Harmony Undone: The Rise of Order

by Zodiacspear

First published 27th of December, 2013

The World of Equestria is a world of balance and harmony, when the balance is tipped in one direction the opposing element swells.

The World of Equestria is a world of balance and harmony. When Discord was released, the balance was disrupted. Even though the Spirit of Chaos was eventually settled, the equilibrium had already shifted. Now, Twilight and her friends will see what form the balancing act will take, and what it will mean for their beloved Equestria.

A sequel to Three from the Forest. It is not required to read the prequel to understand the events of Harmony Undone: The Rise of Order.

A huge thanks to Lab for his amazing editing abilities that has helped polish this story. Cheers!

Currently, this story is undergoing a remastering. By that, I mean the story is getting a facelift to include better showing/less telly language, grammar problems, and other minor fixes to accommodate my new (and I'd like to think better) writing style. Any chapter with a (R) in front of it is a remastered chapter. Once all chapters are done, the (R)s will be removed.

10/8/17: Added the Alternate Universe tag due to the revelations of the season seven finale. Refer to this blog for the explanation.
12/28/2017: Remastering completed and the (R)s removed!

Chapter One

If there was one thing Wanderer hated, it was the dense jungle underbrush that kept shoving itself into his face with every step, and which trapped the moisture to the point where he could practically drink by breathing. The heavy machete in his mouth made the muscles of his neck and jaw ache, but he still took savage glee in swinging it through the foliage—revenge for the tangles and knots in his grey mane, the innumerable cuts and bruises dotting his auburn coat, and the never-ending river of sweat pouring off of his forehead.

His cutie mark might have been a spyglass for adventure, but he had little love for the tedious bits.

The pegasus behind him paused to take a drink from her canteen with her wing. Wiping at her mouth, she recapped the canteen and slung it back across her withers—brushing a stray lock of her teal mane out of her face.

“How much further are we—” she hissed as her bandaged wing scraped against some prickly vines. Freeing it from the foliage, she tucked her wing back against her side—partially covering her three-coin cutie mark. “—Are we going today?”

Wanderer chopped a thick bush out of the way before sheathing the blade on his side. “A little further; we still have some daylight left,” he said before tilting his head when he regarded her. “You all right?”

She nodded but frowned at her injured wing. “I hate not being able to fly.”

His lopsided grin spread across his face. “You’ll be back up in the air in no time. Just watch out for those stray branches that have a habit of jumping out and grabbing oblivious ponies.”

Her blue-green cheeks took on a redder hue, and she glowered at him. “Oh, shut up!”

The unicorn behind her spoke up even as the earth pony laughed. “We’ve maybe an hour left before dusk. We should find a place to set up camp for the night.” The rust-colored unicorn swore as his burnt-orange mane snagged in a branch.

Wanderer snorted. “That is an hour yet to use.” His grin returned, wider this time. “Come on, Tormod, Tourmaline. There’s something up ahead, I can feel it.”

The other two shook their heads, slow smirks crossing their faces, but followed after him.

They continued on, but all they found in that hour was more brush. As the sun set, even Wanderer had to admit they needed to stop. Finding a small clearing, the three were quick to shed their gear. Stretching out their backs from the long walk, they soon got their campfire going before the gloom of night settled.

As the moon began its rise, Wanderer took the time to update his logbook, keeping track of their progress. Glancing up from his writing, he saw his friends unrolling their bedrolls for the night; as bone tired as they appeared, he knew it wouldn’t take much for them to fall asleep.

Tourmaline, the pegasus, glanced over to Wanderer as she applied a fresh bandage around her wing. “I didn’t think ‘nothing but brush’ would be worth writing down in the logbook,” she remarked.

Wanderer looked up again from his writing—the pencil still in his mouth—and gave her a flat stare.

“—Though I’m sure whoever finds us in this forgotten jungle can happily read about the flora we’ve seen if they haven’t already figured it out for themselves,” she said, giving him a mischievous smile.

He rolled his eyes and jotted down his final thoughts, something none too flattering about his companions.

“We managed six miles today, despite the misstep.” Wanderer remarked, glancing to the unicorn. “How is that cut doing, Tormod?”

Tormod lifted the bandage from his leg, revealing the recent, yet healing, wound. “Sore, but thankfully not infected.” He removed a healing balm and fresh bandages from his bag and redressed the cut.

“That rock python caught us by surprise; we are lucky that cut was the worst of it,” Wanderer said, referring to a magical creature that was, literally, a python made of sharp-edged stone. “We’ll let you take the last watch, give you time to rest.”

They hummed and settled in to relax. Taking in a few deep breaths, Wanderer could smell the thick aroma of the jungle. Enjoying the peace, Wanderer let out a slow, content breath. If there was something better than being with his best friends on an adventure or traveling around Equestria, he didn’t know it or want to know it. Glancing at the others, he saw they were doing much the same as he.

Basking in the feeling, his ears flicked when Tormod broke the silence. “Two weeks into this jungle and we haven’t found much,” he said as he shifted through his pack. “I wonder if that information about the supposed ruins, and all of the hidden wealth, was nothing more than just a clever lie to get ponies to explore this place.”

“You always worry, Tormod,” Tourmaline said as she rested on her belly. “There’ve been other ponies who’ve come here and brought back treasure, so there has to be something worth finding.” With a toss of her head, she flicked her mane out of her face. “I don’t care how dangerous they say this place is, if anyone is going to find those ruins, and the treasure, it’s gonna be us.”

Wanderer smiled. “Got that right. When we find it, we’ll be the ones who are remembered for finding them. Scholars from all over Equestria will be paying for our story.” He smiled a wispier smile. “We might even have enough to send back home for a change.” His grin grew wider as thoughts of their possible discovery ran through his head. “Maybe even enough to go home for a while.”

“Getting homesick?” Tormod asked, raising a brow at his friend.

“No.” Wanderer shook his head before his friend finished his question. “I’m enjoying this far too much to go home yet.” He looked off into the distance. “Still, would like to see how Mom is doing.”

“And Dad.” Tourmaline nodded before looking at Tormod. “Still got that map?”

Her brother snorted. “As if I ever don’t. With Mr. constantly-gets-lost over there, I never go anywhere without one.”

“Hey! I don’t get…” Wanderer trailed off as his friends gave him steady looks. “All right, that’s fair.”

Tourmaline chuckled as Tormod held the map up for them both to see with his magic. Using the light of their fire, Wanderer squinted at the details on the parchment.

“So how far south of New Hayshire are we now?” he asked, pointing to the city that sat on Equestria’s southern border.

“With our progress, I’d say we’ve walked just shy of a hundred miles. Averaging about eight miles a day and with us not really following a straight line, I’d put us about…” The unicorn gave a pensive frown before pointing. “Here. Maybe forty miles south. Fifty if I were to be generous.”

Wanderer frowned. “Don’t think we’ve gone far enough yet.”

Tourmaline looked over the map a moment before shrugging. “We’ve got all the supplies we need and we’re still all right.” She glanced at her wing. “Mostly. Still, we don’t need to think about going back yet.” Looking back at her brother, she asked, “Can I hold onto the map for a bit?”

“All right.” He floated the map over to her, and she studied it a moment before tucking it away in her bag.

Wanderer looked at the jungle canopy before a yawn overtook him. “We should probably sleep,” he said after lowering his hoof from his mouth. “We’ve got more walking to do tomorrow.”

Tourmaline furrowed her brow. “If Tormod is getting to sleep first, who gets midwatch?”

“Flip a coin for it?” Wanderer asked her with a grin.

She flattened her ears at him. “Not with your bit, I’m not.”

His tail swished. “Hey! I got rid of that trick bit a long time ago.”

“I’m not taking a chance with you again.”

Tormod rolled his eyes. “How about closest to a number?” he offered.

“If it means he plays fair for once, yes,” Tourmaline said, giving her mane another toss.

“One time!”

Tormod shook his head, a helpless chuckle escaping him. “All right, got it,” he said after a moment’s thought. “Between one and twenty.”

“Fourteen,” Tourmaline said before Wanderer had a chance to speak.

“Eight,” Wanderer countered.

“Fifteen,” Tormod stated with a not-so-sorry look to Wanderer.

The earth pony sighed in defeat, his shoulders slumping. He glared at Tourmaline as she celebrated her victory before turning his glare at her brother. "You let your sister win, didn't you?"

A faint smirk tugged at the unicorn's face, but he shook his head. "No, she won fair and square."

Wanderer turned as he felt a nudge on his side. "My brother doesn't have to cheat, unlike you," she said, smiling wide at him.

A wicked grin crossed his face. “Well, first watch is yours.”

Wanderer admitted that seeing her widened eyes and dropped jaw as realization set in as one of the funniest things he’d seen that night. The resulting bap upside the head for laughing was uncalled for though.

It was well into the night when Tourmaline woke him for his watch.

“Anything?” he asked as he tried to shake the grogginess away.

“Nothing. It’s quiet out,” she reported, rubbing at her eyes.

He shook his head one last time. “All right, get some sleep, Tourmaline, you look exhausted. We’ll find something tomorrow.”

“Right.” She didn’t sound convinced, and curled up on her bedroll, quickly falling asleep.

Wanderer stood apart from his sleeping companions; the dying campfire’s light hard on his night vision. As he kept alert for danger, he couldn’t help but agree with Tourmaline that it was unusually quiet. His ears swiveled around but even the wild animals seemed subdued. It was the middle of the night, but unlike the previous nights of their adventure, the jungle was still. It almost seemed to him that the jungle was afraid to make a sound. Why that was, he didn’t know, but he intended to find out come daybreak.

A few hours into his watch, he caught himself nodding off and slapped himself to keep sleep at bay. He grumbled about the lack of sleep and looked towards the resting siblings. A faint smile crossed his face as he looked at Tourmaline. Glancing down at the opal-beaded necklace she wore, his grin widened. Ever since he bought it for her long ago, he hadn’t ever seen her without it.

The shine of the moonlight, as it made its way through the branches above, reflected off the opals and had him looking towards the jungle canopy. The moon had come out from the clouds and had set the small clearing into a soft glow. He didn’t know if it was a trick of the moonlight, but a glint off to his left caught his eyes. Squinting, he tried to see better, his ears flicking for sounds of danger. When nothing made itself known, he stood and gathered his machete and went to look. He made sure not to go far and leave his companions without a guard. However, true to his namesake, he couldn’t help but wander.

Fortunately, he didn’t have to go far to find the source of the glint. As he made his way through the jungle, his eyes widened in wonder at the sight he found. The jungle gave way to an old, sprawling ruin. The courtyard of which was illuminated by the moon above, setting the entire area to an almost ethereal, if not chilling, glow.

He all but shook as he looked over the old ruin. Finally, they had found something! This discovery could put their names in history books, and they would be remembered as the great adventurers he and his friends were destined to be!

He made his way back to the camp at a brisk pace; his excitement would not allow for less. He paused often to mark a tree with a simple mark from his machete to show the path back to the ruin. When he made his way back to the camp, he could see his hurried commotion had already woken his friends who were chasing the last signs of sleep from their eyes.

“Wanderer? What in Celestia’s name are you doing?” Tourmaline asked, the sourness making its way into her tone.

“I found something in the woods; a ruin! It’s not far from here! Come on you two, get your things, and let's go,” he said, prancing like a colt.

Tormod sat down on his haunches, letting out a tired groan. “Are you sure it’s a ruin and not a figment of your imagination?"

“Tormod, would I be this excited if I wasn’t sure? It’s the real thing. Get off your rump and move.”

The unicorn yawned. “Can it not wait for morning? It’s not going to go anywhere.”

Wanderer gave him a dubious look. “You expect me to wait and try to sleep knowing what we’ve been searching for is nothing but a stone’s toss away?”

“Get up, Tormod,” Tourmaline said, already gathering her gear to go. “If he said he found something, I believe him."

With a defeated sigh, Tormod began to collect his gear.

Minutes later, the three stood before the entrance of the ruin; their weariness was forgotten with the elation of the discovery. The ruin was a large, square building that resembled a place of worship, though not to any figure the three knew. The jungle had taken part of the temple grounds back, though strangely the temple itself seemed untouched. It was as if the plant life was hesitant to grow near it. The animal life was also eerily absent from the area, and it was so quiet they could have heard their own heartbeats.

With a bold smile, Wanderer gathered his lantern and trotted for the entrance.

“Wanderer, wait,” Tourmaline said, her eyes wide as her gaze darted around. “I don’t think we should go in yet.”

Turning to her, his confident grin easy to see despite holding the lantern in his mouth, he said, “It’s all right, Tourmaline. The three of us together, there isn’t anything that can stop us. We can’t let fear get the best of us.”

She shivered as she looked around. “But this place feels wrong somehow. It’s… still.”

“It is only scary because we haven’t conquered it yet. Once we go inside and learn its secrets, there won’t be a thing to worry about anymore.”

She didn’t appear entirely convinced, but Wanderer rested a comforting hoof on her shoulder.

“Come on, we’ve got this,” he said, a soft smile on his face.

She looked into his hazel eyes and a soft smile tugged at her lips. “Yeah, let's do this.”

Tormod waited a moment more before following after them, his brow furrowed.

Inside the temple they found a large central room with a pedestal in the middle; ringed by rows of low stone benches. Though the jungle refused to touch it, time and the elements held no such compunction. A portion of the roof had collapsed and many of the benches were cracked and broken. The walls and pillars were adorned with images of ponies; all genuflecting before a stallion standing above them all. The worn stone etching made details hard to come by, but they could see the stallion carried a scepter of some sort.

As they looked around, Wanderer noticed one of the etchings in the stone glittered in the lantern light.

“Tormod, can you give me some light?” he asked as he sat down his lantern and dug through his pack for a chisel and hammer. Using one hoof to brace the chisel and holding the hammer in his teeth, he pried away a small gemstone from an indention in the stallion’s chest. Setting his tools down, he scooped up the gemstone and scrutinized it closer in the light offered from his friend’s horn. The violet gemstone was about an inch long and just as wide, and brilliantly cut.

“Amethyst,” Tourmaline said before the others could.

“This alone makes our venture worth our time,” Tormod said with a wide grin, using his magic to place the stone in his bag.

Wanderer smiled. It would be more than the riches that made this trip worthwhile, he thought. He noticed Tourmaline removing the wrapping from her wing and stretching the appendage.

“Are you sure you’re ready to fly?” he asked, a concerned timbre making its way into his tone.

She smiled at him, stretching to her full wingspan. “Don’t worry, I’m not about to miss a chance to see this place from above.” With that, she sprang into the air to get a bird’s-eye view of the temple. He watched her fly around; despite a wince here and there, she seemed to handle it as well as she always did.

Through the broken roof, Wanderer could see the beginning of daylight to filter through the roof, a welcome change to the oppressive gloom the place held like a thick cloak.

Wanderer’s eyes then settled on the altar in the center of the room. Set in the middle of the altar’s surface was a gold crown. As he got closer, he could see it was made of two intertwining snakes with the heads of the snakes facing outward, each holding an amethyst gemstone in their mouths.

Remembering the many lessons of the Daring Do books he had read in his life, he suspected a trap and called for his friends to be ready. He approached cautiously—the clopping of his hooves seeming to ring in stillness—looking for any sign of traps surrounding the crown. Finding none, he braced himself and swiped the crown from it’s resting place. Hopping away, he dove for the floor—expecting to be crushed, shot at, or otherwise killed in any number of unpleasant ways.

To his relief, nothing happened. He let out an explosive sigh and got back to his hooves—looking at his prize. The crown strangely reminded him of the stallion depicted on the murals.

“That was… easy,” Tormod remarked.

“Too easy,” Wanderer agreed.

The two ground-based ponies spread their legs as the ground shook, dislodging dirt and rock from the ceiling above.

“You just had to say it,” Tourmaline remarked from the air.

Thankfully the ruin did not collapse in on itself, but a small section of wall depressed in and slid out of the way, revealing a hidden passage. When nothing came out to devour them, they relaxed and approached the opening.

“What do you think is in there?” Tourmaline asked as she landed next to Wanderer.

“Only one way to find out,” he said with a wide grin. Placing the crown into his saddlebag, he retrieved his lantern and made his way down the passage, followed closely by his friends.

The passage was narrow, allowing only one to pass at a time. If the atmosphere of the temple’s main room could be called gloomy, the passage would be best described as dead. Nothing moved; no vermin, light, or even the air broke the stillness. A feeling of oppression fell upon them as they moved deeper into the passage. Tormod and Tourmaline hunkered down as they walked, following Wanderer as he put on a bold face for them. He kept his head held high, though even his step faltered some.

The passage finally ended and widened out into a small room, and their eyes widened at their newest find. A scepter made of gold and standing five hooves tall, levitated in the center of the room. The scepter’s head was adorned with the face of a manticore, frozen in a silent roar. A large hoof sized amethyst gemstone was set in its mouth. Surrounding the scepter was a magical bubble that extended a short distance from it. Looking upon the scepter, the three ponies felt shivers run up their spines.

“What do you think?” Wanderer asked his two companions.

When Tourmaline offered nothing, Tormod spoke up. “We should try to get it out of here. If we can get it out in the light, we can study it in better detail.”

A weak smile tugged at Wanderer’s lips as he waved Tormod ahead. “All yours.”

Rolling his eyes, Tormod stepped closer. As he approached the scepter, his gaze swept over the magical bubble. A pensive frown crossed his face as he squinted at it. Lighting his horn, his magic briefly surrounded the bubble. When nothing happened, he gave his friends a helpless shrug and lifted a hoof to touch it. Upon doing so, an unseen force threw him across the room, and he crashed against the wall with a grunt.

“Tormod!” the two yelled and rushed over to help him up.

“A force bubble,” he said as he accepted Wanderer’s hoof up. “I don’t think I’ll be able to dispel it.”

“Do you know another way?” Wanderer asked, looking back at the scepter. It may have been a trick of the light, but he could have sworn it had turned to face him.

Tormod shook his head, but Tourmaline spoke. “Perhaps we should leave it. Come back for it after we've rested.”

Wanderer looked at the scepter that still hovered in the air.

“Let me try something. If it doesn’t work, we’ll leave and come back better prepared.”

Tourmaline's tail swished, her ears flattening. “Do you want to make an indent in the wall too?"

He grinned at her. “I bounce better than your brother.”

She huffed and rolled her eyes. “I’m not prying you out of the wall this time.”

He laughed and turned to approach the bubble. He slowly lifted a hoof to touch it; fully expecting to be tossed aside. To his surprise, the bubble flared then vanished at his touch.

Both of his companions could only look with wide eyes and dropped jaws.

“Wha—how?” Tormod sputtered.

“Nothing to it!” he shouted back, rearing in triumph.

The scepter gently float down to him, waiting for him to take it.

Smiling his confident smile at his friends, he took hold of the scepter.

They noticed too late the crown in his saddlebag was glowing.

The moment he took hold of the scepter, a dark haze seeped forth from the amethyst. The dark fog began to swirl and enveloped his body.

“Wanderer! Let it go!” Tourmaline cried out, her voice reaching a higher octave.

“I… I can’t!” he yelled back, his eyes wide. He was elevated above the ground as the miasma swirled faster and began to glow.

His eyes were soon nothing but glowing orbs of light, and he screamed to his friends, absolute panic making its way into his voice.

“Run! Get away!” he yelled before the fog covered him.

“Wanderer!” His friends both cried out, his warning unheeded.

After a short time there was a bright flash that left both ponies covering their eyes. When the glare faded, they could see it was not Wanderer that stood there, but a vastly different pony. He was a stallion, two hands taller than Wanderer. His coat was a velvet color, his mane a lighter purple with a single gold streak down the middle. Wanderer’s spyglass cutie mark was replaced by a gauntlet held upright in a crushing pose. His eyes, once hazel, were now an amber color and full of malevolence. Resting atop his head was the crown Wanderer had taken from the altar. A gold-plated chestplate adorned his muscled chest with a large amethyst set in its center.

The stallion looked around the room and paused to regard the scepter in his left hoof.

“Wa… Wanderer?” Tourmaline asked in a quiet voice. Tormod stood in stunned silence, his mouth uttering unspoken words.

The stallion lifted his gaze from his scepter to the two stunned ponies. The two backed away at the awfulness of his eyes.

“You should have listened to your friend,” he said.

He shot out his right forehoof, and a beam of energy raced towards Tourmaline.

“Look out!” Tormod screamed before jumping in front of her. When the beam struck, his body instantly turned to stone, and he fell to the ground.

With a shriek, Tourmaline tore back down the narrow passage. Her tears flowing freely down her face as she fled for her life. The stallion didn’t pursue nor attack the fleeing mare, rather, he looked at his scepter before looking at his body and his forelegs. As he took stock of himself, a soft growl escaped past his lips. His eyes narrowed before a roar carrying the anger of ages erupted from him. His enraged shout was the only thing that followed Tourmaline as she took wing and fled to the skies.

In Canterlot, Celestia sat comfortably before her throne. A cup of warm tea floated nearby, as did the parchment she was reading. She tilted her head as she considered her tasks for the day: an envoy from the Crystal Empire was expected this day carrying news from Princess Cadence, as well as new trade agreements from their merchants, and she also anticipated a report from her favored student.

No, not student anymore, she corrected herself. Twilight Sparkle’s coronation was only a week past, and Celestia smiled at the memory. It had been a happy day for her and so many others. Twilight becoming a princess was a surprise to many, most of all Twilight. Having known the mare’s potential the day they first met, the same day the younger one earned her cutie mark and her place as Celestia’s student, she knew she had chosen well. Seeing her subjects realizing their potential was one of the many joys Princess Celestia savored.

With a thought, the cup of tea hovered towards her to sip. That was when the sound of the angered shout reached her ears, carried on ghostly winds she and few others could hear.

Caught entirely off guard, she spat the hot tea over the parchment and gasped. The guards posted at the foot of her throne turned at her gasp.

“Princess, are you all right?” the earth pony guard asked.

She did not immediately respond as the shout rang in her ears.

“No, not him. Please, not him.” she pleaded inside her mind.

“My Lady?” the guard repeated not for the first or second time.

She gave him a reassuring look, one that she didn't honestly feel as the shouting faded away. “It’s all right, sir. A spell that will fade.”

He gave his fellow guard a dubious look, and she could tell he wanted to ask more, but he respected her wishes and bowed.

“Yes, my Lady,” one of them said before they turned back to their posts.

Princess Celestia thought to herself a moment more; she couldn’t be certain of anything, but that shout was hauntingly familiar. A voice she had hoped she would’ve never have heard again. However, without evidence, there was nothing that could be done until the danger made itself known.

She looked up as she heard the frantic clopping of hooves in the hallway. Her sister ran into the room, her expression no less worried than her own.

“Sister!” Luna cried. No doubt she too heard the screams.

Celestia held up a hoof as Luna ran. “Be calm, my sister. We must learn more before we act.”

At her words, the two guards shared a worried look.

Author's Notes:

I welcome any feedback or criticism.

Edit 8/8/16: The first and final remaster of my story. For now, any chapter you see a (R) in front of the title, that chapter has been remastered. Once all chapters have been remastered, the R's will be removed. Thank you all again for reading my first story! Still proud of the old thing, even if it direly needed a face lift.

Chapter Two

"Rainbow Dash! I can walk on my own!" Twilight shouted as she found herself pushed toward the local swimming hole.

"You walk almost as slow as you fly, Twilight," Rainbow countered. "Besides, this isn't something that can wait, so come on!"

"It's not my fault! I only recently got my wings!" Twilight gave Spike and Fluttershy a pleading look as they followed along, barely contained smiles on their faces. "Help."

The two of them shook their heads, each trying to keep from snickering at her.

As they approached the lake, Twilight could see that a recent addition had recently been built. From her viewpoint, she could see it was a large slide, and there was a fast-moving, pink blur near its base.

“What is Pinkie Pie doing?” Twilight asked Rainbow Dash. As she watched the pink mare zip around the newly built slide, a feeling of trepidation came over her. Memories of the last time Pinkie was so energetic made her hackles rise.

Rainbow Dash smirked. “It’s not just Pinkie Pie. She and I got an idea after the Cutie Mark Crusaders’ last attempt at getting their cutie marks.” She smiled, lifting her chin. “And I say we outdid ourselves this time.”

“What were the Cutie Mark—” Twilight started to ask.

Rainbow Dash held up a hoof to stop her. “You don’t want to know,” she said dryly. “It involved a water pump, that's all I’ll say.”

An incredulous eyebrow shot up. “A water pump?”

Rainbow Dash wouldn't be baited. “Come on you three, they should have it done by now,” she said, pushing them along the path.

When they got to the swimming hole, they could see the slide was a simple, straight-down slide that turned upward sharply at the end. The slide was wide enough to accommodate a fully grown pony. Seeing it stand about two stories tall with an impressive incline, Twilight could imagine Rainbow Dash’s excitement. She noticed her friends Applejack and Rarity were there as well, the former hammering the last of the nails into the slide and the other sunbathed on a nearby bench.

“Afternoon, Twilight, Fluttershy, Spike,” Applejack said as she wiped the sweat from her brow “‘Bout time ya got here, RD. What kept ya?”

Rainbow pointed an accusatory hoof her and Fluttershy’s way. “They were trying to hide out at the cafe.”

“Hiding? I thought we were having lunch?” Twilight asked Fluttershy, a faint smile on her face.

Fluttershy did her best to stifle a giggle.

“Twilight! Have you seen what we’ve built?” Pinkie Pie exclaimed, appearing next to Twilight, lifting her in a bone-crushing hug. “It’s going to be a giant water slide!”

“I can see,” Twilight grunted as she was unceremoniously dropped to the ground.

“Oh, when it’s done, we’ll have a big pool party. It’s gonna be fun!” Pinkie bounced in placed so fast that she seemed a blur of pink and blue eyes.

“When it’s done? It’s done now,” Applejack said as she drove the last nail into the platform. “Rainbow, bring up that hose, won’t ya?”

“You got it.” She flew over and hoofed over the hose.

As Applejack set the hose in its designated place, she called down to Twilight, “Can ya put that other hose in the lake, Twi?”

“Of course,” she said, using her magic to levitate the other hose over the lake before dropping it.

Applejack nodded. “All right Pinkie, let ‘er rip.”

“Okely, dokely!” she hollered before flipping the switch on the large machine.

The machine roared to life and began draining water from the lake; bringing it to the top of the slide. Twilight could see the machine was putting out enough water to provide a good steady stream.

“Yee-haw! It works.” Applejack reared up in triumph.

“All right!” Rainbow Dash cheered, giving Applejack a high-hoof.

Twilight nearly jumped out of her skin when Pinkie Pie’s show of excitement was a blast of confetti from her trusty party cannon.

The only one to show no real excitement was Rarity, who only lowered her sunglasses enough to see what the commotion was. She sniffed dismissively and pushed her glasses back to their place and returning to her sunbath.

Twilight looked at the water slide with a smile, amazed to see the machine put out enough water for the slide. “Where did Apple Bloom and her friends find the pump, Applejack?”

She shrugged. “Who knows where they get half the things they get. It’s one’a them things where yer better off not askin’.”

“Fair enough.” Twilight shrugged, finally letting the topic go.

“So who’s going first?” Applejack asked them.

“I will!” Pinkie shouted, already mid-leap over the slide’s start. With a high pitched “Whee!” she slid down the slide. Flying over the lake, she splashed down with an impressive cannonball.

Twilight’s eyes shrank to mere pinpoints as the resulting wave towered over them. With a squeak, there wasn’t enough time to use a spell to save herself. The resulting wave soaked everypony, including an unaware Rarity.

The unicorn sputtered as she shook off the water, a horrified expression on her face. “P-Pinkie Pie! My-my hair!” she declared, her hooves darting to save her curls.

“Oops, sorry, Rarity,” Pinkie said as she floated in the middle of the lake, a not-so-sorry expression on her face. “You should come swimming with us; it’s a whole lot of fun.”

Rarity scoffed. “Fun? Darling, I fail to see how swimming in a dirty old lake could possibly be considered fun. You girls go ahead and have your fun; I’ll enjoy my time in the sun.” With that, she used her magic to dry her hair—which promptly settled back to its normal state—and returned to her sunbathing.

The other mares shared a small laugh and turned to have fun with the new slide. Even Fluttershy gave it a try, after a lot of coaxing from her friends. It soon became a contest between Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie on who could make a larger splash. Though none got close to Pinkie’s first cannonball, they didn’t lack for trying.

After Applejack’s last attempt, an impressive splash that reached well into the air, Rainbow Dash zipped up to the top of the slide and stretched her wings, acting as if she were preparing for a big race. With a confident smile, she leaped into the air then turned a sharp one-eighty and descended. With her wings tucked to her side, she zipped down the slide and soared over the lake. She did a few midair flips before splashing down with a loud, “Yeeeaaah!”

The splash nearly outdid Pinkie’s, the resulting wave soaking everyone along the shore save Rarity, who saw it coming and used her magic to shield herself from the water without a hair out of place.

“Yeah! That’s how it’s done!” the cyan pegasus cheered from the water’s surface. Her friends cheered as well. When Rainbow turned to Twilight, she felt a cold feeling in her stomach as the pegasus smiled a mischievous smile.

“All right, Twilight, it’s your turn. I want you to do the same thing I just did.”

Twilight blinked. It took her a moment to respond. “You want me to dive from the air?” she asked.

“That’s right. It’ll be your flight lesson today,” Rainbow said as she landed on the shore, shaking the water from her coat. “There’s nothing to it, just tuck your wings in as you dive and you’ll build up the speed you need to make a great cannonball.”

Her jaw slack, Twilight couldn’t begin to mouth a protest.

“You’ll be fine,” Rainbow said to her look.

With a defeated sigh, Twilight took off and hovered above the slide, looking down at her friends as they turned to watch her.

“So, I just tuck them in?” she called down.

“Just do it, Twilight!” Rainbow yelled, impatience making its way into her tone.

“You can do it, sugarcube!” Applejack called up, waving her hat around.

“Yay! Twilight! Whoo!” Pinkie Pie added.

Fluttershy looked on, eager to see how Twilight did. Rarity lowered her sunglasses enough to view the spectacle. Spike, of course, looked on with a hint of worry.

With a calming breath, she tucked in her wings as Rainbow had taught her—the wind whooshing past her ears as she descended. She hit the slide and sailed out over the lake… and beyond.

“Twilight! Look out!” Spike called, mirroring other shouts from her friends.

With a panicked scream, Twilight tried using her wings to stop herself, but it was not enough to keep her from crashing into a tree.

Her friends rushed over and called up into the tangle of branches.

“Twi, you alright?” Applejack asked.

“Ugh… never better,” came the sarcastic response.

Her friends let out a relieved breath. “Ya had us worried there, sugarcube.”

“I had myself worried.” Her surprised yelp was followed by the resounding thuds as she bounced off each branch the whole way to the ground. She sat dazed a moment, and shook her head to clear the dizziness.

“What did I do wrong?” she asked, rubbing at the side of her head.

“You had your wings out for too long,” Fluttershy said, helping her to her hooves. “When you got to the slide, you should have had them at your side.”

“You couldn’t have told me that before I dived headlong into a tree?” Twilight said. She winced as she saw the pegasus duck behind her bangs. “Sorry, Fluttershy, I didn’t mean to snap.”

“It-It’s okay.” Fluttershy smiled as she emerged from behind her bangs. “I understand.”

“Really, darling, you shouldn’t let Rainbow Dash talk you into doing every crazy stunt she does. Not until you’re a bit more experienced.” Rarity said, and then added as if an afterthought, “No offense, Rainbow Dash.”

“Oh, none taken.” Rainbow Dash said, far too easily.

Even Twilight recognized that tone. She turned to see an impishly grinning Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie, who quickly grabbed Rarity before she could turn to run and lifted her above their heads.

“Girls! No! What are you doing? Put me down this instant!” Rarity yelled, struggling to escape.

“Oh, we’re not doing anything,” Pinkie Pie chirped as they carried her towards the lakeshore.

“No! Girls! No, not the lake! My—” Her remaining protests were lost in a scream as she was tossed into the lake.

She came up sputtering, her makeup running and her hair soaking wet. No easy magic was going to fix it this time, Twilight knew. Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie quickly dove in to join her, soaking her once again.

Rarity glared at them so fiercely that the water on her fur seemed to evaporate. “It. Is. ON!” She promptly dunked Rainbow under the water.

The girls and dragon all shared a laugh and enjoyed the rest of the day at the lake. That was until Spike gave a sudden belch of flame. The flames turned into a rolled up parchment that bore the royal seal.

"A letter from the Princess?" Applejack asked as she donned her hat again.

Twilight nodded as she took the parchment in her magic. "Thank you, Spike." Her eyes scanned the page before she gasped.

"Uh oh, what is it this time?" Rainbow grumbled, crossing her arms in an annoyed huff.

That same day, Princess Celestia sat out on the balcony overlooking the city of Canterlot. Her gaze lost as she looked to the horizon. The last she heard from her sister was a few weeks ago; Luna had said her expedition had found the temple and to expect her home soon. Today was the day Luna was expected back, and Celestia would finally learn if her fears were well-founded.

It had been months since she had they hard heard his scream of rage, but after that initial touch, there had been nothing else from him. It almost seemed as if he had disappeared as quickly as he had come. Luna had claimed that she would hunt him down on her own, but Celestia had insisted that she take a squad of guards with her to investigate the lost temple and find clues to his whereabouts. Luna had argued that if she was alone, she could have been to the temple and back within a few short weeks, but with the extra protection—and their lack of magical travel—Luna's expedition had to take a long way there—despite the Lunar Princess's grumblings.

Their form of communication was not consistent as it was with Twilight and Spike, and Celestia wished now more than ever that she and Luna had a similar way to communicate over long distances. Their magical sendings were much more difficult to send and maintain. Thus the sisters had agreed to share the final news in person.

As her gaze focused on the horizon, she let out a slow breath. ‘I pray that you found him, Luna, and sealed him away before he could cause anyone misery.’ Her eyes closed as she shifted her weight. ‘Please be safe, Luna.’

Her thoughts drifted once again. Equestria had only just begun to settle into a state where there was little fear of an outside threat. Nightmare Moon was defeated, Discord reformed, the changelings imprisoned, and Sombra defeated. It had seemed that peace and stability had finally settled over her kingdom. With a newly crowned princess, her ponies were happy.

‘I fear though, that if he gains his power back...’ Her gaze hardened as she stared at the sky. ‘I will not let that happen again. Never again.’

She jerked at the sound of a horn that was near the city gates. Turning her gaze in the direction of the sound, she saw her sister leading her squad through the gates, her guards pulling a wagon along.

Taking in a steadying breath, Celestia made her way back to the throne room to await Luna’s arrival. She quietly hoped that news would be good, and her fears put to rest.

She did not have to wait long as Luna made her way to the throne room. When she arrived, Celestia saw she was followed by a pair of guards pulling a canvas-covered wagon. Accompanying Luna was a worn-looking blue-green pegasus with a three-coin cutie mark. Celestia looked at the pegasus—a cold feeling gripping at her chest at the expression the mare wore—before her gaze settled over the wagon.

Pushing aside her worries, for now, she stood straighter and said, “Welcome home, sister. I hope you and your expedition are well?”

“We are indeed, sister.” Luna replied. “But I fear the news I bring is most dire.”

Celestia felt her heart sink. “It is true then?”

Luna nodded, her brow furrowing. “We found Tourmaline—” she motioned to the pegasus, “—at the fringe of the jungle in ill health and delirium, but we were able to determine she knew where the temple lay hidden. We nursed her back to health, and she agreed to show us where it lay.” Luna turned to the pegasus. “Come forward, young one; please tell my sister what you have told me.”

The pegasus stepped forward on shaky legs and bowed.

“Princess Celestia,” she said, her voice quivered as she spoke.

A gentle smile tugged at Celestia’s lips. “It is all right, my little pony, it is safe here. Your name is Tourmaline, yes? It is a beautiful name.”

“Y-Yes, Princess,” the pegasus replied, standing taller.

“Can you tell me what you witnessed at the temple?”

Sorrow crossed Tourmaline’s face as she looked at the canvas-covered wagon. “I wish we had never found it.”

She told Celestia all of what occurred at the temple that day. Telling of Wanderer, her brother, Tormod, the crown, the scepter, and the awful stallion that Wanderer had become.

“Can you describe what this stallion looked like?” Celestia asked when Tourmaline came to that point in her tale.

Tourmaline closed her eyes a moment. “It was hard to make out really—it was dark, and we only had the one lantern—but his coat was a velvet color, and his mane had a golden streak through it. He had gold armor on his chest, and he had the crown and scepter we found.” She shuddered. “But it was his eyes I remember. The three of us battled monsters before, some of them very dangerous, and I never hesitated against them. But his eyes, I looked at them couldn’t move, and that was when Tormod—” She choked back her next words, looking to the wagon again with a look of shame, unable to continue speaking.

Celestia turned her gaze to the wagon and with a soft glow from her horn, the canvas lifted; uncovering a still-petrified Tormod. Celestia’s eyes widened, and she looked to Luna for an explanation.

“I have been unable to undo what was done to him,” Luna said, her expression darkening. “He dreams, however, and I have visited him there. He has relayed much the same to me.”

Celestia nodded, a pensive frown crossing her face as she approached the petrified unicorn. Taking in a breath, her horn grew much brighter, and the same-colored aura surrounded the statue. The glow brightened for a moment before it dissipated. When she opened her eyes, she saw that the unicorn remained petrified, despite her effort.

She turned and looked to the worried Tourmaline. “You are tired, Tourmaline. You and your brother will remain here as my guests in the castle. I promise you I will do all I can to cure your brother.”

Tourmaline bowed again to her. “Thank you, Princess Celestia.” She turned her gaze to Luna. “And you too, Princess Luna, for helping me and my brother.”

Celestia tilted her head when Tourmaline looked back at her only to avert her gaze again.

“What is on your mind, Tourmaline? You can speak with me.”

Tourmaline gulped before speaking. “Can… can you save my friend, Princess? Wanderer, he’s been our best friend since we were foals.” She lifted her violet-eyed gaze to her. “You can save him too, right?”

A smile made its way onto Celestia’s face. “Rest assured, Tourmaline, we will do everything we can to save your friend as well. Just have faith, my little pony.”

“Thank you, Princess Celestia,” she said, relief making its way into her tone.

“You are most welcome.” Celestia looked to a guard who stood by stoically. “Please show her to the guest rooms.”

After Tourmaline had left, Celestia turned back to her throne in quiet contemplation; Luna stood next to her, allowing her sister time to mull over the news.

“You saw the aura that still surrounded her brother, yes?” she asked, glancing at her sister.

Celestia nodded, her gaze holding a far-away look. “I should have foreseen this, Luna. I had hoped, prayed, that this wouldn’t have happened.” She sighed. “But it did. And now two of our subjects suffer because of him.”

Luna rested a hoof on her withers. “One cannot predict the future, sister. You are not at fault for his return.”

Celestia lowered her head. “I know this, but I dread what he is capable of now. He has had centuries to focus his power despite his imprisonment.”

“He has been released for a few months now, and we have neither seen nor heard anything of him. Perhaps he is weakened instead and is unwilling to face us as of yet,” Luna suggested.

“Perhaps,” Celestia allowed. “However, it is not in his nature to act rashly. When he does reappear, he will be prepared, and he will come for us. We cannot let him harm our subjects in his goal for domination.”

Luna’s gaze hardened. “Until he acts, we can do little but prepare for that day.”

Celestia nodded standing straighter again. “We will have to warn Princess Cadence and Princess Twilight, and advise her friends to have the Elements of Harmony at the ready. We will also have to inform Discord; he might be able to provide more information we can use.”

Luna winced at the thought. "Let us hope that if he does, it will make even a sliver of sense."

In another part of Equestria, south of the Applelosian Mountains and past the forest of Leota, sat the remains of a recently destroyed castle. The remains of the small town surrounding it had long since sat abandoned. Inside the castle, it was as still as night. It was not until one came to its lower confines that one would hear a sing-song voice happily repeating the same tune over and over again. The singing broke long enough to recite a poem before breaking out in song again, a routine that was maddening to any subject to it with no means of escape.

The Queen of the Changelings, rested her foreleg over her eyes. “A year… a whole year listening to that insufferable costume!” she shouted, earning quick, worried looks from her changelings nearby. She bristled and glared at the obnoxiously large costume that resembled Pinkie Pie as it blocked the only way out of their prison. “What foul spell has she put on you? How do I make you shut up!” Ever since that fateful night of the comet and the battle with Twilight and her friends, the queen had to hear that insufferable song and rhyme repeated in the voice of the pink earth pony.

‘I can’t take it anymore…’ she groaned as the costume once again started up its song.

She and her minions tried in vain to not only dig themselves out but also to solve the riddle of the enchanted costume that blocked the exit. She remembered blasting the costume with every bit of might she could conjure, but the costume remained unscathed.

‘If only I could feed, I could have gotten us all of out here.’ She glared back at the costume. ‘If only I could go for one hour without it talking. I would be in heaven.’

“M-My queen,” said one of her minions, her lieutenant to be exact, distinguishable only by the armor he wore that the others did not.

Her eyes blazed with rage. “What?!”

He flinched at her tone and lowered his gaze to the floor. “We have tried digging at a different section of the antechambers, my Queen, but the ground is so hard we can’t get through.”

She scoffed. “You tell me nothing I don’t already know. Do not come back to me unless you have found something that will get us out of here!”

He bowed and backed away. “Yes, my queen,” he said, skittering away from her as quick as his wings would allow.

After he left, she looked around, and her shoulders sagged. There was no way out, she knew. At least not until Twilight herself came back to release them, and she knew the possibilities of that were slim. She plopped down on her dais, her hooves over her head, trying to drown out the possessed costume’s rambling.

Then it happened, the costume stopped its singing, almost like a hesitation. The queen perked up, as did her nearby minions, the silence that followed almost seemed louder than the singing had been.

Her ears perked up as a faint glimmer of hope sparked in her chest. ‘Did it stop? Is she going to let us—’

Her jaw dropped as the costume took up its song once more. Clenching her jaw, she shouted, “Curse you, Twilight Spark—”

The resulting explosion of shredded material caused a startled squeak to escape her as she and the changelings lifted their forelegs to shield their faces.

At the sound of clopping hooves, Chrysalis sneered past her forelegs back at the doorway. “That was a tad extreme way of dispelling your own spell, Twilight Spar…”

Her words trailed away as a pony other than Twilight Sparkle stood in the doorway. Kicking aside the remains of the costume, the tall earth pony stepped through the door. Chrysalis sucked in a breath as he glared down at them with amber-colored eyes. The gold chestplate he wore seemed a stark contrast to the velvet color of his fur.

“Who?” Chrysalis managed to utter past her shock.

His eyes traced to her and she saw a small, arrogant smirk tug at his lips. Lifting his golden, manticore scepter, he rapped it on the floor—the sound of the metal hitting the stone sending a shiver up her spine.

“You are the queen of this hive, I presume?” he asked in a voice that was smooth as silk, yet held a commanding undertone to it.

Chrysalis bristled. The way he carried himself, as if the world bowed to him, made her wonder if she had been better off with the singing costume.

Chapter Three

Her changelings bristled at the sight of this pony who so boldly stepped into their prison. Only her command kept them from attacking him out of desperation to escape. Chrysalis turned her gaze back to the pony; he stood tall, nearly the same height as she. His eyes had a haunting arrogance behind them, and his smirk spoke of extreme confidence in himself.

“I ask again,” he said, his voice carrying in the vaulted chamber. “You are Queen of this hive?”

Her lips pulled back in a snarl even as she stood from her dais. “Just who are you to demand anything of me?”

His smirk widened. “Who I am is not important at this moment, but what is important is what I have to offer you and your—” He paused a moment to glance at the collected changelings. “—brood.”

A growl escaped from her throat. “You don’t have anything I want, and now that the annoying costume is gone, we can finally leave!” She snapped a glare at her lieutenant. “Deal with him!”

A wicked grin crossed his face. “Yes, my Queen!”

The changeling burst for the pony who blocked the way out, and Crysalis sneered at the thought that they would soon all be free from their prison. Her grin dropped, however, as just as her lieutenant was to tear into him, the pony gave an annoyed frown and swung his scepter. The resounding crunch of metal meeting chitin ringed in her ears, and she ducked as her lieutenant flew back at her. The poor changeling groaned as he crashed into a few others who were slow to dodge.

She whirled back as she heard the sound of the scepter striking the cold stone, the ringing of metal booming in her ears. “Do any others wish to try their mettle against me?” he asked, a contempt frown on his face.

Hearing the painful moans of her lieutenant, Chrysalis snarled—her hackles rising.

Narrowing his amber-eyed gaze at her, he said, “If you so wish it. I can restore the automation, and see to it that it becomes truly indestructible. And I will leave you all here to feast upon each other until one of you dies from starvation.”

Her eyes widened as she felt her blood run cold. “You lie. No pony has the heart to follow through with such a threat.”

He lifted his chin. “Do you wish to gamble on that thought?”

Baring her fangs, she hissed yet stood her ground.

“Now that the foolishness is over, are you willing to hear my offer?”

The queen narrowed her eyes. “What do you want?”

“A simple arrangement,” he said, sweeping his gaze over the assembled changelings. “I require you and your changelings for a foray along Equestria’s borders. In return, I offer you and yours a small section of it for yourselves once I make Equestria my own.”

She all but laughed in his face. “You intend to challenge Celestia for her throne? You are a fool then. You have no idea the power she has at her disposal. A mere earth pony doesn't have the power to stand up to her guards let alone the princesses.”

The beginnings of a smirk tugged at her lips as his eyes narrowed. ‘So, that one hurt, huh?’

The annoyed expression left his face, replaced by the confident demeanor. “Of Celestia and Luna’s power and resources, you will inform me. In return for your services, I offer you and your changelings freedom from your imprisonment and a small kingdom of your own. All you need to do is to swear fealty to me and follow my orders without question or hesitation.”

Snarling again, she yelled, “Just who do you think you are to demand such of me!”

He gave her a hard glare. “I will not make this offer again.”

She scowled at the finality in his tone and growled to herself. ‘Freedom from this prison and a kingdom of my own? All for some stupid spoken oath of loyalty? Either this pony is an idiot, or there’s something else going on here.’ She glanced over at her changelings, many of them giving her questioning glances or hopeful looks. ‘Still, if he is able to make good on his promise, we get what we wanted. If not, we would still be free.’

She stood straighter showing calm for her subjects. “Fine. You have a deal,” she said, even as a plan began to take form in her mind.

There was something about his grin that caused a sickening feeling in her gut to happen. “Good,” he said. “But first, I require your oath and the information you hold. With it, we will begin taking back Equestria from those undeserving of her.”

Her brow furrowed even as her changelings relaxed. ‘Taking back? Who is this guy?’ she thought before speaking, “I will tell you what we know, but I want to know who you are.”

His grin widened. “Has history forgotten me?” he chuckled. “No matter, the world will soon know my name once more. All will tremble at my coming.”

As Twilight and her friends stepped off the train at Canterlot Train Station, she couldn’t help but enjoy the familiar sights of her old home city. Seeing the white walls and paved streets again brought memories of her and Shining Armor enjoying many happy days with their parents. Having lived in Canterlot for years before moving to Ponyville, Twilight knew the fastest way to the castle, and she soon lead them at a leisurely pace.

“What do you think the princess wants to tell us so badly?” Rainbow Dash asked as she hovered above the others—snapping Twilight from her reminiscing.

“I don’t know, Rainbow Dash; all her letter asked was for the six of us to come see her as soon as we could. I’m sure whatever she has to say will be important,” Twilight said as they wound their way through the streets of the capital city. She saw the city’s upper-class citizens, who usually just snubbed the ponies from Ponyville, knelt in respect or whispered amongst themselves as she passed by.

“I still don’t know how you do it, Twilight,” Fluttershy said, her tone quiet as she looked at some of the kneeling ponies.

“What’s that?” Twilight asked her.

“All the attention you get.” She nodded towards a small group of ponies who bowed as they saw Twilight. “I don’t think I could ever get used to something like that. I’m not sure I’d want to.”

Twilight let out a huff. “There are times I wish they didn’t. I knew that being a princess would garner respect out of other ponies, but there are times I wish they would treat me like everypony else again.”

“Oh darling, you are looking at it the wrong way. You shouldn’t look at the adoration as a cause for embarrassment. Rather, look at them as signs of respect for your station. You are royalty now, dear, and awe and respect are both parts of it,” Rarity sighed, resting a foreleg over her eyes. “Ahh, what I wouldn’t give to have the adoration and admiration ponies give to royalty.”

Twilight's ears flattened. “I would give it to you if I could,”

“You mean that?” Rarity asked, grabbing ahold of Twilight and looking at her with hope-filled eyes.

“No,” Twilight deadpanned.

Rarity’s shocked expression couldn’t hold up to Twilight’s disarming smile, and the girls all shared a laugh. All of them except for Applejack, whose frown only deepened.

“Well, I think it’s a bunch of bologna,” the farm pony said, her mouth in a firm frown. “All them ponies used to not even give ya the time a day, but now that yer a princess and all, they’re falling all over themselves to give ya respect. They ain’t doing it because of who ya are, but what ya are.” She tugged her hat tighter on her head. “It’s as dishonest as ya can get.”

Twilight contemplated her words and found she could not argue the point. She also considered she had earned her title of Princess as Princess Celestia had told her that fateful day of her transformation. She also had many other questions, but Celestia promised all would be clear in time. Perhaps all of her efforts had led to this newfound attention. Applejack knew the value of hard-earned rewards better than most other ponies; maybe she hadn’t considered that. She was about to say as such before Pinkie Pie chimed in.

“If you want to know what I think, I think you shouldn’t let it bother you too much,” she said as she hopped along. “Yeah sure, other ponies are acting differently around you, but does it hurt to have them bow or whatever? If anything they’re the ones getting their knees all dusty, and I don’t think dusty knees are anything to worry over. So why worry? If it makes them happy, let them do it.”

Applejack stamped a hoof to the pavement. “It’s just plain dishonest though, Pinkie."

“Yeah,” she agreed. “But is it hurting anyone?”

Applejack lifted a hoof to argue, but whatever she was about to say died in her throat. With a quick huff, Applejack shook her head. “No…”

Pinkie smiled all the wider. “Then let them worry over how dirty their knees get.”

Twilight and the girls shared a laugh as the gates to Canterlot castle came within sight.

As Twilight opened the doors to the throne room, a smile played across her face as she viewed the majesty of it. Along the marble walls were many stained-glass windows—each of them depicting a great moment in Equestria’s history. She saw the one of the first Hearth’s Warming—colored in warm colors of reds, yellows, and browns—there was triumph over Discord, and the sorrow of Nightmare Moon’s banishment—depicted in softer, darker colors. Her smile widened when she looked at the more recent windows. Of her and her friends becoming the Elements of Harmony and defeating Nightmare Moon, the taming of Discord, and the triumph over the tyrant Sombra and the return of the Crystal Empire.

Twilight let out a content sigh at the monuments of her and her friend’s greatest triumphs, and all due to the bond of friendship they shared—a bond that would never break, not if she had anything to do with it.

As they approached, Princess Celestia smiled warmly. Princess Luna stood next to her, a warm-but-restrained smile on her face as they finished listening to a guard speak.

“Thank you, good sir, that will be all.” As the guard bowed to them, Celestia looked at them and said, “Princess Twilight, everypony, I am so pleased to see you all.”

Twilight shared a quick hug with her mentor before stepping back. “We came after we got your letter, Princess. Is there some emergency we need to know about?”

“When is there not some emergency?” Rainbow Dash muttered after rolling her eyes.

Twilight glared at her friend, but the princess only smiled. “It does seem that I call you all often with warnings of danger, and I promise that I do not do so purposefully. I called you all here to make you aware of a possible threat; although, it is not one we believe presents itself any time soon.”

Applejack removed her hat before asking, “So what's the trouble then, Princess?”

The warmth seemed to fade from Celestia’s face, and her gaze drifted to a nearby window. “A brief explanation first,” she said before regarding them again. “As you all are aware, our world exists as a balance of the essential forces that make up our world, such as good and evil, love and hatred, and order and chaos.” she shifted her weight before continuing. “As much as we might wish otherwise, we need the negative aspects to balance out our world to maintain harmony.”

Rarity’s eyes widened before she spoke. “Wait, how could too much good, love and order possibly be a bad thing?”

Luna turned to her. “Have you ever heard of the old saying, ‘Too much of anything is a bad thing?’ If we were to have too much of any once essence, harmony would be out of balance, and the opposing essence would swell to balance out the imbalance.”

“So too many parties are a bad thing? Cake too?! What about chocolate candy?!” Pinkie said with growing pitch to her voice.

A gentle smile tugged at Celestia’s expression. “Does eating too much cake or chocolate cause you to have an upset stomach?”

“It takes a lot of cake and candy to do that to Pinkie Pie,” Rainbow Dash deadpanned.

“Indeedy!” the pink mare agreed.

Luna continued, “Regardless, it is because of this that we need to inform you of the possible shift in the balance of our world.”

“Well what could a thrown the balance outta whack, Princess?” Applejack asked.

“An accidental discovery,” Celestia said. “A small group of adventuring ponies discovered a long-lost ruin far to the south of Equestria. One that I had hoped wouldn't ever have been discovered. Unknowingly, they released a long-sealed spirit.”

“Oh dearest Celestia, would you please get to the point? Much more of this and I’m likely to fall over from boredom,” said a voice that originated from above them.

A wide smile erupted across Fluttershy’s face. “Discord!”

“So good to see you Fluttershy, and you as well you other grumbling ponies,” the draconequus said as he appeared as part of a nearby stained glass window, reclining against an image of Celestia. “Now, if good ol’Celestia would kindly move this along, we all wouldn’t be bored to tears.” He stretched and in one hand appeared a glass of tea from which he took a noisy sip.

The princess sighed, shaking her head. “Very well then, the spirit they released was the Spirit of Order. He is Discord’s polar opposite—”

“And an even more dreadful bore than Celestia,” Discord said.

“—His name is Tyranny, and he represents the aspect of complete order and control.” Celestia’s
said before her horn glowed for a moment. A visage of Tyranny appeared before them.

Twilight jumped back from the apparition, a feeling of unease shivering down her spine as she looked over the cruel expression of Tyranny.

“He is ugly enough to frighten isn’t he? Though I guess not everypony can be good-looking as me.” The draconequus gestured to his patchwork face.

Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie giggled while the others groaned.

“Is there anything useful you can tell us about this guy?” Rainbow Dash asked the stained-glass window where Discord still idly sipped on his cup of tea.

“I see that patience is still not your strong point, Rainbow Dash,” Discord said, tosses his teacup over his shoulder. With a snap of his fingers, the draconequus appeared in the throne room, dressed in formal attire and a monocle, top hat, and cane. The head of the cane was Discord’s face but with its tongue sticking out. “To put it bluntly, Tyranny likes things neat and orderly. Structured with little deviation from what he considers right and proper. As Tyranny once oh-so-boringly put it, ‘Only in following strict rules and regulations can the world ever know peace,’” he said speaking in a fancy accent. Then, with a disgusted snort, the outfit disappeared. With another snap of his hand, a cone of chocolate filled cotton candy appeared in his hand, and he took a generous bite. “Far too controlling for me. I prefer things nice and random with some unpredictability thrown into the mix.”

“Don’t we know,” Twilight said, her ears pinning back at the memory of the last time he visited Ponyville.

“Surely you wound me, Twilight,” he said, placing his free paw over his heart dramatically. “But there is one thing you can expect from Tyranny, predictability. He cannot help but follow set patterns and plans. It is a weakness of the excessively orderly.” Discord gave Twilight a sly glance. Unbeknownst to the Spirit of Chaos, Pinkie Pie had snuck up on him and helped herself to his conjured snack.

Twilight glared at him and turned to back to Celestia. “If he’s been released, how come we haven’t seen any trouble from him? If he is anything like this guy—” she nodded towards Discord, “—he should have caused some trouble by now.”

Celestia's mouth turned down in a troubled frown. “Of that, we do not know. It could be his power has weakened from his imprisonment, but we truly do not know for certain. That is why I wished to inform you of the development so that you are aware should he strike.” Glancing out the nearby bay window, she sighed again. “Aside from the unfortunate happenings of the adventuring troupe that released him, we have seen nothing of his presence. It is worrisome.”

Twilight tilted her head. “What happened to the adventuring ponies, Princess?” she asked.

Celestia closed her eyes a moment, her ears pinning back. “Their leader was possessed by Tyranny. The moment he laid hoof on the scepter, Tyranny took control of his body so that he could influence this world.”

“You mean like a Nightmare?” Twilight asked, casting an apologetic look towards Princess Luna.

Luna closed her eyes a moment but didn’t appear bothered by the mention. “Not quite,” she said. “At the time of his imprisonment, Tyranny’s power was so great we could not seal it all away in stone, so we used the Elements of Harmony to divide his essence and seal each piece separately.” A frown marred her visage. “His physical form was destroyed in the process, something we hadn't meant to do.”

Celestia nodded. “When Luna went to investigate the temple where his scepter lay hidden, she discovered one of the adventuring ponies; and with her help, they found the temple. It is where they found the third member of their troop; turned to stone by Tyranny.”

There was a collective gasp, though Discord snorted. “With Discord’s help, we have been able to undo what was done, but it will be a while before he can move about again. The return from stone is a taxing process on ponies.”

“It is on everypony, Celestia,” Discord said with a snort. “If I might add one more thing.” He paused and looked to his nearly devoured treat; he pulled it away at the last second before Pinkie Pie could take another generous bite, causing the pink mare to fall clumsily to the ground. “As much as I find Tyranny to be an insufferable bore, I will admit that he is clever. He won’t do anything rash or stupid or completely random. A trait I find infinitely boring.” With a snap of his fingers, he and his treat disappeared, reappearing above them all relaxing in a hammock. He sipped from a coconut shell and wore beach attire.

“In the end, Twilight, I want you and your friends to be ready if and when he makes his appearance. Which I hope is not any time soon,” Celestia said.

The doors of the throne room flew open and in rushed one of the royal guards. The poor pony's hide was lathered in sweat, and his gasps for air ringed loud in Twilight’s ears.

“Your Majesties,” he stammered to Celestia and the other two princesses, kneeling before them. “There is news from our eastern border. One of our outposts has been attacked.”

“Attacked by whom?” the sun princess asked, getting to her hooves.

“Do you really have to ask, Celestia?” Discord commented, smirking.

Chapter Four

A stiff breeze blew through, sending the branches of the nearby trees swaying. Chrysalis dashed her stringy, green mane out of her eyes. Her emerald-eyed gaze narrowed at the pony outpost in the distance as dusk settled. Her gaze hardened as the first lights of the outpost shone through the deepening gloom and her ears flicked as she heard singing and laughter.

‘They all sit comfortably in their homes, sleeping in their precious beds knowing that Celestia and Luna watch over them. I so wish I can rush down there and show them just how wrong they are, but no. I have other responsibilities first.’ Huffing, she turned her gaze to the closest changelings. ‘My children will know what it’s like one day, I swear it.’

She turned to see her changelings milling around nearby. Resting in tree branches, sitting around speaking in hushed whispers, or casting questioning looks her way. They looked at her for guidance, for her to show the way for them to survive and thrive, yet now they sat around waiting on someone’s orders that were not hers.

She ran her tongue over her fangs as another low growl escaped her throat. ‘I grow tired of his waiting game. So called Spirit of Order or not, this is insufferable!’

“My Queen.”

She turned her gaze to her lieutenant, the changeling’s head wrapped in a cloth and still favoring a leg. “What is it?”

He lowered his head, still showing her respect despite his injuries “He wishes to speak with you.”

There was no stopping her growl, her hackles rising again. “What does he want?”

“He didn’t say, my Queen, only that he wanted to speak with you.”

She stood, letting out a slow breath to keep from screaming. “Fine then, get some rest. I want you in better shape as soon as possible.”

He hissed and massaged his head. “I will, my Queen.”

As she walked away, she growled again—something she found herself doing more than she ever had while in their prison. She knew that earth ponies had a far higher strength and endurance than unicorns and pegasi, but the injury her lieutenant sustained after one blow—while wearing his helmet—was absurd even for them! She promised once again that Tyranny would pay dearly for harming her children once the opportunity was right.

Approaching the grove Tyranny had claimed as his own, her ears flicked as it seemed the shadows grew darker despite the moon reaching high into the sky. The darkness wasn’t something she was afraid of, being able to see in the dark was a blessing she enjoyed, but for some reason they seemed… real, somehow. As if tangible.

Spotting the earth pony sitting in the grove with his scepter planted into the ground—the manticore visage staring at him—she felt the hackles on her neck rise again. Only this time, it wasn’t out of anger seeing him, rather, a chill feeling making its way down her spine.

‘This is absurd! He is just an earth pony!’ Her eyes narrowed as she glared figurative holes in his back. ‘But… why do I feel like there is something more to him than this?’

She shook her head, pushing the unease aside. “What do you want?” she snapped.

Turning his gaze from his scepter, he asked, “Your minions have supplanted more of the guards as I have ordered?”

Resting on her haunches, she tried hard to keep from narrowing her gaze at him. “They have. Almost half of them now; as well as some of the workers.” She tossed her mane out of her eyes before speaking, “How much longer are you going to make us wait at this pointless game? My colony needs to feed, and there are more than enough ponies down there for us to state ourselves.”

He scoffed. “Your colony has fed off the captured guards. That is more than sufficient to sustain you.”

“Only morsels!” She got to her hooves. “You won’t allow us to drain more from them so we don’t starve! How am I and my changelings supposed to be able to fight if you keep us underfed?”

His gaze hardened. “As I said, I need the ponies relatively unharmed. I cannot have that if your children drain them.” Turning his gaze back to his scepter, his eyes closed. “These ponies are required for my plans, and I will not let that be jeopardized because of your frenzied feeding.”

She sat back on her hooves, trying so hard to keep from lashing out at him. “Plans you still refuse to share with me. Our allegiance is hollow without some form of trust between us.” A small sneer tugged at the corner of her lips. “Perhaps if you tell me—”

Snapping his gaze back at her, a sick feeling gripped at her belly. “Do not be so pretentious as to tell me of trust, changeling queen. Your place is to do as I tell you, when I tell you, and without argument. If you want your kingdom and a place for your children to live in peace, then you will do exactly as I tell you. Do we understand each other?”

How she wanted to show him just exactly what she thought of him, but instead, she bit back her hatred and lowered her gaze. “Yes.”

His eyes narrowed. “Yes what?”

This time a growl did escape her. “Yes, my Lord Tyranny.”

Seemingly satisfied, he turned his gaze back to his scepter and Chrysalis found her gaze drawn to it as well. The scepter itself wasn’t truly remarkable, as far as royal scepters went, but when staring at the large amethyst set in the manticore’s mouth, she felt that there was something more to it. The more she stared at it, the more she felt like something was… calling, wanting something.

Tearing her gaze from it, she looked back at him as he continued to sit silently before the scepter. “Why do you do this? Every night since you freed us, you spend hours staring at that thing. There is nothing amazing about it, so what is so important about it?”

He lifted his gaze to stare ahead with a hard glare. “That is none of your concern.”

Before she could say anything else, he spoke above her, “You will be glad to know that we will move on the outpost tonight.”

Her ears perked up. “When?”

“Midnight. Give the order to your minions, and make sure they follow their orders exactly as I have instructed. Do so, and we will take the fortress with little difficulty. Then you and your colony can feed on those still there, within reason, which will be more than enough to sustain you.”

Again, she scowled at him before averting her gaze. ‘Is this how my changelings feel when I speak to them?’ She shook her head and stood, a small grin making its way onto her face. ‘No matter, we will not suffer this for too much longer.’

“I will make sure everything goes according to plan,” she said, getting to her hooves again.

“Good.” His eyes closing again. “This is the first of many steps to right the wrongs of the usurpers Celestia and Luna.”

‘They are not the only ones who will be corrected, Tyranny.’ She growled again before stepping away. Taking wing, she flew back to her waiting changelings as they crowded around.

“Lieutenant,” she barked and the armored changeling flew up to her and kneeled.

“Yes, my Queen?” he asked her.

“Inform the others, we strike at midnight.” Her gaze swept over her excited changelings. “You all know what to do. Tonight, we feast!”

“As you say, my Queen,” they said in unison before dashing off to prepare.

“My Queen?”

She turned her to regard her lieutenant. “Yes?”

He shot a nervous glance towards Tyranny’s grove before speaking lower. “When do we deal with him?”

Chrysalis licked at her pointed teeth and sneered. “Tonight, after we take that fort. Then we will make him pay for his insolence.”

Seeing a wide, vicious smile on his face, sent a wave of pride down her spine.

It was nearing midnight, and the commander of the garrison made his rounds to make sure his guards were awake at their posts. The crunching gravel under hoof seemed to ring in his ears as he looked around the sleeping outpost. His ears flicked at the sound of hushed conversation before turning to climb the stairs to the wall of the outpost.

‘Probably the watch chatting and not keeping an eye out.’ He adjusted his helm, tucking the brown strands of his mane back inside. ‘If I catch them sleeping again, I’ll make sure they’re on KP for a month.’ He walked along the wall until he found the two watchponies talking with each other.

“You two, enough chattering. We don’t need thugs slipping into Equestria because you two were talking about the weather,” he said.

The two jerked to attention, saluting. “Yes sir, sorry sir,” they both said in unison; their weary tones matching their exhausted expressions.

He stared hard at the two before letting his visage slip a bit. “Don’t worry, boys, a week more and we get our leave. Then you can get all the sleep you want.”

Both guards smiled. “Can’t wait to get home and see our families, sir,” one of them said.

“Don’t we all, son. Don’t we all.”

“You got a family to go home to sir?” the other asked.

“Yes, a wife and daughter.” His brow furrowed. “Why do you ask, soldier?”

“I thought you practically lived here, sir, it’s good to know the commander is just as pony as the rest of us,” he chuckled, a bit of sweat gathering on his forehead.

The commander laughed and pounded the soldier on the shoulder, who flinched under the heavy hoof.

“Finish your watch and get some sleep. We’ve only got a week more.”

“Yes, sir,” they both replied, relaxing.

He was about to continue his rounds when he noticed a green flash of light from beyond the wall and in the dark woods surrounding the fortress.

“What in the name of Celestia was that?” he asked, pushing between them.

The guards shared a look before one asked, “What, sir?”

The commander looked around the dark, his eyes narrowing. “There was a glow. I—there it is again!” he said as the glow flashed briefly once more.

The guard glanced off into the woods. “Oh, that? It’s nothing, sir.”

His brow furrowed before glaring at the soldier. “What do you mean it is nothing? Rouse a patrol and go find out what it is.”

A sneer made its way across the other soldier’s face. “There is no need, sir.”

“What?! I should have you—” The guard before him disappeared in a burst of verdant fire and was replaced by a coal-black creature with blue-green eyes and long fangs as well as a pair of insectoid wings on its back and a curved horn jutting from its forehead.

The commander stepped back from the hissing creature. “Changeling! Guard, get the—” His eyes widened as another set of dark forelegs wrapped around him and pulled him back. Struggling with the other guard-turned-changeling, he bucked and twisted, trying to free himself.

Seeing the other changeling about to spit, and he stomped on the hoof of the second just in time for him to duck under the shot of sticky gunk—which took his attacker full in the face.

The first changeling hissed and tried to gore him, but with a quick duck, he lifted the overbalanced changeling on his back and tossed him on the other as it struggled to free its face.

Racing down the wall, he headed for the barracks. “To arms! We’re under attack!” he called out over the loud buzzing of wings. His eyes shot to the sky and his jaw dropped. It was as if a giant wasp nest had been disturbed. A horde of green eyes buzzed above him and several more flashes of green flames met his eyes as the changelings swarmed over the outpost.

Shouts from the barracks snapped him from his stupor and he galloped to aid his soldiers—or at least he tried to before something struck his back leg.

“What the—?” He looked back and could see a sickly green substance clinging to his leg and tail keeping him firmly in place. He used his magic to remove it, but three more globs of the stuff struck him, pinning his back legs and front hooves to the ground. Before he could use his magic again, a final blob of the gunk struck him in the face, covering his horn and one eye.

Gravel crunched under hoof as Tyranny entered the outpost—Chrysalis and her lieutenant behind him. With the fighting over, his gaze swept over the captured pony garrison as they were lead, bound and gagged, to the courtyard. Even as the changelings roughly shoved the prisoners to their knees, Tyranny gave a nod as he saw only minor cuts and bruises.

“My changelings did rather well, I’d say,” Chrysalis said, the smugness of her grin making its way into her tone.

Tyranny's ears flicked and a frown formed on his face. “Were it not for the outcry, I would have agreed."

She scowled again, but he took no notice as he walked towards a bound guard.

“Where is your commander?” Tyranny demanded.

The guard squirmed and pulled at his bounds, but tried to keep a defiant visage. However, he stole a quick glance to a similarly bound unicorn nearby.

Tyranny’s gaze followed his. “I see.” He walked toward the unicorn who still tried repeatedly to free himself.

“You command this outpost?” Tyranny asked.

The commander ceased his struggling and gave him a hard glare. “I do. Who are you? What right do you have attacking us?”

Tyranny’s gaze hardened. “Silence!” his tone causing even the commander to flinch. “Who am I? I am Tyranny, the Spirit of Order and the rightful ruler of Equestria.”

The unicorn scoffed. “We’d never follow you! Especially not somepony who sides with changelings!”

Keeping his stoic expression, Tyranny struck the commander across the muzzle. Were it not for the binding gunk, the blow would have sent the unicorn rolling. Even so, his gaze went unfocused.

“You will show your betters due respect, or you will be put in your place.”

Shaking his head, the unicorn stuttered. “P-Princess Celestia will not let you get away with this.”

A smirk pulled at Tyranny’s lips. “I welcome her to try and stop me.”

Tyranny’s smirk slipped as he noticed that the unicorn’s gaze had shifted to looking past him.

Turning his head a bit as he heard the hoofsteps around him, a knowing smirk tugged at his lips. “Did you honestly think that I was not aware of your plan?” he questioned.

His tone stopped all of the changelings in their tracks. Looking around, he could see they had surrounded him from all sides, their gazes locked onto him.

“You creatures of flesh are so predictable,” he continued even as the changelings fixed him with angry, if not cautious, eyes.

Chrysalis stepped past her minions and stood tall, baring her fangs “You are a fool to think you could command me and my hive to do your bidding, Tyranny. Now that you’ve supplied us with a feast, I think we don’t have any further use for you.” She turned a vicious grin to her children. “What do you think, my changelings?”

Nasty laughs or sneers greeted her words, and she turned her arrogant expression back to him. “Are you going to step aside like a good little pony, or do we feast on you too?”

“I am afraid that is not going to happen,” he told her matter-of-factly, whirling his scepter over his hoof before planting the butt firmly into the ground. “I have need of them, unlike you. Your usefulness has now come to its end.”

Seething with indignant rage, she roared, “Changelings!”

At once her entire hive charged at him from every angle.

With a dismissive snort, Tyranny rapped the butt of his scepter on the ground again, and a whirlwind lashed out—knocking every changeling out of the air. The gale force winds tossed them all aside, like leaves caught in a dust devil.

The surprised intake of air from Chrysalis had Tyranny’s grin growing even wider. He did, however, turn a raised brow at the changeling lieutenant as he struggled to his hooves. “You are a proud one, warrior.”

“And you’re a meal, pony,” he countered before charging at Tyranny again. In a flash of verdant flame, the changeling took Tyranny’s form and leaped, his hoof held back for a punch. Tyranny ducked under the blow and lashed out with his scepter. The changeling proved to have learned from last time and rolled under the attack and countered with his own buck.

A faint grin spread across Tyranny’s face, as the changeling yelped in pain, hopping back on wobbly hooves. “What… what are you?” the changeling demanded, fear now making its way into his tone.

“Your better,” Tyranny answered before grabbing hold of the changeling’s forehead—reverting back to its natural form— and, with a grunt of effort, hurled the changeling through the wooden walls of a nearby shed.

“No!” Chrysalis screamed before turning her hateful glare at Tyranny. “You won’t find me as easy to defeat,” she snarled. “You have insulted me for the last time!”

His reply was an infuriating smirk.

With a scream of rage, energy collected around her horn before she shot a massive beam of green energy at him.

Tyranny’s eyes widened at the assault and brought back his scepter. As the beam closed in, he swung out and the scepter collided, sparks jumping from the contact. With a growl, he completed the swing and deflected the beam towards a section of the outpost’s wall. When the beam struck, the wall burst with an explosion that shattered the windows of the buildings—bits of mortar and stone spraying into the forest.

Chrysalis’s jaw hung slack, her eyes wide. “H-How?”

Tyranny looked at his scepter with a scowl before slamming the butt end into the ground again. “You are simply going to have to do better than that.”

She turned back to him and snarled. Digging her hooves into the turf, she charged at him, her horn lowered. Tyranny spread his forelegs to meet her charge. His eyes widened and he ducked the last moment as she lifted her head and spat at him. The gunk flew overhead to strike a bound pony guard.

“Insolent,” Tyranny growled before leaping up to meet her charge. Just before they collided, he planted his hooves into the ground and, as she tackled into him, her pained yelp caused him to sneer as she bounced back.

Not about to let her recover, he grabbed her by a foreleg and swung her over his back to slam her into the ground. She barely had time to groan before he swung her again—dust and gravel flying about from her impact—and finally tossing her away.

“Yield,” he said as she pushed herself up.

“Never to the likes of yo—” she grunted as he lept forward so fast as to tackle into her before she could react. Grabbing her, he slammed her into another wall and held her up by her throat.

“I will not ask again, yie—”

He shouted as she shot another beam—this one point blank—into his face. He bounced across the dirt, and Chrysalis was quick to get on her hooves to press the advantage. Before she could follow up with a second blast however, Tyranny glared back at her irritably. Grabbing a nearby changeling, he hurled the helpless creature at her. Gasping, she caught him, but looked back in time for Tyranny to land a solid haymaker.

Slamming into the wall again, she fell to her knees before falling to her side—her legs unable to support her.

Kicking aside the squirming changeling, Tyranny stood over the defeated Chrysalis and fixed her with an expectant glare.

“I yield,” she cried after trying, and failing, to stand.

He snorted and lifted his scepter over her.

“I yield, I said!” she yelled, frantically trying to scramble away.

A pulsating glow emitted from the scepter and covered the changeling queen. Her changelings watched on with horrified expressions as she began to shrink. Her scream of denial became as high-pitched as a chipmunk’s as she shrank down to the size of a marble and was soon encased in an amethyst marble.

The marble levitated to rest in his fore hoof, and he peered closely at it, watching Chrysalis pound away at her prison. Wiping the sweat that drenched his face, he muttered, “This will do for now,” before tucking the marble into his armor.

He approached another changeling who quivered when he looked up at him.

“Gather your kin, I am not done with you yet.”

“Our, our queen?” the changeling stuttered.

“Will remain my prisoner. Her presence will ensure your compliance." His eyes narrowed. “Take your injured outside the wall and wait for me there.” He turned his gaze to the captured ponies who looked at him with wide, worried eyes.

The changelings looked at each other with fleeting, uncertain glances, many fidgeting.

Tyranny snapped a glare at the changeling. “Now!” his voice carrying through the air.

With a flurry of buzzing wings, the changelings wasted no time in gathering those unable to fly and fleeing beyond the wall.

Once they were gone, Tyranny walked back to the unicorn commander, who was still trying to escape the goo. As Tyranny approached, he softly began uttering words under his breath and, in response, the shadows of the outpost grew darker, the lights of the fires dimming.

The unicorn looked around with a deep frown. “We won’t serve you, no matter what you do to us,” he said as he finally turned his glare at the chanting Tyranny.

“We shall see,” Tyranny said, unperturbed at his defiance. “Fortunately, I do not need you personally for my designs.”

The commander blinked, his defiance melting away to confusion.

Tyranny stared at him, his stoic, yet confident expression returning. “If you must blame anyone, blame your beloved princesses for your fate.”

As the guards began pulling at their restraints anew, he calmly said. “Fear not, for this will not be your end.” With little change of expression, a dark mist seeped from the scepter once more, and Tyranny took up his chanting once again. The unicorn cried out in panic as it engulfed his body, and rose to a shrill pitch as it reached his face. The mist then plunged inward and his screaming stopped. The commander slowly began turning into black glass, almost like obsidian. Once his body had completely turned, it cracked and shattered—the fragments dissipating into nothingness. His unoccupied armor clanged to the ground, ringing loudly as all the remaining guards looked on with wide frightened eyes.

Smiling wider, despite the sweat that formed again, Tyranny began his chant again and soon, the discarded armor rose up and was filled by the mist. What filled the armor wasn’t a pony, but a creature made of shadow. Completely black save for a pair of pure white, round eyes, the creature did not have wings, a horn, or a cutie mark. It was vaguely pony-shaped, save for its head, which was perfectly round.

Another guard gulped, before stuttering. “H-How can this be? How can an earth pony use magic?”

Tyranny looked at the shadow creature with a wicked grin before turning his attention to the guard who spoke. “If it’s not obvious yet, I am more than a mere earth pony.”

He turned his attention to the remaining ponies of the outpost, and before long, all screams and pleas for mercy were silenced.

Twilight walked alongside one of the wagons belonging to a small force of royal guards. Dirt turned underhoof as she and the caravan left a trail of dust in their wake. She glanced at the surroundings, taking only minor note of the dry terrain as her mind once again wandered to the final conversation with Princess Celestia.

“I need you and your friends to gather the Elements of Harmony and join Princess Luna and a small number of the Royal Guard to head for our eastern outpost. If it is the changelings like our scout hinted at, your numbers should be enough to deal with them. Between your friends, Luna, and yourself, you will be able to defeat them.”

Twilight nodded. “Yes, Princess Celestia,” she said before turning to leave.

“One more thing, Twilight,” Celestia added, her tone dropping. “If it is Tyranny who is behind this, use the Elements. He is likely too powerful to defeat without them; and Twilight, be wary. Tyranny is a master manipulator and he will attempt to deceive and control you. Warn your friends as well if he attempts to speak to you.” Her expression went grim. “It will not be above Tyranny to use any weakness he finds and exploit them.”

A confident smile made its way across her face. “Don’t worry, Princess, it will never happen. If my friends and I can handle Discord, we can handle Tyranny.”

A warm smile pulled at Celestia’s mouth. “I have faith in you, Princess Twilight,”

As Twilight walked alongside the wagon, she looked ahead to the other two wagons that made up their caravan. They contained supplies for the trip; the foremost wagon was for Princess Luna to rest within after her nightly duties with the moon, stars, and dreams.

With a huff, Twilight’s ears drooped to the sides of her head, sweat starting to lather her coat. The few clouds that flew overhead did not offer much relief from the heat when she walked under their shadows.

“So, Twilight,” Spike said as he poked his head out from the canvas of the wagon. “How much longer do you think we have to go?”

“I don’t know, Spike; I haven’t been to this part of Equestria before,” she said as a tumbleweed rolled past. “It can’t be too much further though, we're not too far from the border the last I saw on the map.”

“Ugh, all this dust from the road is positively ruining my mane,” Rarity complained. “Why must the changelings strike all the way out here and not somewhere more pleasant?”

Twilight slowed down to peer inside the back of the wagon. The white unicorn was reclining on a few pillows within with Spike cooling her with a large feathered fan. Fluttershy sat nearby with a few birds flying around her. A young sparrow flew erratically outside the wagon while she watched.

“Ooh, that is very nice,” the yellow pegasus said to the sparrow.

“What is he doing?” Twilight asked, watching the apparently crazy bird.

“Oh, he was just showing me how well he flies. He only recently left the nest on his own. It’s a very important day to young birds,” the pegasus said. A soft smile tugged at the corner of her mouth as the bird flew off.

“I guess it would,” Twilight allowed. “If only I could learn to fly as well. With the him, however, the ability to fly is instinctive. I had to learn to fly.” She flexed her wings, causing another wince to happen. “Ugh, they’re so sore.”

Fluttershy gave her another soft smile. “Don’t worry, Twilight, you’ll get better. I know it.”

Twilight smiled at her. “Thanks, Fluttershy. I just wish it wasn’t so painful, or slow.”

As she walked along, she soon found herself baking under the midsummer sun—the sweat now drenching her coat. “Don’t suppose you could fan me for a while, Spike?”

“Oh, Twilight, you shouldn’t be out in the sun for so long without something to cover your head. Here, I have this for you,” Rarity said, using her magic to levitate a white sun hat from one of her suitcases. It was much like the one Rarity already wore, but this one was white with a purple band, and Rarity’s hat was a purple color and a white band. Both had a few artistic embellishments sewn to them, as Rarity was known to add.

The white hat rested easily on Twilight’s head. “Thanks Rarity,” she said before hopping into the wagon with them. “When did you make this?”

“Oh I made them after our day at the lake, dear. I felt everypony should have something to wear the next time we spent the day outside. I made one for everyone,” she said as two more hats appeared from the cases and levitated to Fluttershy and Spike. Their colorings were much the same as their new owners’ coat and mane, and scales and spines respectfully. “I even made one for Applejack, even though I know she’ll never part with that old cowpony's hat she favors.”

“What’s wrong with mah hat?” Applejack grumped, looking at Rarity with a raised eyebrow as she trailed along with the wagon.

“Nothing is wrong with it persay, dear,” Rarity said without missing a beat. “It is just well…worn.”

“That’s how ya know it’s a good hat,” Applejack said, tugging her hat lower on her scalp.

“Have you seen Rainbow Dash?” Twilight asked her before a debate on hats could start.

“She’s out scoutin’ around with the other pegasus guards, keepin' an eye out for us. Ya know she ain’t one to sit around when she could be doin’ something.”

Twilight nodded. “And Pinkie?”

“She’s up with the other guards and the princess, tellin’ jokes and keepin’ spirits up. Keepin’ folks laughin’ as Pinkie does." She hopped into the wagon and rubbed at her hooves. "And here I thought nopony could make the royal guards laugh, but leave it to Pinkie Pie to prove me wrong.”

Twilight smiled. “Making others laugh is something she does well.

“Got that right,” Applejack said as she fanned herself with her hat. “One 'a the guards I was talkin’ to said the outpost shouldn’t be too far ahead. We should get there around evening.”

“Good, we are not too far away then,” Twilight said before grunting as the wagon bounced over a pothole.

Fluttershy’s sparrow came back, chirping excitedly at her.

“You have? Oh my, what did you see?” she asked the avian creature.

The bird chirped some more.

“Oh my goodness,” she said, covering her mouth with both forehooves.

“What?” the ponies and dragon asked in unison.

“Our little friend here said he just came back from the outpost we are heading to. He said it’s deserted and quiet. He didn’t like being there,” she said, her worry making it’s way into her tone.

Twilight nodded, standing straighter. “I’ll tell Princess Luna and see if we can pick up the pace. The sooner we get there, the sooner we will have our answers.”

“Do we have to?” Fluttershy asked in a small voice.

“Yes we do, Fluttershy,” she said before hopping out of the wagon and racing ahead for the lead wagon.

Author's Notes:

Edit 10/3/16: Whew, that was some hardcore remastering. Hope all of my readers enjoyed the more indepth and less telly version of chapter four!

Chapter Five

Twilight finished covering her muzzle with a cloth as more dust threatened to choke another cough out of her. The howling wind blew it everywhere, and the trees around the abandoned outpost swayed and threatened to snap. The evening sun shone above, but she felt the fur along her spine stand on end as a sense of gloom weighed over the place like a thick fog. Her friends shared wary glances as they stepped over the ruined remains of the wall.

A frown formed on Twilight’s face as she looked around. The sparrow hadn’t been exaggerating when it said the outpost was deserted. All around, there was evidence of a battle—the blasted wall being chief among them. She could see bits of dried changeling goo as well, but saw no signs of the changelings themselves—or of the ponies who lived here.

“Spread out!” Luna shouted, turning her firm gaze to the guards. “Search for survivors and bring them to us. Be alert, they could also be changelings in disguise. If you find any changelings, bring them to us for questioning.”

“Yes, Ma’am,” the guards saluted before fanning out.

“What do you want us to do, Princess Luna?” Twilight asked as her friends gathered around.

Luna’s frown softened as she looked around, watching as a guard kicked open a door—his fellow guards rushing in after. “Try to find clues as to what happened here, Princess Twilight. This could be a rogue changeling attack, or it might not.” She turned her gaze back to them. “We must know for certain.”

“Yes, Princess Luna,” Twilight said. Nodding to her friends, they spread out to search for clues.

As Twilight’s gaze swept over a large collection of the changeling goo, a sickening feeling gripped her stomach as as she imagined ponies being trapped in such.

“What do ya think happened here, Twi?” Applejack asked, as she kept a hoof on her hat as the wind howled.

“I’m not sure," she said as she looked away. "It certainly looks like it was the changelings, but there is no sign of their feeding anywhere. The damage done to the wall could have been Chrysalis, but why destroy the wall when she can fly over it?”

A pensive frown crossed Applejack’s face as she looked at the ruined wall. “Might be the ponies here put up a bigger fight than Chrysalis planned for?”

“Maybe…” Twilight knelt to examine a strange indention in the courtyard. Pawing at the dirt, her head tilted as she said, “Hmm... this indention is odd. How did it get here?” She looked around and her frown deepened. “There's another one too, but why aren't there more outside of the walls?”

Applejack looked around before looking back at her. “If ya ask me, looks like somethin’ heavy hit here. Now unless the changelings are throwin’ boulders, none of them are big enough to make holes like this.” She lifted her hat to rub at her forehead before asking, “Ya think it was Tyranny then?”

Twilight's frown deepened; she continued to survey the area. “I don’t know."

The rest of her friends joined her a minute later, each of them looking nervous, save for Pinkie, who happily bounced along.

“Rarity, Fluttershy, did you see anything?” Twilight asked.

Rarity shook her head, her curls swaying under the brim of her hat. “Not a thing, dear.”

“Pinkie?”

“I saw more of the icky green goo in the kitchen, but I also found barley cakes, and they’re still good. Want some?” she asked as she presented the offered cakes. “There’s no changeling alamode, I made sure.”

Twilight paled a bit. “Not right now, Pinkie.”

“More for us,” she said, and made the offer to the others, Rainbow Dash being the only taker.

Rainbow glanced between the others as they gave her steady looks. “What? No sense wasting them,” Rainbow Dash said before scarfing down her food.

“Did you see anything, Rainbow?” Twilight asked, impatience making its way into her tone.

The pegasus swallowed the last of the barley cake, licking at her lips. “I didn’t see any sign of the changelings anywhere. There’s some broken branches in the trees outside the wall, but that's about it.”

“Outside the wall,” she said echoed, rubbing at her chin. Her eyes widened as she noticed there were two more depressions, one against a building, the other against the wall.

“You appear pensive, Twilight Sparkle. What is it that occupies your thoughts?” Luna asked as she landed near them.

Twilight gathered her thoughts before answering. “I think this wasn't just the changelings alone. The damage done to the barracks and buildings, as well as the green goo was them without a doubt, but these depressions were not done by changelings.” She motioned to those near her and the one against the wall. “Chrysalis could have blasted out the wall, but she would not have used that much power against the guards here. She might have if she was battling you, Princess, or Princess Celestia, but not against ponies like us.”

A disapproving frown crossed Luna’s face. “You should not belittle yourself, Princess Twilight.”

“I’m not, Princess, I was making a point is all. The point is she would have to be facing somepony strong to use up that much magic. Since it was not you or Princess Celestia, or Discord; I can only think of one other who it would have been.”

“Tyranny.”

Twilight nodded. “I don’t know of anyone else with that sort of power.”

“You don’t think he released the changelings in the first place, do you?” Rainbow Dash asked, squinting as the dust kicked up around them.

“He would have had to been the one, unless Discord had something to do with it,” Twilight said to her.

Fluttershy lifted her head and her hoof gave a little stamp. “He didn’t."

Twilight nodded. “That leaves Tyranny; he would have the power to destroy the costume I enchanted.”

“He destroyed my costume?!”

Twilight and the others covered their ears as Pinkie’s screams seemed to quiet even the wind, the mare earning a few curious looks from the guards as well.

“It’s the only way the changelings could have escaped,” Twilight said as the ringing in her ears slowly faded.

The pink earth mare pouted, crossing her forelegs. “Hmph, I’ll have to give him an earful about breaking other pony's things. It’s not very nice to break other pony’s stuff.”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “If I know Chrysalis at all, she likely used him to free herself and her changelings; and tried to betray him—” She motioned to the indentions in the ground and walls. “—which didn’t turn out in her favor.”

Luna nodded, a soft frown marring her features. “I had come to much the same conclusion, however it only brings about more questions. Where has the changeling queen and her minions gone after the betrayal, and where have our soldiers gone? There has been no sign of anypony leaving the barracks. Lastly, where has Tyranny gone from here?”

“I’m guessin’ the only ones who knew are long gone by now,” Applejack said, her tail giving a flick.

One of the earth pony guards walked up to them, bowing low.

“What did you find?” Luna asked, turning her gaze to him.

“I’ve come from the armory, Princess; all of the Equestrian armor is missing. Yet, all the weapons remain.”

Her brow furrowed. “Strange.”

“Now why take the armor and not the weapons?” Rarity asked as she looked at the others. “I would think it would be the opposite, in fact.”

“Would the changelings have taken it?” Rainbow asked even as the wind gusted, threatening to tear the cloths from everypony’s face.

Twilight shook her head, retying her cloth over her face. “A changeling’s anatomy would make wearing armor meant for ponies impractical at best.”

“Curious,” Rarity grumbled as she pulled her large hat over her head to protect her delicate mane.

When the gust died down, a pegasus scout flew overhead. “Your majesties, I found tracks heading north.”

“How many sets?” Luna asked him.

“Many. Maybe thirty, as far as I could tell. There were small prints like that of changelings, as well as a set that might have been made by a large stallion.”

As Luna scowled, Twilight gave her a worried look. “Do you think it was him, Princess Luna?”

“It could have been, Princess Twilight, but with changelings, it might also have been Chrysalis taking a form.” He lifted her head to shout. “Gather any useful supplies! We use the remainder of the day to pursue them.”

Rainbow rubbed her forehooves together, an eager gleam in her eyes. “Aww, yeah. Time for some action.”

A few days later they stumbled upon an overturned wagon. It was a small enough wagon for it to be pulled by a single pony, and as they got closer, the painting and fluttering banner became increasingly familiar.

“Is that—?” Applejack squinted at the wagon.

“Trixie’s wagon?” Twilight finished, her jaw dropping.

The two rushed ahead of their caravan—joined quickly by their friends—to find the blue unicorn sitting next to her toppled wagon. Despite looking bruised and ready to collapse, she shot to her hooves when they approached.

“Back! I warn you, back! The Great and Powerf—Twilight!” she yelled as she recognized the approaching alicorn. “What are you doing out here?” she demanded.

“Trixie, what happened to you and your wagon?” Twilight asked.

“Who did you tick off this time?” Rainbow Dash growled at her.

“Rainbow!” Twilight admonished. “Go ahead, Trixie.”

Trixie glared at the offending pegasus before looking at Twilight. “It was awful. A large stallion was on the road heading the opposite way of The Great and Powerful Trixie and wouldn’t step aside for her, despite the fact that he walked alone, and she was pulling her wagon. When she demanded that he show manners and move aside, he—” she choked a bit. “He grabbed Trixie’s wagon and flipped over with his bare hooves! Trixie was still in her harness and nearly broke her legs!” She looked at her overturned wagon and her shoulders slumped. “Trixie has not been able to get her wagon upright again.”

Twilight looked over the fallen wagon again, and bit at her lip as she saw that part of the roof had collapsed inward—crushed under its own weight.

‘If Tyranny can flip over a full wagon like that himself without magic, he has to be stronger than any earth pony I’ve known. I wish I knew more about him and what he’s capable of, that way we can be ready for when he does show up.’ Her gaze shifted back to Trixie.‘Still, Trixie needs our help.’

Twilight’s ears flicked as Applejack spoke. “We can get it upright, Twi, ya don’t need to use yer magic when we can do the same with a little muscle work.”

“Wait, wait, wait! You want to help her out?” Rainbow asked, pointing a hoof at Trixie.

“Oh come now, Rainbow Dash, would you turn away from somepony who genuinely needs help?” Rarity asked, before giving Trixie a pointed glance. “Even if it is Trixie.” Her tone clearly indicated she had not forgotten the show mare’s previous actions either.

Rainbow huffed, crossing her forelegs. “Fine.”

Applejack retrieved a few coils of rope from one of their wagons and tied them to the opposite side of Trixie’s wagon. With all their combined help, they managed to get her wagon back on its wheels.

“Trixie thanks you all,” the show mare said grudgingly, brushing her silvery mane back from her face.

Rainbow's eyes narrowed at her. “You’re welcome."

“So where's your hat and cape, Trixie?” Pinkie Pie asked.

Trixie averted her eyes. “Trixie… does not know. She has yet to find them."

Glancing back at Trixie, Twilight realized the showmare was not wearing her favored star-covered hat and cape combo, something she remembered Trixie always had with her.

Before she could speak, Princess Luna stood next to her to address the blue unicorn. “The stallion that did this, was he tall and dark-coated, and carried a golden scepter?”

Trixie nodded and lowered her gaze. “He did, Princess Luna.”

“I see, thank you," Luna said before looking down the road. "Twilight, we should continue. He cannot be too far ahead now.”

Twilight turned to Trixie. “Will you be all right?”

The showmare smiled her confident smile. “The Great and Powerful Trixie can look after herself."

“But can’t get her own wagon back on its wheels,” Rainbow Dash said before flying off, the others following after her.

Twilight watched them go before turning her gaze to the tall dry grasses of the field. Feeling the breeze ruffle through her mane, she took a deep inhale of the dry air. “I hope we can stop him before things gets worse,” said to herself, her gaze half-lidding. Taking a final look at the wagon, she waved to Trixie before turning to join her friends.

The blue unicorn watched them until they were out of sight, then in a puff of black smoke, the visage of the show mare vanished. In her place stood one of Tyranny’s shadow beasts, its milk-white eyes staring after them. Lifting its head, the creature relayed all it learned to its master before disappearing in another puff of black smoke.

Not far away, the cap and cloak of the show mare sat forlornly in the tall grass.

In Canterlot Castle, Princess Celestia walked down a walkway towards the tower her guest rooms were located. A light rain fell, soaking her coat as she walked. Turning a small smile towards the overcast sky, she basked in the feeling of the cool rain.

‘The weather pegasi had done another wonderful job putting together the rain storm today,’ she thought to herself even as the sky lit briefly with a flash of lightning. While preferring the nice, clear, sunny days, she understood the rain was just as necessary as her sunlight.

Making her way into the wing of the castle set aside for visitors, she headed for the rooms that she had given Tourmaline and her brother. Finding the one Tourmaline claimed, she used her magic to dry her coat before knocking on the hardwood door.

“Coming!” Princess Celestia heard the startled voice of the pegasus from within, as well as a thump, followed by an annoyed “Ow!”

She smiled and waited; once the door opened a crack, she saw Tourmaline peeking out at her. The pegasus’s eyes widened and she quickly opened the door for her visitor.

“Princess Celestia, I’m sorry, you caught me sleeping,” she said.

A small smile threatened to tug at Celestia’s face as she noticed Tourmaline’s tousled mane—which had yet to be combed. A quick glance inward and she could see the blankets had been tossed on the floor; likely fromher rush to answer the door.

“It is all right,” she said, turning a warm smile to the pegasus. “On rainy days like this, I can understand sleeping in late.”

Tourmaline rubbed at the back of her head, a faint blush on her cheeks. “Yeah, I was just… dreaming.”

Celestia gave her an understanding nod. “I wished to extend an invitation for you to have breakfast with me. Would you and your brother like to join me?”

“Yes I would, Princess Celestia, I just need a moment to get ready.” A wan smile inched across her face. “I’d never live it down if I showed up a mess for a meal with the Princess.”

Celestia chuckled. “All right, I will see you down there momentarily." She glanced at another door nearby. "I will check with your brother to see if he would also join us for breakfast while I am here.”

“All right, I won’t be long,” Tourmaline said before closing the door. Celestia chuckled as she could hear Tourmaline mutter as she found her brush and cursed about the rats in her mane.

Celestia made her way to the next room and found that the door was slightly ajar. Inside she found the rust-colored unicorn at a desk, writing away in a tome; a number of maps scattered around him.

“May I come in?” she asked.

At the sound of her voice he started and turned; nodding as he caught sight of her. “Yes, Princess, please do.” He set down his quill and bowed as she entered.

A soft smile formed at his show of proper etiquette. “I am glad to see that your return from stone has not been so hard on you.”

He winced at the mention. “It was difficult, Princess, but I am well on my way to a full recovery thanks to you and Princess Luna. I truly thank you for your help.”

“I am glad to have helped, though I cannot take full credit either. It was with Discord’s help that we were finally able to purify you.” She glanced past him to a window streaked with rain water. “Would you and your sister care to join me for breakfast this morning?”

“Of course! I would not turn down such an offer.” They both looked towards Tourmaline’s room at the surprised shout of, “Horse feathers! The waters’ cold!”

“As tactful as a troll.” Tormod sighed and looked at her. “I apologize for my sister, she can be… willful at times.”

A velvety chuckle escaped her. “It is all right, as an older sibling, I can fully relate.” She gave him a playful wink. “I will see you both down for breakfast soon?”

“Of course, Princess,” he said, bowing low again.

Celestia sat at the head of the table as the waiters cleaned up after a pleasant breakfast with the siblings. Wiping at her face with a napkin, she smiled as Tourmaline finished another tale of their adventures.

“It sounds to me as if all of you are great friends,” she said, setting her napkin aside.

“We are, Princess; we’ve done much together," Tormod said, the waiter taking his plate away. "We’ve faced monsters, harsh weather, and difficult adventures before, but this last one…” He paused, sharing a frown with Tourmaline. “None of us were prepared for what happened."

A frown tugged at Celestia’s lips. “How could you have been, Tormod? You found what I had hoped none would have ever been able to find. I had let the jungle grow wild so it would hide the temple away forever.” She blew a long sigh out. “But his influence seemed to have expanded to even keep that from hiding him.”

“Is he really all that powerful, Princess Celestia?”

“He used to be, Tormod.” She glanced out a nearby window as the rain continued to pound on the glass. “With his imprisonment, however, I thought him too weak to cause trouble again.” A sigh escaped through her nose. “It seems I underestimated his resolve.”

“Is there any way to save Wanderer, Princess?” Tourmaline asked, absently brushing away a stray lock of her mane from her face.

Celestia looked at her, her ears standing straighter at the pegasus's tone. “We will certainly try, Tourmaline. But first, Tyranny must be found.”

Tourmaline nodded after a moment, her gaze going distant as she stared at her tea.

Watching her, Celestia sighed as a small wave of guilt griped at her belly. Pushing it aside, she stood from her seat. “You are both allowed to remain here as my guests until we find your friend, but you need not remain just within the castle. Please, see Canterlot while you are here. The city has much to offer ponies like yourselves that you would enjoy.”

“We will, Princess. Again, we thank you for your generosity,” Tormod said, his sister promptly expressing her agreement.

A guard pony approached and presented her a letter after bowing.

“From my sister?” she asked, lifting the letter from his magical hold.

“Yes, Princess, it is a report on their venture.”

She nodded and scanned the letter. As she read the final lines, she felt a chill run down her spine. Sighing, she set the note down on the table, her ears pinning back against her skull.

The two siblings shared a concerned look before looking back at her. “What’s wrong, Princess?” Tourmaline asked.

Celestia closed her eyes a moment before opening them again. “They might have found a lead on your friend.”

Author's Notes:

Long awaited update, hope everyone is enjoying this story as much as I have writing it.

Chapter Six

The crickets had taken up their song, adding to it, the chorus of the nighttime forest. Having left the dry grassy plains, Twilight and the others settled around a campfire in the middle of the woods. Moonlight shone through branches to illuminate the forest around them. Lifting her head to enjoy a cool breeze, she sighed quietly as her friends chatted.

“I wonder how Sweetie Belle is doing?” Rarity pondered aloud, her styled mane swaying slightly in the breeze. “Goodness knows that she and the girls can find their way into no small amount of trouble when they get another of their crazy ideas for cutie marks.”

“Oh, the girls are not all that bad,” Fluttershy said as she looked off into the surrounding trees, her ears turning on her skull as she listened. “True they can get into trouble, but they mean well.”

“You should have seen Sugar Cube Corner after they tried to get their cutie marks as bakers,” Pinkie Pie said as she laid on her back, bicycling her back legs in the air. “It was one doozy of a mess, a delicious mess, but still a mess.”

“Or when they tried their hooves at being librarians,” Spike muttered, his arms crossed. “I still have nightmares.”

A cringe ran down Twilight’s frame as suppressed memories of disorganized bookshelves, scattered notes, and books on fire threatened to reemerge.

“The girls’ll find their way, I don’t doubt ’em,” Applejack said as she chewed on a pear. “I just hope they don’t hurt themselves trying all the crazy things they do.”

Rainbow Dash nodded, glancing around the camp before huffing. “All this talk of home is depressing; we should talk about something that isn’t such a downer.”

“Oh, oh, me! I have an idea!” Pinkie’s hoof shot into the air, and she waved it around like a party favor.

“What’re you thinking, Pinkie?” Rainbow asked.

“A song,” she said cheerily, a banjo already in hoof to play.

Applejack blinked, her wide eyes staring at the banjo. “Where did you get that?”

“I had it with me the whole time,” the pink mare said, shrugging. She strummed at the banjo before breaking out into a fast paced, folksy song.

As Pinkie sang, she turned a wide smile to the others. “Come on, everypony, let’s sing along!”

Twilight smiled as her friends and even a few of the royal guards took up the song as Pinkie began again. Singing along with them, it didn’t take long for the song and laughter to replace the quiet and gloom. Frowns and distant expressions replaced by smiles and good cheer.

After the song reached its climax, and the laughter dying down, Twilight looked around the camp—her brow furrowing. “Where is Princess Luna? I didn't hear her singing,” she asked.

Rainbow Dash shrugged as she reclined on her tree branch nearby. “She went to have a look around, guess she was feeling bored.”

Twilight nodded before turning a curious look at Fluttershy. The yellow pegasus, who a moment ago was smiling and singing along with everyone else, was now quiet and looking off into the forest with a deep frown.

“Fluttershy?”

Fluttershy looked back at her, a worried look in her eyes. “I… There's something wrong," she whispered before rising up and walking from the camp.

Twilight's brow furrowed as her friend's expression. Getting to her hooves, she followed after her. "What do you mean 'wrong?’”

The pegasus's gaze darted around the woods as they left the camp behind, her ears turning. “It's quiet.”

A faint smirk worked its way across Twilight's muzzle even as she looked around the darkened woods. “Well after a Pinkie Pie song, that’s not really a surprise."

Fluttershy shook her head. “It’s not that, the woods are quiet. I don’t hear any of the woodland creatures around us. I-It’s… almost like they’re afraid.”

Twilight's ears perked up and swiveled around to listen, a frown spreading across her face. Fluttershy was right; the woods around them were eerily quiet. There were no sounds of owls, insects, or other creatures of the night. With it being midsummer, the sounds of nature should have almost been deafening.

“What could—” she began before both jumped as a bush rustled nearby.

Fluttershy inched closer—her legs shaking—and pushed the leaves aside to find a small raccoon huddled underneath, the animal shaking as it watched them with fear-filled eyes.

“Oh, you poor thing,” Fluttershy said, her fear vanishing as knelt to sooth the animal. “It's all right, nothing is going to get you, I promise.”

The raccoon made no movement, little chittering sounds escaping it.

“What’s got it scared so badly?” Twilight asked, a small timbre of worry making its way into her tone. The fur along her spine started to rise as she felt a chill run down her back.

“I don’t know,” Fluttershy said, looking at her over her shoulder at her before turning her attention back to the raccoon. “Um, Mr. Raccoon, can you tell me what’s scaring you and all your friends? We really need to know.”

When Fluttershy tried to reach out to pet the raccoon, it bolted into the shrubs, startling the pegasus into the air.

“What in the—” Twilight began.

“Twilight!”

The two whirled at Spike’s scream and stood in shock as a large black puff of smoke appeared in front of them. Stepping from the cloud, was a vaguely pony shaped creature. Its only features were its perfectly round, white eyes and the armor it wore. The armor looked like darkened version of the Equestrian Armor used by the guard ponies. Spreading its front legs wide, it lowered its head to charge.

“What is that?!” Fluttershy screamed.

“Don’t know!” Twilight yelled, jumping aside as the creature lunged for them.

Not far from the camp, warm winds blew through Princess Luna's feathered wings—holding her aloft as the trees whooshed past below. Her moon shone in the sky above, bathing the entire forest in a soothing pale light. A smile pulled at her lips as she basked in the sensation of flying under the moonlight. Being the princess of both the moon and the night, she reveled in watching over her ponies as they slept. Frequently slipping into the dreams of the ponies under her care, she smiled as memories of those she helped with nightmares returned. Busy as she could be, it didn’t mean she never took time for herself, like enjoying a peaceful flight during the quiet of the night.

Tonight was an excellent night for flying, she concluded. Such nights were perfect to fly alone and for her to be with her thoughts. Another smile spread across her face when she remembered slipping off alone often back at Canterlot—earning the chagrin of many of her guards—but when she reminded them of who she was, they remembered she was more than capable of defending herself from any would be aggressors.

Spotting a small clearing ahead, she flew low and landed within—the grass bending her her hooves. She looked around a moment before settling on her haunches to stare at the night sky. As she marveled over the starry display, her thoughts turned to the years since her return. Since then, ponies had come to accept and love her after a millennia of fearing her name. They no longer saw her as Nightmare Moon; her thanks were owed to Twilight and her friends for both her return and her acceptance with the common ponyfolk. It was a second chance, and she swore she would not let it go to waste.

Her ears twitched as the sounds of loud singing reached her. Recognizing the cheerful voice of Pinkie Pie, it was soon followed by the voices of the caravan. A soft smile graced her face, privately glad they all were enjoying themselves. Their journey had little to be cheerful of, and it promised to not get much better. As the song faded, the forest going quiet once more, Luna went back to her stargazing before another sound reached her. She frowned as she heard different sounds originate from the camp.

“What is that?” she asked herself, straining to listen.

Her eyes widened as she recognized them as shouts and cries of alarm.

“Oh no,” she breathed.

Spreading her wings to take off, she stiffened as a voice from behind her said, “And just where do you think you’re going?”

A shiver ran down her spine as she recognized that voice. A voice she had not heard in over a millennia.

As Twilight and Fluttershy fled back to the camp, she saw more of the dark ponies fighting the guards and their friends. The dark ponies didn’t make a sound as they fought, but for every buck, punch, or body blow they took, they returned in spades.

Twilight saw three of the monsters pressing Applejack and she was quick to blast two of them away. Applejack bucked the remaining one in the chin and sent the creature tumbling.

“Twilight, where’d ya—Behind you!” the earth mare yelled. Twilight was not much for physical violence, but instinct kicked in. She lashed out with a two-legged buck that caught the creature behind her between the eyes. It stumbled back but stubbornly refused to fall. She whirled and blasted it with a powerful bolt of magic. The creature didn’t try to dodge as it was struck; it disappeared in a puff of black smoke as the magic passed through it. The armor it wore clanged to the ground lifelessly.

“Thanks, Applejack,” she said between breaths.

“Don’t worry, Twi." Applejack looked at the ongoing battle and a worried frown grew. “What kinda ponies are these? Are they the Shadow Ponies Nightmare Moon tried to trick us with?”

“I don’t know," Twilight said as she blasted another creature. “They seem to be made of some black substance. I’ve never read of them before.”

“We have to do something, they just keep coming,” Applejack said before she had to meet the charge of another creature.

Twilight turned her magic to aid her friends and saw they were holding their own rather well. Rarity used her magic and her surprising martial prowess to fend off her attackers. Rainbow swooped down and out, rushing and kicking the creatures, which were unable to catch her. Pinkie had all manner of ways to defend herself, ranging from clever to amusing but all effective. Fluttershy stayed near Twilight; the pegasus hiding behind her friend. Spike used his flame breath to drive the creatures away from him and Rarity. The Royal Guard was holding their own against the creatures, even if a few of them were sporting painful wounds.

“Twilight!”

Hearing Fluttershy’s panicked outcry, she turned, expecting another creature to be charging at them. Instead she saw the armor of the first creature rise from the ground and another dark pony forming within. Once it was fully formed, it lowered its head and attacked again.

Stuttering, Twilight fell back from the assault—too shocked to properly react.

“No!” The lunging creature was tackled away by a yellow blur—Fluttershy and the creature rolling across the dirt. The dark pony got to its hooves first and raised a hoof to strike. Squeaking with fright, Fluttershy raised her forelegs above her head.

Seeing her friend in danger, Twilight growled and blasted the creature. “Leave her alone!”

The thing never saw the attack coming as the bolt shot through it, its empty armor clanging around the startled Fluttershy.

“They can rejuvenate?” she asked, helping Fluttershy back to her hooves.

“This is never going to end,” Rarity yelled, her tone carrying a frantic edge. She dodged under a punch and lashed out with a two-hit combo before finishing the creature with a round-kick.

“We’ve got this,” Rainbow called. “If they want to get their flanks kicked more than once, we’d be happy to do it.” She charged down and somersaulted, landing with both hind hooves on top of the head of a dark pony—causing the creature to disappear in a puff of smoke. “Ha! You guys are such pushovers. Can’t do anything with me in the air.”

In response, three of the creatures sprouted pairs of shadowy wings and flew into the air to meet her.

“Didn’t see that coming,” Rainbow muttered and took off, the three winged creatures in close pursuit.

She glanced behind her to see them closing in. “Gotta lose these guys,” she said to herself. She looked ahead and saw a tree branch hanging at just the right height. With a wicked grin, she sped ahead and grabbed hold of the branch, pulling it back as far as she could. Releasing it, the branch swung out, catching the closest in the face and sending its remaining companions scattering.

“Yeah!” she cheered, followed by a quick “Whoa!” as one of them darted at her, and she barely managed to dodge.

“They just don’t give up.” She took off with the last two in close pursuit.

“Rainbow, Rainbow! Over here!” she heard Pinkie cry. Rainbow could see the pink mare had her party cannon aimed at her. A wicked smile grew across her face and she swooped low over Pinkie’s head.

“Now!”

Pinkie let loose with a blast from her cannon. The blast caught both creatures unaware with a blob of cooking dough. The two flew backwards, crashing into the trees and dissipating. Their abandoned armor was left stuck in globs of the sticky dough.

“Ah yeah!” they cheered and shared a high hoof.

They returned to help their friends, but found the fighting was nearly over; the fallen armor of the creatures ceasing to rise.

“Why did they stop, Twilight?” Spike asked as he warily nudged a fallen helmet.

“I don’t know, Spike, none of this makes sense," she said after catching her breath. “They’re obviously not changelings, but they’re not anything I’ve ever heard about before.” She let a breath out in a huff. “If they’re not changelings, who sent them after us? Chrysalis never had minions like these before.”

“Any idea where they came from?” Applejack asked, kicking another helmet away.

Before Twilight could respond, Rainbow Dash spoke up.

“Where’s Princess Luna?”

It was then they heard the sounds of fighting off in the distance. Twilight could see the flashes of light, magical lights.

“Princess Luna!” she cried and the six took off towards the sounds of battle.

“It has been some time, Luna.” Tyranny stepped from the shadows behind her, his cold voice just as she remembered. “I truly hadn’t expected to see you so soon. Did Celestia send you to pursue me?”

“Why are you here, Tyranny?” she asked, turning to face the imposing stallion. Her glare hardened as she suppressed a chill that threatened to run down her spine when looking into those arrogant amber eyes once again.

His glare hardened. “I believe that our reunion has been long overdue.” A snide grin tugged at his lips. “That, and I merely wished to take the measure of Equestria’s lesser ruler.”

Her eyes narrowed, but she wouldn't allow him to bait her. “What have you done with the ponies of the outpost? What did you do to them?”

“I merely recruited them to further my designs," he said, a sardonic smirk on his face. “They make the most excellent and loyal minions.” He jerked his chin in the direction the shouts of combat were heard. “As your caravan has found.”

She scowled at him and spread her forelegs in a battle stance. “What is your ploy, Tyranny?”

“That is enough questions, my dear,” he said, setting aside his scepter and taking his own wide-legged battle stance. “Time to take your measure. Defend yourself. If you can.”

With a quick battle cry, the Princess of the Moon and the Spirit of Order charged each other—the dirt churning under hoof. The two butted heads, Luna’s horn leaving a scratch on his forehead. The two tangled a moment before Luna lashed out with her front hooves, causing Tyranny to block with his own. Luna spun around, quick as moonlight and bucked. Luna smiled to herself as the kick sent the stallion tumbling.

Rolling back onto his hooves, he sneered at her. “Impressive.” He dashed back in, lashing out with measured jabs. Luna, the quicker of the two, dodged them but was forced to hop back to avoid a sweeping back hoof blow.

Tyranny came back in, hooves lashing out in quick punches, forcing Luna dodge or block them. With each hit, however, she felt their sting grow. Having trained alongside the Royal Guards, Luna knew how to take a punch, however, even she had to admit none of them had hit near as hard as Tyranny.

Her eyes widened as Tyranny brought back his foreleg for a stronger punch and sidestepped the heavy blow. Getting in close, she brought a knee up to his midsection, launching the stallion away again. Before she could allow him to come back at her, she took to the sky—knowing her wings gave her an advantage over him.

Grunting, he turned an annoyed glare as she hovered above. “Afraid to use your full potential against me, Luna?”

She snorted and gave her head a toss, her mane settling out of her eyes. “It is you who has weakened, Tyranny. That body is not your own! Let the one you hold prisoner go! Now!”

A sneer spread across his face. “I’m afraid there is no choice in this matter. Just as you and your sister have no chance of stopping what will happen.” Holding out his foreleg, his scepter vanished from where he placed it only to have it appear in his hoof.

“What the—” Luna started before he hurled it at her like a spear. Flapping her wings to clear the weapon, she looked down in time to see Tyranny leap. A surprised gasp escaped her as he leaped well into the air for her—higher and with more force than she expected. Grunting from the hit, she gasped again as he grabbed her by a back leg and hurled her back at the ground.

She righted herself moments before she could crash into soil and flipped to land on her hooves. Looking up, her eyes widened as she saw him descending—his scepter in hoof again—and swinging for her head.

Her horn glowed and a barrier surrounded her just in time for the scepter to send sparks flying across its surface. “You cannot beat me, Tyranny, you will surrender!” she shouted as he hammered at her barrier.

An arrogant snort blew past his nose as he pivoted and swung the scepter in an upward arc. Luna felt her barrier shake and threaten to give under the powerful strike and, as he brought his scepter back for another swing, she knew he would continue until her barrier failed.

Thinking quickly, her horned glowed again, engulfing the area in a bright light. Tyranny shouted and covered his eyes—leaving all the opening she needed. Focusing her magic, she blasted him full in the side.

The stallion groaned as he hit the ground. Seeing her opening, Luna flapped her wings and dashed after him. Tackling the stallion before he could get back to his hooves, she pinned his forelegs to the ground. As he struggled, she glared down at him—pressing down harder on his legs. “I said release the one you hold prisoner!”

Glaring right back at her, she could see the seething determination in his cold gaze. “You’re as a much a fool now as you always have been.” Gritting his teeth, he growled. “You will kneel before me and beg for my mercy.”

Her eyes widened as she felt him push back against her. Managing to lift her even as she tried to keep him pinned. “How—” Her wings gave a flap and she hopped above him as his scepter appeared back in hoof—clearing the swipe he had aimed at her.

Keeping to the sky, she said, “What have you done? No earthpony is strong enough to throw me.”

Getting back to his hooves, he dusted his coat clean of the leaves and twigs. “A matter of necessity.” He turned to glare at her again. “I was forced to spend months augmenting this body’s natural abilities with what little of my power I could harness.” He held up a hoof to peer at it. “Thus far, the results have been disappointing.”

Luna smirked to herself. 'Just like before, he can’t help but talk.' Speaking out loud, she said, “You realize you have lost this fight, Tyranny. Even with all of your efforts, we will see your reign end before it can even begin! All of your mechanizations will lead to your downfall!”

The amused smirk that crossed his face sent a wave of bile through her gut. “My dear, you have already lost before this battle before it ever began.”

She smiled as he did exactly as she expected him too, when he launched himself after her, she flew down to meet him. Catching him off guard, she grabbed him by a foreleg and a back leg and spun him around twice before hurling him back at the ground with all her might.

As he bounced across the turf, she tackled into him and pinned him on his back again—the tip of her glowing horn aimed under his chin. “It is over,” she said, finality making its way into her tone.

He grunted, not daring to move with her horn aimed at his throat. “Impressive. You are a much better fighter than I anticipated,” he said as he looked at her.

Her eyes narrowed, a feeling of unease running down her spine at the calm demeanor he held. “Maybe it is you who has weakened, Tyranny. I do not recall you being much for a personal combat.” Her smirk made its way into her tone. “This seems a poorly planned maneuver on your part. You’re inability to adapt has again lead to your defeat.”

He sneered. “Actually, you’re exactly where I want you.”

Her eyes widened before she felt something tackle into her. Rolling, she kicked whatever it was off of her, but before she could think, another hit her, then another. The twisted and tried to get at her attackers, but more jumped in and pinned her to the ground. Holding her legs and wings down, she gritted her teeth at the pain.

Before she could bring her magic to bear, she felt Tyranny stomp on her horn. Her pained scream filling the clearing.

“You really have learned nothing in all this time, Luna,” he said as he sneered down at her. “I am disappointed. I know I taught you better.”

She gritted her teeth as she felt his hoof grind on her horn. “You were flawed then, Tyranny, just as you’re flawed now.” Try as she might, she couldn’t turn her head enough to see who was pinning her to the ground. “I had thought a Spirit of Order would know better than to ally with the chaotic nature of changelings.”

His insulting chuckle raised her hackles as he said, “Again, Luna, you’re a fool. I didn’t ally with them. They served a purpose, even as they continue to do so now.” He stepped off her horn, freeing her head. “Have a look yourself.”

“Changelings! You and your Queen do…” Her eyes widened and her jaw fell slack as she looked at what she thought were changelings holding her. She felt her heart run cold as the white-eyed, lifeless gazes of the dark ponies looked back at her. “Wh-What is this?”

“Magnificent, don’t you agree?”

She turned her outraged glare back at him as she tried again to free herself. “What have you done! Where are the changelings?”

Holding out a hoof, he motioned at the group of dark ponies. “You’re looking at them. When it became apparent that they were not going to be able to further serve me as they were, I found another use for them.” His grin widened. “As I did with those at the outpost.”

“Tyranny!” She struggled again but the dark ponies held her down. “That power corrupts! Do you not realize what you have done! Stop this now before you can no longer turn back!”

His arrogant visage slipped, replaced by an angry scowl. “You and your sister left me no choice. And do not be pretentious as to tell me what I can or cannot control. If there is anyone who is capable of controlling anything, it is I. I will be the one to set the world right again. As it should have always been.”

She winced as she felt her wings starting to cramp. ‘I need to keep him talking. Give Princess Twilight and her friends a chance to get here.’ Turning to glare at him, she said, “What is it you want, Tyranny? Why come back only to cause more strife to Equestria?”

He sneered. “I had thought it obvious, my lady. I intend to bring all of Equestria under my rule. In doing so, I will see to it that strife, chaos, and disorder become a thing of the past.”

A nasty scowl burst across her face. “It is because of tyrants like you that they never truly fade!"

Narrowing his eyes, contempt dripped from his tone. “Because soft hearts like you are unwilling to make the necessary sacrifices to make it a reality.”

She felt her hackles rise, and she tried to kick at the dark ponies holding her. “Do not speak to me of sacrifice!”

His mocking laughter only caused her scowl to deepen. “Then it is true. Your own return to Equestria has not been too long ago either.” His arrogant smile only widened. “And under less-than-harmonious circumstances as I am aware.”

She glared at him, her teeth gritting.

Rubbing at his chin, he asked, “What was it? A thousand years imprisonment in the moon? By your sister no less.” He settled his hoof to the ground again. “What was her reason for doing so?”

“She did it to save Equestria from the dangers Nightmare Moon presented,” she said, unable to keep all the regret from her tone.

“And you honestly believe that?”

She narrowed her eyes.

“True, the monster you became did need to be dealt with, but a thousand years imprisonment was her justification?" He shook his head slowly as he paced around her, a knowing grin growing across his face. "I think not. Have you ever stopped to wonder why she never released you beforehoof?”

Her jaw ached from gritting her teeth.

“Perhaps she had other reasons to keep you locked away in the moon?" He lifted his chin while leering at her. "Think of it, two sisters sharing the same throne would no doubt cause a separation among their followers; thus causing a country to be divided between them. A divided country only leads to strife and war, so what better way to unify a country, than to remove the competition?”

“Be silent,” she whispered.

“Your becoming a Nightmare over petty jealousy proved to be the ultimate excuse to harmlessly do away with you and cement herself as Equestria’s sole ruler.”

Her hooves dug into the ground. “Be silent,” Luna’s voice rose.

“An act of compassion may have allowed your release and eventual reformation,” he said, the sneer growing across his face as he paused in his pacing to regard her. “She welcomed you back to her side, but only after it was widely accepted that she was the ruler of Equestria. Even after the years of your return, your name is not the one the ponies cry out for when they are in danger.”

“Be silent.” Even louder.

“I can assure to you, it is not,”

“Be silent!” she yelled at the top of her lungs. Her eyes glowed and a bright light burst from her body, the dark ponies vanishing as the light shot through them—even their armor crumbled to dust.

He sneered all the wider at her show of rage. “Seems I am not the only one then.”

His eyes widened before the blast hit him squarely in the chin, sending him bouncing across the turf to land painfully against a tree. Breathing past her gritted teeth, Luna took a step forward, intent on stopping him them and there.

“Princess Luna!” She heard a concerned shout from the trees. Turning in time to see Twilight and her friends emerge into the clearing, she let her magic fade at the shock—and frightened—expressions on their faces.

“Princess Luna, are you all right?” Twilight asked as she ran to her side, her friends following after her.

“I am fine, Twilight Sparkle,” she said, relieved for the arrival of the Elements of Harmony.

“Ah, so this is Equestria’s newest princess,” Tyranny said as he slowly got back to his hooves. He looked over the new arrivals, glaring directly at Twilight.

“Yeah!” Rainbow shouted, flaring her wings. “And just who are you supposed to be, chump?”

He raised one eyebrow, turning an incredulous look her way. “You are unaware? Celestia continues to misleads her minions I see.”

Rainbow growled like a dog before shouting, “Who are you calling a minion!”

“Enough of your games, Tyranny," Luna said as she took a threatening step towards him. "These are the bearers of the Elements of Harmony; they will be the ones to see your reign ends before it ever began!”

“That's Tyranny?” Pinkie asked Twilight.

Twilight nodded to her. “Yes it is—” before she could say anything more, the pink mare was suddenly eye to eye with the dark stallion.

“You, buster, owe me a new costume! The one you ruined was special!” she said, poking him in the chest. “Now apologize!”

Glaring, he brought back his hoof for a slap. “Away.”

His swing met nothing but air as Pinkie bounced off of him. Flipping, she landed softly on her hooves next to her friends. “Now that’s just mean. I am so not making you a just-got-out-of-prison cake, buster!”

Tyranny snorted and looked back at Luna. “As enjoyable as I found our little encounter, it is not yet time for me to deal with you or the Bearers of Harmony.”

Luna smirked. “How short your memory is, Tyranny. If I recall correctly, you have lost.”

Narrowing his eyes, he said, “We will meet again soon." Without so much as a change in expression he faded from sight and was gone.

Luna let a sigh of relief loose, one shared with her friends. “I am pleased you all came to my aid. Goodness knows what other schemes Tyranny had planned,” she said as she turned to regard them.

“What did he say to you, Princess?” Twilight asked.

“Lies, Princess Twilight, all lies,” she responded, though even Luna frowned a bit at a subtle difference in her tone. “You must all beware his words. He will bend and twist them to his advantage and seek to cause doubt. Doubt is his greatest weapon, and he will not hesitate to use it.”

Tyranny’s laughter ghosted around them. “If you wish to stop me, seek me out in the north.” His voice faded and was heard no more.

“Arrogant lout.” Rarity snorted.

“Ya got that right,” Applejack said, glaring at the nearby shadows before turning a wary glance Luna’s way. “Ya all right there, Princess Luna? It looked like Tyranny got under your skin pretty bad back there.”

“I am fine, Applejack,” Luna said, a tinge of tightness making its way into her voice. “Come, we should all get our rest and send a message to my sister about what has occurred.”

Nodding their agreement, they followed after Luna back for the camp. Fluttershy lagged behind a bit and Twilight slowed to walk alongside her.

“Fluttershy?”

The pegasus looked to her and stole a glance at Luna, who was ahead of them. The dark-blue alicorn’s gaze half-lidded, seeming lost in her own thoughts.

“Its Princess Luna, she… she looks like she’s hurting. Or she’s really, really mad.”

Twilight glanced at Princess Luna, trying to spot what Fluttershy meant. “What do you mean? She just got out of a fight with Tyranny.”

Fluttershy shook her head. “It is not that… I’ve never seen Princess Luna so angry. Not since she was...” she trailed off, looking away.

A frown tugged at Twilight’s lips. “I think Princess Luna is okay, Fluttershy. She’s more than capable of dealing with anything Tyranny says or does.”

Shaking her head, Fluttershy said, “It’s not that it’s… oh, just forget I said anything.” Trotting ahead, she quickly caught up to the others.

Twilight watched her go and stole a look at the clearing behind them, her expression worried. She could only guess what had transpired between Princess Luna and Tyranny; she made a mental note to speak to her privately… and find out exactly what caused that show of rage that even Twilight shuddered about.

When they arrived back at the camp, they could see the Royal Guard patching up wounds and repairing the wagons. Spike came running as they appeared, a relieved smile on his face.

“I’m glad you’re all alright.” he said, “What happened out there?”

“Tyranny made an appearance, he and Princess Luna fought,” Twilight said as she sat down with a tired huff.

The dragon looked to the princess with a measure of awe. “Did you beat him, Princess?”

She shook her head slowly, her eyes still holding that distant look to them. “I did not; he fled not long after the others arrived to aid me." She turned to the royal guard commander nearby. “Are any hurt?”

“Bumps and bruises, Princess. Nothing serious to report.”

“What was it that attacked the camp? Describe them for me,” she pressed.

The guard thought for a moment. “They were black, shadow-like ponies, Princess. They wore Equestrian armor and had pure white eyes.”

“And they grew wings,” Rainbow added.

“And disappeared in a poof when you beat them,” Pinkie Pie added, throwing both of her arms out to greater emphasize the point.

“Once ya did put’em down, the armor came back to life after a little bit. With another of them ponies in ’em,” Applejack said.

A frown tugged at Luna’s lips as she looked around. “The armor?”

“Faded away, Princess. Shortly after the bearers went to help you,” the guard said.

“That is most troubling.” She looked to the rest of the gathered camp. “Seek your rest, we head north come dawn.” As the guards turned to their tasks, Luna turned to Twilight and spoke in a whisper. “Please bring your dragon friend to my wagon, Princess Twilight. We need to send a letter to my sister.”

Author's Notes:

This chapter was a lot of fun to write, between the two battle scenes and Pinkie Pie's song, it was a blast to write. And man does Tyranny bring up some good questions.

Chapter Seven

“It doesn’t look like anyone is here either,” Rarity said as she lifted a blanket to examine. “How can anypony sleep under these rags? Ick!” The unicorn stuck her tongue as she dropped the blanket back on one of the many bunks. “When this is all done, I’m going to donate some quality blankets for the Royal Guards.”

Twilight looked over her shoulder at her friend and smiled lightly. “I’m sure the royal guards would appreciate it, Rarity,” she said as she looked around the abandoned barracks.“ I just hope we can stop Tyranny before he hurts anypony else.” Trying to see with what little sun made its way into the building, she sighed. “I don’t think we’re going to find anything here.”

“I agree.” Rarity’s horn glowed and the shutters of a nearby window opened, allowing more light inside. The sudden breeze sent the collected dust to flutter around. “Gah, all this dust is making it hard to breath. Let’s get outside into fresh air.”

As Twilight and Rarity stepped out of the barracks, Twilight squinted in the sudden light. When her sight adjusted, a frown formed on her face as she looked the buildings of the outpost. “This is one so different from the last outpost,” she said. “There, there was signs of a battle and the Equestrian Guard putting up a fight, but here…” She trailed off as she saw more of the Royal Guards exiting another building, nervousness seen on their normally stoic expressions.

“It looks like everypony just disappeared into thin air, yes,” Rarity finished for her. Her ears laid back as she shivered. “It’s a tad on the creepy side, I’ll admit. It feels almost like when we were at the Castle of the Two Sisters when Nightmare Moon was running about. Dark and… cold.”

Twilight shook her head before she having to squint as the sun poked past the clouds, reflecting off the jeweled choker Rarity wore. Shading from the light, Twilight could see the light sparkle off the violet gemstone of Rarity’s Element of Harmony.

Which in turn made her readjust the crown on her head, again making sure her own Element was in place. “I’m still getting used to wearing this thing,” she muttered.

A smile played across Rarity’s muzzle. “One can almost swear you’ve said that before, darling.”

Chuckling, Twilight nodded. “I guess I have. Still, it’s best that we wear our Elements. That way we’re prepared if Tyranny attacks again.” She held her head up straighter. “He won’t get away from us next time.”

“I would hope not, darling,” Rarity said, her hoof brushing across her Element before a smile came to her again. “Still, it’s not all bad. We’re getting closer to catching up to that hooligan, and between all of us and Princess Luna, he doesn’t stand a chance of escaping again.”

When Twilight didn’t smile along with her, Rarity turned a worried look at her. “Twilight, is everything all right, dear?”

Twilight let out a small sigh before speaking in a lower tone. “I just keep thinking of that night, when we came to help Princess Luna. When we got there, did you see how angry she was? You felt all that magic she had pent up too, right?”

Furrowing her brow, Rarity looked away for a moment before speaking again. “I did, and I’ll be honest in saying it did scare me to see her so infuriated. But I also remember what Princess Celestia has said about Tyranny. It wouldn’t surprise me if he said something that would have struck a nerve with Princess Luna.”

“Yeah, I guess he would,” she allowed. “It also sounds like Princess Celestia and Luna knew him personally before they imprisoned him. It stands to reason he might also know a lot about them too.”

“There. You see?” Rarity said as they headed back for the courtyard. “Nothing to worry about, darling.”

‘Nothing to worry about,’ Twilight thought, a frown tugged at her face but it was gone quicker than Rarity could notice. ‘I’m not so sure, Rarity. I want there to be nothing to worry about but, I can’t shake this nagging feeling something is wrong and we just don’t know about it yet.’

As they walked towards the courtyard, they caught sight of Rainbow dashing towards them. “Twilight!”

A chill ran up her spine at her friend’s expression. “Rainbow Dash, what’s wrong?”

“Come quick! We found a survivor!”

Rarity shared in her surprised intake of air. “What? Where?”

“Come on!” Rainbow sped away back the way she came—Twilight and Rarity close on her fetlocks.

The two followed her to the courtyard where they saw Applejack easing down another earth pony. At first look, Twilight could see that he appeared mostly unharmed save for the large, painful-looking knot on his head.

“We need a medic!” Twilight called back towards the guards.

“Fluttershy already when after one,” Rainbow Dash said as she landed beside her. “We found him under a smashed cart.” She looked at the injured pony and winced. “I’ve had my fair share of hard knocks, but that looks like it hurts.”

“It does,” the survivor said, rubbing at his head.

“Are you all right? What happened to you? Where is everypony else?”

“Now hold up, Twi,” Applejack said as she kept close to the injured pony, a hoof held nearby to catch him if he swayed. “Let’s let the medic get him looked at before we start askin’ questions. It’ll be hard for him to think clearly if he’s hurtin’.”

A rush of shame gripped at her belly. “Sorry! Sorry. You’re right.” Twilight looked around. “Where are they?”

“Here they come now,” Rarity said, even as Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, a Royal Guard, and Princess Luna came running towards them.

“Is he all right?” Luna asked as the medic rushed to help the injured pony.

“Hit on the head, Princess Luna,” Applejack answered as she stepped back for the medic to work. “Like we told Twilight, we found’em under a cart. He doesn’t look too badly hurt, just that knot on his head.”

A faint frown tugged at Luna’s lips and Twilight could see a glint of unease in her eyes. “I see.”

They stepped back to let the medic have space and it wasn’t long until the injured pony rested on his haunches as the medic finished wrapping his head.

“He doesn’t appear to have any lasting injuries, Princess,” the medic said as he finished tying the wrapping off. “He’ll be sore for the next few days, but if we can get him to a hospital, they can treat him better than I can and give him something to help with the ache.”

The worker waved him off. “No. No. I’ll be fine. I just need a moment to rest.”

The medic turned a frown his way before nodding to Princess Luna and took his leave.

“Can you tell us what happened here?” Twilight asked, turning a sympathetic glance to his injury.

“I’ll try, Princess,” the pony said as he rested on his belly. Reaching up to massage his head, he gave another hiss of pain.

Frowning, Twilight said, “Take it easy. You don’t want to injure yourself more by touching it.”

“Yes, you’re right,” he said as he rested his leg back to the ground.

“So, what happened here? Did you see anything?”

“It all happened so fast,” he said, unease making its way into his tone. “A squadron of Equestrian Guards showed up at our gates claiming that they were sent as relief. The garrison commander said they were early as their replacement was supposed to be a week away yet. But the other commander had a letter with the royal seal and ours said it was legitimate.”

“How long ago was this?” Luna asked.

He tilted his head as he considered the question. “I don’t know, Princess. A few days maybe, I don’t know how long I was out.”

“It had to be a few days,” Rarity said. “The barracks were just covered in dust.”

The worker gave a small wry smile. “The barracks are old, ma’am. Dust is just natural there.”

Rarity hummed. “Fair point.”

“Can you tell us what happened after that?” Twilight pressed.

He gulped, his expression distant as he recalled the memory. “That night, the guards had a big dinner to celebrate the end of their tour.”

“A good reason to throw a party if you ask me,” Pinkie Pie said, nodding sagely despite the number of huffs and glares she got before the worker pony continued.

“The entire garrison was there, all of them but the new arrivals. I was out by the cart, getting more food, when I saw them surround the mess hall—” he started shaking, and his voice wavered more with each word. “I don’t know why, but I hid. Something about what they were doing scared me. It was then they all changed into some sort of black pony. They all started to glow and used some sort of magic on the mess hall. One minute there was laughter, then screams, then just silence. Afterwards the black creatures just disappeared. I was so shocked I stumbled back and felt something hit me hard.” He looked between them with a helpless look. “I don’t remember anything else after that. I’m sorry.”

Twilight’s ears flicked as Luna spoke. “Was there a tall regal-looking stallion with these black ponies?”

He shook his head. “No, Princess, only them.”

Her eyes narrowed and Twilight stepped forward. “I need you to hold still, sir,” she said.

“P-Princess?” The pony blinked, his ears laying back against his skull as Twilight’s horn started to glow.

“Twi?” Applejack’s concern abated when Twilight gave her an assuring nod.

“This won’t hurt; I am making sure of something,” she told him.

He nodded slowly, and Twilight’s horn glowed bright. A nimbus surrounded the pony before vanishing.

Relief flooded through her as she let her magic fade. “Good.”

“What did you do, Twilight?” Fluttershy asked.

“It was a detection spell. It makes any shapechanger revert to its true form.” She turned back to the worker pony. “I was only making sure you weren’t one of the shadow ponies in disguise.”

He nodded even as he let out a shuddering sigh. “Good thinking, Princess.”

Luna watched them, a distant expression on her face before turning to the guard captain as he approached. “Did you find anything?”

“Nothing, Princess, it’s like the first outpost. There is no sign of them anywhere.”

When Luna’s expression fell, Twilight was about to ask before Rarity beat her to it.

“Is everything all right, Princess?”

Luna’s ears flicked before she spoke. “Something troubles me, yes, but I will speak of it later.” Turning to the worker pony, she asked, “Do you require any provisions to get to the nearest town?”

He shook his head, despite a wince. “No, Princess, I can get what I need from the stores here and get there safely. I can’t take food from the princesses.”

A small smile played at her lips before she nodded. “As you wish. Take care on the road.”

He bowed to her and Twilight before walking for the food pantry.

Rainbow grumbled as he left, crossing her forelegs with a huff. “Man, this Tyranny guy is really started to cheese me off. What’s he doing to all the ponies out here? I wish I could give that guy a swift kick or three.”

“I hear ya there, Rainbow, it ain’t makin’ a lick a sense what he’s up to.” Applejack tugged her hat lower but Twilight saw that it didn’t really cover the frown that spread across her face.

Twilight sat and discussed the mystery with her friends, but as their debate went on, the more Twilight caught herself sneaking glances at Luna. The dark alicorn sat quietly, not really adding to their conversation, her gaze distant as she stared at the sky.

“Princess Luna, can you please tell us what you’re thinking?” she finally asked. “You know something of what Tyranny’s doing, don’t you?”

Luna closed her eyes, a sigh escaping her before she spoke. “Indeed, Princess Twilight. I have tried to think of different ways of what Tyranny has done, but I can no longer think he wouldn’t have stooped to such levels.” She turned back to them, rising to her hooves. “Come. Let’s step out of sight.”

Twilight and the others shared quick glances before following her out of the outpost. As they approached the wagons, Twilight smiled as Spike trotted to meet them.

He looked between them, a worried frown crossing his face. “Is everything okay? What happened in there?”

“Princess Luna wants to talk to us privately,” Twilight said as they gathered around Luna. “She said she might know what Tyranny is up to.”

Nodding to Twilight, Luna waited until all of them were seated. “I have a theory as to what exactly Tyranny has done to the ponies of both outposts, as well as to the changelings.”

“Wait, the changelings too?” Rainbow asked, her brow furrowing. “I thought they were working with the guy.”

“Why would he do anything to them?” Pinkie asked, rubbing at her head. “I can’t think of anything unless he’s teaching them a really good vanishing trick. ‘Cause they’re really good at it.”

“Can you please explain?” Twilight asked.

Twilight’s brow furrowed as she saw a look of regret flash in Luna’s eyes before she spoke. “I wish to be sure before I say, Princess Twilight.” With a slow breath, the dark alicorn closed her eyes and her horn took on its mystic light. When she opened her eyes, it was not the teal-colored irises they were used to, rather they were pure black orbs. It wasn’t long before she gasped, her eyes returning to normal as she muttered. “It is as I feared,”

“What?” the group said in unison.

An angered scowl spread across Luna’s face before she looked back at them. “It will be easier to show you.”

Twilight felt the hair along her spine rise as she felt Luna’s magic wash over her and it took all her discipline not to gasp as she felt herself slip away from Equestria. The outpost and forest faded away like sands in an hour glass to a world of darkness. Twilight felt another shiver run up her spine as she looked around for any sign of life in the black void.

“H-Hello? Princess Luna?”

“Do not be afraid, Princess Twilight. You and all our friends are here together with me,” she heard Luna’s voice say from the dark void.

“Where are we?” Twilight asked as she tried to find something, anything, to orientate herself with.

“This is the Realm of Shadow. It is the birthplace of shadow, the opposite of light. A place of stillness… and of nightmares.”

Before Twilight could form her next question, she gasped and fell back on her rump as something floated next to her. Somehow, she could make out the form of a pony, a guard pony. Twitching and moaning, she could tell he was plagued by whatever nightmare he was stuck in.

“P-Princess?” she asked, hoping Luna was still with her.

“They are from the outpost, Princess Twilight. Sent here by Tyranny for his own ends.”

“What could he—” She gasped again as another form floated past her, and her eyes widened as she blurted, “Trixie?”

Twilight felt a jolt, and when she blinked, she could see that she and her friends were back in Equestria. Each of them blinking and shaking their heads as they fought off the dizziness that came as Luna’s spell ended.

“Y’all saw that?” Applejack asked, unease clear in her tone and expression.

They nodded and Twilight wrapped her forelegs around her, trying to ward off the chill that seemed to linger.

“What was that place, Princess? What’s happening to them?” The darkness was gone, but the horrible images still plagued Twilight’s mind.

“It was so dark,” Fluttershy said.

“And spoooooooooky,” Pinkie Pie added.

“That was the Realm of Shadow, an alternate dimension where there is no light. There have been only a few who could travel there and return.” An angry scowl crossed Luna’s face but it was gone as soon as it came. “It is not the first time Tyranny used the Realm of Shadow for his own ends.”

“Is there any way to bring them back?” Twilight’s brow furrowed; and she felt a new fire burn within to see them all free.

Luna shook her head softly, regret plain to see in her eyes. “Only the one who sent them there can release them. Unless we defeat Tyranny, they will remain trapped.”

“Not even Trixie deserves that,” Rarity said, her tone dropping to a near whisper.

Twilight looked at Luna. “Is this where Tyranny gets his shadow ponies from?”

“Their substance yes. The shadow beasts are made from the darkness of the Realm of Shadow, but they lack any driving force behind them.” She paused and tilting her head, a thoughtful frown pulling at her lips. “Think of them as statues made of shadow or Rarity’s clothing mannequins. That is all they are, dolls without a force to give them life.”

“What force does it take, Princess?” Applejack grimaced.

Twilight felt she already knew the answer. “The life essences of the ponies sent to the Realm of Shadow.”

Luna nodded. “Indeed, Twilight Sparkle. The ponies and changelings sent there give life to the shadow creatures that Tyranny conjures. He can make a dozen from just one pony or changeling.”

“Sweet Celestia, he’s building an army,” Rarity breathed.

“Think how much cake batter you’d need to feed all of them!” Pinkie Pie said flabbergasted.

“Pinkie!” Twilight glared at her friend.

“It would be a whole lot, Twilight.”

Twilight could only sigh. “We’re going to have to stop him quickly, Princess. Not only to save all the ponies he sent to the Realm of Shadow, but also to keep him from building his army. He could easily make thousands of them if he finds more outposts or even a town.”

“We might catch up to him if we ditch these wagons.” Applejack waved a hoof at the caravan. Turning a frown at Rarity as the unicorn grimaced, she said, “Don’t you say it.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it, darling,” Rarity huffed.

“How do you know so much about that scary place, Princess Luna?” Fluttershy asked as she tucked a few bangs out of her eyes. “You seem to know an a lot about it.”

Luna again sighed, her shoulders slumping and ears laying back as the pegasus asked the question. “It pains me to say this, Fluttershy, but I am also familiar with the Realm of Shadow.” She looked away. “And I regret having that knowledge every day still.”

“Nightmare Moon?” Fluttershy asked.

Luna nodded by before she could say something else, Spike—who had sat quietly through the whole discussion—belched so suddenly that it caused them all to jump. A rolled-up parchment formed from the burped flames, bearing the royal emblem.

A fierce blush erupted across his face as he slapped his hands over his face. “Sorry!”

Twilight was quick to snatch up the letter with her magic and unrolled it. “It’s all right, Spike,” she said as she scanned the letter. “It’s from Princess Celestia.” As she read, her eyes widened and she dropped the letter like it was hot coals.

“Twilight, what’s wrong?” Rainbow asked, looking to her worriedly.

Twilight recovered, picked up the letter, and read the message aloud.

Dear Princess Twilight Sparkle,

You, your friends, and my sister must make all haste to the Crystal Empire. It has fallen under attack by Tyranny and his shadow creatures. Do whatever you must to make haste; Princess Cadence and Shining Armor are in need of you all.

A stiff wind blew through Princess Cadence’s mane as she sat on the balcony of the crystal tower that overlooked the Crystal Empire. The strands of her mane snapping like the flags that topped the towers of her castle. Her husband stood beside her, his determined expression set in stone as he looked in the same direction through the faceplate of his helm. A pair of crystal pony guards stood by stoically, but Cadence could see it in their eyes; they were afraid, and with good reason.

Her gaze turned back towards the Empire’s borders and to the edges of the protective shield. Surrounding it, was an army of shadow creatures, ones she had never seen nor heard of before. The dark ponies hadn’t made a sound or moved to invade since their first assault on the shield. She remembered the day they arrived, the crystal ponies panicking at the sight of them. Many screamed of Sombra’s return but when the dark unicorn didn’t make an appearance, their relief was short lived. When it became apparent the dark ponies couldn’t cross the shield, she had calmed her citizens by saying that they would repel the creatures with the combined might of Equestria and the Crystal Empire.

Unfortunately, any messenger she tried to send was chased back or captured—never to be seen again—not even the trains were able to depart. It was only through sheer luck that an approaching train from Equestria was able to escape before the dark ponies could catch them. With that, Cadence was sure the news would get back to her aunt and they would soon be free of the threat.

Being unable to proceed, the shadow ponies had settled into a holding pattern around the Empire. Shining and the Crystal Guard had attempted to break their lines to keep the trains going, but she remembered with a wince at the bruises he and the soldiers had carried when they returned.

A soft sigh blew through her nose. ‘At least the Empire’s fields are within the protection of the Crystal Heart, so we don’t have to worry about starving,’ she thought. Even with that, she knew the attrition would take its toll. The crystal ponies continued with their lives, keeping their spirits high, but it would only be a matter of time before those spirits would start to falter if help didn’t come. It was Cadence’s hope that Princess Celestia would send aid to rescue the Crystal Empire before that happened.

Her frown was small, but her husband was quick to notice.

“Don’t worry, Cadence. I am sure Princess Celestia is sending help,” he said as he shifted his weight, his armor clanking with the movement. “She won’t leave us to fend for ourselves.”

She nodded slowly, watching as a family of crystal ponies hurried through the courtyard. “I know. I just worry what this will do to the crystal ponies. They have been through so much lately; they don’t deserve more hardship.”

Shining Armor frowned, and she could tell he couldn’t come up with anything to argue the point. “But as long as you are strong for them, they will see it through.”

She smiled warmly at her husband at his attempt to lift her spirits. “As long as we are strong.”

He chuckled a bit. “You’re the one they look to for guidance, Cadence, but I’ll be here to protect you.”

She smiled and leaned against him, taking comfort with his presence and the smell of his armor.

They both turned as a pegasus guard flew to the balcony and landed before them. His orange coat and neon blue mane a stark difference from the other crystal ponies’ coloring.

“Have you seen any sign of relief from Princess Celestia?” Cadence asked him.

“No, Princess. I was pursued by a couple of those things, but I was able to fend them off,” Flash Sentry said as he removed his helm.

A soft sigh escaped her. “I’m glad.”

Shining Armor turned a hard look to the army in the distance. “As long as the Crystal Heart stays strong, we can wait them out.”

“Yes, I just hope help comes—” sudden explosion caused the balcony to shake. She took to the air even as Shining and the others spread their legs to keep their balance.

“What was that?!” Cadence yelled as another rocked the tower.

“Go find out, Flash,” Shining said, but the pegasus was already on his way.

Flash Sentry flew past a number of other guards who were galloping towards the sounds of combat that echoed through the halls. He came to an abrupt stop and saluted as he found another guard officer shouting commands.

“Sir, the princess wishes for an update.” He looked down the hallway where other pony guards were running. He could hear shouts and the sounds of magic being cast in that direction, a frown formed on his face at it sounded like chaos was erupting.

The officer turned a scowl his way. “I don’t know, there is some sort of commotion at the front door. We think it is an intruder. Tell the princess I’m heading there to take care of it.”

“Is it the shadow ponies?”

“I said I don’t know, Flash. We—” The two started as the commotion got closer and a guard bounced past them—the poor guard grunting in pain.

Flash looked back down the hallway and saw a tall stallion making his way down the hallway, swatting aside a guard as he tried to tackle him.

“Who is that?”

The officer hissed even as other guards rushed the stallion. “Get back to the princess and stay with her! We’ll handle this!”

Cadence bit at her lip as she watched the door to the throne room. The shouts of battle and panicked screams caused her ears to lay flat against her skull as they grew louder. She looked again as the small detachment of guards as they took up their posts around the throne room, each of their faces set in grim determination. Her husband stood next to her as he continued to issue commands.

She started as she saw Flash Sentry beating his wings as fast as he could. “Close the doors! He’s not far behind me!”

“What is going on, Flash Sentry?” Shining Armor demanded, sounding very much like the commander of the guard that he was.

“There’s an intruder, I don’t know who he is.” He glanced over his shoulder. “He was heading this way, but I’m not sure if he’ll get past our other defenses.”

Their gazes darted behind them as the shouts got closer and it took all of Cadence’s discipline not to fly down the hall as someone cried out for help.

“Bar the doors! Protect the princess!” Shining shouted to the small squad of guards assigned to protect Cadence.

As the doors were closed and secured, the guards formed a defensive line in front of the royal couple. Unicorns and earth ponies stood shoulder to shoulder, and the pegasi, Flash among them, hovered above.

Cadence’s ears flicked as she heard one guard whisper to another, “Do you think it’s him? Sombra?”

“I don’t think so. The brave and glorious Spike blew him to bits, remember?” Despite the whisper, Cadence could hear the uncertainty in his voice.

“Cut the chatter,” Shining said, his voice strong and without waiver.

Taking heart, Cadence sat up and flaring her wings to their full width. “Rather it is Sombra, the changelings, or any other foe of the Empire. We, all of us, will stand tall and defend our homes and family. The Crystal Empire will endure!”

The guards gave a rousing cheer for their princess as they turned back to the door. Shining offered her a slight smile and nod as even he seemed more than ready to face whatever came their way.

The commotion grew louder until it sounded like it was just outside of the door. The guard gritted their teeth and Cadence felt her own hackles rise.

She blinked as all sound had suddenly ceased. Concerned glances were shared, and before Shining could order they go find out what happened, the doors shook on their hinges as something heavy slammed into them. Cadence barely had time to register the first slam when a second came, then a third. With each hit, the doors shook and threatened to cave in.

“Reinforce the doors! Don’t let them in!”

The earth ponies and unicorns ran ahead and braced against the door. The next hit jolted a few of them back, but they were quick to press against the doors.

“What is doing this? A minotaur?”One of the guards yelled as another slam shook the doors.

“Did that stallion bring friends along with him?” Shining asked, turning his gaze to Flash.

“I don’t think so. He—”

Startled shouts accompanied the next attack as the doors caved inwards. The guards tried to scramble out of the way, but the heavy wooden doors caught them under its weight. They groaned from underneath, and the groans only grew louder as the intruder stepped over them.

Cadence felt her blood run cold as she met the amber-eyed gaze of Tyranny. The stallion stepping past her guards—never so much as sparing them a glance—and walked for her, the sound of his scepter striking the floor causing a wave of dread to run up her spine.

Turning to her husband, she shouted, “Shining, your spell!”

“Right!” He gathered his power around his horn and unleashed a purple sphere that expanded outward. As the sphere rushed over her, she felt the familiar sense of warmth and basked in the memory when they used the same spell to expel the changelings from Canterlot so long ago.

Tyranny’s eyes widened before he slammed his scepter in front of him. As the sphere connected, a light emitted from the gemstone and a darker violet barrier formed around him.

Cadence and Shining both gasped as the spell didn’t have the desired effect. Once Shining’s spell passed, the barrier around Tyranny faded away. With a contemptuous snort, he started forward again.

Shining was quick to recover. “Pegasi! Now!”

With a shared battle cry, Flash Sentry and the other pegasi dove down to fend off the intruder. Turning an annoyed frown at them, Tyranny spread his legs in a battle stance. As they neared, he sprung into the air, catching two of the guards by surprise, and smashed them together before tossing them aside. Another guard flew in for a tackle and caught the stallion as he landed. The two rolled across the floor and Tyranny caught the guard by his faceplate and slammed him to the ground.

“Know your place!” Tyranny shouted before hurling him like a rag doll into another pegasus.

“Know my hoof!” Flash shouted as he rushed in with a punch.

Tyranny dodged the punch and countered with his own. Seeing it coming, Flash took to the air and came back with a flying kick that caught Tyranny square on the chest. Not seeming to even register the hit, Tyranny grabbed him by the back leg and yanked him closer. Flash barely had time to cry out before Tyranny slugged him to the floor—the pegasus laying spread eagle, his eyes rolled back into his head.

Snorting, Tyranny turned his glare to Cadence. “Now that the foolishness is done, it is time that we speak.”

“We have nothing to say to the likes of you.” Shining Armor stepped in front of her.

“Leave our kingdom in peace; we have no quarrel with you,” Cadence said.

A mocking smile crossed his face. “There you are in error, Princess. You sit upon the throne of what will be the start of my Empire, and you are what stands in my way.”

“I won’t let you pass me,” Shining Armor growled and Cadence felt the chill again as Tyranny simply smirked at his gesture of defiance.

“We know who you are, Tyranny,” she said, pushing her unease aside to stand tall. “It doesn’t matter what you do here; you will not have Equestria. Princess Celestia will see you stopped beforehoof.”

The Spirit of Order laughed before she could even finish.

“Why has the Crystal Heart not stopped you as it has your creatures?” Shining demanded, and Cadence spared a quick glance at him as she knew he was trying to buy time to think of a plan.

Tyranny turned his glare at her husband. “The Crystal Heart is powered by the emotion of ‘love,’ and it was a challenging ward to bypass, I will admit. However, it is something that draws power from a—” his ears flicked back and he whirled, his scepter lashing out. Flash Sentry, who had picked himself up and charged the distracted stallion, was knocked aside with a clang of scepter meeting helmet.

“Persistent,” Tyranny muttered as the pegasus stood up once again on shaky legs. Before Flash could try again, Tyranny uttered a word Cadence didn’t recognize and a mist flew from the scepter and surrounded him.

Cadence felt her breath catch and she covered her mouth with a hoof as she watched Flash’s body turn solid black.

“Princess!” he shouted, the fear in his voice causing her blood to freeze before he shattered into a million pieces, the black shards vanishing into nothingness.

“Flash!” Cadence shrieked.

“You monster,” Shining growled through clenched teeth.

Tyranny turned a callus look their way. “He yet lives.”

“What?” she asked. “You just killed him!”

A scowl spread across his face, but it was gone as soon as it came. “None who have battled me have met their ends. Doing so serves me no purpose. I am, after all, no mindless monster.”

“I don’t care what you are! Leave now before—” Shining stopped as Tyranny, who had stood a distance away, lunged with frightening speed and caught him by the throat. Shining thrashed and tried to kick at him as Tyranny held him aloft.

“Silence!” Tyranny yelled before he flung Shining across the room.

Shining hit the ground and bounced back to his hooves and charged back in. “Keep away from her!”

“Idiot colt,” Tyranny growled and turned to face his charge. The two butted heads, the stallions trying to toss each other, before Tyranny shoved him back. Swinging his scepter, Tyranny’s attacked bounced off a shield Shining conjured.

The attack caused Tyranny to stumble and Shining was quick to whirl and land a buck on his chest, sending him skidding back. Scowling, Tyranny rushed back in, but his attack once again was stopped by another shield.

“An impressive conjuration, colt, I didn’t think you more than a pompous fool clinging to the fetlocks of your betters,” Tyranny said before hopping back.

Shining stood tall as his shield vanished. “I’m Prince Shining Armor of the Crystal Empire and the captain of the Royal Guard.” He lowered his head, leveling his horn at him. “And I would rather die than see you lay hoof on my wife or Equestria.”

A smirk tugged at Tyranny’s lips before he twirled his scepter and rested the butt of which on the floor. “Equestria’s protector?” His smirk grew a bit wider. “It seems to me you are a poor choice for such an important position.”

Cadence scowled but Shining only smirked in reply. “Say what you will, Tyranny. I know your delusions of grandeur is all you have.”

Tyranny’s mocking laughed echoed through the throne room. “Delusions? They are not delusions, fool, but promises. This world will have the peace it so rightfully deserves, and I am the only one who can ensure that it is brought about.”

“You really are delusional.”

“As you are no protector.”

Furrowing his brow, Shining scowled. “I’ll prove it once I put you away.”

Tyranny swept his scepter over the carnage in the room. “Look around you. Your soldiers are helpless, your castle overrun, and the only thing you have left is your bravado. Do you really think you are the protector you make yourself out to be?” Tyranny snorted. “You had one task, Shining Armor, and you have failed everyone around you.”

“Don’t you lay a hoof on Cadence!” Shining shouted before blasting a ray at him.

Tyranny batted it aside with his scepter. “Just as you couldn’t protect Canterlot from the changelings.”

Cadence’s eyes widened and she saw that had stopped Shining in his tracks. “Don’t you dare bring that up!”

She felt her hackles rise at his amused smirk before he turned his gaze back to Shining. “I know all about your botched attempt to stop the changelings. Do you really think yourself a ‘protector’ after failing so fantastically?” His smirk took a vicious turn. “You couldn’t even protect your own wife from being kidnapped and replaced by an imposter. A 'protector'? You are nothing, colt.”

With an enraged shout, Shining burst ahead.

“Shining! Stop!”

Her warning went unheeded as Tyranny ducked under his attack and lifted him up by the throat. “Too easy,” he said before he slammed Shining to the ground. Not allowing him time to recover, Tyranny lifted him up and slammed him again, the tile cracking underneath.

“No!” Cadence gathered her magic and blasted at him.

Her blood ran cold as Tyranny saw the attack coming and used Shining as a shield. Her scream joined her husband’s as the attack struck him full in the back.

“Shining!” Cadence screamed before Tyranny tossed him at her hooves. Falling to her knees, she held his head against her barrel, tears streaming down her face. “You’ll be all right, you’ll be all right.”

Shining grunted and turned an unfocused look her way before he slumped.

“Shining!” her tone took shrill octaves and she laid an ear over his muzzle. Her shoulders slumped as she felt his continued breathing. “Thank Celestia,” she whispered before she started as Tyranny slammed the butt of his scepter into the tile next to her.

“Surrender your sovereignty to me, Princess, and this senseless violence will cease,” he said before leveling his scepter at her.

Hugging Shining close, she turned a defiant glare his way. “Why are you doing this?”

“I seek to bring stability and order to this chaotic world, and to that end, all must submit to my rule. There are none more suited for this task than I.” He tilted his head as he regarded her. “There is a strength to you. Behind that aptitude for a weak emotion as love. I can see why Celestia chose you.”

“How did you get past the Crystal Heart?” she asked.

With no change of expression, Tyranny held up his hoof; in a puff of black smoke, the Crystal Heart appeared. To Cadence, the Crystal Heart had lost its luster, and more worriedly, it was not on its pedestal.

“A powerful relic, yet one with a flaw; it is powered by ‘love,’ a fickle emotion that changes as easily as desire, another emotion that has led to no end of despair, hatred, and jealousy. It is an unreliable thing to use for protection.” With a snort, he tossed aside the relic sending it skidding across the floor. “Now, surrender your authority to me.”

She looked at him and she could tell by his tone that he was fast losing patience. Glancing between the unconscious Shining Armor, and her squirming guards, she knew that there was no winning this time.

“The crystal ponies will never accept you,” she said, returning her defiant glare at him.

Tyranny smiled wickedly at her on his way to the throne. “They have no other choice.”

Sitting upon the throne, a victorious smile spread across his face. Uttering a few more words in the same language as earlier, he cast a spell. Cadence gasped as she looked out the nearby window to see a large projected image of him on the throne appear around the crystal tower.

“Citizens of the Crystal Empire, I am Tyranny. Your princess has surrendered her throne to me, thus making me your new Emperor. I am sure you have many questions and fears, but answers will come with time. Know that your lives will change little, as long as a monthly tribute is paid and all laws are followed to the letter. Obey me, and no harm shall come to you or your families.” His brow furrowed and a stern frown pulled at his lips. “Any defiance shall be met with swift and firm punishment. For now, go about your lives. My minions will pose no threat to you, but know that they are my enforcers.” He paused for a moment, his gaze sweeping over the stunned masses. “Rejoice, for we are the beginning of a new world that will be without strife or chaos.”

The image faded and Tyranny chanted again in the same language as earlier. In response, a half dozen dark ponies appeared from puffs of black smoke to stand at attention in front of him. “Take the royals to the holding cells below; they will remain my guests,” he instructed, and Cadence could tell it was more for her than to actually give orders to the creatures.

“You intend to imprison us?” Cadence demanded as her husband groaned and started to stir.

He didn’t bother turning to regard her. “Of course. Your presence here will ensure that the crystal ponies will remain loyal to me.”

“You hold us hostage then,” she accused.

“It also serves another purpose, but one you need not concern yourself with.” He turned to the dark ponies and held up his hoof. Another puff of smoke and a small marble appeared in his hoof. “Take this one as well; I tire of carrying her around.”

Cadence felt a sick feeling clutch her gut as she could make out a miniscule figure within the marble. “Who is that?” she asked, pity making its way into her tone.

This time, he did turn a wicked smirk her way. “One you are well acquainted with. She has told me much of you, and I believe a reunion is in order.”

Author's Notes:

Edit 12/17/16: Sweet Celestia... The remastering of this chapter almost doubled the word count! Still, I think it's for the best. Something needed to be expanded upon and not just bluntly told. Tell me what you guys think so far!

Chapter Eight

Twilight watched, from her vantage point, as a pair of crystal ponies scurried out of the way of an oncoming patrol. The dark ponies paid the two little mind, in fact, as far as Twilight saw, the creatures only acted when a pony was too slow to move or they caught sight of any wrongdoing. Lowering her binoculars, Twilight flicked her mane out of her face as the cold wind continued to tug at it. She clamped her teeth shut as they threatened to chatter as she and her friends watched the crystalline city below from beyond the protective field.

Pulling her jacket about her tighter, Twilight lifted the binoculars again to peer at the crystal tower. A frown pulled at her face as she saw no hoof traffic around it and that the Crystal Heart was missing from its pedestal. She turned to peer through the windows but felt that increasingly familiar knot of dread in her gut form.

‘Shining, Cadence, I know you’re in there somewhere. Please be safe. Please don’t let anything have happened to you.’ She bit at her lip as images of her brother and sister-in-law floating listlessly in the Realm of Shadow almost made her want to throw caution to the wind and fly straight for the tower.

She nearly jumped as a comforting hoof rested on her shoulder. “I know you’re worried, Twi, but don’t let yourself get caught up in worryin’,” Applejack said. “I believe Princess Cadence and Shining Armor are in there a-okay.”

“But we don’t know that, Applejack.” Twilight said as she let the binoculars fall to her barrel. “You’ve seen what Tyranny can do, what he did to Trixie and the others. Who knows what he would do to Cadence or Shining?”

“I know, sugarcube,” Applejack said as she rested her hoof back to the snow. “But ya gotta believe they’re ok, you can’t focus if yer held up by yer worry. We’ll get them out. Don’t ya fret.”

“Besides, dear,” Rarity said while tightening her own scarf around her neck. “That lout Tyranny wouldn’t do anything rash. Remember what Princess Celestia said? He’s a careful planner and a schemer. It wouldn’t do to have them sent to that dreadful place. He’ll likely want to keep them close by.”

“Actually, it was Discord who—”

“Rarity’s right, Twilight.” Pinkie said, interrupting Fluttershy. “It’s kind of like candy. When you want to get a snack, you keep your favorite, most-delicious candy nearby so that you could have the best for when you get snacky.”

Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Yeah, I don’t think comparing Princess Cadence and Twilight’s brother to candy would be the best comparison.”

Pinkie’s smile spread across her whole face. “If they were candy, what do you think they’d be? Oh, I bet it’s gumdrops!”

“Pinkie!” chided more than one of her friends.

Twilight, however, smiled at Pinkie’s levity. It was just like her friend to bring a smile even during the grimmest of times.

Brushing aside a grateful tear, she smiled warmly to her friends. “Thanks, girls,” she said and the six shared a group hug, something Twilight admitted she dearly needed.

“It is best you go in under the cover of night, Princess Twilight,” Luna said, breaking up the moment. “Also, keep the Elements of Harmony with you at all times, in case you confront Tyranny.” Her gaze shifted to the city and a frown marred her features. “First and foremost, you must rescue Princess Cadence and Prince Shining Armor. The Crystal Tower belongs to Tyranny now, and a confrontation with him will leave you at a disadvantage. Once you have set them free, we can meet with my sister and plan a confrontation on our own terms.”

“He’ll likely have them secured in the holding chambers below the tower,” Twilight said before furrowing her brow. “You’re not coming with us, Princess Luna?”

She shook her head. “Tyranny can likely to sense my presence from afar. If I were to accompany you, it would likely lead to a confrontation we are not ready for.”

“It should be a good night for movin’ around quiet like. Looks like the crystal pegasi are puttin’ together a storm.” Applejack motioned to a part of the sky where a team of pegasi were putting the finishing touches on a rainstorm.

“A storm?!” Rarity shrieked, reaching to cover her mane. “That would be a dreadful time to be outside in any occasion.”

Rainbow Dash huffed. “It isn’t going to be any big storm, Rarity. That’s just going to be a squall. Besides, a little rain never hurt anyone.”

Rarity turned up her nose and sniffed. “I beg to differ.”

“Let’s not get into a fight over how wet we might get. We’re going in to get Princess Cadence and my brother out of there.” Twilight’s gaze hardened as she looked back towards the crystal tower.

“Heck yeah we are, and we’ll kick some flank while we’re at it.” Rainbow rubbed her front hooves together, an eager gleam in her eyes.

“We’re not going to pick a fight, Rainbow Dash,” Twilight said as she floated her crown to rest on her head. “We’re going to try not to be seen.”

“Oh! Like a ninja. All stealthy and unseen and swift as the wind,” Pinkie Pie bounced in excitement, already dressed in dark ninja attire.

After staring at Pinkie for a long moment, Rainbow turned an incredulous look Twilight’s way. “You really think we aren’t going to be seen?”

“No, we won’t.” Twilight started down the cliff towards the city, Applejack and the other girls following after her. Twilight’s ears flicked at Rainbow’s snort, but she didn’t let it bother her. No matter what, she swore she wasn’t leaving without her family or her friends.

As night and rain fell over the Crystal Empire, the girls made their way through the city. They moved from cover to cover as they snuck towards the Crystal Tower. The rain fell at a steady, soaking pace, the occasional flash of lightning illuminating the streets.

In fear of being spotted by the frequent patrols, Twilight didn’t dare use her magic to light the way. Her friends followed her lead closely through the city. The deeper they got into the city, the more Twilight caught herself looking over her shoulder.

‘I don’t like this. Those shadow ponies could be hiding anywhere and we’d never see them.’ She paused and ducked behind a building corner as she spotted a patrol make its way across the street. A sigh of relief escaped her as the dark ponies didn’t even bother looking down her road. Motioning to her friends, the six of them dashed ahead and soon left the patrol behind them.

As they made it to the last home before the open plaza of the Crystal Tower, Twilight and the others ducked into the cover of the garden that ringed the home. She pushed aside the leaves enough to get a good look at the front door. When she did, she wanted to groan as the entrance was guarded by a quartet of shadow ponies. They made no indication of moving, standing silent as statues, yet watchful.

“Well this certainly poses a problem,” Rarity whispered, rain sliding off the rain hat she insisted on wearing. “How are we going to get past those ruffians, Twilight?”

Twilight let the leaves fall back in place to regard her friends. “I don’t know, and it doesn’t look like they’re going to move anytime soon either,” she said, rubbing her chin thoughtfully. “They likely won’t move unless they have good reason to.”

“S-Should we go back and get P-Princess Luna?” Fluttershy said, her shivering having nothing to do with the cold.

“No, Fluttershy, we need to do this on our own,” Twilight said as she looked back at the tower.

“Patrol coming.” Applejack warned.

The six of them hid behind the house and its foliage as a patrol of shadow creatures made their way towards the tower. Between them, they dragged a struggling crystal pony. The mare squirmed and whimpered, her eyes wide with fear as they unceremoniously tossed her in front of the other four.

“State your business,” The sentry’s voice was like ice, void of any emotion or warmth.

“This one was out past curfew. She is to be jailed immediately,” replied the patrol’s leader, its voice no different.

“Very well, take her away.”

The captive sobbed and tried to scramble away only for two of the door guards to catch her and drag her inside. “I only wanted to find my cat,” Her crying was cut off as the door slammed shut. In a puff of smoke, two more creatures appeared to take the place of the two who had removed the prisoner.

Without ceremony, the patrol turned back down the street from which it came.

Twilight let the leaves fall back in place, a sickening feeling in her gut. “That poor pony.”

“And her cat,” Fluttershy whispered, tears rimming her eyes.

Rainbow Dash growled, jabbing at the air a few times. “I can’t wait to get my hooves on Tyranny. Jailing innocent ponies because they were out looking for their lost pet? That really makes me mad.”

“You and me both,” Applejack said past gritted teeth.

Rarity wiped at her eyes. “Such is the rule of a despot.”

“A despa-what-now?” Pinkie Pie asked.

“A despot is somepony who rules in a tyrannical and cruel way.” Her attention on the guards, Twilight’s answer was like an automated reply.

Pinkie giggled. “It still sounds silly.”

“Quiet now. We don’t want ta get caught either,” Applejack said as she kept watch down the road.

“So how are we getting in? Thrash the guards and bust down the door?” Rainbow asked.

Twilight said as she studied the almost lifeless creatures guarding the door. “No, if we take out the guards, Tyranny will know we’re here.” She sighed. “We’re going to need a distraction,”

“On it!” Rainbow leaped ahead.

“No, Rainbow Dash!” Twilight said quickly, using her magic to grab the pegasus by the tail, she yanked her back to cover. Daring a peek past the foliage, she sighed in relief as the dark ponies remained unmoving.

Rainbow frowned as she dangled upside down from her tail. “You said you needed a distraction.”

“Not caused by us. We’ll need everypony to save Cadence and Shining.”

“Who then?” Rainbow asked as Twilight dropped her to the ground.

Twilight’s brow furrowed as she ran scenario after scenario in her mind, but every one of them ended with them being discovered or captured. Groaning, she mussed up her mane as nothing that came to mind would work!

“We could always let ourselves be captured. They’d take us right to where Princess Cadence and Shining Armor are,” Pinkie Pie chimed in with her usual smile.

Slowly, the other five turned steady looks her way.

“Just an idea,” she said. If Pinkie was fazed at all by their glares, she didn’t show it.

Despite it, Twilight blinked as Pinkie’s suggestion tickled at an idea. ‘Let ourselves be captured…’ her eyes widened and she grinned. “I’ve got an idea. I’ll make an illusion of another crystal pony. The guards will chase it away and give us time to get inside before they come back.”

“That might actually work, but will they not get suspicious if the pony suddenly vanishes?” Rarity asked.

“I’ll make sure to release the spell out of their sight. That way they think it just gave them the slip.”

Applejack chewed at her lip before she nodded. “Sounds like a plan to me.”

“Ok,” Twilight said as she peeked past the bushes once more. “Once they are out of sight we will have to hurry, in case more of them come back.”

The girls nodded and readied themselves to rush the door.

Twilight took in a deep breath. “Here goes,” she said, and her horn glowed. A short distance away a crystal pony appeared and walked towards the tower. The observant eye would’ve noticed that the rain fell through the conjured pony; luckily the shadow creatures didn’t have such a distinguishing ability. As one, they turned towards the visage.

“Citizen, halt, and prepare for questioning,” they said in unison.

The pony fled down the road, and the four guards took off in pursuit.

“You did it, Twilight.” Fluttershy smiled to her friend.

Twilight gritted teeth as sweat rolled down her face.“ This is really hard to hold, get to the door, girls.”

As the girls burst from cover, Twilight willed her illusion jump behind a building before letting her magic fade—the illusion vanishing with it. She ran for the door, only to find it was still closed.

“What’s wrong with the door?” she asked.

“It won’t budge!” Rainbow’s words were strained from the effort. She, Applejack, and Pinkie were shoving against the door, but it wouldn’t move.

Rarity turned a worried look her way. “The pony?”

“I already dispelled it.” Twilight’s eyes widened in panic.

Fluttershy’s voice took a frantic edge as she peeked around the corner the guards had run off from. “They’re coming back!”

“Everypony push!” Twilight said as they shoved against the door together. The door gave only slightly to their efforts.

“Come on, come on… ” Rainbow said, pushing against the door with all she had.

Crashing against the wall, the door flew open and they tumbled inside.

“The door, the door, the door!” Twilight said.

Applejack whirled and shut the door. Just in time for the guards to turn the corner and take up their posts again, none the wiser.

Twilight freed herself from the tangle of ponies and glanced around. A relieved sigh escaped her as the foyer was empty. She turned and offered Rarity a helping hoof up.

“Thank you, darling. Now I suppose we’ll have to find where they’re being held.” She adjusted her mane to its perfect setting, floating her rain hat to a nearby hat rack.

“They would be in the lower levels; the holding cells are there, and the center stairwell is the only way to get there. I can’t see Tyranny putting them anywhere else. If he didn’t… ” With a shake of her head, Twilight looked back to her friends. “Let’s stay together; that way we can—” frowning, she looked around the room. “Where is Pinkie Pie?”

“She was just here a moment ago,” Fluttershy said. She squeaked in fright as her body vanished in a puff of black smoke.

“Fluttershy!” the remaining four shouted.

Twilight heard Rarity gasp before the unicorn disappeared in the same manner.

“What—?” Rainbow Dash disappeared.

“Twilight?” Applejack asked worriedly before she also vanished.

Twilight’s hooves clopped loudly as she darted around the room. “Applejack? Rainbow? Rarity? Oh Fluttershy? Pinkie Pie? Where are you? What is going on?”

Looking at her hooves, she expected the same to happen to her, yet, nothing happened.

“What is going on? How? Where?”

She looked up with a gasp as a dark, mocking chuckle echoed through the halls.

Twilight’s eyes widened. ‘He knows! He knows we’re here!’ She hurried down the hallway, hoping to find her friends before Tyranny did.

Chapter Nine

As the rain pounded against the glass windows, a cloud of darkness appeared in the hallway. A second later, a startled Rainbow Dash tumbled from it. She pushed herself back up only for the cloud to vanish as it had never existed in the first place. Shaking her head to clear the dizziness, she looked around and found herself alone.

“Twilight? Guys?” she called, looking around the hallway.

When no answer came, she stood and stretched her wings. “All right, I can’t be hanging around here. I’ve gotta find the others.” An eager grin grew across her face. “Time to kick this into overdrive.”

“That will not be necessary.” She heard a voice say.

“You!” Whirling to the source, her hackles stood on end as Tyranny stood behind her. “You finally decided to stop hiding, huh?”

The stallion stood tall, his expression faintly annoyed as he watched her. “An impudent lass,” he said, his tone dry as sand. “Still, one with its uses. You are Rainbow Dash, the bearer of the Element of Loyalty, are you not?”

She spread her forelegs apart, ready to charge him. “That’s right. What’s it to you?”

If he was perturbed by her stance, he didn’t show it. In fact, as Rainbow noticed with growing trepidation, he looked entirely too calm. “If there is one amongst the Elements I can respect, it’s the Element of Loyalty. Little is more important than dedication to the ones you serve. Rather that loyalty is born of dedication, delusion, or fear.” A flash of lightning illuminated the hallway.

“There’s no way anypony would ever be loyal to a creep like you. I saw what you did to those ponies at the outpost and you’re going to pay for it.” She stood on her hind legs and jabbed at the air a few times.

He tilted his head. “Then I cannot persuade you to be loyal to me?”

Her laugh burst from her before she could even think of controlling it. “You’ve got to be kidding me? I would never serve somepony like you.”

His eyes narrowed at her guffaw. “Hear my offer. Once I take control of all of Equestria, I will need one to oversee the pegasi and to lead my minions when I turn to other lands. I can think of none better than the Element of Loyalty herself.”

Rainbow grit her teeth as he continued. “Think of it, you, Rainbow Dash, will be the leader of all the pegasi of Equestria and the commander of my airborne battalions.”

As she continued to glare at him, she felt her determination was slipping. His tone and manner made it all sound so real and so plausible. Could she really do it?

“The Wonderbolts will be at your beck and call. You would be subservient to only me. A far greater destiny than anything Celestia can offer you. All you need to do is accept my gift and swear loyalty to me, and all of this shall come to pass.” He held out his hoof and a flight suit appeared, hovering in the air. It was similar to the Wonderbolt’s uniform, yet was colored like Tyranny’s cutie mark, which was emblazoned across the breast.

Rainbow felt her eyes drawn to the outfit. She could see herself as Tyranny explained: all the pegasi and even the Wonderbolts would be hers to lead. She had always dreamed of rising through the ranks of the Wonderbolts, but she had never dared to dream that she could be their leader. All she had to do was swear loyalty to Tyranny, and he could make that dream come true.

Her legs started moving before she could register the movement, her eyes mesmerized by the suit. As she stood before him, she lifted a hoof for the suit.

Seeing the smirk pull at his lips only made it sweeter when she grinned at him. “Psyche!” she yelled before leaping forward and driving her shoulder into his barrel. Grunting, Tyranny hopped back, the conjured suit vanishing in a puff of smoke.

“You honestly thought I was going to serve you?” she asked even as she readied for another tackle. “Ha! You don’t know the first thing about loyalty.”

Expecting an angered retaliation, she blinked as he gave her an approving grin.

“You truly represent your element well,” he said, standing straighter and dusting off his curras. “Had you taken my offer, you would have been proven disloyal, and I would have no need of you.” He stretched his neck before looking back at her, his usual faintly-annoyed expression returning. “Enough of the games then, time to deal with you.” He leveled his scepter at her.

She took off like a shot, determined to not let him get a spell off. However, before she could really get off the ground, a glowing sigil emerged from the tip of his scepter. The sigil had a diameter as wide as he was tall, and numerous runes swirled within.

She tried to stop, flapping her wings frantically, but her momentum carried her into it.

As soon as she touched it, she and the sigil both vanished.

With a dismissive snort, Tyranny turned on heel and stepped through a cloud of darkness as it appeared. “On to the next one.”

The echo of Rarity’s hoofsteps ringed in her ears as she galloped down the hallway she had found herself in. She was not familiar with this particular hallway, but it didn’t concern her. Knowing the general layout of the Crystal Tower, and if one floor was similar to the others, she could find her way.

’Only now I need to find my friends before we rescue Princess Cadance and Shining Armor. I can’t let that knave, Tyranny, find me.’

As she passed a door that was slightly ajar, a metallic gleam caught her eye. She stopped in her gallop and turned back to peer inside. Looking around, she could see the light was being reflected by something made of gold. She paused and looked back down the hallway. There was nopony nearby, in fact, it looked like nopony had been down this hall in weeks.

’A small, exploratory, side trip couldn’t hurt. I’ll be quick.’

Pushing the door open with her magic, she saw a golden tiara with a fabulous black diamond, one of the rarest gems in the world, set in its center upon a dias. Black was not her color, she privately admitted, but such a rare gem could easily make her overlook that. As she looked the tiara over, ideas for fashionable dresses came to mind that would compliment the jewel and create a gorgeous ensemble.

’It is so odd though, I can’t ever remember Princess Cadance wearing it, nor ever putting it out on display for everypony to marvel at. It seems a crime to keep something so fabulous locked away like this.’

Her magical aura surrounded it and she set it upon her head. The tiara seemed to fit naturally, as if it was custom-tailored for her. She turned to view herself in a nearby mirror, and smiled at the sight; the tiara was simply stunning.

She imagined herself wearing it and an equally stunning dress, while being adored by all the ponies of Ponyville. They all looked upon her with adoring and envious eyes as she basked in her glory. Mayor Mare gladly surrendered her office to her, for only one as regal as she deserved such an honor. The ponies brought her gifts in an effort to show their appreciation and adoration for the regal unicorn. She saw herself giving a tithe to her overseer. The one whose rule brought about true peace and order in Equestria. For only he was fit to—

A gasp escaped her as she stumbled back, shaking her head. The tiara fell from its perch to hit the floor with a metallic clank. Her eyes widened in shock she looked at her reflection in the mirror.

“Why would I imagine something so horrid?” she asked aloud.

“Is it not your true desire?” asked Tyranny.

She spun around and saw the dark stallion standing in the doorway. He glared fiercely at her, and she felt herself take an involuntary step backwards.

“To be adored by your peers and have them shower you with praise and worship,” he continued. “Is that not what you truly wish for?”

She ran her tongue over the roof of her mouth as she felt it go dry. “No, well, yes. But I wish to earn their respect and adoration from my own hard work. Not through the brute force that you so easily employ, Sir Tyranny.” She turned her nose upwards, hoping to hide the nervousness that chilled her spine. “It is unseemly, not to mention rude to sneak up on a lady.”

His expression went flat. “I should imprison you as I have your friends. However, I could make use of somepony with your talents.”

“Oh? Do you wish me to fashion a suit for you that is actually up to date with today’s fashion?” she asked sweetly, giving his gold-plate armor and bracers a look of distaste. “Armor is so last millennium’s fashion.”

His glare hardened. “Insolent foal.” He growled, leveling his scepter. A sigil appeared—similar to the one that had taken Rainbow Dash—and rushed at her.

The unicorn gasped and jumped aside, dodging the sigil by inches. She fired back with a magical attack of her own. “I might not have Twilight or Princess Luna’s magical ability, but I won’t stop me from defending myself!”

Tyranny held out his hoof and her blast was halted without any apparent effect. “You don’t stand a chance,” he said matter-of-factly.

Thinking quickly, Rarity used her magic to pick up everything she could and flung it at him.

With a startled curse, he was forced to cover his head as furniture and other things bombarded him from all directions. Rarity did not remain idle; as soon as he was distracted, she bolted past him and into the hallway. She ran as fast as her hooves would carry her, not daring to see if he pursued her or not.

She turned down another hallway, still running as fast as she could. Her eyes widened and she felt her blood run cold as the sigil appeared on floor in front of her. She tried to stop, but her momentum bunched up the rug under her hooves and she tripped right for the sigil.

“No!” she screamed before falling into the sigil and vanishing.

Pinkie Pie bounded down the hallway, humming a happy tune. “I wonder where everypony went? I make a quick run to the bathroom and everypony’s gone. And here I was going to show them all where the stairs down where.” She shrugged mid-bounce. “Well, since I know where we’re all going, I’ll just wait for them.” A pensive frown tugged at her lips. “I wonder if I have enough time to get us a snack?”

She turned down a hallway and stopped. In the middle of the hall stood Tyranny, looking at her in distaste.

Despite his scowl, she gave him her brightest, friendliest smile. “Hello there, Tyranny, have you come to say hello or maybe throw us a welcoming party? It’s awful kind of you to do that for us.”

He narrowed his eyes. “You are perhaps the one I despise the most. Embodied within you is chaos immeasurable. Only the Spirit of Chaos himself dares exceed it. Your frivolity and chaotic mannerisms would disrupt the order I would bring to this world.”

She pishawed and waved a hoof at him. “The world ain’t so bad. Even if things do go wrong, it’s not anything a good laugh or song can’t fix.” She beamed another smile his way. “I bet if we throw you a big ol’ party you wouldn’t be nearly as cranky. I mean, a thousand years without a single birthday party? I can’t imagine anything worse, well...except for running out of candy for that whole time. But look at it this way; you have a thousand birthday parties to catch up on.”

His glare hardened. “It astounds me that one such as you was chosen to be a Bearer of Harmony. Your friends represent their elements well, you, I fail to see it.”

“Wait, you’ve already seen my friends? Did you try to turn them to your side or turn them all evil?”

“Yes, and I’ve—”

“Discord did it.”

He blinked, his annoyed frown taking a confused turn. “What—”

“Separating all of us and trying to turn us all evil and such? Discord did it first.”

Scowling, he asked, “What does that have to do with anything?”

“Weeelll, you’re supposed to be the opposite of Discord, right?” she asked, rolling her hoof at him. “I thought you’d be different and greet us all together and make us more good or something.” Her own visage turned pensive. “Wait, or would you? You’re supposed to be a bad guy, why would you make ponies good when you’re a villain? I’m confused now.”

Scowling, he said, “You speak nothing but nonsense.”

She turned her smile back at him. “Well, can you show me what Order’s supposed to be like? I bet you’d love to see my secret party planning cave, but don’t tell anypony about it.” Her tone took a conspiratory edge to it as she whispered to him, “It’s a secret.”

A few strangled sounds escaped past his grit teeth. “Imprisonment is the punishment for your friends; for you however, the Realm of Shadow awaits!” He lifted his scepter and an ebon ray shot out.

“Now that’s different,” Pinkie said before closing her eyes tight as the ray struck her, however, the ray did not have the effect Tyranny intended. Instead, she fell over in a fit of uncontrollable giggles. She rolled around holding her stomach laughing, as the magic tickled at her from all over.

Tyranny’s eyes widened, his jaw dropping. “What?!” He fired a second beam and the giggling started all over again.

“Stop it, stop it!” she said between giggles, trying to catch her breath. “It tickles so much.”

As she rubbed away the tears from her eyes, she noticed that he was looking at the amulet she wore. She looked down to see the gold choker and balloon shaped gemstone had a faint glow about it.

“Hey!” Pinkie shouted as she was levitated towards Tyranny, pulled along by her element. He studied the jewel for a moment before his eyes lit up in recognition.

His lips pulled back in a snarl. “I see now,” he said, dropping her to the floor.

“Owww…” Pinkie rubbed at her behind. “Well that was just mean. Why can’t you try being nice to ponies for a change instead of being a big’ol meanie pants?”

He turned his scowl at her. “You should consider yourself fortunate. Your Element of Harmony is what keeps you grounded to this realm. Even if I were to remove it from you physically, your connection to it serves as an anchor.”

“So it weighs me down?” She tilted her head at her element. “Funny, it doesn’t feel heavy.”

Rolling his eyes, he turned away. “Indeed. Now be gone.” The sigil appeared under her and rose to the ceiling, taking her with it.

He rubbed at the side of his head, a faint, annoyed groan escaping him.

Applejack charged down the hallway, making for the tower’s center. “All right, if I keep movin’ for the central stairs, I can get ta the holdin’ chambers and find the others. If that varmint Tyranny or his buddies try ta stop me, I’ll trample over them.”

Her hopes of avoiding him vanished as the Spirit of Order stepped from a cloud of darkness, stopping her in her tracks.

“Just where do you think you are going?” he asked as the cloud vanished.

She set herself, ready for a fight. “Ya know exactly where I’m goin’, ya swindler. Now, get outta the way before things get ugly.”

“Charming,” he muttered. “Have you, in your haste, a moment to speak?”

She glared fiercely at him. “Ya got nothin’ I wanna hear. Now move it!”

“Hear me out,” he said as he took a step closer. “A hard working mare, such as yourself, deserves the respect that she has rightfully earned. You and I need not fight, for I hold no hostility towards you.”

“Only mah friends.”

He snorted. “When this world is under my control, I will have need of strong work horses such as you. If you swear your loyalty to me, I shall see to it that your farm and lands shall always remain within your family. Nothing shall change in your life, save for the tithes that will be owed to me. Is that not what you desire most for you and your kin? A steady and secure future?”

“I don’t need somepony like you tellin’ me who owns mah farm and who doesn’t. Princess Celestia gave the land ta mah family and it’s goin’ ta stay that way.”

As his glare hardened, she felt a particular sense of pride knowing she riled him up. “Then I will find one willing to do as I command, and you and your family will become nothing more than rootless vagabonds.”

She tugged her hat lower and readied herself to charge. “Ain’t happening.”

“So be it.”

Quick as a cat, he hurled his scepter at her. Ducking under the missile, she dug her hooves in and charged. Her eyes widened as the scepter appeared back in his hooves and jumped to the side as he hurled it again. The metal staff bounced off the tiled floor and she lept ahead and pivoted to buck. Tyranny crossed his forehooves in a block—similar to how he had against Luna. This time, however he was caught by surprise as the workhorse’s kick nearly sent him stumbling backwards.

“Impressive,” he said as his tone carried a new respect.

“Comes from many hard days a work; not that you’d know anythin’ about that,” she said, kicking at him again. This time, he sidestepped the attack and lashed out. His hoof caught her by the neck and he pinned her against the wall. Struggling, she tried to kick at him, but he merely stepped to the side.

“It is useless to stand against me. A fact all of Equestria will soon learn.”

Applejack tried to level a kick his way, or at least break his hold on her, but it all stopped as the sigil appeared on the wall behind her. A trap, she realized, that he had set before they even started fighting.

“No fair,” She struggled to free herself.

He gave her an incredulous look. “What made you think I would fight fair?”

In yet another section of the tower, all was quiet and nothing stirred, or so it seemed. A potted plant slowly, furtively moved from one part of the wall to another before stopping, silently making its way down the hall. At one point the plant lifted out of its pot to reveal a nervous-looking Fluttershy. She glanced around before hiding and moving down the hallway some more.

The pegasus had found herself alone after disappearing from the entrance of the tower. At first, she had hidden and remained still in hopes that one of her friends would find her. When they didn’t appear, she grudgingly decided she had to go find them, thus she used the potted plant to move around so that Tyranny or his scary shadow guards couldn’t find her.

As she moved about, she paused again to check to see if the coast was clear. Finding the hallway empty, she hid again and made her way down the hall along the wall.

A small grunt escaped her as she bumped into something solid.

'Funny,' she thought, there was nothing along the hallway for her have bumped into. She slowly took a peek from her hiding place and saw a golden chestplate with an amethyst set in its center.

’Now that’s odd. If I bumped into that, then that means…’

An ‘Eeep!’ escaped her and she ducked into her disguise.

“Come out,” said a stallion’s voice.

’Please go away. You didn’t see me. You didn’t see me.’

An annoyed grumble preceded the stallion saying, “As you wish.”

Fluttershy blinked in surprise as the potted plant disappeared. When she looked up, she found herself before Tyranny, his scary eyes glaring down at her in annoyance.

“The Element of Kindness,” he said, his voice dripping disdain. “As useful as she is brave. Tell me, how did your friends plan to stop me?”

“We-we were not here for you,” she said in a whisper of a voice as she tried to back away.

He raised one eyebrow at her, and a slow smirk crossed his face. “I see… ” He turned away from her almost contemptuously. The sigil appeared in the hall, but it made no move for her.

“Your friends are through that sigil,” he said before starting away.

He had meant for her to walk through the magic circle on her own accord, she realized. She looked to it then back at him; did he truly think of her as so weak as to merely follow his orders? By his own words he had already found her friends and had done something to them. As the thought simmered, Fluttershy found herself growing angry. How could anypony be so mean? So heartless? Remembering a few of the lessons she had learned from Iron Will, she planted her hooves down.

“No,” she said hoping she didn’t sound too firm.

He stopped and turned his head to regard her at her denial. “No?”

She stamped her hoof again. “That’s right. I said no.”

He turned back at her, an eyebrow raising. “You would dare defy me?”

“That’s right, mister; I won’t let you bully me or anypony else. You should be ashamed of yourself. Stop what you are doing right now, and apologize to everypony for being so mean.” She lowered her gaze before adding, “If you would, please.”

Tyranny looked at her, seemingly at a loss for words. After a minute, however, he began to laugh. Not the mocking laughter she heard him use before, but one of actual humor. Despite her resolve to stand firm, she felt herself shrink away as even it sounded menacing.

“It is always the quiet ones who house the hidden strength,” he said. His eyes flashed and the sigil swooped over the stunned pegasus. Tyranny actually considered the entire encounter and laughed at the absurdity of it all.

“Only one remains,” he said to himself.

Twilight rounded the last corner of the hall; the passage down to the lower levels was just ahead. ’Please, everypony, please be safe. Please don’t let anything have happened to you.’ Not knowing where they were or if they were unharmed made her pace for the stairs even more frantic.

When she saw a pony standing near the door to the stairs, her heart leaped at the thought that her friends were waiting for her. Her run came to a skidding stop as the pony turned out to be the Spirit of Order himself.

“Princess Twilight, we meet again,” the stallion said as he blocked the entrance to the lower chambers. “Did you come to surrender or plea for the release of your friends?”

Her heart sank but she kept up her determination. “What have you done to my friends?”

A snide smirk pulled at his lips even as he squared off with her. “They wait for you below. I can take you directly to them, if you so wish it.”

Twilight growled to herself but found herself studying Tyranny closer. There was something… different about him. He wasn’t like he was back in the clearing when he fought with Princess Luna. There was something different about the magical aura that surrounded him. There, she felt his unique magical aura, a feeling of overbearing-control, but now, it was there but there was something else.

Something colder.

Even so, she realized, there were more important things to think about. “Sorry, Tyranny, but I don’t have time to deal with you.” She ran towards him, flapping her wings to give her an extra boost of speed.

He scowled. “In too much of a haste even for conversation!” He hurled his scepter at her, the missile aimed directly for her chest. She dove under the scepter and rolled behind him. His back hoof grazed her tail as she rolled past. Not hesitating, she ran down the stairs away from him as fast as she could without risking breaking her neck. As she ran down the steps, she could hear his heavier hoofsteps echo after her.

She hopped into the air and glided down the rest of the way. ’The holding chambers are just ahead. If I can get to my friends and family, we can stop him with the Elements of Harmony. We can stop him here!’

Entering the final hallway to the cells, her eyes widened as a shimmering aura appeared in front of the door, blocking her path. Recognizing it as a barrier, she gathered her magic and teleported. A pained grunt escaped her as she bounced back from the barrier, rubbing at her head in a daze from the failed teleportation.

“That will be one barrier you will not be able to pass.” She turned to find Tyranny at the other end of the short hallway. A similar barrier appeared behind him, blocking the other way out of the chamber, effectively trapping them both inside.

She rolled back to her hooves, her horn glowing brightly. “What have you done with my friends, Tyranny?”

“They are with the princess and prince as my guests.”

“As prisoners! Release them!”

He snorted at her demand, and a quintet of his dark ponies appeared between them. “It is time I see what Equestria’s newest princess is capable of. Take her.”

Soundlessly, all five charged her. Twilight gritted her teeth and lashed out at the creatures with a blast of magic. Three of them vanished in puffs of smoke, their armor clattering to the stone floor. The other two charged in. She dodged the tackle of the first but grunted as the second crashed into her. She rolled with the tackle and used her hind legs to heave the creature off of her. Her strength surprised her as the creature hit the wall hard and dissipated.

The first charged in again, its hooves lashing out in punches. She kept away from its offensive, casting a quick look towards Tyranny, who just stood by watching impassively. Her gaze darted to the discarded armor as they started to stir again.

Twilight hopped above the attacking shadow and stomped on its head. Whirling, she launched a blast of energy at the idle stallion. He didn’t even flinch as one of his minions intercepted the blast for its master.

Her breath came out in pants as she felt the sweat form on her coat. “How long do you plan to just stand there?” she demanded.

His gaze hardened, a faint hint of annoyance in his expression. “Until my minions are extinguished or you can no longer fight.”

“Fantastic,” she muttered as the creatures attacked again. After defeating them, Twilight realized she was beginning to tire out. No matter how many times she beat them, they would just keep coming back. At this rate, she would not have the energy to use the Elements of Harmony at all. The five creatures surrounded her, and Tyranny snorted, appearing to have grown bored.

“Disappointing,” he muttered.

Together, the five dark ponies lunged at her. Seeing him turn away and knowing he had already captured her friends, set Twilight’s teeth to grinding. With a shout, she collected her energy and burst it out in a globe. All of the creatures vanished as they were struck; even their armor faded away into nothing.

Tyranny whirled to face her, his eyes wide. Slamming his scepter into the ground, his own barrier appeared and her globe washed over him without any effect.

Her magic nearly spent, she slumped to her knees. Panting heavily and with sweat rolling down her face, she knew she was at her rope’s end.

“Is that all?” he asked as his barrier faded.

“All!? No…” She stood up and gathered her magic again, meaning to battle him with all she had. “As long as you endanger my friends and family, I will stand against you!”

A smirk pulled at his face, even as he regarded her with a new respect. “You have strength, child, I will give you that. I see why Celestia keeps such a valuable tool such as you.”

She sputtered in outrage. “How dare you?! Princess Celestia is not like you! She never uses ponies with no regard to their feelings. She is no monster like you.”

His grin took a sardonic turn. “If there is anything more useful than a tool, it is a disillusioned tool. It is beyond comprehension that one as intelligent as you would so easily believe her lies.”

Remembering the words of Princess Celestia, she stood straighter and lifted her nose. “All you speak are lies, Tyranny, the lies of a despot.”

He narrowed his eyes, but did not lash out at her impudence. “Have you never once questioned anything your beloved princess has asked of you? Were you not the one she chose to deal with her rogue sister? When she was more than capable doing it herself?” He spoke above her protests. “What of the dragon who threatened Ponyville with its smog? Or the changelings, or Sombra, or Discord?” He growled the last name.

“She trusted me to do all of that!”

“She trusted the tool to do its job.”

Twilight shook her head, trying to deny everything he said. “How can you know anything about us, Tyranny? You don’t know anything of what we’ve done to protect Equestria from ponies like you!”

A snort escaped him. “I know Celestia let her most beloved and faithful tool do her work for her. You dare insinuate that she is no different than I? You are a foolish disillusioned child.”

Despite her best efforts to stop them, tears formed around her eyes but she shook them away.

“Let’s finish this,” she said as she mustered the remainder of her magic.

“Indeed.” Before she could react, the sigil appeared from above and swooped downward, sending her to join her friends at last.

“We will speak again, and soon, princess,” he said to the now empty hallway. His gaze lingered on where she stood for a moment more, before a faint smirk crossed his face. “And we will have much to discuss.” His barriers fading away, he walked back for the stairs.

Chapter Ten

’Nothing more than Celestia’s tool.’

Twilight moaned and mumbled, turning in her sleep before she felt a hoof shake her shoulder. “Twilight? Come on, Sugarcube, wake up.”

Her eyes fluttered opened and she found Applejack looking over her, her friend’s visage etched with worry. “Twilight, thank Celestia you’re awake,” Applejack said, even as Twilight sat up on her straw cot. “Ya had me worried, sugarcube.”

“Applejack? Wha—” she started before a hoarse cough scratched at her throat.

Applejack retrieved a bowl of water from a stool nearby and held it for her to drink. “We’re in the holdin’ chambers under the Crystal Tower. Tyranny threw us all in here after he came after us.”

Twilight tilted back the bowl, guzzling down the water in big gulps—spilling part of it down the sides of her mouth. When the bowl was drained, she let out a gasp for air. “Thirsty,” she offered, a faint blush on her cheeks.

A small smile tugged at Applejack’s lips before she shook her head. “I understand, Twi,” she said as she set the bowl next to a plate of bread.

Shuddering as she felt the fluids fill her body, she looked around their small cell and grimaced at the slick, green lichen growing on the walls.

“Ugh.” She stuck her tongue out before turning back to Applejack as the earth pony donned her hat again. “Where are the others? Are they all right?”

“They’re in cells like ours.” She nodded towards the bars of their cell. “Tyranny put us all together in the same hall at least.”

Twilight nodded as she hopped off the cot but furrowed her brow as she spotted her Element of Harmony on a stool nearby. Looking back at her friend, she saw the apple engraved choker was still around her neck.

“Tyranny didn’t take our elements?” she asked as she retrieved her Element and set it back on her head.

Applejack shook her head, looking down at her own element. “Nuh uh. He left all our elements behind for some reason.” Rubbing at her scalp, she continued, “It doesn’t make a lick of sense why he left ‘em. Pinkie said even if he removed ‘em, they’d still protect us.” She shrugged. “Maybe that’s why.”

Twilight’s brow furrowed but she shook her head. Wouldn’t it make more sense to remove the one weapon that could stop him out of the equation entirely? It didn’t make any sense.

Walking over to the bars of her cell, she peered past them to get a better look of their surroundings. The dungeon was a cool, damp chamber of stone. A few crystals that were set in the stones above the cells caught her eye, but shook her head as she considered them. Across from her were Rainbow Dash and Rarity in one cell, and next to them were Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie. The four turned happy smiles her way as they caught sight of her.

“Twilight! You’re all right!” Rainbow Dash yelled as she grabbed the bars to her own cell.

“Girls, I’m so glad you’re all okay.” Twilight wiped away a relieved tear that threatened to spill over. “How did Tyranny catch all of you?”

They each shared their tales of their private encounters with Tyranny, and when they finished, Twilight scowled to herself. He had obviously planned everything, she realized. Despite all of their careful planning, he had seen through it and prepared for it. Now they were all his prisoners, free in his quest to conquer Equestria.

’Not if I can help it.’ Twilight nodded to herself before speaking aloud. “All right, girls, we need to get out of here. First we find Princess Cadence and Shining Armor, then get back to Princess Celestia.”

Her ears stood erect and she felt her heart leap as a familiar male’s voice said, “You don’t have to look for us, Twily.”

“We’re here with you,” she heard a second voice say from the cell beside hers.

“Shining, Cadence, you’re both all right!” Her voice cracked at hearing their voices. She tried to see past her cell but the bars wouldn’t allow her to stick more than her muzzle past them.

“Us too, Twily. He didn’t hurt you, did he?” Shining asked.

She scowled as memories of her battle with Tyranny and his dark ponies came to mind. “No, he just stood by as his shadows did all the dirty work. I’m tired, but I’m not hurt. How long have you been down here?”

“A little over a week,” Cadence said. “It’s been a few days since you were all brought here.”

Twilight’s head snapped back, her mind trying to process that. “Days?”

“Three of them,” Pinkie Pie clarified.

“Three days,” she echoed, shaking her head. “It only seems like one.”

“It was three,” Pinkie said, her chipper tone a stark contrast for the setting they were in. “Applejack’s been taking care of you the whole time too.” She tilted her head. “Which makes sense, she’s the only one who could.”

“Aw shoot. It wasn’t nothin’,” Applejack said, the faintest of blushes highlighting her cheeks.

Twilight smiled to her friend before turning back to the others. “Now that we’re all together, we can get out of here.”

“If this little reunion gets any more cozy, I think I might get sick,” said another voice, feminine yet sinister.

Twilight growled past gritted teeth at the all-too-familiar voice. “Chrysalis!”

“So good to see you again, Twilight Sparkle, you certainly have been a busy little girl since you imprisoned me,” the queen said as she stepped from the shadows of her cell.

Rarity turned her nose up and harrumphed. “We’ve had to share this ghastly prison with her uncouth presence since we’ve been here.”

The queen snarled. “I’m not fond of the company either.”

“How did you escape, Chrysalis?” Twilight demanded, narrowing her eyes at the changeling.

“My hive and I were released by our mutual gracious host,” she said, her lips pulling back in a snarl. “Tyranny thought to use us for his own ends, and when I objected, he imprisoned me in a little bubble until he put me in here with the love ponies.”

The royal couple turned glares her way. “We haven’t enjoyed your presence either,” Cadence said, returning Chrysalis's glare in spades. “I haven’t forgotten what you did to us at our wedding.”

Chrysalis hissed at her, but Twilight interrupted. “Ignore her. We have to get out of here.” She studied her cell bars for a moment before turning to Applejack. “Hold on, I’m going to teleport us out of here.” Her horn took it’s mystic light.

“Twilight, wait!” She heard her brother say a second too late. Casting her spell, her vision flashed and both she and Applejack smacked heavily against the bars. They both had to shake away the stars that were darting around in their vision.

“Well that didn’t work,” Applejack muttered as she readjusted her Stetson.

Chrysalis snickered, but Shining Armor spoke up. “These cells are designed to keep unicorns in by limiting their magic.” He motioned to the crystals above the cells.

“A cell’s no good if you can’t keep nopony in it,” Rainbow muttered, crossing her forelegs in a huff.

Chrysalis snorted. “Otherwise, I would have blasted my way out of here and left a long time ago.”

A frustrated growl escaped Twilight as. “We have to get out somehow.”

“Why don’t we use the key?” Pinkie Pie suggested.

She turned a furrowed brow Pinkie’s way. “What key?”

“The key to the cell, duh.” Pinkie reached into her curled mane and produced a dark key made of iron.

“Where did you get that?” Applejack asked, her jaw dropping at the sight of the key.

“I’ve had it since Tyranny picked me up to look at my element. I saw the key on him and snatched it up before he dropped me.”

“You tell us this now?!” the unicorn demanded, and Twilight was sure the only reason Rarity wasn’t strangling Pinkie right now was the bars that separated them.

“And miss this fun time we’ve spent together?” Pinkie grinned wide.

The collective silence hung in the air like a suffocating cloak.

“Besides, it doesn’t go to mine and Fluttershy’s cell,” she said before any protests could start.

“It doesn’t?” Fluttershy asked.

“Nope.”

“Do you know who's cell it goes to?” Cadence asked.

“Nope.”

“I guess we’ll have to figure out which cell it belongs to,” Twilight said.

“Eeyup,” Pinkie said in her best Big Mac voice, earning a glare from Applejack.

“And how do you plan to do that?” Chrysalis bristled. “None of us can reach the other cells.”

Twilight turned a glare her way before looking back at her friends. “I think I can still use my magic to move the key and find the right one.”

“Let’s just hope it ain’t hers,” Applejack said as she looked at the changeling queen, her tone dripping acid. “She’d just run out and leave us all high and dry.”

The changeling scowled but didn’t deny the accusation.

“Let’s see if this works.” Twilight took in a breath and let it out before gathering her magic—focusing on the key. Normally, telekinesis was a simple thing for her to perform, but in the magic-suppressing jail cell, it was like trying to move a large boulder.

The key shakingly lifted from Pinkie’s hoof and floated to Twilight’s cell, but the lock didn’t turn. Nor did it turn for Shining and Cadence’s cell, nor Chrysalis’s—much to the later’s chagrin.

Twilight felt the sweat ran down her face as the magical suppression weighed on her like a boulder. A pained groan escaped her as her horn gave off a few sparks, her aura fading. As the key floated fitfully for Rainbow Dash and Rarity’s cell, she let out a gasp and the key clanged to the stone floor.

“Sorry girls,” she said between pants, giving Applejack a thankful nod as she offered her another bowl of water.

“Don’t worry, Twilight. I think I can reach the key.” Rainbow stretched as far as she could and managed to bump the key close enough for her to grab it. “Let’s hope this works,” she said before turning the key. With a loud click the lock turned and the door swung open.

“Yeah! Finally out of that cell,” Rainbow Dash said, stretching her wings wide.

“Indeed, Rainbow Dash. I’m going to need to bathe for a day or more when we get home. Three days without one is just horrid.” Rarity grimaced at the collected grime on her normally-pristine coat.

“Now we need to get the rest of you guys out of your cells too,” Rainbow said as she pulled on the bars of Twilight’s cell to no avail.

“There should be a guard room down the hall, Rainbow Dash,” Shining told her. “I haven’t seen any guards here, except the one guard that brings us the food. In the room there should be a key ring with all the keys to this level.”

“On it! Come on, Rarity.” The two hurried down the hall.

The others waited with bated breath, hoping that the two were safe. A collective sigh of relief was breathed as the two returned with a ring of keys in hoof. Soon enough, everyone but Chrysalis was free.

Feeling her magic returning, Twilight looked to the others with a confident smile. “All right everypony, we need to get out of here before he finds out we have escaped. Hopefully Princess Luna is still waiting for us on the borders of the Crystal Empire.”

Cadence turned a worried look down the hall. “How are we to escape unnoticed?”

Shining was watched the same hallway, his gaze narrowing. “With this many of us, it will be hard not to be spotted.”

A pensive frown tugged at Twilight’s face as she considered the ordeal. With everypony together, stealth would be impossible. They could fight their way out, but that was something they wanted to avoid, especially if Tyranny arrived in force. If they were caught again, there likely wouldn’t be a second escape. Her frown turned deeper as she realized it only left one option.

“I’ll have to distract Tyranny,” she said, earning sharp looks from the others. “While I have him distracted, you all can get past his soldiers with little trouble.”

“But, Twilight, if you face him, how will you escape?” Cadence asked with obvious concern, mirroring the concerns of her friends.

“Don’t worry. I’ve seen what he is able to do, and I think I know how to get past his tricks. He won’t catch me a second time.” Confidence filled her tone, though doubts did pull at her mind.

“I don’t like it, Twi,” Applejack said, giving her a frown. “We might get away, but what if ya don’t? We ain’t going to leave ya behind.”

“It’s the best way we can get everypony out and reduce the odds of us being captured again.” She gave her friend a confident smile. “I won’t let him capture me. I need you to get Princess Cadence to Princess Celestia so we can come up with a plan to stop Tyranny once and for all.”

Their worried frowns didn’t let up in the slightest.

“Don’t worry, girls, this will work,” she assured them.

Despite many uncertain looks and mutters, they turned to leave.

The door to Chrysalis’s cell rattled on its hinges as she shook the bars. “Wait! You can’t leave me here!”

Rainbow turned a scornful look her way. “And why not? You’ll likely help Tyranny just to save your own flank.”

“You can’t leave me here. If he finds all of you gone but I’m still here, who knows what he might do.”

“Good.” Rainbow started climbing the stairs.

Twilight looked to the changeling queen her brow hardening as she glared at the changeling queen.

Chrysalis looked at her in turn, and Twilight could actually see fear in her eyes.

“If he wins, there will be no place for my kind. He is as much as my enemy as he is yours,” Chrysalis pleaded. “Don’t leave me here.”

Twilight looked at her for a long moment before she floated the keys over and unlocked her cell.

“This changes nothing, Chrysalis,” she said, her tone leaving no room for debate. “When Tyranny is defeated, I don’t ever want to see you or your changelings in Equestria again.”

The two locked stares before the queen looked away. “Fine.”

Applejack whispered to Twilight as the group ascended the stairs. “Ya sure that was a good idea, Twi? Ya can’t trust her for all the apples in Equestria.”

“I’m not sure, no, but I won’t leave anypony at Tyranny’s mercy,” she said distractedly as she stared ahead.

As they made it to the ground floor, they peeked past the door and saw that the coast was clear. The crystal ceiling above was dim without the light of the sun to brighten them.

“All right, everypony, wait five minutes after I am gone, then get out of the Crystal Empire as fast as you can,” Twilight said, turning to face them. “Once I’ve distracted him long enough, I will join you. Head to the outskirts, Princess Luna should still be waiting for us.”

“Be careful, Twilight,” Cadence said, a sentiment that was echoed by all save Chrysalis.

Twilight shared a quick hug with her family and friends. “Don’t worry, we’ll meet again soon.” She turned and ran down the hall towards the throne room, her friends staring after her with worried expressions.

A sudden gust rattled the glass windows of the throne room, but Tyranny paid it no mind as he reclined upon his throne. The few torches along the walls, the only source of light, caused the shadows to dance across the crystalline room. He rested his head on his right hoof, his scepter held idly in his left, as his eyes remained shut. To the outside viewer, one might think him dozing. In truth, his focus was upon his minions. Through them, he saw everything they saw, heard everything they heard. He watched with grim satisfaction as his minions cornered a thief in an alleyway, pleased to see one who would disrupt his rule properly punished. A faint proud—if not smug—smirk pulled at the corner of his mouth. The creatures not only made for perfect, loyal soldiers, but they also made for the perfect spies and enforcers.

The sound of running hooves caused his eyes to open, returning his focus to his surroundings. After listening to them approach, a cruel smile crossed his face; the princess was on her way, just as he knew she would be.

"So predictable," he said. All he had to do was make sure that a single key was stolen, and the rest fell into place. He shook his head at the futility of it all; creatures of flesh were truly pathetic.

“Lady Twilight Sparkle, to what do I owe this unexpected visit?” he asked in a detached manner once she made her way into the throne room.

She took a moment to catch her breath before spreading her forelegs, her horn glowing. “I’ve come to stop you, Tyranny. I want you to release everypony you’ve imprisoned and stop this now!”

He scoffed. “You’ve come to stop me? By yourself? It seems a foolish, if not desperate, move on your part.”

She gritted her teeth at him. “I won’t let you hurt anypony else.”

He remained seated on the throne, unperturbed by her stance. “It was never my intention that any come to harm. All everypony needs to do is bow to me and accept my inevitable rule. The choice to fight and the continued strife is your own doing.”

Twilight held her head higher. “Nopony would ever willingly follow you. We believe in Princess Celestia and she will stop you.”

“Ah yes, Princess Celestia, the loving patron of the ponies of Equestria.” He sneered. “Tell me, child, is your faith in her really so absolute?” He leaned forward, resting his chin on both front hooves.

She scowled, defiance clear to see in her eyes. “I won’t let you deceive me with your lies.”

Tilting his head, he asked, “Lies? I do not need to lie or make false promises to do what must be done, child. I merely wish to enlighten you with truths that you should be aware of, as they pertain to you in particular.”

It was her turn to scoff. “Truth? From you? You’re not capable of telling the truth, Tyranny.”

He narrowed his eyes at her impudence. “Who was it that informed you that I would attempt deceive you? Celestia?” A disgusted snort escaped him. “She would say such things, all the more reason to protect herself and make sure her faithful tools would not dare to think of betraying her.”

Twilight’s hackles rose in her outrage, causing his smug smirk to widen. “Princess Celestia is an honest and truthful ruler. She is more than you could ever dream to be, Tyranny!”

He stared at her for an uncomfortable moment, the silence weighing in the throne room before he spoke. “Tell me something, child. It is my understanding your beloved Princess Celestia is responsible for your… transcendence into an alicorn. Is this true?”

Lifting her head up and flaring her wings, she proudly proclaimed, “She was. I earned the honor.”

“And has she told you of all the blessings that come with such an honor? Or about its curse?” His gaze bore into her.

A soft frown pulled at her lips, even as her wings folded back to her side. “Curse? What are you talking about?”

His mocking laughter echoed through the rafters of the throne room.

Twilight blinked. “Wha-What is so funny, Tryanny! Tell me!”

A pitying smile crossed his face. “She hasn’t told you. You poor foal. It is like Celestia to hide the awful truth from her subjects, even the ones she favors.” Glancing away, he added, “A motherly instinct that continues to be her undoing.”

“What curse!” she demanded.

Looking back, he sat straighter upon the throne. “I have seen the passing of generations of ponies in my long existence, child. Centuries have been but days to me, and there are but few others who can claim that as well as I. Among them is your beloved Celestia and her sister. Have you ever wondered how that is possible?”

He watched her tilt her head at the question, no doubt rummaging through the tales she was told. “She and Princess Luna were born as alicorns,” she finally said.

His laughter mocked her again. “Is that the lie she tells? No matter, the fact is that she has transcended above the pony folk she rules over in being an alicorn. It has granted her power—” he leaned forward looking at her closely. “—and the ability to see her country through many, many years of her reign.”

Her eyes widened as recognition slowly kindled. “What are you—?” she started, her voice cracking.

“If it is not obvious yet, child, alicorns are long-lived creatures. It is a gift of the transcendence into something above the common pony.” He leaned back in his throne again. “Now, think of the implications of this, for your sake in particular.”

Her voice softened and her irises shrunk as realization struck her. “You don’t mean?”

“Indeed.” His sneer made its way into his tone. “You, young Twilight Sparkle, will also see the birth and death of generations of ponies, including those of your dear friends whom you rely upon for the majority of your strength. No doubt as your beloved princess had planned for you from the moment she first took you under her wing.”

The revelation echoed within her mind. Was it true? Was she destined to see centuries come and go as Celestia and Luna has? What did that mean for her friends? Was she doomed to see them age before her and worse, see them pass on while she remained to grieve? Did becoming a princess also mean she would have to sacrifice everything she ever cared about? Did Celestia know from the start? So many more questions swam through her mind in that awful moment.

The tears came unbidden, and she could do nothing to stop them. She tried to remember anything Celestia ever spoke of what it meant to be an alicorn, but all she could remember was the princess told her it would all become clear in time. What was it that she didn’t want her to know? Why didn’t she tell her? What was so horrible that she couldn’t tell her? Was she hiding something from her? Why?!

He continued mercilessly. “You shall helplessly watch your friends age and die, as well as their children and theirs after them. The feeling of their loss will not lessen with the passage of time, and it will continue until you feel nothing but a void in your heart where friendship had once resided. Why Celestia chose to allow you to learn the magic of an element so easily lost is beyond my comprehension.”

He let her stew in misery, her barely choked back sobs echoing through the throne room. He glanced to the side as images of the element bearers and the royals on the outskirts of the city fought with his soldiers. The images did not last long, as the last thing he saw was magical bolts obscuring his vision.

‘Clever,’ he thought to himself before looking back to the grieving princess. “Tell me now, child, do you still believe that the gift you received from your beloved princess to be a blessing?”

The tightening of her throat kept her from speaking any of the protests she wanted to voice.

He chuckled at her misery and calmly stood, walking towards her. “It seems you need time to think, my lady. It is time that we part ways.”

Twilight made no effort to stop or challenge him. “…Our fight is not over, Tyranny.” She spoke past her grief as he stepped past her.

He smirked at the budding anger that underlined her grief, and Tyranny knew that anger was not directed at him alone. “No, it is not,” he agreed. “But the next time you dare challenge me, you had best do so with all of your might, for I will not be so merciful again.” He turned his derisive glare her way. “Now begone!”

Watching her flee back down the hallway, a cruel smirk pulled at his lips.

Chapter Eleven

’I don’t like this. I don’t like it a’tal.’ Applejack thought as she looked towards the other escapees. Having managed to escape the city despite being spotted at the its edge, their escape left a sour taste in her mouth. She frowned as she and the others had pummeled one of Tyranny’s patrols before fleeing for the borders of the Crystal Empire. Having taken shelter in a rock outcropping—out of the wind—Applejack found herself glaring at the tower in the distance.

’Why didn’t Tyranny come after us? He kept us locked up for a reason, it don’t make sense for him to let us go.’

A frustrated groan escaped her. With no sign of Twilight or Princess Luna, Applejack felt her worry grow. She was by no means a simple mare, but trying to figure out Tyranny’s machinations was beginning to give her a headache; combined with her worry for Twilight, she was about ready to scream.

A sign blew past her nose before her gaze shifted to Fluttershy as the pegasus stood watching the Crystal Tower as well.

“Do you think Twilight is all right, Applejack?” she asked as the farm-mare approached.

Rubbing at her forelegs as a cold gust blew through, she replied, “I think so, Fluttershy. Twilight ain’t one to put herself in too many situations she can’t get out of.” Applejack winced, however, as she recalled a few times where Twilight had done exactly that.

Fluttershy shivered as she sat on her haunches. “That’s true, I suppose. It’s just that Tyranny is so scary and mean. I’m afraid what he might do if he captures her again.”

Applejack wrapped a foreleg around her delicate shoulders. “Don’t ya fret. Twilight’ll come back, and we’ll all find a way to stop him fer good.”

“Yeah, cheer up, Fluttershy,” Rainbow said as she hovered above them. “It doesn’t matter what he does, Tyranny’s going down hard.”

“Indeed, darling, that ruffian won’t stand a chance when we’re together. We will win the day,” Rarity added.

“Then it’ll be party time!” Pinkie Pie said as she bounced around them.

The five of them smiled and agreed to have one big party once everything was all said and done. The royal couple smiled at them and agreed to come after they liberated the Crystal Empire. Queen Chrysalis stood aside, watching them before scoffing and averting her gaze.

The sound of flapping wings had them whirling to face the source. Applejack scowled and tugged her hat lower as she expected winged dark ponies to come swooping down at them.

“Get ready, y’all,” she warned as the sound drew closer.

“Ready for what, Applejack?” a regal voice said from the clouds.

A collective sigh of relief was had as Princess Luna descended from above.

A happy and relieved smile spread across her face as she landed near them. “I am pleased to see you all—” Her eyes darted to the changeling queen and a fierce scowl spread across her face. “What are you doing here, monster!?”

Baring her teeth, Chrysalis matched Luna’s expression with one of scorn. “I won’t tolerate others speaking to me in such a manner! Especially not you, Moon Princess!”

“What is she doing here?” Luna demanded, not taking her eyes off the dangerous changeling.

Applejack turned a glare the changeling’s way before speaking. “We found her at the Crystal Tower. Tyranny had her behind bars when we got there.”

A hissed escaped past Chrysalis’s teeth. “I’ve been imprisoned a lot longer that, hayseed. You have no idea the indignity I’ve had to suffer.”

“All of it deserved,” Applejack snapped before Luna spoke up.

“What are your intentions?”

“Revenge,” Chrysalis said, turning her glare back to Luna. “The indignity I suffered at his hooves cannot go unpunished. He will pay for what he did to my hive.”

The Lunar Princess and the Changeling Queen glared at each other for a time, and Applejack felt the hairs along her spine start to stand at the building tension. Finally, Luna’s glare softened and she nodded. “Once Princess Twilight rejoins us, we will head for Canterlot to—” she stopped and looked to the side.

Applejack followed her gaze to see Twilight quietly approaching them from the hillside, her head lowered as she walked.

“Twilight!” Applejack’s shout joined the others, but she found her smile fading as she got a better look at her friend.

“Twilight, what’s wrong? Are you hurt?” Fluttershy looked her over in concern.

Twilight looked at them with red, swollen eyes, and Applejack saw that she had been crying for some time.

“I… I…” she started to say, but stopped as she looked to the ground. “I need to talk to Princess Celestia.”

Rarity wrapped a sympathetic foreleg around Twilight’s shoulder. “Twilight, you can talk to us. We’re your friends.”

“What did that scumbag do to you?! Did he hurt you?” Rainbow Dash turned her glare towards the tower in the distance.

Twilight looked at them and tried to say something, but whatever she meant to say, she left it unsaid. “I promise… I will tell you all after I speak with Princess Celestia.”

Applejack bit at the inside of her cheek. Part of her wanted to find out what happened to Twilight and comfort her, but also struggled with wanting to respect her privacy. She knew that Twilight wasn’t going to share what was on her mind until she was ready to share it.

“Pinkie Promise?” Pinkie asked softly.

Twilight looked at her. “I promise to tell—Pinkie Promise—after I speak with Princess Celestia.”

“What has Tyranny told you, Princess Twilight?” Luna asked.

Twilight looked at her fellow alicorn for a long moment before lowering her gaze. “I’m sorry, Princess Luna.”

Luna looked at her for a moment before a sigh escaped her. She knew that the young alicorn saw her sister as her trusted mentor, and if Twilight were to find the answers, it would be best for her to get them from Celestia.

“Very well, but we must make haste,” she said as she turned to address the others. “Tyranny will not allow us to remain unhindered for long. A train station is not far from here.” Her gaze shifted to Chrysalis a moment before she turned to leave. “Come, let us go.”

As she lead them away from the crystal city, Cadence stopped to look back at her kingdom. A frown pulled at her lips before her husband laid a sympathetic hoof on her shoulder. Giving him a sad glance, she sighed as she turned away and followed the others.

The ponies left the Crystal Empire behind with no further incident. Along the way, Twilight was quiet and withdrawn, and any attempt at conversation by her friends was met with silence. She even looked away from her brother as he attempted to get some answers from her, and he could only sigh in frustration. She could tell that he, like the others, was not happy at seeing her in such a sorry state. She glanced at Chrysalis who was smiling inwardly at the whole ordeal, but knew it was best that the changeling keep her thoughts purely to herself.

As they made it to the train station and onto the train itself, Twilight didn’t pay much attention to the stunned conductor as he found three royal princesses, a royal prince, and a changeling queen boarding his train. No doubt such passengers were not something he ever thought to see riding his train together.

They all took their seats as the train began its journey towards Canterlot. Conversation naturally turned to a discussion of what had transpired at the Crystal Empire. Princess Cadence and Shining Armor spoke of the battle in the tower. They told of the fate of their guards and others whom had fallen. When Princess Luna spoke of what really happened to them, Twilight joined her brother as they hugged Cadence—the Princess of Love struggling to hold back her tears.

When Queen Chrysalis grudgingly told the tales of her release and of their attack on the first outpost, a heated debate erupted. Harsh words and accusations were thrown around until cooler heads prevailed.

Twilight sat detached from it all, only offering a word or two as a question was sent her way. She knew her friends and family frowned when she didn’t offer her usual thoughts and opinions, but any attempt to get her to speak met with no success. With her mind still reeling, she couldn’t hope to focus on anything to give a well-thought out opinion. All she wanted was to rest… or get some answers from Princess Celestia.

Thankfully, Princess Luna finally suggested that they all should seek their rest. Though it was near morning when they boarded the train, it would be dark before they would arrive at Canterlot. Exhausted from their ordeal, they readily agreed with her suggestion.

The private cart was set aside for them, and Twilight was soon asleep in the room she shared with Fluttershy. It only felt like she had closed her eyes when the dreams came. Tossing and turning, her bed sheets soon entangled her legs and torso. In her dreams, she saw herself standing over the graves of her friends in a rain-soaked field. They were dead and gone while she remained, her friendship with them lost to the passage of time. In her dreams and in the flesh, her tears fell, and there was no denying them. Try as she might to think of other things—anything to change her dream—she was always brought back to her grief.

Suddenly, a few more tombstones appeared that bore the names of her brother and parents. A few more appeared, for Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo, and they were followed by even more bearing the names of the ponies she knew from Ponyville. More and more tombstones appeared and kept coming until the rows stretched out further than she could see. She felt the loss of each one keenly, each one a fresh tear in her heart. Each one a life she had known and loved only to have them taken away from her mercilessly by time.

Time had left her behind.

When her eyes finally fluttered open, she gave a soft uttering of thanks. The dreams had been so real, so vivid, it amazed her that her dreams could be so horrible. As she shifted in bed, she thought about speaking with Princess Luna about her dreams, but saw it was in the afternoon and decided to leave her be.

With a sigh, Twilight tossed aside the covers and quietly made her way to the passenger cart. As the opened to her magic, she sighed with relief as it was empty. Climbing onto a bench, she took a seat near a window. She leaned against the window frame and her gaze went distant as the terrain swept past her.

Rationally, she tried to think out her troubles. All her years of study taught her to break down a problem to its core elements, analyze them, experiment and draw a conclusion. Yet for all of her rational, it was the unknown that kept her from finding a solution. The dreaded “X” in the equation, one she could not solve for. No matter what avenue of thought she tried, it always came up with no satisfying answer. Shaking her head in frustration, she hoped that once she spoke with Princess Celestia, she would have her answers.

As her train of thought went down that track, the first question that came to mind was if Princess Celestia actually knew. Did Princess Celestia know that Twilight would live far longer than most ponies? Did she know this when she put Twilight on her path to learn the magic of friendship? Did she even consider her feelings? What of Cadence? Did she know?

She had become an alicorn only a few months ago, but she realized she understood so little. She hadn’t even mastered flight yet! To learn the truth about alicorns in such a way—told by a cruel tyrant rather than her trusted mentor—left her feeling hollow. Had Tyranny been telling the truth all along, and Celestia had been deceiving her? Why couldn’t the princess have been more straightforward with her? Why all the crypticness?

Princess Celestia had always been so kind, so loving towards her. Celestia trusted Twilight enough to make her a princess, and that was proof that she thought highly of her. But why did she feel this way? Why did Tyranny’s words seem to have a ring of truth to them when Celestia had always been so good to her? Twilight rubbed her face vigorously as her mind tried to make sense of it all.

The burden of leadership hadn’t been set on her shoulders as it had with Cadence. Celestia had allowed her to remain in Ponyville as she always had, but with Twilight’s newfound alicornhood, how much longer would it last?

A wispy smile played across her face as she remembered the day she became a princess. Her friends and family were there to share in the joy of her coronation—most of Equestria had. It was a day she would look back on and smile. The thought that the happiest day of her life was also the start of an eternity of misery—and it being pre-planned by Celestia without her consideration—caused the bile to rise in her gut.

Engrossed in her thoughts, she paid little to the passage of time; nor did she register the sound of the door of the passenger cart opening and closing. A startled squeak escaped her as she felt somepony sit next to her. Turning, she saw Fluttershy look at her with soft, sympathetic eyes.

“Twilight, please tell me what’s wrong. You look so hurt, what did Tyranny say to you that hurt you so much?”

Her ears laid back against her head as she looked away. “I… can’t, Fluttershy. I don’t want you or any of our friends to worry about something that might not even be real. Once I speak with Princess Celestia and I have my answer, I will tell you. I promise.”

A faint frown tugged at the corners of Fluttershy’s mouth before she looked at the ceiling of the train cart. “Do you remember when I was a model for Photo Finish? I was doing something I didn’t like doing, but I did it for Rarity. Your letter to Princess Celestia said that one should not hesitate to show your true feelings with your friends.” She looked back at her. “Maybe if you shared with us, it wouldn’t seem so bad.”

Twilight thought back to that letter and found that Fluttershy was right. Not sharing their thoughts and feelings with each other had led to grief between Rarity and Fluttershy. It was only after they had shared their feelings that they were able to make amends and be friends again. Could this be the same thing though? Jealousy was one thing, but could outliving your friends and seeing their memory fade with time be considered the same?

“We promise, dear, that we would think no less of you,” she heard Rarity say as she joined them.

“There ain’t nothin’ that’s going to make us think so, sugarcube,” Applejack added.

“You’re the most superest, awesomest, most wonderful pony there is, Twilight. You’ll always be our friend,” Pinkie Pie said with her usual energy. She wore a white T-shirt with “#1” written next to a picture of Twilight’s face.

“Yeah, what she said,” Rainbow Dash added finally. “You always said that when we work together we can do anything. And all of us together, we can handle Tyranny just like we did Discord. So it doesn’t matter what he does or says, as long as you have us, we can handle anything.”

Twilight’s heart swelled, and grateful tears came to her eyes. She truly couldn’t have asked for better friends. No matter what they faced, she realized, they would believe in her and she in them.

“Thanks, girls,” she said, sharing a group hug.

None of them could see the fresh, warm tears that streamed down her face.

True to Luna’s words, the train pulled into Canterlot Station as the sun was beginning to set. Luna had decided to raise the moon from the train, so as to not make a show at the train station. She bid the rest of them to join her sister at the castle and to keep watch on Chrysalis.

As they stepped off the train, Twilight could only stare at the towering castle overhead. Princess Celestia was there, and she held the answers to the awful questions in her head. Even after being comforted by her friends, the thoughts stubbornly came back and drove into her mind even further than before. Anger and frustration had set in, and Twilight was finding it hard to keep the emotions in check.

Noticing her stare, Rainbow asked, “Hey, Twilight, are you ok?”

With a frustrated growl, Twilight took off towards the castle. Her horn glowed and she teleported. She did so again and again, getting closer with each teleportation.

“Twilight! Wait!” Rainbow called after her, ready to give chase.

“No, Rainbow, let her go,” Applejack said.

Rainbow turned a confused look her way. “Huh, why?”

“She needs ta talk ta the princess on her own. She’ll get there, just give her time ta sort it out first.”

A soft, frustrated growl escaped past Rainbow’s teeth and reluctantly nodded. She wanted to be there for her friend but knew this was something Twilight needed to figure out on her own.

Princess Celestia hummed to herself as she looked over a few letters she had received from across her kingdom. The light given off by the magical crystals in her throne room made reading them simple. Many of the correspondents were from other major cities reporting their preparations for an assault from Tyranny’s forces. Thankfully, no such assault had come yet, though. She knew it would only be a matter of time before he would strike out from the Crystal Empire. Tyranny was not one to remain idle for long, she knew, and swore that no other city would be caught unaware as the Empire had.

Her correspondence with her sister and Twilight had lessened after Spike had returned to Ponyville. The last sending she had received from her sister had said that they would be returning to Canterlot tonight along with Princess Cadence, Shining Armor, and an unexpected visitor—one Luna had been vague in telling who. Either way, once she knew that they were all safe and sound, they could turn to formulate a plan to defeat Tyranny.

Her ears stood erect and she looked towards the throne room doors as she felt a surge of magic nearby. It was a familiar aura of magic, but something was wrong. A violet aura surrounded the doors of the throne room before they flew open, and in ran Twilight Sparkle. Her face was streaked with tears as she glared fiercely at Celestia.

“Princess Twilight, it is good to—” Celestia began.

“How could you?!” Twilight demanded, her scream echoing through the throne room.

Celestia’s eyes widened impossibly. Few had ever spoken to her that way. She had never, ever expected her beloved niece would speak to her so and neither had the two guards at the foot of the throne room, who stood just as shocked as she.

“Twilight, what is wrong? What has happened to you?” Celestia asked after her shock faded.

“How could you not tell me? How could you lie to me?!”

Celestia was about to say something but caught herself. She looked into her niece’s eyes and saw the pain—a silent plea for answers to some inner turmoil that only she could answer.

She turned her gaze to her guards. “Please, leave us.” They nodded silently and walked past Twilight without so much as a glance, closing the doors behind them.

“Twilight, please tell me what has happened. What has made you so upset, my little pony?” she asked again.

Twilight looked at her with gritted teeth, her expression hurt. Images of the tombstones she had seen in her dreams were still vivid in her mind. “How could you not tell me that I would outlive my friends? Did you know this when you made me a princess?”

Celestia’s eyes widened again. “Where did you hear this?”

“Tyranny told me everything about what it means to be an alicorn, and what it does to you!”

“He told you—” she breathed, but Twilight interrupted her again.

“Did you know this, Princess Celestia?”

“Twilight—”

She stamped a hoof as she continued. “Why would you make me learn the importance of the magic of friendship if it meant losing the very friends I made?”

“Twilight,” Celestia said more firmly.

“How could you hide this from me?!”

“Twilight Sparkle!” Celestia said in a tone she rarely ever used, her voice booming in the rafters of the throne room.

Twilight looked to the floor, both in shame and in sadness. She knew she had overstepped her bounds, but she couldn’t help it. The feelings of loss, betrayal, and grief were overwhelming.

Celestia looked at her for a quiet moment. “Twilight, what has Tyranny told you?”

Twilight slowly looked to her, tears threatening to fall again. “He told me that becoming an alicorn, becoming a princess, would mean that I would live to see my friends and family die while I continued living.” Her voice was a soft whisper. “To live out centuries while all I knew and loved faded in front of me. I… I… don’t know if I could… Why didn’t you tell me?” She looked to her mentor with wide, vulnerable eyes.

A shuddering sigh escaped through Celestia’s nose. The emotion that flowed from Twilight was enough for her to want to wipe at her eyes. “You must understand. It is—”

“Must you continue to lie to your subjects, Celestia? It almost seems that you enjoy misleading them,” said a dark voice.

Both of them started at the intrusion, their gazes darting about.

“Oh no…” Twilight whispered as dread started to grip her as the familiar voice ghosted around them.

Chapter Twelve

Twilight felt her stomach sicken as she tried to find where Tyranny’s voice had come from. ’How did he manage to get in here without being detected?’ she thought. ’Canterlot is supposed to be protected from hostile invaders, how did he get past the wards? Princess Celestia’s throne room is supposed to be the safest place in Canterlot!’

“I could almost respect you, did I not despise you.” His voice sounded again, ghosting around them like an echo in a cavern.

Celestia’s gaze hardened as she stood, her mane billowing as if caught in a fierce wind. “Tyranny, show yourself!”

His dismissive snort caused Twilight to flinch. “You should know better than to demand anything of me, Celestia. I had thought I drove that lesson into your head over a thousand years ago.”

“How did you get past the wards?” Her demand echoed throughout the room.

A startled squeak escaped Twilight as he appeared behind her. “Your most faithful tool made it possible. I can see why you favor her so.”

Whirling around and backing away, Twilight frowned at the barely-restrained anger in his eyes. “How did I do anything for you?”

He turned his gaze at her, his lips turning in a contemptible frown. “When you foolishly confronted me in my throne room, I left part of my essence upon you before sending you away. I simply stayed hidden until you brought me right to Celestia.” A condescending smirk pulled at his face. “Your emotional outburst made for the perfect opportunity for me to quietly disable all of her wards.”

The blood drained from her face. “Y-You used me?”

He scoffed. “And this surprises you? I had thought you were used to being nothing more than a mere pawn for your master.”

“That is enough, Tyranny!” Princess Celestia commanded.

Twilight’s voice was barely above a whisper when she asked, “You… you were behind those dreams, weren’t you?”

Again, he smirked. “I needed to make sure you went directly to Celestia. All I had to do was give you some incentive. A few visions of the future was all that was needed to send you running to her side.” He looked back at Celestia, his glare hardening again. “And you performed your task even better than I had hoped.”

“Do you have any idea how horrible those dreams were?!” she screamed at him.

“I know exactly how horrible they were. The truth is often just that.” He continued speaking to Twilight as he looked at Celestia. “I do not attempt to hide the truth behind petty words or false promises.”

Celestia stepped from her throne, her hoof covers clicking loudly on the stone floor. “You and Discord both were to maintain the balance of our world, yet both of you gave into your excesses. Tyranny, you were supposed to keep this world from falling into chaos, but all you ever did was cause more of it.”

His glare hardened, and his tone was as harsh as anypony had ever heard. “Do not perceive to lecture me about my purpose, Celestia! This world was—and still is—in the grips of chaos. I was to bring true order and stability to this world, and you betrayed me. You and your sister made your choices the day you imprisoned me.”

“You suppressed our ponies and would not allow them to flourish with your warped ideal of order.” She glared at him, not backing down an inch in the face of his fury. “We couldn’t let their suffering continue, and we did what was necessary to save them from you. Everypony should be allowed to see their potential and to find their happiness. We were meant to guide them, not control them.”

“The ideal of happiness is different for every individual, Celestia. With differences come disagreements on what is considered right. Strife follows these disagreements and chaos ensues. Happiness is such a frivolous idea.” His glare hardened at her further, if that was even possible. “Happiness is one emotion you will never know again, Celestia. You will atone for your crimes.” As he stepped forward, his hoofsteps echoed loudly, as if the marble floor was crying out in agony.

“The only crime I am guilty of is not being more forthcoming to those I care about the most,” Celestia said, casting Twilight an apologetic look.

Twilight returned her look, and wanted to reply, but anything that tried to move past her mouth died before it could begin. Squinting her eyes shut, she looked away.

Tyranny growled. “You imprisoned me for over a thousand years, Celestia. You denied this world its rightful ruler, usurped my throne, and destroyed my physical form. For that and more, you will face judgment. I will be your judge, jury, and executioner. Defend yourself if you can!” His voice rang through the castle as he leveled his scepter at her.

She set herself to meet him, her horn glowing brightly. The throne room doors flew open, and the two guards returned.

“Princess!” one of them called, and they both charged at the dark stallion.

Tyranny never took his eyes off Celestia as he turned slightly and uttered a word before both the guards were surrounded with his magic.

In the guest wing of the castle, Tourmaline rested peacefully on the canopy bed in her room. The feather-top mattress shifted as she rolled on to her back to enjoy the warm summer’s breeze that flowed through an open window nearby. It had been a few weeks since her brother and she had first arrived at the castle. With Tormod fully recovered and frequently lost in the numerous maps and tomes he was allowed to study while they stayed in the castle, boredom was Tourmaline’s constant companion.

It’s not that I’m ungrateful for being allowed to stay at the castle—Princess Celestia is the very soul of a generous host—it’s just… I can’t take being cooped up like this for so long.’

She thought back on all the things Canterlot had for a visitor to enjoy, but Tourmaline felt she had seen it all. With no new news of Wanderer’s whereabouts, Tourmaline felt her wings growing antsy to go look for him herself. She had helped the pegasus ponies work the weather over Canterlot, but even that was not enough to keep her adventurer spirit content. Coupled with her worry for her friend, the recent days were almost unbearable.

With a bored groan, she rolled off the bed and walked towards the window. As she looked at the gardens below her room, a frustrated sigh escaped her and she tucked a stray lock of hair out of her face.

“I just want something to happen.”

As if answering her thoughts, she whirled as a puff of smoke appeared out of nowhere and coalesce into a creature of pure blackness. It wore armor made for ponies, and its round white eyes glared at her.

“What in the name of—” she swore as the creature lunged at her. Narrowly dodging, she lashed out with a kick. The shadow pony skidded to the side but came back swinging. Tourmaline was no stranger to battle—she had faced numerous monsters with her friends—and was quick enough to dodge or block the creature’s attacks. She jumped up as the creature lunged at her again. Kicking upward with her hind leg, she caught the shadow on the chin. The thing flew backwards where it hit a dresser and dissipated in a puff of smoke, its armor clanging to the floor.

“Thought you could take me, think again,” she taunted before a shout from the hallway caught her attention.

“Tormod!”

Running out of her room, she saw her brother crash through the door to his room, the door shattering to splinters as he flew through it. He skidded across the floor but got back to his hooves, his horn glowing. She saw another creature stepped from his room, its eyes on him. Before it could charge again, he shot a ray of energy that the shadow dodged. It jumped out at him, and Tourmaline wasted no time in driving her shoulder into the creature mid-lunge. It slid across the floor, and exploded as Tormod blasted it.

She kicked away the creature’s fallen helm. “You all right?”

He grunted and nodded, brushing the splinters from his coat. “It caught me by surprise. I never thought I would be attacked in Canterlot Castle of all places.”

They both looked down the hall as the sound of battle reached their ears, and shouts from guards and citizens alike were heard in the distance. Looking out a nearby window, they saw more of the creatures chasing the groundskeepers and battling the guards.

Tourmaline’s ears pinned back against her head. “What is going on? Who would be attacking Canterlot?”

Shaking his head, Tormod answered, “I don’t know, I’ve never even heard of these things. They’re not changelings.”

Both of their ears shot up and their eyes widened as a shout reached them. The voice they had both heard only once before, but would never forget.

“Wanderer!” Tourmaline rushed down the hallway towards the throne room.

“Tourmaline! Wait!” Tormod said with unmistakable fear, but he soon followed after his sister’s brave charge. “Blast it…”

Both princesses could only look on in sickened awe as the guards turned black.

“P-Princess?” one uttered before he shattered, the shards disintegrating into nothingness.

“You monster!” Celestia yelled and shot a beam of energy. Tyranny sidestepped the attack and countered with one of his own, but Celestia stopped it with a barrier.

Twilight’s eyes widened, her jaw hanging slack. “H-How?! How can you use magic like that?”

When he turned his glare her way. “Ask your master.”

Twilight turned her frantic gaze to Celestia but the Sun Princess only glared at Tyranny. “Do not do this, Tyranny. You have already stepped too far into that realm and took too much of its power. If you do not turn back, you will never be able to be rid of it.”

“Celestia,” he said, a his tone firm, like one disciplining a foal. “I will take the power of every realm in existence if it means doing what I must to bring order to this chaotic world. You had your chance to be part of it, to fix this world, but you threw it all away because your heart is not hardened enough to do what must be done!”

Celestia’s glare took a softer, if not sadder turn. “You speak of control, but you have no control over yourself or your ambitions. If you would turn your powers to good, it would end the conflict. Nopony else needs to suffer.”

Growling, his answer was a much more powerful blast that had her straining to keep it at bay. Once the attack stopped, she could only look at the stallion with wide, shocked eyes.

“Why so smug, Celestia?”

She glared at him, surrounding herself with a magical aura, Tyranny did likewise, his aura utter darkness compared to hers.

’I need to lead him away from Canterlot. Our fight will not include innocent bystanders.’

With a flap of her wings, Celestia shot out the bay window, making for the skies outside the city. Before she could get far however, Tyranny appeared before her.

“I think not.” He shot another energy blast at her, but she dodged and flew upwards. Tyranny pursued her until she turned and dived back at him. As they collided, their auras sparked and cracked.

“The body you possess will not be able to hold the strain of this magic for long,” she said past gritted teeth. “Surrender now before you kill him.”

The two broke apart and flew around a brief moment before colliding again and again, each collision echoing like thunder across the city. “Then you had best stop me while you have the chance,” he growled before grabbing her horn and hurling her away.

Righting herself, the two spiraled around spires of the castle. As they traded volleys of energy blasts, Celestia could only cringe as the beams exploded upon the castle and town below.

”Please don’t let anypony be hurt.’

Try as she might, she could not find an opening in his offensive, and he was too quick for her own. Rounding a corner she stopped and lit her horn with a blinding flash of light. Thinking to catch him off guard, her eyes darted around as he was nowhere to be seen. A gasp escaped as she looked above to see him in the final moments of a back hoof swing of his scepter.

The cobblestone street cracked and gravel flew everywhere as she smashed into it, startling a number of ponies who were watching the battle.

“Princess!” one of them shouted as she and a few others ran to her aid.

Celestia waved them away as she rose to her hooves. “Please, get away from here! I don’t want to see any of you harmed! Go!”

“But, Princess—”

“Go! Now!” she shouted.

The gathering looked at each other before fleeing. Celestia sighed—she hadn’t wanted to shout at them, but she would never forgive herself if they came to harm during the battle.

Before the ponies could take more than a few steps, a number of Tyranny’s minions stepped from puffs of smoke and surrounded them. Terrified screams erupted from the ponies as the creatures began glowing a dark light. Those unfortunate enough to be struck by their magic suffered the same fate as her guards.

“No!” Celestia’s horn glowed and she blasted away the hostile creatures. Tears ran down her eyes as she destroyed the creatures, allowing the remaining citizens to flee to safety.

An evil chuckle had her whirling to find Tyranny approaching her. “Again you show your weakness, Celestia. Concerning yourself over the well-being of those under you and paying little mind to that which—” she teleported behind him and bucked him full in the back, the force of the blow sending him crashing through the storefront of Donut Joe’s shop.

“My donuts!” the shop owner cried out, holding his head in absolute dismay.

As all manner of pastries settled, Tyranny picked himself up from the mess to glare out the store front. Matching his glare with a smirk, Celestia said, “Donut Joe, I will pay for the damages, and for my usual order tomorrow morning.”

Joe’s gaze shifted between the two before he nervously replied, “Yes, Princess Celestia. Extra frost—”

“Do not mock me!” Tyranny raged before charging from the storefront.

Lowering her head, Celestia raced out to meet him. She shot another ray just as Tyranny did the same. As the two beams collided, there was a blinding flash of light followed by an explosion. Celestia covered her eyes and ducked quickly, she felt the swish of the scepter rip through her mane and she bucked out again with her hind legs. Tyranny dodged to the side and placed his free hoof on her face, an arc of electrical energy sending her skidding down the road. Before she could right herself, she felt her skin crawl as felt the sickening feeling of his borrowed magic wrap around her. She looked at her torso to find bands of shadow magic bind her front hooves and wings to her side. Even as she lit her horn to clear the magic, she gasped as she was hurled into the walls of a nearby building.

“Do you yet realize how futile this is?” Tyranny asked as he levitated her into the air with him. “Once I am done with you, I will move on to your sister, and I will enjoy watching her drown in anguish over your obliteration before I send her to join you.”

Celestia’s eyes widened and her jaw ached from clenching as a white hot rage rushed through her. With a scream the bands holding her burst apart as her aura surrounded her. Looking back, he took a well-aimed kick to the midsection. He grunted as the air was blasted out of him.

Snapping her wings open as her magic gathered around her horn, she yelled, “You. Will. Not. Hurt. My sister!” She blasted him again with a massive beam of energy that sent him careening across the sky.

Escaping her blast, she appeared above him and kicked him to the streets below. Tyranny only had time to hit the ground before she stomped him fully into the cobblestone pavement.

“Enough of this, Tyranny! Surrender!” Her eyes and horn blazed brightly as she glared down at the supine Tyranny.

“Fool!” He kicked her into the air. “You are not capable of stopping me!” He fired out a second set of shadow bands that were much larger than earlier. She shot a beam at them, but they slithered out of the way and wrapped around everything below her neck. Trying to kick free, she gasped as he yanked her closer and she found herself face to face with the stallion.

“I have dealt with your defiance long enough, Celestia.” When she tried to bring her magic to bear, the shadows closed about her tighter, cutting off her focus. He levitated back into the air, dragging her with him. “Do you have any idea what it is like to be imprisoned for over a thousand years, with your very essence divided and your soul screaming to be whole again? Do you know how much the ache hurts? Do you?!” The shadows tightened even more, and forcing a scream from her as she felt her ribs threaten to give.

With a growl, he flung her back towards the castle. Screaming, she crashed through the windows of the throne room and bounced across the floor, skidding to a stop near a shocked Twilight Sparkle who had watched the whole battle in the skies from the bay window in stunned disbelief.

“Princess Celestia!” she yelled before looking up as Tyranny appeared before the throne. The stallion held his side, his face turned in a grimace of pain from where Celestia had blasted him.

“You have crimes you must atone for, Celestia, and your judgment is at hoof,” he said in a perfectly calm, unsettling voice. He stood straighter and lifted his hoof towards her as it collected energy. Celestia tried to stand, but her battered body would not heed her command.

As the energy reached a boiling point, he shouted a parting before a massive beam of energy raced out towards her. Celestia could only close her eyes as she saw doom before her.

“NOOOOOOO!” Twilight’s frantic scream filled the air, and a violet beam shot out and deflected Tyranny’s attack through a wall, the resulting explosion lit the city below as if the sun had risen again.

Tyranny watched it with an annoyed look before turning to find her standing defensively before Princess Celestia.

“You would defend her after all she has done to you?” he demanded of her.

Twilight looked at Celestia with apologetic eyes and turned back to look at him, her glare easily matching his. “She may not have told me everything and had me go through many rigorous trials in the past. But if she hadn’t, I would never have met my friends and have grown into the pony I am today. She is kind and loving, and a better ruler than you can ever hope to be. I won’t let you hurt her anymore!”

“Twilight,” Celestia said, emotion thick in her voice.

“Foolish child,” he spat. “You would deny this world its rightful ruler and all for her lies?! It is best then that you be obliterated along with her!” He lifted his hoof and fired another ray. Twilight surrounded herself and Celestia with a violet globe of light. His ray exploded upon her barrier, showering them with multi-colored sparks.

“Twilight! Princess!” They heard a chorus of shouts from the doors of the throne room. The other Elements of Harmony and Princess Luna ran into their aid. Twilight’s friends ran to her side in defense of Princess Celestia, while Luna helped her sister to her hooves.

“You’re here,” Twilight said with relief, sweat running down her face as she let her globe vanish.

“Tyranny brought along his friends,” Applejack explained, glowering at the annoyed-looking stallion. “They kept us from getting’ ta ya any faster than we did.”

“They weren’t going to keep me away from finally kicking this guy’s flank.” Rainbow Dash punched at the air a few times.

Tyranny scoffed. “Fools.”

Celestia leaned on her sister for support. “It is over, Tyranny. The Elements of Harmony are here, and they will seal you away again! Girls, use the Elements.”

“You heard the princess, girls. Form up!” Twilight said, and her friends gathered around. Their eyes closing, the Elements began to glow and the six of them levitated into the air.

“The Elements take time to charge, and time is something you do not have!” Tyranny lashed out with another attack, aimed at the exposed Twilight. Just before his hit struck, a golden barrier appeared and the attack dissipated.

“We must give them time, sister,” Celestia said as her barrier faded.

Luna nodded and shot a ray of her own at Tyranny, who simply back hoofed the attack away. He gave the sisters a disgusted look and dozens of his minions appeared in the throne room. The sisters defeated many, but were pulled down by the rest. Celestia kicked and even bit at the creatures as they held her down. She felt her blood run cold as more of them charged after Twilight and her friends.

“No!” she screamed, trying to kick her way free to their aid.

A trio of energy rays flew out, striking down the charging minions. The princesses looked up to see Shining Armor, Princess Cadence, and Queen Chrysalis blasting at the shadow ponies that had them pinned.

“Cadence, Shining…” Her gaze locked on Chrysalis before continuing. “Chrysalis. Your timing is impeccable.”

“We’re here to help,” Cadence said as more shadows appeared and charged them. “We can’t let Tyranny win.”

“Indeed not!” Luna shouted, ducking a swing from a shadow and landing one of her own, sending the creature flying across the room. “You will not have your victory here, Tyranny!”

A part of Celestia felt the scowl on Tyranny’s face to be cathartic, but now wasn’t the time for such thoughts as she and the others kept the never-ending waves of Tyranny’s minions from reaching Twilight and her friends.

As the Elements about reached their charge, Tyranny twirled his scepter before striking the ground. “I think not,” he said. Erupting from underneath Twilight and her friends were six shadow bands. Each one found its mark and disrupted their concentration as they were scattered about.

Tourmaline and Tormod thundered down the hallway as they heard the battle ahead of them. They knew without a doubt who was behind this attack on the castle—the voice they had heard long ago in the jungle ruin seemed to echo throughout the castle. While it filled Tormod with dread, Tourmaline lowered her head and charged.

’Wanderer, I know you’re here. I won’t stop until I save you. Don’t get yourself hurt, please.’

So focused on getting to the throne room, she didn’t noticed she outpaced her brother, who lagged behind, breathing hard from the run through the castle.

“Tourmaline, slow down. I can’t keep up with you,” he called ahead to her.

“Come on, Tormod! We have to help,” she called back.

“What do you think we can do when we get there? We’re just two ponies, we don’t have Princess Celestia’s power, and you saw just as well as I did what happened when she fought him. What do you intend to do?”

“I’m doing whatever it takes to help out,” she said, her voice unwavering. “Even if I have to pound Wanderer into the ground to get him to come to his senses.”

“Did you ever think that maybe Wanderer is—?” he started to say, but skidded to a stop as she whirled on him.

“Don’t you dare say it! Wanderer is still in there, and I won’t believe he isn’t!” She yelled as her gaze bore figurative daggers into him.

Tormod raised his hooves. “I just don’t want you to be hurt should the worst happen, Tourmaline. I don’t want it to be true no more than you do.”

A sharp huff escaped her. “The worst won’t happen if get there to help out. Now move it, Tormod!” With that, she turned away and galloped down the hallway.

Tormod blew a sigh past his nose and ran after his headstrong sister. Good or bad, he was not about to abandon her or their friend, even if it meant he would have to face his fear again.

The bearers of the Elements of Harmony groaned as they shook their heads. The dissipated magic and the blows from the shadow magic had them all seeing stars.

“Twilight, are you all right?” Celestia asked as she stood protectively in front of them.

“Yeah, I’m all right,” she said, getting back to her hooves.

Tyranny chuckled as he levitated above the throne, his arrogant smirk setting Celestia’s hackles to rise. “None of you stand a chance. Kneel before me, and I will show leniency,” he said as even more of his minions manifested from clouds of smoke.

“Again, girls, we can’t stop.” Twilight helped her friends to their hooves. With a chorus of affirmatives, they closed their eyes and once again their Elements began to glow.

A disgusted snort blew past Tyranny's nose. “Ignorant fools.” Without a word, his minions charged.

“We must protect them,” Celestia said, her horn glowing.

“Shining, your spell,” Cadence said to him even as she turned her magic against the creatures.

“Right!” He nodded, and as the girls began to hover in the air, his protection spell enveloped them.

“This is my victory! You will not stop me!” Tyranny yelled. He leveled his scepter and a blast of energy soared for Twilight.

A golden beam intercepted his and Celestia felt the destroyed magics set her mane to swaying. “The only thing you will find today is defeat, Tyranny. You’ve never learned that there is more than one way to harmony and you're still woefully blind to see it!”

He growled and threw up his own barrier as Celestia’s beam was joined by one from Luna. The gold and azure beams sparking from the magic of his scepter. “There is only one way to peac—!”

His eyes widened as a green beam sailed towards him and he dropped to the ground, the beams sailing overhead harmlessly. Landing on his hooves, his gaze snapped to the side to see a smugly-grinning Chrysalis glare right back at him.

“You won’t dodge the next one,” she promised as her twisted horn started to glow once more.

“Deal with her!”

In response well over a dozen dark ponies surrounded and tackled the changeling queen to the ground. She kicked and swore as she batted aside the creatures.

“Where did you find her?” Celestia asked as she and Luna kicked aside another monster.

“It is a long tale, sister,” Luna lowered her horn and skewered a shadow pony, its body dissipating and armor falling to the floor. “One we will share once we put him away again.”

Celestia nodded and intercepted another beam from Tyranny as he once again aimed at Twilight.

She turned as she felt the magic of harmony surge behind her and she smiled as the Elements had finished their charge.

Turning back at Tyranny’s hiss of surprise, she saw him level another blast, but did nothing to stop it this time. With a bright flash, the distinctive rainbow-hued beam lurched out in its arc. Tyranny’s magic meant nothing to it, as his beam was simply overwhelmed by the power of the Elements of Harmony.

As the Elements’ power descended towards the spirit, he could only look onto the approaching beam. Celestia looked at his expression, expecting chagrin or outright denial, but what she saw made her furrow her brow.

A wide, victorious smile had spread across his face.

Her blood froze as realization struck.

Celestia’s cry took a frantic edge as she yelled, “Twilight! Stop!”

With a wide smile, Tyranny lobed his prized scepter into the path of the oncoming beam. As the magic washed over it, the scepter began to shake and crack violently. The amethyst shattered, and there was a blinding flash of light that had all but Tyranny looking away as the scepter exploded into a million, ruined pieces.

Chapter Thirteen

Twilight let her shield fall as the fragments of the scepter finished raining among her friends and clinking to the tiled floor. Squinting past the diminishing glow of the Elements, she tried to see what had become of Tyranny. Expecting him to crash to the ground as a statue, her irises shrank and her breath caught as he floated in the air above the throne—unaffected. Faint whispers drifted around him as a dark miasma swirled around his body, slowly being absorbed. He looked at his front hooves as if seeing something no one else saw.

Rainbow groaned as she got back to her hooves, her jaw dropping as she also looked up. “What the hay? What happened?”

“D-Didn’t the Elements work?” Fluttershy asked, her ears laying back as she shrank away.

Twilight felt the hairs along her spine stand at the magic that was steadily growing around Tyranny. Unlike the coldness his earlier magic gave off, this magic felt rigid, unyielding, yet strangely... comforting. “Princess Celestia, what happened? Why didn’t the Elements work?”

When no answer came, she looked towards her mentor. Celestia stood stock still, her own expression fearful.

“Sister!” Luna called, snapping Celestia from her daze.

“The Elements worked as they should have, but…” She looked at Tyranny who remained oblivious to them. “He found out what I had hoped he would not.”

Rarity gulped and gave her a worried look. “What do you mean, Princess?”

“When Luna and I imprisoned him long ago, he was too powerful to seal all in one place,” she said, her brow furrowing as the miasma started swirling around Tyranny faster. “To seal him, we were forced to divide his essence separately. We used his crown and scepter as the receptacles. Alone, they could do nothing, but together, they allowed him to influence this world.”

“Even with this separation, his power was mostly sealed within the scepter,” Luna said as she also frowned. “Which was just destroyed by the Elements of Harmony—”

“—and releasing his power,” Celestia finished, her grim tone causing a shudder to run up Twilight’s spine.

Applejack stamped her hoof to the marble floor. “Then what are we standin’ around for? Let’s stop ’im before he gets too powerful again.”

Celestia nodded. “Indeed, we must act now. Twilight, you know what to do.”

“All right, girls, again. Form up,” Twilight said. Getting back on their hooves, the six began collecting the energy to charge the Elements of Harmony once more. Even as their magic gathered, Tyranny paid them no heed as he continued to absorb the miasma.

Everypony could only watch as the Elements continued to gather power. From the doorway, Tourmaline and Tormod watched in stunned awe, their eyes locked upon the stallion who had possessed their friend.

“Do you still think he is in there?” Tormod asked her quietly, the fear in his eyes showing he hadn’t forgotten his time as a statue. Tourmaline didn’t answer; her gaze locked on Tyranny’s, whose eyes showed a growing manic expression.

With a bright flash, the Elements of Harmony finished their charge and the rainbow-beam arched out—making its way towards the oblivious stallion. Just as the beam was about to connect, the remaining miasma flew into the spirit and he put both front hooves up above him. With a collective gasp, the ponies stood with wide eyes and dropped jaws, as Tyranny stopped the power of the Elements of Harmony.

Leering, he pushed back the magic of the Elements with his own beam of energy.

With a mocking laugh that roared over the discharge of energy, his colorless beam pushed the rainbow one back into its bearers. Twilight sucked in a breath and cringed as the beam struck and threw her and her friends across the room and into the others below.

As they picked themselves up from the floor, Tyranny hovered above them, an intense gleam in his eyes.

“After all this time, I am whole again,” he proclaimed, holding his forelegs out wide. “The Elements of Harmony have failed you, and with their failure, goes your last hope of defeating me. The entire world shall now fall under my reign!” An arrogant smirk crossed his face. “I truly have all of you to thank. Were it not for your efforts, it wouldn’t have been possible.”

“What are you saying, Tyranny?” Celestia asked as she helped Twilight back to her hooves.

“That everything went as planned.” His grin grew wider. “I knew from the moment of my release that the majority of my power was sealed inside my scepter, and that I would not be able to regain it on my own. Not even you, Celestia, had the power to destroy it, but I knew of one source that did. The one you and Luna used to defeat me before.”

“The Elements,” Twilight said, shaking her head to clear the dancing lights from her vision.

He turned his arrogant grin her way. “Indeed, Princess, but when I learned that they had passed on to a new generation, I needed to harness their power in a way that would be of benefit. While it’s true that I could have allowed you to use them in the clearing or at the crystal tower, that wouldn’t have allowed me a satisfying vengeance against Celestia.”

“You egotistical maniac!” Twilight yelled, grinding her teeth. “All of this is just some game to you?”

His mocking laughter echoed through the entire castle. “There was no game, Princess. A game would signify a contest between equals, and you will never be my equal,” he said as he lowered himself to the marble floor, which darkened at his touch, like the very light was being snuffed out.“I did what was needed to bring order to this world and bring about a satisfying revenge in the same process. To simply have overwhelmed Celestia and Luna with my full power would not have been near as enjoyable.”

The ponies bristled when he took a step forward, a contemptuous snort escaped him before he continued, “The hope you felt in thinking you had me defeated—only to have that hope taken away at the last moment and crushed before your eyes—that was what I strove for. And I can see it in your eyes, your hope is dead. And you realize how powerless you are to stop me now.” His arrogant visage turned to a firm glare. “Now, kneel before your true ruler.”

“Oh, pah-leese Tyranny. Could you get anymore melodramatic? That little speech sounded like it could have been on stage,” a disembodied voice said.

Tyranny’s eyes narrowed, and his gaze flitted around the room. “Of course he would dare.”

“Discord!” Fluttershy said happily and with no small amount of relief.

“Hello again, Fluttershy,” Discord said as he appeared. Leaning on one of the few remaining pillars of the throne room, his front paws rested comfortably behind his head. “And to you other ponies and pony—” he opened one eye at Chrysalis “—thing.”

The changeling queen growled at the impudent spirit, who promptly stuck his tongue out at her.

“I had wondered when you were going to show your disfigured face, Discord,” Tyranny said, venom practically dripping in his tone.

“Aw, missed me did you, Tyry my boy? I’m touched.” Discord appeared beside him, leaning on his shoulder. “You know me, always loving a flashy entrance.” With a snap of his fingers, he disappeared in a flash of light and reappeared by the ponies. “Well my dear ponies, you certainly made a mess of the place.’ He looked around the ruined throne room with a nod of approval. “Very nicely done, I might add.”

“Discord!” Twilight growled. “This is no time for games. Tyranny just—” she was cut off as he rested his elbow on her head.

“Oh I know it, little princess, how about you let me handle mister grumpy over there, hmm?” he said to her in a conspiring whisper, one that was not all that quiet to begin with.

Tyranny glowered at him. “What are you babbling about, Discord?”

He shrugged. “Oh, just about the weather. You know how the winged ponies feel about that sort of thing.” His smirk grew as Tyranny’s scowl deepened. “But really, after all these years, you’re still bent on the classical idea of ruling the world?” He appeared next to the stallion, calmly walking around him. “Must be boring to not have a single different thought in over a millennia.”

“Wait, didn’t you—” Rainbow started before a piece of duct tape slapped itself over her muzzle.

“And you cannot even finish stringing one thought from the next,” Tyranny countered. “Such is the fallibility of chaos.”

Discord appeared next to him again, wrapping one arm around him buddy-buddy like. “You want to know what I think is incredibly ironic?” Discord said, ignoring Tyranny’s glare. “It’s that I, the Spirit of Chaos, have my own original handsome body, whereas you, the Spirit of Order, the one who is supposed to signify stability, has to possess another pony to even exist in this world.” He laughed, slapping at his knee in mirth. “Such delicious irony. It almost makes me want to—”

Tyranny blasted him against the wall, his eyes blazing in rage.

Discord dusted himself off after being dropped to the ground. “Well, that was certainly rude. Guess I struck a nerve.” He smirked and snapped his fingers, and a two-ton anvil dropped onto Tyranny’s head, smashing him to the floor with a loud metallic clang.

“Ah, the classics are always the best,” Discord said, his tone taking a wistful turn to it.

The anvil exploded into a million pieces, and Tyranny picked himself from the ground, shooting another beam. Discord yawned, and a bucket appeared in his paw, trapping the ray inside.

“Really, Tyranny? An energy beam? So overdone and clichéd. Surely you can think of another way to beat me than a boring old energy beam.” The bucket turned into a glass of water, which he promptly drank down. “Why don’t you try a little bit of this?” Tossing the glass over his shoulder, he snapped his claws. In response, a veritable army of flying cows in plate armor gathered around the Draconequus. “Sally forth, my friends!”

With a warcry, the bovine knights charged.

Scowling, Tyranny raised one hoof above him and lightning arced out all around the throne room, destroying walls, pillars, furniture, and even arching towards the ponies, who had to dive for cover. As each bolt struck a bovine warrior, the cow returned to their normal state before panicking and stampeding out of the room—nearly trampling the ponies as they scurried out of the way.

Discord gave him a snide smirk as the lightning missed his face by inches. “Losing your temper? It’s so unbecoming of you. I always thought you were master of your emotions.”

As the lightning ended—the scorch marks still crackling with energy—Tyranny glared at him. “Do you really think you can distract me with words or your foolish creations? You are a bigger fool than I remember.”

“All right, that’s it! I’ve had it with this guy!” Rainbow Dash yelled. Picking herself up, she flew towards Tyranny. She gasped as a large wall of clear amethyst materialized out of nowhere, completely separating them from Tyranny and Discord.

“You will not interfere,” Tyranny told her matter-of-factly. He turned his gaze back to Discord, who was busy idling with a paddle ball.

“Mock while you can, Discord, for it will be your last time.” Tyranny held his front hooves before him, turning them towards each other. A sphere of energy began to form between them as he gathered his power.

“I highly doubt that,” Discord said, a smug smirk spreading across his face before he considered the growing sphere with a raised brow. “Well now, this is a new one.”

Tyranny collected the energy until the sphere was as large as he was, and he hurled it at Discord.

“Oh how I love a ball game,” Discord said happily, instantly dressed in a baseball-player’s uniform, a long wooden bat held in paw. “Batter up!” He swung the bat as the sphere neared.

Unfortunately, instead of reflecting the sphere back at Tyranny as he’d intended, the bat disintegrated.

“Oh bother,” he said and twisted his body so the sphere barely missed him. Twilight saw it singed a few hairs off his hide before going through the wall behind him, leaving a perfectly round hole.

“Your aim is a bit off,” Discord taunted.

“Is it?” Tyranny asked with a sneer.

Discord turned in time to see the sphere race back at him.

“Oh bother,” he muttered again and raced away, the sphere in close pursuit.

No matter where Discord slithered around the throne room, the sphere followed. Any time he flew near one of the scorched marks left from Tyranny’s earlier lightning outburst, a smaller sphere would pop up and explode. Twilight winced as Discord did his best to avoid them, but the larger sphere made dodging the smaller ones almost impossible. Numerous times he had to take the smaller explosions to avoid the larger sphere.

Just when it seemed the sphere had begun to slow, Tyranny appeared before the draconequus and kicked him solidly in the chest. Discord flew backwards and straight into the pursuing sphere of energy. The resulting explosion shook the entire castle, and Twilight cringed as Discord was slammed into the tiled floor.

“No, Discord!” the ponies shouted past shocked gasps.

Discord was slowly pushing himself up when he noticed a small ball of light floating in front of his face. The ball turned into a ring of similar spheres with energy arcing between them.

“Oh no! He landed on a—”

“Trap,” Discorded finished for Twilight just as it exploded.

Fluttershy’s scream was heard above the others.

When the dust cleared, Discord lay in a daze. He moved a bit before a band of shadow wrapped around him and hauled him towards Tyranny. The two were muzzle to muzzle, and he glared at Discord, who still wore a slight grin.

“Something humorous, Discord? As I see it, you’re losing.”

Discord shrugged slightly. “Maybe.” A lemon-cream pie appeared in his paw, and he promptly splattered it into Tyranny’s face. An explosion sent the stallion flying into the amethyst wall, which cracked under the force of the impact. “At least I know how to have fun and not be a pompous stick-in-the-mud.”

“Exploding pies. Why didn’t I think of that?” Pinkie commented.

“Pinkie!” chided more than one of her friends.

“Now, now. One should never doubt the power of pie.” Discord nodded sagely.

Tyranny growled, whipping the remains of the combustible pie from his face and teleported in front of the draconequus. Before Discord could react, Tyranny grabbed him by the face and electrical energy arced out, causing him to writhe in agony under the assault. Any time Discord tried to struggle, Tyranny shocked him with an even stronger jolt of energy.

“Are you having fun now?” Tyranny growled. “What is it that these ponies have given you that you hold so dear? Did you honestly believe it would have aided you against me?”

Discord managed to glare at the stallion. “You call this original? I’ve had worse from a paw zapper.”

Tyranny threw him contemptuously towards the stunned ponies. He landed with a grunt and rolled onto his back, just in time for Tyranny to stomp on his chest.

Discord grunted in pain and tried to pry the hoof off his chest, but Tyranny held a forehoof over him, and numerous arcs of dark energy washed over the draconequus. “For eons, I’ve had to deal with your smart mouth, Discord. Do you find this humorous?” The energy arched out anew. “Do you?!”

Discord writhed in pain as the energy sapped him of his strength. It seemed like the assault lasted forever to those who were forced to watch. When it mercifully ended, Discord let his arms fall to the his side, turning his head to give the stunned ponies an apologetic look.

“It is over,” Tyranny said, his harsh glare upon the ponies beyond the wall. “Order has triumphed over Chaos, and this world will finally, truly belong to me.” He cast a disdainful expression to Discord. “You honestly thought that you could have outlasted my assault? You always were a fool, Discord. Your time among them has weakened your powers and serves no purpose to me.” He lifted a hoof towards him. “I have waited a long time for this.” The dark energy swirled and grew around his hoof.

Discord tried to move again, but Twilight saw he didn’t have it in him. He looked to the gathered ponies on the other side of the wall, even to the two at the door.

“I suggest you ponies all learn how get along.” With a weak snap of his fingers they all vanished in a flash of light.

Just in time for Tyranny to hit him with the spell. The Spirit of Chaos could only watch as his body began to blacken.

“Oh joy, time in the realm of Shadow. Never understood why you love the place so much.” He looked at Tyranny, who stood over him with a smirk. “Oh, don’t be so smug, Tyry. Those ponies are a lot more clever than you think.”

Tyranny snorted. “It doesn’t matter what they do. They cannot stop me now.”

Discord cringed as the blackness reached his face. “You would be surprised. I learned the hard way, and you’ll be no different. In fact, when it happens, it will be hilarious.”

“Either way—” Tyranny looked straight into Discord’s eyes “—You will not be here to see it. Farewell, Discord.” He turned away as the draconequus was banished from Equestria.

Chapter Fourteen

In a small clearing surrounded by tall trees, a bright flash of light sent the woodland animals skittering into the trees. From the light, the ponies appeared and fell unceremoniously into the tall grass. While the winged ponies were able to save themselves, the others landed with undignified grunts. After picking themselves off of the ground, they looked around with bleary eyes.

“What the hay happened? How’d we get out here?” Applejack asked, looking around the darkened clearing.

Twilight’s gaze turned to the lights of Canterlot in the distance before her gaze fell to the ground. “Discord sent us away before Tyranny could come after us.”

Rainbow Dash also looked towards Canterlot Castle. “What do ya think happened in there? To Discord?”

“Tyranny used the same magic he used on Princess Celestia’s guards,” Twilight said, images of the guard’s panicked expressions still vivid in her mind. “Before they turned completely black and shattered like glass.”

“He killed them?” Rarity exclaimed. “How could anyone be so cruel?”

“No,” Celestia said as she lightly touched down upon the grass. “The spell Tyranny used sent them to the Realm of Shadow. The effects are… mostly painless, but they are alive. As is Discord, who is now imprisoned as well.”

Fluttershy gasped and lowered her head in quiet sobbing, Rarity and Cadence offering their supporting hooves.

Twilight’s frown deepened as the sobs tore at her heart. ’She has seen a lot of Tyranny’s cruelty. And knowing that Discord is gone now too, I can’t blame her wanting to cry.’

“With Discord gone, how are we supposed to beat Tyranny now?” Rainbow Dash asked again, her forelegs folded in front of her.

“Rainbow Dash,” Rarity admonished, keeping a supporting foreleg around Fluttershy.

“Oh… sorry, Fluttershy,” Rainbow said, rubbing at the back of her head. Fluttershy nodded, her eyes still rimmed with tears.

Luna looked towards Celestia, who sat staring at their castle. “What should we do now, sister?”

Celestia closed her eyes, and Twilight saw the faintest of tears rimming her eyes. “I truly don’t know, Luna. With Discord gone and the Elements no longer powerful enough to stop Tyranny, we do not have many options left. He will not fall for the same deception we used before.”

“Perhaps we should rouse the ponies against him and remove him by force?” Shining Armor said. “If we can wear him down enough for the Elements to work, that might defeat him.”

Celestia shook her head. “It would take time to rally the Equestrian Guard to assault his holdings. He would only solidify his power the longer we wait.”

“That would also lead to a massive battle, and many ponies could get hurt,” Princess Cadence said, standing next to her husband. “We can’t let that happen.”

“We may not have much choice, Cadence,” he said as he looked at his wife, regret making its way into his tone. “As we are now, we won’t be strong enough to bring him down. We have to fight if we are going to stop him.”

Her chin dipped, a soft hum escaping her. “But we should still avoid an all-out war if we can.”

Queen Chrysalis scoffed and began walking in the direction of Canterlot.

“Where do you think you are going?” Celestia demanded, turning to glare at the changeling.

Chrysalis shot a glare back. “I’m going to do something worthwhile, instead of standing around like a lost herd of sheep.”

Luna narrowed her eyes at the changeling, an angry scowl spreading across her muzzle. “You intend to face Tyranny by yourself then? Because that worked so well for you the last time you tried.”

Chrysalis whirled, her fangs bared as she snarled. “If I have to. He is going to pay for what he did to me and my hive.”

“By your own words, you faced him before with the support of your entire hive and you were defeated. What, exactly, do you plan for it to be any different this time?” Luna asked, not backing down from that snarl.

Chrysalis appeared thoughtful a moment before turning a sly look at Shining Armor and Princess Cadence. “Perhaps if the love birds would let me absorb most of their love. I would have the power to defeat him. The same way I so easily beat your sister, Luna.”

Even as Luna bristled, Shining stepped in front of his wife, glaring at the changeling. “Never again.”

Chrysalis scoffed. “How else do you think to get rid of him then? Without endangering your precious pony folk?”

As a heated debate started between the royal couple and the changeling queen, Twilight turned to regard Tourmaline and Tormod as they stepped towards Princess Celestia—who watched the exchange with a frown of disapproval.

Tourmaline watched the argument for a moment before speaking. “Princess Celestia.”

The princess turned to regard them. “Ah, Tourmaline and Tormod. I hadn’t realized you were brought here with us, I am glad to see you’re safe. What did you wish to say?”

“Maybe we could try talking to him,” Tourmaline said, determination clear in her voice.

A confused frown tugged at Celestia’s lips. “I do not understand your suggestion, Tourmaline. Talk and negotiation will not work with Tyranny. He will not yield to demands other than his own, and anything he will demand will not benefit any of us.”

Tormod gave his sister a disapproving glance. “What my sister meant was that we could try reaching out to Wanderer.”

Celestia’s eyes widened as she blinked. “What do you mean?”

“I know he is still in there, Princess Celestia,” Tourmaline explained, her ear flicking. “Wanderer would never give up without a fight. Not even someone like Tyranny could keep him down for long. Maybe if we could appeal to Wanderer, it could help.”

A soft smile pulled at Celestia’s as she regarded the pegasus. “You believe in him so firmly?”

“Yes!” she half-shouted. All eyes turned towards her, and she blushed, lowering her head in embarrassment. “I mean, yes I do, Princess,” she said a bit softer. Tormod snickered at her, which earned him a jab in the ribs.

Celestia’s smile faded as she spoke. “As noble as that is, Tourmaline, I am afraid Wanderer is truly suppressed within his own mind. Nothing we say can reach him.”

Tourmaline stamped her hoof, the dry grass crunching under her stomp. “I don’t believe that! He’s still in there! I know he is!”

Luna stood beside her and laid a comforting hoof on Tourmaline’s withers. “Your friend is beyond our reach, brave Tourmaline,” she said to her firmly but not harshly. “I know from the time we spent on the road, you never once forgot your friend. However, it might be that Wanderer is—

“No!” Tourmaline shouted. She turned and galloped off—too proud to let them see the tears forming in her eyes.

“Tourmaline!” Tormod called after her. “Excuse me, Princess.” He turned and ran after his sister.

Applejack watched the two run off towards the edge of the clearing. “Now hold on. We shouldn’t be givin’ up hope. There’s got to be another way.”

Rainbow Dash gave her an annoyed look. “Do you have any bright ideas, Applejack?”

“I ain’t hearin’ anything from you, Rainbow,” she said with a glare. “Why don’t ya help figure out what we can do instead a complainin’.”

Rarity pushed them apart as the two hot-headed mares butted heads. “Girls, this is no time to be arguing with one another. We need to be putting our heads together to formulate a plan, not butting them together in frustration. All of our friends and family are depending upon us.”

Rainbow and Applejack turned to look at her. “Do you have any ideas, Rarity?” Rainbow asked.

“Well, I… no, I don’t,” the fashionista admitted before she looked towards Twilight. “Twilight? What about you?”

She shook her head slowly. “No, but I’m trying to think.” She frowned softly at a nagging thought as it remained out of reach in the back of her mind.

“Oh, oh, I got an idea!” Pinkie Pie waved a hoof around wildly.

Applejack gave her a flat stare. “Does it involve a party?”

“Or a song?” Rainbow Dash added.

Pinkie’s smiled faded a bit, but held her hoof up again.

“Does it involve monkeys too?” Rarity asked.

Pinkie lowered her hoof and sat down, crossing her forelegs in a pout. “It was a good plan too.”

As arguments and discussions began all over again, Twilight finally let the nagging thought go. She quietly watched as heated words were exchanged and tempers flared. As she watched, she felt her frown deepen. Her trusted friends, her mentor, and everyone else was upset over what had happened in Canterlot—she couldn’t honestly blame them. Considering everything she went through herself, she couldn’t understand how she wasn’t also emotional.

Blowing a sigh through her nose, she looked up at the night sky. ’Perhaps it’s because I feel so drained that I’ve nothing more to give.’

She considered that maybe the arguing and division were also part of Tyranny’s plan. The more she thought on it, the more she realized he seemed to have every step thoroughly planned out. Even contingencies for those plans, and likely contingencies for the contingency plans. How were they going to defeat him when he had nearly everything anticipated for?

Turning to look at her feuding friends, the unlikely ally Chrysalis, and the siblings who had known the pony before Tyranny possessed him, her frown deepened. ’I wonder if there’s anything that can save Equestria from Tyranny’s domination?’

Twilight sighed and looked at Fluttershy, who had been sitting silently during the whole ordeal. She hid behind her mane, and the one eye that Twilight could see shone with muted sadness.

Standing up, Twilight walked to sit beside her friend. “It’s alright, Fluttershy, we’ll find a way to free Discord and everypony else who was captured.”

Fluttershy sniffed and pushed her hair back. “It is not that, well, mostly not that.”

Twilight tilted her head as she looked at her. “What do you mean?”

Fluttershy bit at her lip. “It’s just that…”

“Just?” Twilight prompted.

The pegasus looked towards the others. “I just wish that everypony could get along and not fight with each other.”

The nagging thought from earlier rushed back to her, dancing on the very tip of her tongue. “What did you say, Fluttershy?”

Now it was Fluttershy’s turn to give her a curious look. “I said I just wish everypony would get along.”

Twilight’s eyes widened, her smile growing just as wide. “That’s it! Fluttershy, you’re a genius!” Twilight lifted her friend up in a hug.

Fluttershy strained to draw in breath as she gave the others a confused look. “Umm… sorry.”

Twilight released her from the bone-crushing hug. “Do you remember what Discord said to us? That’s the answer!” Twilight beamed as her elation grew as a plan began to form in her mind.

Fluttershy’s confused frown only deepened. “About getting along?”

“What do you mean, Twilight?” Princess Celestia asked as they gathered around the giddy alicorn.

“Do you remember what Discord said? He said that we should get along and work together. That’s the answer!”

An uncomfortable silence grew as Rainbow Dash finally muttered, “I don’t get it.”

“Don’t you see? Discord knew the answer. If we work together, we can defeat Tyranny.”

“Can somepony please have her explain what she’s sayin’?” Applejack exasperated.

Twilight took in a breath. “We each have tried to defeat him in our own way, and individually, nothing’s worked. But if we were to combine our strength together, not even Tyranny with all of his power could match us. We have to stand together to face a tyrant like him. History has long told of tales of tyrants falling to the combined efforts of those who stood against them, together,” she stressed. “It’s no different with Tyranny. Together, we can beat him.”

After a moment, Rainbow’s grin begin to grow. “Yeah, each of us is pretty awesome, but together, we’re even awesomer.”

“The awesomest!” Pinkie Pie added.

Applejack smiled wide. “That too!”

“When the cloths and materials are put together, that is when a dress comes together perfectly,” Rarity added, wrapping a foreleg around Twilight. “That is how we shall be, a perfectly designed dress!”

“For all our friends,” Fluttershy added, a small smile playing at her lips.

“Twilight, how do you intend to use our powers together?” Celestia asked, her mane billowing to show her eagerness.

Twilight looked at her mentor, and she felt a pang of betrayal for a moment, but it was lost as soon as it came. “If we all gave our power to the Elements of Harmony, all of us together, it would be more than Tyranny could ever hope to match.”

Luna hummed as she rubbed at her chin. “It seems a sound plan, do you think it would work?”

Twilight gave her a determined nod. “I know it will, Princess Luna. I am sure of it.”

“We are with you, Twily,” Shining Armor said as he and Princess Cadence joined them.

“For peace and love to return to Equestria, we will do all we can,” Cadence added, a pleased smile on her muzzle.

All eyes turned to Queen Chrysalis as she stood apart—scowling at them

“Queen Chrysalis,” Twilight said, narrowing her eyes at Chrysalis. “We have never been friends, and likely won’t ever be, but even you cannot argue that Tyranny would be no kinder to you or your changelings. Will you help us in ridding Equestria of him?”

The queen’s scowl deepened and she didn’t answer for a moment. “What’s in it for me?”

Celestia spoke before Twilight could. “We will not imprison you or your hive for your past deeds if you aid us. Of this, you have my word.”

Suspicion practically glowed in Chrysalis’s narrowed eyes but stepped she stepped forward anyway. “This doesn’t make us friends. I’m doing this to save my subjects.”

As they all gathered around, Twilight felt her morale lift at seeing the hopeful expressions. All of her lessons on friendship would once again save Equestria—she was sure of it.

“So how are we going to face Tyranny? Going back to Canterlot would not be a wise decision, so what should we do?” Luna asked.

“I have a plan, Princess.” Twilight said, eagerness dripping from her tone as she began to hammer out the points of her plan. Those around her grew increasingly excited as a flicker of hope sparked where there was nothing but despair before.

Chapter Fifteen

Her sun was well past its zenith as Celestia watched the activity in the clearing pick up. After a night full of excitement and heartbreak, they all had needed their rest. Even as they rested, she had watched over them—raising the sun when the time came.

’At least that honor hasn’t been taken from me,’ she thought.

Celestia felt a small, proud smile tug at her lips as she watched Twilight began pointing out the specific details of her plan to her friends, making sure everyone knew their exact role in the upcoming conflict.

As she watched Twilight eagerly point here and there around the clearing, she felt her daze drift up to the sun above, her gaze going distant. Memories of their… argument in the throne room running through her mind.

’I blame myself,’ she thought, sharing her thoughts with her son. ’I had meant to tell her, I truly did, but it never seemed the right time. If only I had been more forthcoming, Tyranny wouldn’t have been able to hurt her or take advantage of her as he did.' She blew a sigh through her nose and returned her focus to Twilight. ’When this is done, I swear by everything that I will tell her what it means to be an alicorn… The full and honest truth.’

Her ears turned at the sound of rustling grass and she turned to see Tourmaline and Tormod approach her.

“Princess Celestia,” they said, bowing to her.

She turned a warm smile their way. “Tormod, Tourmaline, how can I help you?”

Tourmaline stood straighter. “Princess, what do you want us to do in the upcoming fight? Princess Twilight wouldn’t give us a place to help out.”

Celestia turned her attention to her. “I understand your desire to help, Tourmaline, but we cannot allow you to put yourselves at risk in this battle.”

“The bearers of the Elements are putting themselves at risk too, and Wanderer is our friend. We should be helping,” Tourmaline objected.

Celestia shook her head. “We want you both to witness what happens here today. Should we not prove victorious, I want you both to lead the ponies of Equestria against Tyranny and resist him with all of your might.”

“It won’t come to that, Princess. You will win and we want to help everypony,” Tormod said, standing next to his sister. “I’m not nearly as strong as everypony else here, but I would gladly give my power to the Elements if it were possible.”

Tourmaline stood firmly, her eyes showing her determination. “We started this mess, Princess Celestia. Let us help fix it.”

Celestia smiled, again feeling a surge of pride. Despite all these two had been through and the heartache they had felt, they still stood strong and determined in the face of adversity.

“Then stay with us, but promise me you will not risk yourselves needlessly. If events do take a turn for the worse, promise me you will flee and show the ponies of Equestria the strength you have shown me.”

“Yes, Princess,” Tormod said, bowing to her.

A confident smile spread across Tourmaline’s features. “Count on us.”

Celestia smiled again and hoped that their strength would carry them past this final test, for it would soon test them all to their very limits.

The evening sunlight gave the tall grass an orangish tint as Twilight sat with her eyes closed—running her plan over and over in her mind for any flaws.

’I know this will work. I just know it will.’ A small frown tugged at her face. ’But what if somepony misses their que? What if we’re not strong enough? What if my plan doesn’t work at all? What will we do then? Am I overthinking things?’

She groaned to herself as so many nagging questions swam through her head. Why couldn’t she just clear her mind and focus? What was it that kept her from finding the answers?

Sighing, she brought a hoof to her barrel and breathed out, calming herself once more.

She looked up as she felt a comforting hoof rest on her shoulder. Princess Celestia smiled at her with that compassionate smile she had always seen on her mentor’s face that used to bring her comfort.

“Princess Celestia,” Twilight said, her voice no louder than a whisper. Looking at her, she wasn’t sure if she felt sadness, guilt, or hurt—or maybe all three. As she gazed up at Celestia, the words of Tyranny still held in her mind.

“Twilight, I want to let you know that I, that we, have complete faith in you,” the regal alicorn said as she sat next to her, both of their gazes looking at Canterlot Castle in the distance. “You have faced many more challenges before and have always come out for the better.” She turned to look at her. “And I fully expect the same today.”

Twilight bit at her lip before she let out a sigh. “I know, Princess, but I still have doubts, questions.”

“We all do, Twilight, we all do. But know that no matter what happens, your friends, your family, and I trust you and your judgment.” A humored smile tugged at Celestia’s lips. “Even if that judgement has sometimes lead to some interesting situations.”

She couldn’t have kept the embarrassed smile from spreading across her face, her cheeks highlighting.

The two sat on their haunches, the silence growing as they watched the clouds roll by. After a moment, Twilight spoke up again. “There’s something I don’t understand, Princess Celestia,” she said before looking at her mentor. “Tyranny is supposed to represent order and stability, but surely he has to know that his way of thinking would only cause more chaos for Equestria. What happened to him to cause all of this?”

Celestia sat for a long moment, her gaze distant. “Tyranny was always dedicated to his role as the Spirit of Order, but he was not always so cruel. He made many decisions that would be considered hard, but he was always fair. Luna and I supported him because he not only helped maintain our realm during a turbulent time, but he also kept Discord in check in those days.” She glanced away. “All I know is that he changed one day and became the oppressor we know. We tried to reason with him, plead for him to let go of whatever it was that so changed his heart. But in the end, we did what we had to do for Equestria.” She shook her head. “I really wish I knew why, Twilight, but we will never know unless Tyranny himself tells us.”

A frustrated huff escaped her. “But what about when you and Princess Luna defeated him the first time? You used the Elements, didn’t you?”

Celestia nodded after a moment of silence. “We did, yes. But there was more to it than that.”

“How so?”

“Tyranny’s original form had a flaw. We used that flaw to render him unable to stop the Elements from sealing him away.” A sudden gust of wind whipped both of their manes around. “He has apparently learned from his past mistake.”

Twilight rubbed at her face. “There are so many questions and not enough answers.” She sighed before changing the subject. “So your spell will allow him to hear me? And he’ll come to meet us?”

Celestia nodded. “He will. He will not turn down a chance to make sure that any threat to his authority is dealt with. Knowing that you challenged him will further solidify the likelihood of him coming to us.”

Twilight nodded and stood. “We’d better get started.” She took a calming breath once more as Cadence had taught her long ago.

“Twilight,” Celestia said softly and she turned to regard her.

“I promise to you, once this is done, I will tell you the secrets of the alicorn. Honestly and openly, I promise.”

Twilight nodded after a moment. “Thank you, Princess,” she said, a feeling of relief washing through her body.

Celestia stood. “Are you ready?”

Twilight looked around to make sure her friends and the others were in their places; each one gave a nod of confirmation. “We are.”

Celestia’s horn began to glow and Twilight felt herself become lighter for a moment.

“Now, Twilight, anything you say, he will be able to hear.”

Setting herself, Twilight turned her glare at the castle and issued her challenge to the winds.

Tyranny sat on what was once Celestia’s throne, absently watching the worker ponies remove the debris from his throne room. A line of Canterlot’s citizens were being paraded before him, each forced to swear their allegiance to their new ruler. He glanced at the shadow ponies as they herded each one to make their pledge and saw them back out. Fillies and colts wept in their parent’s forelegs, and many adults had downtrodden looks to them. His ears flicked as he heard the muttered disbelief that their beloved princess had been ousted and replaced by this stallion, who was even more terrifying than his shadowy minions.

“Have you found them?” he asked a nearby pony guard, one of the few who hadn’t steadfastly resisted his take over. Also one of the few he had spared the fate of so many others.

The guard lowered his head, his knees shaking underneath the cold glare. “No, my lord, we’re still searching for them.”

“You had best find them, and soon. I will not tolerate failure,” Tyranny said, giving him a meaningful glance.

He smirked to himself as the guard paled, likely imagining what failure would entail.

“Yes, my lord,” the guard said again, bowing.

As Tyranny saw through a few more pledges, his head snapped upwards, his gaze on something that was not truly there.

“Tyranny!” He heard Twilight’s challenge as it was carried on ghostly winds that only he could hear. “We will not run anymore. If you want to finish this, come find us in a clearing outside of Canterlot and we will settle this once and for all.”

His sudden laugh startled all of the ponies in the throne room, making those near the throne huddle away from him.

’This is beyond laughable, he thought. 'She is either foolish, or desperate, if she thinks they will stand a chance against me now. They just made it easier for me to finally rid of the only power that can contest my rule ever again.’

Standing from the throne, his gaze settled on the cowering citizens of Canterlot. “Your foolish princess has dared to challenge me to a final confrontation. When I return, you will watch as I parade them before you in chains.” His gaze swept over all of them. “Rejoice! For once I return, Equestria will no longer know strife nor chaos.” An eager grin spread across his face before he faded from sight.

“Return to your homes, all of you,” the shadow beasts said in unison.

The ponies wasted no time in leaving. As they were ushered out into the streets, more than a few prayers were given in support for their princesses.

Twilight stood alone in the clearing, the wind blowing steadily from behind her. The tall grasses swayed in the steady breeze like the waves upon a lake. Her mane snapped freely in the wind until she tucked it behind her ears and out of her eyes. The twilight hours were upon them and had set the surrounding area in a relaxing orange glow. It was peaceful—serene even—but Twilight did not let that lure her into complacence. She knew Tyranny was on his way and their feud will finally be coming to an end; for the better, she promised herself.

She felt the hairs along her neck stand long before he arrived in the clearing. Tyranny appeared not far from her, unbothered by the fact she waited for him. Turning her glare to him, she stood calm, unafraid.

“So, you have chosen this to be the place of our battle, Lady Twilight?” he asked, looking around the picturesque scenery with a sneer. “It is beautiful, I will give you that, but not as dramatic as I was expecting.”

“Enough of your games, Tyranny.” Her tone showed no hint of weakness, only the strength of her resolve. “I said it was time to finish this, and I meant it. We will defeat you and end this pointless struggle.”

He scoffed. “There is nothing pointless in bringing peace and order to this chaotic world, my lady. You of all others understand the need for order; without it, all else falls to chaos.”

A sudden gust snapped her mane loose again, but she did nothing to restrain it. “There is nothing peaceful in the order you bring. All you bring is control and disharmony. Nothing can grow or change for the better if it’s not allowed to flourish.”

“Sacrifices must be made to ensure the stability of our world, and change threatens that. It is not unacceptable? Do you honestly believe that you are capable of keeping this world from falling into chaos? You are a fool to believe your actions will ever bring peace in the long run.”

“And we can live with that,” Twilight countered, not backing down an inch. “We can change for the better in our own way that does not include forcing ponies to be your servants.”

A mocking smirk tugged at his lips. “You know, it still is not too late, lady Twilight, to use your powers for me and bring real peace to our world. I promise you will not go unrewarded.”

She growled at him. “You have nothing I want.”

“Not even if it meant saving your friends?” He grinned wider. “I can ensure that you will never be parted from them, no matter how long your existence might be.”

Her answer came in the form of an energy beam that he swatted aside.

“So you would take your one hope for a better life and crush it?” He began to hover off the ground. “As you will then. On your knees! Bow before me!”

“Bow to this!” Rainbow Dash flew in and kicked him across the muzzle, snapping his head to the side. Before she even had the chance to enjoy finally getting her hooves on him, he caught her by the tail. She gasped and yelled in surprise as he twirled her about his head before tossing her away.

“Rainbow!” Fluttershy quickly caught her friend, but the force of the throw sent them both tumbling to the ground.

Rainbow Dash shook the dizziness away. “Totally worth it.”

“Are you alright, Rainbow?” Fluttershy asked, concern in her voice.

“Yeah, just wanted to do that for a long time.” She smiled wide before they both looked towards the glowering Tyranny and the two ran to stand by Twilight’s side.

Tyranny snorted at them. “Did you really think your actions would have changed anything?”

Rainbow stood tall, giving him her cocky smile. “No, but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to try. I’ll kick your rump as often as I have to if it means protecting my friends.”

“A bully is all you are! You should be ashamed!” Fluttershy said, not backing down from his glare.

“Foolish,” he muttered and brought up a foreleg towards them.

“Oh no ya don’t!” A pair of sizable rocks flew out towards him. The stallion deflected both missiles but did not have anything ready to ward off the next projectile, a blast of icing and cake batter shot from a cannon.

Applejack gave an approving nod. “Good shot there, Pinkie Pie.”

Pinkie blew on the tip of her hoof as she leaned on her trusty party cannon. “Gotta love cake. I know I do,” she said before both of them joined Twilight in the clearing.

With a growl, the cake-covered stallion vaporized the batter. “You dare mock me?!”

“Only ‘cause it’s funny, silly.” Pinkie met his scowl with a wide smile. “I bet if you laughed, it wouldn’t seem so bad.”

“But a swindler like you ain’t got what it takes in yer heart to see anything past yer own nose,” Applejack said, donning her hat once more as she matched his scowl.

Twilight turned her gaze to Rarity as she gracefully strode to stand beside her friends. “There is beauty in life with a bit of randomness. All the patterns in the world mean nothing without the creative inspiration to see them realized.”

“Enough! I will not listen to the babbling of ignorant foals!” Tyranny shot a beam of energy towards them.

The beam dissipated on a violet barrier. Tyranny looked past the six to see see that it had not originated from the princess.

“We will stand forever against villians like you,” Shining Armor said as he also joined them, his horn glowing. “When you threaten family and friends, we will fight you to our last breath,”

Princess Cadence stood by him, her expression firm. “With love in our hearts, we have the strength to defy those who wish us harm.”

Tyranny scowled. “Love, family, honor? All pathetic concepts to cling to. Each one is so easily taken away, leaving you with nothing but despair. You may know your precious happiness for a short time, but you will forever know despair and sadness as all you hold dear is eventually taken away from you. Life has forever shown this lesson, yet you all foolishly cling to them still.”

His forehoof lashed out, and a single shadow band pierced Shining Armor’s barrier and grabbed hold of Cadence. “And you will watch as I demonstrate this lesson by destroying the one that represents ‘love’.” He spat, lifting her from the ground.

“No!” Shining Armor shouted above the others as Cadence trashed in the crushing grip.

A pair of energy beams, one gold and the other midnight blue, shot out towards Tyranny. He hastily erected a barrier that caused both beams to burst into a shower of sparks. The band holding Cadence vanished, dropping her back into the waiting forelegs of her husband.

“Are you alright?” he asked her with concern.

She gave him a warm smile. “Never better.”

“Over a thousand years ago, Tyranny, you caused no end of hardship for so many in Equestria, and you still do so in this day and age,” Princess Celestia said as she took her place with the others. “Have you truly learned nothing in all that time?”

He glowered at her. “You speak as if you are superior, Celestia, yet you can do nothing on your own without the support of those beneath you. A true ruler is capable of handling troubles without the blessings or consent of those under them. Look to your sister and your beloved student as proof of your weakness.”

“My sister did as she had to when she sent me away,” Luna said, in an unwavering voice. “Despite all the hardship she has endured, she did right by Equestria for the sake of her subjects and kingdom.”

“And you have forgiven her? A thousand years of lonely imprisonment in the moon, and you forgive her?” he asked with an incredulous scowl.

“I have.” She gave a warm smile to her elder sister, who returned the smile.

He spat contemptuously. “Ever the fool.”

Twilight spoke in a tone that carried her conviction. “Princess Celestia has entrusted all of us with helping her oversee and protect Equestria. That is one thing you never learned, Tyranny. Trust. You never took the risk in trusting others for fear of betrayal.”

He laughed at that absurdity. “Fear? It is not fear, child, it is truth. All things will betray you at the first opportunity to which they will benefit. I have seen this tragedy repeated so many times; there is no doubt to my words. Even your dearest friends will betray you one day, just as your mentor has!”

Despite the barb, Twilight stood firm, not backing down.

“You are all fools for believing—” an angered growl escaped him as a lime-green energy ray struck him from behind. He whirled to see Queen Chrysalis sneer at him, her horn still shimmering with magic.

“Don’t you ever stop talking?”

“You, impudent bug!” He fired a number of retaliatory beams that she scrambled to avoid. The changeling queen wasted no time in getting beside the ponies.

“You would ally yourself with them? Knowing that they will turn on you just as easily?” he asked.

She glanced at the ponies before looking back at him. “I don’t like them any more than I used to, but I will do as I must to protect my hive and our way of life from the likes of you. Better a soft heart like Celestia than a merciless dog like you.”

He looked at the assembled ponies before him and sneered at the sight. “You vermin may swarm, but you are still just that, vermin. What can you possibly hope to accomplish?”

Twilight stepped forward. “We may not all be friends, Tyranny—” she glanced briefly to Chrysalis, who simply rolled her eyes “—but there is one thing we all can agree on, and that is that we will never bow to you! Not now, not ever! As long as we have each other, we will defy you. Our love and friendship will never be controlled.”

Tyranny looked at them silently, thoughtfully. Twilight wasn’t sure what was going through his mind, but she was sure whatever he was thinking, it wasn’t good for any of them.

“...It is obvious that you all truly believe your words—misguided as they,” he said calmly, too calmly. “Impressive, to say the least.” He hovered for a quiet moment before he looked back at them.

Twilight’s hackles rose as she met that gaze.

“I see now that I was wrong in believing that I could allow the pony folk their free will and bring about peace and stability to this world at the same time. It leaves only one solution.” His expression turned stern. “And that is to make everything mine! All of those pathetic concepts you cling to will be meaningless, as you will become mere extensions of my will! Never more will this world know strife or chaos, because you will be nothing more than puppets dancing on my strings!” He levitated upward and held out his forelegs.

All of them, even the pegasi and earth ponies could feel the magic he conjured. To Twilight, it seemed the world itself was groaning in pain from the magical build up. A thick overcast formed and began to swirl violently in the sky. The wind picked up to near gale-force power as it grew suddenly dark.

“We won’t let you!” Twilight yelled. “Girls! Now!”

As one, the Elements began to glow, each emitting their respective properties. The six of them levitated into the air as the Elements began to charge.

Tyranny laughed at them. “The Elements of Harmony could not stop me before. Why do you think they would work this time?”

“Because we believe in each other!” Twilight yelled and collected the energy in her element, and the rainbow-colored beam shot at him.

He scoffed and held out his hooves like before, holding back the power of the Elements with little difficulty. “It is futile. You were foolish to confront me.” His eyes flashed and a colorless energy beam began to push the magic of the Elements back.

“Princess Celestia! Princess Luna! Now!” Twilight yelled as she and her friends strained to continue the energy of the Elements.

“Now, sister, give the Elements your power,” Celestia said to Luna who nodded in turn and closed her eyes. Both began to glow and levitated to join the Element Bearers. Their combined energy caused the rainbow beam to swell, and it pushed back the other beam.

With a grunt, Tyranny scowled and fought back with a power surge of his own. He halted the advance of the Elements, and slowly began pushing them back again.

“Cadence, Shining,” Twilight called.

“For the Crystal Empire!” Shining shouted.

“For Equestria!” The couple glowed, and they too levitated with the others. The Element’s beam surged once more and advanced on Tyranny.

Tyranny’s growl of frustration became louder as he strained to hold back the powers of harmony. “Inconceivable! How can you enhance the Elements in such away?” With another growl, his energy surged, and his magic began to creep closer to them.

“Chrysalis!” Twilight yelled.

The changeling queen looked to the exchange of raw energy with a look of pure, frightened awe.

“H-how?!” she stammered.

Celestia’s expression was strained. “Feel the world around you, and give yourself to the Elements. Feel their glow and their warmth, and allow yourself to become part of it.”

Chrysalis looked confused but closed her eyes and concentrated. As she closed her eyes, her brow furrowed before her eyes widened again. “This is…” She closed her eyes and the magic of the elements lifted her up beside them. “So warm.”

Tyranny strained under the combined powers of the ponies and changeling queen. The sky still swirled above and the winds howled, but not by his doing alone. The combined energies of the Elements and his own caused them to act out violently. Lightning flashed and struck the ground around them, splintering apart trees and blasting holes in the turf.

Sweat rolled down Tyranny’s face as he stared at them in disbelief. He simply could not believe the sheer power they had amassed together. Never before had any stood up to him like this—pushing him to his very limits—not even a thousand years earlier when Celestia and Luna had tricked him and caused the imprisonment that had destroyed his physical form.

Rage flashed across his expression as the memory filled his mind, and his anger gave him new strength. With a growl, he gave another surge to his magic. To everypony’s horror, his beam slowly, ever so slowly, began to push back the Elements of Harmony.

“No!” Applejack yelled.

“This can’t be!” Rarity shouted, despair in her voice.

“Focus! Push him back!” Twilight yelled under the punishing strain.

The two energies pushed to a standstill, but eventually, Tyranny’s beam inched forward.

Maniacal laughter erupted from him. “It is no use! You are nothing before me! True order shall win the day, and this world will be mine!”

Twilight groaned as she gave more power to the elements. She could tell that Tyranny was giving everything he had, pushing himself to his very limits to combat them. “Girls, everypony, don’t give up…”

“Wanderer!” A shout from below had all eyes turned towards its source.

“No! Tourmaline, Tormod, stay back!” Celestia cried, gritting her teeth.

The two ran through the wind-torn grasses of the field. Their manes whipped around with the violent gusts, causing them to struggle to keep standing. “Wanderer! Don’t let him win!” Tourmaline cried over the howling gale.

While Tyranny’s head never moved, he did stare downward at the two ponies who dared to interfere with his victory.

“We know you are in there, Wanderer, fight him!” Tormod called up.

“You never let anything keep you down before, why start with him?!” Tourmaline shouted.

There was no change in Tyranny’s expression and his magic kept its slow, steady advance on the Elements.

“Do you remember what you always told me?” Tourmaline asked. “You said to not let fear stop you, and things were only scary until you conquered them. Well, follow your own words! Conquer your fear and stop him!”

There was still no change.

“Please! Wanderer!”

Tyranny’s gaze was locked on the pegasus, simply staring at her with no apparent emotion. Then, for a split second, Tyranny’s amber eyes were replaced by Wanderer’s hazel.

For a split second—under the punishing strain—the Spirit of Order lost control.

Tyranny’s magic faded for that split second, and the power of the Elements surged, unrestrained. Tyranny quickly asserted control of his body again but didn’t have the time to muster enough energy to stop the Elements, and there was no possibility of avoiding them.

His expression showed pure disbelief as his scream of denial was heard throughout Equestria as the power of the Elements of Harmony washed over him. There was a bright flash of light, and a thunderous explosion flung them all to the turf.

Chapter Sixteen

The wind had died down to a gentle breeze, and all sounds of animal life had been subdued in the aftermath of the struggle. The storm that had raged only a few moments before had faded as fast as it arrived. The silence was almost deafening to Twilight as she pushed herself up with a grunt. Her ears twitched as she heard the groans from her friends as she tried to clear the blur to her vision.

“Ugh,” Rainbow muttered. “Did we win?”

At her spoken question, Twilight’s gasp joined the others as she turned to see Tyranny still hovering in the air above them. Her shock turned to confusion at his battered and beaten appearance. One eye was closed shut and his face twisted in a pained grimace. Panting through gritted teeth, he glared at them with pure disbelief.

She bristled as he slowly lifted one hoof towards them, staggering to her own hooves to meet whatever offensive he tried to muster.

Or at least he tried to, as his foreleg dropped to his side. With a pained cough, he fell to the ground. The snake crown fell from his head and rolled in the grass before disintegrating into nothingness. Grunting with the effort, he pushed himself up—supported only by his front legs—as wisps of black miasma drifted off of his body and vanished into the air.

With his one good eye, he turned a hateful glare at Twilight. “How is this, possible? All of my careful planning… How could I have lost?”

Celestia grunted as she stood and turned a look of regret his way. “If only you would’ve been willing to change a little, Tyranny, and used your powers for good, it wouldn’t have come to this. You brought this upon yourself.”

His laughter sounded like a weak cough. “All this time and still you know nothing, Celestia. As long as the desire for order and control exists, so will I.” He turned a seething glare at her. “I will be back again!”

“Are you still wanting to fight?” Twilight demanded of him, flaring her wings. “Are you so stubborn that you can’t realize what you’re doing?”

As he painfully stood on all fours, Twilight’s ears flicked as a low rumbling started. “Enjoy this victory while you can, princess, but don’t you dare think this is over…”

“It is over, Tyranny!” Luna snapped with a stamp of her hoof. “You have lost!”

He managed a contemptuous scoff. “Poor, little, Luna… You absolute fool. You will see the truth of my words…You will see…” Levitating into the air, he said, “I will return… to rule this world again. Equestria, will know peace.”

Twilight turned a defiant glare at him even as the rumbling grew louder. “Come back as often as you want. You’ll never win! Equestria is better without you!”

She saw that Tyranny wanted to retort, but a severe spasm of pain caused him to wrap his forelegs around his barrel. With a look of disbelief and a shout, he threw his forelegs outward, and a loud, violent eruption of light burst from him, causing them all to shield their eyes from the bright glare.

The outpost along Equestria’s eastern border stood as empty and bare as it had since Twilight and the others had arrived. The stillness broke as a flash of light appeared. In its place was the unicorn commander who had been Tyranny’s first victim. He looked around with confusion as more flashes of light brought back his soldiers. All across Equestria, the ponies who had been banished to the Realm of Shadow began to reappear, the magic binding them unravelling. The soldiers could only look at each other speechless before the commander just shook his head and muttered, “I need a vacation.”

In another part of Equestria, a certain blue, unicorn showmare appeared by her wagon. Her confused gaze glancing to and fro before settling on her nearby magic cap and cloak. A pinkish aura surrounded the garments, and with a dramatic flourish, they settled in their usual places.

Her smile was as wide and genuine as the breeze that blew through her silvery mane. “The Great and Powerful Trixie has returned!” she declared with a dramatic flair to nopony in particular.

In the Crystal Empire, an orange-pelted and blue-maned pegasus picked himself up and looked at his fellow guards.

The commanding officer was quick to assert control. “Find the Princess and Prince, we need to find them! Flash, get to Canterlot and seek Princess Celestia’s aid.”

“Yes, sir.” Flash Sentry saluted before flying off.

In Canterlot, the returned guards looked at the nearly destroyed castle with wide eyes and slacked jaws. Startled shouts escaped them as Discord appeared and muttered his annoyance while dusting himself off.

“Finally!” he huffed. “Took them long enough. Next time, I’ll remember to draw a picture.”

The guards simply looked at each other. “Do you have any idea what is going on?”

“Not a clue.”

Once the glare began to dim in the clearing, the ponies squinted at its center. Instead of the dark velvet stallion, an auburn-colored earth pony floated listlessly in the air as the last of the dark miasma vanished from his body. He floated in the air a moment more before plummeting to the ground.

“Wanderer!” screamed a panicked Tourmaline as she took off with a speed born of adrenaline and caught him before he could hit the ground. The two tumbled through the grass in a heap, but it didn’t even slow her as she was back on her hooves and at his side.

“Wanderer, please wake up!” she pleaded with the still stallion. She turned an ear against his chest, listening for a heartbeat. “Wanderer, please don’t do this to me. Wake up! Don’t give up now! Wanderer!” she cried out, her voice cracking.

The wind ruffled his mane, but it was the only movement from the unresponsive earth pony.

“Wanderer…” she whispered, letting the tears flow unabashed.

She turned grief-stricken eyes to her brother as he rested a hoof on her shoulder. Her brother’s own eyes were rimmed with tears, but he held strong for her.

“Tourmaline—”

“No! He’s not gone! Not after all we’ve gone through, not now!” She turned a pleading look to Celestia. “Princess Celestia, please help him! Don’t let him die!”

Celestia walked up to the still stallion and lowered her head to listen to his chest. After a moment, she looked at Tourmaline with saddened eyes. “I am sorry, Tourmaline, there are some things not even I can change.”

“No! I won’t believe it! Wanderer, please don’t do this to me! Wanderer!” She looked back at him and buried her face into his neck, her sobs shaking her entire body.

All around, tears were shed for the pegasus’s loss. Fluttershy, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie wept openly. Twilight tried to hold the tears back but failed. Rainbow Dash and Applejack did their best to hide their own.

Tourmaline cried more and uttered her friend’s name a final time before resting her head on his neck.

It was then she heard it, a faint thump, which was followed by another. She looked at his face and saw his eyes flutter a bit before he drew in a breath.

“W-Wanderer?” she asked quietly as a groan escaped him.

He grunted again and pushed himself up slowly, turning a confused look her way. “Tourmaline?”

“Wanderer!” She wrapped him in a bone-crushing hug, tears of loss replacing tears of unrestrained joy.

Grunting from her vice-like hug, he groaned, “Tourmaline… my ribs… ow.”

She gasped and let him go, but when he smiled weakly at her, she tentatively hugged him again.

They looked up at the shouts of surprise from behind them. A blast of confetti and streamers showered over everybody—a show of Pinkie’s unrestrained joy.

Luna looked at the two, her jaw slack, before looking at her sister, who wore a perplexed expression as well, though it quickly warmed up at the sight before her. “How is this possible?”

Celestia shook her head softly, her perplexed look turning to one of happiness as she watched scene unfold. “I don’t know.”

“Tormod, what’s going on?” Wanderer asked his friend as the unicorn stood by quietly, a relieved smile on his face. “Where am I?”

Before he could answer, Princess Celestia approached. “There is much to speak of, but first we need to make sure you are alright.”

“Princess Celestia,” he breathed and lowered his head respectfully. The bow would have sent him back to the ground had Tourmaline not been there to steady him.

A warm smile played across Celestia’s muzzle. “Don’t worry. You and your friends can stay at my castle to heal and enjoy the celebration.”

“Does that mean what I think it means?” Pinkie asked, pressing her nose into Rainbow’s.

Rainbow raised an eyebrow at her. “A party?”

“A party! Whoo hoo!” Pinkie cheered and danced around, her exuberance allowing for nothing less.

As everyone laughed and congratulated each other, Twilight looked around and noticed that Chrysalis was nowhere to be seen. The changeling had likely disappeared shortly after Tyranny had been defeated, she reasoned. As she thought about it, Twilight could only shrug. If Chrysalis tried to make a move on Equestria, they would be ready for her. Twilight, however, silently hoped that Chrysalis had learned a thing or two about friendship and trust.

Excited chatter and sighs of relief were shared throughout the train cart as they rode back for Canterlot. Princess Celestia watched Wanderer as he sat quietly next to Tourmaline, watching the others talk and laugh amongst themselves. He was leaning against Tourmaline, and—to Celestia—he seemed to enjoy the pegasus’s presence as much as she was his.

“Wanderer, would you be willing to tell us what happened to you while under Tyranny’s control?” Princess Celestia asked.

His gaze snapped to her, and he lowered his head a bit. The mood in the train cart changed, just like that, as all gazes were on him.

Rubbing the back of his head, he said, “I’m not sure how to describe it. It was like being in a small room to myself, with only a single window to look out of. Through the window, I could see and hear everything he did but couldn’t do anything to stop him. Anytime I screamed or yelled at him to stop, he taunted me. He told me over and over how powerless I was to do anything, and that I should consider myself fortunate to witness his dominance over Equestria and not end up like everypony else he had sent to the Realm of Shadow.” He shuddered. “I wouldn’t wish that upon even my worst enemy.”

“So, how did you break free?” Fluttershy asked. “I thought I saw your eyes for a moment before Tyranny stopped attacking us.”

A faint frown pulled at his lips. “When he was fighting all of you together, I guess it put a lot of strain on him. The room I was in suddenly cracked open, and I jumped through without thinking. I only got to see the clearing for a second before I was put back in the room. But then there was the light and his yell before… I don’t know. I can’t honestly tell you.” He shrugged helplessly.

The royal sisters shared a glance before Applejack spoke. “So is Tyranny truly gone for good, Princess?”

Celestia shook her head. “No, it is as he said. As long as ponies desire order and structure, he will continue to exist.”

“Despite what we may want otherwise, our world needs order just as much as it needs chaos. Without it, the world could not maintain harmony,” Princess Luna said.

“So we’ll have to keep things from getting too chaotic for him to come crawling back again,” Rarity said, still trying to fix her mane after the brutal beating it had taken from the storm’s wind.

“Oh, where is the fun in that? A little bit of chaos isn’t such a bad thing.” Wanderer’s eyes widened as a voice drifted around all of them. He jumped a bit as a draconequus appeared beside Rarity, idly flicking at her mane.

“Discord!” shouted many ponies. Happy tears ran down Fluttershy’s face as she enveloped him in a fierce hug.

“Good to see all of you again, though you certainly took your sweet time.” He released Fluttershy from the hug. “Do you have any idea how hard it is to play I Spyin the Realm of Shadow? It is no walk in the park, let me tell you.”

A faint smile tugged at Celestia’s lips as Wanderer looked at Tourmaline for an explanation.

“A friend,” she said, nodding to Discord. “He was the one who helped Tormod when he was turned into a statue.”

Discord scoffed, shooting a glare at Celestia and Luna. “Another absolutely boring experience, that is. It’s horrible when you have an itch that needs scratching and you can’t move your petrified arms to get to it.”

Tormod smiled weakly. “You’re not wrong.”

Discord looked at Wanderer. “Well, I’m certain that being turned to stone would have been preferable to being stuck in your own mind with that insufferable Tyranny as your only company. I’m glad to see that you don’t have to suffer that anymore.”

A wan smirk pulled at Wanderer’s lips. “He was a bit of a blowhard.”

A full guffaw escaped Discord. “That he is, that he is. Well said.”

“There is one thing I don’t understand,” Rarity said as she looked at Celestia. “Why didn’t the Elements turn Tyranny to stone?”

The draconequus rolled his eyes, but the others seemed thoughtful. Twilight looked at Wanderer for a moment and was about to say something but caught herself.

“What were you thinking, Twilight?” Princess Celestia asked her.

“It’s… a theory. I don’t have any proof,” she admitted.

“Let us hear it,” Luna said.

She looked again at Wanderer. “Well, I think that you had something to do with it.”

His head snapped back, his eyes widening. “Me?”

She nodded. “I theorize that because Tyranny was in control of your body, that the Elements didn’t turn him to stone. If they had, they would have sealed you in stone along with him.” Shaking her head, she continued, “That would have been far too cruel, and the Elements wouldn’t have done something like that.”

He glanced to the side. “You have no idea…”

Again, she nodded. “I don’t know where Tyranny has gone. His essence might have been scattered or banished, but I do not know where it could be. Tartarus maybe?”

A thoughtful frown made its way across Celestia’s face. “Perhaps. I will speak with Cerberus after we return to Canterlot.”

“Well, I can’t say much on the subject,” Discord said with aplomb. “The only experience I’ve had with the Elements is being made into a handsome lawn ornament.”

Rarity turned an irritable glare his way. “You are never going to let that go are you?”

“Not in my lifetime or yours,” he said matter-of-factly and showed her a mirror that appeared in his hand. Her expression turned to pure horror as she saw her purple mane had been turned into a solid black.

“My mane!” she cried, hooves shooting up to cover the ebony locks. “You fiend! A black mane with a white coat is so monochrome. You dastard!”

Discord wagged a finger at her. “Now, now, language. A proper lady would not use such vulgarity.”

Her glare could’ve put Celestia’s sun to shame. “You know exactly what I said, you hooligan. Change my mane back, this instant!”

“Oh, if you insist.” He snapped his fingers again and changed her hair to crimson.

“Discord!” Her shriek almost hit ear-piercing levels.

“So much for keepin’ things from bein’ too chaotic,” Applejack remarked dryly, as she rubbed at her ears.

For three days, the celebration was shared all over Equestria. Ponies danced, partied, and celebrated Tyranny’s defeat as all was made right again. In Canterlot, Pinkie Pie and Discord made sure the celebration was extravagant and would never be forgotten. The storm of confetti clouds and uncountable amount of cupcakes made for an unforgettable event.

Princess Cadence and Shining Armor returned to the Crystal Empire to bring the news to the crystal ponies and assure them that all was well. The Crystal Heart was soon set back in its pedestal, and happiness flowed forth once again.

After the third day, the adventurers took their leave of Canterlot. Twilight found herself with Princess Celestia in the throne room as the three announced their departure. She stood beside her mentor as they spoke to the three. The damage done to the throne room had been repaired by a simple snap of a draconequus’s fingers.

“So, you are leaving?” Princess Celestia asked them.

“Yes, Princess, I’m getting the urge to move on,” Wanderer said, his friends beside him. “It usually means there is more adventure ahead for us.”

Celestia smiled and nodded, turning her gaze to Tourmaline. “You will take care of them, yes?”

Tourmaline smiled wide. “I will, Princess Celestia. I promise we won’t get into too much trouble.”

“Except for the trouble you inevitably start,” Tormod muttered.

She glared daggers at him. “Care to say that a bit louder, dear brother?” Tourmaline asked, acid dripping from her tone.

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” he said with a haughty toss of his head.

Wanderer laughed, which earned him an elbow to the ribs. “Every day’s an adventure, Princess. As long as you have great friends with you, it’s never a dull moment.”

Twilight smiled at them. “You three will visit Ponyville one day, right?”

Wanderer turned his easy smile to her. “You can count on it, Princess Twilight. The Everfree Forest is one place we all want to explore one day. Keep an eye out for us.”

“Of course, farewell to you all.” With that, the three politely took their leave. Wanderer and Tourmaline walked closely together as they left.

A wispy smiled tugged at Twilight’s lips. It was good to see happiness in others. For her, happiness had been restrained during the celebration. Her long-awaited talk with Celestia was at hoof, and she would finally have the answers she so desired to her questions.

“Well, Princess Twilight, are you ready?” Princess Celestia asked, turning a serious look her way.

Twilight took a calming breath, even if she felt a cold feeling grip her stomach. “I am, Princess. For better or worse, I am. However…” She hesitated a moment. “I want to say something.”

Celestia tilted her head at her before giving her a nod. “Speak on then.”

Twilight eased to her haunches, her eyes downcast. “Even if it was just for a moment that I doubted you. I never would turn my back on you. Not for anything. Even if it means that I will have to see my friends and family move on without me.” She lifted her gaze to look her mentor in the eye. “You are still my friend, Princess Celestia, and that will never change. If I have to live forever too, I know I will have you, Luna, Cadence, and Spike with me.”

Celestia looked at her for a long moment, moisture collecting under her eyes before she blinked the budding tears away and smiling warmly. “There is something I must show you before I speak.” She raised her head up, and her horn took on its bright, golden glow.

As the magic wrapped itself around her, Twilight could feel herself slipping away, her essence leaving Equestria. A sensation, she realized, that she had experienced once before.

Her eyes fluttered opened to see that she stood in a place of ethereal light, where every color of the spectrum shown in all their brilliance. They flowed and ghosted around her as she looked around at the marvelous display.

“I’ve… been here before,” she breathed, the memories of the day she had created a new spell washing back to her. “This is where—”

Small “screens” floated by. They showed images of other alicorns as they went about their lives. Twilight could only look on in wonder, as there were dozens of them. From what she saw of the backgrounds in the screens, she could tell that they spanned centuries in time. Yet, none of them were alicorns she knew of—there were even a few male alicorns! All faces and names that had been lost to history, remaining in the memory of only one pony.

“They all felt the same as you, Twilight,” Celestia said as she joined her student. “They all had questions of what it meant to be an alicorn, or what it meant to be a princess or prince.”

“Who are they?” Twilight asked, her eyes wide as she looked at the various images.

Celestia watched the screens a moment before responding. “They are my recollections of others whom I had adopted and given the title of Princess or Prince of Equestria. It is here, in the Realm of Light, where I can see their faces and hear their voices again—even if I cannot do so in Equestria anymore.” There was a tightness in her voice, and Twilight saw that Celestia had tears rimming her eyes once more.

“So they are…?” Twilight asked, even if she knew the answer already.

“Dead and passed on, yes,” the princess said with no small amount of grief. “But here, I keep their memory alive and with me forever.”

“So that means that I…” she let the thought hang, not able to give it voice.

“Will not have to endure the loss of your friends through aging without you aging along with them,” Celestia answered, turning her gaze her way. “I would not be so cruel as to have you learn what true friendship was, only to have you see it pass on in front of you. Nor could I let Cadence marry your brother if it meant she would have to helplessly watch him leave her behind.”

Twilight blinked, her eyes widening. “Princess Cadence… Does she know?”

“Did you not ask her?” Celestia asked with a raised eyebrow and small smile.

A sheepish blush crept on her cheeks. “I was afraid to ask her, just in case she didn’t know. I didn’t want to upset her at the time, considering the situation we were in.”

Celestia nodded, her mane swaying with the motion. “Tyranny likely planned it that way and influenced your thoughts.”

Twilight frowned. “Why would he say such things? Surely he knew the truth.”

“He did, but he took the risk and assumed you didn’t.” A frown formed on Celestia’s face. “Once he knew, he used you. Because of that, I take the blame, Twilight.” She looked back at Twilight. “Can you ever forgive me?”

The way Celestia had said it, Twilight knew her answer would be important. A warm smile played across her face as she said, “Of course, Princess. I would be a horrible pony if I didn’t. You only wanted to protect me until I was ready, and Tyranny took advantage of it. You couldn’t have seen it coming. So yes, I forgive you.”

Celestia smiled warmly, and the two shared an embrace.

“But, Princess, how is it that you and Princess Luna have lived for so long?” Twilight asked as she stepped back. “Whereas Cadence, the others, and I don’t?”

Celestia closed her eyes a moment, and spoke, “My sister and I were born as alicorns, Twilight, and with that came incredible longevity. Not immortality, but a long lifespan. One that has spanned well over a thousand years.”

Twilight looked at the screens of the deceased alicorns as they moved past and felt sympathy for her mentor. “How do you do it, Princess Celestia?”

As Celestia turned a curious look her way, she explained further, “Each of them and me—how do you stand to see them live and pass on? It has to hurt each time.”

Celestia watched the images float past for a time. “It’s hard, Twilight, but I find comfort in knowing they all lived their lives to the fullest. It doesn’t lessen the grief, but it certainly helps me cope.”

Twilight tilted her head as she considered that. “You are strong, Princess Celestia, stronger than I will ever be.”

The Sun Princess smiled. “Do not sell yourself short, Twilight. When you faced Tyranny, you showed the strength that I would be hard-pressed to match.” She nuzzled her affectionately. “Seeing you and your friends lead full, happy lives gives me my strength. Remember that.”

As Twilight felt the magic keeping her in the Realm of Light fade, a content smile eased itself on her face as she drifted away—back home and back to her friends.

As Twilight and her friends stepped off the train at the Ponyville train station, she could see that nothing had changed in the sleepy little town. She saw the Cakes carrying the twins on their way to Sugarcube Corner. Big Macintosh, Granny Smith, and Apple Bloom were selling apples at the local market. She saw Autumn Leaves happily unloading a wagon full of new books with the help of her sister, Winter Blossom, who looked dejected as she helped unload the wagon.

’I’ll have to stop by later. See if they have anything new.’ she thought as they walked.

A happy smile played across her face. After so many weeks of being on the road and so much frustration, heartache, and eventual closure to many questions, she was glad to be home. She saw that her friends felt the same way as she, as each of them wore the same, wide smiles.

“Alright, better see if the weather ponies have been keeping things running smoothly while I was gone,” Rainbow Dash said as they stopped for goodbyes. “I’m sure that without me around, things have gotten hectic.”

“Oh, I bet Angel and all the woodland critters will be so happy to see me,” Fluttershy said as she pranced in place. “I can’t wait to see them.”

“I better be getting on home too. Ah’m sure Applebloom is going to chat my ear off askin’ questions, and sure enough, I’ll hear about all the trouble she and her crusader friends been in while we were gone.” A wan smile spread across Applejack’s face as she rested her hat atop her head.

“Oh, oh, I gotta let Mr. and Mrs. Cake know I’m back in town! Pound and Pumpkin Cake will be so happy to see me.” Pinkie Pie bounced around excitedly, her saddlebags threatening to burst with treats and goodies left over from the celebration.

Rarity sighed. “I’m sure Sweetie Belle has left quite the mess for me to clean up once I get back to the boutique,” she said as she flipped her mane out of her eyes. “No doubt there are orders that will need to be seen too as well. A lady’s work is truly never done.”

“I’m sure Spike has a surprise for me waiting at home too. I know he’s been missing us all since he came home without us,” Twilight said.

“He’s probably glad he didn’t stay with us,” Rainbow joked.

The girls all shared a small chuckle and turned for home.

“Same time this next weekend at the watering hole?” Rarity asked.

Applejack tipped her hat. “You betcha.”

“Indeedy,” Pinkie Pie added.

Rainbow gave a confident smirk. “You know it.”

“I’ll be there,” Fluttershy said quietly.

Twilight smiled. “Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

“Alright, see you girls soon.” Rarity waved in parting and turned down the lane towards the boutique.

As each went their separate ways, Twilight watched after them. She truly felt blessed that she would have excellent friends no matter what came their way. Together, they would see it through as the best of friends for the rest of their lives. With a happy, content sigh, she turned for home.

Epilogue

It had slept for so long. For millennia, it had remained in a deep, quiet sleep, undisturbed as the world continued without it. The passage of time meant little, but that had ended as the balance of the world shifted violently. Slowly, a set of serpentine eyes opened to the darkness of its prison. An intake of breath signaled the creature’s awakening as it peered ahead at the massive stone slab that served as the door to its cell.

With a shriek, the creature threw itself at the door, the sweetness of freedom waiting for it on the other side. A sigil appeared on the slab, and the magic forced the creature back, tossing it to the dirt floor of its prison. The creature hissed in pain and rage as it was flung backward. It tried many times to break through the sigil with no more luck than the first.

It’s rage and spite tempered, the creature settled down to consider its options. Clearly, the magic that bound it still held, and it would not be breaking out by force anytime soon. The beast then considered that if force would not work, subtlety would have to be its next option. Large incisors dripped venom as a wicked smile inched across its face. It might have been imprisoned, but that did not mean it was completely bound. It could feel the living souls that surrounded its prison. Pony souls, each of them blissfully unaware of its reawakening. If the ponies still existed, then it would find its way out.

Its smile took a gleeful turn at the thought of once again bringing about the plague to the world danced in its mind.

Outside of Trottingham, a sole wagon approached its outskirts. The mare pulling the wagon could barely contain her glee as she imagined the reception she would receive. For a certain showmare, she was ready to get back on stage to entertain the masses after her jaunt in a realm of darkness. For surely, Trottingham would be the start of her grand return to fame.

She was unaware of how the hands of fate were guiding her to her ultimate destiny.

Author's Notes:

And thus we reach the conclusion. I want to thank all of my readers for supporting my first novel length story. If you have any questions about the story or characters feel free to ask in the comments or in a PM, I will gladly answer them. Also, look forward to Harmony Undone's prequel Three From the Forest in two weeks. The sequel will follow after it.

Again, thank you everyone for the support. I appreciate it.

Cheers!