When the train car jostles a bit I wake up, finding ourselves just outside of Canterlot. I look over at Spike to see him sitting back, reading a book. I stretch a little while shifting to a sitting position as well, getting Spike's attention.

"Have a good nap?" He asks, flipping a page casually.

"Yeah, but I'm a bit stiff now." I say as I rub my neck. Spike goes to say something but suddenly stops and goes wide eyed, making me eye him a bit. "Yes Spike, where you going to say something?" I ask, causing him to sweat a bit.

"U-uh, no. I just... realized how close we were to Canterlot. That's all." He says before shoving his face in the book. I eye him a bit more before the conductor begins announcing our arrival. I'll drop it for now. I'm sure Rarity could shed some light on the subject though.

When we finally make it off the train, the sun is getting close to setting. We should be able to make it to the castle before it does, so we shouldn't drag our hooves. A group of Night guards are waiting for us in the station, keeping the crowd of ponies away from the two of us.

"Queen Luna." A guard says as they all bow to me.

"Oh, right. That. Um... you may stand. I wish to go to the castle as soon as possible. Take us there." I order, getting them to snap to attention and usher us out. They take us to a carriage and take us over the city towards our destination.

"I forgot you were a queen." Spike laughs.

"I did too." I admit, chuckling with him. "I'm only that ranking when outside of Ponyville though. It's part of the joint rule thing between the two nation." I tell him.

"Oh, okay. So, when do you plan on coming back and ruling Equestria?" Spike asks.

"Not any time soon, that's for sure. I want to raise our foal first, then ease myself back into the responsibilities. It'll be several years before I move back permanently, and that's if Miles lets me."

"Why wouldn't he?" He asks nervously.

"I was joking." I tell him, getting him to relax. "We've talked this over before. He knows that I'll come back when the foal is old enough, that's when we'd like to teach it about its roll in the world."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Well, our child is going to have... a lot of political pull in the world. Equestrian royalty is a given, but the Terradisians have gained immense credibility in the world. For the time being at least. Showing up at the Summit was big enough on its own, but being charged to go through each nations issues and bring judgement on them... that's huge. Nothing like this has ever happened before, and for them to be the sole country in charge of it-"

"But, I thought the Spartans were going to lead this, not the Terradisians."

"They are, but the rest of the world doesn't necessarily understand our systems. All the know is that the representatives from Terradisia are going to determine the outcome of the world. And it's leader, Miles, is going to have a child soon... though from what Celestia tells me, I don't think anypony made the connection between Miles and his Alicorn form." I pause for a moment, waiting for Spike to understand on his own.

"Oh... that's... wow."

"Yes, our child will be connected." I summarize, though there is a much more to it than that.

"Is that why you want to raise it in Ponyville? To get away from all of that responsibility." He asks.

"Well, that's my reason. Miles, on the other hoof, kind of... hates, some of the ponies in Canterlot-"

"Blueblood?"

"Eeyup." We share a small laugh at the obvious answer. It's amazing how one annoyance could sway our lives so drastically, but I couldn't agree with it more. We arrive at the castle front gates shortly after where Twilight and a group of guards wait for us. As soon as we touch down Spike leaps out and runs to his mother, scooping her up in a massive hug. Twilight yelps in surprise but returns the hug in full. "Well, it seems like somepony missed you." I chuckle, making Spike set her down and run the back of his neck.

"He's allowed to miss his mother all he wants." Twilight defends, only making him blush deeper. "It's good to see you too Queen Luna." She says with a slight bow. The rest of the guards bow as well, bringing their foreheads to the ground.

"Thank you Twilight, guards. You may rise." I tell them. "Though, for the time being, just Luna will do Twilight. Where's Speaks Softly? And Celestia for that matter." I ask while walking towards the open doors. Twilight walks beside me with Spike bringing up the rear.

"Softy is with Storm. He watches after her while I take care of my royal duties." She explains.

"I'm sorry we couldn't work you into the deal as well Twilight. It all happened so suddenly-"

"Oh, don't worry about that. I know all of my parents like me being here in Canterlot. And having royal staff to help out from time to time isn't half bad either."

"Both parents?"

"Storm's mother and brother moved in with my parents when we moved. We even gave Rain Cloud a job as an accountant here in the castle. Once she makes enough she plans on moving out, much to my parents displeasure, but she feels too much like a burden on them."

"And Breaker? How's he fairing these days?" I ask carefully.

"He's... good, I guess. He needs red potions at least once a month right now, and his neck isn't doing any better, but he's in good spirit. Anyway, Celestia sends her apologies. Something huge came up and she didn't feel right just dropping it on me. Hopefully it'll be resolved soon." She says nervously.

"Do you know what it was?" I ask curiously, getting her to shake her head.

"I was preoccupied with Softy when it happened, so I know next to nothing about the meeting. But let's leave that for when Celestia gets back. Are you hungry? Would you like-"

"OH GREAT SPHINX ABOVE!" A brown and white blur suddenly whizzes up and grabs me in a tight, feathery hug. Regina jumps back and squeals a bit as she looks me over again.

"Regina! Where did you come-"

"Look at you!" She practically yells as she tackles me in another hug. "You're HUGE! You're like a blimp of babies! How many are in there!? Oh my gosh we have so much to catch up on! When did you even get here? LUNA!" She begins to choke me a bit as she continues to hug me. If it weren't for the lack of air going to my head I'd be a bit hurt from being called fat, but air is a bit more important at the moment.

"R-regina! Reg-gina! AIR! AIR!" I gasp as I try to break free from her grasp. She lets go of me and begins to bounce in place from excitement, fluttering her wings slightly.

"Where are you going? I'm not leaving your side until we're properly brought back to speed. Where to?" I take a moment to catch my breath and compose myself before looking to Twilight.

"Well, as nice as food sounds, I think I will retire to my room to rest and raise the moon. Thank you for the welcome. If you see Celestia please send her to me as soon as possible. Goodnight Twilight."

"Goodnight Queen Luna." She replies with a slight bow. I roll my eyes a bit from her reluctance to call me just Luna on the castle grounds, but ignore it as Regina and I head to my living quarters.

"So is it weird being all huge and pregnant?" Regina bluntly asks. Oh... to think I've missed you.

.............................................................................................................................................................

".... so I told him, 'get the cluck out before I cut them off!' Do you think I over reacted?" She asks when we finally make it to my bed chambers.

"Uh-huh." I drone back.

"Were you even listening!?"

"He sold you some bad beets, basically. Go ahead and get comfy, I need to raise the moon." I tell her while moving over to the balcony. She flops onto my bed and sighs in irritation. I don't get how she can make the simplest of things into something completely over dramatic and world crushing. Going from bad beets to relational problems before noon... only Regina.

I move to the railing and wait for Celestia to come as well. I look up and admire the array of different colors painting the evening sky. Pinks and yellows in the horizon. Dark blues and trails of red in the distant space... wait, what? Trails of red. I look back to about high noon and watch as a trail of red has appeared. It's small, almost unnoticeable, and seems to be coming towards the ground. I don't recall any meter showers this time of year. And it's definitely not a shooting star. As I stare at it, three more appear around it. Then five... twelve... thirty... how many are there?

"Regina, come take a look at this." I call out to her.

"This better not be some moon shine thing like that one time." She grumbles from my bed. When she steps onto the balcony she stops and stares up with me. "Are those shooting stars?"

"No. Shooting stars don't burn like that. Whatever those are, they're coming in too slowly to be natural." I tell her.

"There are so many, what do you think they are?" She asks in amazement. The first few that came through have shed their fiery covers to reveal some sort of craft. The center part is long and narrow while the wings are thin and curve forward, starting at the back of the craft. The bronze body seems to be one part with the exception of a black spot on the top.

"What are those?" I ask aloud.

"Maybe this has to do with Miles. Did he say he was doing anything special recently?" Regina asks.

"He said... he was monitoring something-" Before I could finish, a burst of black, diamond shaped vehicles erupt from the distant Everfree Forest. I recognize them as Aquilas, but what are they doing? They fly up high and circle around as hundreds continue to jet out from the forest. Likewise, the bronze aircraft begin to circle around; as if waiting for the others to attack first.

"What are they waiting for?" Regina asks while taking a few steps back. I shake my head as the last of the vehicles appear from the sky and forest. The two groups continue to circle until one final vehicle appears from the forest.

"Miles." I mumble as I watch the white craft soar through the center of the Aquila's and head straight for the bronze horde. The two groups break formation and race towards each other, sending a volley of grey streams of smoke before them. I wince at first when the first explosions hit. Debris and fire rains down from the explosions as the lucky ones race past each other and break to engage their foes. I feel my heart race as I follow the white speck as it twists and turns through the air.

He has three chasing after him. He dives down for speed and banks right, but his pursuers keep pace with him easily. I can tell that they are more agile, but Miles has power on his end. He suddenly pulls up and races higher into the sky, using the chaotic battlefield to obscure his position.

"I don't think we should stay up here any longer." Regina tells me as she begins to pull me back.

"I'm not going anywhere until I see Miles land safely." I tell her as I yank back into my spot. "Go if you must, but I'm not moving!" She gives me a look before sighing and moving to my side.

"Fine! But the minute things get too hairy here I'm dragging your pregnant butt somewhere I deem safe!" She warns me. I nod to her and turn back to the fight. Black smoke fills most of the sky now, making it harder to find Miles's ship. The blue beams of energy tell me he's still out there, but I can't see the condition of his craft or of anypony is following him.

"Can you see him?" I ask.

"I can't see anything out there. How could they fight in conditions like that? It's like fighting in the middle of a hurricane!"

THRRRRRUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUMMMMM

We both duck when Miles flies over the castle, blasting his engines loudly. A powerful gust of wind blows over us, nearly knocking me over.

WARNING. LARGE AIRCRAFT ENTERING AIRSPACE. WARNING. LARGE AIRCRAFT ENTERING AIRSPACE.

"SHUT THE FUCK UP I KNOW!" I yell as I pull the stick back and throttle up. The constant beeping of the enemy lock system blares in my ears as I roll over and survey the area around me. Half of my friendlies have been knocked out of the sky, with another fifteen percent having damage. I've taken a few small hits but am still completely functional. From my initial scan, about two thirds of the enemy forces are left, giving us the advantage-

WARNING. MISSILE FIRE. WARNING. MISSILE FIRE.

"FUCK!" I roll to the left and deploy the last of my flares, avoiding the incoming round. I plaster myself in my seat as I drop back down to gain more speed. Two red diamonds appear on my screen, telling my I've got missile lock on them. "THIS IS SPARTAN ONE, FIRING ROUND FIVE AND SIX. COVER MY ASS SOMEONE!"

WARNING. LARGE AIRCRAFT ENTERING AIRSPACE. WARNING. LARGE AIRCRAFT ENTERING AIRSPACE.

My two shots chase down their targets, bringing them both down. I don't have visual on them though, so I have to assume that they are gone. I wait a second as my craft sends out a few more pings, giving me a holographic view of everything solid around me. The remaining craft seem to be going back up out of our airspace, giving me a moment to relax.

"Aquila seventy two, perched."

"Copy that, where is the estimated LZ for the larger craft in relation to Canterlot?" I ask tiredly.

"Please wait... please wait... please wait... projected landing zone is estimated to be one hundred and sixty kilometers south of Canterlot." That's just past Ponyville as well. Not by much, barely into the outskirts really.

"What would the blast radius be for a super drop?" I ask. A holographic sphere appears in my hud, displaying several possible outcomes. The most ideal choices need to be sent now, but there's still the residual effect to deal with. If I fire, at any point, I risk harming innocents below. But if I don't...

"Orders sir."

"This is Spartan one, clear high air space for super drop." I say as I slide my finger over the panel and select the super archaic missile.

"Warning. Ordinance selected is a high archaic super spell. Effects unknown. Are you sure you want to fire?" No. I'm not. But I can't allow them to land on Terra. I can't raise my child knowing that I allowed the greatest threat to my people come here and take over. Ruby Canyon was cut off and isolated, these monsters have had time to grow. I have to take them out.

"Understood. Firing for effect." I say solemnly as I pull the trigger. I feel my ship swagger a bit as the missile drops below my and races off for its destination. I sit back and sigh as I watch it disappear into the dark abyss. Forgive me Luna, it looks like I have to cross that line again-

BVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVMMMMMM

I lift a wing to block a powerful gust of wind. A loud, beaming sound fills the land as a red glow tints everything for a moment. I cough a bit when the smoke passes over me, choking me slightly. The smell of burnt metal and ozone force their way into my nose, making me cough even more. I feel Regina yank me back and pull my inside the room, where she closes the doors quickly.

"Are you okay!? Luna, Look at me!" She yells as she forces me to look at her. "Long, slow breaths. Nice and easy, in... out... in... out." I cough a few more times but do as she says. After a minute or so I get my breathing under control enough for her to back off a bit. "What, in the name of our mother, was that!?"

"I don't know." I tell her as I look back out. "But I think we're about to find out. Look." Dropping down from space appears to be a massive thunderstorm. Dark clouds twist around and rumble with electrical potential. Before anypony could do anything, the ball of darkness falls upon the land and consumes us, bringing an eerie false night. I try to keep my heart under control as I use my magic to turn on the few lights in my room. Likewise, I can see most of Canterlot doing the same.

"Okay, now can we get somewhere safe and not high in the air and vulnerable?" Regina begs.

"What happened out there!? Is Miles okay?! What's with all the clouds!? We have to find Miles!" I begin to panic as I pace about the room. I don't see any aircraft out there, though I can't see anything. What if the thunderclouds knocked him out of the air? What if his systems went down and he's hurtling towards the ground!? WHAT IF HE'S-

My train of thought ends when a low rumbling fills the room. The few pictures and trinkets I have out begin to shake and fall over as the glass begins to wobble in their holdings. Regina and I look to one another before looking back out the balcony. A massive object, the likes of which I've never seen before, is slowly descending upon the land. It looks to be made of the same metal as the smaller crafts, but is tremendously larger.

The main body seems to be one dark, massive, jagged sphere with long spires coming out from different points. Two stand out the most, coming out front what appears to be the front of the sphere beside one anther. They seem to be three times longer than the others, maybe more. Five more tall spires point out at even ends of the sphere, with smaller spires connecting them to their counterparts. Hundreds of lights cover the vessel, some blinking with others on constantly.

As the large vessel begins to slowly turn to face Canterlot, a shimmer of energy begins to fall over us. The city guard have finally began to put up a shield. My door slams open and four guards come running, two pegasi and two unicorn.

"My Queen, we have to get you somewhere safe!" One of them yells while the others position themselves around me.

"SEND A SQUAD OF GUARDS TO FIND MILES-"

THWUUUUUUSHH

I snap back to the window as Miles's jet soars over the tower, along with most of the Aquilas. Though, I can only tell what they are because of their exhaust, Miles's ship is the only different one up there. They line up in an attack formation and fire a volley of missiles towards the massive ship. Red beams of energy appear from all over the vessel, shooting the missiles out of the air. A few lucky rounds make it through and connect with the ships hull, but the damage is basically nonexistent

As Miles's group scrambles to avoid getting hit by the red beams, arcs of electricity begin to form between the two larger columns. They brighten and snap with power before a large white bolt of electricity fires forward, missing everything completely. Arcs of electricity work their way through the clouds, lighting up where ever they go.

SNAP

A burst of lightning snaps from the cloud, back to the ship. Along the way, it hits three Aquilas. Knocking them out of the air. It's a traveling storm... and Miles is out there... in his metal craft...

"We need to get Miles out of there!" I yell to my guards, getting panicked looks from them.

SNAP

"But... your highness, we can't. The shields are up, nothing can get in or out."

SNAP

"I don't care! We need to get him out of there, HIS LIFE IS IN DANGER!" I yell back at them.

SNAP

"LOOK!" Regina yells. I turn back and watch as Miles tries to make a run for it. He starts out high and is diving down with two Aquilas behind him. A bolt of lightning strikes the second one, making it crash into the third Aquila. The burst staggers Miles's ship, but he holds steady and pulls up just before hitting the ground. His jets roar with power as he races towards the edge of the storm.

"Go... go!" I yell at him as he nears the wall of storm clouds.

SNAP

A bolt strikes his ship, setting one of his engines on fire. The nose pitches up and veers right slightly, almost out of the fray.

"Keep going! You're almost-" I stop when I see his ship go into the cloud and a massive burst of electricity causes his ship to explode. I stand there in a daze as I watch the fiery remains of his ship fall to the ground. This has to be a dream. Miles can't die, not now. This is just a bad dream, this... this can't be real. Miles can't die, he promised to return. When the debris hits the ground... I lose it.

"MILES!" I scream as I try to run out to him, only to be grabbed by Regina. "MILES, NO!"

"GET US OUT OF HERE!" Regina yells to the others as she grips me tightly around my chest. "DO IT!"

"MILES!"

FLASH

I fall to the ground and wail as Regina continues to hold me. I don't know what I'm going to do without him. I don't know if I can even go on without him. I need him here, with me. I don't want to be lonely again. What about these enemies? Who's going to fight them? Who's going to protect me and my foal? I need Miles, he can't be dead! There's too much to lose with him dead, he can't die! Not now, not ever!

"Luna!" Regina yells at me as she grabs my face to look at her. "I know you're sad, and I know things don't look good right now. But we need to get moving. We need to get you out of here and somewhere safe." She yells in my face.

"B-but, what ab-b-bout Miles?" I sob.

"We'll... figure that out... later. Right now we need to get you, and your foal, out of here. It's not safe here anymore. Do you understand me?! Your foal is in danger, Miles's foal is in danger! We need to get moving, now!" I pause in my sorrow and let her words sink in. I still have our foal, and it's in danger.

Nothing else matters. I need to get moving. I need to get up. Where can we go though... home. We need to get up the mountain and teleport home. From there... we'll figure it out when we get there. First things first, we need to get my remaining family out of Canterlot...

"What about Celestia?" I ask as I start to get up, with help from Regina.

"If we run into her, we'll bring her along. First things first, I'm going to get you out of here. I can come back for her later, you first. Now, where's safe-"

"Home. We need to get to the top of the mountain, there's a mico platform that connects with my house there. That's where we need to start." I tell her, getting a nod in return. She looks around the dark room we're in and heads to the closest door. She peers outside before motioning for me to follow after her, which I do.

We're in the lower chambers of the castle, where most of the behind the scenes things happen. It's dark down here, with only a few sparse lights lining the stone walls. I can see a few maids running down the hall away from us, but besides them it's empty down here. I follow Regina down the hall as she moves from door to door, checking each before moving to the next one.

When we finally find some stairs we make our way up. It's a bit difficult for me to make it up the narrow stair case, but I force my way up and attempt to keep up with Regina. We end up behind the throne, where we find Celestia talking with some... being.

He looks human, in shape at least. He lacks a nose and has beady black eyes surrounded by light grey skin. His waist long silver hair is tied back with golden charms weaved in three spots. His armor looks so similar to Miles's that I can't really tell the difference. It actually might be Terradisian armor. He's unarmed, but stands before Celestia with complete confidence.

"You've destroyed our shields, landed outside two of our cities, and attacked-"

"We did not attack, my dear Celestia. They attacked us, and we defended ourselves. Perhaps if you knew our history you'd know better than to question our motives. The light soul infestation has plagued the galaxies for eons. They find a world that doesn't belong to them and call it their own. They wish only to wage war and destroy themselves in the process. Our empire has lost too much to allow them to exist anymore-"

ACHOO

I feel my heart begin to race when Regina sneezes. We look to each other for a moment when she tries to apologies, but something seems to grab me and pull me out into the open. The man before me has his hand lite with archaic fire, but instead of it being white, it's dark grey. He looks me over for a moment before chuckling deeply.

"So, who is this?" He asks as he lets me go and begins to circle me.

"Leave her out of this Vensil!" Celestia demands. "She has nothing to do-"

"I think she has everything to do with our mission." He says when he stops in front of me. "What is your name." I take a few deep breaths before looking him right in the eyes.

"I am Luna Eremita." I tell him, making him chuckle.

"Eremita huh, that sounds so... human." He smiles at the end, baring his dagger like teeth at me. "I am Vensil, leader of the Kroth Empire's Military. I have one, and only one question, to ask you. Luna Eremita. What color is your soul?" His question catches me a bit off guard, but I keep my impartial façade on as I continue to glare at him.

"Vensil! Enough! Leave my sister out of this!" Celestia demands again as she steps between the two of us. "You and your forces are to leave this country immediately! I will not tolerate any-"

"No." He says simply. "No, I think we'll stay. After all, we have an infestation to clear." He says as he smiles even more at me.

FLASH

A large number of guards, day and night, appear all around the room and surround Vensil. He chuckles some more as he takes a few steps back, holding his hands behind his back.

"Kill the human." All of the windows break in as more armored men hump through. They wield Terradisian weapons and have their ankles lite with archaic fire. The room erupts in chaos as the two groups collide in battle. Bursts of magic and metal clashing with metal fills the room as our guards valiantly attempt to quell the invaders. But their technology is simply too advance for us to make a difference. With every charging of a spell or swing of a sword, a blast of archaic energy cuts them down.

I try to turn back to run down the stairs, but two of the Unfamiliar soldiers cut me off. Celestia teleports in front of me and sets a shield around us, just in time to catch their rounds. They continue firing on us until Storm Cloud and Regina appear behind them, stabbing them in the back.

"Get out of here Luna! We'll hold them off!" She yells to me as she summons her claymore.

"But-"

"GET OUT OF HE-AH!" She yells out in pain as her shield shatters around us. She falls to the ground from the stun of whatever effect destroyed her spell. I turn around to find Vensil standing before me, his hands held up where the shield used to be. The room behind him is filled with all of our guards laying slaughtered on the ground. The rest of his soldiers surround the four of us and move in, but stops when Vensil holds up a hand.

"Tell me, Luna Eremita, how many other lives are you willing to lay down before you finally surrender? By the looks of it, it seems to be at least twenty." He asks, glancing back to the carnage behind him.

"They gave their lives so you wouldn't take an innocent life." I defend, taking a step forward. Celestia puts a hoof to my mine and looks up to me, begging me with her eyes to run.

"No human life is innocent." He counters, smiling again. I hate that smile. That smile... it's pure evil. Filled with malevolent intent and dark intention. That smile... I hate it. Two of the soldiers snap and fire on Storm and Regina, hitting them in the chest and knocking them over. Two more move in and press the barrels of their guns against my stomach.

"W-what-"

"As I said. Kill the human." He says with a slight chuckle.

"B-but, it's not a human!" I yell back, panicking. "How could you-"

"We've learned to see with the soul. It has a human soul, therefore must be destroyed-"

"But it might not come out a human!" I yell as I take a step forward. I shriek in pain when I feel something cut into my side. I look back to see a blade has flipped forward on the gun. The tip has cut into the side of my large stomach, having a small trickle of blood rolling from the small wound.

"Oh, can you guarantee that?" He asks, slightly intrigued.

"... yes. It's not going to be human, it's going to be an Alicorn." I lie, glancing back to the blade as it toys with my small wound. "Please. I don't care what you do with me, but let my child live. I'll do anything if you give me your word that my foal will not be killed, please." He thinks about this, eyeing me with slight interest.

"Hmm... heh. Alright, here's the deal. You will hang before your people, as an example for those who sympathize with the human resistance. But I will pardon your child, if it comes out like you. If it's a human, we will kill it on the spot. It will live out its life as my pet. No purpose. It will beg me for treats and live the stupid life of an animal for my amusement. And I will name it-"

"Erit tuae mortis aeternae."

SNAP

A bolt of lightning snaps through the room and obliterates the soldier with the blade in my side. Standing at the entrance to the throne room is Miles. He's in his human form and is charred all over. I feel my heart lift up for a moment before I note something... off, about him. His archaic lines only go up to his knees and elbows in even lines that come to a point. They're also moving, as if being pushed around by some current. His eyes are bright white and the odd lines as well, going evenly around.

What catches my attention the most though, are the weapons he's wielding. The one on the left looks to be a large trench knife made of various flowing colors, while the other one is pure black with a pure white surrounding. He's twitching as he stands there, but somehow keeps his gaze on Vensil despite his severe convulsions.

"Kill him." Vensil says, barely giving him a look over.

The soldiers move and begin to fire on Miles, but Miles simply lifts his hands. A vortex of black energy engulfs him and he seems to fall through the ground. The soldiers pause for a moment before the vortex appears behind one of them. Miles jumps out and slices the soldier with one of his blades. The soldier hit crumbles away from existence into long black wisps. Vensil goes to attack me, but suddenly everything goes black.

Everything's just... gone. There's no sound, no smell, just... nothing. I can feel the slight tinge of pain in my side, so I don't think I'm dead, so where am I?

I let out another shriek when a white... mask suddenly appears before me. It's a solid, egg shaped, white mask. The only features on it are to the two small slits for eyes.The mask... looks like it's frozen solid while being a million degrees hot. It's looking right through me, seeing every flaw, every crevice of my soul in one unchanging stare. It's just a mask. But... it seems to hold so much, while holding nothing at all.

"Dolor?" A raspy voice asks.

"Uh... who are you?" I ask, fearing the mask greatly.

"Vacuum. Dolor?" Vacuum? So, this is must be Corpus Glacius, but in some greater form.

"Um... only a little. What about the others?" I ask as the mask seems to float to my side, inspecting my cut. I feel a cold presence envelope my stomach, numbing the pain away. I try to move away from the strange feeling, but can't seem to move in this darkness.

"Scient mortis aeternae." The darkness begins to fade away, revealing the armed soldiers from before. The darkness retreats back into the archaic fire in Miles's back, where I see the green man standing within the fire. He's has a blotch of black moving through his being, but they seem... together, in a sense. The archaic line around his back remind me of Celestia's cutie mark, with the exception of it being black and moving slightly.

In the time it took me to blink, Miles was able to move forward and punch through one of the soldiers with the dark energy blade. His body faded away before it could hit the ground. How could he move so fast? Even with magic, that seemed a little impossible. Vensil yells for them to attack while he begins to move away, messing with something on his shoulder along the way. Miles moves to attack him, but he suddenly vanishes from the room. A trail of black wisps tells me that he landed a hit at least.

Miles presses his two blades back into the ground, creating a bright light that blinds me for a moment. When the light fades away, Vensil is back in the room. Before he could act, Miles stabs both of his blades into his chest. He gasps loudly from the contact and chokes from the energy coursing through his body. For some reason, he hasn't faded away yet.

"No mortal... should posses... the power... of the gods." He rasps to Miles.

"Vacuum est aeternum." He replies, moving his blades away from each other. Vensil's body brightens and brightens the further the blades become. With a final yank, he pulls the blades out from the glowing being. What was the being is sucked into the two blades, making them glow a bit brighter.

By the time Miles is finished with Vensil, the remaining soldiers have teleported out of here, leaving us alone. Miles stnads there, still twitching, with his blades at his side.

"Miles?" I call out, taking tentative steps towards him. "Miles... is it over?"

"Pene." Miles brings his hands up and moves them out, keeping them above his head. The roof of the throne room opens up seamlessly, revealing the massive ship in the distance. Its turned towards Canterlot and is on its way, arcs of electricity still bouncing through the air.

Miles takes a deep breath before moving both his blades in front of himself, the colored one pointing up with the dark one pointing down. The lights all around us grow dimmer and dimmer as he focuses on the two blades. Soon, the only light source left is that from the blades themselves. In one wide motion, he brings the two blades over head and everything goes dark.

A few moments go by without anything happening. My breaths seem to become longer and longer as I wait for something to happen.

BAM

I fall back when a enormous burst of energy explodes before me. A long sliver of pure energy roars with power above Miles's head. The light jets up as a whirlwind of energy gusts towards the blade. With a primal yell, Miles spins around and swings at the large vessel. A slash of energy rips through the air with terrifying amounts of energy. The mass of energy has a blue tinge on the front outside with a black center. The ship fires a massive red beam at the energy mass, but it merely bounces off the mass-

KRA-BOOM

The mass slams into ship and explodes with enough force to shake the castle down to it's foundations. What remains of the ship is blown away like paper in the wind, crashing down in the distance into a massive plume of fire. The dark cloud cover becomes blown askew, showing peaceful patches of sky behind.

With the cloud cover broken, light flows into the room. Miles stands before me, line gone, energy blades gone, taking deep breaths as he stands tall. The Elements are dull on his arms, losing their-

KA-BO-BO-BO-BO-BO-BOOM

I yelp again when the Elements explode off of his arms and into the ground around him. They each form a circle around him, making some sort of ven diagram with him in the center.

"Sweet Barbra Miles! Enough with all the explosions!" I yell at him. He turns back to me and sways from side to side as he stares at me, confused.

"Who the fuck is Barbra?" He asks before falling over.

"Miles!" I run over to his side and press my ear against his chest, waiting to hear his heart. I sigh in relief when I hear it beating steadily... wait a minute...

"What do you mean 'who's Barbra?!' That's your saying! WHO IS BARBRA!? MILES!" I yell at him as I try to shake him awake, but he's out cold. I let out an irritated sigh as I back to Celestia and the others. I go to use my magic, but find it's not there. I try again a bit harder, but with the same effect. "What did you do?" I ask quietly as I lay my head beside him, wanting the day to end already.

Sorry for the delay on this one (if you follow by post). Some stuff is going down in real life and needed my time and attention. In other news, I will soon be moving. Long Beach here I come! So, in about a month or so I might disappear for awhile. Don't worry, I'm just moving and what not.

Anyway, be sure to go to the Chapter 200 Q/A to update or post your questions. It's coming up soon, so don't miss out.

Also, if you didn't know...

Friendship is manly.... bitch.

Brony on!