess Celestia is going to know that you've been torturing and manipulating her son into thinking she is some kind of tyrant so you can have your revenge!  I'm going to find Darklight and tell him who he really is, and that you were the one that killed his real father!  I'm going to expose you for the fraud that you are, and everyone is going to learn the truth!"
Twilight was expecting anger, defiance, and rage from Prometheus in response to her words.  She was not expecting joy. "Oh, you don't know how refreshing it is to finally talk to somepony who can at least approach my powers of intellect.  You probably don't know it but I have been following your remarkable progress for years, I know everything there is to know about you. I'm surprised you don't appreciate all of the hard work it took to get you here: writing a spellbook that perfectly matches your tastes and planting it in the Canterlot library just where I know you would find it, and don't get me started on how much work it took to modify the mana-streams so that your long distance teleportation spell would take you to where Darklight was staying.  The very least you could do is thank me for bringing the two of you together, Prince Solus really is a magnificent specimen of stallion hood, and you should be grateful that he would fall in love with a mare of your lesser status and physical attributes."
"Twilight... " said Derpy in a scared voice.
Shapes began to move from behind the crystals that surrounded them.  They were palace guards, and Twilight knew the names of every one of them, but they completely ignored Prometheus, and looked at her with a vengeful satisfaction.
"What... what is going on?" said Twilight in surprise when she saw them moving to surround her, "Why aren't you arresting HIM?!"
Prometheus continued his cheerful dialog, "You didn't expect me to try and get into Canterlot without some kind of help, with all of the ponies looking for me?  Plus, they were SO looking forward to seeing you again, Miss Sparkle, it wouldn't be fair if I didn't give them the closure they wanted.  But enough about them for now, I have so much I want to talk to you about, and don't you worry, nothing is going to happen until I set things in motion myself, so we will have all the time we need.  I am sure that a student of history such as yourself can appreciate the opportunity you now have to learn from a pony of my renown."
The crystal wand remained pointed at Twilight and remained as a deterrent to any move Twilight or Derpy would make, although it moved away a few feet. "As I was saying before your rude and inconsiderate interruption," continued Prometheus, "The wand you see before you is one of my greatest creations.  The gem is called a Diablo bloodstone, and generations of practitioners of the dark arts, all of whom were far greater than that Starswirl the Bearded character that you seem to idolize for some reason I cannot fathom, have all tried unsuccessfully to create them.  However, I was able to master the craft at a remarkably young age.  I'm sure from it's wonderful, deep, rich crimson color that you can guess what the most important ingredient is.  I am also sure you can appreciate the difficulty I had initially with raw materials, but I was fortunate enough to find the perfect opportunity when my parents named my worthless older brother as the family heir."
He looked thoughtfully at the three wands now floating near himself. "It's better than having them in person.  I really cannot understand why Celestia would have a problem with bloodstones, they are so incredibly useful.  I can cast any spell I want with these wands using nothing but my own thoughts, I don't even have to waste a levitation spell to keep them aloft.  Not only can I see what they see, but they can also record it."
A giant disk of light surrounded one of the wands, and a picture of Celestia materialized on the disk.  She was standing in her courtroom, passing judgment on an unknown pony. "Magnificent, isn't she?  Would you be surprised if I told you that I once asked Princess Celestia for her hoof in marriage?  It was one of the first, great injustices that I suffered during my life when she turned down my generous proposal."
On one side of the princess stood General Blade and a large, crimson colored alicorn stallion with a flame colored mane. "If only she had not succumbed to the lackluster charms of that traitorous idiot Ignitus, our pairing would have been such a perfect alliance.  Still, I was able to get an excellent bloodstone from him, after all I had to do something to stop Celestia from reviving him with a life spell.  I will give you one guess as to who is wearing that bloodstone right now."
The scene shifted to another view of Ignitus, who was then mortally wounded and barely breathing, lying in a pool of his own blood.  Droplets of blood began to float into the air and gather in one place until there was a flash of light and a large red crystal formed in its place, one that was exactly like the one Darklight wore.  Another shift showed General Blade and several palace guards critically injured and unconscious.  A mare's voice, Celestia's, was screaming through the door for Prometheus to spare her son.  There was a newborn alicorn foal, terrified and crying, and a long, sharp dagger.
"Now, about what you said earlier about 'truth'." Prometheus continued, "I'm surprised that a student of history such as yourself, Miss Sparkle, would not understand that this word by itself is meaningless, and that it is the 'perception' of truth that is really important.  Take Darklight as an example.  All it took was a cryptic letter and a blood stained blanket to convince everypony that I had killed Prince Solus the same way that I did his father.  Everyone forgot about him and I had a valuable acquisition, one who's only desire was to work hard to earn my love.  Really though, how should I be expected to feel about the living embodiment of my own crushed dreams, for the son that by right should have been mine!"
Prince Solus, now in the guise of Darklight, was shown being hit by several horn blasts at once during a training session.  He looked no older than Applebloom or Sweetie Belle.
"Fortunately," he continued, "My intolerable state did have its rays of sunshine.  I was able to secure the patronage of his majesty the Emperor of the Dragon Spear Kingdom, who also had his own grudges against Celestia and his problematic neighbors the Barbaroi, and he graciously allowed me to conduct my research using a few of the undesirables plaguing his kingdom.
A group of smaller golems with impassive red eyes, corralling a hundred earth pony peasants.  The ponies looked terrified, and huddled together in family groups.  Then there was a blinding flash of light...
The horror on the faces of both Twilight and Derpy had been steadily building, much to the delight of Prometheus.  His cheerful, conversational tone never changed, but in his eyes could be seen a glint of malice and triumphant joy.
Twilight began to stammer, "You... killed... all of those ponies... for your research?!"
Prometheus feigned surprise, "What?  You make it sound like that was a lot.  I only used them for the prototype.  I could have cleared Ponyville with the ponies I used for version two... but enough about that.  You see, I'm curious about what you saw when you cast that life spell to save Darklight—oh don't look so surprised, after all I have a complete record of your trip."
Several scenes in rapid succession.  They saw the golem attack on the Village of the Moon, from the monster's perspective: the huge fists smashing away at the defensive wall and buildings, swarms of Barbaroi pegasus ponies firing arrows, stones fired from trebuchets, all useless against the golem.  Then the perspective shifted to a pony in flight firing magic attacks at the golem, and Twilight realized it was from the point of view of Darklight's amulet.  Then there was a large meeting hall filled with ponies, with six stallions and mares on high stone platforms in a circle around Darklight.  It was Darklight's trial.  	
Twilight felt a cold chill run down her back when she saw the next few scenes.  She saw herself, injured and almost unconscious, being lifted up by a levitation spell onto Darklight's back.  She saw herself waking up and meeting Darklight for the first time, conversing with him, fighting the golem to save Derpy, the meeting where they discussed plans to fight the golem, the training sessions with Raven's Wind, the trip to the Village of the Moon, the final fight with the golem, and the life spell that she used to save Darklight.  This monster before her now, the source of the true darkness that Raven's Wind had spoken of, had seen everything.  That was why Raven's Wind had looked defiantly at the amulet (she saw that scene too), and had led her outside to talk to her, so that Prometheus would not hear what she had to say.
"Since you seem unwilling to answer my question, please allow me to offer my own guess as to what you saw.  You probably saw some scene from Darklight's childhood, maybe even heard me speak.  I already know what you would have heard: something about his important mission to bring down the tyrannical rule of Celestia the Demon Queen, how he is the only one who can stop her because of his monstrous nature and whatnot.  I said the same thing over and over again, it was all stuff and nonsense really, but you don't really need logic if you apply sufficient force now do you?"
"Then why force him to do it if it was all based on lies?!" cried Twilight. "If you’re as powerful as you say you are, why are you sending Darklight to defeat Celestia if you can do it yourself?!"
"Why do you assume I believe that Darklight can defeat Celestia?"
Twilight started, and for some reason she thought about the link on Darklight's amulet.
"I see from the expression on your face that you are starting to catch on," Prometheus observed. "I admit, there is a SMALL chance that Darklight will actually succeed in defeating Celestia, but despite the arrangements I have made to, let's say, level the playing field, I think we can both agree that she will have the upper hoof in any combat situation, she is a goddess after all.  Really, it doesn't make much difference either way.  You see, and this will answer the question I know was on your mind earlier," the scene of Twilight's investigation of Darklight’s amulet began to be shown, "The magic link is set to release when either Celestia or Darklight are about to die, I would have had to override it had you not used that Life spell.  If Darklight wins, the last thing Celestia will see is the son who killed her.  If Celestia wins, and there will be a kind of poetic justice in this outcome I think you will agree, she will know that she was the one that killed her own son.  Either way, I win!"
"No!" said Twilight defiantly, "I'm not going to let either of those things happen!  I'll find Darklight first!  I'm going to tell him everything you just told me!"
"Unfortunately," Prometheus replies with a hint of pretended sorrow, "I guarantee you won't get the chance, but you really can't blame me for that.  If Darklight were to follow my advice, it would be easy to find him as you would only have to follow the trail of blood as he slaughtered every pony who got in his way, I trained him well enough that he is more than a match for the palace guards, including your brother.  However, knowing my 'son', he will do everything he can to limit the body count, taking the most stealthy route possible, which also means that he will be impossible to find until it is too late (he really is so much like his parents, it's disgusting).  I can tell you right now where he is if I wanted to, he is much too far away to know that we are even having a conversation together, let alone hear you scream."
Twilight's eyes narrowed, "Why are you really telling us all this?"
"Because!" Prometheus said with a mocking laugh, "There is absolutely nothing you can do to stop any of it!  I think you can see that I am the undisputed master of perceived reality.  All it took was a few vague letters, some rumors, and a few altered memories (including your little pet dragon) to make all of Equestria believe that I or 'Erebus' has used mind control to turn you into an evil killing machine.  It doesn't even matter that Darklight is completely unaware of the Erebus legend, let alone that he has been tied to it, or that I haven't even taught him how to use mind control spells (it would be a wasted effort anyway for a pony like him), or that you are more of a decoy than an equal partner in my plans—what really matters is that not one of your friends will ever trust you again.  Even the Elements of Harmony in your saddlebag there (oh, don't try and hide that, I know you have them) are little more than antiquated jewelry without their help.  And as for you," he finally acknowledged Derpy's presence with a condescending sneer, "Other than your ability to fly long distances to deliver letters and your access to interesting bits of machinery from that half-brained 'Doctor' you call your coltfriend... well, I think you and I can both agree that you are hardly worth mentioning.  You are both completely useless to any other pony with the exception of myself, and whether or not you understand this yet, Miss Sparkle, you really have no other choice than to do exactly want I want you to do."
"We will do NOTHING to help you!" yelled Twilight, "Don't you dare underestimate us!  We will find a way!  Darklight already knows the truth about Equestria from our shared memories!  He will listen to me!  He... "
"Did I forget to show you our 'family trip' to Equestria?" he replied. "Oh, forgive me for such an oversight on my part, it is a piece of artistry that I am especially proud of, and I am certain you will enjoy it yourself."
The wand that was showing the images slowly descended until it was touching his head.  The disk of light expanded above their heads, preparing to show the spectacle in his own mind.  The cheerful tone continued as always, but Prometheus had a frightening smile on his face as he watched the reactions of the two mares.  The images began.
"I knew the trip was starting out right when we came upon a pile of foals who had starved to death recently in Ponyville.  Then we were privileged to see a mare get hacked to pieces by palace guards for stealing a moldy loaf a bread for her starving child—I made sure that Darklight had a front row seat for that, though he didn't appreciate it the way I did, and it was bothersome cleaning the blood off of him afterwards.  Next we saw one of Celestia's many forced labor camps, quite brilliant on her part—using the ponies who were too tired to keep working as part of the building material.  If I could only describe to you the SMELL!" he took a long sniff like he was a connoisseur, "Truly it was a feast for the five senses!  Still, as wonderful as it all was, none of it compared to the grand finale when we were honored with the presence of the Dark Queen Celestia herself at one of her public executions.  I have a newfound appreciation for her now, I never realized she could use that horn of hers to kill ponies WITHOUT the use of magic (and it took such a long time too).  I was such a good father that I would allow Darklight to have that experience, although you don't know how annoying it was being woken up every night for a month by his screaming."
Twilight and Derpy saw all of this, and a great deal more.  Derpy covered her eyes, unsuccessfully, with her hooves and whimpered "Please stop, please stop... " over and over again.  Twilight forced herself to watch.  The only thing that kept her from going insane was to think about Darklight, wondering at how he was able to stay as good as he was with such a mentor.
The final image of the Dark Queen, the twisted likeness of Celestia with the terrifying demonic gaze that mirrored that of Prometheus, was magnified and remained suspended in the air as a backdrop for his speech. He continued with a mocking tone, "Now, imagine that you are a young and impressionable colt like Darklight. Would such an experience as this make a big impact on you?  Would you not commit your life to trying to help those ponies, to stop the monster who is causing such sorrow and misery? And let us not forget the sounds I arranged for him to hear in his dreams the whole time he has been living under my control.  I doubt that anything you or that ridiculous shaman mare that Darklight seemed so attached to could even compare to such an experience.  And that includes the vision of Ponyville that was, in your own words, 'quite a dream.'"
Twilight was emotionally exhausted now, she struggled to even speak one word. "Why... "
"Why?" he replied, somewhat puzzled, "Now what kind of a vague question is that?  Well, why not?  Because I want to, because I can.  Really, Miss Sparkle, all I want is justice, that is all any pony really wants, and it is justice that demands sacrifice." The scene switched back to the trial, and focused on Celestia. "Celestia took away my chance to have a family, justice demands that I sacrifice hers!  Celestia took away my chance to have my kingdom, justice demands that I take away hers!"
"But what about all of the ponies you killed or hurt in the name of your justice?" cried Twilight, who was slowly regaining her energy. "Was what you did to them just as well?"
"Are you still complaining about them?  History never remembers the names of the little ponies who get caught in the wheels of history, so why should I?  You should take care that you do not get caught yourself.  Even you have your limits, Twilight Sparkle.  How long can you, or all of the Elements of Love and Harmony, stand against an unstoppable force."
The scene faded, and the wands hid themselves once again in the depths of his cloak. "Before I go, you must know that I have no ill feelings against either of you, but I'm afraid that my colleagues would be very disappointed if I were not to uphold my contract and allow them some time with you."
The guards surrounding Twilight and Derpy began to close in on them.  The orbs of light began to fade, but they could still clearly see the smiles of triumph on their faces.
Prometheus cast a teleportation spell, but he still had a few final words for them "And in case you feel a little too overconfident in your monster fighting skills, let me just say that the golem you fought was only the prototype."
He laughed maniacally as he disappeared.  All at once, green columns of light shot up around every guard, revealing their true forms.  The changelings had scarcely transformed before they lunged in unison at the two mares.  There was almost no light now, but their fearsome shrieks were deafening.  Twilight was forcibly pushed to the ground, her head striking a rock or crystal.  She felt sharp teeth dig into each of her legs as she was pinned to the ground.  A hoof pulled her horn back to expose her neck.  As the light faded completely, she glimpsed the gleaming, white teeth of a changeling mouth moving towards her throat.
It was not the same fight as before, but Twilight was different now too.  She shot a horn blast point blank into the face of the changeling holding her horn, and launched the attacker backwards with a concussion blast.  The explosion freed one of her front hooves, which she used to smash the face of the changeling holding her other hoof.  She used a beam attack to take out the changelings holding her back legs and shot several pulses to drive off the ones biting into Derpy's wings and legs.  Derpy used her free limbs to punch and kick the changelings clinging to her.  Twilight continued firing both to drive back the swarm and create light to see what to shoot next, and where the escape route was.  They both ran together towards the tunnel under the light of a freshly cast light spell.
Ahead of them was the abyss.  Twilight had used the old mining cart to get across when she was trapped there with Cadence, but there was no cart there to help them now, and three changelings were flying towards them.  Derpy grasped Twilight with her hooves and flew as fast as she could, but her wings were injured, and the changelings were gaining on them.  Twilight couldn't turn around to get a clear shot.  She tried to ricochet her horn blasts off the crystals around them, but they were way off target.
Then, the attack stopped.  Three pulses of red light, and the shrieks stopped entirely.  They were alone... maybe.
The Doctor's voice crackled from the transporter box in Derpy's saddlebag, "Derpy?  Derpy, are you there?  We've got a very big problem! I'm detecting massive interference across multiple spectra... "
The voice turned to static and went dead, but the quiet did not last long.  The two of them felt the low rumble of a long earthquake, followed by evenly spaced, increasingly powerful, and very familiar tremors.
	
> Chapter Seventeen: The Element of Kindness
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Applejack (with her hat back in place) sat at the front of the air chariot that was flying back to Canterlot.  Leadership had always been something she had been good at, and herding ponies wasn't all that different from herding high-maintenance farm animals.  As capable as she was, she really wished Twilight could be there.  She missed her outsider's perspective, her ability to ask the important questions nopony else was asking, and her genius for planning.  Above all, Applejack appreciated Twilight's amazing ability to bring out the best in all of them and keep them working together as a unified group. It was only now that Applejack really understood how much Twilight meant to her, to all of them, and she wondered sadly if they would ever have her back again.
Pinkie Pie had taken the hardest blow.  She had tried so hard to keep Twilight safe, to keep a happy face when the world around her was falling apart, but none of her efforts had done any good.  Pinkie hadn't said a word since Twilight and Derpy had vanished.  She sat next to Applejack, oddly emotionless, with the color almost completely gone from her coat and mane.
Rarity sat on the other side of Pinkie on the far left, hugging her and whispering whatever comforting words she could think of into her ear.  She was trying to give of herself to help heal the wounds and repair the damage done, yet she was finding that she had little to give.
Rainbow Dash had joined them now, and was flying beside the chariot on the left side.  Her head was heavily bandaged, and every once in awhile she would mutter "Stupid Derpy" or "You owe me a new guitar...".  Applejack could see though, from the look in her eyes, that she had a lot more than a broken guitar on her mind.
What good were any of them now?  How could they be honest when none of them knew what the truth was?  How could they be generous if they had nothing to give?  How could they be loyal when the ponies they cared about the most were on opposing teams?  What good was laughter when your friendship, and the whole world, was crumbling before your eyes and you were powerless to do anything about it?
Then there was Fluttershy.  She flew on the right side, looking thoughtful and very grave.  Fluttershy had always been a little bit enigmatic, and Applejack wished that she could rely on her more.  She knew that Fluttershy was a vast wellspring of talent and intelligence, but her wide range of phobias tend to manifest themselves at all the critical times when she was needed most.
Applejack began again to think about Twilight.  What was going on with her, anyway?  Why was she trying to protect the pony who was trying to assassinate Princess Celestia?  What had really happened over the past two and a half weeks when she was gone?  Whatever the answers were, Twilight had been very determined.
She thought about the meeting with Nightmare Moon.  Shining Armor had sent out an urgent message to all of Twilight's and Derpy's friends to come to Canterlot Castle immediately.  The main hall with the grand staircase was filled with ponies.  Nightmare Moon stood at the top of the staircase, looking as frightening as when she appeared in Equestria after her thousand year absence. She spoke of how Princess Celestia was in hiding until the threats against her life from the traitor Prometheus were quelled.  She had also said that both Twilight and Derpy had been kidnapped by Prometheus and Erebus and that undoubtedly their minds would be altered, making them enemies of the state that should be imprisoned on sight.  There was an outcry, with dozens of ponies all attesting to the loyalty of both ponies.  That was when Applejack had promised that she would personally see to it that they would stay out of trouble.  Now that she thought about it again, Applejack realized that it was a little strange how Nightmare Moon had agreed so quickly to this arrangement.
What happened next was also strange.  Princess Cadence had said "Your Majesty, I wish to formally request that you allow me to see Princess Celestia."
"Your request is denied!" shouted Nightmare Moon.
"I'm her niece, I am entitled to- "
"You have my last word on the subject!  Any further attempts to circumvent my orders will be considered an act of treason!"
Applejack had been shocked at this exchange.  Princess Luna had worked so hard to mend the damage done when she had returned and cultivate good will with the citizens of Equestria.  Yet, now she was back in the same form that caused the damage in the first place.
What if Twilight was right?  Was there more going on than what Nightmare Moon was telling them?  Applejack had always been loyal to Princess Celestia, but she usually shrugged off court gossip and intrigue by saying "Well, whoever they are, they're gonna need my apples." Was the situation different now?  Was it much bigger than a small scale insurrection?
Applejack suddenly felt strange.  Earth ponies don’t need mage-sight to sense the flow of mana, they can feel it, and she knew something was very wrong.  She looked down at the mountains below them.  The trees on one mountain, about halfway between Ponyville and Canterlot, had almost completely died off.  Plants on the lower slopes of adjacent mountains looked sickly and were losing their leaves and green color.  She wasn’t sure, but she thought she caught a glint of red at the summit...
No pony’s gonna care about dead trees A.J, she said to herself.  We gotta focus on savin' Twilight.
Some time later, the air chariot landed in the courtyard of Canterlot Castle.  Guards were everywhere, lining the walls, filling the skies, and moving in every direction.  Any pony trying to get to the Princess would have to pass through the courtyard, so it would be the ideal place to intercept Twilight.
Shining Armor and Princess Cadence were visible on one of the upper levels, although Applejack had a hard time recognizing them in their full combat armor.  They were both talking with the numerous guards surrounding them, and looked too preoccupied to see them.  Applejack hoped to talk to them personally about what had happened in Ponyville, but this was not meant to be.
Standing before them was the largest unicorn stallion Applejack had ever seen, he was even bigger than Macintosh.  The enormous, razor sharp halberd he expertly wielded with a levitation spell complimented his frighteningly serious expression and made him look especially intimidating.
"You better have a good reason for bringing these civilians here, Lieutenant." said the giant pony, who the five friends already knew was Commander Thunder Chaser, the second in command under Shining Armor.
The guard being addressed replied "Sir!  We regret to inform you that the two prisoners have escaped and are believed to be heading this way."
"They got away from us." interjected Applejack, "But ah think we can still talk some sense inta them... "
Thunder Chaser interrupted her "I didn't ask for your input, and your assistance is not needed.  We will handle the traitors when they arrive."
"But they ain't... "
"All civilians are to report to designated safe locations immediately.  Palace orders."
Rarity whispered "I'll handle this Applejack," and started putting on the charm. "We won't be a bother, I'm sure that protecting a few ladies would be no trouble for a big, strong stallion such as yourself... "
"PALACE... ORDERS!" roared Thunder Chaser, "You have already wasted enough of my time!  Proceed to the designated safe locations or I will have all of you thrown in the dungeon!"
Rainbow Dash was already getting in his face "Hey jerk!  You don't have to get all... "
"That's enough R.D," said Applejack, "Come on girls, we better do what ’e says."
Thunder Chaser ordered the two guards away and strode off to handle matters he thought were more important.  Rainbow Dash stormed off in a huff.  Applejack and Rarity followed, leading the still silent Pinkie behind them.  It took them a few seconds to realize that they were missing someone."
"I'm not going," a voice whispered.
The four ponies turned in alarm.  Fluttershy was standing her ground, with a look of determination that both surprised her friends and countered the fear she felt herself. Though her words were spoken quietly, there was an icy edge to what she said.
"Come ON Fluttershy!" said Rainbow Dash, "We gotta do what the grumpy pony says."
"I'm still not going," repeated Fluttershy, "I'm tired of being a big meanie, and I want to be Twilight's friend."
"What're ya talkin’ about, Sugarcube?" said Applejack, "Course you're her friend- "
"We are NOT her friends!" she cried with greater force. "We treated Twilight and Derpy like liars and criminals before they could tell us anything about what they'd been through!  We humiliated them in front of everyone in Ponyville!  I know how that feels.  A real friend would have stood by them when they needed us!"
"She BROKE my GUITAR on MY HEAD, Fluttershy!" Rainbow Dash replied, pointing to her bandage to emphasize her point about Derpy, "You were there too, that isn't exactly how an innocent pony would act!"
Fluttershy was still unmoved "We didn't give her the chance to explain anything.  They wouldn't do what they did unless they knew it was very important, and I know that both of them are telling the truth.  You can do what you want, but I'm going to stay here and help Twilight and Derpy when they arrive."
"WhaaaaAAAAAT!" roared Thunder Chaser, punctuating his word by driving the pole of his halberd into the ground. "I told you that civilians... "
"We are not civilians!" replied Fluttershy defiantly, "We are the keepers of the Elements of Harmony, the most powerful weapons that Equestria has, and we are under commission from Princess Celestia herself!  Are you implying that your pole axe can match them?"
Her friends were on the verge of a collective heart attack.
"Are you siding with the traitors?!" the Commander asked angrily.
"They are not traitors." Fluttershy replied with the calm determination from before.
"How would you know that?!  Nightmare Moon herself said that Prometheus altered their minds."
"She was incorrect. I could tell when I looked in their eyes that their minds hadn't been altered."
Thunder Chaser scoffed, "So you take your own feelings over the word of Princess Luna herself?  Why should I listen to you any further?"
"I have evidence that somepony is trying to make Twilight and Derpy look bad."
"And why would they do that?"
"Because someone wants to keep us from using the Elements of Harmony against them."
Fluttershy had locked on to him in one of her signature stares, and Thunder Chaser was beginning to falter, "What evidence do you have?"
"On the morning that Twilight was supposed to arrive back from Canterlot, I was waiting for her to bring a book that I asked for.  I saw a pony leave her house and teleport away, but I don't think he saw me.  I knocked on the door and Spike told me that Twilight wasn't back yet, but I could tell when I looked in his eyes that something had been done to him.  I also knew that Twilight had been there, because I saw the book I asked for on a pile near the door."
"And who was the pony you saw?"
"The same pony in the wanted pictures.  It was Prometheus.  That is why I am staying here to help Twilight."
Rainbow Dash walked over and stood next to Fluttershy, facing Thunder Chaser.
He grew angry again "Are you siding with the traitors as well?!"
"Hey!  We're loyal to Princess Celestia AND our friends!" she said defiantly "You got a PROBLEM with that, tough guy?!"
"I'm helping them too," said Pinkie, the bounce back in her mane and her step as she took her place beside her friends.
"And I will as well," announced Rarity, taking her place with them, "And might I add that you should be ashamed talking to a group of ladies like that!"
Thunder Chaser was never one for creative thinking, as he had always taken what he had been told by his commanding officers and the crown as absolute truth.  Now, though, he was having doubts, and he was at a loss what to do.
"Ya know, Thunder Chaser," said Applejack as she walked up to stand next to her friends, "Ah think you and I both know that somethin’ mighty fishy's been goin on around here, and I reckon the best way we can show our loyalty ta Princess Celestia is to find out what's- "
Suddenly, Pinkie Pie began to shake violently.  All of her friends knew that whatever was coming was a doozy.
Then everything began to shake.  It was the worst earthquake that Equestria had ever had, but there was nothing natural about it.  Somepony cried out and pointed towards the source.  A mountain in the distance, the same mountain that Applejack had noticed, began to rise of its own accord.  Head, body, arms, and legs were forming from the ground they were ripped from.  Glowing red eyes blinked on and looked straight at them.
"BATTLESTATIONS!!" roared Shining Armor.  He immediately cast a shield spell that engulfed all of Canterlot just as the golem began to open fire.
	
> Chapter Eighteen: Apocalypse
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

When Twilight and Derpy arrived, Canterlot was in chaos.
The streets were clogged with ponies.  Adults were shouting at one another.  Foals were crying and clinging to their parents.  Guards ran back and forth relaying orders and trying to calm the panicked citizens.  Screams erupted from the crowd each time a beam attack struck the shield.
Though some distance away, the golem was clearly visible now.  It fired its beam cannon at the city and the ponies attacking it on all sides.  Smoke rose high into the air from the burning wreckage of whatever limited defensive armaments Canterlot had.  A constant barrage of horn blasts from unicorn guards on the valley floor were little more than an annoyance to it, as were the swarms of Wonderbolts and Pegasus guards buzzing it.
Twilight led Derpy through the side streets towards the castle.  They ducked in and out of alleyways, doorways, and other hiding places without any guards seeing them, but they were soon approaching the palace courtyard, and she knew that they would not be hidden for long.
They heard Thunder Chaser in the distance, shouting orders to the guards racing by him "Open up those bottlenecks! I don't care if you have to blast holes in the walls, get the citizens out of here!  Send word to every city, town, or village in Equestria to stand by for evacuation at a moments notice; and tell Ponyville and Cloudsdale to clear out immediately, this thing's going after them after it gets done with us!  AND WHERE THE HAY ARE THE PRINCESSES!?"
"Sir!" responded one guard, "Princess Cadence is refusing to leave Shining Armor's side!  Nightmare Moon keeps ordering us away so we still can't get to Princess Celestia!"
Thunder Chaser started cursing, "I'm about ready to risk a court martial and carry them all out myself!"
Twilight spotted Shining Armor and Cadence.  Even with his wife's magic and love assisting him, Shining Armor was straining to maintain the shield under the golem's barrage.  He was caught in a catch-22, if he lowered the shield, the golem would sweep the city with it's beam attacks and massacre everyone, but keeping it up was preventing the inhabitants from escaping.
They all know they are about to die, thought Twilight.  Most of Equestria’s top mages were concentrated in Canterlot.  It were destroyed, there would be little that could be done to stop the golem.  Every town and city would be leveled, and even Cloudsdale was not out of range of its beam cannon.  Survivors would forever be on the run, trying to hide, starving as mana was drained from the land to power the golem.  Equestria, and perhaps the entire world, was doomed if they failed to stop it here.
She looked again at the golem with her mage-sight.  The rate of firing was slowing down as mana was diverted towards the two arms, each of them as large as the city itself.  It was going to smash it's way through the shield.  Twilight quickly scanned the monster and thought out her plan.  The barrier protecting it's eyes was much more powerful, Derpy wouldn't be able to get enough speed to break through with the screwdriver and the golem was too tall for a kinetic spell to be effective, but if she were to get a boost from another pony...
Twilight saw her friends in the courtyard, looking very much out of place, and more than a little frightened.  There was no other way, she had to get their help if they had any hope of surviving.  Would they still trust her?
"Everyone!  Listen!" Twilight called to them, "I know how we can stop it!"
They whirled around and ran to meet them. "Twilight," said Applejack, "We gotta get y'all outta here right..."
Rarity gasped as they drew close, "Twilight, what happened to you two!"
Twilight and Derpy would have been horrified if they could have seen themselves right then.  Their legs were covered with deep cuts and bruises, and a trickle of blood from inside Twilight's hairline ran down her face.
"We don't have time, I know how we can beat the golem, but we are going to need your help if this is going to work."
"What?" said Applejack in astonishment.
"Derpy and I fought the prototype when we were in the Mist Continent."
"Hey, wait a sec," said Rainbow Dash, skeptically, "You and Derpy beat one of these things?!"
"YES, Yes we did!  Now if you will just listen... "
"What are you doing here, traitors?!" bellowed Thunder Chaser, who along with several guards were pointing their weapons right at her and Derpy, "Are you trying to take advantage of the situation to get to the Princess?!"
"No Thunder Chaser, you've known me for years, you know I would never... "
"GUARDS!  GET THESE PONIES OUT OF MY SIGHT BEFORE I KILL THEM MYSELF!"
Twilight screamed in frustration. "That's IT!  I have HAD IT!  FINE, YOU GOT ME!  Blame me for everything!  I stole your lunch money!  I made it rain on your birthdays!  Go ahead and lock me up forever, I don't care!  But please, HELP ME SAVE EQUESTRIA!"
Everyone around her was silent.  Applejack stepped up to Twilight and offered her support. "Alright Twi, ya'all tell us what ya want us ta do."


* * * *


Derpy thoroughly enjoyed being a projectile.  She wanted Rainbow Dash to say something cool like "Derp missiles away!" (or not), but it was clear that R.D. was still pretty miffed about the whole broken guitar thing.  If throwing her against a giant rock monster would help the process of forgiveness, it was worth it.
Applejack finished securing the screwdriver to Derpy's hooves with her rope, then Rainbow Dash picked her up and flew off.
Twilight wore the crown of the Element of Magic, and all of the other bearers wore their respective necklaces.  All of them, with the exception of Rainbow Dash, were standing in a group behind several palace guards who were trying to hide their presence.
The plan was similar to the first: use Derpy's screwdriver to break the shield, then destroy the eyes.  To get the boost that Derpy needed to bring down the stronger shield, Rainbow Dash would accelerate the two of them into a sonic rainboom, but there were problems with this.  She had already shown that she could maintain that speed while carrying other ponies, as she had done when she saved three ponies at once during the Best Young Flyers competition, but she had never tried to accelerate up to that speed while carrying anyone.  In addition, she was prevented by the shield from accelerating in a straight line, meaning she would have to circle around the inside until the shield was down.  The final challenge for her was that after releasing Derpy, she would have to fly back to where Twilight and the others were so they could attack with the Elements of Harmony.  Rainbow Dash had responded to the plan with her usual can-do attitude, but she and everyone else were still concerned.  If only there was another way: if they lowered the shield too soon, the golem might begin attacking the city with it's beam cannon.  They didn't have the time to get outside the shield, nor could they risk using the screwdriver for anything other than the monster's shield, as they didn't know how much energy it had left.
Shining Armor and Princess Cadence still did not know what was going on with the plan, nor did they know that Twilight was there.  She didn't want any additional worries to distract them from maintaining the shield, if it went down before Rainbow Dash could reach the required speed, it was all over for everyone.
The monster was drawing close now, and its proximity increased their doubts.  It was so huge that even standing on the valley floor it looked down on even the tallest towers in Canterlot, and dwarfed the whole city.  Would the shield even hold against attacks from such a colossus?  Only now did they start to realize how slim their chances really were.
It stopped, its fierce, glowing red eyes looking down on all of them.  Slowly, deliberately, it's giant left arm started to swing back.  The arm rose higher, touching the clouds high above them, reaching its highest point.  Then the arm fell, faster and faster, down towards the shield."
"GET DOWN!!" some pony yelled.
Their ears exploded from the loud bang as the fist struck the shield.  Shining Armor roared from the pain as mana flowed back into him.  A shock wave flew past them, knocking several ponies out of the sky and almost blowing them over.  Rainbow Dash flew out of control, losing all of her accumulated speed, and almost dropped Derpy.  Cadence put all of her own magic into helping her husband manage the incredible pain and keep the shield up.  Rainbow Dash recovered and began flying in broad circles around the city to regain her speed, but even as all of this was happening, the right arm was beginning to swing back.
The next blow fell, just as deliberately as the first.  Again there was the loud bang, the shockwave, the cries of pain.  Rainbow Dash recovered more quickly this time, keeping most of her accumulated speed, and kept flying.  However, Shining Armor was getting weaker.
Derpy was beginning to feel useless again.  At first, she had tried to help Rainbow Dash with the flying, but her own wing beats only interfered, and all she could do was maintain a gliding position.   She was only a burden now to everyone, and she began to blame herself for everything that was going wrong.
On the ground, the situation was not much better.  It took every bit of courage Fluttershy had to keep from bolting in terror.  The anxiety and fear on Rarity and Applejack's faces were building.  Only Pinkie spoke, "But, what did we do that was so wrong?  Why would somepony want to hurt us like this?" Nobody answered, nobody could answer.
What affected Twilight the most was not the sight of the monster, nor the shockwaves.  It was the sound of her brother in pain.  She blamed herself for his suffering.  If only she had come up with a better plan, one where she would not have to hurt him.  She doubted every part of her plan now.  Could the shield be too strong even for a sonic rainboom?  Were the Elements of Harmony enough to destroy the bloodstones controlling the monster?  Had Prometheus anticipated this plan?  There was nothing to measure, no calculations she could make, it was only her gut feelings, how could she...
"You already know you can do this," said a voice that only she could hear. "Everypony here believes in you, and I believe in you too."
Twilight's courage began to come back. "Listen everyone," she told her friends, "we have never let Equestria down before, and we're not going to start today!  We can do this!"
This was just what they needed.  Each of them lost all of their fears and doubts, readying themselves for the attack.
The golem's left arm fell, and the shield shattered.  Shining Armor fell to the ground at his wife's feet, unconscious and utterly spent.  The final blow, the blow that would end them all along with their entire civilization, was already being readied.
There was an explosion of color as Rainbow Dash and Derpy rocketed into a sonic rainboom, and the two of them shot towards the golem's face.  With one final push, Derpy was thrown at the monster, and Rainbow Dash made a wide back flip to fly back to her friends.
Derpy held the screwdriver in front of her and braced for the impact.  The enormous face grew larger and larger until she hit the shield with tremendous force.  The shield buckled and broke just as the screwdriver exploded in her hooves.  Shaking the burning debris and rope away from her, she fell into a dive.
The golem's shield was down, but the right arm was still rising into the air.
Rainbow Dash flew towards her friends at high velocity, but there was another problem.  She was too tired now to beat her wings to slow down, she was going to crash into them.
"Ah got er!" yelled Applejack as she shot forward into a gallop.  She launched herself into the air and tackled Rainbow Dash.  The two ponies tumbled violently end over end from the force of the impact.  Pinkie Pie tackled them both to help slow them down, and the other three pony-piled on top of them.  The arm continued to rise.
The Elements began to react, as if they knew how critical the moment was for all of Equestria.  Mana surged into them and focused through Twilight.  A broad, powerful rainbow of pure magical energy shot into the air, twisted, and slammed into the golem's face.  The crystal eyes exploded with a deafening crack.  The force of the rainbow pushed the golem backwards and away from the city.  The monster itself began to break apart as it fell.
Derpy was still diving, trying to get enough speed, as the rocks began to fall.  A shard the size of a building broke off and fell next to her.  She ran down it to gain some more speed and pushed herself back into the dive.  She weaved around falling boulders, past other giant shards, until at last she had sufficient speed.  She pulled up, diving right under a falling boulder that almost blocked her way, and flew back to the safety of Canterlot.
The golem fell to the valley floor, causing a long roar and an incredible earthquake, but the sound was soon replaced by the cheers of every pony in Canterlot.  
Twilight found herself caught in the best group hug of her life.
"Ahm so sorry Twilight!"
"We've been so beastly to you!  Please forgive us!"
"I knew it!  I knew you'd help us!"
"Please don't ever leave us again!"
"We love you too, Twilight!"
Derpy flew back, and Rainbow Dash pulled her into the hug as well.  It felt so good to be back, to know that they were still friends, that she had earned their forgiveness.
Then Twilight thought about the voice she heard, the voice that had helped her to find her courage again.  It was Darklight's voice.  Twilight felt both relieved and afraid: relieved that he was there and still wanted to help her, afraid because he was very close to his objective.
There was something else as well.  While the Elements of Harmony were firing, she thought that she had heard a voice speaking to her in her mind.  It was Celestia's voice, and it was very faint.
Twilight... help... me.
"We aren't done yet!” Twilight said in a commanding tone. “Princess Celestia is in trouble and we have to get to her immediately!  Darklight is somewhere nearby, look for a shadowy, black alicorn, he's difficult to see unless you look hard!  Stop him, capture him, but DON'T kill him, Celestia needs to see who he really is!  We saw Prometheus in the Crystal Caves, so expect him to show up anywhere at anytime, and don't take him on alone!  We also saw Changelings in the caves, so Chrysalis is here too!"
Twilight's five friends and several guards scattered to look for the intruders, but Thunder Chaser remained behind with her and Derpy.
Twilight looked at the large and meticulously sharpened halberd, then she looked at its owner without a trace of fear. "If I try anything funny," she said evenly, "You have the power to stop me... but I am going to see Princess Celestia.
He nodded, and the three of them galloped into the castle.
	
> Chapter Nineteen:  A Trio of Nightmares
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thunder Chaser shouted ahead to the surprised guards to allow them to pass.  Several of them accompanied Twilight, Derpy and himself as they raced up the grand staircase.
Outside the throne room was Nightmare Moon.  Twilight again felt the same fear she experienced on her return.
"WHY HAVE YOU BROUGHT THEM HERE!?" she yelled in her most authoritative voice. "I ordered you to capture them on sight!"
"Forgive me, Your Majesty," replied Thunder Chaser, sheepishly. "But in light of the current situation I thought... "
"You are relieved of duty!" she commanded. "Guards!  Arrest these traitors!"
"Any pony who follows through with those orders," said a gravelly voice that froze the guards in their tracks, "Will have to deal with me!"
General Blade stepped out from the shadows.  Twilight felt a little annoyed with him.  Hadn't he promised to be there if they ran into any real trouble?  How was a swarm of changelings and an apocalyptic rock monster not 'real trouble'?  Then she got a good look at him, and saw that he was covered with the same cuts and bruises that she and Derpy had on their bodies, and she saw traces of blood. "Hang back for this one, Ms. Sparkle," he whispered to her as he passed, "We need you for the next round."
Nightmare Moon was livid, "What is this TREASON?!  I gave you all a direct order!"
"Nice to see you again, 'Luna'" said Blade, who was refusing to be ignored. "It seems you've grown since the last time I saw you.  Might I ask you why you decided to switch back?"
Her voice grew cold, "I do not have to explain myself to‒ "
"Well, if you were to explain," he interrupted, "You'd probably tell me some story about how you want to motivate your subjects.  Seems to me, though, that using one childhood nightmare to fight another is a poor tactical decision (unless you do it right like I do), but it doesn't really matter because I'm done talkin' to you anyway!"
He turned and walked up to each of the guards present as if he was reviewing the troops, looking them straight in the eye as he passed.  Even Thunder Chaser, who was two or three times his size, was frozen in fear.
"When I went into retirement," he began, "I did so thinkin' that I was leaving the protection of Equestria in capable hooves!  I thought that I didn't have to worry about the safety of the royal family anymore because I had put the right ponies in the right places to do the job without me!  AND NOW THIS HAPPENS!  I have half a mind right now to come back out of retirement and knock the stupid out of every last one of you!  I did trust you, though, when Miss Sparkle and Miss Derpy here showed up at my friend's place, I thought to myself: 'Blade, you got them all wrong, there has to be a good explanation for why my own boys didn't look these two mares in the eye, LIKE I TAUGHT THEM TO, and see that they couldn't possibly be stooges of Prometheus.' Still I had to check things out for myself, just to set my mind at ease, but it was really hard to do so when I got to the secret entrance to the Crystal Cave AND FOUND IT TOTALLY UNGUARDED WITH THE ENEMY STANDING RIGHT OUTSIDE!!  Now I knew my boys weren't that stupid, that something had happened to the guards who were supposed to be watchin' things, otherwise how would I explain why you had overlooked the back door to Canterlot WHEN I WAS THE ONE WHO SHOWED YOU WHERE IT WAS!  Then I little light went on in my head, and I thought to myself: 'Blade, if you were an enterprising member of the forces of evil and had some very important ponies to keep out of the way for awhile, where would I hide them?' So I went off on a little scoutin' mission of my own to a couple of those choice little places when I found myself up against a whole mess of Changelings!  Right here in Canterlot!  AGAIN!!  So I took care of them (better send someone down there to clean up), and guess who I found?  Your Majesty, if you please?"
Another pony stepped out from the shadows, calmly and decisively. Princess Luna looked around at the assembled ponies, watching the looks of confusion and awe on their faces.
Her legs were swollen and chaffed from the manacles that had bound her for almost three weeks, and her crown was missing, but although temporarily defeated she was not conquered.  Behind her were the palace guards that had been replaced by the changelings.
Thunder Chaser reacted first, and pointed his halberd directly at the pretended Nightmare Moon.  His comrades followed with their spears.
The swords on General Blade's back slowly unsheathed themselves and complimented the fighting stance he was now in. "So tell me, Chrysalis, are you playin' the part of Nightmare Moon because you enjoy being a bully, or because it's easier to change into somethin' your own size?"
'Nightmare Moon' smiled to herself and looked unconcerned. "Well, it was a profitable collaboration while it lasted." Green light surrounded her, more subtly now than the last time, more as a natural transition than a showy spectacle, and she transformed back into her true self as Queen Chrysalis. "I'm surprised that you did not choose to side with us, Luna. I thought you of all ponies would want in after your own sister locked you away on the moon for a thousand years!"
"My sister has always done what was best for me and the citizens of Equestria," replied Luna. "And if you have done anything to harm her... "
"YOU'LL DO WHAT?!" Chrysalis challenged. "I've been feeding off her magic for weeks now!  She is nothing more than an empty shell, trapped in her own sorrow and grief for her family and waiting for me to finish her off!  It was so easy to do too, her own love and trust for you was her downfall.  Now I no longer need that fool Prometheus or his lackey to help me bring you down. I have all the power I need to have my revenge against the ponies who humiliated me!  Starting with you, Twilight Sparkle!" she turned her gaze towards Twilight and smiled hungrily. "I'm going to enjoy watching you bleed to death on MY palace floor!"
Chrysalis knocked back the guards and fired a powerful beam attack straight at Twilight.  Luna blocked it with her horn and fired back.  A storm of pulsed shots were swiped out of the air by General Blade using his horn and two swords.
The attacks paused momentarily and laughed, "Why are you even bothering to resist me?" Chrysalis mocked, "I have all of Celestia's power now!  I am the ruler of Equestria!  There is nothing that you can do to stop- "
A large antique vase dropped on Chrysalis' head and shattered.  Her unconscious body fell to the floor.
General Blade resheathed his swords with a slow 'sshhk'. "I'm goin' to keep saying this until somepony finally remembers: 'Always pay attention to what is goin' on in the background.' By the way, nice work up there, soldier!"
Derpy hovered overhead, grinning, "Oops! Hehehe!"

* * * *

For hundreds of years, Princess Celestia had remained unchanged.  Always, there had been the ageless beauty, the long flowing hair that seemed to blow under it's own wind, the majesty and grace she carried her self with while remaining approachable to any pony.  It had been the way that all of the citizens of Equestria across all ages had expected her to be.
She was not that way now.  In fact, they thought she was dead.
"Sister!" cried Luna.
Celestia lay motionless on the floor of the throne room.  Her breathing was shallow, and her magic aura was almost nonexistent.  Her almost weightless mane was limp and partially obscured her face.
Luna began to cast healing spells. Gradually, Celestia began to stir and whispered something that only Luna could hear.  Luna placed her head underneath her sister and helped her to get into a sitting position, but Celestia was so weak that Luna had to hold her or she would fall back to the ground.
Twilight wanted to run to her beloved teacher and friend, to help her, but she dared not.  She and Derpy were still criminals, enemies to the Kingdom.  She was afraid to find out what Celestia thought of her.
Celestia raised her head and looked at Twilight.  She looked as though she had just woken from a long nightmare, relieved that it was all over.  She smiled, and said, "Twilight, I am so happy to see you again."
"Sister," said Luna, "General Blade has already briefed me on the situation.  We have very little time, and I ask that you listen to what Twilight and Derpy have to say."
Relieved, Twilight began to relate the complicated story as succinctly as she could.  Derpy added in some details, but this was the first time she had ever spoken to Princess Celestia and she felt a little awkward.  Twilight held up the spellbook as a piece of evidence and let Celestia examine the page on which was written the long range teleportation spell.  Celestia frowned when she recognized the hoof writing.
The spell book was closed and on the floor, and for a short time it was largely forgotten as Twilight continued her narrative.  In passing, Twilight glanced at the cover.  
She stopped talking, and gasped, suddenly transfixed by the large yellow gem in the cover.  It was a tracer gem.
'Whether or not you understand this yet, Miss Sparkle, you really have no other choice than to do exactly want I want you to do.'
'Is your 'map' ready?'
She had been the map.  Prometheus had planted the rumors and lies about her so that she would bring with her the one piece of tangible evidence she had, the spellbook.  Without knowing it, she had led Darklight through the Crystal Caverns, the streets of Canterlot, and the palace, straight to Princess Celestia.
"Block!!" yelled General Blade.
Twilight cast a blocking spell, and ducked as Derpy and all of the palace guards were lifted into the air, their weapons pulled from them.  A kinetic spell launched them out into the hallway, piling them up on the opposite wall.  The doors slammed shut before any of them could recover, leaving Twilight, Luna, and Blade alone to defend Celestia.  The locking mechanism for the door was engaged, and several fireballs melted the lock.
There was no triumphant laughter, no long, cheesy speech.  Darklight simply walked from his hiding place behind the doors towards Celestia, and charged his horn for the kill shot.
	
> Chapter Twenty: The Completed Puzzle
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Outside the throne room, the world was in an uproar.  In the hallway, Applejack's voice soon joined that of Thunder Chaser, both shouting orders to the crowd of ponies using an improvised battering ram to try and break open the door.  Even Pinkie Pie's party cannon was somehow being employed for the effort.  Through the stained glass windows could be seen an airship filled with mage-type ponies, including Shining Armor, Cadence, and Rarity, all of whom were firing at the windows with horn blasts.  Fluttershy and several pegasus ponies carried additional unicorn ponies who also trying to break through the windows with horn blasts.  Rainbow Dash tried a more direct approach, slamming her body at full speed to try and shatter the glass.  All of them trying to save the ponies they cared about, and kill the intruder.
Celestia appreciated all of their efforts.  It made her happy to know that everyone was trying so hard to save her, but she also knew that it was futile.  She knew how powerful the protection spells were that strengthened the door and windows, as she had cast them herself, and she knew that it would all be over before anyone could do any damage.
Inside, it was very quiet.  Luna and Blade stood close to her, ready to block any attack that Darklight made.  Celestia knew them well enough to understand what was going on from their stances alone.  Blade could easily have cut the intruder down, but he instead held a loose position that was more of a deterrent than an open challenge.  Luna was in a similar position.  The message was clear, this fight was really between Twilight and Darklight, and it was important that they not interfere.
Derpy was now flying outside the window as well, though she was doing nothing to try and break in.  She only held her camera and looked on anxiously.
Twilight stood in a low fighting stance, ahead of both Luna and Blade, and directly in Darklight's path.  Celestia also knew that although she was serious about stopping his advance, she had good reasons for not wanting to harm him.
Celestia turned her attention to Darklight.  She did have the power to read minds, although she rarely used this power.  Even though it would give her an advantage against dangerous characters such as Queen Chrysalis, the privacy of her subjects was more important to her.  Unlike Chrysalis, Darklight made no effort to conceal his true feelings.  The Erebus disguise never for a moment fooled her, and she knew Darklight was a good pony, though it was not apparent yet who he actually was.  Celestia could sense the conflicts in his own mind: the desire to do the right thing and the confusion as to what that even was; the drive to complete his mission and the uncertainty of whether or not it was really based on lies; the love he felt for Twilight and the sad knowledge that he had lost her forever.  Despite the peril to her own life, all she could feel for this lonely, young pony before her was compassion, and deep down she was beginning to suspect that she had seen him before.
"Step aside Twilight," said Darklight.
That voice! thought Celestia, He sounds just like Ignitus!  Could it be... 
"You know I can't do that, Darklight," replied Twilight.
"I don't want to fight you!  You're not my enemy!"
"You are not my enemy either, but I am going to protect my princess."
He cast a levitation spell at her, which she easily blocked.  Then he combined levitation spell with a kinetic spell.  She blocked both and fired back with a horn blast that he swiped out of the air.
"Why are you defending her, Twilight!" he yelled. "Do you have any idea what she has done?!"
Her response was calm and collected. "She is innocent, Darklight."
"DON'T LIE TO ME!" he roared. "I saw everything!  I've never seen anything so horrible in my life!"
"I know what you saw, Darklight, Prometheus showed us when we found him in the cave.  We saw the starved foals, the mare who was executed for stealing bread, the slave work projects, the public executions, everything!  I know how it made you feel, and you have every right to feel the way you do, but it was all a lie!  Prometheus has been manipulating your memories to make you believe that Princess Celestia is a Demon Queen that is oppressing her own kingdom."
Her voice was growing softer, compassionate, pleading. "But you already know that what you thought you saw wasn't true.  I'm sorry I wasn't honest with you after you saved me the second time from the Golem.  The truth was you almost died, and I only brought you back by casting a life spell.  That dream you had, where you saw all of those ponies that you never met before, that was one of my own memories!  That was the real Ponyville!  It is how Equestria really is!  It’s not a perfect place, we have our problems too, but under Princess Celestia’s rule we are free to be who we want to be, and we are happy."
Darklight cast several levitation and kinetic spells at once.  Twilight blocked them and opened fire with a storm of pulsed horn blasts.  She thought he would block them, he was more than quick enough with his shield block, but he didn’t.  The shots struck his body all at once, the force of which tossed him into a backflip, and he landed hard on the stone floor.
Several ponies watching outside the window began to cheer, which infuriated Twilight.  Derpy felt the same way and screamed at all of them: “Stop cheering!  STOP CHEERING!”
As Darklight struggled to his feet, Twilight realized what was going on.  He no longer cared what happened to him.  He no longer had anything to live for, and never expected to survive at all.  She was hurting him, just like she hurt her friends and her brother.  Why did it have to be this way?  Please, Darklight, she wanted to say, Just a little longer.  You’ll understand, and everything will be alright.
“Please stop this, Darklight.  I want to show you to see with your own eyes the Equestria I know.”
He glanced at the ponies outside the window who were all after his life. “There is no place here for a monster like me, Twilight, and you know that.”
“You DO have a place here!” she cried. “With me!  I love you too, Darklight!”
He stopped fighting, and stared at her.
“And you’re not a monster.  Prometheus disguised you so you wouldn’t find out the truth.  Raven’s Wind knew all along who you were, but she couldn’t tell you because you would have found out her connection to Princess Celestia, and she needed you to trust her, and to trust me.  I’m sorry, I was afraid to tell you, but I took off your amulet while you were sleeping.  I know who you really are!
“I saw a piece of your childhood during the life spell as well.  You used to wonder if your fire magic held a secret to your past, and you were right!  You can cast fire spells because you are the son of the Fire Duke Ignitus!”
Celestia’s eyes began to widen.
“Do you remember the dream you had, where you thought you came close to remembering your mother?  If you could remember, you would see that your mother is right here!  Your mother is Princess Celestia!”
Darklight froze in astonishment, and Twilight had the opening she was waiting for.  She aimed her horn and fired a beam attack straight at his heart.
	
> Chapter Twenty One: Love is (also) Magic
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The beam shattered the bloodstone into hundreds of pieces that tinkled as they fell to the ground.  The gold chain broke away from his neck and fell to the floor with a prolonged clink.
Twilight’s voice broke the silence that followed, “Is this the first time that you have seen your true self, Prince Solus?”
Tears of happiness that Celestia never thought she would shed began to fill her eyes, “My... son!”
Darklight no longer, Prince Solus looked into a decorative mirror placed nearby on one of the walls, and saw a stranger staring back at him.  Then he sank to the ground.  The foundations that his whole life was built on for him were crashing down.  He had no anchor, no reference point, nothing to help him make sense of anything.
Twilight removed the hero's talisman from her saddlebag and walked up close to Prince Solus.  It was like he didn't even see her. "I think you are ready to wear this now," she said tenderly, and placed the talisman around his neck. "I know this is a lot for you to sort out, but I want you to know that I am here for you, and I will help you make sense of everything."
Solus' eyes began to focus again.  He looked at her and at the talisman, then he began to stammer, "I... I don't... what does this all mean?"
"It means that you failed," said a new voice, "As I anticipated that you would.  You were always such a stupid boy. You should have taken advantage of the distractions I provided for you instead of trying to help Miss Sparkle and jeopardizing my alliance with that disgusting creature Chrysalis."
Twilight, Luna, and General Blade flew back into their defensive positions in front of Celestia, but none of them could react in time to stop the powerful spell that Prometheus cast.  A wave of red light swept through the room, leaving everything in a darkness illuminated only by a grim red light.  It was a repulsor field spell, the same one he had cast when he kidnapped the prince.
Outside, the door began to glow bright red, and the ponies trying to break in were flung against the back wall.
The windows also glowed red, and the force of the spell knocked the flying ponies and the airship back.  Rarity and Shining Armor lost their footing and fell off the airship.  Cadence launched herself into the air and swooped down towards her husband, catching him before he hit the ground.  Rainbow Dash caught Rarity at the last moment.  When the unicorn ponies began firing on the windows again, their shots were amplified and reflected back at them.  There was now nothing that the ponies outside could do to help.
Prometheus was about to begin his grand speech to Princess Celestia, but Solus interrupted him, "Was it all a lie?!  Was everything you told me a lie?!"
"Now, do I look like a pony who has the time to go through your entire, meaningless life just so you would know what was or was not a lie," he replied in an annoyed tone. "You failed, therefore, you are irrelevant."
Prometheus turned away to face Celestia. "Don't you turn your back on me!" shouted Solus. "I demand an answer!" The only answer his one-time father gave was a blast of lightning that stunned him and flung him across the floor.
"Insect," Prometheus said under his breath, before transforming back into his overly-friendly self again. "Princess Celestia!  It has been such a long time, too long actually. I hope you will forgive the lateness of my visit.  As you can see, I had so much to do to prepare for this day as I wanted to make it extra special for- OH COME ON!"
General Blade drew three knives from inside his armor and flung them at Prometheus, who blocked them with a quick shield spell. "Why are all the ponies I meet today trying to interrupt me when all I'm trying to do is give them a friendly greeting?"
"It's worth it to get you to shut up," replied Blade.
"That will be all, Blade." said Celestia.  She was still very weak, barely able to keep herself in a sitting position, but her commanding presence was returning. "My judgments against you still stand, Prometheus, and you will have a great deal more to answer for when I bring you to trial."	
"I'm afraid you will need more than the mana potential of a newborn unicorn foal to back up your words, Celestia." replied Prometheus, "And quite frankly, I am hurt that you would say such things when I have done so much for you!  Did I not take your own son into my care?  Did I not teach him everything that he now knows?  So tell me, Celestia, while you were basking in luxury and the adoration of your subjects, did your son even cross your mind?"
"I have never forgotten my son nor my husband, Prometheus.  I love them more than you can possibly understand."
"Well, if you really do love your son, as you say you do, how would you respond if I showed you what he has been up to since you last saw him?"
He again used one of his crystal wands to show her some of the more horrific scenes from the life of Darklight.  He watched her reactions as he showed her the forced nightmares, the torturous training regiment, the nightmarish, fabricated visit to Equestria.  He had hoped for the same reaction from Celestia that he had received from Twilight, but he found himself disappointed.  Thought she watched everything, there was little evidence of emotion in her face.  Luna and Blade had the same reaction.  Prometheus masked his surprise with growing anger.
"Are you disappointed that you can no longer use my emotions as your plaything?" Celestia said with contempt. "I feel nothing but pity for you, because you cannot see past your own empty soul.  Otherwise, you would have known long ago that you have failed.  You spent your whole life trying to destroy me by destroying two of the ponies who I deeply care about, but you only helped them to grow stronger.  Despite your own efforts to break them, humiliate them, and ruin their reputations, both Solus and Twilight have shown that they are more than a match for you, and I am very proud of them both."
Prometheus was fuming now, "Well, what difference does it make anyway?!  I am here to finish the job that I set out to do years ago when you banished me.  I will have the justice I demand, and there is nothing... "
He was suddenly engulfed in a maelstrom of fire, so hot that the other ponies had to back away and shield their eyes.  When the fire cleared, Prometheus was still surrounded by a protective shield, and he looked annoyed.  Prince Solus took his place beside Twilight and faced him.
"Rather quick to change sides I see," said Prometheus, "I was right to question your loyalty to me, Darklight."
"I am Prince Solus!" he corrected, "I am the son of Princess Celestia and the Fire Duke Ignitus!  I may not fully understand what that means, but it is enough that I know who my family is, and I am going to stop you from hurting them!"
Prometheus responded with a condescending mockery that gradually evolved into psychotic rage.  Bolts of lightning cracked around him, growing in strength as he spoke. "Oh, foolish boy.  Oh, foolish, stupid, STUPID boy!  Do you think you can take on ME?!  THE ONE WHO TAUGHT YOU EVERYTHING?!!"
He reared into the air and cast aside his cloak, revealing the six crystal wands he had concealed.  The wands floated and circled around him, and all at once began to fire.
Prince Solus responded with a blazing hot wall of fire that circled around him, protecting him from the lightning bolts.  The amulet had been repressing his mana potential, feeding off of his magic, but he was free now and the full power of his family heritage was manifesting itself.  His eyes glowed, his fiery red mane turned to flame, and he counterattacked with a storm of fire and horn blasts.
This was not the time for a fair fight.  Twilight was already joining the fray, attacking Prometheus with her own horn blasts, teleporting this way and that, trying to catch their enemy off guard.
It was not going well.  Prometheus changed his tactics quickly, using attack spells that Solus couldn't block with his flames.  He fired shots that shattered into fragments when hit by a swiping block and sliced into their flesh.  He overwhelmed their shield blocks until they shattered.  He anticipated where Twilight would teleport to and opened fire on her as soon as she reappeared.  Shots from either one of them were redirected towards the other.  Twilight and Solus could each only fire one shot at a time, but Prometheus had his six wands in addition to his own horn, and he made skilled use of all of them.  Soon the two protagonists were so overwhelmed with the onslaught that they could do little to stop the steady stream of attacks aimed at the still weakened princess.
Blade and his two swords danced and twirled, swiping a storm of pulsed hornblasts aimed at Celestia.  A wand powered up and fired a beam attack almost as strong as one from a golem.  Luna blocked it with her horn, but the force of the blast pushed her backwards, her silver shoes sparked as she dug her hooves.  The two of them were able to keep the majority of attacks on Celestia at bay, but they were beginning to tire and couldn't keep up the frenetic pace forever.
Prometheus laughed mockingly, "Is this the best that Equestria has to offer?!  Four ponies against one is rather pathetic, Celestia.  It took me only three minutes to kill your husband, how long do you think it will take me to kill your son?!"
Twilight and Solus were being worn down as well.  Something had to change or it would all be over for them.  They began to coordinate their attacks.  Twilight varied her teleportation so Prometheus couldn't adapt, and Solus tried to do the same.  They dug deeper into their memories and called up every obscure spell they could think of.
Then came their first big break.  Prometheus was distracted by a powerful series of attacks from Solus, and Twilight used this to teleport into the air and cast a sword spell.  The blade fell on one of the wands, shattering it in mid air, but Prometheus merely scoffed and refocused his attacks on Twilight.  He became less confident when Solus broke another wand with an identical attack, and responded by focusing everything on the two ponies on the front line.  This gave Luna and Blade an opening, and they counterattacked with barrages of their own spells.
Then it happened.  Those who watched from outside but did not understand what was truly happening described it later as a blur of fiery ponies teleporting and firing on all sides, smashing wands at every opportunity.  For Twilight, it was no longer a fight at all.  Months before, she had seen Cadence and Shining Armor use their love for each other to dispel the Changeling invasion, and Twilight had wondered if she would ever feel the same way.  Now, she knew what that love was like.  She felt that love for her friends, her family, and for Solus, and she knew that he felt the same way for her.  It was a love strong enough to save the world.
The last wand fell to pieces on the floor, and Prometheus prepared to make his final stand, but something else happened.  An explosion of powerful magic filled the room, breaking the barrier spell he had cast, undoing everything he had prepared, and froze him in place.  It was Celestia, her power had returned, and she had used the distraction to her advantage, but her attack, fueled by an anger for the pony who had almost destroyed her family, was only a distraction in itself, and Prometheus realized too late that a long distance teleportation spell was opening up at his feet.
"No!  NOOOO!" he cried, bolts of lightning flying at Solus, who was trying to focus on the teleportation spell he was casting. "I will have justice!  I WILL HAVE JUSTICE!!"
He disappeared in a flash of light, and all was quiet again.  Her energy completely spent, Twilight fell to the floor in an exhausted daze.  She hardly notice the pony who was standing next to her.
"Thank you, Twilight," said Solus, tenderly, and he helped her get back on her feet. "Thank you for stopping me.  Thank you, for saving me."
He turned to Princess Celestia and bowed.  It was the low, submissive bow of a conquered pony. "Your Majesty, I do not deserve your forgiveness, nor am I asking for it.  I submit myself to whatever punishment you decide for me."
"There is no need for punishment, my son," replied Celestia, "And there is nothing to forgive.  I only wish to better understand your journey, if I may?"
Solus looked up in surprise, and nodded.  Celestia walked up close to him and touched her horn to his.  The details of his bittersweet life swept through her mind.  She saw his lonely childhood, the struggle to be accepted by a pony who knew nothing of love, the terrifying dreams, the tortuous training regiment.  Then she saw his journey home: the healing process that began with his stay among The Unconquered, his fateful meetings with Twilight and Derpy, and the attack on Canterlot.
Celestia was crying, and so was Solus.  He saw through her memories his own father, his real father: majestic, powerful, yet compassionate and full of love.  He felt the love that his mother had always had for him.  He had come home.
"I'm so sorry I couldn't protect you, my son," said Celestia, who was almost sobbing. "I never wanted you to go through this kind of suffering."
"It's okay," he replied. "I got to meet a lot of amazing ponies along the way.  And it gave me the chance to meet Twilight."
"Of course," she said, and she turned to look at Twilight. "Thank you so much for all that you have done, Twilight.  You risked everything to help bring my son home, and to restore my family back to me." Then to Luna, "Thank you, my sister, for helping to protect me after enduring so much yourself."
General Blade stepped forward before he could be thanked as well. "Your Majesty, I'm afraid I had to disobey your orders in tellin' Ms Twilight and Ms Derpy about Prince Solus and his father.  I am also submittin' myself for your judgement."
Celestia smiled, "No, I was wrong to keep this a secret.  Seraphim warned me that I needed to tell others about what had happened and how I felt.  I just... didn't know what to say."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
"Although," she added, a little playfully, "If you break your promise again, I might have to tell others your real name."
"And thank you for the added incentive, Your Majesty.  It was a pleasure getting the chance to help protect you again."
"Excuse me, nephew," interrupted Princess Luna. "I am curious to know the location that you sent the traitor Prometheus to with your teleportation spell.  I fear that he might show up again very soon if it is not far enough away."
"Well, actually," replied Solus, "That will take a little bit of explanation.  When we were fighting I glanced at you... sorry, it just sunk in that you are my aunt... and I couldn't think about much because I was getting hit by lightning bolts at the time, but I thought about a night not too long ago when I was stargazing and I was impressed by how the shadows were playing on the Apennine mountain range on the moon.  So, I guess, that is where he is right now."
"I did like those mountains as well," said Luna, thoughtfully, "He is welcome to use my house."
Celestia spoke again, "I do have one minor request for you, my son."
"Anything, Your Majesty."
"Well, two things, I would also like for you to call me 'mother.'"
"Certainly, Mother."
"I think that there are a lot of ponies outside who are very worried about what is going on, so I would like you to do something about fixing my door... "
	
> Epilogue (A Dance with You)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"So I was thinking, Twi, we REALLY need to take a trip to see Golem Lake."
"Spike, the Canterlot valley forest and several farms are under water!  They have to clear out the rubble so the river has an outlet."
"I know, that's why we need to go there before they finish!  I mean, how many large bodies of water do we have this far from the ocean normally?!  I got it all planned out, we can each tie wooden boards to our feet and have Rainbow Dash tow us... "
"I got a better idea Spike, how about a romantic cruise for you with Rarity?"
Twilight had underestimated the effect this would have on Spike.  His eyes dilated, and he was lost in a daydream for several minutes.
When he returned to the real world, he found her already dressed for the party.  Rarity had transformed the glowing cloth that Darklight had bought for her into a beautiful dress that she was wearing for the first time tonight.  Around her neck was the hero's talisman, which she had worn almost continually since her return.  Spike saw her looking at the glass statue she had placed on the shelf, with a touch of sadness in her face.
Spike was still trying to understand what had happened over the past few weeks.  For his safety, he had been staying at Cheerilee's house while everything was going on, so he never saw Twilight until it was all over.  He was only now beginning to remember that last meeting he had with her before she disappeared, as well as fragments of memories from his encounter with Prometheus.  Article after article had been written in the newspapers about the whole fantastic affair, and he was still trying to figure out what it all meant, but he could clearly see that Twilight was different.  Different in a good way; she seemed more understanding and compassionate towards others, more interested in learning about them, or simply hearing their voices, as if she was savoring the experience of being with them.  It was not the changes that saddened him, it was because he wasn't there to share them with her.  Those two and a half weeks felt like a lifetime without his best friend, and he could never get that time back.
"Spike, are you okay?"
"I'm sorry, Twilight," he said tearfully, "I should have gone with you.  I didn't think anything would happen... "
"It's alright... "
"NO, it's not alright!" he cried, "I couldn't remember anything, and because of that I made you look bad.  I should have fought him off, or done something to stop him... "
"There wasn't anything you could do, Spike.  Prometheus was too powerful for us, but more than that he knew how to use lies to manipulate us and make us all do the wrong things when we were trying to do what was right.  But he's gone now, and I'm back, and I promise I will never leave you like that again.  You are so much more than an assistant, Spike.  You are one of my closest friends, and I love you."
"I love you too, Twi."
They gave each other a tearful hug. "Now, we better get to that party soon.  Do you have your head bandage?"
"I still don't get the theme. 'It's all over, and thank you for all of the head injuries.' What does that even mean?"
Twilight giggled, "Don't ask too many questions about it, Pinkie takes great pride in being inexplicable.  Now come on, I'll give you a ride on my back."


* * * *


When the doors to Celestia's throne room finally opened, the hallway had been filled with very worried ponies.  Those who had participated in the efforts to save Princess Celestia were joined by others: Twilight’s parents had arrived, and Derpy now had The Doctor by her side.
Twilight figured that the six of them must have been an alarming and perplexing sight when they emerged from the throne room.  Battered and bloody, yet strangely relaxed and happy.
“Are you alright, Your Majesty?”
“Thank you for your concern, Shining Armor.” Celestia had said, “I may look less than presentable at the moment, but I feel wonderful.  I know everypony has a lot of questions for me right now, but I hope you will allow us a few hours to rest and refresh ourselves first (I know I could really use a bath right now).  In the meantime, please find another venue in which we can hold a public gathering wherein I can make an announcement, since my throne room is currently on fire.  If it is not too much trouble, I also believe a banquet would be appropriate for this evening, we have a great deal to celebrate."
Celestia noticed that a great deal of ponies were also looking at Solus with contempt and hostility.  He stood close to Twilight looking shy and uncomfortable.  He was surrounded by ponies who not long before were trying to kill him.
She continued "I should point out that the necklace this young stallion wears around his neck is what is known as a hero's talisman.  It identifies him as a national hero of The Unconquered, more commonly (though incorrectly) known as the Barbaroi or Ghost Ponies.  If you were to harm him, my own displeasure would be the least of your worries.  Although most of what you think you know about The Unconquered is complete nonsense, you can be sure that they will find you, and they are VERY good at throwing knives."
Like magic, the hostility disappeared. "One more thing: Twilight Sparkle, Derpy Hooves, and this stallion, who I will introduce later, are hereby absolved of any wrongdoing.  Prometheus and Chrysalis are the only ones I blame for what has happened, other than myself."
As they went to the royal baths, Derpy said, "Hey, Mister Darklight, love the new look!"
"Thank you, Derpy," he replied, adding in a whisper, "Though I think I look like a marshmallow with a carrot on top.  Sorry about throwing you and the other ponies out of the room like that."
"Oh, that's okay, you just wanted to keep everyone safe."
Twilight's and Derpy's transformations from combat-scarred wrecks to ponies ready for a royal ball were testaments to Rarity's genius for makeovers (though other ponies had to handle the wound care). "Now I know that Princess Celestia was going to announce this latter," Rarity began to ask,  "But could you at least give me a teensy hint as to who that handsome young stallion you were with was?"
Twilight and Derpy answered all of Rarity's questions—in the Barbaroi language.
"Wrong!" said Twilight in Barbaroi, jokingly imitating the voice of Raven's Wind.
"Again!" said Derpy in the same manner.
"Shoot at me like you're trying to kill me!" they both said in unison, falling into peals of laughter.
"Now that's not fair, Twilight Sparkle!" cried Rarity in her whiny voice,  "I have no idea what either of you are saying!"
When Celestia did make her announcement, in which she told everypony about her marriage to Ignitus, the secret of Solus' birth, and his life story, to say that every jaw in Equestria dropped that day in response would not be much of an exaggeration.  She was very candid in her speech, giving the reasons for why she did what she did as well as the mistakes that she had made.  Several ponies who had been in her service for many years confirmed the truth of what she said.
At the banquet, Prince Solus was much more warmly received by the citizens of Equestria.  He was never one to enjoy being the center of attention, and although he was polite and friendly with everypony he met, he preferred to be in the company of Twilight.  When she introduced him to her friends and family, Solus not only knew their names but correctly identified some of their special talents and interests.  
Once, Twilight had found Celestia and Solus talking to each other in fluent Barbaroi.
"So you do know Raven's Wind!" Twilight confirmed.
"Of course!" replied Celestia, "She is a close, personal friend of mine.  Both she and her aunt Seraphim were guests of honor at my wedding. I told her all about you after you started attending my school, though I must confess it has been years since I last saw her.  I hope she was not too rough on you."
"Oh... not at all."
"Be honest with me Twilight."
"Okay, okay!  I wanted to smash her face in and gouge out her eyes!  But later on I understood what she was really trying to do."
"Well, I believe I can relate in some way to how you must have felt.  Each time I visit, Raven's Wind usually tests my hoof-to-hoof combat skills, so I know how much it hurts when she kicks you in the face (and I lost track of how many times she has thrown those knives of her’s at me).  By the way, how many children does she and Eagle's Talon have now?"
"Eight," said Solus, "With two grandchildren on the way.  She said that they were her proudest achievements."
"Indeed!" replied Celestia, impressed. "Perhaps it is time that we open diplomatic relations with The Unconquered, on a more official basis... "
Rarity suddenly appeared out of nowhere, "YES, I agree with you ENTIRELY, your Majesty, I saw some examples of the textiles that the Barbaroi produce and it is my expert opinion that... "
As the evening wore on, Twilight saw less and less of Prince Solus as he was pulled this way and that by ponies who wanted to meet him and be in his good graces.  After that, he was so overwhelmed with his new responsibilities, serving as ambassador to the nations of the earth, helping Shining Armor to train the Royal Guards, and attending party after party in his honor, that she rarely saw him.
Now she was back in Ponyville, and on her way to her own party with Spike riding on her back.  She watched the sunset as she walked, and remembered with fondness her time in the Village of the Moon, with Darklight.
Twilight had kept a relatively low profile since her return.  She was reluctant, and a little afraid, of how the ponies of Ponyville would react to her after all that she had done.  Would they forgive her?  Could they forget how afraid they had been?  Could she ever again be a part of Ponyville?
She was so much lost in her own thoughts that she didn't realize that she was approaching the location of the party.  Pinkie's party cannon, Rarity's magic fireworks, and the cheers of hundreds of ponies came response to her arrival and interrupted her thoughts.
"Thank you, Twilight Sparkle," said Mayor Mare, "For saving Ponyville and all of Equestria!" She was on the verge of commissioning a statue and declaring a town holiday in her honor, but Twilight said that was not necessary.
There were so many ponies there, all the ones she expected and some that she did not.  Many of the ponies were still sporting injuries from the conflict, so Pinkie Pie had the idea that everyone should come with bandages so no-pony would feel self conscious.  All of her friends were there, along with her parents, Shining Armor, and Princess Cadence (who was the royal representative to the party since Celestia and Luna could not make it).  In addition, and somewhat surprisingly, a large number of royal guards and Wonderbolts were also there.  
Derpy had come early and had received the same welcome.  Rarity had also made a party dress for her from the cloth that she had brought back from the Highlands.  It mattered more to Twilight that Derpy receive the recognition that she deserved. "None of this would have been possible without her," Twilight said, as often as she could.
There were plenty of apologies to go around.  Twilight apologized to Pinkie for the damage to her house, to the owners of the carts she had upset in the marketplace, to the guards she and Derpy had injured, and to Spitfire, Soarin, and Firestreak for knocking them out when they flew through her window.  Forgiveness came quickly though, and everypony was only trying to do what they thought was the right thing at the time.
A large movie screen had been set up, and when it had become dark enough everyone gathered to watch the slideshow.  The crowd in general didn't expect much from Derpy's pictures, and although they enjoyed seeing her smiling face with pretty Equestrian lands in the background, on the ocean in her pocket boat, and eating muffins, they were not that impressed at first.  Soon though, their reactions turned to open mouthed astonishment at not only the skill of the photography but at the bravery it must have taken to get those shots.  Even Twilight was astonished, she had no idea that Derpy had been taking some of those pictures.  They saw the Earth Golem Prototype, with both Twilight and Darklight fighting to give Derpy the chance to get away.  They saw Darklight in his workshop, making the glass statue he would eventually give to Twilight, along with his other beautiful and innovative creations.  Action pictures of Raven's Wind fighting a very angry Twilight (was I really that mad?) were juxtaposed with those of her with her family, with Twilight after the Golem fight, and in a group picture with the other Barbaroi leaders ("I must go there!" Rarity exclaimed when she saw their outfits).  Beautiful shots of the Village of the Moon, its inhabitants, and a picture from the back of Darklight and Twilight sitting close together with Darklight that made her friends suspicious of what was going on between them.  Twilight thought that the parting shots of the three of them with the defeated Golem would be the end of the pictures, but there were also action shots from the fight in Ponyville, scenes from inside The Doctor's police box with General Blade, and perhaps most astonishing of all, pictures of Prometheus and the Changelings.  There were several pictures of the second Earth Golem, close pictures of Derpy and Rainbow Dash in flight accelerating into the sonic rainboom ("I want copies of that one!" said R.D.), pictures of Chrysalis before and after her transformation, and finally, pictures of the conflicts in Princess Celestia's throne room from outside the windows.  When the slide show was over, Derpy received a standing ovation, and several job offers.
Not everyone had completely forgiven Derpy, at least not yet.  Rainbow Dash was still angry about her broken guitar, and still wore a head bandage out of medical necessity rather than to fit in at the party, so Derpy surprised her that evening with a new guitar, specially modified by The Doctor.  R.D. looked it over with little enthusiasm, then started playing.  Colors started to swirl about in the air around the guitar, and moved through the audience as the riffs became more epic, until finally, with one last amazing jam, there was a light show that perfectly simulated a sonic rainboom.  Rainbow Dash stood there, silent, and appreciating the sheer awesomeness of the moment.  Apology accepted.
"You know, Derpy," said Rainbow Dash, "I gotta say, that was some pretty awesome flying you did the other day (not quite as awesome as mine, but I'm not holding that against you).  So where did you learn those cool moves?"
Derpy was delighted, "Why, from the Muffin Goddess, silly!"
"Huh?"
When General Blade was not having a heated argument with Granny Smith about whether or not Seraphim should have won the baking contest years ago, he was having a heated debate with Spitfire about who was Equestria's finest: the Royal Guard or the Wonderbolts.  Evidence on both sides was presented, but oddly enough the conflict was resolved by Snips and Snails.
"Yeah, I heard you guys got your tails kicked by the town librarian and the village idiot!"
As one combined force, the Guards and the Wonderbolts drew their weapons and yelled "FOR CELESTIA!!" The two foolish ponies suddenly found themselves being chased by a horde of retribution.
"Show em the gates of Tartarus for me, boys!" Blade said as he egged them on.
"If you let the Guard show you up, I'll make you all fly laps until you drop!" added Spitfire. "By the way, I missed you, you crazy old fart."
"Come here and give me a hug before I kick your tail in a hoof wrestle," replied Blade.
Cadence, who had decided for her husband that he would not be a part of the Horde of Retribution, expressed her concern for the safety and longevity of Snips and Snails.
"No need to worry, Your Majesty," said Blade reassuringly, "They're just going to chase them a couple of times around the Everfree Forest.  Besides, lookin' death in the face builds character, I try to do it every day myself."
Pinkie Pie was wearing so many bandages that she looked like she had been mummified at Mare-di Gras.  She had caught Octavia in violation of the dress code.
"I was practicing my cello!" protested Octavia, "I don't see why I need to wear a bandage if I wasn't even there to witness it."
"Party rules!" replied Pinkie in a good natured voice, "Anypony who doesn't has to help me load the PARTY CANNON!"
"Now, honestly, is it really necessary to... "
"DO NOT QUESTION THE PARTY CANNON!!"
Rarity, who could make even head bandages look fashionable, had found an unwilling audience in Applejack.  A.J. had been too busy helping with the catering for the party, so she wrapped a single bandage around her hat in a 'meh, close enough' kind of way and called it good.
"... So after seeing those exquisite colors, I decided then and there that we absolutely MUST open up diplomatic relations immediately... "
"Yyyyep."
"... I mean, it would be a crime against fashion to allow such fabrics to remain hidden from the rest of the world.  Of course, the thread count is not quite up to my own personal standards, but that is just my point!  There would be a lot of good that would come out of this kind of cross-cultural dialog, wouldn't you agree?"
"Uuuuh-huh."
"... And I told Prince Solus that I would gladly volunteer my services, along with examples of my own creative works, towards this very important endeavor.  Well, then he said something about the difficulties of having direct talks with a pony nation surrounded by enemies of Equestria, but I really didn't pay much attention to that—take my advice, you can safely ignore most of what a stallion says as nonsense, although you should never let a stallion know that you don't care about what they were saying, did I ever give you that piece of advice?"
"Yep, but yer gonna tell me anyway.."
"And might I add that he certainly is a handsome stallion, and such a gentleman!  I said to myself: 'Now there is a stallion that knows how to treat a lady, he's not anything like his cousin Prince Blueblood (I shudder just thinking about him), and so bashful too!  It's so adorable to think... "
Spike was sitting nearby, and Rarity noticed that he was growing increasingly annoyed with all of the attention that she was paying to Prince Solus.
"Now don't you worry, my little Spikey-wikey," she said giving him an affectionate hug, "You know I am already spoken for."
Spike was the happiest dragon in the world, for about five seconds. "REAAAALLLLY?!... wait, by whom?"
The dance was well underway by that point.  General Blade was having a relatively quiet conversation with Shining Armor and Cadence.
"Okay, I'll admit that the two of you did score some points in my book for helping save Equestria from the apocalyptic rock monster, but if I EVER hear about changelings in Canterlot again I will... ah, I can't stay mad at you two.  By the way, I'm glad to see you working' together this whole mess, like I always say, there is no better way to strengthen marriages than annihilatin' the forces of evil together.  You know, seeing pictures of my niece made me think about my Seraphim again, now there was one amazing mare.  She could bake up the best muffins in the world, kick my tail in a knife fight, and still have enough energy to dance the night away.  Haven't had too many chances to do any dancing since my wife passed away, mind if I borrow yours?"
Vinyl Scratch was bored out of her mind.  It started when she saw the modifications The Doctor had made on Rainbow Dash's new guitar, and tried to talk him into modifying her sound system and bass cannon to do the same thing.  He had been really uncomfortable about giving out any more advanced technology than he had already done, but things quickly escalated out of control when Derpy misinterpreted Vinyl's actions as an advance on The Doctor and yelled "Hey!  Stay away from my fiancé!!" Always the easy going peacemaker, Vinyl told Derpy that she could request the next five songs, but to her own chagrin those songs turned out to be slow songs.                 
Twilight kept in the background a lot that evening, finding simple joy in watching her family and friends be themselves.  Ponyville was like one big family, she thought, full of a lot of ponies with quirky personalities that sometimes got on each other's nerves, but still created an atmosphere of acceptance, appreciation, and love.  She no longer felt like an outsider trying to find her place, she was a part of that family now.
Yet the family was incomplete.  Twilight watched Derpy as she slow danced with The Doctor.  He had been a bit nervous and self conscious at first dancing with her, but the affection that he felt for Derpy was showing through freely now.  Derpy herself looked very relaxed and happy, she had shown everypony who she really was, and what she was truly capable of.  She had found her place in the family as well, and she was with her very special somepony.  Twilight was happy for all of her success, but in one small way she was a little envious.  She wondered, with a touch of sadness, if she could be that happy herself.
"Hello, Twilight," said a quiet voice.
"AAAHHH!!... Oh, sorry Fluttershy.  I must still be a little jumpy after all that training I did with Raven's Wind and with you looking so much like her... "
"I'm sorry."
"No!  No-no, you don't have to worry, it's not your fault or anything, it's rather silly of me actually."
"Well," said Fluttershy with a smile, "If it helps, I promise I will never kick you in the face."
Twilight laughed, "Oh, you don't have to do that, I already know that you wouldn't.  You know, it's odd, but I think the two of you are alike in more ways than just appearance, I hope you get to meet her too someday."
"Maybe," Fluttershy said, again with a smile.
They watched the dance for a minute before Twilight spoke again, "I wanted to thank you for standing up for me, it took a lot of courage going against Thunder Chaser like you did." Twilight thought about telling her that Thunder Chaser was the newest addition to a long list of ponies who wanted to date Fluttershy, but she didn’t want to embarrass her.
"You don't have to thank me for that, it's what friends do.  Were you surprised?"
“Not at all, I knew you could do it.”
There was another pause, and Fluttershy asked, “So, is there somepony you wish were here right now?"
“Oh, well, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna couldn’t make it because they were too busy with the repairs in Canterlot, but Cadence was able to come and be the royal representative at the party.”
“Then, there is no pony else you wish could be here?”
Twilight sighed, “Alright, you got me.  It’s just... I don’t know what place I can have in his life now.  I mean, he’s the son of Princess Celestia, ambassador to the nations, and the newest “Equestria’s Most Eligible Bachelor”, and I’m just... the Ponyville librarian."
"I think he will make time for the ponies he really cares about."
Twilight's ears flattened. "He's standing right behind me, isn't he."
Fluttershy giggled, "Since about fifteen minutes ago."
Prince Solus stepped forward from the shadows.  He wore a palace uniform, and his formally unkempt mane had been cut and styled.  The scars he once wore on his body and cutie mark had been healed.
"I will go ahead and leave you two alone," said Fluttershy before she went back to the dance.
Twilight was beaming at him.  Then she frowned, and smacked him in the shoulder with her hoof.
Solus was a bit surprised. "Uh-oh, what'd I do?"
"That is for that comment you made to Derpy about looking like a marshmallow with a carrot top!" Twilight told him. "I think you should be proud of your family heritage."
"I am, I am, and I really shouldn't have said that.  The fact is, from all that I'm learning about my parents, I realize more and more that I have a long way to go myself."
"Well, I think you are a lot further along than you realize.  I guess I should congratulate you on becoming the 'Most Eligible Bachelor in Equestria'."
Solus scoffed at this, "Blueblood can have that title back because I am entirely the wrong pony to be called that, I usually bore everyone because all I can talk about is Barbaroi linguistics and the chemistry of magic infused dyes.  Besides, I'm hardly eligible anymore."
Twilight was feeling a little insecure though, and didn't catch the meaning behind the last comment, "I guess you are pretty busy now.  With all of your new responsibilities... I'm just glad you could find time to come here."
"I would go anywhere, if it meant I could have a dance with you."
"But isn't your true place with your family?"
"You are my family, and my place..." he said, "...Is with the mare that I love.  My place is with you, Twilight."
There was a lot more that they wanted to say.  They said it all, with a kiss.