What does it matter to you?” I asked.

“She brought you back” he said “she can bring my parents back”

“Our parents” I corrected.

“Oh please” he said “your just a mommy’s-boy around fantasia, you act like mom was never even related to you” I stood up

“Take…that…back” I ordered.

“Make me” he snarled.

“I don’t want to hurt you, brother, but…”

“You are not my brother!” he shouted, I glared at him before flinging him against the wall. Vinyl shouted at me in protest but I shot a glare at her, silencing her.

“Stay out of this” I said quietly, before turning to Minion, who was still held against the wall by my magic  “if you have something to say to me then say it, for all to hear, you know I prefer people speak their mind” he chuckled bitterly

“Ever since…you were reincarnated as that…thing” he spat “you’ve grown more distant from our parents, and extended family as a whole…did you forsake your heritage when you found out you are nothing but the bastard creation of some freakish demi-god whore!?” I growled before teleporting him and myself to the nearest mountain.

“You leave my mother of this!” I shouted, Turning into my Nue-Toa form and pinning him into the snow with my foot.

“NO!” he shouted, turning into his Neu-Toa form and twisting my leg off of him “Because she’s the one that caused you to be like this in the first place”

“I don’t want to fight you, brother” I said “but I will gladly do so to make you see sense”

“I’m going to deck you” he said, his fists crackling with elemental energy “and then I’m going to pound your pretty little head into the mountain side” and with that he charged towards me. just as he went to throw a punch I ducked with unnatural speed, my body seeming to blur into multiple delayed figures as I weaved behind him. I shifted into an Alicorn and bucked him as hard as I can, sending him flying fast enough to brake the sound barrier, sending out an explosive crack that echoed across the entire mountain range.

*POV 3rd Person*

As the Grey Skins marched towards the Reptauria capital they heard a boom ring out, followed by a yell.

“[by the gods]!” the leader exclaimed, watching a grey blur pas overhead.

“[It would seem our enemies are feuding over something]” Taag said, noticing a red and gold shape flying towards the crater the grey one was embedded in.

“[is that a good thing]?” the leader asked.

“[Depends]” Taag said “[on whether you want the entire mountain range to be destroyed or not, we must make more haste to our target]”

*POV 1st Person Nova*

I landed on the edge of the crater and peered inside, Minion was out cold, but seemed to be suffering nothing more than a concussion.

“Sorry, Brother” I said, before lifting him out of the crater and teleporting us back to the ship.

Sometime later I was walking along with my mother.

“I’m sorry, Nova” she said “but I can’t bring your parents back, you were a special case, regardless of what you brother thinks, I can’t just bring anyone back, that is something beyond my abilities” I sighed

“I was afraid of that” I said, we soon made our way to the brig, when Minion was currently being kept. Protectors, Bota Magnan equivalent to Matoran, stood guard at the door with six-shooter power lances that crackled with elemental energy, they saluted as we came to the door before I opened the door with my magic.

“Stay out here” I said “you will not speak a word of what you hear to anyone or anything. Understand?”

“Yes sir!” they said, their accents surprisingly thick for individuals working in the service of the T.U.A.

Myself and my mother walked inside the cell, it was large, and Minion was directly in the center of the room, on his knees with his arms pulled to the side by taught chains. He was also chanting quietly.

“You are the cauldron of wisdom, from which inspiration flows. You are the broad Earth, which gives birth to all life. You are the circling Moon, ruling the tides of oceans and women. You are the endless night sky, filled with numberless stars. You are a grove of birch trees, shining in the forest deeps. You are the Mother of us all, and I look to you in wonder and awe” My mother looked at me before raising an eyebrow. I simply mouthed one word.

“‘Pagan’” I then looked at minion and cleared my throat, two puffs of condensate shot out of exhaust nozzles just below the mouth piece of his mask and he ceased his chanting, but other than that he made no visible reaction “I apologise for the confinements, but with your strength I had to make sure”

“I suppose I should see it as a compliment then” he said, chuckling “you’ve got a mean kick”

“We’re not here to make light conversation” I said “We’re here to talk about what it’s going to take for me to feel safe if I let you run free, because quite frankly, with the way you barged in on me and Autumn, I don’t feel all to safe right about now” he sighed and hung his head.

“I have no excuses for my actions, besides being torn up with grief” he said, smoke jetting out of the nozzles on his mask “nor do I expect your forgiveness, I merely ask that you trust me, one more time”

“Trusting you, I don’t have a problem with, it’s what you said about my Mother” I said.

“I do not expect you to forgive me either, Fantasia” He said sadly “But I only ask one thing of you, can you truly not bring our parents back?” my Mother sighed

“I’m sorry” she said “but there are rules even I have to abide by, and those rules are absolute” Minion nodded and hung his head, sighing as another jet of smoke shot out of the two nozzles on his mask.

“Very well” he said. I tapped a button on my smart-watch and the two shackles holding his arms in place came loose.

“Come on” I said “I want to show you something, we recently found some old blueprints for a Russian super tank…a walker, you interested?” he stood up and smiled.

“you know me” he said, rubbing his wrists

“Go consul with Vinyl and Aurora” I said “Then meet me at the hangar in a couple of hours”

*POV 3rd person*

Above the drone of the engines, Gelphana grumbled for the tenth time.

“I can’t believe it” he complained, sitting on a toolbox, fiddling with a blaster “Nova and his Neu-Toa are preparing for war, and were stuck on an old Lanc’ bomber doing air patrol, this thing’s older than most of the ships in the navy, I feel like we could fall out the sky at any moment. And not only that, but we’re babysitting his childr…whoa!” the entire bomber fell a couple hundred feet

“Sorry about that, chaps” the Lancaster said “after all, I am just an old bomber that could fall out the sky at any moment” Gelphana chuckled nervously.

“Heh, that was a joke” he said, rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

“Humans built their aircraft better than you give them credit for, Gelphana” Ruby said, she was sat at the tail gun, whilst Garnet was at on the nose gun “and Dad only asked you to come along, he didn’t order you. Besides, if I know anything about you, it’s that you’ll find any reason to complain, even if it’s because your seat’s wobbly”

“It is!” he retorted. Garnet burst out laughing.

“That just proves her point” he said.

“Hey Tal’” Aurora called from the roof mounted turret “Are you sure about this kaitiaki-friend of yours, I’m a bit worroid about him using the bloody wing as an archery post” as she said this she glanced at a jungle protector, stood on the wing with a Gatling bow, similar to those used by the rest of his tribe, except this had ornate blades in the place of energy streams. His armour was clean and shining in, but it still showed signed of heavy use, the emerald armour he was using was chipped and cracked here and there, and the metal armour was dented and scratched, with bare, tarnished metal showing through in places. The Ta-matoran poked his head into the roof turret, his armour was different, now a rich red, and he had recently been rebuilt.

“Hey Kopere!” he called through the coms in his usual Scoltish-esc drawl “how are ye doing out there?”

“Fine, my friend” Kopere replied in something resembling an Irish accent “a bit o’ wind ne’er bothered me”

“Sometimes I think this army is made up of reckless fools more than anything else” Charahk said, the Rahkshi of chameleon powers had until recently been tracking down a band of Skakdi pirates with Krarahk, and the two had formed a duo of sorts. But now they were back and part of Nova’s trackers, adding an extra element of stealth to the team.

“Well, at least they don’t have fear clouding their judgment” said a voice, as a large, red Rahkshi stepped out of the cockpit. Ruby tensed.

“What the buck is a damned Turahk doing on this plane!?” she barked “and furthermore, why wasn’t I informed that you had been making friends, Charahk!?”

“Like it or not, he has been a valuable ally to myself and my brother” Charahk said.

“Is there a problem?” the Turahk asked, Ruby climbed out of her seat and stomped over.

“The problem is that one of you buckers did this to me!” she exclaimed, pointing at her bionic eye.

“Not my problem” the Turahk said, crossing his arms “I’m not a part of that clan, besides, they died out years ago with no explanation”

“Take a wild guess as to who caused that” Gelphana said, sharpening a combat knife, the Turahk looked over and Gelphana pointed at Ruby “her and her lower-Steltian lackey”

“He is not just some lackey” she protested “he’s an old friend”

“Stop it, both of you!” Aurora snapped, poking her head through the hole in the roof “I’m trying to watch out for enemy aircraft and I can’t do that with you three ripping each other’s throats out!”

“Just stay out of my way, Rahkshi” Ruby spat, before going back to the rear gun.

*POV 1st Person Nova*

I was stood on a balcony overlooking a massive forge. A recent addition to the fleet was a class of “forge-ships”, which is exactly what it sounds like. We would have one; the Vulcan, joining our little convoy, bringing the number of ships up to four. The pneumatic hammers pounded white hot metal, forming a rhythmic “clank-hiss clank-hiss” like the ticking of the clock. Minion walked over.

“You wanted to see me?” he asked, I nodded before getting out a hologram and activating it to display a technical drawing, Minion’s eyes widened “where the hell did you find this?”

“Believe it or not, the original technical drawing were found in the skip at the back of a tank museum” I said “so, do you think you could handle being in charge of the project?” he put his hand on my shoulder

“You know me” he said “I would be more than happy to oversee construction”

“Be quick with it” I said “At dawn, we are at war”

*POV 3rd person*

Nightmare Moon stood on top of a balcony in the High-king's castle as the sun set and the twin moons rose from opposite ends of the horizon to take its place. Suddenly she began to sing, her voice carrying on the winds to towns far away, where even enemy troops would hear it and speak of it's sorrow for generations to come.

"Ask not the sun why she sets, why she hides her light away" she closed her eyes, pouring her emotion into her voice "Or why she hides her glowing gaze, when night turns crimson-gold to grey" she took off, letting the winds carry her before aiming for one particular destination.

"For silent falls the guilty sun, as day to dark does turn" her face contorted into a frown "One simple truth, she dare not speak, her light can only blind and burn"

she walked through her quarters on the Defiance, walking towards a candle-lit altar.

"No mercy for the guilty, bring down their lying sun" she stopped and lifted up a plain, bluish-silver helmet, before touching it to her forehead "Blood so silver black by night, upon their faces pale white" she then lowered the helmet onto her head, the rest of her armour materialised to her body.

"Cruel moon bring the end, the dawn will never rise again..." Next Chapter: Chapter 18 Estimated time remaining: 26 Minutes