The sun was just beginning to set over the great trees of the Everfree Forest. All was quiet in the Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters, an ancient ruin forgotten by many. It was too quiet, in fact; where were the birds, the bugs, the beasts? They had all fled before the enigmatic entity that now resided within.

At the entrance, a single grey unicorn strode along the tall grass and loose cobblestones. He wore a thick black coat, his silver mane hanging slightly over his eyes and a big black box swaying from his necklace. Floating just in front of him was a long, thick blade with a couple small holes near the handle, a rag wiping it clean.

Mane moved leisurely, in no hurry. He didn’t expect Silma to be finished just yet. He was relishing the thought of his coming victory, and saw no reason to rush to it. Why hasten through his happiness?

You have come.

He didn’t stop walking, making his way to a tall plinth. “Yes, I’m here. I thought you would like to know that the small army of mindless drones we’ve assembled have arrived.”

He walked up some stairs so he might better view the top of the plinth. There, floating a few feet above it, was a pair of thick gemstones, one yellow, one blue. They were kept carefully apart from one another, a powerfully bright orange glow surrounding them.

They are hidden around the city, then?

“They await only our orders.”

Very good, Mane. I can feel Riptide. It rests comfortably, it would seem.

Mane touched at his forehead gently, a slight frown on his lips. “It doesn’t like what we are doing. I can sense its anger.”

It is under our control now. We have nothing to fear.

“I wish I could share your confidence,” he muttered, glancing about as if expecting the beast to attack at any moment.

Worry not, my comrade: the time to strike will be very soon.

He eyed the gems intensely, trying to gauge their power. “Very soon as in a few days? A few weeks?”

Very soon as in “a few minutes.”

Mane Archon took a cautious step back, the resonating voice echoing through the night. “Silma?”

The orange glow of the gems suddenly intensified to such a degree that Mane was forced to shield his eyes. He grimaced at the brightness, but after a few seconds it began to dim. He lowered his leg to see the light slowly taking on a physical shape.

“At last…” Silma’s deep, powerful voice called from the form. “…at long last! I am whole again!”

The shape began to form something familiar… a tall, slender pony rearing back. Legs thinned, solidified. A long horn began to stretch from a face of pure light. Hair grew long, billowing wildly in a nonexistent wind. And wings… huge, powerful wings of brilliance like Mane had never witnessed before. The light dimmed, shimmered, grew dark. Silma landed atop the pillar and fell to her knees, breathing deep from exhaustion.

Mane could only stare in quite awe. He’d seen many things in his interdimensional travels, but this was truly a first: a crystal alicorn. Her body shimmered black, then white, then black again. Every motion made her reflective body shift between the two, as if she were made of a thousand tiny mirrors. Her long, beautiful mane flowed like pitch black water, literally appearing to drip off her shoulders and back. After a few awed seconds she raised her elegant head, turning it to face him with powerful white eyes.

“Wow.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” Silma declared without the slightest hint of a smile. She stood to her full height, revealing her to be immensely tall. She stretched her wings, testing them, the feathers shimmering between dark and light. As they rose high he at last caught a glimpse of her cutie mark: it was half a sun and half a moon, joined together to make a single great orb.

“So,” Mane whispered as he sat to watch her test her new body, “this is what you look like. I’ve never seen a crystal princess before.”

Her wings snapped closed. She turned to him, head held high and eyes sharp. “I am no princess, Archon.”

“No?” He eyed her with wonder. “Then what are you?”

“I am Silma Ril!” The gemstones floated to either side of her, basking her in their powerful orange glow. “Owner of the Ancient Stones. Goddess of Order. Ruler of all the lands which pony eyes have beheld. I, I am an empress!”

He couldn’t help it: he was intimidated. But not enough to be cowed, not yet. He stood up to face her properly. “You’re no empress yet, princess. Not until we’ve taken over Equestria.”

A bolt of energy zapped from the crystal pony, hitting Mane so hard he literally went flying. He smacked into a crumbling wall of the castle and dropped onto the grass, the sword he’d been keeping close landing nearby. “What was that for!?” he jumped to his hooves, wincing at the pain. “I’m on your side, damn you!” The sword arose and pointed at her threateningly while a pair of large, metallic golden claws rose up from under his coat like vast scorpion tails.

“I am an empress, Archon,” Silma declared regally, not at all intimidated by his weaponry. “Do not insult me with such an inferior title again.”

“I will not play the underdog to your ego,” he snarled.

For several tense minutes they stared one another down, each waiting for the other to make a move. The ruins were filled with an intense silence, as if the world itself awaited the coming duel.

And then Silma fluffed her wings in a showing of indifference. “This is pointless. If either of us dies, Riptide will be uncontrollable.”

Archon remained poised for a few more seconds, but then sighed and sat in the grass, the sword disappearing in a flash of light and the two tails disappearing under his coat. “Considering his fury at being tamed, I doubt he’d go easy on the world. No point in ruling a dead land.”

Silma nodded. “Though it is disagreeable to us both, we must remain partners. Let’s try to keep things civil between us, shall we?”

“Lets.” He eyed her for a moment unpleasantly. “At the very least I can say my co-ruler is a beauty.”

The alicorn turned away from him and, shimmering wings opening wide, floated off the plinth to the grass below. The two glowing gemstones followed her down. “I thought you above such petty considerations.”

“Pardon me,” he replied coolly, approaching. “I am glad you wish to rule from the Crystal Palace.”

“As am I,” she acknowledged with equal displeasure. “You say the subjects are prepared to move?”

“Yes,” he replied, “but you’ve only just regained your body. Do you need time to get… reacquainted? It has been some 1,500 years, after all.”

She took a long, deep breath, seeming to savor the simple pleasure of breathing. “It has been so long since I enjoyed fresh air… but I would prefer the groveling of my former students. No, Archon, let us advance immediately. I will remember what to do as we are proceeding.”

“So be it,” he agreed, turning rigidly to the woods. “To Canterlot.”

Silma’s eyes grew wicked, a sinister grin coming upon her lips. “To the Royal Pony Sisters.”

Fine Crime was doing something that, just over a week ago, he’d have considered unusual: he was going for a stroll through town.

Who was he kidding? It still felt unusual. With every step he had to fight the urge to hide in a corner, or teleport onto a roof, or any of a hundred other ways he knew to escape public view. It wasn’t that he was scared or nervous, it was just… him. Yet he had promised himself that he would make a solid attempt at living a bit more of a normal life, and that started with getting over his habit of sneaking around everywhere he went.

It also meant going out to actually visit his friends every now and again, hence the primary reason for this little stroll. He still wasn’t used to the idea of having friends, though. The thought had once been his equivalent of a naughty word. Now he had eleven of them, not including a certain Princess he worked for, and it seemed like a big jump.

He was out a little late today – or by his habits a little early – with the sun just creeping down the horizon. Most ponies ignored him as they made their way home. He didn’t mind; even though he’d been living near Ponyville for months, he hadn’t exactly been around much. Most of the ponies here surely didn’t recognize him. He wondered if he shouldn’t introduce himself properly later… then again, Pinkie was probably planning some sort of welcoming party. She was running a little later on that than her usual, if rumors were to be believed.

“Well, look who’s come to mingle among the commoners,” a familiar, friendly voice called.

Fine turned about to find Jimmy Stone approaching with a picnic basket on his back. He was followed closely by Twilight Sparkle, Octavia Melody and Rarity. “Well, look who’s the proficient lady-killer,” Fine countered with a grin.

Twilight came to an abrupt halt, eyes narrowing. “Excuse me?”

“He’s joking,” Octavia explained, rolling her eyes.

“Oh I don’t know,” Rarity offered with a giggle and a wink at Jimmy, “this one might be qualified.”

Jimmy tilted his head with an exasperated sigh. “Right, Nye’s totally rubbing off on me. Jim the tail-chaser, that’s me.”

Fine chuckled and gestured to the picnic basket. “Well I see you’re enjoying your vacation.”

“Last day,” Jimmy confirmed. “Honestly, I’ll be glad to be back at work.”

“Alright,” Twilight declared, shooting a knowing smile at Fine, “I know better, but I’m gonna ask the question again anyway: and what do you do for a living, Fine?”

“Oh do tell,” Rarity urged with a grin.

“I have been wondering,” Octavia noted. “You work for Luna, obviously, but in what capacity?”

“He won’t tell us,” Jimmy reminded them, “but I am wondering how the heck you could afford that huge house, Fine.”

He cast a glance at each of them, his mind going through all the possible answers he’d imagined up in the past. At last he grinned and replied, “I’m the leader of the Dark Archons of Equestria.”

They all facefaulted at once.

“Knew he wouldn’t answer the question honestly,” Twilight muttered, though she was still smiling. In fact none of them seemed offended by the claim; they were all used to his ridiculous answers.

“Why won’t you answer that question honestly?” Jimmy asked.

Fine waved a dismissive hoof, his expression smug. “Maybe at some point I did and you just didn’t believe me.”

“Right,” Twilight added with a ‘I give up’ expression, “like the one where you said you were the creator incarnate?”

“Or a weapons dealer?” Jimmy threw in.

“How about the one where you were a repo pony for illegal organs?” Octavia mentioned haughtily.

“Oh, I know,” Rarity joked, “it’s the host stallion one, that’s it isn’t it?”

“I sorta like that one, myself,” Fine admitted, striking a pose he knew didn’t flatter his appearance one bit. “Sorry ladies, I’m booked for the night.”

Twilight, at last properly getting into the jovial nature of the conversation, threw a jab of her own. “Like any mare would pay for that.”

“Where are you headed, anyway?” Jimmy asked. “You usually don’t come all the way to Ponyville unless you’re gonna visit somepony.”

“Sugarcube Corner.”

“Sugarcube Corner?” Octavia echoed, sharing a confused look with the others. “You’re going to visit Pinkie Pie?”

“What’s wrong with Pinkie?” Fine asked.

“Nothing at all,” Twilight replied honestly. “It’s just… given your history she’s not the first pony we’d expect you to visit.”

“Normally I’d agree. Usually I target Fluttershy…” He winced. “’Target’ sounds so inappropriate in my head.”

Rarity and Twilight exchanged smug glances. “Inappropriate?” Rarity pressed sweetly. “In what way?”

But Fine shook his head with a weak smile. “You… wouldn’t believe the truth. Trust me.”

“That’s only going to make them want to know more,” Jimmy warned with a grin.

Fine glowered at him. “Look, if I…”

All ears perked up as a new sound interrupted the stillness of dusk. It was a rumbling noise, growing steadily louder, and it seemed to be coming from everywhere at once. They all turned circles, searching for the source even as the rumbling increased to a thunderous crashing cacophony!

“What the hay is that?” Jimmy demanded, having to shout over the noise.

Ponies were beginning to come out of their homes to investigate. The sound of a pot crashing to the earth brought their attention to the buildings themselves, which were visibly shaking! A few seconds and extra decibels later and the ground was rumbling beneath their hooves.

“I-Is it some sort of earthq-q-quake?” Octavia offered fretfully, fighting to keep her balance.

“I-i-impossible!” Twilight declared through chattering teeth. “T-t-this isn’t a-a fa-fa-fault z-z-z-zone…!”

Fine dropped to his knees to keep from falling entirely, closing his eyes and covering his ears as the sound intensified to painful levels. For a few nervous seconds nopony moved or spoke; they just lay there and waited for the earth to stop shaking. But it wouldn’t; almost a whole minute went by with no change.

Jimmy let out a shout, his voice just barely audible over the cacophony. “What in the name of Celestia is that thing!?”

Fine opened his eyes to spot a vibrating Jimmy lying sprawled on his side, eyes up towards the eastern horizon. He turned his head, hooves still over his ears, and saw something he’d never anticipated in all his years: a massive wall of scales. The thing literally appeared to be over three-hundred feet tall, and it slid across the earth towards Ponyville at an alarming speed. Trees were being crushed in its path like toothpicks, its vast slithery motions resembling those of a snake.

Fine understood, even as his mind was freezing in terror. His heart nearly stopped as he recognized those vast purple scales. It was impossible… after twenty five years, he knew it was impossible. The one thing that had kept him safe was the land…

The gargantuan body didn’t quite reach Ponyville; instead it stopped nearby, the body moving along past the town as if intentionally bypassing it. Fine’s wide eyes followed the scaly mass, mouth open a he struggled to breath through his growing terror. It couldn’t be… it couldn’t possibly be… this was a dream. He had to be dreaming. “L-L-Lun-na…?”

The body was making its way to Canterlot. He saw something rising in the far distance, something huge and menacing in its anger: a dragon’s head, long and sleek and with a mouth glistening with tree-sized fangs.

He saw his mother, horn missing, blood drifting over her in the sea.

He saw fangs closing around her.

He saw hungry eyes watching him from murky depths.

He didn’t know he was screaming, or running. All he knew was the terror of truth: it was on land. It had eaten his mother. It was back for him.

He would never be safe.

Celestia and Luna were in the Canterlot Gardens, having just traded royal duties for the evening, when the beast had come. They had watched in abject shock as the gigantic snake-like monster had slithered its way right past Ponyville and up to Canterlot, crushing everything beneath its impossible mass. Now it had paused, head reared back hundreds of feet above them and eyeing the castle with a furious, hungry gaze.

“What in mother’s name is that thing!?” Celestia cried, landing on four hooves now that the shaking had ceased.

“By the moon’s gentle light,” Luna whispered, landing next to her sister, “Fine was telling the truth all along…”

They stood still, staring up at the creature in silence even as their royal guards clambered to form a protective circle around them. But the beast, despite having a mouth large enough to devour a few airships in one gulp, didn’t attack. Indeed it didn’t seem to move at all. It just stared down at the castle and city, seeming to wait for something to happen.

“Is it going to attack?” Luna asked nopony in particular.

“I have no idea,” Celestia admitted, “but we can’t just stand her gawking!” She cast a commanding glance to the captain of the guards. “Marshal everything in Canterlot immediately. Every unit, every soldier! And send word for reinforcements from anywhere we can get them, highest priority!”

“Y-yes ma’am!” The captain saluted, wide eyes still on the giant beast as he departed.

“You don’t intend to attack that thing, do you?” Luna whispered in her ear.

“Not if I can help it,” she whispered back, gazing up at the monster’s fangs with wide eyes. “It looks as if it might wipe out the entire city just by sliding on top of us! No… no we must… we must lure it away.”

“I’m sorry to say that won’t work.”

The sister’s turned abruptly towards the voice. At first they saw nothing… but then somepony appeared from the bushes. He approached, ignoring the guards who turned on him with weapons raised, and bowed politely. “It has been a very long time, Celestia.”

Celestia blinked and took a cautious step forward. She studied the stallion carefully even as she kept one eye on the giant above them all. “Not that we have time for this, but do I know you?”

“You thought you did once,” he declared, standing up to his full height and giving her an ominous glare. “You accepted my help, as much as you hated to, and my organization helped Equestria find harmony. If only I’d been around for a little longer, history might have been very different.”

Suddenly he had her full attention. She gazed upon him with wide eyes, clearly not believing what she was seeing. “…Archon? Mane Archon?”

Luna, her attention still largely focused on the massive monster, spoke up. “You know him, sister?”

“Y…yes…” she admitted. “Archon… we thought you were dead! How can you be here? The accident occurred over 700 years ago.”

“Not dead, just missing. But now I’m back,” he added, looking up at the monster, “and I brought some friends.”

Celestia glanced at the mysteriously quiet beast, its furious yellow eyes glaring daggers at the castle. “You mean you brought this thing here!? What is it, Mane?”

“The means to victory,” Mane Archon replied, his voice suddenly serious. “And your defeat.”

“Defeat?” Celestia struck an aggressive pose, her guards all doing the same. Luna’s head tilted sideways to observe Mane properly for the first time. “We were allies, Mane. Why would you seek to defeat me?”

“Allies.” He spat the word as if it left a nasty taste in his mouth. “You were always so naïve, Celestia. If that accident hadn’t knocked me through the rifts I’d have become King, and you’d have never noticed the knife until it was twisting in your heart.”

The Princess of the Sun reared her head back, eyes flashing white-hot with anger. “So you were treacherous from the very beginning. I knew it was wrong to trust you.”

“Don’t forget,” Luna whispered into her ear, “he does have a giant snake… dragon.”

Mane’s ear twitched, and he grinned wickedly. “That’s right, I do. And unless you want Riptide to lay waste to Equestria I suggest you surrender to us immediately.”

The fury in Celestia’s face was so intense that even her guards took a cautious step away. “You dare… Equestria would never submit to such tactics. I have not forgotten, Archon: you were a weak mage. If you can tame this beast, so can we.”

Mane’s smile didn’t fade even as the grass beneath Celestia’s hooves withered from her burning anger. “Oh… I didn’t tame the beast. Not on my own, at least. I had an accomplice.” He turned his attention high up to Riptide’s face. “I think you’ve met.”

A flash of light, so bright it made even Celestia glance away, announced the magical arrival of somepony else. The sisters turned to address this new threat, but all they could see was a dot atop the nose of the ever-still monster. The dot leapt into the air and began to glide down, slowly approaching the Gardens.

“I will handle this newcomer,” Luna offered quietly, her horn shimmering with the tiniest of magical auras. “You handle Archon.”

“I won’t argue,” Celestia agreed, casting a scathing glance at him. But then she heard Luna suck in a sharp breath of alarm, and when she looked again her anger died in an instant, along with her scorching magical aura.

“Hello, my little ponies,” the crystal alicorn called politely as she landed softly in the grass before them. “It is so good to see you both once more.”

There was no way to properly describe Celestia’s emotions. They were something of a mix between astonishment, disbelief and, overshadowing it all like a vice, terror. “S…Silma…?”

“That’s not possible…” Luna whispered, taking a horrified step back. “We saw you die…”

“And I’m certain that was very painful for you,” Silma noted kindly, but then her voice grew dark. “I assure you it hurt me far more than it hurt you.”

Celestia, unwilling to take her eyes off Silma, called out. “Archon, do you even know who this is!?”

“Of course I know,” he answered.

“I told him all about our history,” Silma Ril admitted. She placed a hoof to her glistening, reflective chest. “Your betrayal burned a hole in my heart. I feel it to this day.”

“We never betrayed you,” Luna snapped, taking a daring step forward. “It was you who betrayed the world!”

“Little Luna,” Silma replied dotingly. “Still the underachiever, if what I’ve heard is correct; always cowering in your sister’s shadow.”

Luna’s eyes flared white. “I do not cower!”

“That’s not what I remember,” Silma noted, her tone still sweet. “What about you, Celestia, my star pupil? Do you remember Luna clinging to your tail?”

Celestia sneered and stepped forward to stand resolutely with her sibling. “You will not divide us, Silma! We bested you once, we can do it again.”

“Such determination,” Mane Archon offered, still standing far to the right of the Princesses. “It’s almost admirable.”

“Not at all,” Silma replied without so much as a glance his way. She flicked a hoof through her lightless mane, all pleasantness gone. “Dear Celestia, I have no need to divide the two of you. Once through treachery you defeated me, but now you stand no chance.”

Luna rose into the air abruptly, eyes shining like beacons and mane flaring. “We shall see!” Her horn shined bright, and a thin blue beam of energy streamed from its tip.

Silma sneered, her own eyes fading black. Abruptly appearing from within her mane, the Life of Earth and the Light of Day floated forward. The beam of energy struck something solid, an invisible shield that seemed to directly absorb the magical attack.

“Luna, stop!” Celestia’s warning was too late: a massive ball of white energy burst from the protective barrier and hurtled itself directly into Luna, erupting in a shower of sparkling energy. Luna collapsed to the ground with a pained cry, smoke rising from her chest.

The soldiers surrounding the Princesses let out furious cries and attacked even as Celestia called for them to stop, but they were too angered to listen. She extended her wings, ready to join the fray, but just as she was about to leap something huge crashed into the soil before her. It was a massive, spiked ball that glowed with an unnatural blue aura. Celestia turned to see a long chain attached to it, coming from Mane Archon’s coat.

“Oh no you don’t, Princess,” he declared gleefully, rushing at her just as a massive sword emerged from his coat. “You and I will play, first!”

Celestia sneered and, with a thought, lifted him off his hooves. “You. You are nothing.” And with that she sent him flying like a rag doll across the gardens. She jumped high, landing atop the massive ball, and was horrified at the sight of all her guards frozen in red crystals. Silma Ril was nowhere to be seen.

“That was a disappointing display.”

Celetia started to turn around, but before she even saw Silma she felt the burn and was sent flying. She landed hard in the grass among the crystals, grunting in pain. When she looked up she was staring straight into the eyes of one of the soldiers, his face frozen in fury but fear apparent in his eyes. Those crystals…

She rose to her hooves, ignoring the pain in her side where the spell had hit, and turned to glare at her opponent atop the giant orb. “So it was you all along,” she muttered angrily. “You helped Sombra in the Crystal Empire… and you assisted Tazel in Nildia, too. You’ve been behind it all. Why, Silma!?”

Silma grinned, pale and dark surfaces reflecting strangely in the light of the two gemstone that floated ominously on both sides of her. “Why, to buy time to find my stones, of course. You hid them well, Celestia, but it was only a matter of time.”

The stones. Celestia took a terrified step back, at last recognizing them. “No…”

“Yes,” Silma interrupted, “they are with me, back where they belong. And now I’m going to use them to rebuild my empire. With your help of course.”

“I would never help you.”

“Oh little Tia.” Silma rolled her eyes with an amused smile. “You were my prized student, but somehow always missed the obvious. You’ll help me, we both know it.”

The stones glowed brightly, and abruptly a ring of yellow energy surrounded the Sun Princess. Before Celestia could respond the ring enclosed upon her, and she couldn’t resist screaming at the pain.

Silma took on an apologetic tone. “Of course, after your betrayal you understand that I just can’t trust you like I once did, so I’ll have to… ‘re-educate’ you. Just a little.”

Celestia tried to cast her magic, to defend herself in some way, but the intense pain made it impossible to concentrate. She fought to calm her mind and focus, but the pale blast of energy that finally fired from her horn only fizzled uselessly against Silma’s shield. Tears in her eyes, the Princess of the Sun collapsed to the ground. “Si…Silma… stop…”

“I know it hurts,” Silma offered. “Think of me as a mother: I punish you to teach you a lesson, Celestia. Nothing more. It is an act of love.”

Celestia struggled to raise her head through the pain. She gazed up and saw her sister hovering high in the air above Silma. Her eyes shined with anger as she cast another beam at their seemingly unaware opponent… only for the beam to bounce off the shield and embed itself harmlessly in a nearby tree.

“Oh yes, there’s still the matter of Luna,” Silma noted, turning her head to eye the Moon Princess. “I have everything I need to make my rule final… with one exception.”

In an instant Celestia knew of what her former teacher spoke, and the thought filled her with terror. “Luna!” She fought to stand, to catch her sister’s attention. “Luna, go! You’re the one she wants!”

Luna, startled by her sister’s outburst, barely dodged the blue wall of light that had been fired at her. “I will not leave you!”

“She has the stones!” Celestia cried, wincing as the pain intensified. “We cannot defeat her as we are! Please, don’t give her what she wants!”

Silma was facing Luna directly now. He gestured to her with a hoof. “Come now, little Luna. You don’t want to offend your teacher, do you? Just tell me what I want to know and it will all end quickly. Your Empress promises.”

“You will never be Empress again!” Celestia screamed, falling once more for the agony. “Luna, please! Run!”

“Luna…” Silma called with a warning tone.

For several seconds Luna hovered in place, clearly torn between her duty and her desires. At last, with a frustrated cry, she turned and flew away. “I’ll be back, Celestia! You have my word!”

“Oh.” Silma watched Luna flee with a forlorn expression. “That’s a pity.”

“You will… never get the… third stone…” Celestia muttered, her body jerking involuntarily from the pain and face wet with tears.

Silma turned to her, a slight smile on her lips. “Is that so?” She dropped down to land before the Sun Princess. “We shall see, little Tia.”

Despite all the pain, Celestia was determined to maintain her bravado. “Luna… she… she’ll find a way… she’ll stop you…”

Silma chuckled ominously. “She’ll try, of course. I’m counting on it. As for you… I think I’ll let you have some time to think on your sins.” Her horn shined, this time a bright red.

Celestia’s moist eyes jerked open as her legs locked, staring in terror at the dark crystal that was forming around her body. “No… Silma, I will not be controlled by you!”

“Even an alicorn princess isn’t immune to my magic, Celestia,” Silma reminded her. “You know that as well as I do.”

Celestia struggled against the crystal, opened her wings and flapping against its hold, but she couldn’t break free. She tried to use her magic, but the more she did the more intense the pain became, until she could think of nothing else. “Silma… W-we had no choice! You w-were out of c-control! Please, remember what you were like before!” The crystal began to encase her wings and rise up her neck. No matter how she tried to twist and shake it off, it simply wouldn’t stop. “Silma, please! You can’t ju…”

Celestia’s words cut off as the crystal rose above her mouth. She stared with begging eyes at the former empress, knowing that there was no escaping her fate. The crystal covered her eyes, and her world became engulfed in dark red. A few seconds later and she was completely encased.

Silma approached, tapped the crystal with a hoof. Celestia could hear the quiet tink-tink of the motion. She watched as Silma’s smile faded into a grim sneer. Her voice echoed eerily in Celestia’s head. “Disappointing. You used to be so strong, Celestia. Fifteen centuries without my guidance has made you soft. I will have that fixed by the time you are freed… which, with my personal attention, will be in a matter of hours."

She turned about, noticing something beyond Celestia’s limited vision. “Ah, there you are, Archon. I hope you are not so useless later.”

“Let me be,” his voice echoed, “I wasn’t expecting her magic to have grown so strong.” His face appeared in her blood-red vision, eyeing her solemnly. “I see even the mighty Celestia was no match for the stones.”

“Not now, and not then,” Silma declared.

Archon grunted exactingly before turned away. “What about Luna? You let her escape?”

“Of course I did,” she replied. “I needed her to. The first thing she’ll do is go find their precious Element Bearers and bring them here to fight us.”

“…that’s serious. How are we supposed to fight the Elements of Harmony?”

“That will be easy, if left to me.” Silma appeared in Celestia’s vision once more, confident and looming. “That’s right, Tia, I know you don’t hold the Elements anymore. Luna is playing into my hooves. I look forward to seeing the two of you reunited.”

Celestia wanted to respond, but she couldn’t utter a sound. She could only remain, still as a statue, helpless and desperate as she could feel the magic already clutching her mind. Luna, Twilight, all her friends… there was nothing to be done except pray to anypony listening that, when the tiem came, they would do what was necessary.

Fluttershy was trembling within the bushes near her home, hiding and watching at the same time. She gazed out in mute horror, entire body trembling at the sight of the massive beast that was even visible here on the opposite side of Ponyville. Granted, all she could see was a thick section of its serpentine body… but that was more than enough to keep her dracophobia alive and strong.

She glanced at Angel, who stood beside her head and patted her comfortingly even though he was clearly just as terrified. “W-w-what do you t-think it is…?”

He shook his head and clung to her.

She swallowed the lump in her throat. “I… I hope Twilight kn-knows what to d-d-do about it…”

Her thoughts were interrupted by an unfamiliar sound. Staying low, she perked an ear up and listened… and after a few seconds came to realize somepony was screaming. In pain? In fear? Fear, definitely fear. And whoever it was, he was coming closer. She covered her ears against the sound; the pony had to have been in a state of complete terror! And she thought she was afraid…

Then she saw him: Fine Crime. He was running towards the Everfree Forest as fast as his legs could carry him. Fluttershy jerked into a sitting position, her head bursting out of the top of the bush to get a better look. She was going to pass at a good distance, for he wasn’t minding the road. In fact he didn’t seem to be minding anything at all. She got a good look at his face when he glanced back, and the sight of it made her flinch: she’d never seen so much horror in an expression before.

“Fine?” she called out to him, but either he ignored her or didn’t hear her in the first place. He just kept running, hooves kicking up grass and dirt and tears visible even from this distance. For a moment she could only watch him go in stunned silence…

Then she pieced the puzzle together. She glanced at the great body stretching out beyond Ponyville towards Canterlot, took note of the purple scales. Huge, familiar scales. She’d seen them before. “Oh my… Fine…”

She turned to Angel and nudged him towards the road. “Angel, I need you to wait for me at the cottage, please?” He clung to her hoof for a moment, eyes on the serpent, but at last nodded and let go. She rose just a couple feet into the air. “I’ll be back soon. Stay safe until then!”

She went after Fine. She flapped as hard as she could, hoping that he would stick to the trail once he got into the forest. She strained her ears to listen for his screams, but they did not come; perhaps he’d run out of breath.

Fluttershy paused at the entrance to the forest, feeling a slight chill run down her back. She’d come through here many times while taking care of him, but never at night. She glanced up at the moon that was just rising over the horizon and tried to take comfort in its glow. She knew she couldn’t back down: if that thing really was the beast from Fine’s foalhood then he would need all the help he could get.

Sucking in a deep breath and controlling her fears, Fluttershy flew into the forest. She kept to the trail, praying he would go to his home. It was the only place she could think of that he would go.

As she flew she tried to listen to the forest for comfort. It didn’t work: the woods were too quiet. In fact they were so quiet she began to wonder if there were any animals out there at all. Had they all fled from the giant snake thing? She couldn’t blame any of them if they had.

Fluttershy was by no means a fast flyer, and it took her nearly an hour to reach Fine’s home. To her relief she found the door opened wide; Fine had been so eager to escape the beast he’d not bothered to close the door behind him.

She scoured the house as best she could. Every room, every piece of furniture was checked and double checked. She feared he might have entered one of his hidden rooms. There was a great many of them, she knew because Fine had revealed a few to her. But there was no way for her to gain access to most: they were opened by magical puzzle locks that were literally hidden behind the walls! Even if she knew where the puzzles were, she couldn’t see them or use magic to work them. It wasn’t like in mystery novels where you pressed a secret switch and a panel opened: there was no way to access the hidden puzzles without tearing the outer layer of the wall down.

But there were a few hidden rooms in the house that used simpler hiding methods. They were few, but she knew of a couple. They were her only hope.

She decided to visit the hidden room she was most familiar with: the Shadow Room. She’d been there every day for six very difficult weeks, so she had no trouble getting in. She found the seemingly pointless, barren room from the hall and, approaching a corner, pressed her hoof against the secret panel. The door opened at her side with a swish, and she wasted no time going up the stairs.

There was a closed door at the top of the stairs. She paused before it nervously, closing her eyes and taking slow, deep breaths. She hated this room. Her memories of it were ones she’d have rather forgotten. But Fine had chosen it for a reason: he considered the darkness soothing. It was his place to unwind, think, and sometimes relax. That made it the best place to go when terrified, right?

At last sure of her decision, she opened the door. As she entered the lightless room her eyes instinctively darted to the spot at its center, imagining a torture rack sitting there. But as her eyes gradually adjusted she could see that the rack had been removed. Of course; it had been replaced nearly two weeks ago. Now the room was well decorated: big soft chairs, a large bed, an antique record player in the corner. Everything in the room was designed with one thought in mind: there was no light. There were no pictures, no windows, no artwork. Such things were pointless here.

She closed the door slowly, listen to its quiet squeak. The tiny amount of light that had allowed her to see the décor faded as the opening closed until she was completely swallowed by black. As soon as the squeaking ended her ears perked up at a different sound: whimpering. “Fine?”

She moved towards the sound, walking very slowly so as not to bump anything. It was so dark in the room: a total and complete absence of light. She considered flying up to the chandelier above them, but discarded the thought as she had nothing to light its candles. She just kept going, occasionally pausing when she bumped into something.

She reminded herself again how much she hated this room. She could still vividly remember Fine’s furious screams, his cold and violent words, his bitterness and hate. Even now, two weeks after he’d been cured of the Bloodmane, the memories were clear. Top that off with her fear of the dark and she was something of an emotional mess herself.

But she remembered Fine’s face at that moment when he was passing her house, the expression of unparalleled terror. She needed him again, and though she did not understand why she was determined to be there for him.

“Fine…?” she called quietly over the sound of his crying, “talk to me. It’s Fluttershy. Where are you?”

No answer. Could he not hear her?

She bumped into something with a fearful squeak, but relaxed as she felt at it with a hoof: it was the bed. Was he on it, then? She listened carefully, but couldn’t place him there. Still, he was nearby…

Of course. She dropped to her knees and tucked her head under the bed, and his whimpering abruptly became very clear. She almost couldn’t believe it: he was actually hiding under his bed. That sounded more like something she would do!

“Fine, it’s alright,” she whispered. She reached a hoof forward slowly. “It’s me, Fluttershy. You don’t have to be afraid.” She felt something soft, realized it was his mane. Her hoof traced it slowly, until she found his face. “Fine… come on Fine, speak to me.”

He just kept crying. She chewed her lip and, pulling her way deeper under the bed so that she was much closer, tried again. “Verity.”

His crying stopped. She heard him sniff dejectedly. “M…momma…?”

Momma?

She hesitated, wondering how to respond. He shifted in the darkness, making her decide that the deception was worth it. “It’s okay Verity, I’m here.”

“…I’m s-scared Momma…”

His voice sounded so small, so horribly feeble. Just hearing it made her feel horrible. She remembered going into the Door of Fears with him, witnessing the death of his mother when he was just a colt. And that beast… that horrible, horrible beast that ate her… “It’ll be alright, Verity. I promise.”

“No it w-won’t,” he whispered even as he slipped closer and embraced her neck. He was crying into her mane, as if he were a colt all over again. “It c-came b-b-back… it’s c-come for m-m-me…”

“It’s just a dream, Verity,” she assured him, fighting to keep the tears from her eyes. She patted his mane tenderly, praying that she could help him out of this lifelong trauma. “Sleep, Verity. It’s just a dream…”

Author's Notes:

This is it, folks: the last part of the No Heroes story. I could have stretched it out to make this into two books, but concluded that it was better to make the finale fast. I'm not worrying about length this time: I want everything to happen one after the other. I've waited a long time to get here and I don't wanna wait anymore. I imagine the very few who started this and are still here would be thinking the same thing.

For those who are just finding this, I'm trying to write it so that it can somewhat stand alone without the rest of the books. Even so, things might get confusing if ya haven't read the first three books, so I recommend doing so.

This is not going to be an easy victory for our ponies: things have to get worse before they can get better.

This entire story would have been up last night, except that I wasted literally three hours pouring over MLP fanart for a cover. I knew what picture I wanted, I'd seen it before... but now that I actually need it I can't find it anywhere. It's like the damn internet deleted it completely right when I actually had a use for it! I was bitter and grumpy, and I'm still a little annoyed, but I guess this Jormungandr cover will do the job in the meantime.

I will be working both on this story and my new Trixie story at the same time, as well as doing editing work on a couple other stories, so updates won't be at their usual pace.

Oh, and one more thing: I hate Silma Ril's design. I must have redesigned her a dozen times looking for something that wasn't dripping with cliche sauce, but just couldn't manage it. I finally settled with this and said 'screw it.'