The following chapter contains violence and mature subject matter. Reader discretion is strongly advised.

Goodbye Earth, hello Moon

Fancy meeting you so soon

I'm taking leave, taking flight

Leave the universe in light

Goodbye Sun, hello Void

Strap me to this asteroid

Shoot me far, throw me deep

Let me find the golden sleep

After Celestia had left the Throne Room, Ascentia began to meditate. After sensing that Twilight and Fluttershy were alive and safe, she had began to gather her thoughts, and regenerate her injuries. The increasing stench of the decaying corpse behind the throne was mildly unsettling, though she had lived far too long to be sensitive to death.

As she continued to meditate, the sound of footsteps drew closer to her from behind.

“Are you pleased with yourself?” General Xebre asked as he approached.

Ascentia stood up and turned to face him. General Xebre was as withered as he'd always been.

“Pleased?”

“Precisely. Through your own actions, you have doomed an entire race to violent extinction.”

“They would have been doomed through my inaction.”

“Quickly and painlessly. None of the equines you killed suffered any pain or discomfort in the slightest. Now they must suffer slowly.”

“You disgust me.”

“You act as if you and I are not one in the same.  You could have simply done your job and exterminated this planet.”

“I was not trained to murder the innocent!”

“But you were trained to follow orders. Or... is that really the cause of your resistance?”

“What are you talking about?”

“I've watched you plan your assault. The way you speak to that child, converse with her of the nature of life, and of higher things such a mortal could fail to understand.”

“She is wiser than you give her credit for.”

“Is she? Or was big, tough, Master Ascentia Kortai taken in by the lovely puppy dog eyes of a cute little girl?”

“What?” Ascentia asked with an eyebrow raised.

“You protect this unicorn like she is your own apprentice. Like a mother would to a daughter. You see her as a young mind worth nurturing. Such affection is wasted on mortals.”

“We are all mortal. Nobody lives forever.”

“Our lifespan covers billions of years. Their lifespan covers less than two centuries. What do you really want from her?”

Ascentia turned away from him and looked back out the shattered window, and over to the corpse of Princess Luna.

“Oh... I see. Do you hope the Grand Lord will see her potential and permit you to train her as a Val'Kyr? Do you hope to have your own apprentice toddling after you? Eager to learn from a wise Master?”

“Twilight already has a teacher, and an apprentice of her own, such an idea is absurd.”

“Then tell me... what words of comfort did you give her, before you sent her to her doom?”

Ascentia whipped around to face him.

“Speak, Xebre. And quickly.”

“You did not really think a single mortal could sneak into an occupied town unnoticed, did you?”

“Why not simply take her, then?”

“Hyperbole is not your strong suit, Ascentia. We do not blunder around and smash buildings over like a radioactive monstrosity. There is a certain amount of finesse in what we do.”

Ascentia became a blur as she dashed forward, grabbed Xebre and pinned him to the wall.

“I tire of your cryptic mannerisms. Tell me what you know!”

Xebre simply laughed and vanished, leaving Ascentia gripping air. She slammed her fist against the wall of the throne room in anger, before offering apologies to the two pegasi on the other side, who's mating had been interrupted by the tall creature smashing down their quarters wall.

Twilight and Fluttershy led Pound Cake out of Ponyville and to the old castle in the Everfree Forest. As they neared the outskirts of the forest, there was a rustling sound behind them, making them jerk around.

“Fluttershy, take Pound and head into the forest!”

“But... I”

“NOW!” Twilight screamed.

Fluttershy was silenced instantly and she grabbed Pound and ran into the forest, tears streaming down her eyes as she went.

Twilight looked around, using her magic to enhance her senses. The leaves behind her rustled again, and she blasted the bush with magic. Nothing.

Twilight jerked around several times, still seeing nothing, but hearing everything.

“SHOW YOURSELF YOU COWARD!” She shouted.

Immediately, a robed figure materialized in front of her.

“And here I thought we were having fun,” it smirked before drawing it's sword.

Sensing the immediate future, Twilight teleported out of the way just before the Val'Kyr's sword impaled the ground she had been standing on. Reacting quickly, Twilight gathered her energy, while teleporting around to avoid similar strikes.

The sound of buzzing and a dizzy feeling in her head caused her to let lose her energy, as a large blast of purple energy went streaking towards the Val'Kyr.

“Oh...” it said before the blast collided with it's body.

What happened next was something Twilight hoped she would never see again.

The Val'Kyr let out a painful and chilling scream as it was knocked to the ground. It's flesh had begun to burn away, giving off a foul odour that burned Twilight's nostrils. She clamped her hooves over her ears, trying to block out that terrible sound as she cast a glance over to see the Val'Kyr with it's skull visible to her eyes.

It looked at her. It's expression read “What have you done to me?”

Then it's scream died down to strangled gurgles as it rolled over and lay motionless.

It was at that moment that Ascentia teleported in right next to her.

“Twilight, I could sense you were under...” she was cut short as she cast a glance to the remains of one of her brethren.

Ascentia's expression was one of shock. No, not shock. It was of horror. She was horrified at what she was witnessing.

“How... how did you...”

Twilight didn't say a word. She picked up her saddlebags and quietly headed after Fluttershy and Pound Cake.

Ascentia kneeled down next to the Val'Kyr, looking into her now destroyed eyes. The Val'Kyr lifted a hand to grasp her's, as it spoke.

“Master...”

“Nhix... why are you here?”

“Master... how... does that creature... know?”

“She is powerful. Very powerful. And you underestimated her.”

Nhix looked into Ascentia's eyes, before her own rolled back into her skull and she fell lifeless into the grass. Ascentia laid her head down, and placed her fingertips onto her forehead. She muttered a few words in Latin, and Nhix's body began to break into tiny particles of light and fade into the air.

The group had set up camp on a cliff that overlooked most of Eastern Equestria. Ascentia had set the planet to rotate on it's own for a short time, as Celestia's grief had drained most of her strength. As the moon began to rise, Fluttershy approached the Val'Kyr, who was perched on the cliff's edge.

“Um... Miss Ascentia?”

“Do not refer to me as Miss.”

“Oh, I'm sorry...”

“Not necessary. What can I do for you?”

“I was just wondering... what's wrong with Princess Celestia?”

Ascentia cast a glance over to Celestia, who's tear streaks had become very visible on her muzzle.

“Your princess is dealing with a great loss. I think she is only now coming to terms with reality.”

“I don't understand...” Fluttershy replied.

“Let me ask you, Fluttershy,” Ascentia continued, looking back out to the horizon, “What do you think this conflict is?”

“Well... aren't we going to make the bad guys go away?”

“Bad guys... how quaint,” Ascentia said with a chuckle, “Fluttershy, this is not a conflict of good and evil. Such things do not exist. We are dealing with ignorance in it's purest form.”

“Ignorance?” Fluttershy had never heard such a word.

“The abandonment of rational thought for pure conviction,” Ascentia explained, “That your ideals are the only right path, and damn whomever you must slaughter to achieve those ideals. The fear to admit one's mistakes.”

Fluttershy sat down next to her, “I don't understand...”

“I know of your other conflicts. But trust me when I say this. Xebre has no interest in causing an eternal state of time, or dominating a country, or toying with the laws of physics. He seeks to exterminate your kind in the most painful way possible.”

Ascentia looked Fluttershy in the eye, “People, and ponies, will die. They will not go home at the end of the day and forget it a week later. Some of you will die. And that is very permanent for your kind.”

Only now did it dawn on Fluttershy. If they couldn't beat this one, that was it. This wasn't like with Nightmare Moon, or Discord, or Chrysalis. They couldn't use the Element of Harmony, because Pinkie was...

“...Oh...” Fluttershy whispered, it now clicking in her mind.

Fluttershy looked back at Twilight, who was snuggled up to Pumpkin Cake as they slept. Pound was poking the fire with a stick. Celestia was quietly crying. She saw the reality before her. They were miserable. Their homes had been taken from them, and they had been marked for death.

“What did you think this was, Fluttershy? Some Saturday morning cartoon?” Ascentia asked before standing up and looking back over the horizon.

As Fluttershy turned to leave, she felt the flat side of Ascentia's sword on her shoulder, stopping her.

“I'm sorry.”

“What?” Fluttershy asked.

“Had it not been for me, none of this would have happened.”

“I don't understand...”

“When I first came here 15 years ago, I could sense sentient life. I should have turned around and reported my mission impossible... but I didn't. I was fully aware that you were intelligent... and I slaughtered you anyway.”

At this, Celestia's eyes opened and she looked over at Ascentia as she spoke.

“It is because of me that Xebre looks to slaughter you now. But I still do not see why. Why does he obsess over this one planet? A planet that has managed to heal itself in the time since I left. What is it that draws him here to-”

“You bastard...”

Ascentia and Fluttershy whipped around to see Celestia staring at them, eyes glowing bright white.

“Princess?” Fluttershy asked, “Are yo-”

Fluttershy was cut off when Ascentia knocked her aside as a white hot blast of energy rocketed from Celestia's horn, right where the both of them had been standing. Ascentia parried it after knocking Fluttershy out of harm's way.

The sound of her spell had been enough to wake Twilight and Pumpkin, and knock Pound Cake out of his daydream.

“All of this is your fault... I'LL KILL YOU!”

Celestia charged at Ascentia full force, knocking her sword from her hands and slamming her into the ground. Before she could impale her on her horn, Ascentia grabbed her face and flipped them both, pinning her to the grass.

“I am not your enemy!”

“LIAR!”

Celestia shot another blast from her horn, throwing Ascentia off of her and colliding into a rock wall, which cracked from the impact. She charged again, this time managing to impale the dazed Val'Kyr in the shoulder.

Ascentia screamed as a white hot, searing pain shot through her arms and shoulder, the cracks in her claw glowing red hot. Celestia pulled back and lined her horn up again with the writing Val'Kyr, eager to deliver the deathblow.

“STOP!”

The shout was so loud it caused a ringing in her eardrums. Celestia stumbled for a moment, dazed. She turned around, and her eyes widened.

Princess Luna was glaring at her.

“Sister... how...”

“Those creatures are as manipulative as they are evil,” Luna said calmly, “They can craft highly effective illusions. They wanted to break you.”

Luna stepped past Celestia and looked down at the writhing Val'Kyr at her hooves.

“This is our world,” she said quietly, yet firmly, “If you truly fight for our kind, you will follow the commands of their rulers. Do we make ourselves clear?”

Ascentia was unable to respond.

“I will deal with you later,” Luna said, turning away, “Twilight Sparkle, Pumpkin Cake, tend to her wound. I want her alive and battle ready.”

As Twilight and Pumpkin rushed over to Ascentia, Luna turned to Celestia.

“Thou has disappointed us, Sister,” she said, “Thou has struck out in cold blood. To kill.”

“But... I...”

“No more,” Luna cut her off, “We understand thine pain. But such pain is no longer necessary. Thou was deceived by a mere illusion, one we shall explain later. But for now we shall rest. Tomorrow... Equestria is at war.”

At some time around 6 o-clock in the morning, Ascentia finally came to, to see Fluttershy looking at her. As soon as it was made clear that she was awake, Fluttershy... er... Fluttershied all over her.

“Oh thank goodness, you're awake,” she gushed, “I thought something really awful had happened to you.”

Ascentia looked around to see that she was lying in a makeshift bed in Twilight's old library. How they had snuck her in was a still unanswered question.

“Here, I put together some soup. You must be starved,” Fluttershy replied, setting a bowl down by her head.

Ascentia looked over to Twilight, “Is she always like this?”

“Only to non-ponies,” Twilight giggled.

Ascentia lifted herself into a sitting position, instantly regretting it. A sharp pain shot through her arm as Celestia's wound angrily shouted it's presence.

“Oh no, you really should lay down,” Fluttershy replied, “That arm's not ready to lift anything.”

Ascentia examined her own shoulder to see a cauterized disfigurement taking up most of her shoulder real-estate. She also noticed that she was no longer wearing her tunic. Instead, she had bandages wrapped around her torso. Her robes and cloak hanging on a hook nearby.

“Fluttershy, did you do all of this yourself?” Ascentia asked.

“Well, Twilight lifted you in,” Fluttershy replied, “I couldn't lift you. You're too heavy.”

Despite Ascentia's smirk, Fluttershy instantly became apologetic.

“Oh, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to say you were heavy or-”

“Fluttershy, relax. I weigh 180 pounds, hardly heavy for my kind, but you barely come up to my shin. It makes sense you could not lift me on your own.”

Fluttershy's apologies died down into tiny squeaks as she walked off to make more soup for everyone.

“That one is quite adorable,” Ascentia remarked.

“She's like a syrup flood,” Pumpkin said with a laugh, before being knocked in the head by Twilight.

At that moment, Princess Celestia came through the door. She trotted right up to Ascentia and looked at her with a stern expression... before bowing her head in shame.

“I'm sorry,” she said, “I should not have lost control. It was-”

For the fourth time that day, Ascentia held up a hand to silence her.

“I am a strange creature, who's brethren have come to kill your kind. You thought they had killed your sister. It makes perfect sense that you had become hostile.”

Celestia held a flat expression for a few moments before turning to Twilight, “I thought you were going to make her stop doing that.”

“She just woke up, Princess. I haven't had a chance to talk to her yet,” Twilight replied, continuing to flip through her book.

Celestia bowed to her former student and left. Ascentia motioned for Twilight to sit next to her. She obliged and Ascentia scratched her behind the ear.

“Thank you.”

“What for?” Twilight asked.

“I could sense that you wanted to tell your Princess to stop after she impaled my shoulder,” Ascentia replied, “Thank you. Were we in any other position, I would have been proud to call you a brother.”

“I'm female.”

“Irrelevant. Women can be brothers too.”

“But how could I be a brother to you? We're not even the same species?”

“Then you are both a brother and a pony.”

They looked at each other for a moment, before Ascentia broke the silence.

“There should really be a word for that.” Next Chapter: One Truth Estimated time remaining: 53 Minutes