*Vrrrrrr*

The sound of vertibirds rumbled through the air as five flew past Sarah and Luna as they emerged from the Citadel’s main gate. Fawkes towered behind them and Spencer stood a bit off to the side as he stared at the firepower on display. Lyons led them forwards, shouting above the sound of gunfire and rotor blades.

Suddenly a massive explosion splashed across all of their vision along with the thunderous sound of metal splintering.

Sarah and Luna turned to stare at Liberty Prime who had just thrown a bomb at one of the vertibirds. As they watched, another of the flying machines attacked the behemoth, red blasts of light dancing across its faceplate. The faceplate split open and unleashed a series of brilliant blue lasers which ripped through the vertibird as if it was a piece of cheese.

I... love it... I want one of my own! Nim exclaimed from within Sarah’s mind as the woman attempted to pick her jaw up off of the ground.

“What a glorious sight!” Fawkes shouted as he charged forwards following the rest of the Pride who were ignoring the robot’s amazing feats and taking up covering positions for it.

An explosion went off not far away from them and a Brotherhood soldier was torn to shreds. Overhead another vertibird was snatched from the air by Liberty Prime and its rubble crashed into the river with a tremendous splash.

The enormity of the situation struck Sarah and her face blanched. This was not just a fight or a skirmish... this was a war. She was about to walk willingly into a chaotic battlefield on which she could die at any moment.

Luna looked to Sarah and found that the woman suddenly looked very small despite her power armour. She leaned over and gave her a nuzzle and Sarah blinked twice before she realized where she was.

“We will be okay,” Luna told her softly, her voice somehow getting through to Sarah despite the noise of the battle going on around them.

Sarah blinked and then nodded, gulping. She didn’t know how things had gotten so heated so quickly, but they had and there was no point in standing in front of the Citadel staring at the war, she would have to join it. But first...

Luna’s head was suddenly jerked down towards Sarah’s and their lips locked in an intense kiss. They stayed like that for a long moment, uncaring of the explosions, screaming, or death going on around them. Then they broke and Sarah glared into Luna’s eyes.

“You’re damn right we’ll be okay,” the woman said as she wiped the side of her mouth with her gauntlet and pulled on her new helmet. “Now let’s go pay them back for what they did to my father!”

Luna grinned fiercely and drew Daybreaker from it’s sheath. “Indeed, let us crush them!”

Twilight frowned as she processed that particular bit of information and began to run a cross reference of centaur tribes. The answer came to her quickly and she stared at the centaur in a mix of terror and incredulousness.

“You’re joking,” she said flatly. “You have got to be joking!”

“About what?” Tirek asked her confused .

“The idiot behind the last ‘rebellion’ if it can even be called that, was a centaur from Starclan named-”

“Xanthos,” the centaur finished for her because his hand was now clamped firmly around her muzzle. “He was my great, great, great grandfather.”

Twilight’s eyes widened as she struggled against his iron grip. She wasn’t going anywhere.

“And was not an idiot,” Tirek added, removing his hand from her muzzle.

“Yes he wa-”

*Slap*

Twilight’s head whipped in the opposite direction as Tirek examined his hand, a look of outrage on his face.

“You will not speak of my ancestor in such a manner,” he barked. “Xanthos was a brilliant planner, a brilliant tactician, and an incredible leader!”

“Which is why he overestimated himself, got his entire army killed, and was then turned to ash when Celest-”

*Smack*

Twilight’s gasped as his fist slammed into her stomach, knocking the air out of her and causing her to struggle against her bonds before falling forwards. Before she realized what was happening, Tirek had her head up against the pillar of obsidian, forcing tiny shards of the black glass into her fur and the skin beneath it. The mare let out a scream of pain as he forced her face up to look him in the eyes.

“You will not speak the name of the Tyrant in my presence!” he roared in her face. “She has been the ruin of my clan’s reputation and the reason why we are mocked by all the centaur tribes! It is her fault that we no longer have a sovereign deity!”

Twilight just hung there panting, trying to keep in another scream as the hot feeling of her blood trailing down the back of her neck burned dimly in her brain. Tirek smiled, knowing that he had succeeded in cowing her. He let go of her head, allowing it to slump forwards, her horn still shining with magic.

Suddenly there was an explosion overhead and a blast of rainbows split the night. Twilight’s ears perked up, she’d know that sound anywhere! It was Rainbow Dash come to rescue her! Her momentary elation turned into a shriek of agony as something incredibly fast and powerful rammed into her skull. She flinched and then gasped in renewed pain from the obsidian.

“Oh look, your bodyguard is here,” Tirek commented with a dark chuckle. “Looks like she couldn’t get through the field.”

Twilight’s chest heaved in her chest and she looked up at the centaur in confusion. “Field?”

“Indeed,” Tirek said as he brought a hand forwards to stroke her cheek. “You see, you are powering the field of magic that’s protecting us, Twilight Sparkle. Everything they hit it with, they will hit you with.”

There was another explosion of rainbows and Twilight’s scream of pain was so intense that a nearby window shattered.

“That looks very painful,” Tirek observed with a wolfish smile. “Don’t worry though, with that artifact on your head you should have more then enough magic to hold it against even the Tyrant herself when she arrives and be able to perform the summoning.”

“Summoning?” she Twilight asked feebly. That blow had been worse than the first one.

“We’re performing the same summoning that your Tyrant was going to have you perform,” Tirek said with a smile. “You should have realized that by now.”

“I’ve been preoccu-”

*BOOOOOOOOOOM*

Twilight wailed in pain, her vision going white for a moment as the intensity of the blow shook her to her core. By Celestia, Rainbow... stop... please stop, she thought to herself when her vision finally returned.

“She seems quite determined,” Tirek stated darkly as he almost tenderly reached down and took hold of Twilight’s chin. “Don’t worry little mare, you won’t shatter apart.” he then ran his finger from her chin down to her chest. “No, you won’t shatter,” he repeated.

Twilight squirmed against his presence but found herself unable to do anything.

“I simply can’t wait until my lovely Queen arrives,” the centaur said with a smile as he brought his hand back up to touch her face. “We shall strike down the Tyrant and then we shall rule this land as it was meant to be ruled; under the sacred night.”

“Queen Luna was good... she would never join you,” Twilight gasped. “She left to fight demons like you.”

“Fool, she was banished by the Tyrant after leading a glorious rebellion,” Tirek informed her before shaking his head. “Oh well, you will see in time, and then you will join us.”

“I will never join someone like you,” Twilight replied angrily. “Not while there’s life in my body!”

Tirek’s smile turned predatory. “Whoever said anything about you being alive when you did it?” he asked her rhetorically. He snapped his fingers and a pair of griffins glided down from the rafters and landed beside him. Twilight gasped at what she saw.

They were wearing ancient griffin armor, battle scarred and worn from the passage of time. That was nothing compared to the state of those wearing it, leathery skin and rotting feathers hanging off of ancient bones. As Twilight stared in horror at the white eyed corpses who stood before her, Tirek chuckled.

“What’s the matter, Miss Sparkle? Have you never seen a zombie before?” he asked her as he patted the head of one of the griffins. “Or are you simply impressed by the quality? They were ancient war heros so that’s a natural reaction I suppose.”

“You... you’re a necromancer!” Twilight squeaked out.

“Yes, I thought that was obvious,” Tirek said, chuckling.

“You’re an idiot!” the mare exclaimed, recovering from her initial shock. “Queen Luna hated necromancy! How in Equestria do you expect her to join you when you use it?”

“Bah, that’s simply another set of lies from your Tyrant,” Tirek said with a casual chuckle before he snapped his fingers again and the griffins returned to their places in the rafters up above. “Queen Luna was a supporter of all the dark arts; all things that were related to the night and the stars which Necromancy most certainly is.”

Twilight just ground her teeth together and strained against her bonds. “That’s not how magic works,” she grunted.

“It is actually, your Tyrant has simply suppressed the information,” Tirek said casually before he brought a hand up to her chin again. “At any rate, once you have served your purpose I will slit your throat and you will become my undead mage. When Celestia confronts our army, you shall soften her up before my Queen and I take the field. If nothing else, then killing you will destroy her emotionally.”

Twilight was about to respond when another explosion rocked the field; this one so loud and strong that the mare felt as if each and every one of her ribs had cracked as her ears drums exploded. Her head lolled to the side, a dollop of drool sliding from between her lips as she panted heavily, white foam beginning to form around her purple lips.

“My word; that seemed quite powerful,” Tirek commented with a chuckle. “Are you alright, Miss Sparkle?” The mare’s mind wasn’t up to answering with words so instead she just growled faintly at him. “Feisty.”

The mare’s breath came in slow gasps as she attempted to find the energy to say something, anything, to kill his smile.

The ground shook with every one of Liberty Prime’s steps as Sarah and Luna fought beside each other down the road. Unlike Sarah, Luna had no armour so she was playing it as safe when she could, Daybreaker sheathed at her side as a plasma rifle held in her telekinetic grip spewed balls of death from long range.

Sarah meanwhile sent shot after shot of .44 magnum bullets at the black clad troopers who scurried like ants away from Liberty Prime’s footsteps. Plasma bolts burned into Sarah’s power armour but the woman didn’t feel a bit of heat, she was too focused on the fighting going on around her.

One on the left! Nim exclaimed and Sarah brought her repeater up and to the left to focus on an enclave member holding a grenade. The world seemed to slow around the woman as Nim guided her hands up and she pulled the trigger.

BLAM

The squad of Enclave who’d been rallying near the trooper was obscured in a green mist and Liberty Prime’s blue beam slashed through what was left of them.

“COMMUNISM WILL FALL!” the robot proclaimed loudly.

Beside her, Luna ducked beneath an incoming ball of plasma and unsheathed Daybreaker as she returned fire. The blade came up and blocked another ball of plasma, shielding the mare’s face as she charged forwards and brought the boiling hot shaft stabbing through the closest soldier’s chest.

Red ichor splashed the ground around her and she pivoted on her rear hooves to bring Daybreaker slashing through another trooper’s throat. She heard the sound of another bolt of plasma barreling towards her and turned to see it flying at her. Before it could reach her, Fawkes ran out of the smoke around them, absorbed the blow and sent a super sledge crashing through the trooper’s head.

The mutant nodded to the mare and then went sprinting off through the smoke and the fire which was choking the air thanks to some strange weapon that she’d never seen before. The mare narrowed her eyes.

Nim! Where are you and Sarah?! she called mentally, regretting having left the woman’s side for even a moment.

To your west and moving forwards! Nim replied immediately. We are pressing forwards, hurry!

Sarah’s head moved to the side, an incoming laser beam sizzling into the metal siding of her helmet. The woman ignored that and kept on firing, feeding new bullets into the repeater, and firing again.

PEZPEZPEZPEZ

Prime’s lasers cleared away more of the soldiers and Sarah’s eyes darted within the helmet as she lined up another shot. She pulled the trigger and an enclave trooper flinches away grasping his head as Liberty Prime took a step forwards and crushed him underfoot.

Sarah smiled grimly, they were almost there... just a little bit farther.

“COME ON!” Rainbow Dash shouted in a combination of pain and anger as she rebounded off of the glowing black field for the fourth time. Her armor had disintegrated after the third and her body was covered with bruises. The only thing that wasn’t destroyed was the strange necklace around her neck which was glowing as if it was on fire. She’d heard Twilight’s ear splitting screams and they’d only strengthened her determination to rescue her friend, yet nothing she was doing was working!

“CELESTIA DAMMIT GO DOWN!” she roared, beating against the barrier with powerful hoof blows. Her hooves bounced off as if she was beating on solid stone, each blow sending a surge pain down her forelegs.

Twilight was in that thing! Her Twilight! The mare she’d been friends with since they were eight! The Twilight she’d devoted her life to protecting!

Rainbow Dash roared again and flew away from the dome again. She gathered her energy about her, turning it into one part spear point one part personal shield, and charged the barrier with all her might. The Rainboom split the night air and she corkscrewed towards the black barrier and stabbed into it, the pure pegasus magic driving into it like a drill as waves of ambient backwash assaulted the area around her.

Her corkscrew ground to a halt once again and she found herself leaning against the barrier, its flawless black surface mocking her attempts to tear it down. Then Rainbow Dash heard a shriek of agony so intense that it felt like a stab to her heart. The madstallion was torturing her!

Rainbow was so caught up in her struggle that she almost missed the sound of flapping feathers from above her. Long hours of drilling combat instincts took over, overriding her other senses and she pulled her wings together and plummeted downwards, flipping over as she did so. Diving down at her was a griffin wearing antiquated armor, talons encased in steel.

The mare’s eyes widened and with a quick flick of her wings she righted herself and her wings opened wide, sending her shooting upwards above the griffin. The beast’s head snapped up to follow her and it let out a screech at her.

“YOU WANT SOME?! COME GET IT!” Rainbow shouted at it, far too angry to worry about keeping her voice down. With another flick of her wings she arced down at it like an arrow as it flew up at her. The mare molded the air around her into another blade, this type straight, and impacted into the griffin’s chest. The sound of ancient metal shattering filled her ears even as the beast’s blood splashed across her muzzle and neck.

The mare ignored the sickly sensation and sprang away in time to dodge away from another griffin, this one arcing at her out of the darkness. As she did that, yet another griffin joined the fray and Rainbow found herself surrounded by corpse-like griffons.

Rainbow ground her teeth together and glared at the circling cat birds. She did not have time for this! The mare’s wings beat rapidly and she shot upwards, dodging the griffins that tried to stop her. Then she looked down at them with malevolent eyes and gathered herself for another Rainboom.

She fell towards them, her body gaining speed with every inch, then as she started the corkscrew waves of ambient pegasus magic began to swirl around her until it exploded outwards. When the Rainboom hit them, the flesh was seared from their rotting bones and ten spotless skeletons fell from the sky.

Rainbow panted with exhaustion, she’d used too many Rainbooms today.

“Stand down, Rainbow Dash,” a familiar voice said from behind her. Rainbow whirled in mid air to see Commander Spitfire hovering there with along with the rest of the Bolts.

“Ma’am,” Rainbow said, snapping a tired salute.

“You’ve done well, Rainbow Dash, we’ve got a temporary camp set up two clicks northeast of here,” her Ex-Commander instructed her.

“But, Twi-”

“You’re in no shape to help her now,” Spitfire snapped, interrupting the mare in mid sentence. “Queen Celestia is on the way and the situation will be resolved shortly.” Rainbow was about to

protest when Spitfire gave her a flat stare.

“I... yes, Commander,” Rainbow Dash said slowly. “Just... please get her out okay; alright?”

“Of course, Rainbow,” Spitfire said, her gaze softening slightly. “We’ll get your true love back safe.”

Rainbow was about to deny that, but knew better than to bother. So instead she just nodded and started flying northeast, each wingbeat causing a lance of pain.

“Damn,” Soarin said with a shake of his head. “How in Tartarus is she still in the air?”

“I honestly don’t know,” Spitfire replied before looking to one of the other bolts. “Cloud Kicker; make sure she gets home safe.”

“Aye, Ma’am,” the blue pegasus replied primly. “I’ll keep Dashie in the air.”

Spitfire nodded before looking back at the black field and let out a small sigh. “Now then... let’s see if we can’t crack this nut.”

“Significant obstruction detected. Composition titanium alloy supplemented by enhanced photonic resonance barrier. Established stratagem inadequate!” Liberty Prime shouted as it approached the last glowing blue forcefield, this one surrounding Project Purity itself. “Revised stratagem initiated photonic resonance overcharge!” with that said the great robot marched forwards and grabbed onto the two giant metal stakes.

There was a shocking blast of blue and the robot was suddenly on its knees. Sarah’s eyes widened, was the robot down? That worry was cast aside a second later as Liberty Prime surged to its feet and its blue lasers of death showered upon the enclave soldiers who had been hiding behind the glowing blue barrier.

A vertibird attempted to land behind them but Liberty Prime demolished it like it had all the others. Sarah turned to find Luna standing beside her, the mare was panting but appeared unharmed outside of a few burns.

Are you alright? the woman mentally called to her.

Indeed, I have suffered worse burns than these before, Luna replied as they made their way towards the purifier. Do either of you know what happened to Spencer and Fawkes?

I saw Fawkes carrying him back towards the Citadel, I think he was shot, Nim reported as they neared the door.

A pity, I hope he survives, Luna replied as she returned fire on the few enclave soldiers who were left alive up on a nearby landing platform. A well placed bomb from Liberty Prime silenced the guns.

“The rest of the Pride will stay outside and secure the area, we’re going in!” Lyons shouted as she directed Sarah and Luna forwards.

The pair nodded and all three charged the doorway. Sarah kicked it down with one of her power armoured boots and received a blast of plasma to the chest for her trouble. Lyon’s own plasma rifle sent a bolt of death at the offender and Luna let out a cry of rage and sprinted ahead of her companions.

She entered melee range and swung Daybreaker in a brilliant arc, its silver blade eviscerating a pair of enclave troopers in a single slash as Sarah caught up to the alicorn and fired her combat shotgun into a final trooper’s face. He let out a scream as the buckshot crashed through the eye slits of his helmet and pulped his skull within it. Lyon’s plasma rifle went off again and another trooper fell, screaming in agony.

An overhead turret opened up on them and Sarah’s combat shotgun roared again, blowing it off of its roof mounted position. A stream of plasma rolled out of the room along with a column of fire as another of the strange new troopers emerged from behind a sandbag, its fire belching weapon clutched within the black fingers.

A ball of the fire slammed into Sarah’s chest and she let out a cry of pain as the fire engulfed her for a moment and she felt the armour around her heat up to near boiling temperatures.

Shoot him! Shoot him! Nim shouted in her mind as the woman struggled to regain control of her arms despite the pain burning through her. She grit her teeth and brought her repeater up to her shoulder and fired twice. The rounds were sloppy but they managed to distract him long enough for Luna to get close.

“DIE!” the alicorn screeched as the flat of her blade slammed into the trooper’s forehead. The man let out a grunt as he tumbled backwards and Luna brought her hooves flying into his stomach, sending him flying into the back wall hard enough to leave an imprint before he tumbled to the ground.

Luna turned towards Sarah and found the woman wiping black soot from her armour. “I’m fine... kind of,” the woman assured her as she leaned against the wall. “That hurt. A lot.”

“I don’t know where they got that kind of tech but it’s freaking brutal,” Lyons said as she walked up to Sarah and offered her a bottle of water. Sarah looked around for a moment to make sure that the area was clear before pulling the helmet off and taking a long gulp of the lukewarm water. It was probably the best thing she’d tasted all day.

Luna sidled up to her and gave the woman a quick nuzzle and Sarah took a moment to give her a soft kiss on the cheek before she pulled the helmet back on and tossed the water back to Lyons.

“Let’s get moving,” the woman said. “We’re almost done here.”

“Yeah let’s,” Lyons agreed as they headed for the final door. Sarah went first, followed by Lyons. Luna froze and her mind went blank as a powerful sensation grabbed onto her.

“Sarah-” was all she had time to shout before she vanished, Daybreaker falling to the ground beside where she’d stood along with the super sledge.

“Hmm... it seems like she’s finally died of exhaustion,” Tirek stated with a chuckle.

Twilight, who at this point was barely conscious, looked up at him feebly with bloodshot eyes. The centaur grinned widely at her as he once again took her chin in his hand.

“And now judging by the position of the moon, it’s time to get started!” the centaur said excitedly, maniacal glee filling his eyes.

Twilight had long since lost the will to fight and simply stared at him, feeling numb to everything around her. Tirek grinned, his field idea had worked perfectly and the mare still had more than enough magic to perform the summoning while keeping the field up. He walked over to the silver circle he’d constructed and held his hand out at Twilight. Her magic flowed to him and he pointed his palms out at it. The circle of silver glowed faintly as the centaur began to chant the incantation.

At first... nothing happened. Then the room began to glow with a sickly green light. Thunder seemed to shake the room and the green light flickered around Tirek. Finally after five minutes of effort, the room flashed bright green and the form of an alicorn appeared within it.

She was tall and beautiful, her fur a deep midnight blue, her mane was a darker blue and it was tinged with a streak of silver. She was naked and her fur was singed as if something had been inflicting grievous burns upon her.

Her eyes were wide with surprise and she looked around herself frantically. “What? What is this? No! NO! I can’t be back now!” she shouted, turning this way and that. “Dammit, Tia!” she added loudly. “Send me back!” she roared.

“I’m afraid that’s impossible,” Tirek said stepping forwards, keeping his head bowed as low as possible. “I have returned you to your home, your Majesty; I am Tirek your most loyal of servants.”

Luna stared at him; her eyes narrowing dangerously. “By what measure do you claim that title?” she demanded, her voice hardening into a blade of solid steel. “And by what reasoning did you choose to steal me away from my Sarah when she needed me most?”

Tirek looked at her in bemusement. “I do not know who this Sarah is, but my need is assuredly greater,” he said before shaking his head. “My Queen, I have returned you here so that you may be my Queen as we lead my armies against your Tyrant of a sister.”

Luna stared at him and then turned her gaze past him to a mare who looked... incredibly like Clover the Clever. Her eyes stared at Luna with a mixture of... hope and intense pain that Luna found to be incredibly heart wrenching.

This mare had clearly been abused horribly and Luna easily trailed the snake of magic being forced out of her via... the Element of Magic? What in Equestria was that doing upon her brow?

The alicorn turned back to look at the centaur who was smiling. “Ah yes, you’ve noticed our soon to be battlemage,” he said with a nod. “Now that you’re here, I can kill her and reanimate the Tyrant’s star pupil.”

Luna’s eyes widened and then narrowed.

“I know not who she is; but any who use necromancy in such a way are my enemies,” she said, her voice sounding like glass being compacted.

“I-what? But-but my Queen I am your greatest servant against the Tyran-” Tirek was cut off as Luna’s magic took hold of him by the throat.

“If my sister has become a tyrant as you say then I shall deal with her on my own,” Luna said pointedly. “Or at the very least without fools who would kill and then reanimate the descendant of my best friend.”

Tirek gasped and struggled against her grip but found himself unable to break free as her body became wreathed in magic, her tail and mane flooding around her as it filled once more with stars. Luna closed her eyes and then opened them, they were like two brilliantly burning balls of boiling blue plasma.

Magic everywhere, she thought to herself as she raised Tirek into the air with the same amount of effort she would have raised a piece of sand. It was strange to have access to so much magic again. the spell came easier than it ever had before and she found herself barely thinking as she tore open Tirek’s mind and gazed within it.

A simple glance was all she needed to see to determine his guilt.

“For your use of heinous Necromancy and your further crimes against Harmony as well as the people of both Equestria and the Griffin Kingdom, I find you guilty,” Luna said formally, surprised by how easily the ancient oath’s words flowed off her tongue. “I, Luna, Princess of Equestria, sentence you to death.”

The centaur tried to protest once but then Luna snapped his neck with a simple twist and tossed him aside before turning her gaze on the last inhabitant of the room. Clover’s ancestor was looking at her with eyes full of hope, not at all phased by the death of her captor.

Good, she need not be. Luna thought to herself as she walked up to the mare and gave her a calming smile as her horn flashed and the cuffs holding the her in place shattered under the sheer power of Luna’s magic. The alicorn did of course place small shields around them to ensure that the mare wasn’t hurt in the act of being freed and even caught the mare with her telekinesis before she could hit the ground.

“Peace, little one, he shall not harm you further.” Luna said, for the moment containing her worry for Sarah and instead focusing on the situation at hoof.

“Que-Queen Luna... you... you rescued me,” the mare rasped out through a raw throat.

“Of course I did... though when I was last here I was called Princess Luna, not Queen,” Luna said smoothly as she began to mentally run diagnostics on the mare in her grasp. Energy reserves worthy of her wearing the Element of Magic on her forehead greeted Luna’s gaze as long with the obvious depletion of said reserves. Worse than that, she’d obviously been physically abused... though as far as Luna could tell it had never reached sexual levels.

“Okay...” the young mare said slowly and Luna could almost see the gears turning within her brain. “My... my name is Twilight Sparkle.”

“TWILIGHT!” a familiar voice shouted as a flash of light lit the room to reveal... Celestia standing there, her mouth open with the bellow. “I am here-” the shout died in her throat as she saw Luna standing there with Twilight within her magical glow.

To Luna’s trained eye... her sister looked older than she had when last she’d seen her... but no less powerful. At the moment she was garbed in exquisite golden armour, much more advanced than what Luna had ever worn, and a flaming golden sword was held at the ready. Another thing that was painfully obvious were the horrendous injuries that currently covered her. Luna barely withheld a shudder of shared pain at the sight of her sister’s bandaged wings as well as the claw marks along her jaw.

Celestia stared at her sister for a long moment before sheathing her blade in a single movement, teleporting the armour away. She stood there for a moment longer before saying.

“Sister, my student is in need of medical attention,” her voice almost cracked and Luna could hear it fraying under an incredible wellspring of emotion.

“I... can tell,” Luna said, nodding her head, the feeling that she was dreaming was all but overpowering. “What are we to do about it?”

“I have a squad of guards waiting outside the castle,” Celestia replied, regaining a small bit of her composure but Luna could still see the cracks about to burst. “Send her out there please, they can do the rest.”

Luna nodded her head slowly as she looked down at Twilight, who despite her exhaustion and pain, was looking between them with a puzzled expression on her face.

“I’m going to send you out there now, child,” Luna said softly. “Be not afraid.”

Twilight just nodded and Luna’s horn flashed once, causing her to vanish.

That left the two sisters alone in their old home.

Author's Notes:

One chapter left. Also, this chapter was brought to you by the Foo Fighters album Wasting Light, helping me push through the complicated hectic battlefield.