1: Try Again, Severus

Author's Notes:

OK...so apparently I have HORRID timing...

A story called "Always" by Vlad was put out only a day or two before I began writing this, and it's pretty much the same idea. Wow...I checked it out a bit and it seemed good, though not how I would (and am going to) do mine. So, if you've read his, I promise mine won't be a carbon copy by any means. If you haven't read his, go read it after you read mine ;)

Just goes to show, there's no limit to good Snape fics.
-TBK

The corners of his vision were corrupted into darkness, which spread quickly over everything. A few mere seconds later, the beautiful green eyes were the last sparks of color and life he could find, and then, he was gone. He was dead.

He could not feel anything, see anything, hear anything, or smell anything at all for what seemed to be an eternity, and yet he soon realized that his senses were slowly coming back to him. He soon found himself to be cold and he was not aware of much of anything around him; it appeared that his afterlife was nothing short of barren purgatory. Just within his line of sight was a blinding white light, which lay to his right, and to his left was an even darker shadow which seemed to be alive, struggling to consume him as he floated weightlessly in the gray expanse that he perceived as his life after death.

He could not move towards one side or the other no matter how hard he tried. Perhaps it was in fact purgatory, a lonely and unfulfilling existence between light and dark. Finally, rainbow colored lightning struck in the distance and broke the monotony, but it was gone almost as soon as it had appeared, only for another flash to erupt seconds later. He found that his senses were becoming stronger with every flash of the lightning.

The shining white light, however began to recede and slide farther and farther from his reach. The darkness seemed to have forgotten him as well, and it looked as though it was swallowing itself up. The stronger he became, the fainter the darkness and light became. He could not move much, but he could slowly alter the course of his floating existence if he chose. Before moving either direction, a figure of rainbow light broke through the gray expanse and called out to him.

"Severus Snape...it is a pleasure," The voice thundered, though Snape could not tell it to be either male or female, though he assumed the former based on the more noticeable masculine features of the rainbow frame.

"Who are you?" Snape replied, still unable to move about freely and properly face the visitor, who was well above Snape's prone figure.

"I am the Guide. It is my job to bring those who have passed to a side. If darkness is the consuming fire in one's spirit, then they will be lead to the left, to abide in everlasting shadow and cold. If light was the spark of the soul, then off to the right one will be sent, to enjoy the shining warmth of paradise. You, however, will not be going to either side."

"Why is that? What am I to do then?"

"You stand out among your contemporaries. I have greeted Dumbledore, Voldemort, Rufus Scrimgeour, Dobby the elf, Bellatrix Lestrange, Fred Weasley, and many, many more...and yet none are quite like you."

"Voldemort is dead!" Snape exclaimed, his eyes wide and his mouth agape at the mention of the names.

"Some take longer to guide than others. In the physical world you left behind, it has been approximately 19 years since Voldemort's defeat, which occurred very shortly after he killed you. You have finally been judged Snape, and your new task awaits you."

"My new task...I am not resigned to rest or torment then?"

"No, no, goodness no, Snape. Your talents and willpower were quite extraordinary. To give you up to either side would be rather unfortunate. Truly, however, to deny one his eternal fate is a sin greater than most others, especially if the second chance is abused. I will give you another life, but you must do your all to resolve the dark conflict that plagues the lands. If you rid them of the great threat they face, you will be guaranteed eternal rest and absolute reverence across the universe."

"I'm not going back to Hogwarts...am I?"

"No. No you will not be going back to your old life. Those you left behind have tempered the darkness there, and for now...all is good. However, another land, a land in another world, is in an extreme danger that I feel you would be greatly suited to resolve."

"What is this new land I am being sent to then?"

"Equestria. It is ruled by several Alicorn Princesses, one of whom, I am sorry to say, is in great danger, and from a fellow Princess no less. I warn you, the perpetrator may not even be aware of her wicked deeds. If one dies, then their entire order will be offset, and it is possible, that the nation will fall. This is not the face of evil you are used to seeing, but it is the same evil beneath, I guarantee you. It is a puzzling and mysterious problem, Severus, but I am confident that you will be able to diffuse it."

"I understand."

"Unfortunately, I cannot give you much more, for the task is yours, not mine to solve. I will tell you that while you can be as open or closed to your past life and actions as you choose, it would be unwise to trust any of the Princess- or those close to them. Still, this task will likely take a long time, and you should get used to the idea of living there. I can promise you that by the time your mission ends, Equestria will be some kind of home to you."

"..."

"I wish you luck, Severus. You are the most complex soul I have met in a long time...I look forward to our next meeting."

With that, the rainbow figure disappeared before Snape could blink and the gray expanse around him was flooded white. His senses once again left him and he blacked out for the second time since his death in the Shrieking Shack.

The sound of an explosion and a tremor that threw her off her bed woke Princess Twilight abruptly. Before she had the chance to get to her hooves, Spike ran in screaming wildly and ran circles around her.

"Twilight! Twilight! Something just fell from the sky and landed in the Everfree Forest!"

"Spike! Calm down, we're okay," Twilight assured and wrapped her hooves around the baby dragon for comfort and because his yelling was the most aggravating thing Twilight remembered hearing in weeks.

"But the Everfree Forest-" Spike began to protest, but Twilight's hoof stopped his mouth from speaking.

"We're fine, and how did you see what happened anyways?"

"Well...I was...I was going for a midnight snack and..."

"Of course," Twilight teased and giggled. They got up and left, traveling down the quiet and dark stairs of the library just as Mayor Mare and most of Twilight's friends came running. They met up at the front door.

"Twilight, did you see it?" Rarity exclaimed and pointed towards the forest. It had clearly been disturbed and it seemed to Twilight that the source of the disruption was coming from nearby the Castle of the Twin Sisters.

"No, what hit the forest?" She asked, as the Mayor looked around nervously as other ponies began to step out their doors and investigate.

"Something big and bright," Rainbow replied, "but it didn't look like anything I've ever seen before."

"You don't think it was unfriendly, do you?" Fluttershy whimpered.

"Maybe...Mayor Mare, can you keep things quiet and calm here?" Twilight asked as she looked out to the Forest, the heart of which seemed to be in a state of flux.

"Yes, but where are you going Princess Twilight?"

"My friends and I are going to investigate. If it is something unfriendly, I'll let you know so you can order an evacuation," Twilight explained as her friends, save Applejack and Pinkie, who were absent, gathered around her.

"Very well, good luck Princess Twilight!" The Mayor called as she lavender alicorn teleported herself and her friends far into the interior of the Everfree.

The Everfree was darker than usual, and it seemed that most of the weird and often unsettling creatures that dwelt there had moved elsewhere. The chill in the air seemed augmented as well. The area where the ponies teleported into had been burned, but no sign of flames was to be found. Even stranger, the black, leafless trees surrounding the supposed area of contact between the object from the sky and the ground had been twisted and gnarled worse than most trees appeared.

"Does this mean it's gone?" Rainbow asked as she peered out to the best of her ability, searching for anything remotely out of the ordinary.

"I'm not even sure what 'it' is, but I wouldn't take any chances...these don't look like good signs," Twilight told them as she examined the side of the Castle, which was very close by.

Fluttershy and Rarity looked through the endless maze of trees and fog, checking behind every rock and into every crevice for the fallen object. Rainbow had gone into the air to examine the skies of the outer parts of the forest, in case who or whatever had arrived was a swift traveller, and Twilight was beginning to check inside the Castle, where she figured anything sentient would head for shelter.

The old halls of the forgotten fortress were still in rather good condition thanks to the efforts Twilight and her friends had made during the past several months, but even now dust was bleeding through the polish. By taking in the grandeur of it all, Twilight had almost missed the fact that a strange liquid had been left on the floor. Upon lighting the hall with her horn, she discovered it was blood.

She swore the air grew twice as cold and the shadows twice as dark as they had been. The logical side of her brain told her that it was entirely possible that a sentient being was hurt and needed her help. The emotional side replied by noting that some kind of carnivorous monster could have attacked another sentient being.

Her thought train was broken as a crashing sound came from the staircase above her and down the hall. She inhaled deeply and flew up to the upper level and soared through the hall, towards the Castle library. It did not escape her notice that the same dark blood was present in the hall as well.

Twilight peddled down and stopped upon coming into a large corridor, with flashes of light and the sounds of more crashing and clanging coming from the door at the end and on the far right. If she remembered correctly, this path led to a balcony overlooking an old castle garden.

She ran down after the noises and after passing what she guessed were bedrooms, she reached the large balcony, which was barren of anything except a dried up, cracked fountain in the center. A strange figure was using it for cover and it appeared to be bleeding.

Facing the strange creature was an even more odd looking thing, and Twilight hadn't the slightest idea of what it was. It appeared to be a hulking creature that looked like a timberwolf had crossed with a cragadile. Twilight thought that some kind of rocky substance coated the bloated wood that made up it's skeleton, but such a creature was unparalleled to Twilight's knowledge. It walked on two legs and it's large tail had just been used to destroy the old fountain, knocking down the stranger who was behind it.

Rainbow had caught wind of the scene on her way back and flew down to attack the beast, but it easily reversed her advances with another mighty swing of its tail. The smaller creature began to cough up blood, and the red liquid was still leaking from the black garb around its middle. There was no time to debate; action needed to be taken, and quickly.

Twilight fired a beam from her horn that didn't seem to hurt the beast, but definitely caught its attention, and it began charging towards her. She flew up into the air and out of its reach as she fired again and gave Rainbow time to get to the bleeding creature. The smaller creature pushed Rainbow away and got to its feat without her help, but as the pegasi protested, all the creature could notice was the beast attacking Twilight, a worried expression on its face.

"Rainbow, get it away! It's hurt!" Twilight called out while continuing to evade the beast's strikes, a task that was becoming all the more difficult as the hulking creature seemed to be learning Twilight's patterns.

"It won't let me!" Rainbow protested and prepared to speak up again when the small creature raised a small stick-like item and shouted out.

"Sectumsempra!"

Without warning, Twilight was thrown down as a magical force of some kind cut the creature across the chest twice in long, deep slashes. Luckily she had been almost shoved down to the balcony, as the creature howled with pain and a green fluid began to ooze from the cuts. The power to injure a creature like that was more than noteworthy, and the smaller creature was injured to boot. Twilight only hoped it wouldn't lash out at her and her friends after the hulking cragawolf.

The beast gave another loud and angered cry before getting on all fours and aiming its jaws at Rainbow and the stranger. The very stone beneath it quivered and shook as a massive force was unleashed from the beast's maw and hurled at the two. The small creature raised the stick object and looked like he was about to use another odd and powerful ability when he clutched his chest, fell to his knees, and struggled to move.

Rainbow seized the stranger and attempted to fly away but Twilight was fast enough to erect a magic shield around them, and the howling blast was deflected to either side of them.

"Rainbow, get going!" Twilight shouted and rocketed off into the sky again to gain more maneuverability over the monster.

Rainbow looked torn. She knew it wouldn't be right to leave the stranger to die, but Twilight's magic didn't seem nearly as effective as whatever the stranger was doing. She bit her lip as Rarity and Fluttershy finally came running up through the hall, both with alarmed looks plastered on their faces.

"Fluttershy," Twilight reached out, "can you stop it? Maybe with the stare?"

The yellow pegasus gave no answer, and she looked like she was trying to force herself to stay. Rarity took her back a few steps and began urging her into action while the cragawolf kept at Twilight, barely missing its mark on almost every occasion.

"Hey, you're hurt, and we have to get you healed soon, but if that thing isn't stopped, we won't get a chance to heal you at all. Do you think you could do that slashey thing again, that worked really good," Rainbow implored.

The stranger took a moment before replying in a low voice, "Do you think I haven't been trying?...By the way...referring to me as 'he' will suffice."

With a grunt, the stranger got to his feet, raised his weapon again, and after a slight pause, took a step forward and thrust the weapon in front of him, releasing a red spark that flew almost faster than Rainbow could follow. Twilight defended herself from a fierce attack by the beast, barely managing to create a dome of magic that saved her from grave injury when the monster flipped its attention backwards.

Twilight then noticed that it was actually on fire, having been set ablaze from behind, and that the stranger was on his feet, breathing in and out with some strain. It wasn't very fast, but the creature was actually being incinerated before their eyes, slowly being burnt into non-existence.

While she had many more tricks up her sleeve, Twilight was more than surprised that the stranger could defeat such a raging beast like that. And to think the stranger was in intense pain...this was very, very intriguing, and a little frightening too.

"Hey!" Rainbow exclaimed with alarm.

The stranger collapsed before Twilight could think to say anything, and in a few seconds she, Rarity, and Fluttershy approached hastily.

"I don't really know advanced healing spells...certainly not something to save a non equine being from injuries like this!" Twilight panicked.

"What do we do?" Rarity joined in and looked around nervously for something to help them.

"I will help him," A voice from the sky commanded as the figure of the Princess of the Night descended with grace yet serious intention.

Before bothering to say anything to Twilight and the others, Luna focused on the bleeding figure and closed her eyes in concentration. Her healing prowess was put to the test and sweat was soon running down her face as she did her best to save the stranger from certain death.

Twilight fidgeted with her hooves, as did Fluttershy, while Rainbow hovered nervously beside Rarity, who was biting her lip with as much poise as she could manage.

Luna continued in the intense treatment for a few moments more before wiping away most of the sweat that coated her face; she turned to the other ponies and remarked to herself that she was more out of practice than she ought to be.

"How did this stranger arrive here?" Luna inquired with less of a serious tone, but still a confidant and strong one, given that she was the senior Princess in the situation, "I imagine it has something to do with the falling object that hit the Everfree Forest not long ago."

"That's what I believe," Twilight replied with more surety than she imagined she portrayed, "but we haven't had much of a chance to talk, given the circumstances."

"I have never seen a creature quite like it," Luna commented as she turned and lowered herself near it.

"I know it's a he, he told me, but I didn't get much other than that...except a snarky attitude..." Rainbow explained, lowering his voice to just above mumbling as she announced the last part.

"I will take him to my sister then, and we shall watch over him for the time being," Luna announced, once more turning to face the ponies.

"Should we come too?" Twilight asked.

"It might be best if you did, and perhaps we should also get the other two Element bearers, in case he turns out to be trouble; where are they?"

"Back in Ponyville with the Mayor, keeping the ponies there calm and collected, we hope," Twilight replied.

"Then we will take a quick detour and head back to Canterlot. I shall send word for my sister to be woken when we arrive, if your assistant would not mind, Princess Twilight," The Princess of the Night decreed.

"Oh my!" Fluttershy squeaked out before retreating behind Rainbow and alerting the others that the stranger had gotten to his feet.

He looked at his chest and examined himself, seemingly in awe of Luna's healing powers. Other than that aspect of him, it was hard to tell exactly what was going on in his mind, though a good guess would be that he was annoyed with the location.

"I believe I am in your debt," He commented, emotion still indiscernible, and bowed his head slightly to Luna, who did her best to both acknowledge him and keep a good diplomatic face, but it was clear he was far more a master than her at such things.

"May I ask you your name?" Luna inquired as the stranger took in his surroundings.

"...Severus Snape." The name seemed to rattle poor Fluttershy quite a bit, and though Luna remained as unfazed as she had been, Twilight and Rainbow both felt a tinge of reverence for him bubble up.

"Welcome to Equestria, Severus. It's clear you are a stranger to these lands," Luna said as she approached him, walking forward only a little slower than she normally would.

"Thank you," there was hesitation in his voice, but he masked it well.

"It seems you have healed well, but this was not all my doing. You have many talents, Severus Snape," Luna complimented.

Instead of replying, this time Snape merely nodded and finally walked towards the other ponies, examining each one for a moment, then moving on to the next.

"Might it be possible that you are a Princess?" Snape asked Luna.

"I am Princess of the Night."

"I'm also a Princess," Twilight spoke up. Though she felt her cheeks go red, she was proud to have said what she did when she did, and committed to taking a more active role in welcoming the strange and powerful individual called Severus Snape to Equestria.

"And may I inquire as to exactly how many Princesses there are?" Snape asked, pacing back and forth slowly now in front of the ponies, who all stood still and mostly silent when they were not talking. His air of authority and intimidation were strong, yet oddly subtle.

"Four, and I'm sure we would all like to meet with you. Never before have I seen a creature such as yourself, and I'm almost sure my sister and my niece have not," Luna answered.

"Well, I suppose I should formally greet each of you then, and make my presence....legal?" He paused, though Twilight felt it was on purpose, as though his very words and they way he said them had a purpose.

"Yes, we should introduce you as soon as possible," Luna agreed quickly and walked forward, past Snape, and led him towards the edge of the balcony, the other ponies trailing the two closely.

"Can you manage your friends back to Ponyville, Princess Twilight?" Luna asked, though she was almost sure of the affirmative nod that came seconds later, "Very good. I can teleport you there, Severus."

Snape motioned for her to proceed and she got close to him before teleporting them far past where the eye could see. Twilight followed up with her friends soon after and they left the matter of the large beast behind them for the moment.

A flash of solid blue light erupted in Ponyville, followed up by a dark pink one seconds later, and six figures appeared in the midst of Ponyville, to the great alarm of many.

"Princess Luna," Mayor Mare greeted and bowed, the looked up with some confusion as to the identity of the stranger. The crowd of gathered ponies bore similar expressions and it was clear that nopony quite knew what to think of the creature that looked strikingly like an overgrown bat.

"Greetings subjects, I have come to report that the disturbance from the Everfree Forest is nothing to hold concern over," Luna proclaimed to the gathered masses.

Snape looked more stunned than he had upon seeing Luna, Twilight, and the others, yet his expression was still more or less solid and his eyes moved from pony to pony with cold calculation, as though he were trying to determine if things added up. His posture remained rigid and unfixed for a moment, but soon he settled himself and leaned back a bit, examining the crowd further.

"You must all be wondering who this is," Luna finally acknowledged the general idea the crowd was giving off, "and while I do not know if he wishes to reveal much of himself to us, I can tell you that he is friendly, and that we will take him to Canterlot to speak with the Princesses very shortly."

Snape gave another short and low nod in greeting, but did not interrupt his posture. Most of the crowd seemed at least content that he was not about to set their houses ablaze, but many were still somewhat uncomfortable with his presence.

"Twilight!" Spike called out and ran forward to greet the lavender alicorn upon returning. Applejack and Pinkie Pie were close behind and both had smiles on their faces at the sight of their returned friends.

"See Spike, everything turned out OK," Twilight told the young dragon, who immediately went forward for quick embrace.

"We were worried sick about y'all," Applejack said as the group of seven converged, "why didn't ya come and get us?"

"Yeah, how could you have sleep over treasure hunt without me?" Pinkie asked, as if somepony had wanted to know what "PBnJ" was.

"Sorry, but there wasn't a whole lot of time, and for all we knew what had landed was bad news," Twilight explained.

"Yeah, next time you just gotta move faster," Rainbow teased.

"So what's up with your new friend?" Pinkie asked, "are there no colors where he comes from? Talk about an eyesore," Pinkie began to rant in the usual Pinkie manner, which visibly worried Twilight, Applejack, and Rarity.

"Severus, ain't it?" Applejack interrupted and held out her hoof to the man, "pleased to meet ya."

Snape observed the ponies interact and when he was finally approached, he seemed to have not quite noticed the outstretched hoof at first. He finally shook it and replied with a tone that border-lined on mild contempt, "How do you do?"

"I'm sure you're gonna find Equestria is a great place," AJ continued.

"I'm sure," he replied in the same manner as Luna finally came over to speak with Spike about sending a letter to Canterlot.

After several more introductions, Snape was taken with the Element users and Princess Luna to Canterlot. It seemed that he truly was doing it all over again. Perhaps it would go smoother this time around. He was still unsure as to how open to be, how much magic he should show, and how to behave around the implausibly colored equines, but he had decided upon seeing the tall towers of the Equestrian Capital that it was no dream. Severus Snape was in Equestria, and he had a purpose.

2: Life in Equestria

Fortunately, Princess Cadence had come to Canterlot that very same night on business she chose not to disclose in front of Snape, so his arrival and hopeful integration into Equestrian society was going smoothly thus far. Furthermore, the opportunity to speak with and measure the identities of all four of Equestria's rulers so soon was an immensely valuable tool.

Given that the night was still moderately far from ending, it was decided, and encouraged by Severus himself, that the formal introductions be made later on, in the morning. In the meantime, he was free to rest or take any (reasonable and unprovocative) action he pleased. He wasn't sure if he should have been tired, but he was not, and was more than used to spending long nights up and about.

Canterlot was a city unlike any Snape had seen before. Far from the rundown, gloomy architecture of Spinner's End, yet at the same time, the castle was too modern, too sleek and steeped in color and refinement of style to remind him much of Hogwarts. Judging on appearance alone, it seemed this world might actually be out of the reach of things like evil, but then again, evil was never docile enough to not poison anything that was not already evil.

He ended up leaving the confines of the castle, after obtaining permission from the Captain of the Guard, and found a more or less deserted hill in which to test himself. Upon being transported to Equestria it was clear he had been weakened greatly, allowing the strange creature he encountered to successfully attack him; without the intervention of the ponies, he might just be wounded beyond complete repair...or perhaps dead once more. Now that he had been healed and had some time to adjust to the feel of the new world, he was prepared to see if he was still the powerful wizard he had known himself to be.

Back in the forest he had proven that with great concentration and power of will, despite injury, he was still capable of spells like Sectumsempra, suggesting that his magic was not too far fetched a thing here. He conjured up a few dummies with ease, then proceeded to try a few spells out. To his delight, magic was almost easier to work with here than in England. Though he did not actively try and use either Occlumency or Legilimency, he was sure he could, especially given the circumstances that not all ponies seemed to possess magical abilities.

After around half an hour out in practice, he was satisfied that his skills were up to par and he removed all traces of his activity. The castle stood out more than anything here, and he laid himself down against the trunk of an oak tree on the same hill to gaze at it in its entirety. It was an impressive fortress, he could not deny that, and those who worked and lived there held unbreakable loyalty to the Princesses and to each other.

He resigned himself to watching the night and getting a better feel for the land. It was more peaceful here than at Hogwarts, at least more peaceful than the school had been in the last few years, but that was to be expected. The inhabitants remained about as interesting and tempered as the muggles back home. The world itself, however, was a large departure from what he knew. Evidently magic was a respected gift here, and though not everyone could use it, everyone knew about it. He assumed that the news of his magical ability would be met with some apprehension, but as a strange creature to them from a land they had never once heard of, he couldn't quite come to blame them.

Furthermore, it seemed that magical creatures were fairly common, given that a small dragon was the one and only example he'd seen of a library assistant. He also caught sight of a phoenix upon arriving at the castle, another magical creature with which he was familiar, and he sensed that the phoenix knew that, somehow. And of course whatever attacked him at the old castle could not have been much of an oddity, and he had already garnered a sense that the forest in which he arrived in was a place of mystery and danger.

It was a new world, but it wasn't all that different from his own, obvious changes aside. He clearly felt a defined sense of good and rightness in Canterlot, and that meant that a defined sense of evil and wrong were present somewhere else. The exact location was still far from his grasp, but he was satisfied with how quickly he had managed to come into contact with the Equestrian royalty. His mission was well underway now...the thought made him stiff.

The moon had begun to lower at a faster pace, and the night would soon be over, prompting him to rise and quietly and quickly trek back to the castle. Two or three of the Canterlot residents had awoken by now and saw him out of their windows or from their doorsteps, and each of them had the same look of confusion and anxiety the Ponyville residents had about him.

The guards at the castle entrance let him in without question and he ascended up the long stairs and towards the room he was given for his own use by Princess Celestia during their brief meeting. None of the guards on patrol inside found him, but he didn't mind and slipped into the guest room, which was far more decorative and elegant than he was used to in a place of living. He filled a bowl with water and washed off his face and his hands, after which he proceeded to take the banana and one of the apples from the fruit bowl that had been set on the nightstand near the large bed. His meal was more satisfying than he had expected, and whatever the ponies did to their apples here, it made them more enjoyable than almost any fruit he could recall from England. The very of thought of the whole breakfast comparison made him chuckle to himself.

Upon finishing up in his room, he left once more as the sun rose and dawn broke the stark darkness completely. A few guard members were stationed at the bottom of the stairs and met him with indifferent expressions, much like the one he wore.

"Princess Celestia is waiting to speak with you in the throne-room," one of the guards reported. His broad and muscular figure being outstretched so that it looked as imposing as possible, and the other two were mimicking his posture to the best of their ability.

"Fine," Snape replied in more of a drawl than he had been using around the ponies thus far and followed the two stallions through the castle.

The route to the throne-room seemed inconvenient and unnecessarily elegant, but the front entrance to the castle was much closer to Celestia's chamber than the guest rooms on the western wing. Already the halls had gotten more crowded as workers began to attend to their duties, a few ignoring Snape for the sake of the jobs they were committed to, but many eyed him with suspicion and sometimes worry.

The trip was not overly long, and by the time the guards had led Snape to the door, Princesses Twilight and Cadence were arriving from their own private chambers in the eastern wing. Twilight looked bright and cheery enough, but it seemed that Cadence was a bit down, and her appearance was definitely masking something, what however, would require a bit of probing to figure out. He was wary to try and search her thoughts, figuring that if any being here would notice and take issue with it, it would be a Princess. He made a mental note of her behavior as he approached them.

"Good morning Severus," Twilight greeted with a warm enough smile, and at the same time Cadence followed suit.

"And you," Snape greeted back quietly as he opened the doors for the Princesses and followed them in where Luna was standing beside Celestia, who rose from the throne and walked forward when the three entered.

"Severus," Celestia welcomed and spread out her hoof in a formal gesture, "I'm so sorry that our meeting was cut short last night. I'm sure we will have more than enough time to discuss the matters at hand now, however."

"Yes, we have much to discuss," Snape told her and looked upon the rulers of the land with a deep look, as though he was staring through them.

"Then let us go and talk in a more comfortable place," Celestia said as she led the group off to the side where a sort of private chamber where two couches and a very fine and well crafted table sat. Celestia sat in between Luna and Cadence, while Twilight took her seat beside Snape on the opposite couch.

"Now then, if you don't mind me asking, where exactly have you come from?" Celestia opened the discussion with the authority and respect of a shrewd and practiced politician.

"A far off realm you've likely never conceived of before. Even with the magic I have seen here, I doubt any ancient scroll or magical mirror could tell you about the world I come from."

"And how is that you found yourself here?" Luna asked assertively.

"I am not entirely sure myself, but I am keen on the idea of staying here for a time," he replied, and he did so in truth. The methods of his arrival were more or less a mystery, knowing who was responsible but now how, and he had no idea how large or small the nation was. This could be as good as he would get it.

"Something can be worked out easily enough, but may I ask what has caused this desire of yours to remain in Equestria instead of trying to find a way back to your home?" Celestia inquired with a keen look.

Snape took a moment of silence before replying in a voice that a half an octave lower than his already low voice, "My home...is behind me. I seek no way back to it...I left it in good hands." He did not look into Celestia's eyes, but past them.

"That is a fair enough answer, and while Equesria has not had a creature such as yourself come to live here before, we would be far from what we claim to deny you the right to live here, assuming your interest is genuine," The Princess of the Sun once again responded.

"Quite so," Snape replied, his tone reaching back up to the range that was just above a whisper.

"Well then, Princess Twilight and I can work on the details, but there are a few things you'll have to do," Celestia explained, "for instance, find a job. What was your trade back in your old life?"

"I am a wizard," Snape answered as he put his fingertips together, posing in an austere and prideful manner, "specializing in potions and what was referred to in my realm as defense against the dark arts. Whether or not any such position exists here I cannot know."

Celestia smiled at his answer and looked thoughtfully towards the figure garbed in black. Twilight's look seemed much more eager upon hearing of his past identity as well.

"I may have a job that would suit you very well, Severus. The Canterlot School of Magic has long been a place where young and inexperienced unicorns can go to build a strong state of ability for themselves, but sadly, in the recent years we've lost a few teachers, and I'd be very interested to see your skills at work."

"That can be easily enough arranged, and I'm sure Princess Twilight will vouch for my skill," Snape commented casually but still sternly, catching Twilight off guard with the comment.

"Oh-yes, yes-he possessed magical talent that was strong enough to hurt the strange hybrid creature my standard magic could not," Twilight praised and shifted nervously for being thrust into the spotlight. She almost swore Snape took a liking to it, though his features remained unchanged...perhaps it was just her imagination.

"Ah...yes, the hybrid creature is a matter I would like to discuss at a later date, when more information can be gathered. I hope you don't mind, Severus," Celestia mentioned, eager to push back the troubling matter for another time. Snape nodded curtly.

"What will you do about living quarters?" Luna asked the man as he gazed over to Cadence, who seemed content to remain quiet and still, as if moving would hurt her in some way.

"If it isn't too much trouble, I would be fine with staying here," Snape told the Princesses, "but if there is room available at the school itself, that would also suffice."

"You wish to live in a school?" Luna asked for clarification.

"I have lived in a school for a majority of the year for the past two decades of my life," Snape replied quickly, almost in a way that suggested Luna's comment offended him in some way.

"No teacher has lived in the school before, but if it would make you feel more at home, then I will arrange something. Until then, you can remain in the guest room," Celestia spoke before Luna could make any kind of reply.

"Princess," Snape addressed Cadence, who quickly looked startled, "tell me...what lies beyond the borders of Equestria?"

"A few different nations of some renown...I can have a map sent to you if you're that curious about it," Cadence responded with enough vigor and energy to suggest she was dealing with whatever was bugging her well enough.

"I would very much like one, thank you."

"If you'd be willing to come with me to arrange your legal papers, maybe afterwards we can gauge your skills and talk about working at the magic school...I've had to put in some time there myself, and I'm eager to see what you can do," Twilight suggested, seemingly having recaptured her enthusiasm for the man.

"You'll want to begin work as soon as you can," Luna agreed, "we will help you settle in, but you are expected to pave your own path."

"Of course," Snape answered.

"Now let me see," Celestia interrupted, "we've covered your background well enough, mentioned the creature incident, and sorted out your living and working conditions...I think you are free to go, Severus."

Rather than respond, he gave a low but meaningful bow, and departed with a nod at Twilight, who followed him with a smile, leading him out the door to finalize and legalize his new life in Equestria.

Cadence remained behind with Luna and Celestia.

"Do you trust him as much, Luna?" Celestia asked.

"I do...he doesn't seem quite the same, but I believe he is still genuine," the younger sister replied without taking her eyes from the now closed doors.

"And what about you, Cadence?" The Princess of the Sun inquired.

"I...can't make any decision yet."

"Are you feeling well?" Celestia quickly asked and moved nearer to her niece.

"Well enough," Cadence told her aunts with as big a smile as she could.

Twilight closed the door of the office behind her as Severus headed out towards the bright streets of Canterlot, where citizens were socializing and working with a smile. The sun was high in the sky and morning was beginning to shift into midday, and his legal status was now on file and as complete as it possibly could be.

"So, Severus, you said you specialized in potions?"

"And defending against the dark arts," Snape added, hardly slowing down for the lavender Princess.

"Right," Twilight replied with a sort of laugh, "I happen to know a bit about those subjects myself."

"So there is dark magic here," Snape confirmed speaking more to himself than to Twilight.

"Yes, in fact, my friends and I have faced a few dark magic users in the past year or so!" Twilight told him, trying not to sound boastful.

"Is that so?" Snape asked with considerable intrigue for someone like himself.

"Can you keep a secret," Twilight confided and moved in to finish the thought in a whisper, "the first one was Princess Luna."

She swore Snape's eyes grew wider for a fraction of a second, but before she could blink they were back to the normal, unassuming stare they had been in for most of the day, looking down at her. As much interest as she had in Snape, his very presence seemed a bit darker than she liked.

"You might be surprised at how often powerful dark magic users pop up here every now and again," She told him with another quasi-giggle, "sometimes I wonder how we get by so well." Another, more obvious laughter followed at her joke.

They continued the conversation, though Twilight was more the talker than the listener, and entered through the school gates. The students stared with awe at the Princess and the unfamiliar creature, and one young mare tripped over herself at the sight. The halls were cool and had an academic smell to them.

Twilight's office, as she did hold a position as a teacher at the school, though did not regularly work more than a few times a week, was more messy than Snape expected, and many books and scrolls lay on her desk and on the floor beside it.

"And that was how we finally stopped Discord," Twilight remarked as she searched through the pile of books, tossing aside one every second or so until she found the one she was looking for.

"So..you've made it into the history books a few times, have you? How fitting..."

Twilight's attention, however, was solely focused on the book she levitated towards him.

"Here we go! Want to take a look through this and see how many herbs and plants you know?"

Snape seized the book and flipped through the pages, spending no more than 15 seconds on any two pages, and continued this process for a few minutes while Twilight fiddled with something on her desk, seeming to forget about Snape for the moment.

"Many of these are familiar to me, but some remain unknown. This is a masterfully crafted book for a world where nothing too deadly exists," He told her as he read through the back cover.

"Umm...thank you..." Twilight replied and refused to take the book back, telling him that it was his as long as he had things to learn from it.

"So, with how much you know, I think you can start working with the potions classes, but you'll need to be doing some research on it too. At least the students will be relieved that somepony with...more than mere competence...will be teaching," Twilight told him as they headed for what was to become his office. Snape decided not to press about the current potions teacher, and let Twilight lead him on as he watched the students give him odd looks. He hoped they'd be used to him soon; it wasn't distracting, but it was annoying to notice.

The office sat in such a way that bright light was reflected into it through the window, and Snape almost immediately pulled out his wand and closed the wooden shutters. Twilight didn't seem happy or upset with the motion, and began to look through the private room that had been left abandoned for a year or two.

"Delightful," Snape commented, though almost lower than Twilight could hear.

The office was filled with dust and a few cobwebs, and a few broken desks were being stored in it, but the furniture that was meant to be here was in well enough condition. It was a bit hot, but nothing unbearable. Snape lifted his wand high in his right hand and swung down to his left side, and the dust seemed to fade into the very room itself.

"I have to say, your magic seems pretty useful for day to day activities...but is it limited to the use of your wand?" Twilight inquired as Snape set down the book on a shelf behind his desk. He peered back at her for a moment, then returned his attention to the shelf.

"No, not everything is dependent on my wand."

Twilight gave a silent nod and began to organize the few books that were sitting on the student desk nearest to her. Snape was not overly fond of having Twilight with him, but she was helping, and this was a ripe opportunity to gauge her character more. He didn't need to use magic to tell that she was trying the same thing, though she wasn't very good at it.

Snape moved out the broken desks and into the custody of the head janitor as Twilight mended the broken shelf on the wall near his window and to the side of his desk. A chalkboard was built into the back wall and a quick motion of his wand made all the chalk disappear, leaving no traces of the obvious student graffiti. Just like Hogwarts...even where supposedly gifted students were sent to learn, there were jokers and punks among them.

The next hour was filled with more cleaning and organizing, but Snape had finally gotten things to an acceptable state and locked the door behind them as they headed back outside. Princess Celestia had already sent an official to finalize Snape's job at the school, and the one office worker they passed on their route out waved somewhat awkwardly to them.

"Would you like to get something to eat with me?" Twilight offered and looked around for a good restaurant nearby.

"No, thank you," Snape replied flatly and began to walk off. He was already nearly three times as far away from her as he had been when she flipped her head to find him.

"OK, well it was nice to spend the time with you! See you soon!" She called out to him, but he made no signs of acknowledgment.

Twilight took the moment to pause and sighed. Friendships weren't always easy to strike up.

His first day in Equestria had not gone so horribly. He had settled in surprisingly fast, and was pleased with the ease of gaining some semblance of his old life back here. He had been a little worried he was going to have to resign himself to making rainbows or some such trivial thing.

He had long ago returned to the castle and looked through the book Princess Twilight lent him. He studied up on plants such as Poison Joke and a large flower that served as cover for Tatzlwurms, though the petals did have some useful properties, according to some authorities. He didn't peer much into the parts about mixing and doing the work with chemicals and serums, as the art of which was the same as he had always known it. He did find himself looking into the uses and dangers of the items he was unfamiliar with, however.

After a while of this and some food that was sent up to him, he was rather finished, and sat at the desk in front of the mirror. He had set out a scroll and a quiver and ink partridge, but he wrote nothing. He simply lost himself in the mirror, and let his mind wander.

What was he doing here? He had been tasked with something he had no duty to serve, and was only brought here upon the wishes of the figure he had met between life and permanent death. He had not stated specifically his approval or disapproval of his new task, but at the time, he was more open to it. Now that he had realized what he was committed to, he wasn't so sure.

Evidently existing between life and death drains one in more than physical ways.

The Guide promised him acceptance into paradise if he succeeded. Nothing was said about him failing. Snape recalled telling Dumbledore once that he was tired of spying, of playing the silent and shadowed hero from behind the cover of evil. This role was not so very different, and it was bringing out a bad mood in him.

He was not so much as asked about it, only informed- and subsequently influenced- to accept the role. No consolation with him or those who could be waiting for him...not that very many of them existed, he supposed. It was troublesome. Unfair. Life was unfair, but apparently so was the stage between life and death.

His love for Lily drove him in the past, but she was not involved with this world. No one from his past was. He was alone in this endeavor.

He felt no attachments to these ponies, and though he aligned himself with good rather than evil, he could hardly see how the evil here was so bad he had to dragged off to deal with it. His single motivation for this task now was paradise-but beyond that-who he could see there.

Dumbledore had made it there, no doubt was to be had, and he imagined his mother had, which wouldn't be so very bad either. Yet it seemed Lily had more to do with this than he first thought. If he was guaranteed paradise, and she was there as well, it opened up many things.

A new life to create. A new bond to forge if the former could not be repaired. A way to transcend the singular plane of Earth and meet up with the one woman he ever cared for more than anyone else. This was not a great trial with which to vanquish evil so much as a stepping stone to Lily. That...was a reward he desired. Certainly after 17 years of protecting her son, she would have him back into her life...

The classroom was rowdy and loud. Students were out of place, writing personal notes, carelessly eating and drinking, and behaving like caged animals.

This was put to a stop, however, when Severus Snape stood up and walked out of the storage room to the far right of the classroom, prompting every single student to go silent. He walked quietly up to the front desk and looked out to each student, meeting every unicorn mare and colt in the eye and asserting his utter dominance without a single word.

"I assume that those of you capable of reading have studied chapter four," Snape stated coldly as most of the misbehaving students put away their private notes and food and drink, a ban on which was clearly visible on the all behind the front desk, and sat attentively.

Snape turned around and waved his wand in front of the chalkboard, and many statements appeared on the board, the first of which was his title: 'Professor Snape'. He did not turn back as he spoke, "If I were one of the three mares in the second row with food still out, I would put it away now...unless you fancy going bald."

The mares put away the food quickly and scrambled to attention when they saw a list of ingredients to work with, which if tasted, would indeed cause baldness...or worse.

When he had turned back around he found the class was in much more of a studious and attentive manner as the herbs and vialed brews were passed along via a cart Snape controlled with his wand.

"Yes, before any of you think to ask, I am your new permanent teacher, I do not grade easily and my patience for stupidity is very low. Yes, I am a human being, a creature of which I doubt your primitive minds would be able to grasp, and any questions asked of my past will result in an unfavorable punishment."

A mare in the back row raised her hoof and waved it with passion, but Snape waited a moment and returned the cart to its place before letting her speak.

"May I go to the bathroom?"

"Surely any more makeup would only serve to drive away your lab partners," Snape commented and watched the hoof go back down as the mare put her head down.

Legilimency was easy on magical students, even easier than he assumed. A Princess was still a dangerous gamble, but these students had likely never done anything like Legilimency or Occlumency; they sensed some disruption, but Snape was clever enough not to give them the chance to dwell on it-not that they could properly identify his work.

He still wasn't overly pleased with his situation, but some things never changed, like the naivety of students and their typical behavior.

"Can anyone...anypony..." he corrected himself with some apparent agitation, "tell me what happens when the solution in vial 'A' is mixed with that of vial 'C' and why mixing 'A' or 'C' with 'B' would be disastrous?"

None of the students had an answer for him.

"And so none of you can read," He chided and began to write once more on the board.

Author's Notes:

Thank you all for the love and attention this has gotten! It is easily the most popular story I've published. :) I don't know when the next chapter will be out, as I am quite busy, but I intend to please. If you're enjoying it, leave a like (or maybe a fav?) and check out some of my other stuff if it floats your boat, including the work I do with Spoiler Alert NET: /story/197918/the-nightfall-chronicles

Thank you all so much, and if I have done some wrong or you see a flaw, please, point it out and I will attempt to fix it.

-TBK

3: Agendas

The task of securing a position as the teacher of a new "Defense Against the Dark Arts" class was tedious and long, but after a week and a half of teaching at the Magic School, Snape had procured an extra class. The sign up sheet was filled faster than expected, and he later learned that many students felt their classes were too mundane and boring. Was it any wonder many unicorns never went beyond the basics?

After his final class teaching potions, he locked up and departed to one of the basement levels and found a few students already waiting and having their conversations.

"I would do it, if it was for Celestia, who wouldn't, I mean-"

None of them were familiar to him, and none where very keen on his sudden entrance.

"You're the human teacher, aren't you?" One of the students asked as Snape came down the stairs, his robes flapping after him.

"I am, and I am also a teacher with a title; refer to me as 'Professor Snape' from now on," Snape told the colt sharply.

"Y-Yes sir," The colt replied nervously. It seemed he wasn't used to being 'in trouble', or at least he didn't have as many teachers as good as Snape.

"Yes sir, Professor!" Snape corrected and lightly hit the colt in the side of the head with his wand. The colt looked as though he had ingested a golfball. He reminded Snape of an uptight, teacher's pet Ravenclaw student. If only it were possible to take away house points here.

Snape set up the equipment for the class by creating a few dummies and several mats, as landing on a stone floor could lead to more injury than he would have liked to have on a first day...plenty of time to teach them power and motivation through fear of pain later on. A few buckets, bowls, and sheets had been laid out near the wall. He also posted a notice on the wall that a study packet for the class would be waiting for the students in his office tomorrow morning.

Soon enough, other students showed up for the lesson. As the room got crowded, it grew warmer, and as the room grew warmer, the patience of the students began to falter. Snape was content for the moment to scope each of them out from a distance and use deduction to make him impressions. Nothing outstanding, not that he expected to find much of it in the first place.

Finally, one of the students, a proud and fairly skilled one at that, found the courage to speak up: "So are we here to defend ourselves against dark magic, or to have a social convention?" A few other students laughed, but most looked towards Snape with the slightest and twisted glee. Stories had already gone around about the toughest teacher in school.

"You are wrong on two points," Snape declared as he slowly walked towards the student, Fire Rune, who dared speak against him, "You are here to learn from me, if you can, and you are not to speak out of turn. This may not be an experience in a classroom, but I will maintain absolute authority...am I clear?"

By this time, Fire Rune was directly in front of Snape, and the human teacher continued to stare fiercely at the brash student's face. It showed little signs of backing down. This one was used to pushing his teachers around a bit.

"I'm here to learn dark magic," Fire Rune stated flatly and made a satisfied face. The less precise at controlling their emotions gasped or covered their mouthes. No student had yet dared cross Snape, and he was glad to have finally found a troublemaker to make an example of.

"Use your magic to throw this bucket at me," Snape ordered as he lifted a bucket with an unknown material in it and let the student grasp it with his magic, a suspicious look in his eye the whole time. Snape took several steps away and gestured silently for the colt to attack.

"Expelliarmus!" Snape countered before the bucket move from over the student's head.

The look of shock on Fire Rune's face was abundantly clear. The transparent liquid inside began to turn black and solidify on the student's body and he gnashed his teeth together as the pain grew with each passing second.

"I said attack me, not wait for me to take the advantage," Snape criticized.

Fire Rune shivered and looked at himself with confusion and fear and could not reply.

"For those of you interested in learning of dark magic, take a good look," Snape continued, "this is a unique concoction with little mention in any dark magic book you'd ever find. It is an enchanted potion that saps the natural magic energy from a pony and converts it into this black mass, extra credit to anypony who can tell me what it is?"

Nopony answered and Fire Rune began to pant as the agony increased, but Snape paid him no mind whatsoever.

"I thought so...because Mr. Rune has made me his enemy, I will deduct three points from everypony's grade in this class for failure to answer," Snape informed them, at which a few groans could not be contained, but they only a brought a smile to his face that the students failed to catch.

A mare took protest to the action, and more specifically, Snape's attitude in general: "Did Celestia approve of this kind of action? That's awfully cruel to pull on a student!"

The other students grew quieter than before, and Fire Rune looked agitated, as though the mare who spoke up had just made things worse for him...which was fairly probable.

"...Fortunately...for you...Celestia has asked that I not use anything deadly or that would cause major pain. However, I am not beyond re-evaluating what I consider to be 'major pain'. Mind your tongue...and learn from those foolish enough to cross my authority."

The mare did not back down, at first, but was soon persuaded from the whispers of a couple of her friends to listen and stand down, an idea she accepted and acted upon after a good half minute of Snape staring coldly into her eyes.

Snape ascended the vast and majestic Canterlot castle under the shadows of moonlight, having spent the day teaching and rummaging around a few old shops to find books, a bit more ink, and other items for his own purposes. The bags made no noise and neither did he as he rounded corners and slipped down the corridors.

He slowed down upon coming towards a slightly open door where a conversation was bleeding through.

"I know, I know, but I'm not being unreasonable with this," A male voice pleaded.

"I beg to differ," Princess Cadence replied.

Snape had set down the bag to the side of the door and leaned forward. No sound was relevant except their voices.

"This is the most important time we've ever been through," The male objected and seemed to move farther away from the door.

"But this is too far!"

"It's my job to keep things in line and up to speed!"

"These things can't always be taken that way; sometimes nature has to take its course!"

"But we can try. We can make things happen."

"I...I don't want to...please..." Cadence appealed. From what Snape could gather, she was now very close to the male. It seemed likely they were embracing.

"I just want this to be..."

"I know, I understand. But I'm part of this too...please..."

"Ok..Ok..."

"Thank you."

No more words were uttered, and Snape decided that he had heard enough, and began to head out towards the next staircase when the door opened and Cadence headed the other way.

Snape paused and, sure enough, the male came out a few seconds later to watch her go. He had a white coat and a mane that was two shades of blue. His so called cutie mark was a shield with four stars- three on top and one large one inside the tool.

The stallion stared until she had completely disappeared, then turned back and was mortified to see Snape walking towards the staircase a ways away.

"Hey," He protested, 'How much did you hear?"

"As much as I wanted," Snape replied without turning back around. The unicorn was not pleased, however, and teleported in front of Snape with a snarl on his face.

"What is that you've got there?" He demanded of the human, who stared for a moment and then put on a sarcastic smile.

"Nice magic, and based on your inability to name these ingredients, I might assume you used to be the potions teacher."

"Captain of the Crystal Guard," he shot back, "and Prince of the Crystal Empire, Shining Armor!"

"How nice," Snape commented flatly and shifted to walk by, but was once again stopped.

"I suppose you're the human, that Severus Snape guy..."

"Ironic how the 'Prince' has heard of the mere teacher, but not vice versa," Snape mocked and this time pushed Shining Armor out of the way, but was grabbed from behind and spun around before he could make much ground.

"I can make your life miserable here, don't forget that," Shining Armor warned, a dangerous glint igniting in his eye.

Snape forcefully pulled his hand, which had been firmly in Shining Armor's grasp, away and stared back. The situation tensed up for a moment but Shining Armor was the first to back away, and did so with ire as Snape flashed a look of contempt.

Cadence's husband...what an infuriating pony.

Upon returning to his room, he put away the materials and began to scribble down a few things as the night air blew through the open window and lightly blasted his skin. The quiet murmur of the ponies going about their evening far below was the dominant sound. He had just dipped his quill in ink when he nearly jumped from his chair and drew his wand.

Behind him was a pony he vaguely recognized as Pinkie Pie.

"Hiya Snapey, it's been way too long," Pinkie began as if they had met at the market rather than in Snape's personal room, "you might not think of me as your friend but I definitely think of you as mine, absopositivutely!"

Snape put his wand back and rubbed his temples, releasing an agitated sigh, "Snape...Severus Snape...is my name."

"Snape, huh....."

"That's right, now...if you don't mind...how did you get in?"

"SNAPE! SNAPE! SEVERUS SNAPE!" Pinkie began to shout, as if it was a song.

Snape sighed again and took back his wand.

"Muffliato!" The charm took effect, and thankfully, made the pink pony cease the mindless shouting.

"So, anyways...your name is really fun, but I'm here to-"

"Please...," He cut her of as he turned back towards the desk, "leave me." It was more of a command than a request.

"But Twilight and the rest of us are down at the little cafe on the corner, waiting for you, silly filly!" Pinkie explained and somehow seemed to teleport from behind him to beside him.

"How nice, but you can tell them I'm not interested," Snape explained in a more calm way.

"But we came over to see you and Twilight, and it won't be as much fun if Twilight is-"

"Go. Now."

Pinkie looked hesitant to take the order, and her lip quivered in the struggle, but she soon put her head down and walked off, and it seemed that her mane and tail had lost some of the flare they had a moment ago. That, or they had been deflated somehow.

Twilight looked up across the street with a smile as the pink pony approached the table.

"What happened?" Rainbow asked as the others took notice that Pinkie seemed less happy than she should.

"He didn't want to come..." Pinkie explained.

"That's too bad," Fluttershy consoled in a way that both sounded genuine and relieved that Snape would not be coming to join them that night.

"Are you sure he's as great as you say he is, Twilight?" Applejack inquired as she took a large gulp from her beverage, much the contrast to Rarity, who was sitting by and slowly sipping her's with a straw.

"He was nice enough when we got him settled in at the school," Twilight explained, "but he's always seemed a bit solitary, I guess. Maybe he just enjoys being alone more than he does spending time with friends."

"I suppose that's possible," Rarity acknowledged and wiped her mouth gently with her napkin.

"We'll get to him sometime when he's in the mood to hang out," Rainbow told her friends with confidence and consumed her beverage more akin to how Applejack did.

"Yeah...it's just a matter of timing I guess...just finding out how to approach him," Twilight agreed thoughtfully.

"Boy, I wish my ears would stop ringing already," Pinkie said, more to herself or the table than any pony.

4: Encounter

Author's Notes:

Hello to fans of the story and readers in general!

[The following info can be skimmed over, lol, or just ignored...unless you love me so much you want to hear me ramble on a bit! :)]

Guess what....I was making tons of progress on this part, then this STUPID LAPTOP pad went crazy on me and I somehow lost about 45 minutes of work........I'm so mad....and so sad........

THEN, not long after, the charger went nutty and broke :(

I guess it's like Snape says: "In case you haven't noticed life isn't fair." :/

BUT, I worked hard to bring it to you anyways: This chapter is a bit off as far as the tone of the whole work goes, but it is here for you and will make sense to the story as a whole. I promise the next one will be more in line with what I've been up to in this story.

I also have something small but separate in the works, and I think you'll enjoy that crossover too (i can hope, right?)

Enjoy!
-TBK

Celestia and Luna were surprised to see Severus already waiting for them on the balcony overlooking Canterlot. The sun was to be lowered completely and the moon risen up before Snape was to arrive, but he looked as though he had been waiting for the royal sisters for at least a few minutes. He sat quietly but still sternly on the balcony's barrier, looking down thoughtfully at the little ponies that scurried off from one place to another...like tiny ants far below him. He hardly seemed to take notice of the sisters until Celestia openly cleared her throat.

He shifted his eyes over and stood to bow and let the sisters do what they had to. They seemed perfectly in balance as Celestia took hold of the massive yellow orb and brought it gracefully and slowly down as Luna hoisted the giant, spotted pearl in the sky for all to see. The act seemed to take no effort, and they were very prompt about getting down to business.

"We did not expect you so soon Severus, but we thank you for understanding the importance of this situation," Luna greeted.

"I am as interested in resolving this as you," Snape replied, still motionless.

"We sent out an investigation but found little evidence," Celestia informed him. "Hopefully you can help us resolve this mystery."

"I do not remember much of the event, but I was ambushed upon arriving at the old castle...the one which used to belong to the two of you, if I'm not mistaken," Snape stated.

"It was a long time ago," Celestia replied, a nostalgic tint lining her voice.

"I do not know how the creature came to be, and I don't believe that you do either. All I can say with certainty is that was more than a little...unfriendly."

"So you did not see until it lashed out at you then, and you don't know when it arrived at the old castle?" Luna questioned.

"I'm afraid so," Snape told them and turned to walk out, but was stopped by The Princess of the Sun.

"Severus!"

Snape paused for a slight moment and turned back towards the elder sister with a stoic expression.

"I've talked with Princess Twilight recently and she tells me that a figure with your abilities is needed down in Ponyville, and she would be very appreciative if you could find your way down to her tomorrow morning."

"...Very well, I shall see to it," Snape announced and promptly stepped out and past Luna, jumping into an odd kind of flight that drew stares of wonder and curiosity from the regal siblings. His black figure dissolved into a smoke like substance and plummeted down before spiraling up and through the skies, drifting towards the school.

The facility was abandoned aside from the night janitor and his assistant, though neither were in the vicinity of Snape's landing. The halls were dark, but Snape brought a lantern with him from the staff shed out behind the school, near the dumpster area. He also picked up a golden key that would get him into places his normal keys would not.

The door sounded out with an unnatural shriek that was covered by the sound of student voices and laughter in the school session. It offset him, but it seemed as though the shadows themselves were agitated by the creaking disturbance. When the door had shut, the shadows returned to silence and stillness and he moved on down the long corridor, traveling in an equal silence.

The stairs appeared to be less stable than they were in the day, and each step Severus took made a deeper and deeper impact, like invisible meteors striking the land outside. The lantern light flickered as a cool wind breeze somehow penetrated the sanctuary of the school. No windows were open, no door had been left ajar, but the silent and chilling airstream running down the stairs with him was unmistakeable.

When he reached the bottom, two paths awaited him. One of the hallways went right and led to a majority of classrooms on this level. The left passage way led to the cafeteria and some of the staff offices, as well as the teacher's lounge. Snape's destination was to the right and up another flight of stairs, towards the attic and storage areas where his private office was, and yet something urged him left.

By now, Luna's moon had been erected high and was just beginning to be blotched out by dark clouds. It was the prophecy of a storm the pegasi had been planning for a few days. The icy breeze had not subsided.

He passed by many offices and then noticed the cafeteria doors were unlocked. Inside the moonlit room many tables sat in shadow; the janitor or his assistant had been through this way, it seemed, and had since left, as a mop cart had been left discarded in the main aisle, the mop itself was laying in a pool of bubbly soap. Snape's eyes glowered and he bent down to closer examine the cleaning supplies.

Complete absence of sound followed.

Snape left the cafeteria and turned back into the hall where a new light was shining down on the right hall, flashing shallowly as the mysterious being that carried it descended the stairs to reach the basement levels. Snape followed stealthily, but left the lantern behind.

Upon reaching the bottom of the staircase, it was clear that a pony had gone down, but said pony was shrouded in a cloak as black as Snape's garb. It had once more descended the staircase and passed by the janitor's secondary supply room, the boiler room, and the room where powerful magical tools and items were kept from the grasp of students. In other words, it was headed to the lowest and deepest room of the school, the room where Snape taught Defense Against the Dark Arts class.

The pony in the cloak stopped at the entrance of the large, flat room and began to mutter some kind of incantation. It did not seem like normal unicorn magic, and it was clear that some kind of magical barrier had been set around the room. The difference was almost unnoticeable, but Snape could tell when the shield dropped, allowing the pony to enter the room.

Snape followed closely behind and used his own magical prowess to crack the shield open and enter. By now, the pony was gone. It had completely disappeared, but there were no indications that it had used magic to escape. Snape began to poke around the walls and the floor, checking for anything useful.

The room had been left fairly bare and the notice on the board Snape had written for his students mere hours before was still lingering on the wall, standing out as a written notice of his authority. The chilling breeze was present here too, and Snape closed his eyes and stood still while he focused on it. When the next big gust of chilling air came he had locked onto it and scurried off to the source; the solution to the vanishing figure riddle had presented itself.

When he had gotten to the spot on the wall where the cold air was emanating, he placed the golden key inside the small hole, which had been magically altered to appear as though it was solid, and turned it. With a click, that segment of the wall opened up and a gaping wound in the structure was present to Snape.

The air was mustier, but cooler and the only direction he could go was down. The small, dark hall was lit only with a few torches which flickered in the breeze and seemed as though they may have been lit far longer than could be expected of them. The passageway was slanted down and Snape could not see the ending as he treaded downwards.

When he arrived at the bottom he found himself in a room that was about as empty and wide and long as the room above where he taught, but the walls here were lined with engravings; no inch of space was wasted and the markings were colored red. Snape wondered if even Princess Celestia knew of the secret of this old room. On the far end of the chamber were three hooded figures, each one facing two other ponies without cloaks, one on the ground and the other, who was either unconscious or worse, was in shackles on the wall.

Snape approached silently, but he felt that his extra caution was unnecessary, and the two parties looked as though they were in a total battle with each other.

The hooded figure standing in between the two others spoke up to the pony on the ground in a cold, male voice, "Your faith in your Princesses is solid but foolishly placed. We will make you a force used for a far greater purpose and when your Princesses are dead, you will come to the light of our ways."

The pony on the ground was panting heavily and could not respond, but shook his head in denial of the claim to the best of his ability.

"We shall forge you into a new tool, one worthy of service to the true savior of our world," The same cloaked figure announced, "and you will do our bidding or die for our cause in another way."

The middle figure used his magic to raise the pony on the ground and the dim torch lights on the chamber walls revealed the face of the raised pony to be Fire Rune. The student struggled against the three and let out a scream as they came towards him and huddled together in preparation for some dark act.

Without warning, strong but almost invisible wires shot out from behind the three and grasped Fire Rune. The student was pulled back and landed roughly behind Snape, who stood, wand raised, ready for a battle. The three figures looked at one another in confusion for a small moment, then turned to face Snape. Each one of them hid their faces beneath the cloaks, but their eyes glowed with white magical prowess.

Several blasts of white magic were shot off in rapid succession at Snape, but with superb timing and efficiency, he deflected each and every one. Fire Rune had collapsed and it was clear to Snape that the student had been pushed beyond his limits already.

Using Legilimency to read their thoughts and gain a tactical advantage proved tough, as the three seemed to share a link between their thoughts, as though they had a hive mind. It was not impossible, but it would be tough to crack down the multilayered defense and read clearly what each individual was planning while in the middle of combat.

One of the figures turned to the shackled pony and began to drain it of all power and life force, and the shackles began to loosen as firm flesh and strong bone became a squishy and frail pair. The other two continued to use their magic blasts to keep Snape busy.

The two attackers ceased firing their blasts and one charged him with a daring run while the other teleported to the side and formed a white construct of chains to entangle him in. Snape broke the chain construct before it could ensnare him and fired a blast of his own that propelled the figure to his side into the wall.

The running figure formed a dagger construct and leaped up to bring the blade down through Snape's chest, but the figure was too slow and Snape evaded with relative ease.

"Levicorpus!" Snape shouted and flipped the figure upside down. The cloak fell down and revealed a body completely encased in white flames, but if anything, the white fire protected the pony. The figure under it hissed loudly at the maneuver and did its best to free itself, to no avail. The second attacker was regaining his composure, and Snape flung the hoisted figure into him, knocking both back down.

Snape ran forward to them and produced similar wires from his wand to tangle the to together and bind them up, but the wires were not as effective as intended and the figures were able to break free. They attacked in sync and drove Snape backwards until the third rejoined his allies.

When the trio had been reunited, they linked their magic and teleported away as a group.

The pony shackled to the wall was no longer there. He might not even be missed, depending on who exactly he was, but Snape would have keep a close eye on that. The room was left abandoned, and the cold chill that had so openly afflicted the school had gone with them. What they were and what their objective was were unknown to him, but reviving Fire Rune would give him the answers he needed.

"Professor Snape? ...Thank you..." Fire Rune managed as Snape tended to the gashes and injuries.

"Don't thank me," Snape muttered as he worked, his words coinciding with the waves of his wand, "you've gone and gotten yourself into trouble...I'm here to pick up the pieces...and make you wish..you hadn't."

With that and a confused look from the student, Snape put his wand to the colt's forehead and searched it openly for what had happened. His digging and prodding were to no avail, though, as it happened that the trio of hooded figures had erased any memories of their work cleanly and clearly. If Snape hadn't fought them before trying to search for the memories, he wouldn't have known of their existence at all.

"Professor...what...what's going-" Fire Rune was cut off as Snape began to cut and paste real and fake memories, creating a scene where a trouble making Fire Rune had stayed after hours at school to cause trouble and Snape had caught him. It was dishonest and cruel, and it worked perfectly.

With Fire Rune unable to recall the true events and knocked out and taken up to the main level of the school, Snape was free to do as he pleased with the remaining clean up.

To leave the secret chamber open would be foolish indeed, as the trio of attackers may have been students themselves...he couldn't be sure, no matter how unlikely it seemed. Even if they were just a small group of grotesque cultists, it would be far wiser to deal with the room. Similarly, to tell any Princess could be disastrous as well, for any of them could already be plotting the death of a fellow, and mentioning this room could alert them to Snape's activity and paint him suspiciously in their eyes.

In the end, he decided that the best course of action would be to destroy the entrance to the hidden room and place a spell on it to alert him if anyone or anything somehow made it inside. He was done with the deed in a matter of minutes.

With the distraction of the secret chamber over, Snape returned to the task he had originally set out to do: set up things for his excursion the following day. What Princess Twilight had in store for him was a mystery, but it wouldn't look very well if he refused the wishes of one of the rulers less than a few weeks upon arriving. Besides, this could be the chance to solve the mystery early. He merely needed to play his cards right and manipulate the situation to his advantage.

He wrote down a quick note for whatever squib was to take his place and set up a lab he was sure none of the students would not find all that enjoyable. He checked through the chemical supplies once more just so that the activity would not be interrupted by insufficient materials, then prepared to head out.

It was then that a knock on the door stopped him in his tracks.

"Enter," He commanded with subtle strength.

In walked the Princess of the Crystal Empire, a look of uncertainty on her face. Snape's eyes analyzed every emotion, every weakness on display as quickly and efficiently as he could, but she seemed to be too preoccupied with whatever caused her to venture to him.

"I'd love it if we could talk," She opened uneasily.

"That..can be..arranged," Snape replied in a drawl.

"Great," She commented with the enthusiasm of putting on socks in the morning.

It was far later than he intended when Cadence left. To top things off, she cornered him with an endless session of questions. The subject was quite interesting, though, and hard as it was at times for him to keep focused on the matter when he wanted to be elsewhere, it made him pay attention to the mystery of his mission much more.

She seemed much more reserved and cautious when they had just met, but somehow her caution was overridden with enthusiasm. How that came about was really anyone's guess, but Snape knew he'd be seeing a lot more of the Princess of Love now.

Somepony else, however, was not as enthusiastic about their meeting. To Snape's ever immense luck, Shining Armor had followed her to the school and confronted them just before Snape managed to leave for the night.

"I expected something like this from you..." he snarled at Snape, "but how could you do this to me Cadence?"

The pink Princess wore an expression of mild annoyance rather than apology. She shook her head and walked by, indicating to Snape that this kind of thing had happened before. Shining Armor pleaded as quietly and proudly as he could, and Snape quickly flew away while the Prince was distracted with his wife. The jealous husband scenario could wait, and Snape was glad to have it so. Another hindrance to his task was exactly the kind of thing he did his best to avoid whenever possible, yet through some sheer twist in fate, he rarely if ever could.

Shining Armor noticed Snape's exit and began to cry out against the man, demanding him to return, but Snape happily ignored the Prince of the Crystal Empire.

As bad as the night was, a bad feeling in his gut told him tomorrow might well be worse.

5: Excursion

Author's Notes:

I'M SORRY!! Hey guys, I know it's been FIVEVER since I updated, but rest assured I still intend to continue this story! With stuff like college applications and AP classes, not to mention fulfilling all the other roles of my (believe it or not existent) social life, it's taking some time, and I also have other projects running (see my Fanfiction.net profile (Theblondeknight45) if interested). But, here it is, enjoy!

Next chapter, a special guest in: A Deal with the Devil!! Muah ha ha ha ha! ;D
-TBK

Stars had not yet left the sky when Snape crept out of the castle quietly. His unofficial summons to Ponyville by Princess Twilight were more than a little unappreciated, and he feared they may have been more than unnecessary too. For some reason the lavender Princess seemed intent on getting close to him. She didn't seem like the type of pony that would keep him from his business if the situation did not call for it, but she was also the youngest of the four, and likely the most prone to accidents and naive mistakes. Unless something truly important had come up, he would clearly be wasting his time.

The train seemed a little mundane for his taste, but he really didn't want to spend any more time away from his work, both public and private, than he needed to. At least he could do some of the aforementioned private work on the way and hopefully in the small town called Ponyville. Train it was.

Few ponies rode the first train of the day and it was still a little while from sunrise when the first train pulled into the Canterlot station. Less than 12 ponies got on with him and he chose to sit in one of the cars towards the back where only one other being was traveling. He walked by the stallion without hesitation to find a seat near the window. It was a bit uncomfortable, too bright and cheery, like most things in the land, but it would do.

He was still attracting stares, but he rarely let on to the ponies that he noticed their gazing eyes. He felt like a caged animal sometimes, a bound animal in a cage of color, light, and overabundant joy, with only the slightest traces of unease to be found. He imagined a lot of people would dream of living here, fantasize about it, perhaps, but it was a cage in his own mind.

He had found himself asking a lot of deep questions as of late. With so much going on in his new life, and so many secrets rising to the surface, was he destined to remain in this special form of purgatory for long? As he recalled, no definite statement had been made about his term of service here by The (elusive) Guide. He didn't care much for the world now, but even he held the possibility of fondness for Equestria and its folk within his heart, he supposed.

And yet, paradise was his wage, and his reward was the sole reason he chose this path in the first place. What bothered him was that paradise was not specifically stated to be anything. He took it that paradise was different for each and every person, but what if it was not? It wouldn't really be the same then, would it? But if that really was the case, he might be better off here. There was no sure way to know, not unless he could contact The Guide, but even then, the mystic being seemed to shy away from contact with most beings until they were already dead. An audience with the carer of the dead may be asking too much.

He registered the slowing of the train and the sunlight racing over the land as the train descended the mountain and left the city of royalty and fame, and he gathered himself in preparation for the day ahead; the thoughts of his eternal 'paradise' could be mulled over later.

"Are you sure about this?" Twilight asked mid-pacing.

Her friends, or at least most of them, seemed to think she was overreacting and nodded with a bored impatience once more. Spike was watching nervously as the floor suffered once more from Twilight's worrisome habits, and held his claws to his mouth, not wanting to interrupt the scheming of the girls.

"I'm sure he'll totally love this, after all, have you ever met a Snape that didn't think this was a good idea?" Pinkie asked and munched happily on another cupcake.

"I've never met another Snape at all...and neither have you," Twilight answered flatly.

"I think it'll work out just fine, quit worrying over it," Applejack encouraged.

"I agree with AJ here, go read a book or something until he gets here," Rainbow Dash suggested while doing small, boring loops in the air above her friends.

"I couldn't have said it better...perhaps nicer, but not better," Rarity joined in.

"I hate this idea!" Fluttershy burst out and cupped her mouth with her hoof again, hiding her face behind the flowing pink mane as best she could.

"Fluttershy's gentle manner aside," Rarity began again, "we all agree that this is something worth trying. After all, nothing else has worked out."

Twilight sighed loudly and sat down quickly, scratching her head and looking down with fast moving eyes. This could be something far more serious than any of the other girls realized and if what she feared came to pass, then it could all be over for her, for them all, really. The mere thought of Snape discovering their plans made her shiver.

Not long afterwards Twilight headed out into town, alone, to meet Snape as he arrived at the station. It was shaping up to be a quiet day, and the sun was shining down in patches as steel clouds blotted out some of its warmth. She enjoyed days like this, most of the time at least. His appearance, despite coming on her wishes, was agitating the mood for her a little.

He stood waiting, invisible against the early bustle of the town. His eyes were fixed forward and the mild breeze blew back his hair and cloaks a little, and in all, he seemed more at peace to Twilight than she had ever seen him.

He, however, took notice of her coming and walked forward purposefully, passing by the other ponies on the station without so much as a passing glance.

"I trust the situation is as demanding as I imagined," he commented immediately, skipping all formal greetings completely.

"Oh, yes," she stumbled in reply, shifting to walk towards the library side by side with him, "I've got something very serious I need your help with."

Her eyes moved side to side once or twice, and she swallowed noticeably. It was over, he saw through it all. His eyebrow was raised and his eyes were slicing through her exterior, peering into her mind's eye; he had unravelled it all, and she could feel her cheeks warming up and a bead of sweat forming near her horn.

Then he walked on without a word.

Did he take the bait? Did he swallow the deception so readily? In all her experience as a user of the Elements of Harmony and as a Princess, she had never once encountered someone as psychologically masterful as Snape. His body language was almost always a riddle within a secret, and his words were truth wrapped in illusion.

Or was his cleverness at work now? He probably had seen through her act, and was expecting any surprise she could conjure. He wouldn't be fooled by Twilight like that, not by any means. She was too unprepared and nervous, and he was too skilled at what he did. It was all so confusing working with, or around, Snape.

"So why is it that you've called me here, then?"

"Well, as I said...I have a problem that I need your expertise in. I mean, I wouldn't intentionally distract you from anything just because...that's not me at all!" Her rigid smile made him chuckle inwardly.

"I'm sure."

"Well, anyways, I was investigating the Forest a little bit, you know...to follow up on that strange hybrid creature, you know, the one that-"

"Yes, I remember it well. What is it exactly, Twilight Sparkle, that you've found out that calls me to you?"

She was already being pushed around by his direct attitude, but she wasn't willing to just give up now.

"Well, I think...you should see it for yourself."

"Very well."

She led him out of the town and into the quiet sea of nature, the fields of grass surrounding them completely. He walked quietly beside her, peering out into the open for any bad signs, obviously expecting the worst; that was what made him so alluring though, Twilight thought. He could certainly be dark, depressing, cynical...but to change him, to make him bright, cheerful, trusting...that was a feeling the six friends wanted badly. Some ponies, and people, just didn't like to smile...but that didn't mean they couldn't learn, right?

"So, anything interesting happening with your work in Canterlot?" Twilight inquired, eager to change the subject.

"Teaching is always dull," Snape replied, "without good students."

Twilight had to pause before answering, "Oh...well, I'm sure they're just taking a while to learn your expectations; in my experience the Canterlot students show a lot of promise, if they find a system that's comfortable to them."

"My expectations are high, but one needs not reach them to earn a passing grade, however slight it may be."

Twilight once more paused, processing his words carefully and deriving the best answer based off his point of view, but he spoke again before she could make her reply about expectations and the rewarding value of teaching.

"It was the same where I come from...so many students so unprepared to face the world, so inefficient with their time and wasteful with their abilities."

"Princess Celestia taught me early on that students, no matter how strong or weak in a certain area, make their worth known in other areas," Twilight responded a bit swiftly.

"You take her words to heart," Snape acknowledged, "because you've never known her to be wrong, have you?"

Twilight not only paused, but stopped walking completely and looked right at Snape as he turned around to meet her gaze. His expression remained indifferent, but had a hint of challenging nature to it, defying her to prove her views.

"No...Princess Celestia has never steered me wrong, none of them have, and I'll always trust her and the other Princesses."

"Trust, no matter how genuine, can always be misplaced."

"But that's why you have hope, isn't it?" Twilight countered.

"Faith is a dangerous tool. If you aren't careful, it'll use you, and your trust will turn into anger and hatred, and you will walk a path of darkness."

"You sound like you're speaking from first hand experience..."

Snape did not answer, but his eyes never left her gaze, fixed in an icy demeanor that kept her at bay. After a moment more of waiting, Twilight began to walk forward again, "Should we continue on?"

Snape said nothing but trailed behind her with a quick pace and a serious air about him. She led him down towards the Everfree Forest, where the daylight ceased to reach and the everlasting shadow of the land stretched out into the abyss of trees and wildlife.

"So, where is this new discovery of yours?" He asked, tone noticeably darker than before; she couldn't help but shy away from his as subtly as she could before answering, but even then she did not face him.

"Nearby, in fact..." She trailed off and poked her head about into the air before finishing, "I think we're practically on top of it."

A rustling wind blew out from the shadows of the Forest and a flash of blue smoke erupted near Snape, enveloping him and causing him to partially shield his face from it with his cloak. He stepped back and ducked immediately as something flew at him from behind, disappearing back into the smoke.

He apparated himself several yards away as more objects flew at him. Finally, in a single, graceful motion, he sidestepped one last unidentified flying object that fell from the air above him.

When the smoke cleared Twilight and her friends were standing with eyes wide, except for Fluttershy, who was just now creeping ever cautiously from the brush of the forest. Rarity had a cupcake hanging from her face by the gooey frosting.

"How'd you know we were gonna surprise you like that?" Rainbow asked from the air.

"You all think very loudly...especially her," Snape answered, motioning his head towards Pinkie with the last bit of his comment and staring down the failed attempt at a childish food fight in the name of fun.

"I knew it wouldn't work, I'm so sorry for all this Mr. Snape," Fluttershy pleaded from a reasonable distance away, "I told them it was a bad idea to try and take you by surprise like that!"

"Not to mention the waste of food," The wizard added.

"Well, you sure got us! What say we celebrate your skills and sit down to a picnic?" Applejack asked. Twilight seemed a bit hesitant to move on with things, but at this point she accepted it was too late to turn back. They were going to feel it now.

"Very well."

Twilight's jaw fell faster than a pinata at a Pinkie Pie party. Applejack and most of the others smiled, though Fluttershy still seemed as timid as usual around those who scared her.

Rarity, just having wiped the frosting from her mouth and levitated one of the two picnic baskets up with her magic, spoke first, "Well, I must say Mr. Snape, this is surprising, but I'm rather glad you decided to eat with us."

"I knew my awesomeness would get to you eventually!" Rainbow added.

Snape smiled quietly and rubbed his temples with a large inhalation.

"You're really going to just stay and eat with us? What's the catch? I mean you just opened up all of the sudden after we tried and failed miserably before?" Twilight pressed.

"I don't have a problem with eating with friends, although I do try to distance myself from...liars," Snape told them with special emphasis at the end of his statement, causing Twilight to blush a bit, "and of course... my friends all prove themselves to me."

"I think I know just the double-no, wait, triple-layer cake to prove my worth," Pinkie announced happily.

"Pastries will hardly make do in proving your worth to me, little ponies."

"So then how are we all supposed to prove ourselves to you then?" Applejack inquired, eyebrow raised.

"I sincerely doubt you can," Snape told them with a small, short chuckle as he drew his wand, "but you're more than welcome to try."

"I knew throwing cupcakes wasn't going to work...now I have to get serious..." Rainbow said under her breath and to no one in particular, but Snape and some of her friends caught wind of it.

Twilight tensed up, and got into a magic-dueling stance. Fluttershy hurried out of the way with tears in her eyes, but Rainbow, Rarity, Applejack, and Pinkie remained behind their alicorn companion, though it seemed Pinkie was a bit oblivious to the matter at hand and Rarity was clearly not eager to begin what she knew was coming. Silence endured for a time, then Twilight's eyes glowed with magical power and she made the first move.

I'm sorry that this is the only way you'll come to accept us as friends, Snape...but I'll do what I have to to keep the flame of friendship alive, Twilight thought to herself as she fired multiple magic blasts at the wizard clad in black.

With precision and grace Snape applied minimal effort to deflect the blasts and stood still for the next attack to come.

"Try again...perhaps you could put some effort into it this time," Snape told the Princess with an unchanging tone of ease.

Twilight failed to reply before Applejack ran forward, lasso swinging. Before Snape made his move Rarity created a blinding flash with her horn, but the spell was simplicity incarnate to Snape, who dispelled its effects on him within one or two seconds. Applejack was a bit closer, but the boastful nature of Rainbow Dash was well earned based on how close she had gotten to him in the second or two he was without sight. He had just enough time to take hold of AJ's lasso and whip it around Rainbow's neck to pull her down into a crash landing.

Applejack let the lasso go and was slightly deterred, but not enough to stop her charge, something that delighted Snape, in a way, and everything he was predicting was coming into fruition. And that meant that his next move became clear through the simple knowledge of the pony heart.

He struck forward with his wand but any affect it would have had was negated by the sturdy magic shield Twilight erected in protection of her friend, who had no other way of escaping.

"Ah, thanks Twilight; I'll go check on Rainbow!" Applejack called as she slid to a stop, and u-turned back towards the dazed pegasus pony, knowing she could not well contend with Snape and was likely to be in Twilight's way.

"So, nothing short of putting your friends into harm will cause you to act, then? You are not stronger than me, princess, and if you do not battle with all you've got, they will come into harm."

"Don't threaten.....don't threaten my friends!"

Snape leaned in closer to Twilight and she began to grit her teeth and a tear began to form as her eye went red. She wasn't used to living life like so on edge, so close to an unknown conflict so often, but to her credit she looked as though she had already calculated 15 steps ahead; still, he began the engagement, and he had already laid out 20 moves.

"You know...that you cannot save them from me..."

"This has gone entirely too far! You have to-"

"Trust! can be...misplaced!"

Snape apparated as fast as Twilight blinked and Fluttershy's terror filled cry resounded through the area like lightning by the time she opened them up again. Rarity was bound in all manner of cords and strung up like a trapped fly in a spider's web, Snape holding her from the side, free hand outstretched in an invitation to be a hero.

Twilight noticed that AJ and Rainbow were not quite ready to re-enter, and Fluttershy was absolutely stricken with fear, so much so that the Princess speculated the poor pegasus could barely move, unless perhaps they could rally her inner fighter. Still, in the present situation that didn't seem to be much of an option.

Then something most unexpected happened.

"Hold it right there Snapey!"

Pinkie Pie had, through some supernatural and malevolent means, appeared right behind Snape, as though she had apparated. She forced him to take note of her "party cannon" and not to underestimate its power, all the while sticking its barrel into his backside.

In the span of only seconds Twilight teleported to Snape and fired a special beam at him, encasing his body in ice and trapping him in place, but not before he let Rarity go and used his own magic to flip the cannon so that Pinkie fired at herself. Pinkie rolled away laughing, streamers and party decorations strewn within the mess that was her mane but Snape managed to shatter the ice from inside and free himself, engaging Twilight once more in a rapid contest of magical blasts and counters.

When he cast forth fire, she teleported back and resumed with a spell he hadn't quite been expecting, and her magic bound his wand arm in a state of paralysis.

Before he knew it the blue pegasus had rammed her hooves into his face and he was on his knees. He could have chosen to break free of the paralysis, but that would require too much time with so many foes against him, so he had to use the only other viable option, especially when Rarity combined her power with Twilight's to reinforce the binding paralysis put upon his wand and arm.

He focused and honed his skill into the one area capable of completely turning the tide of battle, and everything grew dark. Applejack ran forward and bucked him down onto his side, but he paid it no mind. He had underestimated the equine creatures, and their surprising tenacity had gotten them farther than he ever thought possible for them. He had also counted on their mercy, not something he would be able to count on in the future...but at least here he figured they wouldn't be so harsh. These ponies were much more than met the eye.

Still, for all the impressive merit they had shown him, he had taken control back from them.

Rainbow raced through the air and knocked Applejack over and into a flip, a rainbow spear that took her down and knocked her out. Twilight's eyes went wide and she released the spell when Rarity met a similar fate. Fluttershy was weeping behind the trees, and given what had already transpired, she may have posed a problem, but he intended to end the battle now; Pinkie Pie was still laughing and struggling to regain balance and focus.

Twilight teleported madly trying to evade the rainbow streak that had knocked the others out, and she knew that Rainbow was not herself. Peering into Rainbow's eyes clued Twilight into the truth of the matter. Snape was controlling her mentally, and he was only getting more adept at using Rainbow's natural talents as time passed.

"Trust...can be...misplaced!" Snape taunted through Rainbow's voice. Rainbow possessed no active forms of magic and while strong, was physically weaker than Applejack, and her intelligence was certainly not her best point, but she was the fastest pony alive, no doubt about that. Who needed those other things when you could go so fast those things didn't matter anymore?

Twilight was able to keep back, but Rainbow had far more endurance than her, and Twilight couldn't risk hurting her friend either. It was an impossible scenario. What else could she do but maybe buy time for the others? Even that was hopeless though, given Snape's masterful control of Rainbow Dash.

Paralyzing the pegasus seemed logical, but that would definitely give enough time to Snape to hurt the others, and it was always possible that she would have to carry Rainbow back to the ground when Snape released control. Freezing her had the same drawbacks, and even something that could harm her might not rid Snape's control.

Twilight began to pant and inhale more deeply as she looped around the attacking pony to the best of her ability, and did what she could to descend for safety measures. The gap between the two friends was closing and Twilight only had one possibility, but Rainbow still outclassed her in sonic booms. Still, she had to try. She couldn't let Snape win like this.

She put all her energy into dive bombing and she gained momentum at an incredulous rate, but Rainbow was constantly at her side. It was all or nothing as they approached the point of no return, having picked up enough speed to break the sonic barrier at any moment.

Then, in an instant, the battle between the two was ended.

Purple and pink streaks boosted Twilight forward as Rainbow flew into a Sonic Rainboom at the same time. Just before she could make her move on the Princess, Twilight teleported directly behind Rainbow, tackling her midair and guiding them into the river, hoping they would be alright and doing as much to slow them down as she could.

The struggling ended and Rainbow seemed to fade into an unconscious state as they crashed into the water roughly. It took a lot of effort, but Twilight managed to bring them both safely ashore, dragging herself onto the sand and lying there in wait; standing there in front of them was Severus Snape, an unusual smirk on his face.

"...Well...what now?" Twilight asked him amid pants, head bowed in defeat.

"Now," He replied as he crouched and pulled her onto all four hooves, "I leave Ponyville to return to my work in Canterlot."

"You're just going to leave? What was all this about then? How could you endanger us like that just to say that in the end you weren't after our lives?!"

"You see darkness, Twilight Sparkle, in what you do not understand, and you are drawn to shed light on it. You cannot understand how I operate because you do not know me nor do you understand my experiences, thus....I shall remain a riddle to you."

"And that's why I want to be your friend. Everyone needs a friend...and when we reached out you attacked us..."

"It was you that attacked me, actually...I have no wish to explain myself to you; believe of me what you will, it makes no difference in my eyes. There will be another day, Princess. Another day..."

Twilight could not find a response and let herself cry in silent frustration and stare up into the clouds while Snape began to walk away.

"For what its worth, however...Twilight Sparkle..." He said without turning to face her, "you were able to prove yourself in my eyes...just enough... Next time you want to have a picnic, ask someone who will care. The next time you need a helping hand with a spell or a potion...send me a letter."

"You mean he was testing us just to see whether he wanted to hang out with us?" Rainbow questioned as the sun set and the group sat licking their wounds in the library, Spike attending to them, though most passionately to Rarity.

"Yes..." Twilight's melancholy reply matched their setting perfectly, and the walls filled with books all sat as a sort of feeble shield against what had happened to them earlier.

"And he controlled Rainbow with his mind?" Applejack questioned further while she iced her sore neck.

"Something like that..." Twilight's reply was a bit more...dreamy or trance-like...than sorrowful that time.

"He sounds like trouble to me," Spike gave his two bits and left to retrieve more ice and towels.

"Fluttershy," Twilight inquired after a momentary hesitation, "what do you think about him?"

The yellow pony went red and stuttered about her words as her friends waited for a reply, being ever patient and kind to the, more than likely, emotionally unsound pegasus.

"Well, you've been able to see through problems we haven't in the past...and I've sensed it since he arrived...that somewhere in Snape is a gem of a personality...I'm not ready to give up being his friend, and I've gotten closer after today's events. But what about you guys? What do you think about this whole scenario now?" Twilight explained her thoughts and once more turned directly to Fluttershy.

"Well...I...I think he's very powerful and...that we should give him a chance and do our best to be his friend..."

"Well, Celestia knows my family and I are real stubborn...guess we should give Snape another chance," Applejack added.

"He would be a cool friend..." Rainbow muttered to herself.

Twilight smiled for a moment and silently took out a quill and a scroll, etching out the words "Dear Snape" but setting the scroll down after a time, having lost her train of thought and having her attention stolen by her friends. For now, Snape's friendship would remain as it had been, barely tangible, barely visible...but there, surely there just beyond her reach.

Snape was in no mood to waste time on the train again, and he instead chose to forgo the inefficient means of transportation in order to fly up to the capitol. He rushed himself up to his quarters and locked himself inside, wasting little time in sitting down and taking out many scrolls and a few other scholarly items in his possession.

He closed all the shutters and lit a few candles, dwelling in his own state of peace within the shadows of his dormitory. He did not take action for a moment, but sat in the sound of silence and eventually leaned back in his wooden chair, stretching his legs out onto the floor in front of him.

After a time he let a few tears slip, then wiped them away and grabbed a hold of his notepad and a quill. He inscribed only one passage before turning to other matters that required his attention:

Matter still unclear; continue gauging personalities, emotions, and inspirations; stay wary of TS

6: Deal with the Devil

"Concentrate your mind...let no thought provoke any emotion...let no emotion drive any thought..."

The pony's warm breath in front of him became more frantic as the struggle to follow directions became ever the more obvious. He didn't need to be in physical contact with her to feel her trembling. The darkness of the small room remained a barrier of protection to him, but it was no doubt an ever more constricting hand upon her. The dim and dancing candle flame illuminated a small part of her brow, and he could see a single drop of sweat roll down it as the breathing intensified before he shut his eyes and went to her aid.

"I.....I can't.....I.....impossible!"

"Control!" He reminded her and, without opening his eyes or causing her's open, he grasped her hoof with his own hand, tightening a firm grip around it.

"Please!"

"Control...yourself..."

"Snape! Help me! I can't fight this-"

And Cadence was back. She practically jumped from her seat and immediately began to pace in the pale moonlight that was refracted through the only window in the small room. Snape was still sitting beside her spot, eyes closed, breathing so shallow he could have passed for a corpse.

She pushed back the lump in her throat and let her the side of her head hit the window, and her mane pushed down into the upper corners of her eye. The window was clouded by her heavy breathing and she could scarcely feel anything but the cool temperature of the glass on her head.

How could something so mysterious and so unknown be so real and so frightening? At first she thought coming to Snape to help her with this problem was a good thing, but now she was beginning to have second thoughts about it. Snape's cold and reserved air was not just a pretext, but rather the composition of his very nature; that much she had learned in the short time they had been working together, and inside, he scared her... just a little bit. Not as much as whatever phantom was haunting her, certainly, but Snape was a figure that chilled her spine, and she didn't think that was something she could get over easily.

All was quiet for a moment, then Snape got up from his position, eyes running over Cadence's emotionally wounded figure as she spoke.

"I felt a great shadow...pressing down upon my soul...reaching to drag my spirit away and possess me completely...it was an evil I felt I knew...but one so twisted I can hardly think to dwell on it even now...oh, Snape...what do I do?"

In that moment, when her eyes threw themselves in desperation at him, he began to move forward and broke his quiet analysis of her.

"You can start by clearing your mind, as you were told," The man in black replied and joined her by the window, hands together behind his back, posture lean and rigid.

"The shadow was nothing of my own!" Cadence snapped, then regained her composure, "I...It was something else...something heinous...something that doesn't know true love..."

"No, I never doubted it was, but it was clear to me that the entire time your mind was not trained on combating it, Princess. Whatever this...shadow is, it will not leave you rest nor refuge of your own soul if you do not deal with it while you still have the chance. I must leave very soon, but we will continue when I return; plan on making time for another session in a couple of days."

"I'm sorry, Snape," Cadence apologized as the man opened the door to exit the room and enter the silent hallway.

"If you really are...you'll work this concentration issue out. I, frankly, don't care whether your husband understands or not; you have come to me, and I am fulfilling your wishes as a personal favor....please find it within yourself to commit entirely to casting out this...shadow."

With that, Snape exited and closed the door on Cadence, leaving her abandoned in the small, shadowy room, tears welling up in her eyes and a sniffle threatening to break the stillness of the dark morning air.

Snape's eyes darted across the dim fields of the early morning as he exited the interior of the castle to head back to his room while the sun rose from under the horizon. He had special plans for the day, and the last thing he needed was to waste time in Canterlot, after all, he only had so many opportunities to leave the city during school sessions.

He mentally ran through his list of things that needed to be taken care of while he was away one last time. He had locked down his office at the school and had planned out a rather extensive assignment to make up for his absence. He also put a few spells in place to prevent anyone that didn't need to know about the devious deeds underneath the school from finding out. Mass hysteria and panic would not suit his plans for the mission well, nor would being held in suspicion or contempt by the Princesses. If things got out of hand he could always take more active measures, but for now he was satisfied with monitoring the grounds and keeping the curious types away; without a certain snooping child around, it was almost surely bound to be easier than he anticipated.

He made sure he had all he would need for the day with him and ran through his room to ensure that nothing that was even remotely revealing of him was left for any prying eyes. For a land of bright colors and almost unfathomable cheer, the land brought out an unnatural stirring and deep suspicion from him. He stumbled upon a scroll from Twilight Sparkle as he entered his room, but put it on his desk, ignoring the message for the time being. He had many things to do, and he was only one man. Twilight Sparkle could wait for the time being.

He shut the door and locked it, placed a spell on it, and headed out towards the rising morning light. In front of the exit stood Princess Celestia, who was only now returning from her royal duties as Snape approached, and she went out of her way to put herself between him and the exterior of the castle. He inwardly groaned.

"Good morning, Severus, I do hope you can spare a moment before you take your leave," Celestia greeted with a keen look engraved in her eyes, causing Snape to halt before he reached the sunlight that penetrated the shadows of the halls.

"I...can spare one moment, Princess," He replied, turning to face the ruling monarch.

"I trust that your new life is off to a good start here."

"I've been keeping myself busy."

"Yes, I am aware of your activities in Ponyville, Severus...and I trust you will put a stop to them."

The air shifted in an instant, and Celestia's welcoming and bright exterior was altered into a stiff complexion. This was not a wish or a plea, but an order.

"I can only do so much, Princess...if Twilight Sparkle-"

"If Twilight Sparkle or her friends are harmed-or even put in danger by you once more-then I will take action, Snape. You've brought many benefits to Equestria, and while I know little of your past, I can tell you that acting like this...will not suffice in my Kingdom. Make it a point to play by rules, or leave."

"No...you're right. You know nothing of me, Princess."

"Tread lightly, Snape."

"Don't you think that if Twilight Sparkle had a problem, she'd come running to you first and foremost? That has not happened, unless I am mistaken...now, if you'll excuse me..."

An awkward silence ensued and the two stood their grounds while time froze around them. Neither showed any signs of weakness as their eyes glared back at one another. Celestia let Snape walk by after a few seconds of the unsettling quiet and unspoken battle had passed, and she hung her head slightly as she too went about with her business. The guards who happened to see the confrontation let out a sight a relief or wiped the bead of sweat from their brows.

For all his time in Equestria, Snape's biggest goal, and no doubt his most grievous challenge, was to ensure that when the time came for the final showdown, when the traitor revealed herself, that he was able to take action without any problems. If he could execute his final plan, whatever it was going to be, without a hitch, then he could find whatever it was that lay beyond this land. Thus, he dedicated most of his free time to gaining leverage in that matter.

Having studied Equestria and the main points of its past, he knew that the task could be accomplished easily enough, assuming a few key figures did not interfere. From the very moment he learned of one such figure's existence, he had committed himself to finding said figure, and ensuring his cooperation in Snape's mission...through force, if need be.

Oddly, as the one creature that was truly out of place in such a fantasy world, he was probably the only one who knew the truth. Even the Princess, he believed, were in the dark on this matter. Snape had almost missed it himself, but his skills of analyzation were well kept, and so he set forth on the auspicious quest.

If his knowledge of the realm sufficed and his ability to predict the nature of his foe was accurate enough then he was close to finding the elusive individual, perhaps even catching him by surprise. He readied his wand from within his robes.

The mountain was cold, the peak was snowy in fact, despite the weather being a fine summer warmth, and yet this obeservation seemed to escape so many ponies down below. It wasn't surrounding big cities like Canterlot, but it was still hard to miss...unless, apparently, you were of the equine species. He pulled himself over a large, black rock and found the entrance to a small cavern with the sound of an underground river leaking out.

The air coming from the cave was unusually warm and rather than the calm, dripping sounds one would expect to find in such a place, the singing of birds met his ears. The solid, black expanse of the cavern was absolute, at least, and he crept forward with the extremest of care. With an opposition as masterful as this, how could he not?

Snape's eyes, enhanced by his magic, glowed like those of a cat lurking on the streets after a midnight gale and he stepped farther into the cave, descending with the cavern floor with each step. The sound of the river became louder, but the air got warmer and the chirping of birds more surreal.

He jumped back into one of the walls, wand in hand, as something fell from the ceiling beside him and splattered on the dark stone floor. The substance remained motionless for a moment, then it began to pulsate and vibrate and creep away towards the sunlight protruding in the distance. Snape tip-toed forward after it for a few steps, but he let it go when a wild laugh exploded for only a moment in the far distance. He once again readied his wand and continued onward in a dueling stance.

"Show yourself," He commanded upon giving up on spotting the owner of the laugh; even with his magic at work the force he faced was a step or two ahead of him.

No response came but he could sense that whatever faced him was now afoot, lurking behind the shadows, perhaps behind even the stoney walls and stalactites above him. He continued forward and his foot plunged into the river, which he discovered, was not composed of water at all; at the same moment the high pitched laugh erupted once more, from behind him this time, and he crossed the river, made of a creamy substance, to face it head on.

Yet it did not come, and he lost almost all sense of the presence that toyed with him, leaving him little choice but to advance forward as the warm air turned hotter and hotter and finally assaulted him with a blazing heat while the birds became the source of a searing headache. The shadow in front of him was particularly dark and deep, and he could not fathom either its source or its end, but he caught on right as he stepped into it.

Instantly the cave and the mountain were replaced with a twisted version of Equestria; the grass was altered into a plane of soap and flowers releases bubbles periodically; clouds turned different shades of pink and blue and chocolate milk rained down from the loopy skies. The hills and mountains all seemed flat and structured like the backdrop of a film set; the trees, which would explode every few seconds in a dust storm of rainbow color, then revert back into trees through the whirl of a small tornado, fit right in. The chirping birds turned out to be flying books that vomited out some ink once every 20 seconds or so.

Snape had been expecting an environment more fantastical and distorted than the normal version of Equestria, and yet even he had to take a small second to wonder at how deep and strong the roots of chaos had dug into Discord's mind. Supposedly, Discord was born as the embodiment of disharmony and unrest, conceived of the very same emotions that kept ponykind from achieving complete peace and understanding. It made as much sense as many things in this realm did.

Yet, even with the psychological mastery Discord possessed that so many creatures here lacked, the fact that a good deal of his power was sealed away in the statue, his carbon copy clone in Canterlot, meant his powers had languished over time, though Snape was sure they were slowly returning with the passing of time too. Underestimating any opponent, however, was a fool's tactic, and Snape was no fool.

The ebbs and flows of the very air around Snape lead him through the fields and hypnotized him into taking the next step without his full consent. He allowed this hypnotic disease in the air to guide him and he focused his energies on finding the source of the chaos all the while protecting his own mind and soul from any unharmonious influences that pined to affect him. Based on Twilight's written account, which unknown to her he had read, Discord would lull him on and wait a while before trying him. A fair gambit, no doubt.

He began to slide down a soapy hill when a vortex of chocolate milk sprung from beneath the ground, then morphed into a monstrous wave that devoured him and pulled him through the ground. He began to act out in defense, but the experience seemed to end almost before it had begun. He next realized that he was on his hands and knees on the top of a hill. The sky had grown dark and the raining cotton candy clouds had vanished, but otherwise he appeared to be in the same area, although rather than a filming studio, he now seemed to be lost in some odd expanse that stretched past beyond what any logic could fathom.

He pushed himself to his feet and spun around twice, searching the limitless wilderness around him for any signs of escape or salvation. Rather than walk, he chose to fly, heading in the direction he believed to be East, but then again no one could be sure when Discord was in charge? It took less than a minute before the light returned in the sky, and he landed once more, looking out to see any possible changes in the landscape that enveloped him, but none were to be found.

Snape almost let himself fly off again, and just as he decided it would be more sensible to take a different course of action he heard a scream in the distance.

"Stop! Stop! St-ha ha ha ha-p!"

He apparated in the direction of the cry and found several ponies wiggling on the floor and laughing to the point of tearing up. Each pony was held in place on their backs by a long yet bulky and bulging blue carrot that was anchored to the ground by the green stem in the far distance. Nothing else was in the immediate area, so he figured it was the strange vegetable that was forcing their laughter. He approached slowly and methodically, trying to sense out the area with his mind.

"C-Can you ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-help!?" An earth pony mare requested as the entire group of hostages looked at Snape with a mix of strange distrust and pleading anxiety.

Snape stared every one of them down and examined the whole situation before his wand peaked out of his sleeve. He pointed it at the carrot and, without speaking, quickly raised his wand and flung it back into its original position. The carrot shrank down to a reasonable size and at once and freed the ponies, all of whom took a minute to compose themselves and wandered over to the human with some hesitance; Snape surmised that none of them had encountered him before, which of course meant they were being held against their wills for a while, possibly even since Discord's first "defeat" at the hooves of Twilight and her company.

His expression was fixed somewhere between expecting of an explanation and in harsh denial of their existence. The earth pony mare, introducing herself as Golden Glitter, was the only one brave enough to speak to Snape.

"Thank you...we've been tortured like that for what felt like an eternity...I don't even know how long we've been here..."

"Where is Discord?"

"Why," Golden Glitter asked with a curious and perhaps even amused face, "are you looking for him?"

"My business is my own," Snape replied with steely eyes and a stern lip.

"We'd love to help you, really, but we have no clue where that maniac is, and we don't care; we're escaping this nightmare of a mountain as soon as possible."

They began to leave, but the command of Snape's voice stopped each one from advancing more than a few steps away, "None of you are leaving."

"What do you mean?" Golden Glitter inquired, the nervous edge of her voice breaking through the attempted indifferent facial expression she wore.

"I cannot allow you to flee just yet, my...little ponies..." He worded the group identity with a type of disdain that he was not as used to using as he had been back on Earth.

"Who are you to keep us?" One of the ponies from the group demanded, though the stallion's timid posture broke through his tough facade when Snape moved his eyes directly on him.

"You will not leave until he arrives; it is imperative that the two of us speak, and is for your own good, believe it or not," Snape informed them, moving up until he was face to chest with Golden Glitter.

"That's not fair, we've suffered enough!" Golden Glitter objected, though Snape ignored it and turned his body to the gathering breeze in the air. It seemed the bait had already begun to work.

"My, my, my, my!" An as-of-yet unspoken and menacing voice called from the invisible shadows of the light, "the one and only Severus Snape! Come to see little old me!"

"Hey, there you go!" Golden Glitter told Snape in a panic, "here he is! Please! Please let us leave now! Please!"

"Go." The command was void of emotion and he had not bothered to face the group, only backing up so the Master of Chaos could reveal himself. The fearful whimpers of the equines broke the silence of their meeting, but they were soon lost in the expanse of Discord's maze.

He finally appeared before the wizard, arriving in a white flash and a bowing pose, one arm on his chest, the other extended to his side.

"At your service," Discord greeted, a large and raving smile stapled on his face. Snape's face remained as solid as stone and his eyes did not stray from the very centers of Discord's evil pupils.

"Discord..." Snape acknowledged slowly, beginning the verbal and psychological game of chess they had entered into with discretion, and it was fairly obvious that they both relished in it as well. Discord remained fixed in his bowing stance until Snape had finished greeting him, at which time he flashed away and reappeared behind Snape with his hands together, leaning to the left in an oddly effeminate stance.

"You know, I really wish you hadn't gone and let them go. How do you expect me to enjoy the beauty of my chaos when there aren't any innocent pony souls to torment?"

Discord had now shifted his pose and placed his knee on a rock that sat directly in front of him and bounced up and down a few times like jello when he pressed his weight on it; his hand moved to rest under his chin and a devious smile devolved into a frown with a feigned sadness. Snape merely turned himself around and stepped forward in a confrontational position.

"I'm sure Princess Celestia would like to know what you've been up to," Snape remarked in a casual yet lethal reply.

"And I'm sure she'd just explode if I showed her the 'abracadabra antics' under her precious little school, you know, the same ones you've not been telling her about.....or I suppose I could send a pie instead..." Discord floated up into a position of lounging and placed his paw beside his head, daydreaming about the aforementioned explosive, possibly lethal gag.

Snape remained silent and in place, so Discord flashed away behind him again, still in the air but now leaning down to whisper into Snape's ear with a devilish sneer, "Geez...you just can't stay away from secrecy and lying to those who get close to you...can you?" he then pushed himself back a bit and flipped a few times in the distance, "then again, who am I to talk? I've been an addict for anarchy for as long as I can remember."

"You know more than I'd think..."

"I know things you don't even know about yourself," Discord taunted as though he was showing Snape tickets to a concert of their favorite band, "trust me, some of those YouTube comments...hoo hoo, boy!"

"I know enough about you, though, Discord, like how your powers, though gaining lately, are significantly-lower-than normal," Snape stated and took many steps towards the draconequus, who in return lowered himself back onto the ground, arms folded atop his chest and his smile was literally erased with the back of a pencil, then the pointed lead drew a frown in its place.

"Yes, yes, yes...very true...but then again, with just one," he snapped his fingers and Snape's wand flashed into Discord's possession, "little flick of the wrist," Discord spun his wrist around once and now held the wand in his hand before he pushed it together from each side until it vanished within his index fingers, the same wide smile back on his face, "you're powerless!"

Snape remained unphased externally, but he felt Discord knew he was struggling to keep himself composed on the inside.

The two held their places for a moment and all the while Discord was barely able to contain his laughter until he finally broke, reeling back into a half back-flip and and making Snape's wand reappear in the wizard's hand. Discord faced away from Snape for a moment, seemingly talking to nothing at all for a moment, "Did you see the look on his-oh...no, no you didn't! (But I did!)"

The Master of Chaos broke out laughing again and forced a straight face on once more as he levitated down and began to walk around Snape in a circle, humming happily and waiting for the human to make his next move.

"Well well," Discord taunted after Snape gave no response to his antics, "stumped already? It must have so boring in your last lifetime...I can hardly stand to think about it, urgh, dreadful!"

"I've come here only to secure your cooperation," Snape said with hidden ire, rigid as the statue form Discord's clone was stuck in at the very moment.

"Oh, that's right, I'd almost forgotten about your new, top-secret mission; come to Equestria to stop total chaos from erupting after an inside job in the throne room....hhhmmmm...'fraid it's just not in my best interest to help you out, sorry champ!"

"And what if I changed your mind about that?" Snape asked, innocently enough, as his eyes followed Discord constantly as the embodiment of anarchy circled around him. The venomous snort that was Discord's reply made Snape sprout a very small smile.

"Just think of this, though," Snape lulled and dashed in front of Discord before he could make another step, "suppose I helped you...increased your power bit by bit and led the Princesses on while you grew stronger? When I averted the assassination, and subsequently left, you would have ample opportunity to take over."

Discord seemed intrigued, so much so that he put his face right up against Snape's for a moment so that their eyes connected; Discord's fathomless pits matched Snape's endless tunnels for a single moment before Discord broke off and returned to a relaxing position on a pink cloud he flashed into existence a few feet away and above Snape's head.

"Not even you would let these silly ponies suffer if you could help them. Your heart's too big," Discord dismissed with a lounging wave of his arm and a sigh of ease.

"You underestimate me. What do I have to gain by saving them? They don't matter to me at all, not so long as I save a Princess from death; then I can leave this realm forever."

"Really? IS that so?" Discord questioned with a sneer but did not move himself, only smiled widely from beyond Snape's piercing gaze.

"What would you say if I proved it to you?"

Discord did not answer Snape's question, but did teleport himself in front of the wizard with a bright white flash, standing with his arms folded and an amused smile of derision glaring down on Snape. Snape let Discord see the same small smile that had broken through his exterior a moment before.

With a swift wand motion Snape brought the runaway captives back before Discord, who was lifted off the ground by the stunning gesture of appeasement on Snape's part. The Master of Chaos, a shocked smile forming on his face, wasted little time and proceeded to trap the ponies again, but his eyes never lost their keen edge and they were never taken off of Snape.

"What happened? No! NOOO!!!" Golden Glitter screamed with the other captives, pleading again for salvation, but Snape did not move, he didn't even blink.

"Satisfied?"

Snape's question was more of a statement than anything else. Discord didn't know quite how to react, and Snape knew for the first time the advantage was totally his. The draconequus cleared his throat and rolled his shoulders in an effort to loosen himself up, and, with a scathing sigh, he teleported the two away from the hills, leaving the screaming and frantic ponies to their restored fates.

The two were teleported to a different place in the mountain, where the hills were replaced by a sea of balloons and they stood on a giant cake that appeared to be in the sky. If he had to venture a guess, Snape supposed this was Discord's temporary throne within the mountain.

"So you're willing to let me have my fun with a few ponies hardly anypony else is missing...but what about this...'aiding me in gaining power' part? How do you plan on doing that, Sevvy?" Discord demanded, reclining on a flexible blue candle that perfectly cushioned him and conformed to the impression he made on it; he sat rubbing his chin with his slender hand as he awaited the human's reply.

Snape stood facing Discord, another blue candle to his right and a view of the balloon sea to his left. He did not bother to give a verbal response, rather he raised his wand and pointed it directly at Discord. The Master of Chaos did not give much more than the slightest physical clue that he felt at all threatened, but Snape did not acknowledge his opponent's subtle fear.

Snape inhaled deeply enough for Discord to hear and moved forward very slowly, his wand still aimed at Discord, but then Snape paused, and simply gave an order: "You will not interfere with my work here...ever."

Discord stayed quiet and still, his posture less relaxed and more curious. Snape kept up his stance and his wand steadied so that any spell would hit the Master of Chaos directly in the heart.

"How..." Discord began with an inquisitive look, paused when Snape's wand got an inch closer, and then continued when he felt it right, "should you supply me with your power then? Do I just drop a line?"

"I will make it a point to increase your strength...from time to time."

"Then you have my word...liar to liar...that I won't interfere if you don't back out of your end."

"Agreed."

Snape's eyes shut for only an instant. His speedy inhalation was exhaled just as swiftly, and a silent, golden beam shot from the end of his wand. Discord fell off the candle and gasped loudly for air while he ran his hands all around his body, twisting and turning on the top of the cake, smearing he icing around and knocking over the candle he had just been reclining on. He soon feel silent, but continued to wiggle and worm, and then he slowly fell still, eyes closed, breath shallow. Snape stood looking on him with a sort of pity and a clear detest of the creature.

Snape shook his head and looked out at the sea of balloons, patches of red and blue and yellow and green and orange and white balloons that almost presented an exit way. He walked to the edge of the cake and tried to find the floor beneath them, but he could not. Finally, he spun back around and focused again on Discord.

"Well, are you going to get up and get me out?"

Discord's limp form flashed away and the Master of Chaos reappeared on a pink cloud beside the cake, laughing and lounging once more. It took him a moment before he could properly speak to Snape again.

"That was great," Discord cackled, "let's do it again soon!"

"I'll get to you when I get to you, now answer my question."

"You're a capable and strong wizard, why should I be forced to strain myself and get you out of my mountain. You got yourself in, didn't you?"

Snape's eyes narrowed for a moment, and Discord continued to rest himself on the cloud without presenting any signs of care towards Snape, but he soon gave a groan of distaste and complied with another flash of white light, "Fine!"

Celestia's sun was set to lower soon when Snape began to tread up the stairs of Canterlot Castle. The stone stairs beat with his every motion and the ponies he passed in the city and the guards in the castle, even those who had seen him before, seemed more frightened than usual. Rather, it was not so much fright that forced them to move, but anxiety. It was not fear of something they saw or felt, but something they could only just sense about him that caused their panicked movement.

A stroke of wind blew his curtain-like hair into his eyes and he paused momentarily to wipe it away. When he adjusted it, Princess Luna stood before him, an expression that mirrored his own callous and uncaring mood was on her face. He had to admire the contrast she brought to the land.

"Good evening, Severus."

"Princess."

"I heard you had the day off, may I ask how you spent it?"

"I spend all my free days the same...working."

"Oh," she acknowledged and lost her expression for a moment, "well, maybe next time?"

"Perhaps."

It was clear she wanted to start a conversation, yet all he desired at the moment was to be alone. He was exhausted more than he thought he would be, and that spell had put an extra strain on him.

"How are Cadence's sessions going?"

He could not completely restrain the widening of his eyes at her remark. No one was supposed to know, not according to Cadence at least. She caught his expression of confusion, small as it was, and added onto her statement with a small chuckle, "I advised her to see you about her...problem."

"I see."

"You seemed to know how to handle it, or at least none of us could, not effectively. Besides, I knew I could trust you to help her."

"Knew...did you?"

"We have more in common than one might think, Severus. Like you, I once played the role of the pariah."

Snape did not comment, and so once again Luna gave him more to work with.

"I don't know any specifics, and I sense that you wish to keep much of your old life private. I can respect that, but after 1,000 years of being the dark, I know what someone who struggled with the same thing looks like."

"How keen of you."

Luna's face dropped, much like her sister's early that morning as he walked away, and he refrained from moving on, letting her vent instead.

"We all know about your trip to Ponyville the other day, Severus. Twilight Sparkle told us of the way you...bonded. I was hoping that I would have the honor of cementing your place here, though-given the circumstances," she added with a coy smile, "I'm not quite as upset as I might have been."

Whatever aspect of these creatures made them desire the bonds of friendship above almost anything else still baffled him, but he was adapting, he supposed, and he gave a reply and turned to face the Princess of the Night.

"You have found a creature that shares the same darkness you do, it is only natural to feel that way, but believe me, Princess, I have lost the capacity to form as deep a bond as you ponies would-"

Snape stopped short and stepped in front of Luna with a puzzled and bewildered look on his face. There was no chance...it simply could not be that he was seeing what he thought he was. Luna was confused and looked down in vain to gaze upon what had transfixed Snape so completely. She tried many times, retracing her view to match Snape's but the object of such astounding interest to him did not register with her.

"Snape...are you alright?"

Snape remained quiet for a minute, then quickly caressed his temple with his hand before muttering a reply, "Yes...yes, of course."

"Are you sure? What happened?"

"Excuse me Princess, we will have to speak another time."

With that sudden and swift parting, Luna was left alone to stare out into the distance of the city beneath them, wondering what had captured Snape's attention so masterfully. It took her a minute or two to remember that she was on her way to raise the moon and begin her watch over Equestria.

She flew off towards the castle's tallest tower, contemplating whether it would be appropriate to enter Snape's dreams. Though she considered it for a moment, she soon decided that would be unjust and an invasion of the privacy she knew Snape wished to withhold from others. If he was having trouble sleeping, it might be another matter, but...until then, she could only hope to find the same level of friendship with Snape that Twilight had through the same means.

Severus Snape was a most unusual creature to everypony in the land, but to Luna, he was so much more; if she ever needed a confidant or a strong will to help her, she would want it to be him, because even if he tried to hide or dismiss it, in her heart she knew they were very much the same, yet that only made the missing connection between them all the more painful.

Snape sulked into his room and shut the door with gusto. He thrust himself onto the edge of his bed and gazed out at the moon as it illuminated the dark floor of his room, painting bright images that played out like memories in Snape's mind. He could almost see the faces of the tortured ponies calling out to him from below. The Guide was right, enigmatic and cryptic as he was. This was the very same evil he had known in Great Britain, but here, it went by the name Discord.

In the end, though, Snape knew it would turn out alright. Casualties were always a surety when facing an opponent of high caliber, and it seemed this rule did not change. Even in Equestria the rules of warfare were adamantine.

Despite this, there were many differences between the worlds, and he would give a lot to be able to wake up in Spinner's End or Hogwarts again. He missed the dreary atmosphere, really; it was much harder to work here, so many oddities, so many unsettling things to see. He'd always been a recluse, but recluses here were not at all like recluses at home.

But then there were far more troubling things than home-sickness afoot. If he had really seen what he thought he saw...he might have to re-evaluate his entire plan. Seeing what he thought he saw was so jolting he lost his composure for a moment, but who could blame him? It boggled the mind to think that even someone like him would not be troubled if they saw-

"Snape, you miserable lout, get out here!"

The malice within the voice was familiar, as was the harsh knocking on his door. Was it possible for Cadence to do anything right?

The door burst open with a red tinted magic and Shining Armor trotted in with authority alongside three other guards, each some of the finest stallions he had yet seen in the employ of the castle. Snape stood up and drew his wand, keeping it concealed but ready as the three guards stepped forward and stared him down.

"What is the meaning of this!" The wizard demanded and froze each guard in place with one well timed spell.

"Princess Celestia is too kind to you," Shining Armor spat as he moved closer to the still human, "you go behind my back and see my wife without telling me when I hardly know whether or not to trust you, you disrespect the wisest of the Princesses, and to top it off, you go to my little sister's town and fight her and her friends into submission! You're not a wizard, Snape, you're a monster!"

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but you don't seem to be all that perfect yourself, after all, you're supposed to have a warrant before you break into my living space with any charges."

"I make the warrants, and around here I'm the law."

"I'm sure Celestia would love to hear that...or maybe your wife instead."

"You're pressing your luck!"

"Didn't your mother teach you not to play with danger?"

"You're not better than me in any way. I already told you exactly what you are, Snape, a monster. A horrible, hideous, monster."

Snape did not dignify the accusations with a verbal response. He only apparated the two of them to the wall of the castle, Shining Armor's back to the long drop to the ground, Snape's in front of the castle wall. Shining Armor immediately brought his face into Snape's and exhaled viciously.

"Hmm. Your emotions dictate your every action, thought, and word. Do you know what I call that? Weakness. You are weak, you are a weak guard, a weak husband, and you will be a weak father."

Shining Armor's eyes went wider than Snape had thought possible and the Captain of the Guard shot a fast and powerful beam of magic at the sorcerer's face, though Snape managed to duck down and move to the side to put a few feet between them.

"I hate you," Shining Armor sneered through gnashed teeth and straining facial muscles, "I hate you more than anypony or anything else in this world!"

"As I said, weak."

"I will see you banished yet-if you're lucky! If I have my way you'll never make it back to your home; you should have never left in the first place."

The two stood in opposition for a long while, tensions high. The surroundings seemed to echo around the fear and soon enough many guards had come to their captain's assistance, or simply to watch the strange foreigner in action. Even Princess Luna soon caught wind of the confrontation and flew down to put a stop to it.

"Enough!" She commanded as she descended through the cool night air, landing between the two.

"Princess, please, trust me when I say that this...menace...deserves to be detained and disciplined," Shining Armor tattled.

"Have you proof of his supposed treachery?"

"No. No he doesn't," Snape answered in the white stallion's place, "and he would do well to remember that even if he is the Captain of the Guard, I am-"

"You're a citizen of this land, subject to it's rules and laws," Luna finished for him, though even she could tell that her legs were shaking...ever so slightly shaking as the two males shot daggers at each other with their eyes.

"I have probable cause and suspicion that he's been troubling my wife and therefore harassing a Princess," Shining Armor accused, several guards moving to stand behind their leader.

"Can you explain?" Luna asked Snape.

"If he knew anything about his wife he'd know she was having problems before I showed up."

Shining Armor's face went red.

"Furthermore," Snape interrupted his rival from objecting, leaving him all the more furious, "despite his implications that I have been tampering with Princess Cadence's mind, I would like it to be known that she came to me, and I agreed to help her out of the kindness of my heart."

"You're a scheming, lying, motherbu-"

"Silence!" Luna bellowed in her Canterlot voice and flew up above their heads for a moment as lightning flashed in the dark skies that belonged to her before descending again and finishing in a calmer tone, "I believe this was a big misunderstanding...now, I advise both of you to return to your business before I take further action."

Shining Armor grumbled and left with many of the guards while the others went back to their posts in silence. Luna remained behind with Snape and took the opportunity to speak with him once more.

"You're welcome."

Her tone was far from arrogant or proud, but it was not a teasing tone either. Snape nodded slightly, and began to walk off, but Luna had one final attempt to hold him back.

"Please," she said somewhat loudly, "try not to judge him so. He is going through a tough time, being put under so much pressure. We were at least somewhat expecting a foal...but not you; you were a complete surprise."

"Understandable. I do not hate him, I hate his inability to think and act accordingly under this great pressure. I might be willing to move on from it, but he makes that quite hard, doing stupid things like breaking into my quarters and confronting me so."

"I can only respect you for purposely taking the confrontation somewhere it could die down, rather than heat up. You are remarkable, Severus, and in time Shining Armor will see that too."

"Perhaps."

"He does mean well, I assure you. I know trust is hard, but you can trust me, if no one else."

"Trust can be misplaced, you know."

"True enough..." Luna admitted with a small frown, and Snape took the opportunity to take his leave, apparating away without another word.

Author's Notes:

Happy Winter Holidays to all! This was the longest chapter yet and I've already planned the next two chapters out, though I can't say for sure when they'll be out yet. Never-the-less, consider this my early Christmas Present to all of you wonderful readers out there on Fimfiction! You stay awesome.

Glad to have this part out, and let me tell you, I feel like a lot of work went into it, and at the same time, I think it came out really well (even though it was a bit more difficult to write out, as I'm not much of a Discord expert). Anyways, I think it should be affirmed if you haven't realized it: this is an alternate reality, aka, my world. ;D

Thanks for reading, and be alert for the next chapter: Return to the Status Quo!

7: Return to the Status Quo(?)

Author's Notes:

Wow, I'm sorry this chapter has gotten out so late, guys. I've been half-way done with it for so long, but whenever I got a real drive to finish this chapter, something came up. School work has been brutal, especially my AP classes, but I'm glad to say this chapter is finally out.

Thank you all for putting up with my terrible combination of lethargy and busyness. You all make me want to keep going, and everytime I read a positive comment or see this story added to someone's favorites, it brings a smile to my face. You're all amazing!
-TBK

The air was bitterly cold in the underground area where Snape taught Equestria's first 'Defense against Dark Magic' class, as it was now being called. It was just one more thing for the students who had shackled themselves to his will to complain about, really, but he enjoyed hearing their annoyed whispers. It gave him a deeper sense of purpose.

Without taking his eyes from the text he was reading, the subject of which he absolutely refused to reveal to the students, he gave a command, "Blossom Gale, Tanner Wood. Spinner and River Rose are up next."

Blossom Gale and Tanner Wood, two well meaning but dull students, assumed the position he had drawn on the chalkboard inside the basement of the school. If Blossom Gale could overcome her fear of hurting anything she might be able to knock down or out Tanner Wood, who was simply lazy. The rest of the students watched and quietly took notes, and he checked on them now and again to ensure their notes were about the technique instead of anything un-educational.

Blossom Gale attempted the spell, but her lack of drive backfired on her and she was literally sent flying backwards, rolling away from Tanner Wood, who like many other students, laughed at the ineptitude of the girl. Snape took his eyes off the pages and glanced at the pack of them, giggling and wondering how he would react. With one hand, he shut the book with a loud thud that echoed through the basement halls and walked calmly over to Blossom Gale, who stood back up and waited bashfully for Snape to arrive.

"I don't suppose you'd care to try next time?" Snape asked.

"I'm sorry Professor," she replied, looking at his legs and dragging her hoof around in a circle, "I did try, but-"

"But your massive incompetence prevented your success, and you really must work on that. Unless you see fit to stop wasting our time."

She did not give a response, but walked solemnly back to the group and plopped down beside one of her friends, who consoled the young mare and patted her on the back for her efforts. Snape stood, arms at his sides and the usual look of doubt and mild cruelty on his face.

"Spinner. Show us that incapability is not contagious."

Snape quietly walked back to the wall and leaned against it. He picked the book out of his robes as the next two students assumed the position and gave it a shot, both with determined faces. He only made another sentence and a half before the mare River Rose was knocked down and whined as she put her hoof to her right shoulder. Snape noticed that Spinner seemed rather proud of himself and definitely sure of his abilities. With a quill, he subtly wrote down Spinner's name in the margin of the text.

"Very good," Snape orated, his eyes not taken from the words on the page, "I expect you will all have improved by tomorrow, yet I am sure you will all have ample opportunity to mock those among you which fail to meet my standards...there will be several. And remember, for those of you in my other class, I will expect any and all skills learned today that are applicable to be added into your unit report. Until next time."

The students collected their bags and began socializing as they exited the basement room. After a few minutes only Snape was left, and he closed the text again. Using his wand, he forced the newly installed door at the bottom of the staircase shut and locked it. He walked over to the key hole, still made to look like it was part of the wall with magic, and opened it up, going into the chamber again.

The air that seeped out was stale and musty as ever; it seemed that none of the ponies around Canterlot were missing the pony who had been sacrificed by the strange intruders. All the better for Snape. The entire secret area was as he remembered it, dark, isolated, crumbling in certain spots.

When he reached the entrance to the farthest and deepest part of the chamber, the same entrance he had blocked off by breaking the walls around it so that they crumbled into a barrier, he paused and stood silently frozen. An odd coolness seemed to phasing through the broken walls, seeping out of the shadowy cracks and fractures.

He flung the debris out of the way, intending to re-do the barrier with his own magic now that he had a full free afternoon, and looked around the long, dark room once again. It remained undisturbed, and yet Snape could sense a renewed presence, one that he was working diligently to locate. He checked the room out, searching for any physical clue as to the fresh presence, but nothing was left behind, nothing had made its way in, and there certainly weren't any strange enemies about.

He knelt down by where the pony that had had its life essence sucked out was chained up, the shackles still hanging on the wall, bobbing around lightly with the disturbances Snape had made. Whatever dark magic had consumed that pony, it left absolutely no trace, much to Snape's dismay. If anything, it was covering its own tracks, projecting a fake magic signature designed to lead any suspicious soul away, though Snape was keen enough to see through it.

He stood up again and followed his instincts to a portion of the heavily marked wall to the right of the shackles and ran his hand over it, pushing in slightly to trip any switch or button that may have been waiting for him. After a moment, one of symbols, an odd, decorated circle of some sort, on the wall was compressed inwards and every symbol on the same wall popped out, as if they were waiting to be pressed back into place in some kind of elaborate puzzle.

He had to take a step back and look the length of the wall over, taking note of symbols that had been repeated. He also tried to find any symbols on other walls that were not on this one, but there were so many he could not make progress on solving the puzzle without writing it down and studying it. He also attempted to solve it magically, but no spell he had would quite suit the current need, and so he was forced to jot down the symbols in his book and mull over them later.

Then he turned his attention on the entrance to the chamber again. It took him awhile to come up with the proper spells and cast the necessary traps and protective fields in the order he desired, but when it was all said and done he had made the chamber excruciatingly difficult to enter unless he wished it. He also saw to putting up a camera (a device he was a little surprised to see in Equestria) on the ceiling above the entranceway of the chamber, concealing it too with a spell. Any would-be intruder would be caught by this if not the traps.

He locked and disguised the keyhole again. That small expedition had kept him busy just long enough for someone to arrive at the locked basement door, fumbling with a key to open it. Snape apparated himself into his office and left the approacher to their business.

The small closet of a room Snape called his office at the school had not been entered in a few days, a fact which was reflected in the smell of the place. It did not ventilate well, and though he would have preferred otherwise, he often kept the door open to let the brisk air of the halls inside. He removed his robe, laying it across the back of his chair and exposing his long-sleeve shirt underneath, and sat down after opening the door with a quick spell.

His right hand caressed his brow and he wiped his eyes as he opened the book with his left hand. His pale complexion almost reflected off the dark beige pages while his deep eyes took in the information within.

To date, nopony has ever come close to significant progress in dimensional travel. Barriers such as gravity, the physical body, and even time have been overcome with varying degrees of success, yet the plane of pony existence is, to date, unbreakable.

Significant speculation has arisen over the years as to what lies beyond the world that everyday ponies interact in. Theories range from worlds parallel to our own, worlds we can hardly imagine, and existence that is completely beyond our comprehension, so much so that to us, it would not appear to be life at all.

This raises the question, however, can life from such an alternate plane, if it does in fact exist, reach us? That question too remains unanswered. Anomalies have been recorded in Equestrian history from time to time, and some argue that certain events point towards a higher force or intervention of some kind, yet most prominent researchers remain skeptical that anything from another world has reached us. Only time will tell if this trend continues, but the opposing sides will likely always go back and forth about the truth of inter-dimensional contact.

He set down the book, completely exhausted. He'd gotten himself off his schedule. Back at Hogwarts, Snape would spend many night sleepless, working till the early morning, or so ensnared in deep thought that he dared not touch his bed. In this world, however, he had not done such things. For a very short time, he believed this world brought him a sort of happiness that the human world could not. He didn't believe it now, but such whimsy made time go quicker.

In truth, Snape had once been a nihilist. Life was all sound and fury, no depth, no color behind the outlines, no reason for going on other than the random chance that something almost noteworthy could happen to you. But that all changed when he met Lily. Lily brought color to the world of outlines. Lily turned sound into music and fury into tranquility. More than a few sleepless nights were spent delving into the ideas of hope, faith, and especially love. No one else seemed to understand the hilarity of living with such things. But when Lily came along, and his life gradually gained more purpose, he realized that he didn't quite understand. Life is pointless, if one does not live it with a goal in mind, something to pull them forward, something to drive them beyond what they thought they could do. That is true living, and Lily was his purpose for existing, now and forever. Always.

"Snape?" An inquisitive voice called from around his door, breaking his line of thought and pulling his eyes from his hands to the doorway.

He picked himself up and walked to the entrance of his office, "What brings you this way, Sparkle?"

"I was hoping to enjoy your company," she answered hopefully, "and that perhaps today is...that other day?"

Work never ceased. That was why he never slept back then, and he was almost eager to return to that state now, too. He inhaled slowly and quietly motioned for her to enter.

"I've work to attend to, you know. I'll be asking you to leave shortly."

"Well...I guess this is a start," Twilight muttered to herself as she entered the dank office and found a seat facing Snape's desk at a 45 degree angle.

"I imagine you've some scheme to nurture whatever bond we may or may not have between us, so we might as well get on with it."

Twilight fidgeted in her place and looked around the room, nodding as thinking up a conversation topic. Snape sat behind his desk stiffly, leaning back with folded arms.

"So, how's your class downstairs going? I hear the students aren't very fond of you...have you tried going easier on them?"

"Not a chance," he replied firmly, "will threats to their lives ever go easy on them? Will danger give them a break? So, neither will I."

"Well, I think your entitled to go easier on them now and again, right?"

"Entitlement is not the same as responsibility."

There was always a witty quip to reply, wasn't there? This man was certainly a quick thinker. One was required to stay on guard around him. He never betrayed a look of hesitation or unrest, if he felt them in the first place. He was comprised of steel in every sense of the metaphor.

"No, I suppose it isn't..." Twilight commented and began looking around the office again. Not many trinkets had been set up on the walls, unless one counted the stains. The most notable objects were books. He had many on the shelf behind him, and several others were scattered in various places, such as the top of his desk.

He noticed her staring and began conversing again, "Interested in parallel-world theory, are we?"

"What? No. No...not really," She replied.

"Odd. Here I took you as a pure scientist, always keen on the latest theories and ideas."

"Well, you know...books aren't everything. Hey, ever wonder if a field trip is in order for the Dark Magic class?"

Snape adjusted his position slightly and scratched his wrist, but he never took his eyes away from Twilight, "Field trips are seldom as..educational as one would hope."

"Funny, I kind of figured you were scouting out some potential filed trips, you know, with the way you left the city last time."

"That was a different sort of business, I'm afraid."

"Business?"

"How did you I know you were going to inquire about that?" Snape asked, rhetorically.

"...You don't have anything to hide...do you Snape?"

Snape leaned closer for his response, which was whispered deeply, "Everyone has secrets and things to hide. Even you."

Twilight seemed oddly engaged in the game of wits and wills, and leaned in a little closer herself for her reply, "At least I have nothing to be afraid of with my secrets...can you say the same?"

Snape reclined back again. He did not respond at first, but stared over the lavender pony in the chair beside him. A quick motion of his tongue moistened his lips before retreating back into his mouth. Then, she, too, leaned back into her prior position, and waited on him.

"My business is my own. If you've a problem with it, all you need do is tell me."

"I see..."

"Nothing to ask?"

"No."

"Then I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to leave, please do tell Princess Celestia hello for me."

Twilight raised an eyebrow, but nodded slowly, "Sure."

She stood up and took a single step towards the door when Snape had a firm hold of her throat and pushed her firmly against the wall. She struggled to get away or call for help, but Snape had already closed the door with his magic, and the wand was now pointed directly at her trembling figure.

"Wh-What's the meaning of this?" She choked.

"You aren't a very good spy," Snape commented casually as his wand eased a little closer to her face.

Twilight gave off a shocked and confounded look for a few seconds, then a white light ran down her form and another of the strangers in the cloaks appeared in her place, as Snape expected.

"Well done, human." It commended.

"So...how should I deal with you? Do I just...end you? I suppose I should torture you for information first."

The creature didn't seem at all frightened, "What gave me away?"

"Your obsession with the basement, your careless attitude regarding books and knowledge in general, and most certainly your level of information about me."

"About you?" The stranger repeated and laughed; he did not stop until Snape's grip tightened and began choking the intruder.

"Now then," Snape continued, "have you ever wondered what it feels like to be on fire?" A quick spell shot from Snape's wand and the creature writhed in agony against the wall, squirming and struggling to be free of Snape's hand and the horrible feeling of an inferno inside his chest.

"I hold the key to your relief, and I alone," he threw the figure on the floor and held him there with a paralyzing spell,
"so tell me everything I want to know...and I will make this pain go away."

The creature struggled to speak, inhaling through its mouth, gaping for air. Snape remained still and stared into it's eyes that shown from behind the shadows of the cloak. He began to reach down when the strangers finally spouted out an answer, "You...you are being stalked...hunted..."

"By whom?"

"By the mighty Queen...and you will suffer...and die for these ponies...Snape!"

Severus reached down, wand ready to inflict more punishment, but the creature managed to teleport away with surprising speed and unfortunate ease. Snape cursed under his breath and stared at the space on the floor where the creature had been. Things were progressively getting worse and worse; sooner or later, open confrontation would emerge, and not necessarily between the ponies and the invaders alone.

The schemes of evil in this world were afoot, and they had identified him. His work was not about to get easier. Depending on how much they knew, he might have to hurry his plans along exponentially. They had access to the school, how long before the castle? Or did they already have it?

He hid the signs of the confrontation and locked his office door soundly behind him as he left.

Cadence was waiting patiently in the dark room when Snape entered, silent and brisk as usual. He sat down in front of her, his face looked lost, as though his eyes were telling him about things that were not in the room. Snape folded his hands together as he sat in place and rested his arms on his knees.

"Have we spoken with our husband yet?"

"I...I left him a note."

"And he has not spoken to you since."

"No," she sighed and looked down sadly at the dark floor. The moonlight glistened in and tinted the room the slightest blue, making the melancholy air of the castle at night more noticeable. Or perhaps the moonlight was the source of the melancholy in the first place.

Snape didn't look as much disappointed as he did mad. To him, it wasn't such a big deal, but she was vulnerable, she was feeling things he would never know, and she was the one who was wrestling this shadow, not him.

"You think me naive to your pains," Snape muttered in a tone laced with (unintended) accusations, "you believe I do not know the hardships of this process. Of love. Of heartache. Of pain that cannot be quenched by anything short of the rose's nectar. Well you are mistaken dear, I have suffered more than 'The Princess of Love' could ever know," He told her, and for the first time since they had met, he had shown real, clear emotion.

"Snape, believe me, I understand what your past has done to you, and I'm here to help you...as you're helping me."

"You are very confused, Princess, let us go to work."

"It might help to talk about your past, about...Lily."

"What did you say?" He demanded and inched closer to her.

"I know about that girl...Lily. I see reflections, scenes from the pools of your mind when we link. Your magic is incredible and it helps me know a little more about you."

"My past is my own. It's not meant for you, so don't poke your nose in it, if you so kindly please," he whispered with the threatening tone of a true Death Eater.

"I'm sorry, I really am. I only know the name, and I've seen her only once. Lily."

"Then let us stop at once, and focus on your problems."

"Okay," She admitted defeat, and they focused on the presence within her mind that had grown steadily for the past month and a half.

He'd dropped his guard. He had no one to blame except himself. Was it any wonder that the intruders had been able to gauge so much of him? He needed to do better. This world was no different than his own. Guarding his own mind, his past and secrets, must be his first priority on this mission.

"Our suspicions were right, great Queen."

"So the human Snape has a few weak spots after all, does he? He is the key. If we can manipulate Snape to our cause, then no one will be able to stop us. Keep up the hard work, and I will lead us into a most glorious victory. All agents in Fillydelphia, Baltimare, The Crystal Empire, and most especially in Canterlot are to remain on guard and alert. We grow ever closer to being rid of ponykind forever."

"Yes, Queen Chrysalis."

"The next evolution of Changelings have served us well. By the time we have control of the capitol, all changelings will be evolved and with our newfound might, we will gain control of this world."

"Yes!"

The small group of changelings around the throne of the hive cheered and celebrated in their native tongue of chirps and squeals.

Snape's flying figure whistled through the cool night air as the monstrous beast below continued its rampaging and destruction. The ponies at the small, lone farm in the great planes of Equestria ran helplessly as their home was crushed. The monster looked like some sort of squirrel bonded with a crustaceous sea monster.

Snape landed and without wasting a second, blasted a shot of magic at the beast, causing it to recoil slightly, but it was just as tough as the creature back from the Everfree Forest. He raised a shield as a giant claw was thrown down on top of him. Harnessing the power of the gathering storm clouds, Snape summoned a blast of lightning to his wand and redirected it into the hulking creature's chest.

It shook the monster up, but it didn't hurt it...much. Shot after shot did not affect the creature as Snape hoped, and whenever the monstrosity lashed out against him he was hard pressed to avoid damage. A clean cut with Sectumsempra worked better than last time, as he was able to bisect on the claws entirely, but the blood was acidic and has explosive properties, and Snape was thrown back by it's destructive power.

His wand was just out of his reach on the wet grass, but the creature's foot was directly overhead. He rolled to the side and snatched up his wand, bisecting its left leg next. He retreated a small ways as it fell to the ground. Before he could do anymore, a dreaded voice rang through the air.

"Now that's rather rude, don't you think? Do I go breaking your toys?" Discord asked, slightly exacerbated.

"Do you find it wise to so reveal yourself?" Snape asked and motioned with head out to Canterlot, a small figure far off in the distance.

"Relax Snapey!"

"Don't call me that."

"Now, now, a promise is a promise. You owe me, and I want what's coming to me."

"You'll get what's coming to you, but it's not my place to do so. Until then, the best I can give you is this," Snape said as he gestured with his wand to give Discord more power.

"No, no!" Discord stopped him, "Not here. Come with me."

Discord snapped his fingers and took himself, Snape, and the dying monster away, leaving only the shadowy lands of Equestria behind as the soft winds blew once more through the blades of grass.

8: Snape's Nightmare

Author's Notes:

Welcome one and all, to the next chapter in our grand adventure! (Too much hype?)

NOTE: This chapter is a bit more intense than some others. That's why I have a gore tag on the story cover.

I realized that this story has been out for 6 months and I only have 8 chapters out, counting this one. How sad. I will stride not only to finish this story, but update more regularly and swiftly. I enjoy plotting Snape's quest in Equestria and I hope most if not all of you are having a lot of fun with it too. The support that I've already seen is amazing; 200 likes! That's got to be some kind of fimfiction achievement, right? :) You guys all rock!

So, I present this chapter to you, enjoy!
-TBK

Discord gushed and reveled in the flash of golden light. He grinned and began laughing maniacally as he floated up in lounged position, a strong defiance to gravity. He did a single backflip in midair before he was interrupted, much to his chagrin.

"Are we done here?" Snape asked.

"Oh, sure; I'll be summoning you again when I need a bit of freshening up...or maybe just when I get bored. You are a naughty one after all, I love it!"

"No, you will not be summoning me again. I cannot have these kinds of disruptions with deformed creatures taking me away from my work and I do trust they will end, because if they don't, I will find you and you will get more than you bargained for."

"Is that a challenge?" Discord asked as he shot down to the floor like a rock thrown off a rooftop.

"Does it look like one?" Snape returned in a serious expression, or rather, his usual expression.

"Bad move, Sevvy," Discord mocked, "with your empowerments, I'm more than a match for you. In fact, I could break you here and now and be done with it!"

"Leaving you without a source of extra power," Snape added.

"Eh. Time heals all wounds. Besides, I'm sure I could find a way to drain all that delicious magical power from you. So go ahead, I dare you to strike first!"

Snape looked Discord eye to eye and felt the eager spirit within the draconeques. In all honesty, a fight with Discord would be a grave mistake. He might be able to push past the Chaos Master's attacks, but at a great price. In all likelihood, Snape would find himself on the losing end of a battle. And yet all that could be reversed with good planning. He knew Discord well enough to discern that the trickster didn't have a plan, while his was already in motion.

So he walked away, silently, but surely into the dead of night.

"That's right, Snapey! Remember who the better magician is!"

Dark clouds gathered over Canterlot as dawn came, but was overshadowed by a force beyond Celestia's grasp. No weather pegasi had been ordered to create these clouds. Trouble was amok, and the citizens below felt the unease. Princesses Luna and Celestia ordered a meeting of the highest importance.

Princesses Twilight Sparkle and Cadence were invited, of course, as were Princes Blueblood and Shining Armor. Snape, as a resident magical expert, was invited as well. A squadron of guards kept their places in front of the meeting room as they arrived. A table with seven seats had been set in place, as had seven chairs, yet the room seemed rather melancholy, more so than serious; the sun was no longer able to break through the veil of clouds above, and morning was far from over.

"How could this happen?" Celestia bellowed with as Snape took his seat, and the doors slammed shut.

"I have made sure of it- nopony in Canterlot or the surrounding area is manipulating the weather," Luna reported.

"Perhaps the real culprit is nature? Maybe this is some new weather cycle, never seen before, that even our magic cannot touch," Twilight suggested. The idea was not met with much enthusiasm, and the lavender princess rolled her eyes down in an awkward admission of defeat.

"There is a known villain in Equestria who operates with the weather," Luna pointed out.

"I doubt Sombra has returned, and why now? We're at our strongest," Cadence replied.

"He wouldn't know that if he was locked up since last time though," Her husband countered.

"We can look into it, I suppose, but I am rapidly losing control of the sun, and I cannot determine the source of this disturbance," Celestia informed the others and looked up into the ceiling with a tinge of unease, "I fear other powers could be taken just as easily."

"We need more information," Shining Armor said as he glanced from Cadence, at his immediate left, to Luna at his immediate right, "to discover the root of the problem. Reconnaissance."

"Exactly, without knowing to what extent this power-negating force goes or who it can affect, we will come no closer to finding the one responsible," Twilight agreed, hoping to redeem herself.

"Then you should begin pouring through books and scrolls as soon as we're finished here," Celestia told her former protege, to which Twilight nodded in answer.

"Maybe it would be wise to ration provisions," Blueblood spoke up as he left his seat, fetching several candles and setting them up to give the meeting better light.

"That is sound reasoning," Cadence agreed.

"Of course it is, how can we royals, oh, and you too...um, Snake?"

"Snape." The wizard corrected, grumpily, from his seat.

"Oh, my bad! Snape. But anyways, how can any of us work without proper lighting and sensory conditions?"

Celestia seemed most disappointed and ashamed with Blueblood's reasoning, but there was no time to correct him about it now. By the time her nephew sat down no one else had spoken up, each evidently thinking the situation through. Snape, most of all, seemed deep entrenched in his own mind as he sat back, arms folded and eyes staring past the table, into some unseen thought processes that played out in his eyes alone.

"Speaking of Equestria's own visiting wizard," Celestia broke the silence,"have you encountered anything like this before, Snape?"

He did not respond at once, but slowly lifted his eyes from below him, reluctant to add his vocal input to the meeting. He looked at each one for a second or two, but finally his sight rested on the Princess of the Sun, if she could be called that under these circumstances.

"No, I have not had the displeasure of meeting anything like this prior to my arrival," Snape dismissed.

"Have you felt a disruption in your powers?" Shining Armor inquired quickly after the answer, leaning towards the man a little.

"No," Snape repeated.

"Well, we can find great use for you in the midst of this chaos, then," Celestia assured with all too much vigor.

"We must assign duties and take action accordingly," Luna told the others, "the sooner we begin to search for this disturbance the better."

"I can help Twilight," Cadence told her peers as her eyes met the foal she used to watch over with a smile, which was eagerly returned.

"I'll have the guards on extra alert; they'll be ready for anything," Shining Armor assured them.

"I will personally search out any leads I can, and I suggest the rest of you do so as well," Celestia brought the meeting to a close.

Shining Armor hustled his way out after a quick and awkward goodbye with his wife. Twilight and Cadence wasted little time in heading to the archives of the Canterlot library, and Luna flew off away from the city. Blueblood had a word with Celestia as Snape stood quietly alone by the window, gazing down into the darkness whilst in deep thought.

Any of them down below could be a problem. An invader. He could have spoken up, but that would only draw more suspicion to him. Shining Armor was intent on seeing Snape gone, and how much more Celestia? Bad impressions seemed to follow him around. As usual, he was best off working alone, in the background dealing with problems most of his peers had no idea of. The depth and magnitude of this situation was beyond any of the ponies, and Snape would be damned, literally, if he failed them.

And that was exactly why he did not put too much trust in them. Trust was dangerous, not like one's hand, given out to strangers as a sign of promise and goodwill. Trust was reserved for those that earned it with nothing short of great effort and attention to detail; intelligence and aptitude was required to earn the reward of a wise man's trust. He was far better off without leaving much work for them to do. It would all pay off in the end.

He was beginning to back away when his eye caught sight of it again. There! He rushed to the window and pressed his hands and face upon it. Then it was gone, just as quickly.

"Snape?" Celestia called from the table, eyebrow raised.

"Does he do that...often?" Blueblood asked his aunt, but she did not respond; she did meet him at the window as he backed away a couple steps and looked her eye to eye.

"Something wrong?" She inquired again.

Snape quickly swallowed a lump in his throat and remembered his vow to keep up his guard, "No. No, I was just leaving."

He did not wait for her approval before he was marching away at a brisk pace. The halls were darker than ever before he had seen them, and the loneliness of the castle had never before seemed so profound. Down the hall he heard the chit-chat of the younger Princesses, but the sweetening atmosphere of their conversation did not reach him as he exited the fortress.

He had no need of shielding his eyes from the sun today; it was almost entirely hidden, with over half of the colossal giant completely stored away behind the thick blanket of clouds. The ponies in town still whispered his name, if they knew it, in hushed tones and quiet voices. He knew almost instantly that more than a few of them were placing blame on him. It seemed no direct impression was as fatal as bad one.

He came upon the lane that led to Celestia's school, but he kept walking straight, and he saw the school in the distance, knowing he would have to go there and confront the dark secrets below it very soon. But the things of his past life took precedent over the woes of this one. They did in this case, anyways.

Soon the buildings disappeared along with the lamp posts and sidewalk full of cracks and he came to a grassy patch on the mountain. Many weeds abounded in the grass, contrary to what one might assume about the city. The living areas were well kept, almost spotless in some cases, the but the splendor of nature on its doorstep was left undisturbed. A good fog was still in place on the outskirts of the city, and he waded through it until he found the spot. It was very close to the edge of the mountain, so close that he felt the winds trying in vain to pull him off into the air below, tempting him with the offer of flying freely away, forever.

He crouched down and felt the damp grass below him with his hands. He looked out into the distance, but his eyes were caught up in the blank mystery of the fog. It was nowhere to be found. She was gone. But what else could he expect? Perhaps he was being too naive about things. Maybe he had endangered everyone by coming here first. He was still not thinking properly.

Besides, what were the odds? A pony, a creature of such a foreign, broken land that so closely resembled his greatest love? A Lily-pony? Practically none. He was a cold man, but it was not easy to be so cold. Death had made him slip a bit, that or this world was affecting him in a way he couldn't have imagined.

Perhaps it was Cadence's fault. She knew too much, was so caught up in her job that she was interfering with his. It made more sense than anything else did. But now he was just getting caught up in the details of it all; he was slipping, discipline was in order. He needed to move. Now.

He delayed himself in the grass a short time longer, making positively sure nothing was amiss, and soon he waded out towards the street again and walked quietly back into the town. Not long after, he came out of the mist and re-entered the city.

Already there seemed to be a decay in the air that eluded most of the ponies, who seemed too concerned with the darkness itself rather than whatever it held or foretold. Snape rushed onwards to the school, sensing that something was definitely off. What he did not sense was the figure behind him, clad within the shadows that abounded in the city, that had been watching over him, sneaking along and stalking him at every turn since he left the castle.

The school seemed fine, ordered and studious as usual on the outside, though oddly isolated. He opened the door cautiously with one arm and gazed inside. The halls were dark, quiet, and he soon discovered that he was alone. There ought to be herds of ponies attending classes, groups of teachers and staff members going about their day. But there weren't. He ran down towards the basement as a single bead of sweat ran down his forehead, then his cheek, then dropped off his face like a tear.

The basement doors had been ripped off. The room had been torn up. Cracks and splinters in the structure erupted from the doorway to the chamber like puss running from an infected wound. The secret entrance, despite his magic, had been overcome. From the inside. He stormed down into the chamber, and entered the room where he had discovered the first of the invaders. Cloaks lay in many number upon the stone floor. He took in the sight of a silent invasion, realizing all too late that his priorities had been wrong. He spun around, and met a figure in the doorway, already in a sprint to overtake him.

Snape's wand was in hand and he fired a swift shot, but the creature seemed to phase right through it and knocked Snape down, taking a bite out of the left side of his neck in the process.

He cried out in alarm as his skin and muscle was bitten into, then ripped from his body with ferocious strength. Blood spurted out onto the ground and himself as the attacker circled around to make another pass at him. Snape formed a shield around himself that knocked the figure back, but little else. With one hand on the chasmal wound, he felt the warm sensation of his own blood trickling out of his body. His other hand was firmly wrapped around his wand; he stood up and let his foe get in close before he shot tightly woven cords around the confronter's legs, yet once more the defensive measure fell short; Snape was knocked up into the air and landed unceremoniously on his back several feet away.

The invader pressed on, preparing for another strike. Snape barely swiped his wand from the floor when the invader was only a few steps away, and it was barely enough for Snape to erect a wall of flame, which managed to keep the creature back, for the time being.

"Snape!" It hollered in an agonized voice, which bellowed through the halls in a horrific manner.

Snape let the flames dissipate but sent a blast of ice at the floor beneath the creature, causing it to slide onto its frontside, allowing for another quick blast to freeze it in place. Fire worked well, but ice seemed to do a better job, so Snape covered the walls and ceiling in ice, sealing any magical properties away behind a frozen blanket.

He ran out as his healing magic began repairing his wounds. He'd live, if he didn't meet another attacker like that. It was possible that this force which plagued Celestia was affecting him too. Speaking of the Princess, he wondered if they had come under siege. If so, things would end up badly. He had blown his chance. Disaster was upon Equestria.

He bolted out the doors and found a sea of bodies littered about the city. Streets sat with bloody piles of equine corpses and the buildings burned with a raging inferno. Thunder struck from above and mocked him as he searched for any signs of life. He did discover one pony that clung to life. She was bleeding, frail and tired from the ambush.

"You..you're the...wizard, right?"

"Where did they come from?" Snape asked rhetorically, "where did they go?"

"You've got to protect...the Princesses."

"Where did the attackers go?" Snape repeated as his wand ran over her wounds, repairing damaged tissue and fighting infection, but her heart grew fainter, and in less than a minute it gave out.

He ceased healing her and looked around as dust plastered itself around the capitol from the storm clouds above, preserving the moment as an everlasting mark of genocide. The dried blood from his own wound seemed to burn as the seconds passed and he wandered closer to the castle.

"Snape! Snape! Snape!" A hidden voice echoed through the streets, around the corners and down the alleys.

He ignored the tricks, the taunting distractions that tried to set him off balance and lure him away from the castle. He hurried on as rain began to pour down, rain that stung, accompanied by thunder that strained his ears. Puddles were forming, many of them red thanks to the pony blood that was being washed through the streets, into the crevices of the roadways and the gutters in the streets.

He reached the steps into the castle, and there upon them, at the very top, was the Lily pony. He dared not approach it carelessly, and he had his wand fixed on its equine heart the entire time he crept up to it, but when he realized that this pony was real, he dropped to his knees.

He knew it was not Lily. It was not the woman that lived in his heart. Not again. And yet the resemblance was incredible, and even the prone figure of the dead pony held an air of grace and simply purity that he recalled too well from Lily's corpse. She wasn't here, but a creature that could pass as her sister in spirit was, and she was dead.

The logical side of his brain told him that this was all a clever trick, a deception meant to demoralize him and make him susceptible for a killing blow.

The emotional part of his mind told him that this was a symbol. An image that paralleled the worst day of his life to let him know that he had failed his new task. For all his careful and methodical planning, his actions were not enough. And it had cost him.

He took in the sight and closed his eyes sadly for a quick moment, then he entered the castle. It was the same in here. Blood. Guts. Death. Pain. And still no sign of the invaders. He knew they were changelings, creatures that could alter form and, to a lesser degree, mindset if they chose. Any one of the "corpses" could be a foe waiting to trap him, finish him off.

But no ambush came, no surprise attack was directed at him. He went up the hall and heard the cry of a female he knew well. Celestia. It was a cry of extreme pain, partially induced by terror.

He kicked open the doors to the meeting room and beheld six figures, laid out in a decorative state of death. His heart sank and his soul cried out with theirs. They lost their lives. Equestria was no more without its leaders. He had failed.

Celestia, the most recent to die lay with open wounds in her gut and a horrified expression.

Luna was missing wings, most notably, as well as her horn. She had probably put out the best fight.

Shining Armor's head was gone. His body looked so lost, disfigured.

Blueblood was chopped into so many bits and pieces Snape could barely tell it was him.

Twilight Sparkle's wounds were comprised of many revealing holes in her body and limbs, though her head was untouched. Little consolation.

Cadence seemed more afraid than any of them. She tried to get away, but failed. Miserably. Her entire chest was torn open and tears of blood ran down her cheeks. Beside her, a small pony fetus laid dead in an eternal silent scream.

The doors slammed shut behind him and all manner of changeling intruders and murderers crept down from the shadows of the ceiling and out of the darkness on the floor.

"Snape!" The same hidden voice rang out.

His wand was already blasting icy bolts of magic at them, but few fell while many leaked in. His face bore an intensely aggravated expression as he flicked his wand around with great precision, as well as unusual brutality.

"Snape!" It called once more whilst he began varying his attacks, sending blasts of extreme kinetic force that shot them through walls, fiery bolts that exploded into pools of flame, and lightning blasts that incinerated fine holes in them. And still he knew they weren't trying. They didn't seem to mind death. He didn't either.

They swarmed around him and the circle of open space between Snape and the changelings grew smaller and smaller as the seconds flew by.

"Snape!"

Magic blast after magic blast but still they came.

"Snape!"

Volley upon volley only felled so many and he was soon overrun.

"SNAPE!!"

Many blasts fired at him and his shield only took so much damage before it gave away and his body began to absorb the punishment. Their first volley put him on one knee and the changelings began gnawing at him before he pushed them back with a repelling spell.

He was already missing two fingers and had been infected with some type of changeling poison. He struggled to remain even on his knees, as the hordes came after him again.

He flung everything he had at them. Sectumsempra, spells and curses and jinxes of all natures, he even resorted to the Avada Kedavra, but it only helped so much. He was overrun again and blasted with several more magic shots, one of which blinded him, perhaps permanently; he had no choice but to freeze everything around him so that he had enough room to fly out through the same window he had pondered at earlier.

The glass shattered as his form, a retreating black mist, burst through it and landed in the middle of the streets. He began to crawl away weakly as the rain drenched him and the swarms followed him outside to resume their hunt. He fired more blasts on instinct, but it was not enough and a single, concentrated blast of changeling magic hit him in the back, ripped through his chest and pierced his heart, and exited through his chest. He stumbled along for another step, then he fell to the floor. Dead.

Snape shot out of his chair and nearly fell over. He had fallen asleep at his desk, but that was no bad dream. He had not felt a presence in his mind so careful yet potent since he had worked under Voldemort. If that monster had somehow made it here, then Snape was just as doomed as that nightmare.

But he doubted that was the case. His mind was being pried at, poked around like a specimen in a lab, unable to protect itself. Until now. He sat back down at once and began running over his mind, focusing on the disruption and attempting to follow it back to the source. His powers of Occlumency were great, and he was sure that his counter-attack would not be without fruit.

By dawn he had learned much. Chrysalis was afoot, and she was gaining knowledge about the city and himself at an alarming rate. But now, he knew where she was getting her intelligence, on the city structure at least, and he would be sure to put that to an end as soon as possible. Where she learned so much of him remained unclear, but now he was learning about her plans. The mind was a two-way street, and Snape had travelled more than Chrysalis had first imagined.

Luna walked quietly into her sister's bedroom as dawn approached. Soon her watch would come to a close and a new day would begin. The guards at Celestia's bedroom door parted for her as she discreetly entered and sealed the door again behind her.

It broke her heart to have to tell her sister of such a thing, but it could not be helped. Severus Snape was not the man they had imagined him to be. The report was short and simple, when her elder sister woke from her deep slumber. Luna thought about how to word it, how she might still be loyal and true to her sister without casting too dark a shadow on Snape. She believed in him, despite this incident, But she knew her sister was losing faith in him almost every day, and this report would not help his case. At all.

"Snape," Luna told her sister quietly, "He's been hiding secrets from us."

"How do you know?" Celestia inquired, well awake at that statement.

"He dreamed about them. I could tell his secrets from his nightmarish fantasies. Some of them anyways, I arrived in his dream, secretly, partway through. He's been hiding a lot. There are changeling invaders in the city. It's not too late to play damage control, keep a lid on things...but I can't say exactly how many have entered."

"How has this come to be?"

"There's a secret chamber beneath your school. It was there they first entered, and rather than tell us, Snape decided he would hide it and try to deal with it himself."

"Do you think he can?" Celestia asked flatly.

"...I don't know. I guess not."

"Rest assured, we will step in. Severus Snape will soon learn that one must play by our rules here."

9: Prometheus

"Do you remember when life was simpler?" Luna asked as she lounged across Celestia's bed, gazing out the window at the stars that adorned her night's sky.

The older sister was in front of the mirror on the wall, combing through her flowing, sparkling mane. It wasn't so much a concern with beauty as an old habit. Their mother was fond of brushing their manes before bed, and even now, Celestia still found the time to comb through it; it was relaxing and brought about a nostalgic air. For a few minutes every night, Celestia was no longer a Princess, she became herself. Whatever that meant.

"What do you mean? When we were younger?"

"Younger, yes, but not just us. When the world was younger. When ponies were more civilized, nature less troubled, warfare more elegant."

"Oh," Celestia replied lazily as she shifted her head back and forth in front of the mirror, "yes, I remember those times fondly. There was a day when ponies were nicer, less concerned with possessions, and more comfortable laughing at themselves. Ignorance, as some might call it."

"Mmm, when the world held less secrets and more mysteries to explore and revel in," Luna added.

"When war was as easy as raising a flag and marching to the enemy's camp. No secret weapons, no entangling alliances, no covert operations," Celestia finished.

"Do you think life will ever be so pleasant again?" Luna asked, but perhaps more to herself than her sister.

"Who can say what the future holds?" Celestia asked in reply.

A silence ensued that was neither natural or comfortable. Luna didn't particularly want to talk about what Celestia was going to bring up. The younger sibling stood up when her sister walked away from the mirror, and they faced each other beside the bed.

"Goodnight, Luna."

"Sleep well, sister."

Celestia climbed into the bed and Luna walked over to the door, but stopped when she was halfway out of her sister's bedroom. She bit her lip and waited as Celestia brought the covers up over chest and settled in. Another few second of hesitant silence passed.

"Luna," Celestia called, "keep up a vigilant eye out tonight."

"As always," Luna replied.

"I don't mean only the changelings; we both know that Snape can't be trusted. I can't even rule out the possibility that he's working with them, and one invasion was quite enough."

Luna turned to face her sister, face in a slight scowl, "You're being unfair. I told you that he's spent the last couple days hunting down the intruders. We might not have to bother at all."

"He's a clever wizard Luna, he could very well be deceiving you."

"Don't be silly!" Luna retorted, the conversation having now turned into a sibling argument.

"Snape is not of this world, he is not a pony. What gain does he have in protecting us?"

"What does he stand to gain with the Changelings?"

"A home, perhaps. Acceptance."

"That's what he has here! At least from some of us!" Luna shouted back, hotly.

Celestia considered getting out of bed and turning the argument into something more serious, but declined in the end. As much as she would always love her sister, she could be so stubborn sometimes. Thus it fell to Celestia to be strong, logical, and calm at all times. Luna would see Snape as a threat. One way or another, Luna would realize the truth.

"Keep your eye on him," Celestia repeated.

"I have been, and I only have positive things to say about him. I believe in Severus Snape."

"That only means you have to keep a closer eye on him. I have trained many wizards, magicians, and sorceresses in my time; few can be trusted completely. Trust is key Luna. Magic holds many great secrets, but even in Equestria it has an uncanny way of tainting those who use it."

"You wouldn't be saying any of this if it was Twilight Sparkle that had been keeping the secret," Luna dismissed.

"On the contrary," Celestia affirmed, "I would most certainly keep her in focus. It took me many years to put complete trust in her."

"When did you become so paranoid?"

"When Stormdark the Charmer turned on Equestria."

"Who?"

"You were long gone," Celestia explained, looking down into the floor beside her nightstand, "Stormdark was my fifth student, and I placed a good deal of trust in him. He lulled me into believing he had the best interests of the nation at heart, but when I placed him in authority for only one day, disaster struck. I had left Canterlot for no more than a few hours, but when I returned, it was a disaster. Magic corrupted him in more ways than one, and I have never been able to trust a wizard so easily again. I have even felt that same corruption pulling at me, now and again...I think you have too."

"So you fear the same is true of Snape? That he'll be a menace if we let him live a little? He's not a pet to run amok, sister, he's a powerful, interesting, and in my proud opinion, noble wizard from another world. Why can't you accept that?"

"I just told you why."

"Snape isn't Stormdark! Snape isn't even a pony, but I believe he has good reason to keep us safe and protect us."

"Humor me then, why's that?"

"All I can say is that I...have a good feeling about it..."

"That's it? A feeling? You can't be serious, Luna!"

"Not just a feeling..."

"What else?"

"A word."

"What's the word?"

"Lily."

"As in the flower?"

"Yes, I don't know the significance to him or how it may have tied into his world, or even how it could tie into this one...but he's doing this all...for 'Lily'...I know it. 'Lily' is why he'll protect us."

"I'll need far more than 'Lily' before I begin to place any trust back in him. You have your orders. Watch Snape, carefully and cautiously."

With that, Luna stormed out and paid no heed to the scared-looking guards that watched Celestia's door during the night. The entire wing was deserted, save for those few guards and the arriving ones at the stairwell entrance. Luna passed them with a hasty nod, quite contrasting with their passionate bow. She was gone when they got upright again.

Luna passed by Cadence in the halls. She was crying.

"Cadence? What's happened?"

The Crystal Princess could do nothing more than look at Luna as the tears fell and embrace her compassionate hoof over her shoulders. Luna couldn't help but stare down at Cadence's glowing belly as she supported her niece. The crying wasn't the only thing that bothered her, but the general air of depression and coldness that followed her. The feeling of dejection in her body. Soon, she persuaded Cadence to follow her into the next hall, where they could sit down at a couch beside a window.

They sat face to face while and moonbeams lit up half of their faces, leaving the other surrounded in darkness. Luna's seemed dark and depressing to Cadence, while her teary face gave off an almost deranged look.

"What's wrong?" Luna repeated.

The night winds blew fiercely on the outskirts of town as Snape's wand flew in different directions, parrying many magic blasts. The battle wasn't taking much effort, but it was important that he keep it as hidden as possible. Scrutinous eyes were all about these days.

With a quick spinning motion he evaporated into a shadowy essence that glided through the air above his target. The pony retreated farther into the shadowy alleys as the nightlife of Canterlot's shops and diners and socialite parties went on without interruption in the distance. He made it almost to the edge of the city and afforded himself a short period of rest. He began coughing and hacked up several mouthfuls of phlegm and blood.

The shadowy form of Snape landed atop the runaway pony and he struggled to escape it's black grip, but he could not. Snape's hand appeared on the pony's neck and his wand formed in Snape's free hand, stationed close by the stallion's lower chest. The pony continued to frantically worm around until Snape had fully formed again. A quick, firm squeeze of his hand put the stallion in his place.

"Cadence?" Luna asked for the third time. Unlike the previous two attempts, her crying got softer, and she prepared to speak up.

She choked and weeped a little more, but she found the strength to inform Luna of bits and pieces, "Snape...mental sessions...husband angry..."

"No matter what, we will stand by your side," Luna assured, "you are never alone."

Cadence took the words in gladly, but if anything, they encouraged her sobbing. Luna ran her hoof through Cadence's mane. Her sister used to comfort her that way, and in truth, it was about all Luna knew in the ways of physical assurance and compassion. With a little more time, the crying went away and Cadence was ready to explain.

"Start from the beginning..." Luna encouraged.

"Well, I took your advice, and I started seeing Snape about the...problems I've been having. Well, the mental one."

"I'm glad, although whatever caused this has certainly not helped."

"No," Cadence agreed, "it hasn't. Things were going well for a time. Snape...being Snape...wasn't the friendliest or encouraging of teachers, but I sensed a great care in him. A great love..."

"Lily..." Luna whispered to herself.

Cadence stopped herself at the word. Her mouth hung open in surprise, but complete empathy as well. More so than Luna's prior actions and words, it seemed 'Lily' had done the most good.

"Exactly. Lily. What else do you know about her?"

"Her? All I know is the name. I saw it, in Snape's nightmare."

"I don't know much myself, but I know he's living with us with a purpose in mind. All I can see in that purpose is Lily. Lily is Snape's key motivation. Because of Lily, Snape's been helping me. At least it was helpful."

Remembering Cadence's problem, Luna shifted her mind from Lily back to Cadence, but the thought still rang in her head as her niece continued her story: 'I believe in Severus Snape. I believe in Severus Snape.'

"Things were going well, until he asked me to tell Shining Armor about our work together."

"I think I see the problem," Luna replied.

"Shining is great, but he's also pretty jealous," Cadence admitted.

"How badly did he react?"

"Very," Cadence answered with a sniffle, "He stormed off after a short bout of yelling and went off, I can only assume to find Snape."

"Oh dear," Luna said and held her hoof to her mouth as they both looked out the window.

"I know...Shining is in trouble..." Cadence affirmed.

"How long must this go on before you break?" Snape asked.

The unicorn did not reply, but worked to free himself from Snape's paralyzing spell. It was of no use, however, as he only tired himself out faster and faster. But that was the intent of the spell, wasn't it?

He huffed and his eyes went wide as Snape's wand came again closer. Snape's face was set in stone, not enjoying, but certainly not adversed to ending, the torture. A quick flash made the pain return and his howls were absorbed by Snape's magic, never to meet the cold night air.

"You are not here with purpose," Snape began again, "you are here by mistake. Your presence in this city, though disturbing, is an accident. You do not realize the gravity of your situation, and I would very much like to know why that is. Unfortunately...by some means, you are immune to my mental powers, as long as you choose to be. Therefore, my hands will remain dirty, so to say, until you tell me what I wish to know."

The unicorn began to open his mouth, but Snape placed his hand over it, adding, "And don't lie to me. I detest a liar."

The final warning seemed to make the stallion reconsider his position and Snape heightened the pain for a few seconds, and then gradually reduced it as he walked circles around the helpless pony. The prone creature closed his eyes and did his best to shake his head, remove the pain and unending strife, but his efforts, as expected, were futile, and Snape raised his wand again to resume the torturous spell.

"I don't know!"

"What was that?" Snape asked, his wand slowly recoiling from the unicorn's body.

"I'll have my guards track down your husband," Luna promised as she rose.

"I hope he hasn't found Snape yet."

"Even so, I'll have him back to you soon. I believe in Severus Snape."

"Thank you, Luna," Cadence said as the Lunar Princess hurried off down the halls.

Luna reached the exterior of the castle quickly and found a squadron of her own personal guards at the ready, waiting as usual for any specific nightly orders. Each one bowed as Luna approached and listened fully as she explained their latest task.

"This is of great importance, Lunar Guard," She announced, "somewhere in this city, the Prince Shining Armor is hunting down our visitor, the one you all have no doubt heard of. The new teacher, the human wizard, Severus Snape. You must find one of them before they meet; if they have already encountered one another, make sure they both live to see my sister's sun tomorrow. Failure is not tolerated when you serve me! Go!"

They each bowed in turn and saluted their princess before they ran off, flying above the large capitol. She stopped the final few from leaving by raising her hoof in their path and gave them new orders.

"On the off chance Shining Armor is in the castle, find him. If you cannot, search for Snape instead. You have my permission to enter his room. Nothing more than that."

They too nodded, and went about with their task. Luna only hoped she hadn't hurt Snape even more with the details of that order. She remained at the castle's edge, watching most of them soar out under her moon with hope.

A flash of white light took the black coated pony and morphed him into his true form: that of an invading changeling.

"I...I don't know...what happened!" The changeling explained with a begging plea. He was still struggling to break away, but Snape bound the paralysis spell even tighter so that the changeling could hardly speak.

"Help me understand this," Snape said as he gradually leaned in closer, "you arrived in this city without knowledge of your objectives or the source of your sudden immunity to my powers? You have no idea who I am? You don't really know what you are?"

"Yes!" The hurt yet seething creature choked, "yes!"

Snape eased the grip of the spell, slightly. The wind howled as the sounds of the town in the distance rose, their night coming to supposed climax. They were soon drowned out by the hacking of the changeling, who again spit up mounds of saliva, this time it was a shade of tainted nutmeg, and more blood. So they could bleed...

"You spark my interest, creature. I think I'll have to take this a step further. If you try anything at all...I assure, it will be the last thing you do."

The changeling licked the spittle from his lips as Snape apparated them away.

Two of Luna's personal guard stood on a grass hill far to the east of Canterlot. They had been ordered down the mountain, but were also told not to stray too far. A standard precaution, but always a necessary one. Down below the mountain, the winds were less apparent, but twice as icy. It was a sort of desolate place, to them at least; they lived in caves, what could be expected?

Their gazes stretched from horizon to horizon, but there were no signs of the royal prince of the wizard from another life. One took out a spyglass, a piece of dated equipment, yet one that served a purpose. If one of them was, for some reason, beyond the gaze of the spyglass, there might not be an easy way to find them, for the time being.

"What do you see?" The first asked as his partner took several seconds to observe the far reaches of the plains, spinning periodically as he did so.

"Nothing unusual, yet."

"Do you imagine either would have actually left the city?"

"Tough to say; I don't know the human Snape, and I've never known the Prince to take things so badly either. For all I know, my entire life as a guard has been leading up to a moment like this. To face down the unknown and do whatever necessary for the Princess."

The guard with the spyglass was obviously the older one, and he took longer than most guards would to scan the area for any clues or signs as to their mission. He beamed with the experience and relatability that made a good guard a great one. The younger counterpart waited silently and patiently from that point on.

"Well...it appears there's nothing of note here...except maybe there..."

"What's wrong?"

"A small farm, several of them exist in the plains, but they're usually spaced far apart and don't come into contact with many outsiders. This one looks...like it was under siege, from something."

"Should we investigate?"

"What do you think?"

"This process will allow me to find the answers you conveniently lack," Snape explained, as he recreated the situation from the city. There was nopony around to spot them, nor anything that the changeling could do to escape...if Snape had calculated the circumstances correctly.

The changeling was literally quivering and swallowed hardly as Snape began to prod around the changeling's mind. They were quite attuned to the mental realm, even the ones that supposedly lacked a connection to the hive mind.

"This won't hurt. Unless I want it to," Snape confided as he entered he changeling's mind, searching through his hazy past to discover the mysteries of his existence prior to his Canterlot exploits.

Immediately the blackened world around him faded as a dreary pool of the past sprung up before his eyes. He saw the things the changeling could not recall, things as far back as the time of his hatching to the very same night he wandered into Canterlot in the form of a unicorn.

As the pieces came together Snape began to feel the strain put on his mind; he was going to have a headache soon. He was most interested in figuring out how this particular changeling had acquired such mental prowess, even among his own.

This changeling, his name irrelevant according to his hive, his identity a blur according to his soul, had quite the interesting adventure. Not long after breaking from the egg of which he was spawned, this changeling was sent into a pit with many others. It was a traumatic experience, a barbaric ritual of his kind to test the mettle and courage of the next generation's best. In the course of a few days he had done things most creatures, particularly in this world, had rarely experienced.

He survived the horrors of that trip to the Pit of Great Depth, as it was called in his native tongue. He received a scar for his trouble, a fine bite to the side of his head. Snape noticed the indentations earlier. After the trials of the pit, he was sent off on a mission of great importance. He worked directly for the Queen of the Changelings. Chrysalis.

The lands of the gryphons were spacious, yet barren. He stayed there for several years, searching for signs of love, in other words, he was hunting for nourishment. But he found little. Gryphons were not known for an overbearing sense of love and kinship, but when it did exist, it was a very potent love. He found himself suffering from malnutrition not long after arrival, but he stuck to his mission out of extreme loyalty, or perhaps a great fear of failure. It was hard to tell, given the pounding in his head Snape was beginning to feel.

His stay in foreign lands was cut short when he hive mind reached out to him; they were in serious trouble. Something was going terribly wrong at home, and he was needed. He left swiftly and arrived back to find much of the changeling population sick, and many had died from whatever illness was afflicting the hive. He did what little he could, rationed, provided, advised, but it was not enough. Soon he too had contracted the changeling disease.

This part of his life was where things got misty and Snape had to begin digging deeper to find the answers. The symptoms of the disease took away much of his skill, physical and mental. He had gotten it worse than most, and he slipped into a deep coma for well over a year. He was mistaken as dead, and his connection to the hive mind was severed as he was sent out into the great river with the other corpses.

When he finally awoke, he was feeling weak, obviously confused and in need of help. He had just enough strength to alter his form and receive it. Had he delayed much longer, he would have surely died. He wandered around, capitalizing on whatever situations he could, trying to scrape by however he could.

Then he was drawn towards Canterlot. He couldn't figure out exactly why, but something that seemed almost supernatural to him was guiding him towards the capitol of Equestria. Snape then deduced that the event which drew him was the changeling invasion many months ago.

By the time he arrived, however, the invasion had been overcome, and he was left without purpose once again. Then it occurred. Then he fell into another coma, silently, hidden from the city, sleeping deeply right under the nose of the Princesses. But this coma was not like the first; it was a metamorphosis. Snape realized then that the disease that had infected much of the changeling hive was actually a form of mutation. It was evolving the changeling race, if they survived it's effects. Few had been as sick as he had, and so his powers had become heightened almost beyond belief.

Amazingly, the changeling hadn't come into contact with others of his kind. It seemed they heeded him no mind, since his link to the hive was broken. This changeling might not even realize his kin were in the city.

Snape broke the spell and grabbed his head as it pounded away with the after affects of the magical mental link. He staggered away as the changeling seemed relieved, as though Snape's actions had revived him. Perhaps they did in a sense. Either way, Snape's biggest worry, despite the fact that this changeling was not connected to the hive mind and unable to give anything away to Chrysalis, was whatever he had discovered about Snape during the melding of their minds.

"You...are the one called...Half-Blood Prince."

"...Yes," Snape admitted.

"Then...I thank you, Half-Blood Prince. You have awakened me. I understand now."

"And exactly what is it that you understand?"

"Who I am. What I am. You have pieced my past together. I am free."

"Not quite," Snape replied, wand aimed at the changeling, "your usefulness to me has run out."

The changeling laughed, as if Snape was no threat at all. Then for a moment, he seemed in pain, and then to the shock of them both, two smaller horns erupted on each side of his main horn, which grew longer. Then, his mind was lost and he licked his lips like an invisible predator, ready at any moment to strike a lethal blow on his prey. Snape began to feel his headache spread and a couple of his fingers went numb. His vision began to haze and he could feel himself losing his sense of balance.

'Damn', Snape cursed to himself as he shot a blast of ice of at the evolved predator.

A powerful shield of white energy formed around the changeling, negating the ice blast and pushing Snape backwards at the same time. Snape wasn't up to a fight yet, and he took off again into flight, quickly pursued by the monster he had awakened.

"I don't see anything out here," The younger guard told his partner as they combed through the area around the destroyed farm.

"Then you're not looking hard enough."

The younger guard gave his senior a confused look, causing the older one to smile and chuckle.

"How old do you think this damage is?" He asked the rookie.

"Umm...a day?"

"At least a couple days," The older one corrected as he picked up a broken plate with his hoof.

"OK, but what does that tell us?"

"It tells us that we need to keep a better eye out for ponies in danger, but beyond that, it shows us that the ponies that lived here have gone missing."

"How's that?"

"They would have found an official for help; Ponyville is close by, as is Canterlot, but the fact that we're just now discovering these ruins means whoever lived here has vanished."

"I guess so, but where does that get us with Shining Armor and Snape?"

"I don't know...yet."

"Well, what now then? Are we going to Ponyville?"

"You are learning, good. I don't like it, we're already far enough away, but it might lead us closer to Snape, or maybe Shining Armor. Let's go."

"Come now, Half-Blood Prince," The evolved changeling mocked, "show me your might!"

A series of rapid blasts assaulted Snape's flying form, and he was not able to avoid them all. He dived down towards the ground below them and pulled up before hitting it, gaining extra momentum as he evaded more blasts.

"Were you not a great wizard in your past life?" The changeling jeered before pausing his attack to charge up a powerful blast.

Snape took the opportunity to land and take cover in the ruins of the very farm Discord had confronted him in the last time they met. He hurried behind a mess of brick and wood and cluttered junk that was just enough to aid his protego charm and prevent any damage when the massive wave of white energy blew almost everything in the ruins away.

"Impressive, but not enough to save you from my wrath. You are the first of many casualties in my ascension to ultimate power. Still, you are my benefactor. I will allow you some mercy. Allow me to kill you, and I will make it quick."

Snape stood and slowly approached his hunter, who was hovering contently above him, blocking out many rays of moonlight. His wand was of little use; normal changelings that had been evolved were able to stand up decently to him, but this one was above him. That was no doubt the key to his demise. His wand? No, but words, certainly.

"So..." Snape began as he raised his arms in a show of respect for the changeling's power, "your great plan revolves around mass slaughter? Effective, but not wholly. I can show you a better way."

"Your tongue is lined with gold, Half-Blood Prince, but words cannot hurt me. My mind is even more elevated than yours."

"I speak simple truth. If you saw pieces of my last life, then perhaps you know that I was a spy."

"Intriguing, but not so much as the thought of your death. Continue, but make it quick. If I get bored, I'll merely destroy you."

"I worked for the Dark Lord of my era. I was his chosen, his right hand. I invaded the center of his enemies, and I spied on them for him. When the time came, the Dark Lord's assault was vicious, and by my hand, the opposition's leader had been slain, right under their noses. I am...a more loyal creature, but if I wanted to, I could have killed my Lord without much trouble, all the while the other players in the game knocked each other out. I could have ruled the world...You can use my method, instate me as your right hand."

"Do elaborate," the changeling allowed as he lowered himself to Snape's level, a small, white light burning at the center of his middle horn.

"Go back to your hive, rejoin your queen and earn her trust again. When she finally does trust you, you can kill her and take the changeling armies as your own. Who would think to challenge you?"

"All the while you prepared to destroy me from the city of ponies? No thank you..." The white light got brighter but Snape spoke up quickly.

"By your side, I have much to gain, and everything to lose right now," Snape persuaded as he put his hands down, "I have seen victory from this strategy, and I know it can work. I am powerless against you, as you must surely tell. With the combined might of the changeling hordes, even if I rallied the ponies to my side a victory for anyone but you is far-fetched."

The changeling grumbled as he eyed Snape over and pried at his mind for information. The headache and weariness of his body had not left him, but they were fading as the changeling mulled over Snape's proposition. As long as he could hide the existence of a few variables from the changeling, Snape could work this out to his advantage.

"You mentioned...other players before. What are the major players now?"

"You and myself, of course, but also the four Princesses of Equestria, the Changeling Queen, and the Elements of Harmony, working directly with the Fourth Princess."

"And how would you go about destroying the Princesses and the Elements?"

"I have my ways, rest assured. I know my place. You are the Dark Lord here."

The changeling inhaled slowly, trying desperately to break into Snape's inner thought, and Snape fooled him enough to make him believe he had done so.

"Very well. I will work my end, and you will work yours. Heed my words, Half-Blood Prince, you are mine. Now and forever."

"Of course, but what shall I call you, my Lord?"

"I am Malum, Changeling King...or soon to be."

"Yes my Lord, I will allow you to join the hive, and I shall return to my business."

Malum nodded and teleported away, leaving Snape alone in the field of cold darkness.

'Is this close to what you felt, Albus?' Snape thought.

"Well, Princess Twilight knows about the missing ponies now, but we're no closer to finding Snape or Shining Armor," the younger guard told his companion.

"Don't be so sure!" The older guard warned as they approached the ruins of the farm again and took cover behind a nearby hill.

"That's Snape!" The younger exclaimed, "but what's he doing with...that creature? Is that a changeling?"

"I don't know...but it doesn't look like they're in much contention..."

The two simply spoke, exchanging information the guards were eager to learn.

"How do we get in closer?" The younger asked.

Before the senior could reply, the changeling creature teleported away and Snape stood alone. They had lost their chance, but they would certainly have an interesting report to give to Princess Luna. The younger guard looked distraught at the lost opportunity, and upon dwelling on the situation for a few seconds, he rose angrily.

"This ends now, I'm going to confront him myself and-"

"No."

"What do you mean 'no'?"

"Princess Luna believes in Snape...and so do I. We won't interfere with him, but we will let her know. Come on. I'd think Shining Armor has been found by now."

The younger guard looked dejected as he eyed Snape over, still standing alone, frozen in time it seemed, but he followed his partner back to Canterlot with all due haste.

"Thank you," Luna told the two guards before they flew off towards their cavern homes. Celestia was due to wake any minute, and Luna was ready to go to bed herself.

It was disturbing news to hear. She wondered if she should really tell Celestia about it. Luna knew Snape had good intentions, but the facts according to her sources made it hard not to paint the human wizard as a villain. She trailed up the stairs to her sister's bedroom, thinking of how to word the conversation that was to come.

She would probably tell her about Shining Armor's fit of emotion first, and how he was found drunk nearby Joe's Donut Shop. Not a good night for most any of them, it seemed. Luna would be lucky to find a good time of sleep today, she just knew it. The Lunar Princess rounded the corner, and to her shock, ran into her sister.

"Tia? You're up already?"

"Luna. Good morning."

"Why so soon? You usually relish sleeping in until as late as possible."

"I had urgent business to attend to."

"With...?"

"Guess."

"You told me to watch Snape, and I am."

"And what have you to report?"

Luna hesitated and turned her eyes to the floor. Celestia raised her eyebrow curiously before going on.

"I confronted him about the secret entrance underneath my school. He seemed rather upset."

Luna could barely hold her response in. She bit her lower lip and refused to face her older sister as the Princess of the Sun proudly retold the conversation.

"He was surprised too, as to how I found out, but of course he didn't admit that. Needless to say, my punishment for his secrecy didn't sit well with him."

"What did you do?" Luna asked quietly, finally looking her sister eye to eye.

"I forbade him from leaving this city without the accompaniment of a Princess or Shining Armor. I also shut down his access to the school basement. We're looking into it now."

"He's not against us," Luna pleaded.

"He is. Even if he doesn't show it, Luna, you must trust me."

"I believe in Severus Snape!" Luna shouted.

"...What do you have to tell me? What is your report?"

"To tartarus with this!" Luna replied as she stormed off.

Celestia shook her head in disapproval. Snape had grown far too close to her friends and allies. Snape was a disease, and Celestia would be the cure. She would see to this matter personally. Severus Snape, in all his secrecy and deception and manipulative ways, would be ratted out for the fiend he was. Given time, Celestia would bring order to Equestria again.

Author's Notes:

Thank you all for helping this story be amazing and successful and continuously fun to write; I officially consider this my magnum opus! You're all great!

Now, the OC wizard mentioned was a main character in another story of mine called "There Used to be Two"; This is not the same universe, nor the same version of the character as in that fic, but I am taking one of my many OCs and planting him into this story...mostly because when I got the idea as I was writing, I couldn't resist. So, I encourage you to go read "There Used to be Two", and if you're up to it, I'd be glad if you'd check it out.

I hope you enjoy and have yourselves a wonderful day!

BTW...do you believe in Severus Snape?
-TBK

10: Shadows of the Mind

Another session for another day. Upon the very envious request of Shining Armor, the crown Prince of the Crystal Empire would be sitting in on the next mental session between Snape and Cadence. With his class times being restricted, another of many extra punishments, or as Celestia called them, "precautions", had him waiting for the couple to arrive. He sat alone, eyes closed and mind hard at work within itself; his wasn't doing extremely well at the moment either. At last they did walk through the door. Snape opened his eyes, and for a moment he though he spied a smile on Shining Armor's face.

Cadence kindly directed her husband to the seat that so conveniently faced Snape, an action Snape tolerated if for no other reason than the chance to end this petty discrimination against him. She took the seat beside both of them and straightened her mane while the two males entered their unavoidable discussion.

"I've come to see exactly what these sessions pertain to," Shining Armor told Snape coldly.

"My sympathies, I was told you knew what went on here; or is that your measure of trust in your wife, and not your ears, that's not working properly? Either way, I assure you, you've nothing to fear."

"Regardless," Shining Armor replied with subtle ire, "I understand that you're trying to help, so I'm only here to make sure that, and nothing more, happens. Carry on."

"This is a sensitive process," Snape told the two of them, "if we are, interrupted," he turned directly to Shining Armor for that part, "then things could go...sourly."

Cadence put her hoof on Shining Armor's before he responded and smiled kindly to the both of them. She closed her eyes and waited for Snape to begin. Shining Armor nodded his head, bitterly, and sat back uncomfortably. Snape would normally close his eyes for the next part, if for no other reason than helping to assure Cadence, but he opted against it this time.

Immediately a bolt of pain lashed out against his own consciousness. No doubt the remnants of Malum's work. A slight tremor occurred in the form of a short-lived grimace, but Shining Armor couldn't have missed it. He had to take an extra minute or so to conceal Malum's and Chrysalis' presences from Cadence. The Changeling Queen had not relented in her attack, though it was becoming weaker with each passing hour. Unfortunately, Malum's untimely resurgence left its scar on Snape's mind. It would fade in time, he believed, but for now, his mental powers were significantly diminished. This would not be an easy session, and he discreetly took note of the unsure look on Cadence's face, which quickly transferred over to her husband.

He began the process quickly thereafter and Cadence inhaled deeply as her mind was taken away from the small room where their bodies were left. To his credit, Shining Armor did not move, but his eyes shot bouts of contempt for Snape, much opposed to the words that came out from his mouth.

"You have done well," Chrysalis announced as the last changeling piece of fodder dropped to the ground, already dead.

Malum descended from the green mists above the Queen's throne and landed at her hooves, bowing humbly. She did not seem all that moved, though, and waited patiently as he remained bowed before her. The other changelings in the room, the servants yet to be made into corpses, clicked and chirped amongst themselves in their native tongue.

"Rise, Malum, my prodigal son," She commanded.

He did as he was told and waited for her to act again. She did not so much as blink, but starred at him with the reptilian eyes that commanded the utmost fear. The same eyes that had been the last many of his brothers had ever seen. The same eyes that he remembered from what felt like a lifetime ago.

"You have become a strong warrior," Chrysalid praised, "and you may yet be the key to the greatest Changeling conquest in hundreds of years. I am quite pleased..."

"I live for the glory of our race and all that is best for it."

He wasn't lying. Chrysalis did not fail to notice however, that his words were also vague.

"And that is the attitude expected of you. Leave me to reflect on exactly how to honor one such as yourself..."

Her words were vague too.

"Of course, my Queen."

Chrysalis watched him leave, still without blinking or letting her eyes waver. Malum was an unexpected player in the game, she had to admit. But no one wanted an extra player.

"There it is..." Cadence whispered, already in a cold sweat, "the presence I've been feeling since..."

Shining Armor's breathing changed. Snape remained quiet, allowing Cadence to continue doing exactly what he had told her when they tried to find it the first time. Explain your feelings, concentrate on the presence, isolate it from the rest of your mind, and finally, attack it with all you've got. She knew the drill, but she could never focus on it long enough or find it in time to attack it. Snape was, of course, there to help, but it didn't make a difference if she couldn't play her part right.

"It's as cold and dangerous as I remember, and I can't...I can't pin it down...I'm-" She cut her own apology short, remembering that Snape hated it when she apologized and stopped trying.

"You can do it...you can do it..." Shining Armor was whispering to himself and looking up and down and taking in Cadence's concentrated and still form.

Cadence though about telling Snape that is was eluding her again, but she knew, and for the first time, clearly understood, that that was not an option. Not now, when her mental guide and her husband were waiting, believing in her. Her brow furrowed and she clenched her teeth in a show of inner strength.

The shadow was becoming clearer. The enemy was taking shape for the first time. She was getting ever closer to putting a face on this haunting presence, when she felt a surge of something unusual emit from the presence. She was distracted for a single second, but she pressed on, and she was just removing all darkness from it's figure when...

"Aargh!"

Snape nearly rocketed off his seat and fell to the floor, clutching his head violently. Cadence's link was broken completely. The evil that had been stalking her mind lived faceless for another day. But that wasn't important. Snape was barely holding in howls of pain; matted hair had been moved aside and she saw that he was bleeding from his ears and eyelids and nose.

Shining Armor was already running out to get help and Cadence used what healing magic she knew to help her human friend as he pressed himself against the floor, aware of nothing except pain. Utter, excruciating pain.

Luna hurried up the steps of the castle, having been awoken from her sleep by her daytime guards. They rarely had things to report, but today was no ordinary day. She wasted no time in seeking out the, evidently seriously injured, Severus Snape. If her sister was somehow behind this...

But that was crazy. Celestia could be a bit paranoid, sometimes, but she had been Princess for over 1,000 years. She'd seen much. She deserved to be a little out of touch here and there, right? Regardless, to think she would endanger Snape was too far fetched. Or...was it?

No, no. Celestia was not a killer. It was beneath her. If she was responsible, Luna would go back to the moon. By choice.

Smack!

Luna had been so busy telling herself things she couldn't be sure of that she ran straight into Twilight, who had come up a close by, parallel staircase. It took them both mere seconds to recover from the collision.

"Is it true?" Twilight practically begged.

"I was just waken, I don't know what happened!" Luna replied as the both were already running again.

A minute, another staircase, and many halls later and they had arrived at the castle infirmary. Celestia was just exiting and the duo could see Princess Cadence and Shining Armor sitting beside a stiff, peaceful figure. Twilight gasped and rushed passed Celestia, but the Princess of the Sun stopped her sibling at the door.

"Luna! Come with me..." She said and walked down the hall where her sister had just come from.

"I must see Snape," Luna replied, "He-"

"Is fine."

"Fine?"

"Physically, he's doing very well...but he is in a coma."

"That's terrible, how did this happen?" Luna asked, but her sister did not reply. She just kept walking.

Luna followed her down the hall, but was impatiently waiting for her sister to elaborate. So many questions flooded the younger sister's mind, and in the midst of it all her wondering came back. It couldn't have been her sister. It couldn't have been...

"So what happened?" Luna finally asked, and Celestia came to a halt. She turned around and looked her sister in the eye.

"Judgement."

The night wind was cold and they all drew closer to the fire; its faint light projected several figures, draped in black cloaks, sitting by the quiet roadside. There was little in the area, but each one peered out in the fear that they were not alone. They whispered to one another, blending their voices with the chirping crickets and the calling crows. The land was at ease, but they weren't.

"That's right, I heard he's dead now too."

"That damn Sirius Black's fault, I heard."

"The one who rejected Slyhterin at sorting? Bellatrix's cousin?"

"Yeah, that's him."

"Fool!"

"Doesn't seem right, though, weren't we promised better?"

"Sshhhhh! Don't question orders!"

"I don't like it either. This isn't right."

"You're all fools. You'll be sorry for saying these things."

"Why? Will you rat us out? How else will anyone find out?"

"You really think anything we say goes unheard? Especially these days?"

"Bah! No chance. Besides, I'm no weakling hired on recently. I've been loyal to the cause for years; since the beginning of the war."

"Just wait...things like this have happened before."

"No chance," the dismissing one repeated, but jumped off the log he was sitting on when a hand touched his shoulder.

"Now, now," said Lucius Malfoy, as his golden hair and stern face came into view, "We mustn't be speaking like that."

"Bloody hell," the skeptic told his higher up, "You scared me half to death!"

"That's the idea," Lucius replied, "more or less. One does not question the Dark Lord. Ever...do not forget that."

Lucius joined the three sitting Death Eaters as they ate, and they informed him of all they had seen and heard. Evidently, orders had been messed up somewhere down the line. They'd been expecting Lucius for hours by now. There wasn't much to worry about out in the country side, but aurors here and there had spooked them; even if they were on the losing side of the war, an auror would not hesitate to engage in battle with a Death Eater. Their mission could not afford any setbacks.

They began to settle down and go over their mission plans when Lucius paused the conversation and turned back towards the darkness, "Snape? Are you planning to join us?"

"Snape!" One of the three lower-ranking ones exclaimed as Severus crept out of the shadows. None of the three had even realized he had been standing there.

"I should be going..."

"Nonsense, you can afford to stay with us a little while. Plan out your own mission," Lucius replied and waved for Snape to sit beside him on the log.

"The Dark Lord does not appreciate tardiness," Snape countered, still unsure if he should take Malfoy's words to heart.

"He also does not tolerate failure, and the best successes are often due to ample time spent planning," Lucius said, correctively.

Snape thought over the logic for a brief moment, then joined Malfoy with a quick, "Very well."

"Let's go over the house plan one more time," Lucius told them again as dark clouds overhead thundered.

Snape would not be participating in the raid, but he had been told to stick close to Lucius until he joined his partners. He had plans at the Hog's Head inn very soon. He listened to Malfoy and the others plot and scheme. He imagined the house they would be breaking into. A fine, little house. Well placed in a nice neighborhood, except at night. But then what place wasn't safe at night?

The family living there were alleged to be part of the Order. Perhaps they held secrets that would prove the eventual end of the war. No one could be sure, but they were one of several families on Lord Voldemort's list. Lucius was right. There was no questioning him. There were two paths in life. Two alone. You lived in darkness, or died trying to bring it to light.

In the end, Snape knew it was far better to live in darkness. If only others were so sensible. It was tragic, in a sense, that Muggles and Squibs were beyond help. But then, they wouldn't have to live in the strife of the world. It was fair, if you looked at it right. It was far fairer than life.

He digressed, however, and shook his thoughts back to the Hog's Head inn. Dumbeldore would be there, he knew that, and sensitive information, so very sensitive information, was being passed along. Nothing much should happen, if Snape played his hand well enough. Dumbeldore was powerful indeed, but not the type to bring help in situations like these. Keeping a low profile and what not.

Whomever he was meeting, they wouldn't be as much a handful. Besides, it wasn't like Snape was planning on a confrontation. With any fortune and skill, he'd be in and out with the prize before even Dumbeldore knew what was happening.

One of many embers, spit out of the fireplace by a foul wind, flew by his pale cheek. Lightning struck, followed by its cousin, thunder. The hour was growing late, the darkness grew dimmer. Lucius had finished his talk, and the others were standing, adjusting their metal faces in place and throwing their bones around their wands.

"Put the fire out," Lucius told one of the three, then turned to Snape and put out his hand. Severus took it, a plain expression on his face. Malfoy leaned in closely and whispered in his ear. Their hands were still linked, and the others gave them ample space.

"The Dark Lord is testing you, Snape, he has a very select few who are his absolute right hands. Lord Voldemort is great, but even he requires an extra hand here or there; you are powerful, Snape, I have told him of you. Whatever your mission is, do not fail. If you do, becoming one his right hands will never again be possible. Do not fail us, Severus."

Snape nodded and walked away from the other four. If nothing else, Voldemort valued Malfoy for his inspiration. He was a figurehead for a true Slytherin and pure-blood wizard. He was a delegate between the Dark One's will and his followers. Snape made it a good distance from the others when he heard a shout.

He rushed back and saw flaming curses and jinxes and other magical blasts shooting from wands.

"Judgement?"

"Yes," Celestia confirmed and stepped closer to her sister. Her face was not as proud or giddy as Luna imagined, but it was twice as serious. Her eyes were not soft or forgiving as Luna had known them to be. They no longer shone, but scrutinized.

"For what?"

"For past sins."

Luna actually snorted with disbelief. Her sister was looking back at paranoia like her last birthday. Celestia's head tilted to the side, discerning Luna's face, but she left it blank. Luna, however, did not have trouble finding a response.

"You're being ludicrous. I know Snape-"

"You think you know him."

"I know enough."

"Does that mean you knew changeling invaders were lurking in our capitol city? He could have caused absolute disaster. We were lucky enough to escape as freely as we did at the wedding, and now they've come back to haunt us."

"And Snape is on the job," Luna told her sister irritably, tired of these accusations against the human wizard.

"Actually, he's on his back, in a coma."

The statement was full of bitter teasing. Celestia sounded more like a teenager than she had in over 1,000 years of time.

"Then I will take up his task," Luna growled.

"You think I have this blind prejudice, unfounded and too close to a novel to be genuine, don't you?" Celestia asked, voice rising higher with every heated word, "You think that I'm being biased against him, even though he was in the wrong for keeping national security secrets from us? Have you forgotten how fair I was to him? How I gave him a place to live and work, under his wish to stay in Equestria?"

"I haven't forgotten," Luna shouted back, raising her face closer to Celestia's, "nor have I forgotten that he's also been working to atone for that secret. He's been hunting the changelings down and weeding them out; yet you punish him!"

"He wouldn't have to atone if he hadn't sinned first!"

"Sins can be forgiven! You and I should know that better than anypony!"

"I KNOW you, YOU I trust! HE'S NOT LIKE YOU!!"

Luna slammed her hoof into the ground, almost breaking through the floor. She exhaled rudely into her sister's face, and Celestia used a quick telekinetic grab to throw Luna back. The Lunar Princess slid back on the floor and skidded to a halt when she kicked her magic up.

Both their eyes were glowering at the other. Both sets of teeth were gritted. Both horns were aflame with magical power that was beginning to burn the air around them. Sister had quarrels, but this wasn't a quarrel; this was a fight.

Lucius jumped to his chest. He had barely perceived a stray curse heading his way when an auror apparated behind him. He flipped over and fired at the auror, who deflected the blast easily. Lucius was already rolling to the side and getting on his feet the counter attack was fired. Malfoy was shoved back the impact of the blast and his wand flew out of his hand. He stared up with disdain and a small cut let loose a red trail from his lower lip.

The auror, with a defiant face, hazel eyes especially looking serious, held his own wand before him.

"There!" One of the Death Eaters cried and fired off a killing curse. Unfortunately, his aim was thrown off when another auror blasted him in the back. The killing curse strayed off path and did not hit the auror ready to strike Malfoy.

The other two Death Eaters were being mopped up by a squad of four Aurors. Someone had tipped them off, it appeared. That meant that someone's head was going to roll...even if it was Malfoy's.

"Make a move and I won't hesitate to strike you down," the auror warned, "if your friends survive, it's off to Azkaban with the lot of you."

He turned to the one that had saved him, "What about him?"

The second auror kicked the Death Eater for good measure, "He'll be out for a long time." He nodded and rushed to help the other four.

The auror got a twisted smile on his face, "Now then, Mr. Death Eater, shall we-"

A flash of red overcame his figure and he collapsed, groveling instantly. Snape emerged from behind, Malfoy's wand in hand. Lucius nodded in thanks and took back his wand, joining Snape as their allies battled the five aurors.

"Shall we help them, then?" Snape asked.

"...No."

Snape turned to see Lucius' face, "No?"

"They're expendable enough."

"What of your mission?"

"Worry about your own, get going!"

Snape did as he was told. He noticed that Lucius did not get far before stopping. Loose ends and all, Snape supposed. He, meanwhile, hurried off towards the Hog's Head. The moon itself could not illuminate Snape's figure as he scurried along the countryside below a black sky. The night was young yet.

A laugh of twisted delight broke the memory, like shattering a dream.

Snape saw himself running along. Off to fetch the prophecy, off to bring the unintended destruction of Lily and James. The cataclysmic night that set up the next 18 years of his life. The second worst night of his entire life. The laugh, the shattering force, rang again, and Snape drew his eyes away from his younger self, and saw the black shadow.

His mental weakness had allowed whatever was plaguing Cadence to attack him. With Malum's combined efforts, the force had broken through his defenses, tapped into his memories. He could very much feel the same pain as before, but he wasn't bleeding, and it was a bearable pain, for now.

"Queen Chrysalis, I presume?" He managed with his usual icy demeanor.

"But of course! I have long watched you, Snape. You are my only true obstacle, after all."

"And I suppose you feel that way because of whatever mutation has increased the power of your hive?"

"I'd expect Severus Snape to do his homework," Chrysalis congratulated with a hiss of eagerness.

A figure of the Queen stepped out. Her horn was longer, her wings larger, and her body was armored in all the weakest places. She did not have three horns like Malum, but she was even taller and larger than he was.

"I have been examining the city, Snape, I know all about it. You foiled my plans to use Celestia's school against her, but you have not done enough to stop me."

"I've my own plans for you."

"They will surely fail!"

Snape felt the pain increase and his face contorted slightly. Chrysalis' laugh echoed throughout his subconscious again. She rushed at him, and he could not move himself, but her form passed through him, leaving only an icy chill and corrupted atmosphere with him.

"Luna! Don't start something you can't finish!"

"Don't badger me, Celestia, I am more than able to do what I please!"

The Princess of the Sun did not give reply. Instead she slammed her hoof into the floor again and leaned forward. Luna mirrored her sister's actions and went a step further by firing a small blast of magic. It was nothing really dangerous, but it was a major sign of disrespect. Celestia did not tolerate it.

After blocking it with ease, she emitted a blinding light from her horn and Luna recoiled in a sensory overload. Her eyes were still blurred and pained when the view of her sister shooting a paralyzing spell at her finally appeared. A magical shield took the spell for Luna, but now she had to retaliate.

The battle was far from over.

Author's Notes:

Here it is, and I'm happy (yes, happy) to say that this is the first true cliff-hanger of the story. Well, I see it that way. I hope you all enjoy it and will keep a weather eye out for the next chapter. As always, with love,
-TBK

11: Rise

A blast from Celestia's horn shoved Luna into the wall and she had to duck down to evade a follow-up blast. The guards were close to finding them now. Their skirmish had lasted hardly more than a minute when she tore down one of the doors and caused substantial damage to one of the guest rooms on that floor. They had already teleported away once, but the guards were on their heels again. Some disputes were best left to settle themselves; of course no guard would see things that way, not when it concerned the Princesses, but they were too engaged in the fight to care much.

Luna took an unexpected attack pattern when she shot several blasts at her sister. Five in total, and Celestia was too hard pressed to deter the first three, that the fourth, which came at her hooves, knocked her down. The final blast caught her as she fell and shoved her down the hall. Celestia stood up just as many guards stormed through the opposite end of the hall.

"Princesses!" The leader among them shouted, quite confounded, "What's the meaning of this? What are you doing?"

Luna erected a force field to separate herself from the guards and then took off in as fast a flight as she could perform in the tight space of the corridor. Celestia trapped her in a paralyzing spell before they made contact; the time for mercy was over, only to be rekindled when the battle was over. She flung her sister through the wall, out of the castle and spiraling down the mountain.

It did not take long for Luna to regain control of her wings, and she pulled out of the spiral and met her sister in the air. They rushed at each other many times, but neither sister took an advantage in the joust. What few pegasi guards were in the immediate area had already flown out to end the confrontation.

"Stay away," Celestia ordered, "this will be over soon enough. My sister has elected to defy me. I will not allow her clouded judgement to impair Equestria!"

"I should say the same of you!" Luna retorted.

The afternoon sky was growing darker as Luna's rage increased. Storm clouds began to form overhead too, and the guards knew when they were outmatched. This was such an occasion. They flew away, but kept close enough to act should the battle go sourly enough to knock a Princess down towards the ground.

"I believe in Severus Snape!" Luna bellowed as she charged in, then whispered as her sister's equally furious figure drew closer, "so why can't you, too?"

Celestia had formed an actual jousting rod with her magic, while Luna had conjured a large hammer that flew ominously behind her. They charged in close and Luna's hammer swung. The weapons clashed and a light brighter than Celestia's sun flashed before them. Both were knocked back, but neither was knocked down.

Luna looked below her, at the mountain side, for further ammunition. She grabbed rocks and logs and brought up steadily to throw at her sister, who had a similar idea with the darkening weather. The guards looked at each other nervously and all flew back a ways, careful to stay away from Luna's rising tools.

Lightning crashed out of the clouds and Celestia harnessed it to strike at her sister. Luna was already madly tossing the mountainside decorations at her sister. The lightning cut through the logs without a problem, but the stones were tougher to break down, and Celestia had to lunge out of the way of an incoming boulder more than once.

The younger sister was only raising more and more to throw at Celestia, but the Solar Princess found her opportunity and sent a long-reaching blast of lightning down. It whirled and raced past many of Luna's weapons, then lashed out at the her, and knocked her down. Her concentration on the objects was broken too, and they fell with her.

Luna was not able to recover when her older sister teleported down in front of her. A quick strike with a conjured mace plunged Luna down farther, but still she did not yield. Celestia repeated the pattern again, teleporting and bashing her sister downwards, but then she made the mistake of performing the action a third time.

Celestia appeared before her again, and Luna was soon to be knocked out of the sky, but she was able to anticipate her sister's blow, and conjured an anvil to take the abuse. Celestia foresaw a defensive measure, and was not so alarmed when her mace shattered, but when Luna threw the anvil up, Celestia had no counter. She was knocked up towards the clouds just as fiercely as she had previously knocked Luna downwards.

Luna hurled a volley of magical blasts, but Celestia was able to evade them until the two were on an even field again. Celestia formed a mirror-shield, which deflected Luna's blasts back at her. Now Luna was unprepared to deal with her offense, and she was stunned, giving Celestia time enough to rush back in with another weapon, an axe this time.

Celestia's war cry was intense, but it quickly fell to a gasp when Luna's form was sliced in half. She fluttered in disbelief as the two pieces of her sister cried out in pain, then dissolved into fading magic. The real Luna knocked Celestia downwards with a quick fly by, and fired another good blast at her.

'Cloaking and clone forming in the same few seconds,' Celestia realized, 'Impressive. But not enough, little sister.'

Celestia absorbed the blast this time, and stalled, as did her sister. They both had to pull out something big now.

In the midst of it all, Celestia wondered how far Luna was willing to go. Of course backing down was not her style, not how she lives her life. But she wouldn't go overboard, would she? It wasn't that Celestia couldn't overpower Luna, really, it was that she didn't want to. Whoever went in faster, stronger, and harder would come out on top. And the loser's fate depended on exactly how fast, strong, and hard the winner rushed in.

It was all a gamble, but Celestia had to win. How much to bet...how much to risk? Luna began charging in, flying forward with speed that only Rainbow Dash had matched in the last few years. Celestia was still measuring out how rough to be as she mirrored Luna. The air rippled and bent to their wills as they focused their energies on the other. To the bystanders, it must have taken only a couple seconds, if that, but for the Princesses, it was a never-ending moment of agony and fear of the unknown.

The Solar Princess made her move and let Luna's attack, a wave of magical energy, spread out before her, threatening to viciously consume her. Celestia kept a giant hoof construct above her. She let Luna feel confidant in her attack, just enough for her to shift all focus on Celestia...and then the older sister disappeared.

A rapid teleportation later and Celestia was above Luna, and the giant hoof had enveloped the Lunar Princess. Luna's face faded into embarrassment and fear as she realized she fell for the teleportation trick again. Another hoof formed under her, and the two yellow behemoths pressed against her, crushing her with immense force and choking the life out of her.

The wave dissolved into the air as Luna lost concentration and felt Celestia firmly bear down upon her, sapping her of her energy. There was no alternative...except one. One way to escape, but extremely risky. If it didn't pay off, it would all be over. There was no time for debate. Only action. Now was her chance. Go!

Luna's eyes went wide and she struggled to break free as a small spark fell from her horn. The dark magic was not much, but it was more than suited to taint Celestia's construct. The older sister realized Luna's play, but not in time. The yellow hoof quickly morphed into a chaotic black, with shimmering purple and green flashes inside, like bottled lightning.

She could not react quickly enough to avoid it as it moved of its own accord, slapping her away from Luna and violently pummeling her towards the ground. With each hit, a stinging residue of the chaos magic was left on Celestia, spoiling her energy reserves and preventing her from using her magic without difficulty.

Luna wasn't sure how long to let it go, and she watched nervously as the second yellow construct was just finishing its decaying process. Soon, Celestia was panting, her mane and coat had been singed and thrown about by the chaos energy, and she was struggling to remain in flight as the great dark force bared down upon her. Luna could not allow it anymore. Winning was important-but not like this.

She bolted down and threw more magic into the construct, wrestling for control with it as the darkness was steadily replaced by Luna's blue light. It took a moment, but the construct was too weakened to fight off the Princess, and it shattered into millions of pieces and faded into the dark sky.

Celestia was barely conscious, but not ready to give in. The look on her face was one of outrage and disbelief. Luna knew it was a great risk to use Dark Magic, especially if one was so well versed in it as she was. She returned with a look of openness, an invitation of surrender. But Celestia was not the kind to surrender so easily.

All she could muster was a steady beam, but small and weak, and Luna blocked it easily. Then Celestia began to fall as she finally lost to the fatigue.

The recesses of Snape's mind had become a war-torn world. Chrysalis was relentless in her assault on his memory, plans, and psyche. Malum's influence was mostly gone, but she'd certainly been using its effects to her advantage. Snape wondered if he should allow Chrysalis to learn of their...deal. There were too many variables popping up these days. Too many loose ends to tie, as was expected of him to fix.

All he could do, however, at the moment was wait. Wait for the time to come when he could escape her grip, free himself and awaken once more. She caught him off guard last time, but now he was ready to deal with her. She had been terrorizing Cadence, feeding off of her to learn of Canterlot's weaknesses; and of course, her greatest triumph was learning so much about him. Snape was a key player too. He was certainly not above exploitation, if his enemies could catch him unaware. As she had. He brought powerful magic to the world, and Snape wondered if The Guide, the oh so benevolent figure that had thrust him down into this world, made a good decision by sending him to foil this plot.

Secrecy, deception, the willingness to go to extremes, the ability to craft a masterful plan and a network of possibilities, to one day be turned into reality, if need be; and of course, a cold heart, but not an empty one. These were valuable commodities, it seemed, and Snape happened to possess them all. But did he have too much of each? It was certainly not appropriate to overdo it, and Snape had long feared that his powers would be used against him. Technically, they already were, courtesy of Discord. One was more than enough. Chrysalis was easily the biggest threat to him...to everything.

A painful memory ricocheted across his mental concentration. How many times would he have to see that dead body? The cold release of her soul? The hopes that were left forever unfulfilled? Indeed, Voldemort's ruthless murder at the Death Eater conference at Malfoy Manner was striking. He played his role so well that, after a time, he had even fooled himself to believe that he shared no care or sympathy for Charity Burbage. That pleaded cry kept rebounding, echoing, fading and fading away until at last is struck a new cord somewhere else and became just as vivid as when he sat there, amongst the villains, and watched her die.

Another one came bashing along and ruffled his presence. The time Snape had been saved by James Potter. This was not the same kind of pain, but a cousin to it. This was anger, this was the sense of unending uselessness. If James Potter had to, and willfully did, save his life...what did that make Snape other than a burden? A problem? He had to prove himself and his own worth to everyone. To the students and teachers. To James. To Lily, and to himself. In some minute ways, Snape wished Remus had killed him. This pain was not one often felt anymore, but it struck just as deep and loss and remorse did.

Like raindrops, pouring down on Hogwarts during a tumultuous and stormy night, the bad memories came. Chrysalis's arrows, flung at him without much thought. 'Would this hurt?' he imagined her ponder, 'yes, yes his entire life hurts. Fling them at him. Let them pierce his focus and stab his soul one more time. Then again, and again.'

He was dreading the moment Lily would come along. For as much wanton destruction she was causing, she had enough sense to save the absolute worst day of his life for last. To even think of it this long as heartbreaking.

Even his emotions were manipulable, if pressed the right way, folded in the precise spot.

"Get every available doctor and nurse here!" Luna barked as the soldiers rushed into the castle with Celestia's body. As she feared, the dark magic was too unstable. Yet, she couldn't quite have imagined that it would go so far, as if it had been provoked. If anything, Luna had attempted to tone it down, a little.

Many ponies ran to the castle, but one ran out of it, most urgently, it seemed. Princess Twilight's face was more concerned than Luna had ever seen it. She couldn't blame the young, new royal. Luna's face looked the same way, if only on the inside.

"Princess, what happened!? Are you alright?"

"My sister and I..."

"What happened?" Twilight moved to face the Lunar Princess when she ducked her head to the side, but no reply was given. She looked on the edge of tears, and Twilight could already feel several rolling down her cheeks too. She managed to choke it out another time, "What happened, Luna?"

An immense pain bubbled up from Luna's heart, and spread like blood from a stab wound. It might as well have been so bad, "We..., well, we fought."

"Over what? What could possibly be so important to to do that?"

"Over Snape. Over what we believe about him and what to do with him."

Twilight looked down and swallowed the lump in her throat. Luna could see her begin to tremble and shake. Words failed her completely, but her teary eyes shone with more agonizing confusion and unrest than Luna could have ever imagined her showing.

"Twilight, I feel bad enough," Luna admitted, "and I know I've got some repentance to do for this, but right now, we need make sure my sister pulls through, more than almost anypony else right now, I need you."

Twilight managed a nod and rushed back in with Luna as urgent shouting from the medical center rang through the halls.

At this point, there was little more to do than wait things out. Celestia had been stabilized and laid beside Snape. Luna and Twilight had not left her since the emergency began. The dark magic's effects were especially potent, it seemed, because of her state of mind. The theory that emotional condition affected magical outcome was long accepted, but not very much testing had gone into emotion and dark magic, and the medical shock that came from her experience would long be documented. At least she was expected to survive.

But, as nothing is ever simple in these cases, Celestia did not escape so easily. Besides the physical exhaustion and fatigue placed on her body from the duel, she too had been put into a coma. After some testing, it was revealed that hers was not as serious as Snape's, and she would awaken within a week or two, but the damage done to her mind was an unknown factor.

Cadence and Shining Armor had gone to address the public on the situation, and many of them had seen the sisters do battle. It was not an easy announcement, but the news that nopony had died, nor was anypony expected to, made it easier. But now the couple were back in the medical center, hidden from the public eye. They were left to wonder at the future, which was not bright, and wait for the two patients to emerge from their respective comas.

Luna and Twilight and Cadence had been crying on and off, and Shining Armor was dreading the moment he was called to duty. When the time did come for him to leave them, he shed his solider's skin and embraced them all. Moments of tragedy did not affect him like the did his wife or relatives, but Shining Armor was no soulless pony. Cadence foresaw what he labeled as "Liquid pride" popping up soon enough.

At last, when she couldn't bare to dwell on her own thoughts anymore, Twilight was the first to speak up, "How long can we wait here?"

The small but untrue chuckle with her comment only made them all feel more lonely. Cadence had to wipe away more tears from her eyes, and Luna began to pace in front of the beds. The beeping of the monitors and the hum of the lights above them was all encompassing now. Seconds passed like years. Neither could wake up soon enough.

"I shouldn't have gotten so upset...I should have let myself lose..." Luna was muttering to herself, mulling over her actions and beating herself up on the inside. Twilight wanted to stop and reassure her, but she wasn't sure that Luna was wrong. If she had only been willing to lose, or hadn't been edgy enough to be provoked, they could be laughing over dinner right now, instead of crying at bedsides.

'It'll be over soon,' Twilight told herself, 'wait a little while, then Princess Celestia will wake up from that coma, things will be right again. And Snape? Snape will explain things, we'll have the matter worked out.'

Matters such as these were seldom worked out so well, she knew, but sometimes it felt right to lie to herself. Sometimes, the truth was too painful to hear at a given time. So she ignored it, for now, and gave herself something to focus on, something to consume her thoughts so that her soul and mind would not be consumed by the nervous waiting.

For a small moment, even the beeping machines and the rousing lights faded away, and a true relief spilled over Twilight's consciousness, but it was soon shattered.

"Curse you, Severus Snape!" Luna screamed at the human's figure, stiller than a corpse, and just as pale.

Cadence and Twilight looked over to see Luna and leaning her head over his weakly rising and falling chest. She was crying without restraint now, and sobbing curses into his breast.

Cadence looked Twilight in the eye, and their frowns merged into a single concern. Things had never been as dark in Canterlot, not that either of them could remember. Twilight stood up and walked a pace over to Snape's bed, but stopped when Luna sobbed out again.

"I believed in you! I told myself you were a hero! I convinced myself to trust you, and where did it get me?"

"Luna," Twilight reasoned, "please, he's weak enough. Get off his chest; it wasn't his fault. It wasn't-" Twilight wanted to say it wasn't Luna's fault, but...well, she wasn't ready to assign permanent blame her. Not nearly ready.

Luna remained beside him, still crying uncontrollably, "I believed in Severus Snape; I don't know if I can anymore..."

Twilight was joined by Cadence, and they took Luna away, cradling her back to their seats. Twilight tried, but could not get through to Luna. The Princess of the Night still mourned over her fallen sister, and the fallen idol beside her. When Twilight at last gave up, Cadence stepped in. She mimicked Luna's actions from not so long ago, soothing her and calming her just as Luna had done to Cadence that night in the hall.

"I still believe in Severus Snape," She said to Luna, who was about through crying by now.

"...I know it isn't really his fault, but I pushed the idea that he was some kind of...hero, and when I pushed, my sister fell."

"We both know that Snape is here for us. For us all. I look forward to finding him wake up as much as I do your sister. I know that he's fighting for us, even at this very moment."

Twilight listened with awe, as Cadence described Snape, portrayed him in such an unparalleled light. The entire time, she never took her eyes off of the wizard's body. Her mind's eye envisioned him the way she and her friends knew he was on the inside. Even if Snape wasn't their friend in the sense that they wanted, he was a comrade. He was a person they could learn from and treasure in their own way.

"I bet that Celestia won't blame you or Snape for what happened. I think that her good spirit will prevail, and I know that she can't hate you for what happened. She'll come around, and so will he. It's a dark day, a dark time for us, but the dawn is already closer. Just a little bit longer. Just a little bit longer, and the light will come shining again..."

The beauty of Cadence's speech had left Twilight staring blankly, too lost in her own head to worry about her physical surroundings, but something at last did catch her eye. She gasped and pointed at Snape's figure, and the other two looked over excitedly.

He lay still, his hands at his side, his eyes closed, his body hardly drawing breath, but a tear was running down his face too. It was the only thing that disturbed the image of dormant frame. It was a sign of relief. It was a sign of life.

"I think I've soundly defeated you...don't you agree?" Chrysalis asked Snape, her cruel voice bouncing around like a lightning bolt in his head.

She laughed when he did not give a response. All the torturous things she'd done to him had left him both exhausted and dreadful. He hated to realize it, but she had damaged him as much as in just this short time as all those years of first life had. At last, there was nothing left to raise in his head, no ammunition left to fire at him.

Another heartless laugh came, and he felt an odd resurgence of vitality. It was as if she were holding him under water, and he had struggled, just barely retained that essence of life when she raised his head from the water and allowed him to breath deeply again. He felt the shadows withdraw from his mind, and the laughter echoed, fading away through his mind and leaving him.

He raised his upper body suddenly off of the bed. The lights and shapes of the real world assuaged gradually, and he at last settled back into reality. The nurse smiled and walked over to him as he regained his bearings, and called in the guards to alert the Princesses.

"What...happened to me?" He asked the nurse just before burying his head in his hands and reclining back onto the bed.

He removed his hands and stared at the ceiling, feeling worse already, as she replied, "You were sent into a coma. Everypony will be relieved to find you up again."

"How long was I disabled?" He managed to ask.

"A month."

Author's Notes:

I no doubt sound like a broken record in apologizing, but I feel I should. I was on vacation for a while, and thus not working on this story. I also took some time to finally plan out and solidify all the details of the remainder of the story; the end is in sight!

Hope you enjoyed,
-TBK

12: Set Up the End

Author's Notes:

Close those jaws! Yes, this story is ALIVE!!

Phew! AP testing is over, and I'm back! (despite much delay...) I hope you enjoy the latest chapter, and as always I'm glad to see your love and support in this project of mine. Honestly, I feel like this chapter just isn't quite right, but I've fooled around with it too long to do anything much more. I guess I'm just ready to move into the final chapters, and finally be able to look at this story with pride, because I finished it. Thank you all, I'll have an update soon.

-TBK

When the nurse had finally left him alone, Snape pulled himself off the bed and stood on his own two feet for the first time in a month. It had been too long. His legs ached and his head was still spinning. The month of idle waste wasn't going to bother him much, but the agonizing things his mind had been subjected to, the horrors he'd relived over a month that felt like one bad night...

The sun was shining, but it wasn't as bright as Snape remembered it. Good, he preferred the darkness anyways, and did not spend more than a few seconds near the window. He went over to the wall and stuck his hands against it, resting his head on his arm. Slowly, he got down on one knee and maintained that position. Blasted magical land of insanity. Hogwarts was far kinder.

War was coming. Darkness was hovering over Equestria, literally, perhaps, and if the changelings hadn't made their move by now, it would occur soon. Waiting was never easy, but wait they would. Wait and prepare. In a sense of self-debauchery, he was glad. He never asked for another life, he never wanted one. He believed that death would embrace him with open arms, and that was the end of it. Dumbledore got that nicety. All the others that had died in that Godforsaken war. Even Voldemort himself was likely in whatever hell of an afterlife he earned. But not Snape. That would only be fair. This was the moment where he had to live up to all those things he used to say, like "life isn't fair". One life was more than enough for him, but complaining was of no use; when was it? Push past it, concentrate...focus.

No magic was powerful enough to get him out of this mess, no book could teach him how to evade this judgement. Waiting this out was his only option. Now the waiting was almost over. But was two enough? Would his deeds here be good enough to make up for whatever he lacked back then? Or was it that he was doing too good a job? That lout calling himself the "Guide" was no help. There was no direction here, no rules, no goal, just a vague idea of what victory was and an impossible incentive to attain it.

"Snape?" Twilight's voice called from the door.

He inhaled and stood, covering up his physical state. When he walked over to meet her, she was more apprehensive than he'd ever sensed her to be. She look more hunched over, more tightened and strained. She looked cold.

"Snape, you're up." It was not a statement of positives or negatives, simply fact.

Snape looked down at her, eyes getting stronger with his cold demeanor, the black gems he used on students that disappointed him. He breathed in deeply too, partially to finish his recovering and partially to announce that he felt more alive than ever. He was beginning to come back now.

"Don't concern yourself over me...what's happened this past month?"

She wasn't very taken aback, and she did seem more stoic, and did not hesitate to answer his question, "A lot has happened, frankly...the same day you were put into a coma, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna got into a fight."

The aforementioned victory was placed into jeopardy whenever such a thing happened, and with this new mindset of hers, he couldn't be sure that neither of them had died. She just watched him take in the news, and he let the silence grow.

It was a sort of relief when Twilight walked over to the dim sunlight beaming in through the window and went on with her explanation, "Princess Celestia was put into a coma of her own. Things have turned upside down ever since. She woke up a couple weeks back, but that hasn't helped anything."

"Can she still fulfill her role as Princess, or is the dimmed sun a token of her fall from power?"

"She remains weakened, and as you say, the sun shows it. The first time she raised it after waking up, it was half as bright as it was now. Slowly, she has regained her power, but she's not back to full strength. In response, Luna has become more of a pariah, hiding herself away in shame. Cadence has been getting worse too. She needs you. You helped her, but not enough. If you look closely, you can see the pained fatigue behind her eyes..."

"And what of your brother? What about you?"

She smiled faintly, but still facing away from him, "We're all a mess."

"It seems that whenever I leave you all alone things tend to go to hell."

"Heh...I honestly can't decide whether the special qualities you've brought to Equestria make me want to be happy and proud to call you friend, or if the trouble just your name alone has caused is enough to have earned you my scorn. You've already read me like a book. You know this past month has changed me. Let's just say everypony has become darker since you left us."

She spun back around and looked him face to face. His was as unreadable as he could make it, as always. Her face was suspicious, alert and depressed too. Some of the old Twilight shone through, but it was caged right now, and she was unwilling to grasp the key and open the door to let it out. War makes fatalities that go seen and unseen.

"The world itself is about to get darker," Snape replied, "and we don't have much time. I have learned important things, and we all need to hear them. I'd assume the other royals in the city?"

"Of course. With the changeling spies still lurking, we've all had to take our turns rounding up intruders and tying loose ends, minus Cadence and Celestia."

"Tying loose ends?" He echoed, suggesting a faint intrigue.

"We haven't been killing them, if that's what your parroting was meant to ask. Needless to say, they won't be of any use to Queen Chrysalis anymore."

"Impressive, for ponies such as yourself."

"I suppose."

"Regardless, a meeting is necessary, I trust you will arrange one."

"I will. Let's say we start just after Luna raises the moon. You aren't invincible, after all. You should try and get more rest."

She began to walk out of the room, treading away with the glimmering afternoon's light; he stopped her with a tone he hadn't found use for since a trouble of a boy with spectacles was one of his students....and for what it was worth...he wasn't the worst student he'd ever taught.

"Sparkle..."

"Snape?"

"Don't wander too far. Even this world can only have so many liars."

A flash of movement. The facial muscles reacting to old habits. He triggered the Twilight of old, he could tell. He forced her to grab that key, and shove it with prejudice into the lock. She tried to hide it, but she did not live in darkness, and if she turned the key... She was not the strong will she was pretending to be. All she could do was nod and deter her sight from his piercing gaze.

"Goodbye, Severus."

The meeting paralleled his nightmare too much to say. They all sat in the same places, they all held the same hope, and fears, in their eyes as the disillusioned dream he'd had before. One big difference, however, was Celestia. Her coat seemed far dimmer, just as her sun did, and her mane was less vibrant. It was the one ripple in the picture that stuck out, but it was no comfort.

Overall, she looked much older, and she did not carry herself with the same power as before. Most noticeably, however, was the lack of proper posture on her part. He could not sense the pride in her. Then again, what did she have to be proud of right now? Her kingdom was falling apart. And he was there to put it back together, despite his disdain for her as a ruler.

Shining Armor was also more strained than Snape remembered. Hunting down the changeling spies seemed to fall into his hooves more than any other's. They were both going to take every shot at him they could, assuming the entire world hadn't gone upside down since his departure...and that was a real possibility.

"At last, Snape has awoken," Celestia announced when Cadence arrived, and they had fully convened. She was beaming with joy, on the inside, but Twilight was not incorrect, she was not prepared to face Chrysalis's mental might, "Have you anything to report?" the Solar Princess asked.

"I do."

He paused and looked each of them in the eye, showing no preference for any of them, nor any bias in his seriousness. Most of them looked back at him, but as a whole, all of the ponies seemed to have focused on what he was going to say. He stood up to better illustrate his point, and he strolled around the circular table, passing behind each of them at his own pace.

"I have seen the future. I know that it is Queen Chrysalis that has gone after you, Princess Cadence, and I know that a Changling invasion is imminent."

"Isn't that a little obvious? We figured Chrysalis was behind it all when you screwed up with the changeling spies," Shining Armor jabbed.

Snape paused, and smiled at the insult; he replied with no agitation at all.

"Tut tut, I have gone and miffed the Royal watchdog. Shame on me."

Snape's own jab was not received well by the others, and he moved on before anypony else could make issue of it, continuing his stroll and report with regained seriousness.

"The last time she attacked the city, she did so how I would have, with subtle planning and cunning trickery. She also underestimated you all, and she won't make the same mistake. She will come with fire and brimstone, and she will not settle on anything less than the ruins of this city becoming a monument to her glory."

None of them seem daunted, except for Cadence. Twilight also looked on edge, but not alarmed.

"But outright strength and overwhelming numbers alone will not win the battle. The winner will be the one who has enough power to defeat the other, as well as the one that has out-thought the enemy."

"And who has out-thought whom? Is there more you wish to tell us, Snape?" Luna asked.

"I only mean to say that we must be one step ahead of her. In light of that, our priorities must be examined. I know she has another door into the city, another secret entrance to flood this capitol with her agents. Surely it goes without saying that we must find it and expel them all."

"The numbers...just don't support that statement," Twilight interjected, glancing down at several of the papers she had in front of her, "we've rounded up almost all of the intruders we know of, and we're sure they're the only ones left. Unless Princess Luna and I have become inept, I can't see this second door as being truth."

"Then it is your word against mine," Snape dismissed.

"And who'll we believe? Our own, or you?" Shining Armor defended, "for all we know, you're as far gone under a spell of hers than I was the first time."

The others, particularly his wife, seemed to ingest that as a very real possibility. This was beginning to turn into a witch-hunt, and it would not do well to allow it to become a funeral.

"Supposing I am mistaken, that does not change the facts of the coming battle; I was going to suggest a pre-emptive strike anyways, so if you're all so convinced that the city is no danger, then you can all leave it."

"So now you're trying to get us to leave the capitol and go out to war with the changeling's main force. You aren't a very good double agent," Shining Armor accused, and stood up to stop Snape from passing by him.

"Settle down..." Celestia commanded.

"I have lived through hell and back, boy, and if you choose to ignore my advice, then you forsake my grace. I honestly wouldn't want to see most of injured, or worse, because of this moment, but in your case, I'll make an exception, P-"

"Sit down!" Celestia repeated, more loudly than before.

Her nephew obeyed, but Snape continued his circling motion after a moment to grasp his head, and breath in. He then went on with what he had to say.

"I will be leaving this city very shortly, and I will be going to stop the threat I know is just beyond the horizon. I request...I need you to help me. This will not be easy, it will not be short, and it will not end without suffering...but it must be done."

"You would die for us?" Celestia asked.

"Gladly."

There was no hesitation in his statement, but the double-meaning was not lost on any of them, except perhaps for Blueblood. She shot him a nasty look, but he remained, how she would likely describe him, "defiant". Never the less, Luna seemed to consider his words more readily than any of them, and he bent down closer to her as she stared past the table, taking care not to seem as though he was seducing her.

"I did not ask to save you. I never planned to be your guardian angel, but if I must draw my last breath to save a castle in the middle of supposedly quiet country, then it wouldn't be the first time, and I'd do it far more readily than before. I've seen what comes if you wait in your stronghold. I know the carnage of dark sorcery, and though it was under a different face back then, I know it has followed me here. You are all in danger, regardless of how much my words are taken to heart."

Luna watched him from the corner of her eyes, careful not to breath too deeply, just like him. He heard her mental whispers, her inner thoughts swirling like a fountain, unsure of where to go or where to end. They both remained on guard for a moment, and then Snape stood upright again and continued.

He went on circling them, pleading his case before hardened ears and closed off hearts, "I will take any soldiers who still spout the phrase... what was it? 'I believe in Severus Snape'?" He glanced at Luna again, "They will follow me, and I will try to avert this disaster before it arrives. If you wish to come with me, you must resign yourselves to hell, and if you are fortunate, you will come back to this city whole."

He sat down, and waited for them to give their response.

Each one kept silence alive, out of fear or uncertainty, or both. Shining Armor did not seem pleased, and Snape imagined him resisting his intentions with futility. Celestia seemed equally upset, but she also knew that Chrysalis was coming out to war without holding back. She could not afford to make many mistakes. They were far down a road of partisanship, but she would sooner fly away than stick to the path that led to destruction.

"I will have my guards follow you," Luna said quietly, not meeting his still eyes.

"I will go," Twilight also confirmed.

"I must ask you something, Snape, though I think I know the answer: Is there anything you'd like to tell us, anything important to share?" Celestia inquired, resting with a knowing glance.

All eyes shifted closer to examine the human wizard as he looked back at the others. He settled back further into the chair and folded his arms at his chest.

"I have told you all you need to know."

Celestia closed her eyes and inhaled, shivering with the rush of cold air into her nostrils. She held herself in that ecstasy as long as its memory was strong, and then she opened her eyes. She stood up and walked over to him with renewed vigor. She was not smiling now, but looked judgementally at him.

"So you know as much as we do? You've shared your entire heart with us?"

Snape stood up to meet her, and their gazes locked intensely; of all times, Celestia seemed most recovered now. That was it, the meeting was a witch hunt now. He swallowed and leaned down into her ear, whispering so that only she could hear.

"Put your trust in me, or turn your dagger on me now. What's it going to be?"

Her eyes narrowed, and she knew that he was hiding something. Perhaps if she hadn't been in a coma, she could do something about him. She wished. For some odd reason, Snape didn't seem to have many lasting effects from his coma. She bit her lip as he stared at her expectantly, and she did nothing more. He walked out of the room with his usual demeanor, and never looked back.

Celestia didn't bother to say anything, but like Snape, she merely walked away in silence. The others remained seated, and shared unsure glances. The only sound was a deathly quiet that reverberated around them all until Blueblood spoke for the first time.

"How rude..."

A fierce gale was stirring in the Mount of Chaos. Snape apparated inside blindly, for the chaotic energy bouncing around inside was too vast to make a concrete plan of entrance. Rather than the previous world, a world at least bearing some semblance to Equestria, this time, the mountain was more akin to an apocalyptic nightmare. Lava flowed where grass once was, and flowers were replaced with bubbling blow holes of toxic waste. Even the weather was conflicted, with bitter-cold and icy winds flashing in and out of existence around fiery tornados and the explosive atmosphere.

He immediately brought his hand to his mouth and covered his face, stumbling about the large cake, which was now melting and rotting from the inside out, as if it were afflicted by a magical illness. His feet were already sinking in, which alarmed him slightly, but he was soon distracted by a booming voice in the foul air.

"Oh my goodness, it's been five-ever since my favorite pen pal popped in. Or are you more of a...shall we say, dealer?"

"I was unavailable, as I'm sure you know."

"Excuses will get you nowhere; I'm actually pretty miffed at you, sir, and I expect a big payoff before I let you take your leave!"

Snape, who was until that moment spinning around every few seconds to locate the Master of Chaos, was teleported off the melting cake with a bright flash of light. After a momentary stun, he realize that Discord had found him, and they were both standing on a large bubble, ready to pop and release the yellow-green concoction within at any moment. Below them was a volcano, and likewise, one hovered above them, upside down, available to destroy them at any second, though it seemed now that the lava inside was content to remain in defiance of gravity.

Snape also noticed that the same ponies from his initial visit, now paler, skinnier, and much closer to seeing that bastard Guide, were floating around in the volcanos both above and below them. They seemed to be extremely weak and barely conscious, but not so mutated as the other critters that ended up captives of the Chaos Lord. Discord paid them no mind.

"Like what I've done with the place?"

Snape stared back in a way that told the draconequus he was not impressed or pleased with the work that had his magic had funded. Discord shrugged it off and jumped off the bubble to float in the air, unaffected by the raging winds of ice.

"Now then, before we get to the matter of my payment, I think we ought to discuss this new pal of yours," He said angrily, grabbing a couple of notecards that he flashed into existence a second before and shoving his face right into them, "...Malum, is it?" He tossed the cards away, "I don't like it. At all."

"Necessary precautions, nothing more."

Discord raised one eyebrow and leaned in closer, and the bubble Snape stood on weakened. He stroked his beard a few times with his claws, then leaned back, content enough with the answer.

"I suppose you did have to dig yourself out of a hole there, huh?" He chuckled as Snape's eyes wandered to the volcano above them, watching the ponies carried by the drifting, red liquid, carrying them around in an iron grip. Discord followed his line of sight up and grinned.

"You're preparing to join this war, I see. I trust you won't jump in until I've finished my business, as per our arrangement?"

Discord feigned shock, "Of course! As I've said, we're both liars, so we can trust each other to the fullest extent, right? I know you a little too well to try anything of the sort!"

Snape looked at his partner with intrigue, "Do you? Know me so well?"

Discord laughed much harder after that inquiry, "I know every inch of your black heart! Let's take these ponies in here with me, and compare them to the ones all safe and snuggled up in the castle with you, shall we?

Those ponies at the capitol, they don't really know you, and they don't trust you. They know you're a liar, but that's it. But me? I trust you, because I know without a doubt that you're a double-crossing liar without remorse or sympathy! I know you better than your mother ever did. How do I know this? Those ponies I've been torturing since before you showed up on my doorstep; you could've freed them if you really wanted, but you let them suffer!

No matter what you used to be, in this world, you're a traitorous back-stabber who's only in it for himself...oh, but then that's not too far off from yester-life, right? It seems the Half-Blood Prince is no hero."

Another deep cackle sent Discord rolling in the air.

"It served my purpose to let them remain with you..."

"As I said, you operate with yourself first and foremost in your mind, which is why by the end of this little adventure, you'll either keep a Princess from death or die yourself in the attempt, and then you'll be gone, after which I can make my move and you won't turn your mind back here ever again. Tell me I'm wrong!"

Snape said nothing.

"Alright, we've smoothed things over for now, please be on your way once you've promptly delivered me the power you promised!"

Silently, Snape drew his wand and waved it in front of Discord, blasting him with golden power; the Master of Chaos grew taller and his voice deeper while he absorbed the power, and the entire mountain shook. The lava burned brighter, the winds chilled more fiercely, the toxic waste singed the air with a louder, more menacing sizzle. The bubble popped and Snape fell towards the volcano beneath him, looking down into the mush pot of ponies who were just now coming to realize what was happening.

They all looked at him as he plummeted downward, their hopes elevating for the smallest fraction of a second, and then crushed harder than ever before as Snape was teleported back out of the mountain by Discord's magic.

The equestrian forces were still in final preparations for war, and the moment of waiting was coming to a close. Though given a chance to rest, Snape found himself busier than he had ever been before, attending to all his needs, not to mention those of whom were dependent on him. In particular, it was stressed to him that one last meeting was necessary with Cadence before the invasion broke out.

The mental attacks were more detrimental to her health than any of the ponies could have anticipated or realized, and Snape took her down to his classroom to create a potion he believed would alleviate the long-lasting tensions and stressful offensives that frequently assaulted her. She stood staring at a poster on the wall, reading or pretending to read while Snape dropped various ingredients into the cooking brew.

"Would you describe the after effects as more of a burning, pounding, or spinning?" He asked while measuring blue liquid from a bottle.

"I guess it's mostly a burning," Cadence replied without looking at him. Tensions from the meeting must've boiled up after he left. She was more introverted than he recalled, but he also caught wind of a desire to be near him. Perhaps the mentality of being attacked by Chrysalis was a comforting bond. Snape was skilled enough to leave those pains behind, but Cadence was subject to them at all times. Another connection of their minds might change that, but that is exactly why they both knew it was a bad idea.

He added the blue measurement into the potion and pulled the pony potions book nearer to him, crossing out some of what was written and hastily scribbling in his own directions. He reached down to the cabinet below the counter and took four vials, adding each into the cauldron one after another in five second intervals. She was still looking into the poster.

"How frequent are these attacks now days?"

"I honestly can't say..." She replied, rubbing her hooves into her eyes.

"Then I need your best estimate."

"I'd say...once every five hours?"

He nodded and bent down again, reaching into the cabinet for something else. When he could not find what he was looking for, he reached up into the top cabinet and rummaged around until he found a very large, expensive looking pot. He opened the lid and a terrible smell wafted towards the Princess, causing her to move herself away and gaze uncertainly at the potion, which began to bubble up as he added the red liquid from the pot.

"Lastly," he asked, "how far along are you now? Three months?"

"Four," she corrected, and winced as he added a few more drops from the baster sitting in the pot.

He began cleaning up, and Cadence found the courage to look closer at the potion, which was slowly cooling off after he put out the flames. It smelled more atrocious than before, and looked like dirt tasted better. Her face turned lighter green the closer she got to it, so she decided to walk several paces away and look at another poster.

"I'm afraid all benefits in life also come with detriments," Snape told her upon noticing her struggle, "even in this life. Not the perfect world one might imagine after all..."

"How many doses do I have to take?"

"As many as possible."

"Wonderful..."

Snape finished cleaning, and approached her sternly, "Now I do have to tell you that this potion does come with an almost unbelievable plethora of side effects. You needn't concern yourself with most of them, but be extremely careful about exactly what you eat, and for that matter, I would begin eating less if I were you."

"There's nothing fatal...?"

"To you? No, but the child...is another story. I'll have a list written up for you."

He walked to his desk and began that task as Cadence took another quick peek at the cauldron. It was no more pleasant this time.

"My Queen," Malum reported as he strode into the throne room, "the final preparations are under way. I am ready to begin my siege at a moment's notice!"

"Excellent," Chrysalis replied, her eyes and horn glowing with intense magical force.

The long-lost changeling eyed his soon-to-be-dethroned Queen with suspicion as she finished up whatever mental task she was attending to. She seemingly paid him no more than minimal attention.

"When you are ready, allow me to lead your mightiest forces into the battlefield."

"You will be the first to see the pathetic pony towns burn, I promise you that and much more."

"Very good, great Queen."

Chrysalis allowed the green magic to disperse all around her throne, and the glimmering remnants of her magic fell like dust over Malum's head, in a sign of anointment. Her smile was as proud as ever.

After attending to Cadence's medicine, Snape found the time to complete his last bit of preparation work, and he retreated to his office and locked himself inside. Hours passed and candles fell shorter without interruption, until a loud knocking assaulted his door. He used his wand to fling it unlocked and open.

The youngest Princess and her posse of friends were at the door, each one bearing a smile. He invited them in silently and placed his wand in his hands as they obliged his invitation.

"What might you want me to do for you?" Snape asked, looking down at his wand and tampering with it as Rainbow shut the door.

"Can we speak with you for a moment?" Rarity enquired.

"By all means," He answered, still fidgeting with the magical tool in his hands.

"We know our friendship is...unique," Twilight announced, "and we're glad that you can accept it like that, but we'd like to take things a little farther, if you don't mind."

Snape looked up and directly at her for the first time since her arrival, and he noticed that she had been doing some key-work. Her smile was no less sincere or bright than the first time the idea of being friends popped into her head. The others looked equally hopeful. He, however, was not smiling.

He set the wand down on his desk, and looked at them all more closely, "Speak your minds."

They shared a somewhat nervous glance with one another, and Pinkie stepped forward; Her smile was not so deterred.

"Wellllllll, Snapey-" She began with a sly, almost suggestive look.

"Don't call me that..."

"We know that you know things we don't, and we know you'll want to spill the beans, because honestly, who doesn't spill beans now and again? It's like they stick to the pot like taffy or something, and-"

Snape held up a hand to shush her, and looked past Pinkie at the others, "Is this really another attempt at being a closer friend to me? My friends are not historically fortunate, and I've made myself clear on this matter, I will not bend who I am to accommodate you; as for your pathetic attempts at getting me to 'spill the beans', I assure you, my secrets are not for the faint of heart."

He looked right at Fluttershy as he finished, and the yellow pegasus shrunk a little in the background, but her friends were not deterred. Applejack walked closer, standing next to Pinkie.

"I don't know how you live with your friends, but around here, friends truly know each other and look out for one another, and I can't honestly say I know much about you, not that any of us do. Like Twi said, we're glad that you're comfortable with how close we all are, but we'd like a little more than what we've got."

"Right, It's not a bad thing to get to know somepony better than you already do," Rarity stepped up to add, so that the three of them crowded around his desk.

Snape stood up now, and looked down on them all, noticeably angrier, "You say so only because you've never known someone like me."

"But we'd like to know you more, that's why we're here," Twilight defended.

"My secrets are my own, and as we've already been through this, I suggest you turn away now. There is nothing good to come from knowing me any better, and I am far from interested."

"Maybe," Fluttershy suggested from the rear, "You only think so because you've never tried to open like this either?"

Snape glared rudely, but Rainbow and Applejack stepped in front of their friend with stern faces of their own; "We're here to help you, but we can't if you won't choose to!" Rainbow exclaimed.

"Friendship is about faith and trust...and...pixie dust? No, cupcakes..." Pinkie added from the side, more and more confused as she ended her thought.

"It goes beyond that," Rarity told him, "it's about honesty, kindness...love."

"Don't you dare speak to me about love!"

Snape grabbed his wand and pushed himself past them all, stepping between them with fervor. They let him pass, but Twilight stopped him at the door.

"That sounded pretty hypocritical!"

Snape paused and spun back around, eyes more wild than any of them had ever seen, eyes like black holes sucking out all the attitude and emotion in their souls, and ingesting it to produce a reaction far more combustible. Fluttershy most of all was stepping back, in contrast to Twilight being the only one to step forward.

"What do you know of love, Sparkle? What do any of you know about love? Love is-"

He put his hand over his face and half-turned his face away, almost ready to give in to their desires.

"Let it out..." Twilight encouraged.

"We want to be friends to heal this sort of pain..." Fluttershy squeaked out from her spot behind the desk.

Snape revealed his face again, unaffected by their words and numb to his own emotions; he leaned back slightly, and replied with a calm demeanor, "Trust me or don't. I will do what I must. I will do what I was sent into this world to accomplish, and I won't be looking back afterwards..."

He spun around again after muttering a bitter "good day" to them, but was stopped by Rainbow Dash this time.

"You act like some kind of hero, and I can't deny that you are cool and powerful and all that, but a real hero is somepony who knows what friendship means!"

"Somepony who opens their heart of darkness and invites in the light!" Rarity bolstered.

"Unlike you all, I am comfortable in darkness. I always have been, and I always will be. Do not come to pester me about deepening our friendship, because it is plenty deep for me. I am not like any of you, and with any fortune, I never will be. I will do what I must, but don't pretend or try to know me, because you do not know what I have done nor what I am willing to do. You do not know darkness, for there can only be so much in this world...Good day."

He apparated away and left them speechless.

"Should've had a cupcake ready..." Pinkie finally at last lamented with a facehoof.

Snape stood alone on the castle wall, the moon's glow touching his black garments, but not his pale face. His hands were still tampering with his wand, and he was rather fixated on his work. The few guards that passed by now and again left him alone, but some did smile upon getting far enough away from him.

'Silly ponies...no sense of privacy, no idea of what they prod at with giddy smiles. Never the wiser to the ways of the world...' He thought, fueling his work with resentment, despite his attempts to shake the matter from his head.

"It's awfully rude to think such things," Luna commented as she flew down and landed behind him.

He looked up and turned to her, narrowing his eyes at what she was suggesting with her words, which caused her to chuckle. It seemed almost all of these ponies had lightened up since he came back to the land of the living, irony in that fact be damned.

"You looked like you were thinking some mean things," She admitted.

"I do have a right to think what I will, do I not?"

"Yes," Luna admitted with a shrug.

"Do get on with what you came to say," Snape told her, now back to his wand.

"Honestly, I don't know exactly why I came...I guess just to apologize for the things I thought about you this past month. Not having you was bad enough, but without my sister..."

"Yes, I heard you all fell to pieces in some form or another."

"Well, I had my doubts. But you're back now, and I think I can once again say that I believe in you."

"That's encouraging," he said, just emotional enough to avoid her getting hit over the head with the sarcasm.

"Well, I am ready to stand by you in the battle that comes. I think that despite how we may at times act, we all are. I know what it is like to walk in darkness myself, but my sister did not shy away from me, nor others of the same path we have gone down."

Snape put the wand back in his sleeve, and turned to face her completely. Though sheepish, she seemed sincere enough. He wondered if he'd hesitate, if things came to that. He'd be harder pressed not to with her than with Celestia, at least. Luna didn't say anything else, but deferred to him.

"I will remember that."

She smiled, but it was broken as Snape jerked his head down and clutched it suddenly. She stepped forward and reached out, but he spun around once again, and turned into the stream of black shadows that was his form of flight, traveling quickly down the mountain. She was left alone and with wide eyes.

"Snape..."

13: War and Death

Author's Notes:

Welcome back to my story, the almost-great crossover that is semi-well received by you all, for which I am eternally grateful! I admit, the process has gone by slower than I'd expected, but I just graduated and had the fallout of parties, family time, etc, etc. And on top of that, I'm trying to secure a job, so there've been a lot of hassles lately. But we're almost done!

At first the flashback was going to be something else entirely, but I decided to go with it to better prepare for the upcoming chapters. I hope, like the Lucius Malfoy flashbacks some chapters ago, you were not bored by it. I felt the need to explore Snape in his own world quite a bit, and so I killed two birds with one stone. Sadly, however I had to rewrite the flashback a couple times, so if it isn't to your pleasing...well, it wasn't a basket of puppies for me either.

This chapter is a bit....graphic...so the weak of heart have been warned.

Keep being amazing guys and gals, that can't be too hard. ;}

The wind rushed through his incomplete form as he left the capitol city behind, hurrying off in light of the message he received. Short, blunt, and unmistakable, it was a deadly declaration. The vengeful voice of his "master". Malum's only warning, "It begins."

The frightened cries of ponies in the distance were unmistakable. The hiss of changeling invaders was perhaps the only thing he could better perceive. Swarms as dense as overflowing parasprites rained down upon the pony establishments in Twilight's town. Snape landed and reformed his physical body in the midst of a stampede, as the retreating citizens leaped and bound over rubble, wreckage, and each other to escape their dying town.

A blazing fire had been lit on some of the homes and businesses, and it seemed that the flames were obeying the commands of an evil force. They engulfed the nearby market stands, and formed a monstrous shape that recalled a changeling drone as it roared through the streets. Snape acted quickly to conjure a rushing stream of water, spraying the fire and tempering, but not extinguishing, it. The fire lost its changeling-like shape, and seemed to waver.

For the most part, the drones ignored the human, but Snape could tell they all recognized him. He started his own fire, a small but eager blaze, that quickly began to combat the enemy flame, sparring equally enough with it to create a deadlock. The fires would put each other out soon enough, but the fire was the first of many problems Snape was about to encounter.

The buzzing of the swarm became more distant as the enemy numbers spread out to surround the town like a dome; they remained vigilant and attacked the few soldiers who were opposing them. The citizens received the same attention, and it was clear that many had already died. Their eyes were filled with malice, but also obedience. The source of their commands was the key to stopping their invasion, but neither Malum nor Chrysalis was near, so far as he could tell. There must be a drone of lesser authority nearby then, and when he found it-

His thoughts when black. His vision blurred and his hearing was cut off. Something fast moving, ferocious and enraged, and fearless attacked him, wrenching his arm in its jaws like a dog with a bone; he was swept off his feet, his wand flew away into the anarchy, and his upper arm was almost yanked from his shoulder. Blood spilled out hastily and he landed in a roll, bouncing across the ground for several yards.

Luckily, his arm was already numb, and he only felt the pain of the crash. Gnashing jaws rang out in clanging distortion as his ears tried to compensate for whatever poison had diluted his senses. He almost made it to his feet when the attacker raced at him again, and threw him a few feet in the opposite direction, a little closer to his wand. It was getting really hard to breath.

He dragged himself a little farther away from the oncoming buzzing, but he was lifted into the air and stabbed the back by pincer-like claws. His back, unlike his arm, was lit ablaze with pain, as though liquid nitrogen was flowing in his veins and his skin was being bathed in mercury. Before he knew it, Snape had been thrown back to the ground and landed awkwardly on his side. Bleeding from several different areas, unable to work most of his muscles, and without a wand, he settled on pretending to be dead. If the attacker was smart enough to see through it, Snape would die again, and much more painfully this time.

His eyes were shut, his lungs were so distressed that he didn't have to force himself not to breath, and he stopped thinking almost completely. He even felt his heart skip beats. To the eye and mind's eye of the enemy, he was dead. He wasn't so sure he had to pretend about it though. It was as though something beyond Equestrian reality, or even his own, was taking his very essence away. A dead man needn't play possum.

Darkness abounded.

Hogwarts had gotten so very vile over the past few months. Students were slaves, teachers were tools, and darkness was king. The literal and metaphorical lack of light had consumed the once proud school, and there was no sliver of past happiness left anymore. The ghosts themselves were paranoid of what could be around every corner. The old whomping willow tree, the castle walls, and the stone knights which adorned them all shown with a cursed affliction. Only the shadows seemed at home.

It was a cold, uneasy night when Snape sat in the Headmaster's office, alone, waiting for the moment that could prove most valuable. The Carrows had been sent off with simple instructions, away into Hogsmead to fetch Snape's package, which was entirely insignificant. Now alone, Snape placed the stack of papers on the desk and moved to the balcony.

He watched the clouds for a time, expecting the black vortex to arrive at any second, but when it did not, he afforded himself a look downwards. He did not have the time or opportunity, that night, to see his friend go. Long after Dumbledore was laid to rest, Snape returned, not as a teacher, not as a guide, not as any sort of leader, but a shadow. He returned to Hogwarts as a villain beyond measure. No one dared be near him unless they were under Voldemort's shadow, and no one who used to know him would play Devil's Advocate. Who could trust a devil like him anymore?

He peered out into the forrest in the distance, wondering if he could spot Hagrid and the trouble-making students wandering within its bowels. It was all he could do anymore, punish the rebels with as much prejudice as would be expected, and cast them off. He was never one for having many friends around, but to hope for anyone like a friend in Hogwarts now was beyond stupid. Dumbledore's portrait glanced at him knowingly, but confidently. But the stillness in his face, the uncompromising flatness to him, though unavoidable, made the comfort more transparent. Even a magical painting was still a painting, and unless they were having a real conversation, the old man's smile did nothing to boost Snape's spirits.

Snape turned and found himself whispering to the portrait so that it would not hear; his tone was weaker and more unprotected than he would dare let another teacher, far less a student, ever hear him use, "Would you kill a friend? Would you have done the same for me? Have your forsaken me here? I did what you wanted, and the war goes on...without end in sight. How can we go on? How can I? Have you forsaken me? Have you, Albus? Would you do the same for me? Would I do it for you again...?"

Dumbledore's smile never wavered, his eyes never changed the care they held, nor did his expression seem to be affected by Snape's doubt. Somehow, Snape felt he knew, but even in death, Albus did not show weakness, not that a painting ever did at such times of quiet. If there was any sort of comfort in his life now, it was the faint, kindred spark of life that Dumbledore left behind. But even that was scant enough to keep him content. His drive was not wavering, but his soul was.

Snape moved back over to the very edge of the balcony; peering down he found a stone, smooth and rounded, perfect for skipping across a lake, and possessing some value, however small. When it had been left here or what purpose it could have served, Snape did not know. But still, he picked it up, and felt it in his fingers. It held no magical properties, it was nothing that should be desired, and yet, the fact that it was here, the mystery behind it's existence, made it noteworthy. Deduction would not reveal its origins, nor its purpose; the meaning of the rock, however, was something that anyone could interpret. What did a rock mean?

Did it belong to Dumbledore? Was it thrown up at some point? Would he throw it back down? It was nigh unexplainable, but this stone made Snape uneasy. It had no voice, but the rock's condemnation was clear. There was no sight from within the stone's center, but it glared at him as he examined it. No matter what he told himself, the rock said different.

He stretched his hand out over the balcony, holding the stone tightly for a moment, then opening his hand and feeling the faint winds confront the stone.

"Murderer..." It said.

Snape moved his head back and titled his palm over to let it go, and he watched it fall. With perfect grace it tumbled down, falling into the black shadows of the castle, towards the hidden ground. By the time it landed, it had blended completely within the darkness, become a part of it, but Snape heard the echo clearly.

Albus Dumbledore was dead, Snape had murdered an innocent for the second time in his life, and there was no going backwards. Changing the past was futile. The wind picked up, the crows in the distance cawed, signaling one another in their tongue. The darkness got darker.

"Snape!"

The voice was unmistakable; unrepentant and rude, and above all wicked, Bellatrix Lestrange stood, leaning against the wall in a seductive but repulsive fashion, peering at him with the eyes of a snake, black and hateful. Her wand, crooked and foul, was in her hand, aimed carelessly at his feet.

"Bellatrix," He acknowledged with prejudice.

"I'll have you know I've been busy, carrying on the Dark Lord's orders in the stead of those whom he...has cast aside," She said as she looked around the old office, inspecting the shelves and walls and ornaments in their places.

"I'm sure being his errand girl is hard work, but I have asked you here for a reason."

"Out with it then."

"So eager to return to your sister's house and pace through the halls? Alright then," He mocked, "I have something for you. Something that would be best kept out of the sight of students and...unfriendly individuals."

Already annoyed with Snape's attitude, Bellatrix strode forward and stared him down, "What game are you playing Snape? What angle are you working now?"

Snape stepped away and found the glass case that held the Sword of Gryffindor, gently removing the lid as his colleague watched apprehensively. He slowly moved the case over to the desk and paced back to the stand where the glimmering sword lay, as though displaced in time somehow. He took it in his arms and held it between them.

"This sword, as you well know, or at least ought to know, is a symbol; it stands for...courage, and pride. It is like a beacon for the enemy, a monument to all that the Dark Lord holds in contempt. One could say it is the juxtaposing image of our Dark Mark. For such reasons, it has already inspired students at this school, particularly those of its own house, to...rally against my authority."

"And what does this concern me for?" Bellatrix asked, folding her arms.

"It must be removed from Hogwarts, and I request that you take it someone it will cause no trouble."

"Why should I help you? I hate you Snape, as you well know, and as you well hate me. From the sound of it," A smile erupted on her face, "it might just be a good idea to let it be your headache."

"Anyone who stands against me also opposes the Dark Lord, Bellatrix, and as you say, you do serve him so faithfully."

"Fine," She sighed and took the sword from his arms, nearly cutting open his hand, to which he frowned at her.

Displeased at realizing that she was not leaving just yet, Snape paused and waited for Bellatrix to taunt him however she was going to as she looked around the room again, and this time, the office did seem to be rather old and poor.

"Can't say I ever liked this dungheap of a school, and I've always hated Dumbledore...but I might just hate you more, Headmaster; here's hoping you go out in a similar way."

"I would advice against threatening me, I'm a better wizard and a bigger asset to our Master than you ever were or will be."

"Threaten? No, Snape, I don't bother with petty threats at all, I just...take what I want, and leave all the rest for dead."

"As much of a fool as the old man was," Snape reminded, "he did hold great power, and if for no other reason, it was his power that made me admire him, slightly, and I was sure not to squander my time spying on him without learning his tricks. I've learned spells from the two most powerful wizards of our era, not to mention I've crafted several of my own. I'd advise you to learn your place among our ranks."

Bellatrix cackled and held the sword out, pointing at Snape with it. She almost stumbled and fell over, but she never took her eyes off of Snape's glowering face. The crows outside cawed again, and the wind rushed in a short burst. Soon she howled on into a giggle, and finished her amusement with a smile.

"You have the sword, and now have no reason at all to stay here in my office; do take your leave now," Snape told her coldly.

"Watch your back, Snape, the Dark Lord admires ambition as well, and you don't have much of it...like I do."

"And here I thought I asked you to leave, not for my Death Eater's report card."

"I'm going, with pleasure," Bellatrix told him as she strutted over to the balcony and apparated away. As cold as Hogwarts had been, with her passing it got faintly warmer.

Snape sighed inwardly and rejoiced at having less problem in his hair, he then paused for a moment and observed the atmosphere, became one with the castle; when he had determined that there was no danger in consulting his friend, he came to the portrait of Dumbledore and the old man inside seemed to startle to life after a long, paralyzed sleep.

"She took the fake sword," Snape reported, "the real one is safe behind you."

"Good work, Severus. You must keep aware though, secrets at Hogwarts tend to be discovered, even the Headmaster's secrets. In these dark times, a secret revealed can change life into death."

A humming in the distance meant that Snape's spell had been tipped off, and that he was to expect company very shortly.

"The Carrows will be back here any second, what do I with the real sword?"

"It will be necessary very shortly, but you ought not reveal yourself to those which will take it."

"Very well," Snape replied and turned his face to the door.

"Doing the things you do for me, that is what true friendship is, and I thank you immensely," Dumbledore told his successor warmly, and thereafter returned to his sleep-like state.

Snape nodded curtly and moved away from the picture as the siblings opened the door with a package in their hands. They greeted him and sat down with crude smiles on their faces. Snape pretended to be interested in whatever dark gluttony had caused them such joy as they explained their errand's events to him.

Snape's eyes fluttered opened and his face contorted with extreme pain. For the first few seconds he sensed himself in a more out-of-body way, as though he was watching himself suffer while being pulled away. Nothing else stood out him, despite the town having nearly been decimated and trodden over by the enemy. He even felt the connection with his own body evaporate.

He was pulled back to the battlefield, in part, by the anger resonating off the changeling who had lifted him off the ground, ready to slide it's jaws into his heart and rip it out as a trophy. It was the gloating type, too, and it mocked him as he struggled weakly to be free.

You are the Half Blood Prince. Lord Malum has informed me of you. I thought you would be strong, but you fall like a tree without roots, barely able to stand against me. Changelings are the past, present, and future of this world; pitiful creatures as yourself will be forgotten by our kind!

It's jaws snapped forward in a flash. He had barely been able to look his killer face to face, and in closing his eyes, Snape accepted his defeat. He fell to the ground and lay like a skeleton, displaced from time to suffer forever. With his pained breath, Snape muttered his last word, "Sorry..."

The changeling roared as blood fell from its mouth in blotches and pools. It flailed its upper limbs into the air and clawed the air like it was a ferocious beast. It stomped its feet up and down beside Snape and writhed in what it had done. The reaction lasted several seconds, and then, something most unexpected happened.

Its throat was crushed, its limbs broken all over, and its organs were lit ablaze from the inside. Rather than crumpling to the ground dead like Snape, it seemed to levitate up and was blown into pieces, taken from the world without mercy or grace. Malum strode out from behind and saw Snape's corpse.

"You have earned this much," he whispered in rage.

Lighting his crooked horn, Malum telekinetically grasped the subordinate's pieces and ground them into pure energy. The organic material was crushed and stacked together to form the purple-green dark power, and sparked with the catalyst of Malum's own sorcery, it lit up into a usable source of magic.

He collected the dark magic and, though tempted to add to his own power, he knew there was time enough for that later. He turned to Snape's cold body, and combined the power above his head with the corpse. Malum knew the risks of this arcane art, but he dared to go ahead with it anyways. He soon found himself frowning, however. Snape's wounds were healing, the cuts closing and reforming skin, the organs repairing themselves on a near molecular level, but the spark of life was absent. Snape was not yet resurrected.

The connection Malum had forged was not to be taken lightly. The biggest and most obvious risk to him was the chance of slipping into death with Snape. Souls were not easily recaptured from the Reaper. If jostled properly, however, the body could reforge the link with its soul, and thus, recreate the bond of life between the two.

Of course, this had only been done twice in known changeling history. Hardly a handful of his ancestors had been powerful enough to do this, and the costs were usually considered too grave to allow. Even the name of this spell was reason enough to die in some eras of his species' history. He felt the mutual pull of death already, but his will was supreme. He would find victory, and his servant would be at his side to witness and attest to his glory. He owned the Half Blood Prince, and nothing was going to take him away.

He sent the sacred reviving spell into the body, and it twitched, and for a fraction of a second, Snape was alive, but it did not last. He tried again, and once more after that, but did not find Snape's soul reunited with the body below him. Malum began to growl, as he repeated the process.

Then, out of nowhere, he felt his power slip away from him, and he nearly fell over. The magic was pulled right from his horn and his eyes, and entered into Snape, where it was sucked away by death and all things related. Though weakening, Malum refused to break the spell, knowing that he would not get another chance. His will had to prevail, or he would perish for naught.

He bent right over Snape's face and roared, and he managed to pull back some of his stolen power; he fed off his inspiring performance, and sent the spell upon Snape several more times in quick succession, and at last, he felt the spark return, but it was in danger of fading away. The game of tug of war was more serious than ever.

Despite his efforts, Malum could not change the state of Snape's condition, and he was forced to break the connection and let the chips fall where they may when something most unexpected occurred.

"HEY!" A pink pony shouted after somehow sneaking up beside him, "DON'T TOUCH SNAPEY!"

BOOM!

A canon of odd but powerful force fired and struck Malum in the face. Due to his weakened condition, the damage was embarrassingly effective, and he stumbled away from his servant's body, temporarily blinded. Before he regained his bearings, a lasso was slung around his neck and he was yanked onto his back.

"Got 'im!" Applejack called out.

"Please just promise me that you'll be careful!" Fluttershy warned to the onslaught of furious critters rushing towards the changeling. Malum had been foolish enough to attack and destroy their lands, and now, they would have their say in the matter.

A bear of rather large size seized Malum by the throat as soon as the changeling had gotten to his feet, and the two goats rammed into his sides with their horns. The small swarm of birds began to peck at his weak spots, his eyes and ears and the spots on his hardened skin that were weakest.

He absorbed the punishment for a few seconds, but found the strength within himself to create a shockwave, which repelled the critters and created an opening. He bit into the lasso still around his neck and tore it, preventing Applejack from pulling him down again. He launched himself into the air, but hardly got seven feet above the ground before a blue pegasus rocketed at him and threw him back down again.

"I don't know if he'll be alright!" Rarity called with distress from where Snape lay.

"It won't matter if we don't take this varmint down!" Applejack called back as she ran at the once again dazed changeling.

A beaver scurried along in front of Malum and slapped him around with its tail, right into Applejack's kick. The farmer pony smiled at her victory, but her face turned worried when Malum grabbed the beaver with his magic, and flung it into Applejack, taking them both down.

"Enough of this foolishness!" Malum screamed and flew up into the air, careful to avoid Rainbow Dash, and began firing magic blasts at the ponies who challenged him. Were he at full power, it would've been a much easier conquest.

Malum blasted the bear protecting Fluttershy and knocked the yellow pegasus out as well, but met his match with Pinkie Pie, who somehow eluded his blasts and clung onto his back. Every time he turned his head, she was on the other shoulder, and despite the efforts he put forth to shake her off or smash her into the ground, she was not deterred.

"Big mistake!" Pinkie told him, clobbering him in the face with a pie and jumping off with a laugh. Rarity had finished telekinetically tying the cord to Malum's leg by the time he had removed the pie, and Rainbow dragged him across the landscape as she darted from place to place.

He found that fighting the pegasus in flight power and speed was a hopeless battle, and had been knocked around several times before he managed to free himself from the cord. He got off a well placed blast at hit Rainbow as she attempted to come after him again, but his victory was short lived as the animals came back for the second round.

Malum blasted the charging goats away, and managed to glide away from the bear, but he was unprepared for lunging Timberwolves that Rarity, Applejack, and Fluttershy had led to the battle. They buried him under themselves and bit away at his limbs as he struggled. Hard pressed, Malum resorted to a more powerful spell, despite knowing it would further drain him and prolong the battle.

"Did we get him?" Rarity asked just before the Timberwolves burst into fire and retreated back towards the Everfree Forest.

"Nope," Applejack replied in a deadpan voice.

Malum immediately erected a shield around himself, causing Rainbow to bounce right away as she aimed to take down one of his legs.

"What now?" She asked the others when she had finally stopped rolling.

"I can't break the spell," Rarity informed the others desperately as all her magical attempts were stumped.

"We've got to get to him before he has a chance to power up some huge spell!" Applejack warned.

"I've got this," Pinkie told the others nonchalantly, trotting over to Malum calmly, "Hey, Mr. Meanie-face! You stay away from our friends!"

Malum chuckled at the meager threat, but his eyes went wide when he heard a beeping coming from his back. He found a cupcake stuck on his neck, he barely had time to process what was going on when it ruptured into a surprisingly powerful explosion. He went flying and broke right through his shield, and landed painfully in front of the ponies.

"You just got...ponyed!" Pinkie quipped as Malum rose, blasting him in the face with her party canon again. He flew up to the dark clouds above the town, and just as he began to fall again, Pinkie was there with him, and fired again, shooting him through the clouds and, with luck, far away.

When she landed, Pinkie found her friends coming to cheer her on. They hoisted her above their heads and she smiled back enthusiastically.

"Was it good? How was the pun!?"

"Well....the pun sucked. But you were awesome!" Rainbow replied.

"Aww," Pinkie commented, dejected, "I thought it was a great pun."

"Forget the pun, we did it! We won!" Rarity cheered.

The cheers and joyous emotions faded quickly, however, when Malum plummeted down again and fell right through the ground, into the bedrock. The ponies went silent and slowly crept closer to the hole to investigate. Upon looking down inside, Applejack gasped and they all took several steps back. Malum crawled out slowly, hurt, but more so in his pride than his body.

"Pathetic....ponies. You cannot defeat...me."

Malum grabbed them all with a sudden and fierce magical grip, and they were herded together in front of him, along with the animals that had aided them in their assault. He chuckled again as they tried to escape, but even Rarity, the only other magic user, was helpless to free herself from his rage.

He eyed them over and pondered how to exterminate them now that he had regained his power and was once again their clear and undoubted superior. His breathing and pulse began to calm as he pictured simply obliterating them as he had his disobedient lieutenant, or of beheading them one by one in front of each other; maybe he would have his hordes feast on them alive. There were so many rich possibilities, but he knew the one he wanted as his eyes flickered with light.

"Ah....Half Blood Prince. You have risen at last."

Snape got to his feet and breathed in what had occurred since he was....put down...by the other changeling. Malum seemed to be pleased to see him, but he had Twilight's friends captive. They were shocked to see him awake, but even more shocked that he was familiar with the changeling opponent of theirs.

"Snape...help!" Applejack whispered as she was being choked by Malum's grip.

"Silence!" Malum demanded, "Do me the honors. Kill them."

All the eyes there were directed at him, some expectant, some angry, some stunned. He watched the scene back as it waited for him to move it along, and found his wand laying in the dirt. He summoned it to his hand with non-verbal magic and pointed it at the ponies. They were demoralized beyond expression, and watched his numb face as he held his wand ready to strike them down.

"Whenever you please, Half Blood Prince."

Snape glowered and walked forward, staring deep into their eyes. He didn't risk talking to them, verbally or with telepathically, but he nodded as he paced on.

"Don't!" Rarity squeaked.

"No!" Rainbow urged.

Snape flung his wand swiftly, but shifted the trajectory of the blast just before he let the spell fly, and the cruciatus curse struck Malum right between his stunned eyes. His spell was broken instantly and the ponies fled from his presence, scurrying behind Snape. Malum fell to the ground and rolled in agony and suffering as he howled out the title of his betrayer.

"Half Blood Prince! Traitor!! SNAPE!!!"

His body was quaking with the pain, and his horn was throbbing as magic leaped off it like it the world itself was a conductor. Snape summoned up a protecting spell to save himself and the ponies and critters as raw magic blasts plastered the area and demolished what his forces had left behind.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Malum's head burst and his corpse fell to the ground in silence.

"Snape....how.....why!?" Rainbow questioned as the dead changeling's body twitched with the remnants of his spell.

"That was.......oh my," Fluttershy whimpered, almost fainting.

"I did not do that," Snape told them as he thought over the situation.

Silence ruled the day again as the last of the changeling hordes around the plane of ruin once called Ponyville left, flying into the horizon, towards Canterlot at the top of the nearby mountain. The ponies were still trying to figure out what had occurred, and all that had befallen their home. They knew nothing about the truth of the attack and had only the instinct of survival to feed on as they went about defending the town.

Snape, however, realized he was correct in his assumption. The most crucial of moments was occurring now, at the capital, and he was not there. He turned to the ponies as they began to thank him.

"Listen to me! All of you! Make your way to Canterlot as quickly as possible! The faster you arrive the better!"

"What about you?" Rarity asked as Snape turned and, with some pain due to his recent trip from nonexistence, he flew off after the swarm towards Canterlot. This was going to be a short war, regardless of who won. He had already laid out his plans, and if he was astute enough in his research and his tact, then he would have ensured the pony's victory against the changelings and more, not to mention his mission's success. Despite this, however, a very bad feeling set over him as he flew faster to where the Princesses were defending their home against the might of Chrysalis' armies.

14: Just Death (Hold the War)

"How could this happen?" Cadence asked Celestia as the troops struggled to defend the city from the changelings, all the while more drones swarmed in from the air.

"We weren't prepared for an onslaught like this," Celestia replied grimly as they watched the city burn beneath the castle balcony.

Despite their efforts to create a shield, it was no longer an effective tactic against their foes, and every time one was forged it was perhaps a minute before it was torn down again. Chrysalis had yet to be spotted, but Shining Armor and Luna had not made contact since the outbreak of the battle half an hour ago. There was no word on Snape's whereabouts.

The Equestrian Guard was outnumbered and outgunned, and despite the city's defenses, the changelings were all too familiar with the military's devices and strategies. At this point, the plan was to stall and await reinforcements from other realms of Equestria; it was a difficult choice, but in order to outlast the changelings, the Princesses had to make the call to play defense. They would hold out for as long as they could.

The citizens had begun evacuating the city through the Canterlot Caves, led by Twilight through the perilous tunnels through the darkness and out of the other side of the mountain. By now, the city was comprised of invaders and defenders alone. Luna was operating out of the city square, hindering Changeling advancements on all sides, but at the cost of suffering heavy fire. The soldiers fighting with her were the ones falling the fastest. Shining Armor was taking an elite squad through the alleys and cutting off changeling reinforcement lines on the ground, while his aunt Celestia concentrated the airborne troops, and the Wonderbolts, who had volunteered for the duty, against the changeling fliers.

Cadence, though unable to fight on the front lines, had managed to keep the morale of the Royal Guard up, and was focused on inspiring her own soldiers while demoralizing the enemy, the latter job having been far less successfully executed. The strain of the mental spell on her, however, was pushing her into exhaustion, and she had nearly fainted twice already. Celestia had to do her most not to show too much concern over Cadence's condition.

"Snape..." Cadence whispered as she panted.

"Cadence! Take a minute to rest!"

"He's coming!"

"Who?"

"Snape! He's on his way!"

"Well, that almost makes up for leaving us, doesn't it?" She replied, unconvinced, "You need to pace yourself, niece, don't overdo things. None of us can afford that, please take a minute to rest."

"I'll be okay," Cadence said as she sat back and looked out into the savagery below.

Not long after entering the proximity of the mountain, Snape felt the spell affecting the airwaves, disorientating fliers, though someone, likely a Princess, was using a counter spell, the execution was not on par with the changelings'. Due to this as well as the lasting effects of his recent ordeal, he decided to trek into the city on foot; it would likely be quicker if he apparated through the streets.

It did not take long for the enemy to respond, and with the might of the changeling armies concentrated almost entirely on the city and surrounding area, the challenge was no less brutal than it had been in Ponyville. Thankfully, the normal drones were nothing special, not like Malum and his personal guards at all. He was able to dispatch the fodder with a simple spell, but the sheer amount of them was making it hard to keep up, and he was moving quickly through the streets, looking for opportunities to fight them with as he ran and attacked.

As usual, ice worked well to slow them down and incapacitate them, but he soon found himself in need of new tricks, and soon found they began to read his patterns. Just as he rounded the corner two changelings swooped down from the air above and knocked him back in front of his many other pursuers. Their blasts came flying at him just after he activated a protection charm. A warrior of Malum's might could bash right through, but their attacks did little to weaken his charm and they found themselves puzzled and perplexed on how to actually hit Snape.

As usual, their answer was simply to throw more drones at him, but a quick anti-gravity spell turned them all on their heads and he froze the entire street to bind them in place. The roads leading towards the town plaza were too far entrenched with drones, but he was able to break open a barber shop door with a fast spell, and was soon cutting through the buildings and alleys to escape their wrath. He still met resistance and had to move quickly from battle to battle or risk another swarming, but he didn't have much of a problem, thanks to apparation.

However, he found himself in a conundrum when he spotted Shining Armor and his men being mauled by a changeling group. On the one hand, he knew that it was a Princess, not a Prince, that would be killed to throw Equestria into anarchy. To waste too much time here was a surefire way to let that Princess die, but without a leading figure in the streets, the morale of the ponies would drop faster than a first year beside a dementor, and that would do the Princess no good either.

Snape watched as the soldier's were clawed, bitten, entranced by different spells, and trampled by the eager changeling swarm all around them. He tightened his grip on his wand. It was the time for the ultimate decision. Was he going to let Shining Armor die in the chance that his wife or one of the other Princesses might not? It was more logical to attend to the matter of the assassination by himself and be done with the cursed mission to the pony's land, but the practical choice might not always be the right one.

As he brought up is wand, he acknowledged that convenience did not stop someone from saving him once upon a time long gone.

"It's been an honor!" Shining Armor cried out to his men as the changeling above him prepared to bite right into his heart.

But as the enemy drone threw down his head, it toppled right off and rolled to the ground with an attention grabbing thud, prompting all who still lived to see Snape emerge from the building across the way with his wand in hand, aiming at the changelings on top of the soldiers. Shining Armor was among the most shocked, but he did not waste the given opportunity, and used a quick spell to activate a repelling shield, throwing the changelings off of himself and his men. They couldn't put up a shield around the city as they did at the wedding, but miniature attempts were a guaranteed protection.

Bleeding and panting for air, Shining Armor and those among his soldiers that still drew breath huddled together as half of the swarm attacked their dome and the other half attacked their savior. Snape opted for an incinerating spell this time, and though several escaped it, he managed to take away several more. He rolled to his side in order to avoid the swooping attack from the air, but he was still knocked on his chest by the blast that came from behind.

He rolled over and decapitated his latest attacker, and managed to get back on his feet before several more blasts came at him. He parried the first two away, and redirected the third to strike down one of the opponents wailing away at Shining Armor's shield. A wave of invaders flew at him, but Snape apparated behind their charge and blew most of them into a nearby building, crushing them into its structure and nearly collapsing it. As it threatened to topple over, Snape sent out an arc of lightning from his wand that jumped from drone to drone upon his command, stunning them all long enough for Snape to take them out of the battle.

He could hear their telepathic cries to one another.

'He's too strong!'

'Why has Lord Malum not dispatched him?'

'Will he let us alone if he flee now!?'

Snape looked over to the soldiers, some barely clinging to life under the shield dome, and commanded Shining Armor to strengthen it as much as possible as Snape took command of a blazing fire across the street, directing it to engulf the changelings still bent on killing Shining Armor and his subordinates. Most of them were fried into defeat, if not death.

Snape quelled the flames before the shield gave out, and directed the wounded soldiers to run into the nearest ally, but most of them could do more than limp to that sanctuary, prompting Snape to defend them as another swarm and a half came his way. There were definitely too many to stop. Ice only did so much before it shattered, fire could only burn so many before it was snuffed out, each spell was the bargaining chip for only a moment more of safety. Shining Armor himself was almost through the door, but several other soldiers were still en route. It was now or never, and Shining Armor would be vengeful if not enraged.

Snape apparated to the wounded Captain of the Guard and threw him into the building before sealing the doorway from the attackers, saving the troops inside, but forsaking those who had not yet made it inside to absolute and certain death. Shining Armor looked as though he could hardly perceive what had happened.

Snape used two other spells to keep the room sealed, but it seemed the changelings were content for the moment to simply devour the forsaken men. The Princes, Half-Blood and of the Crystal Empire, stared each other down as the other soldiers attempted to stop their bleeding wounds and bind what damage they could.

"You're a real piece of work, you know that? Their deaths are on your shoulders as much as they are mine!"

"I know!" Snape scolded, "But if I chose not to act as I did, we'd all be dead. I assume a soldier would understand the sacrifices of duty."

"I do understand sacrifices! But I would never let my men perish while I was hidden and safe...."

"I am not you, and I have my own worries to attend to," Snape dismissed as he began to walk away.

"Where are you going?"

"To end the war, stay here if you can't keep up with the battle; you're less good to your soldiers dead than wounded."

"Don't just walk away! I can't stand that attitude of yours! Snape! Don't count me out because I'm wounded, you can't do whatever you plan to do alone!"

"I excel at performing alone, and it's clear that if I have trouble with these armies, you surely cannot withstand them," Snape countered, still walking towards the front door.

"You're trying to help.....I know you are," Shining Armor admitted with his head bowed, "But by Celestia! It's my land too. I can do my part to defend it. Tell me what you're doing and let me go with you."

"You've done your part. I will handle the rest."

"What, you still don't trust me? Is that it?" The guard captain asked, finally making Snape turn to face him.

"I trust myself more than anyone, as it should be. I am capable of ending this conflict, I know exactly how to proceed. You'd only hold me back."

"You can heal these wounds, can't you? Aren't you a great wizard!? No sense in leaving things to chance, I can help you end it, just tell me how and let me back you up."

Snape almost smiled at the irony, "To think you'd be willing to support me....your gesture has been noted, but I do not require your assistance."

Shining Armor could only sigh as Snape apparated out the building, leaving the soldiers to lick their wounds and pray that they would not be discovered. He bit his tongue as he glanced through the window on the far side of the room, observing the drones as they crawled through the streets and buzzed through the air. Canterlot was in the gravest of dangers.

"Luna is not doing well," Celestia told her niece as they watched opposite sides of the city, "I can't say how much longer before she's pushed out of the plaza. Our numbers are falling too fast. I'm still weakened, and you can't fight. They struck at our darkest hour."

"We can't give up hope," Cadence said amid heaving breathing, "Shining Armor is....reaching out.....I can tell that he's alive....he's doing his part too."

"Even he cannot sway the tide of battle. Worse still, I haven't heard from Twilight in some time. We haven't got the strength to hold out much longer. I fear this is the last day of Equestria's sovereignty."

"We can't...give in..." Cadence repeated, weaker still.

In her heart, Celestia thought that she may have already done so, and did not notice Cadence moving over to throw up.

Luna shut her eyes for a split second, a moment frozen in time to remember the member of her personal guard who had just taken a blast aimed right for her head. A second to recall in later years of the sacrifice of this guardsman, among many others he and his kin had made for her. She returned the favor thereafter with a spell that blew a hole in the changeling wave surrounding the airspace over the plaza.

"Princess!" Another guard called from nearby, "The enemy commander! It's Queen Chrysalis!"

That same warrior was also shot down, but his message caught Luna's attention. She indeed spotted the Changeling Queen, eyes filled with chaotic rage and the fiercest of malice, eyes that struck a familiar, and particularly dark cord within Luna. If she could defeat their Queen, the changelings would flee in panic. Doing so, however, especially in this battlefield, was as good as a suicide mission.

"Face me, Chrysalis, and let us see who is the stronger warrior!"

The Queen scoffed and bellowed out a toxic laugh. Luna flew up higher to meet her hovering form, despite the dangers flying through the air with them. Once again she challenged Chrysalis, but the Queen laughed on, undaunted, even unaware of Luna's presence. Then the Lunar Princess realized what she had fallen into as a spell struck her from behind as she fell. The image of Chrysalis faded away, a mere illusion, and the real Queen stepped out of the sea of drones attacking the plaza.

"You shall fall as well," Chrysalid taunted, licking her lips at the enticing thought of killing Luna, "just as all those before you have. Even the most spirited among you have felt my scorn and whittled away under my wrath!"

They fired blasts of magic at each other in the same moment, and the collision of their magic created an eruption that sent many Equestrian soldiers flying back, as it did to Luna, who was dazed and vulnerable. Chrysalis' attack was fast and fierce, and Luna was amazed that she was able to move in time, but could hardly marvel at her feat when another came hurling towards her.

She was able to create a shield that absorbed the Queen's blasts, but it was ruptured after six or seven hits, and she had to fall back. The plaza was strictly chaos now, and more ponies and changelings alike were dying than before. It was so far out of Luna's element, but probably well within Chrysalis'.

Luna's blasts slowed Chrysalis down, but did little to deter her, and the Queen kept on the pressure chasing Luna through the mess of the plaza, and then out into the streets, where the chase was tighter and the room for error decreased. It was not long before Luna had misjudged a weave, and crashed into the ground. In the blink of an eye, Chrysalis was already standing over her, but Luna's time was not over.

Snape's spell intercepted Chrysalis' shot mere inches away from Luna's face, distracting the Queen enough for Luna to push her off and blast her into the wall. As the changeling leader crawled out, she laughed heartily at the sight of Luna together with Snape. Both the Princess and the wizard bore faces of steel, unwavering in the face of the taunting laughter.

"At last, the game ends once and for all!" Chrysalis exclaimed with joy.

Luna teleported behind the Queen, who repulsed her with a shockwave spell, throwing her into a scarred storefront. By the time she recovered, Snape and Chrysalis were gone. She searched the area, but quickly saw that the Equestrian forces were dwindling by the second. Those few that had been taken prisoner were lucky, paralyzed under changeling excretion while their brothers lay in their own blood. The war was not going to last much longer.

She flew up to see if she could find someone else to save, but she was soon forced onto the balcony with Celestia and Cadence as the changelings took all sides and conquered the city.

"Luna....have we failed?" Celestia questioned with heartbreaking uneasiness.

"I'm afraid so..." Luna replied with a bowed head.

"Princesses! Princesses!" Twilight called as she ran through the hall and onto the balcony, her bright face soon fading into horror, "Oh no...."

Cadence was nearly lying on the floor.

"Let us finally see if your magic is a match for my power!" Chrysalis taunted, her voice echoing throughout the Canterlot Caverns, "When I kill you, I'll march right out of these caves after those fleeing ponies, helpless to save themselves. You've failed, wizard!"

Snape did not give reply. He crept along in the shadows, examining the arena and watching Chrysalis as she moved slowly, hunting for him eagerly. This battle would decide Equestria's future. Immediately, he sent off a wave of light that pulsed out of his wand, erupting in all directions to draw his foe towards him.

Chains shot out as magical constructs, flying at Snape like homing missiles, with a movement of his wand, the chains found their mark, latching onto their target and pulling him to the ground in front of the Queen. She bellowed with laughter as he blew a hole in Snape's chest, but was angered to see that it was an illusion.

Another pulse of light erupted from another area, and Chrysalis herself went to chase down the elusive wizard, but he was already gone. A third pulse emanated from another hall of the cavern, but once again, Chrysalis fell short of Snape, still unaware as to his location. Unable to get a hold of him, her options became limited to waiting or resuming her taunts.

"You delay what is only inevitable, at the end of the day, you can't change what has been set into motion."

As before, he did not answer.

"You think lights can scare me? Show me your best wiza-"

A blast of ice froze her face before she could end her sentence, but the ice was blasted away as little more than an annoyance. She darted forward, flying straight to him, knocking herself through the shield charm he put forward, unsettling the entire cavern system. Snape landed on his back, but still held his wand, and attempted a levicorpus spell, but the Queen shook it off more easily than the ice.

She laughed as she jumped at him, driving her deadly hooves down into the rock where his torso lay seconds ago. A quick sectumsempra spell from beside her made a fine cut on her leg, but not a deep one, and she shrugged the wound off easily. She ran at him to spear him through with her horns, but he activated a repulsion spell, taking all the momentum she mustered into the charge and repelling her with it. This was a blow she felt, despite her quick recovery.

Snape set the Queen ablaze with a fiery blast, but the fire did not hurt her much, and she extinguished it quickly.

"A pity you decided to side with the ponies...now you die painfully."

She teleported behind Snape with speed he could not match, and he was knocked away with a fine strike that also cut open his side. She continued to teleport, and arrived on top of him as he moved his hand push himself off the ground; she bit into it and drew out more blood, but she left herself vulnerable to Snape's next move.

Figuring it worked on Malum, he decided the Cruciatus curse was well suited, and Chrysalis backed off immediately. He had the option to attack further, but reckless behavior was a surefire way to fail. He opted to quickly heal the wound in his side, and do what he could to the bite, hurrying along as Chrysalis began to work to rid herself of the torment. She had become strong indeed if that curse was barely enough to put her on her knees.

Fortunately it appeared that Malum's work had left him in a much more fortified position against changeling venom. He was almost as good as before, wen Chrysalis was once again ready to attack. He raised his wand and fired a spell into the ceiling, causing a great rock to fall, almost on top of Chrysalis, who had the wherewithal to evade the falling stone. She seized Snape by the throat and began to choke him as she held him above the ground.

"Good try, wizard! Try dying next!"

Snape summoned a burst of raging water from the end of his wand, repulsing Chrysalis and forcing her to drop him. He continued the stream, beginning to flood the cavern with water. Her wings, sopping wet, no longer had the ability to fly, and the water was spewing out with enough force to deter her advances, but she was able to use a shield. Having diverted the waters into the ceiling and the walls, Chrysalis made another mad dash at Snape.

She seized him by the chest and threw him into the air, despite his attempts to evade the tackle, a magical blast sent him through a wall of crystal and laid him flat on his back. She walked towards him undaunted as he attempted to cope with the pain. He made one last gambit, raising his wand at the crystals and causing them to grow outwards like spikes, but Chrysalis blasted them away faster than they could attack her.

"Do you see my power? Snape!? Do you acknowledge me as your better now!?"

Panting, Snape crawled away, inching slowly farther, but in futility, for Chrysalis' every step took her closer than Snape could crawl away. Her power was greater than his own, and she haunted the caverns with her venomous laughter, almost having made it through the hole she made by hurling Snape through the crystal. He turned to see her standing there, watching him struggle. He gripped his wand tightly, and began to slowly move it forward.

As Chrysalis took her first step beyond the shattered wall, Snape flung his wand forward and three bright pulses of light rushed at her from all sides, blinding her and leaving her open to Snape's next spell, which pushed her back a few feet. As she recovered from the blinding flash Snape had set up at the opening of the fight, he enacted the final phase of his plan, and she noticed that something was weighing her down.

She soon realized the water from earlier was beginning to grow exponentially in mass, and the ceiling above her was rumbling. Snape's power was not on par with her own, so he fought smartly. She found herself flat on her stomach in an instant, her wings nearly broken, feeling as though they had been cemented completely to her back. The rumbling above her grew louder, and she gasped as the stones began to fall like dying dragons from the skies. Horror controlled her face as she was buried under the stones, being crushed and flattened by each one.

Snape waited until it was over, then went to confront the fallen Queen.

To his own unsettling horror, he found not the Queen of the changelings, but three different drones, each one wounded beyond the ability to stand up. He went silent for a moment, reviewing everything that he knew to be true in an attempt to determine his next course of action. He needed answers, and he could readily get them now.

He walked over to the first changeling, a drone that could barely mutter out words, and he killed it swiftly with a spell. The second changeling, also a nameless drone, met the same fate. The third fake was a Lieutenant changeling, a warrior of enough skill to serve beside Malum; it appeared this one had defected to Chrysalis' side, and that was now his undoing. Snape pressed his foot on its faintly rising and falling chest, leaning down over it as it squirmed in pain.

"What has Chrysalis done?" Snape demanded of the only changeling he left alive.

"She's won the war for us....the era of ponykind is over."

"Why did she kill Malum?"

"To gain the power to defeat all the Princesses. His defeat led to our Queen's ultimate ascension! She is beyond any of your side's champions now!"

Snape stared numbly into the changeling's cold eyes, finally having his ever-growing suspicions confirmed. He had been a fool to be baited so easily. He quickly killed the changeling under his foot and apparated out of the caves. If he hurried, he would not be too late.

The balcony of the castle was the very last stronghold of all Canterlot. Everywhere in the city below, the changeling had won. The soldiers were massacred, the citizens that had escaped with Twilight were being hunted down, and the Princesses were all that was left of the Equestrian army.

They all stood in silence, side by side, unable to accept their defeat. It was a sad hour, and a sadder still moment in their hearts, especially for Celestia and Luna. Twilight was openly crying, and received little comfort from her former teacher. Luna stared down below and watched the hordes do as they pleased with the town and the liters of corpses lying on the streets. Cadence looked down at herself, trembling and on the verge of fainting it seemed, but she seemed to experience a revival before she could lose consciousness. She turned her eyes to Celestia beside her.

But that was when Snape appeared, having flown up in his nebulous form and landed on the edge of the balcony. They all seemed shocked at his appearance, but none of them could possibly react when he raised his wand on Cadence without a word of explanation.

"What is the meaning of this!?" Celestia demanded.

Snape did not take his eyes of off Cadence's silent and shaking form. He held his wand surely, aiming to kill, and ready to let loose a spell at a second's notice. Cadence slowly backed away towards the doors as the other three tired to block him, but he too pushed forward, and would let his wand's aim leave Cadence.

"What are you doing? Snape!?" Luna cried out.

"I regret," Snape finally began to explain, "that I did not do a better job here. I was played like an idiot for not seeing this sooner."

Tired of his actions of rebellion, Celestia was the first to light her horn ablaze with magic power. Even weakened, in her state of fury, one magic blast was enough to rip right through any organic being. Unsure of what exactly to do, Twilight joined in and had her horn ready to unleash a spell. Luna seemed near crying, but did not yet ready her magic as Snape continued on.

"It was not my intention, but if it must end this way, so be it. She will die."

"What has Cadence done to warrant this?" Celestia shouted.

"Nothing..." Snape replied, ever numb and unfeeling as he slowly paced forward.

"Don't be a fool, Snape!" Luna screamed as she at last lit up her horn, prepared to kill Snape with one blow, "I believed in you!"

"Snape...why!? Didn't you trust us? Weren't you our friend?!" Twilight asked as her heart raced in her chest.

"Trust......no matter how genuine...can always be misplaced."

Snape said nothing else as he at last readied himself to fire a spell from his wand, all the while three more magic blasts were a hair's width away from flying off of their respective horns. Twilight could've imagined it, but through her own teary eyes, she could have sworn that Snape too shed a tear as he flung his wand forward, and the Princesses retaliated in spades.

"Avada Kedavra!"

Author's Notes:

Hehehehehehe.....I'm evil, huh?

15: Conclusions

"Avada Kedavra!"

Snape's wand shook as a green spark shot off from its tip and flew right towards Cadence's still trembling body, and three more beams were fired off, aimed so that by using his spell, Snape's death was guaranteed. He accepted it all and time literally slowed down to a glacial crawl. He saw his killing curse flying, knowing that it would land its mark.

He also observed the spells that were cast upon him, and saw that his heart, stomach, and kidneys would all be decimated by the blasts. He was going to die again. The only mystery was why time had slowed down so far, and why the Princesses seemed to be frozen along with it. His answer came when an unsettling and familiar voice broke the silence.

"Ho! You got yourself into quite the bind, didn't you?"

Discord popped into existence with a flash, and stood beside Snape, who was now at liberty to move as he pleased and interact with his partner in crime.

"What are you doing?" Snape demanded with quiet rage.

"I just wanted to say goodbye to my good pal Snape before he took his everlasting dirt nap...I mean, what are the chances of coming back again, am I right?"

"Our deal is done, you have no business with me anymore. I've left you Equestria on a silver plater, undo what you have done. I will die today, you will not change that."

"So you are willing and ready to go out with a bang? If you want, I could turn their magic blasts into snakes. Just offering!"

Snape said nothing in reply, but watched the spells fly like cold molasses, creeping along, bound by time's whims until they struck their target. He could almost see himself in the green blaze that was the killing curse. It was all too unnatural, to watch as his spell slide glacially towards someone he would call friend. But it had to be done. There was no other way.

"Well, I'll certainly miss my misbehaving benefactor. It's been an honor Snapey!" Discord jeered and held out his hand for Snape to shake, but the wizard refused the offer coldly.

"Fine, be that way!" Discord feigned insult, "Seriously though....these ponies were just given to me. It's like I don't deserve all the fun I'll have for the next eternity or so."

"Do what you will, everybody's time comes in the end."

"Not for me! I rule even time itself, thanks to you!" Discord cackled; Snape allowed himself a small smile at the arrogance bleeding from Discord's ego.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to get on with this now," Snape replied.

"And people say I'm a spoilsport, wow. Well, if you insist, when my magic leaves this balcony, you'll revert to your original place. You'll die when I unfreeze time, and that'll be that. Sure you don't want me to teleport you somewhere, maybe keep up the game between us? It'd be a lot of fun to pull at your strings..."

"All I want you to do...is make sure I die today."

"Hmmm...well, just remember, you did ask for this one."

Discord snapped his fingers and Snape was instantly taken back to his place, and he saw his spell hit Cadence and throw her backwards, breaking down the balcony doors as she flew into the hall. He, however, was riddled with pain as the three blasts struck him, Twilight's shredding through his kidneys and pushing him back, Luna's rip into his stomach and make him hunch over slightly and drop his wand, and finally, Celestia's blast that went through his heart, and plunged him over the edge.

Unlike Dumbledore, Snape began to fall as he was still in the closing seconds of dying, and it was the most painful experience of his life, by far. Thankfully, it did not last very long, and as he heard the blurred and vague cries from the balcony and the clamoring chatter of the changelings who scattered from his path and watched him fall, he began to lose sense of the pain. Pain was not a pleasant experience, but it was the best tool for answering the question of whether or not one was alive. By the time Snape was halfway down the long fall from the balcony, he felt no more pain.

Severus Snape hit the ground front first, and his face landed in the mud, which was soon tainted by the blood that spilled from his wounds. The hollow, human shell that was his body had at last given in to the abuse it had taken since he arrived, and he was beyond any saving. His life in Equestria was over, that was more than certain. His second life ended no better than his first.

"Avada Kedavra!"

A green spell was flung like a shooting star out of Snape's wand and, despite the efforts of Cadence to avoid it, it struck her and she was thrown back in agony. The other Princesses, having fired their own spells at Snape and killed him, wasted no time in rushing to their fourth, who was laying still as death; After an eternal second, Cadence opened her dazed eyes as though she was waking up from a deep dream.

Then, hardly two seconds later, an immense pain struck her and she began sobbing uncontrollably as she grasped her stomach, crying in both pain and regret. By now, even Celestia was weeping, but none so hard or so wretchedly as Cadence, who began shouting in despair and maybe even delusion. Twilight stepped away at the horror, knowing full well that Snape had not been aiming to kill Cadence, but her child.

"No, no, no! NO! My BABY!!"

Celestia and Luna were by her side, comforting her through the pain as Cadence felt the foal inside burn. Twilight was nauseous, and her head was beginning to spin at the escalation of the day. She moved away to avoid puking, or worse, and found herself looking down over the balcony. She watched Snape's pitiful corpse, still and silent on the ground, broken and emptying of life. In one sense, it was serene and regal, a poetic demise, and yet in another, Snape almost looked victorious in the dirt, triumphant even in his destruction.

Amid screams of horror and deep, deep pain from Cadence, Twilight found herself whispering to the body below, "What happened to you....Snape....why did you do this?"

She continued to look down at Snape, for she could not stomach being near Cadence right now. Death was never easy or fun, but to see a child without sins or joys die was twice as unpleasant. Twilight did her best to blot out the noise and emotion reverberating through the castle and into the air around them, and she was too late in receiving the warning.

"Twilight!" Luna called from doorway, still holding Cadence's hoof in her own, "Watch out!"

Twilight looked at Luna with confusion, but realized that Snape's wand was vibrating and although she tried to be rid of it, the wand fired off a golden spark at Twilight, moving as fast as the bolt that killed Cadence's child, and Twilight was hit in the forehead by Snape's final spell. Her eyes glowed with the golden light and her body levitated off the floor, but in seconds, she was on the ground, much like Cadence.

Twilight awoke in a very dark place. It was cold and unwelcoming, sapping the warmth from her body; she could see nothing, but heard faint cries, blurred through time and space, but barely audible to her ears, which could hear nothing else. She had no idea of whom the voices belonged, or even if these voices were real, but she listened, because was there was nothing else she could do.

"Doesn't your dad like magic?"

"Severus....please."

"You coward! Fight back!"

"You've been a good and faithful servant, Severus..."

"Or maybe he's been sacked-I mean, nobody likes him!"

"'Course Dumbledore trusts you, he's a trusting man isn't he..."

"I agree...with Severus."

"...believes in second chances. But me..."

"Tell them how you looked him in the eye..."

"Severus Snape was indeed a Death Eater..."

"We are, Sev."

"...A man who trusted you! And killed him!"

"...I believe there are spots that don't come off Snape..."

"Severus, you agreed. Nothing more to discuss."

"Don't say a word against my father!"

"...turned spy for us at great personal risk!"

"...but only I can live forever!"

"Slipped out? It's too late. I've made excuses for you for years. None of my friends can understand why I even talk to you. You and your precious little Death Eater friends...you've chosen your way, I've chosen mine."

And all at once the voices were silenced, the echoes had faded away into true nothingness. Twilight was left in that abysmal plane, nothing to see, not even her own self, nothing to hear, not even her own heartbeat. She suddenly felt a very powerful urge to ball out crying again, but it seemed she had no tears to shed. The feeling of wanting to feel something, and yet being chronically numb all at once was too much for her to bear, but she was helpless to stop or start anything. All she could do was endure it, but for how long before she broke was a measure of thought that scared her. It seemed that time had faded from this realm, and though in some ways she felt that she had only been here a minute, her heart told her that she had been here for well over 1,000 years. She was utterly distraught until a voice broke the everlasting pain of silence.

"Ms. Sparkle," Snape greeted from behind.

All at once she could feel again, she was free to move and feel and think of better things. The relief of being whole and complete again was more than enough to make her glad to see Snape, if only for a fraction of a second. She spun around with awe, but it quickly turned to hatred upon recalling what he had done before she took part in his murder. She felt her magic muster in her horn, but in a second, it was gone, as unfathomable as the still forgotten voices from before.

"You have no magic here."

"Where am I?" Twilight questioned hotly.

"A temporary pocket of space and time. To simplify things, I suppose I should rather say, you are in my consciousness. I had this spell worked out because there is something I must give you."

"You're dead..."

"Yes. I don't know how much time we've got here, but I must give you this. It will change your world all for the worst if you do not accept it."

"You've already changed my world for the worst today," Twilight countered as she looked right through him with anger, "Keep everything to your rotten self. I'll never forgive you for what you've done today. Never."

Snape seemed unaffected, which enraged Twilight all the more, and caused her to try and force out any spell, anything at all, but the effort alone nearly subdued her. Free to cry once again, Twilight did so.

"Don't you feel any remorse? Any guilt at all? Are you such a heartless monster!?"

"...."

"How could I have ever wanted to be your friend!?"

"Perhaps a dead man feels no pity," Snape suggested as casually as if they were playing chess.

"You killed something with nothing but innocence! Even a dead man that's done what you have should feel something!"

"It wasn't the first time I did something in that vein."

Twilight looked him in the eyes for a few more seconds, and turned her head in disgust. Then, she turned her back to him and laid down, unable to escape his presence any more than that. He remained facing her, and went on with what he had to say. Time with her was not unlimited after all.

"No doubt you heard the fragments of my past, things that have been said to me in another life. You chose to trust me, up until now. Though what you have seen certainly paints me to be the villain, perhaps you might trust me a little more than that, given what we've already been through."

"I guess my trust in you was misplaced, no matter how true it once was, huh?" Twilight sighed.

"You know, it's also true that one cannot trust themselves alone with everything. The trick...is to find a balance. You've trusted me enough to go this far. It would be a shame for you to stop here, so close to the end."

"We're past the end. The changelings won, we were tricked into defeat, all because of you."

"I disagree. Hope and faith have served you well before, have they not? Trust can be healed."

Twilight did not stir, but he knew she was thinking it all over, running through every encounter they had with one another, examining everything he ever said to her and her friends and all that he did, things that helped her, and things which hurt her. He decided that since he went through the trouble of setting this up, he might as well do his best to persuade her; if she refused, then she was forsaking much more than herself alone.

"I can only explain myself if you give me the chance, and you cannot accept what I offer you unless you take it willingly. At least be rational enough to listen to what I have to say."

"Okay....so then tell me, why did you kill Cadence's baby?" Twilight asked, begrudgingly, and for a split second, Harry Potter himself was asking Snape 'why'. He shook it off quickly, and answered her question.

"That will be revealed to you in greater detail when this is done, but I will say that my coming to this land was far from unintentional. I was sent here with a purpose, and by sacrificing the child, I fulfilled that purpose."

"Can you be less cryptic for once! I'm only asking for a decent explanation for the regicide you committed!"

"After Chrysalis killed Malum with a long distance spell, I realized that she was initiating the endgame. By taking his power, she was in position to kill a Princess and conquer Equestria forever. I have had to do many things to make sure that you and the other rulers were kept safe, and if I told you every detail about that, you'd likely not accept what I'm offering to give you."

"So I have to trust you that killing a baby saved Equestria?"

"No. Sacrificing the child saved Princess Celestia, not Equestria."

"Just tell me the truth of it. I only want the truth. I want you to tell me exactly why you did the things you did. I actually did feel like there was some sort of bond between my friends and I and you. It wasn't friendship like the kind between the six of us, but it was a bond of some kind, wasn't it? Tell me you were close enough to us to reveal the truth to me."

"If you only accept what I offer, you will learn all of that and more."

"Are you afraid? Is that why you won't tell me?"

Snape took a second to pause and waited for Twilight to stand up again and face him. When she had done so, he looked her in the eye and told her the most sincere thing he had ever told a pony before.

"I detest friendship in the way you cherish it. I have for a long time, and so I refuse to be someone you call friend, as you do with the other Element bearers. My friends are not like your friends, my friends are dead, and so am I. As I said before, I live in darkness, and you do not. We cannot be friends, I will not accept such a thing. I never lost respect for you, nor did I take your words lightly, and though I will always be your fellow and peer, I will never be your friend, Twilight Sparkle. If that upsets you, so be it.

I have lived in things you cannot ponder, I have endured pains you cannot imagine, and as much of a 'bad person' as I may be...I am who I am, and I will not change that for anyone. Everything I have done, good or bad, has been for a reason, and this act of murder was no different. Accept that, and what I offer you as a gift, or do not...and I shall let you go, free to hate me for the rest of your life."

Twilight drank in his words and spent a long while pondering them. He remained quiet and allowed her the time to think, it was only fair. In truth, his last act in Equestria may have been seen as worse than anything he did in his previous life. Of course he would never regret anything as much as sealing Lily's fate by revealing what he knew to Voldemort, but she had no knowledge of any of that. She didn't need it. She didn't even need to know that all Snape had done was for the very chance of redeeming some small semblance of what he once had with Lily. All Twilight needed to know was that she was being offered a great chance.

"Snape...." Twilight at last muttered, "I want you to know that before I say anything else, you have wounded us all greatly, and whether or not that means anything to you, your actions will not be easily forgiven. But I am willing to hear you out. Give me what you wanted to."

Snape nodded and a golden light once again filled Twilight's eyes and spoke to her soul. Immediately, she saw the things Snape had seen, read the thoughts he had, realized what everything he had done in Equestria meant.

He locked away all things relating to Hogwarts, his life as a teacher, a Death Eater, and a spy, but everything after his arrival in Equestria was opened to her, and she saw his deceptions and lies, and all the good they were intended to do. She saw Snape better for who he was, and what he was trying to do in her world. She understood now the danger that Celestia was in when he arrived on the balcony, she now saw what would have befallen if Snape had not done what he had done.

And the more she learned, the more Snape's image faded. For every detail she learned of how and why he acted as he did, another shade of light entered the plane and brought her closer to home. By understanding what he had done and accepting his gift, she ended their meeting. The last thing she could recall Snape doing before he was as forgotten as his unknown past was glance back at Twilight; he gave her the closest thing to his friendship that she would ever attain: his acceptance and acknowledgement with a nod of respect and parting.

And Snape was gone, leaving behind only what Twilight needed to know to save herself and all of Equestria.

Twilight awoke to the sobs of Cadence and worried calls of Celestia and Luna. Her head was spinning, but she felt rejuvenated at the same time. She picked herself up off the floor and immediately looked down over the balcony rail. Confirming his death and knowing his sacrifice, Twilight turned away from Snape's corpse below and back to the other Princesses.

"What happened?" Celestia asked with great concern.

"It's okay," Twilight replied, still a little shaken, "It'll all be okay now."

"What do you mean? This is the end for us..." Luna pointed out to the changelings, who were hovering all around, each one staring at the Princesses with dead cold eyes. Twilight, however, smiled. She looked out, and just beyond the wall of changelings, down at the entrance of Canterlot, she spotted her friends, running to the city as Snape had instructed them to do before he left to deal with Chrysalis.

Her smile widened when another cry of agony arose, but this was not from Cadence, but rather from Queen Chrysalis, who revealed herself on the roof above them, and fell to the balcony in paralysis. The other Princesses gasped in shock, having no idea that she had cloaked herself and snuck up on them, but Twilight leaned down confidently, and spoke to the pained Queen.

"Tell them what you've done. Tell Cadence why her child will never grow up."

Chrysalis, looking larger and more intimidating than she had at the wedding in the past, had also grown a larger confidence and sense of self-assurance. She managed to laugh a little at the demand, and replied with heavy breaths, "Severus Snape has already killed me....you can do nothing more."

"If you don't tell them, then I can. I've learned everything, and I know exactly what you did wrong."

Chrysalis' expression contorted to surprised bitterness, but she relented and revealed her grand plan to the still awestruck Princesses, "It was an ingenious scheme....to use my own enhanced powers and combine them with the basis of Severus Snape's magic to possess Cadence from the foal within her. In control of her body...I could've killed you all without suspicion, ended the Equestrian monarchy once and for all, and overrun this wretched nation with the might of the Changeling Dominion!"

"Unfortunately for you," Twilight added, "Snape didn't die off so easily as you thought, and he managed to defeat you by ending the source of your possession over Cadence. By killing her child, Snape also killed you."

Cadence, still crying, but now surprised and confused beyond words, sat silently as the truth of the situation was revealed to her. Celestia and Luna were just as confused, and the Princess of the Sun in particular seemed to wonder if these things could be the truth. Had she judged Snape too hastily...on almost everything?

"That's true....and he defeated us in doing so.....I underestimated Snape....but the changeling armies cannot be quelled so easily, despite what you may do to my drones. We will endure as we always have. Even with my death, you have not won!"

At that instant, the drones took their last command from the Queen and fled in a shambles. The Princesses all stared out in wonder, and Chrysalis' weak laughter persisted until she too gave in to the curse Snape had given her. She went silent and began losing air, and finally, the late Queen of the Changelings shriveled up and faded away into dust. She was gone, with any hope and luck, she was gone forever. The Princesses turned their attention to the castle hall as a new voice spoke up.

"Snape....killed Queen Chrysalis...by killing our baby?" Shining Armor asked, limping towards his fallen wife with tears in his eyes.

"I'm afraid so," Twilight lamented as she ran to her brother to help him over, "but there was no other way. Because of the medicine, the potion he made to protect Cadence from mental attacks, Snape could not do it any other way. The side effects made it so that he couldn't force Chrysalis out with any mental magic. If it had gone on any longer, Chrysalis would've killed the rest of us in Cadence's body."

"And how can you know these things?" Celestia inquired.

"Snape's wand. That blast that triggered when I got close, it put me into contact with....his spirit, or something close to it. But I spoke to him, and he told me everything. He gave me the parting gift of knowing what he knew. He was never out to get any of us, Princess Celestia, he was here to protect all of us," Twilight explained, a hopeful twinkle shining in her eyes.

Deciding not to speak, Celestia looked down and pondered what her student had told her, as did Luna, and Cadence and Shining Armor. Twilight herself wiped the tear that was forming in her eye at the thought of what had to have been done, but also knew that Snape was not the villain they thought him to be. She decided that final judgement on the strange wizard would have to wait. There was still yet more to be done.

They all looked up to the sky as yet another evil presence filled the air.

"I'm sorry..." Discord's sinister voice bellowed in the wind, "is this not a good time?"

"Discord....no. It isn't possible..." Celestia muttered in shock as the draconequus formed atop the balcony's railing, standing far above where Snape's corpse was lying in the bloody mud. He was laughing heartily, threatening to fall over the edge, but when he finally did 'lose his balance', he started rolling in the air.

"I'm afraid it is, Celestia! And this time, you'll all be the ones encased in stone! In fact, I think I'll keep you all arranged like this, utterly defeated at the moment of my triumph for all eternity. How does that sound?"

"Like it's not going to happen!" Twilight shouted defiantly, flying at Discord and teleporting them both to the ground below.

They reappeared at the castle's entrance, where Twilight's friends had just run to. Discord feigned shock and humiliation.

"Oh dear! You've got me cornered! This is it for me!"

"Discord!?" Pinkie exclaimed, scurrying up in the air like a surprised cat jumping out of a nap.

"Did we...miss something?" Rainbow questioned as she and Twilight's other friends stared in disbelief of Discord's return.

"I'll explain after we defeat him!" Twilight answered, lighting her horn with magic.

"Wrong!" Discord bellowed as he snapped his fingers and flipped the ponies upside up, hanging from their legs in the air, "Learned that one from our mutual friend down there!"

Twilight's friends, having just realized Snape was lying utterly dead near them, all went silent, looking on in sadness and fear. Twilight, working the hardest to break free from Discord's imitation levicorpus spell, switched focus to consoling her friends and blocking Discord's psychological warfare.

"Is Snape...?" Fluttershy questioned in trembling fear.

"Discord didn't kill Snape!" Twilight called back.

"Who did!?" Applejack asked.

Twilight's face went red, Discord's smile had never been so wide, for never had a more perfect opportunity presented itself to him. He laughed maniacally as Twilight failed to give an answer, prompting him to step up and reveal the horrid truth to them.

"Why she did of course! Her and the other Princesses killed Snape in. cold. blood."

"WHAT!?" Rainbow screamed, accompanied by Discord's dark laughter.

"Twilight...HOW COULD YOU!?" Rarity called, backed up by the others as the ensnaring grip around them grew stronger.

"I...I'm sorry...we didn't know. We didn't know the truth!" Twilight pleaded in shame.

"Oh, don't paint yourself so modestly," Discord chuckled, "you and the other two Princesses aimed to take him out for good, and you did it too! Congratulations, he's gone."

"But we had no idea of what was really going on! You all have to believe me," She urged her friends, "I believe in Severus Snape now, and I believe that he would have us defeat Discord! You've got to back me up!"

The other ponies looked uncertain, trying to decide if they actually knew the pony with them, or if this Twilight was not the same Twilight they knew as their close friend. The lavender Princess shut her eyes and focused, trying to figure a way out of Discord's trap, but without her friends it was hopeless, none of them could even feel their legs anymore. They had to use the Elements, but with Discord having brought Disharmony upon them, that was impossible.

"Trust...." Twilight quoted in a faint attempt to win back her friends, "can always be misplaced, no matter how genuine it is...but it can be healed too! You have to trust that I have a good answer to your questions, I'm still your friend, I'm still your Twilight, even if things look bad. You can't believe Discord! You know how he lies!"

"...Yes, except you admitted it...you killed Snape. You killed Snape," Rarity replied, making Twilight gasp in despair. Her pleading was not enough.

"But...but...." Twilight stuttered, losing her hope.

"How can we trust you ever again?" Applejack asked.

Twilight gnashed her teeth together, knowing they were perfectly right as guilt welled up inside her.

"I suppose you can't...but you have to ask one question: would you rather have Discord win? If you don't trust me, he'll take over all of Equestria again, and there won't be any stopping him!"

Having taken that point into consideration, the others looked at each other, silently discussing their course of action. It was a dilemma beyond any they had yet faced, and Discord was not squandering the opportunity to play with the town, making it rain cupcakes, juggling buildings, and creating havoc where he could, all on top of having his chaotic monsters run rampant through the city, destroying it where the changelings had failed.

"Please..." Twilight begged in a whisper. She closed her eyes and thought up to Cadence, Luna, Celestia, and Shining, up on the balcony, each one drained and weakened and helpless. It was all riding on her. Her and her friends, but she couldn't be sure if they would accept that label anymore. Maybe despite Snape's efforts, there was no saving Equestria. Had he truly died in vain?

"Twilight..." Pinkie spoke with a very small smile, waking Twilight from her thoughts, "let's take him down again."

An immense smile lit up Twilight's face, and the Princess lit her horn again as a white glow grew around all six of them. Their trap was broken, and they were lifted down onto the ground, but Discord had taken notice. He drew closer to recapture them, but a blast of the Elements of Harmony pushed him back, and for a moment, he seemed to be buckling under the pressure, close to defeat again.

But as the Elemental blast wore off, Discord laughed at his triumph, disheartening the now confused ponies. Twilight squinted and knew it was now or never. She powered up a golden spell and shared it with her friends, and as the gold and white magic mixed together, Discord struck, snapping his fingers.

They all immediately found themselves in stone, true to Discord's words, their faces frozen with disbelief and fear, but Twilight, though half trapped in the rock, was resisting rather well.

"How is this possible?" Discord asked her snapping his fingers again and again to turn her completely to stone, but she continued to resist well.

"Because your power....is not greater....than the one who gave it to you!"

The stone entrapping Twilight's body shattered, and she flew up to face down Discord, who was now the one in shock. Twilight's horn lit up with a golden flare and her friends were freed.

"This is my power! How can you use it!?" Discord shouted with concern.

"Because Severus Snape was never on your side," Twilight told him as her eyes glowed once again with the golden light, matching the eyes of the other Element bearers. They surged with that power, and when the Elements of Harmony activated to bolster it, Discord could only cry out the name of the man who betrayed him as he was once again turned to stone and defeated for the third time.

It had now been three months since the changeling attack and Discord's attempt at taking over. Canterlot had been rebuilt, while Ponyville was still in the process. Equestria's sun was bright again, the flowers grew brighter and bolder, and the air was filled with a sweet scent for the first time in a long while. Things were beginning to return to normal.

A memorial had been constructed beside the Castle to remember all those who had fallen in service to Equestria's latest crisis. At the very center was a large statue, one depicting a filly prancing in the sun, and it was engraved with a special description: Princess Skyla: Sacrificial Lamb of Equestria; may she forever rest in peace.

As the afternoon sun began to lower, Celestia found herself unable to look away from the grave marker. Shining Armor and Cadence were by her side, and Luna and Twilight were walking to meet them. They had all worked hard in their own ways to make the city complete again, but every few days, they found the strength to visit her grave.

"Even without knowing her," Shining Armor told his wife, "she's beautiful. We'll see her eventually, and until then, she won't be forgotten. Ever."

"...I know,' Cadence replied, leaning her head on her husband's.

"This is more than a reminder of our loss, it is a marker of our triumph, though it is a bittersweet one," Celestia told the couple with a consoling smile.

"And we cannot forget our controversial benefactor, can we?" Luna asked as she took her place next to them.

"No," Celestia quickly replied, "I was at odds with him much of the time, but Severus Snape has earned my thanks, despite his actions, and my reactions."

"Why did he come here, Twilight, you said he had a mission, to protect us, but...why? What was his reward?" Cadence inquired with longing eyes as the breeze blew through her mane, refreshing her.

"I think you might know...I think he's getting....Lily. That's all I could glean from what he shared. Lily is his reward."

Luna and Cadence smiled at each other, and Shining Armor bowed his head, speaking out grimly, "We never got along, but knowing what I do, I wish I could've started off better with him. Maybe then I could forgive him completely..."

"He acted in a way we were not familiar with, and he earned our scorn for it, but in the end, he acted for good. I cannot hate him for that," Celestia commented as she gently pulled the sun further beyond the horizon.

"He wasn't our friend, but maybe he was our hero instead..." Twilight thought out loud.

Back in Ponyville, as the work for the day ended, Twilight met up with her friends in Sugarcube Corner. They were quietly enjoying a tray of cupcakes and a pitcher of milk, and resting after the day's labor. Luna's moon was now in the sky, and Twilight glanced out the window as her other friends talked. She was content to gaze out at it.

"Twilight? What are you doing?" Pinkie asked, breaking the Princess' concentration and making her realize the others were staring. She smiled back at them and then shifted her attention back to the large marker in the sky.

"I was just thinking," she explained, "tonight reminds me a lot of the night he arrived here in Equestria."

"I wish he was here to help us track down the rest of Discord's monsters. Remember how much he helped us with that first one in the Everfree Forest?" Rainbow mentioned.

"He wasn't exactly the companion we hoped, was he?" Rarity asked, "Still, he did so much for us. I wonder what would've happened if he'd lived."

Twilight frowned and looked down, prompting Rarity to apologize and Applejack to put her hoof on Twilight's shoulder.

"He was misunderstood. I hope whatever happened to him, he got what he wanted," Twilight said.

"I guess we have to trust that he did..." the farmer pony replied.

"Well, we won't forget him, at least," Fluttershy consoled with her gentle smile.

"No. Nopony will forget what Snape did. The underground chamber beneath the school has been repurposed to serve as his memorial. Magic students from now on will learn from him, even if he can't be here to teach them himself," Twilight explained.

"To Severus Snape!" Applejack shouted as she raised her glass.

"To Severus Snape!" The other called back as the toasted the fallen wizard who saved Equestria.

Author's Notes:

There's one more chapter, go read it to find out exactly what has become of Snape now that you know what has happened to the ponies! If you made it his far, I salute you and thank you from the bottom of my heart. This story was not necessarily an easy experience for me, but it was one well worth it, and I'm so glad you chose to be a part of it.

16: Paradise

Snape felt himself drifting again, much like after he was killed by Voldemort and found by Harry. This time, he knew what he was waiting for, and was content to drift through the ethereal plane while he waited for The Guide to contact him again. Twilight had taken his power, the trigger that would seal Discord's fate and inform her of what he had done and why. He wondered if he would have offered her the explanation when he was a professor at Hogwarts, or if he would've just left the trigger with her. Maybe Equestria had affected him, subtly.

His musings were cut off when he heard the voice again, and the strange figure reappeared before him, "Well done, Severus. You diffused the situation, very well, if I do say so myself."

"It was an effort," Snape agreed as the Guide's shining frame appeared in the gray plane in front of him, "and I believe I have earned what now awaits me."

"That you have, Severus, I applaud you for doing a great service to both worlds you have lived in. You did not squander your second life, and I am very proud of what you have done. I gladly give you the reward that was promised."

To Snape's right, a bright portal opened and inside, Snape saw that gorgeous body, standing beside the lake of their childhood meeting, eagerly awaiting his return to her. He was moved enough to shed a tear, and reached out for Lily, and she seemed to notice him too, and her face lit up with a smile of gold. Snape soon forgot the Guide's very presence, and pushed himself closer to the portal, closer to Lily at last.

His hand finally reached the portal, and as it touched Lily's his entire body was moved with her presence, and they joined their hands together, and embraced in a hug as Snape was pulled through. He was instantly transported to the lake, standing with Lily in the grass by the large tree, and feeling the pleasant breeze pass by their embrace, and in the distance, the gentle call of birds. It was the definition of Snape's paradise....and yet, when she spoke to him, it all crumbled away.

"Severus, dear, I've missed you so..."

Snape looked at her with confusion, and pushed her away, turning to The Guide, who had followed Snape through, "What is this? This is not what we agreed to!"

"This is Lily, Severus, I have done exactly what you wanted."

"How dare you lie to me?"

"Severus..."

"This is far from Lily! This is a charade, a shallow imitation! Did you honestly believe that time would make me forget anything about her? About how she stood beside me, how she talked to me, how she existed?" Snape demanded as the false Lily on the ground faded away into nothingness.

The Guide sighed noticeably, and put his hand on Snape's shoulder, though it was quickly shaken off, "If I may, Severus...what you have asked...is not possible without....complicating matters."

"How so?"

"Well, the real Lily's spirit has her own idea of paradise, Severus, and it doesn't include you. Her paradise is with her husband, James Potter, and their son, Harry. No one person's soul can be in two different paradises...I'm afraid the real Lily Potter is beyond my power to give you."

Snape frowned as the words were processed, and he stared out on the horizon, ignoring the flowers and grass and water from the lake, and pushing away all that he had once adored. The Guide stood by solemnly, waiting for Snape to react, afraid that something ominous may be coming. After a moment, Snape looked the power in the eye, shaking his head.

"No. No, not again. I will not be cast away from her again!"

"There is nothing I can do to bring her here, to your paradise, Severus. I am truly sorry."

"Then bring me into hers. If she cannot come her, then take me away, destroy this place for all I care, without her it is far from paradise."

"Do you know what you are asking of me? Of the risks of fulfilling that wish?"

"I don't care, I will not be without her. You offered me this much, so take me away, put me in her paradise, I will gladly endure James and Harry Potter to be with her."

"Even as something she might not recognize or acknowledge?"

"...yes."

"There is no going back once you are there. Are you positive about this?"

"Yes."

"I wish there were another way, Severus, but if this is your desire, then so shall it be. Thank you again, for all that you have done. I'm sorry I cannot give you better than this."

In the span of a millisecond, the Guide disappeared, and a strange power overtook Snape, changing everything around him on a molecular level, transporting him from the childhood memory which had been poisoned by deceit, taking him away to that which he had long sought.

Snape found himself sucked away from the lake, and all of the sudden he was placed in a world of gray and black. He was in the city, where it was raining hard and the clouds matched the gray complexion of the sidewalk and the road, and where the grass was a dark green, matted down and confined, unlike the grass at the lake which grew freely. It was far colder here, and for once, Snape was bothered by this kind of cold.

The next thing he knew, he was face first in a rain puddle, and a hand then helped him up. Snape cleared the water from his eyes and face with irritation, but the spark of annoyance raged quickly into seething disdain when he heard the voice of apology.

"Sorry, didn't see you there....Snivellus Snape?"

James Potter met Snape's gaze as he turned around, and both men looked at each other strangely. Beside James, an eleven year old Harry Potter watched on uncomfortably as the two men examined one another. Snape noticed the ring on James' finger more than anything else and slowly backed up a few steps.

"You seem well....Potter."

"Unlike you," James said with a chuckle, "what have you been up to since school, Snivellus?"

"I've been quite busy, actually...not that you'd understand anything of my life."

"That's true, I never understood you, and I don't intend to start now."

"And this must be young Mr. Harry Potter," Snape said, turning his attention towards the boy he knew and remembered all too well.

"Yes, yes it is. Harry, this is an old school mate of your mother's and mine," James informed his son, speaking with a smug air that caused Snape to bite his tongue.

Harry waved hello briefly, and continued to watching Snape with intrigue and wonder. In this plane of miserable existence, Harry and Snape were strangers, but with his past experiences Snape found it difficult to view the boy with any sort of neutrality. Having a mother and father would no doubt change him, and not for the better he imagined. What joy it would be to see Harry Potter in yet another life.

But immediately his gaze was caught in the snare of her beauty. Down the lane a ways, rushing to join her husband and son, Lily hurried and crossed the road, umbrella clenched tightly to her figure. James took note and spun around to grab a hold of her hand as she drew nearer. Her eyes, however, gravitated to Snape as soon as she saw him.

"Oh, Snape....it's been a long time!" She greeted with a smile that was far more golden than the wretched imitation's, and inside, Snape was filled with ecstatic joy at seeing her once again. It had been entirely too long. Two life-times too long, to be exact. He could not help smiling.

"Hello...Lily. You look as...wonderful as ever."

"We're all quite happy, yes," James interrupted, breaking the smile, "but we're also running late, and standing in the rain no less."

"Oh, we've got to be running, it was lovely to see you again, Sev!" Lily called as she walked onwards with James and Harry.

"Likewise..." Snape whispered as he watched the family round the corner, and then began to walk quietly in the other direction.

Back at Spinner's End, Snape lit a fire and pulled up his chair beside it. As he gazed into the flames, he pictured Lily again, gorgeous under the rain, so happy to see him again, despite her life with James and Harry here, while he was alone in the darkness of his home. In the end, however, he couldn't be so upset, because the real Lily Evans, the true girl he had been enchanted with since childhood, was here with him forever, and she was worth enduring a hundred James and Harry Potters.

Was he content to live in this personal fantasy of hers when there was no hope of anything beyond seeing her from time to time and talking for a few minutes? Could he live with James and Harry always in the way of him fully embracing her? Was this really any form of paradise for him? Was love strong enough to pull him through the hatred he faced here?

Snape pushed such question behind him and smiled into the jumping flames.

Always.

Author's Notes:

That's it. I leave you with this, because of all Snape tributes, I think it touches me the most. All credit goes to the maker and whomever he credits as well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPLG8tsBAF4

Thank you for reading Another Life.

17: After Image (RIP Alan Rickman!)

Author's Notes:

This chapter exists only because of the terrible news of Alan Rickman's passing away, today, Thursday January 14, 2016.

This story was not about him, but of his (perhaps) most famous role, and I can honor him through this story as well as the words below:

Alan Rickman was the definition of Snape to me. I was always on team Lord of the Rings with my friends at school, one of two among our group who held it above Harry Potter. In my senior year, not very long before I began writing this fan fiction, I decided to give Harry Potter a try. Couldn't be that bad, could it? Heh heh heh...J.K. Rowling's work was tremendous and her style instantly struck me. I was interested, more than I cared to admit, but I was struck indeed. It was not a new experience to me, I suppose I should have expected it. In freshman year I really got into comic books. Batman more than anything took me away on a tremendous adventure. In Sophomore and Junior Years, My Little Pony became my main fan focus, and it was during that time that I joined Fimfiction. But Senior year, that was the year of Harry Potter for me....or more accurately, the year of Severus Snape. I read the books (that I had managed to acquire), got all the movies, and even began this fic. All of it for Snape.

Who better to take as the focus and cross over than Snape? Before seeing the movies, it was clear to me that Snape was my favorite. I don't tend to sympathize as much with the protagonist as I do side or villainous characters. Snape was definitely in the sidelines through the story, and quite the villain....just not an evil villain. Alan Rickman's brilliance was and is imitated, but never replicated. His version of Snape wasn't very far off from the Snape I imagined in the books, but Rickman's performance was so amazing that I can no longer distinguish between the original Snape in my head and his version. He truly made those movies special. I'm not going to take shots at the way Voldemort or Bellatrix or anyone else was portrayed, but Rickman's excellence had such little competition, the only notable examples I can muster are Michael Gambon's Dumbledore and Gary Oldman's Sirius Black. That isn't to say they were the only good actors in the movies, far from it, but none, not even those two, could compare with Alan Rickman's performance. Not in my eyes.

Some may know him best as Hans Gruber from Die Hard, others as the Sheriff of Nottingham, Rasputin, or Absalom the Caterpillar, among so many other tremendous roles. He will always be most remembered as Severus Snape to me, not only for the spectacle of his performance but because that performance hit so close to home with who and what Snape was. I am very much a Snape, and Alan Rickman made me realize what a deep meaning that has. I sometimes wish I were more of a Dumbledore, but Alan Rickman always manages to make me smile inside, because he was such a great Snape.

The bottom line is this: Alan Rickman was an actor, a humanitarian, and a very good role model. I love Alan Rickman. I may not agree with all of the things he stood for and all he did, but I will always respect his acting ability, and more than anything, his amazing work under J.K. Rowling's imagination as the greatest wizard of all time (again, in my eyes)

My apologies if this is not as thought out as it deserves to be, but I find a great deal of importance in getting this new and final chapter published on the very day Mr. Rickman was taken from this world.

Raise your wands, friends, we've lost a good wizard today. And a great man.

R.I.P. Alan Rickman 1946-2016

"Excuse me, Headmaster!," one of the young hooligans who called himself a wizard sneered as he ran down the hall behind his pack of friends.

The old man barely had time to clear himself out of the way as the young Gryffindor barged through the hall and vanished not two seconds later. A detention would surely be waiting on his bed tonight. The Headmaster himself would write it. He was utterly disappointed in the last few years' students. This graduating class was by and far the worst though.

As he hobbled past another hallway and maneuvered onto a staircase as it began to move, he realized that such a sad fact was a poor reflection on himself. He had been charged with making the next generation strong, had he not? Was it not his responsibility to make these young wizards and witches valuable to their world? Another sad facet of his life, one more thing that went awry like all the others. Dumbledore never had this problem. Dumbledore had a much simpler time with it though.

Professor Lovegood saluted the old man as he exited the staircase, took two right turns back to back through the halls, and spoke the password that led to the Headmaster's office, "Aconite."

Up the stairs he went, free at last from the young ones cluttering his school grounds all the time. It was a short and sweet respite.

"Good evening, Professor!"

Snape rolled his eyes and moved his wrinkling hand through his silver hair, shooing away Draco Malfoy from his chair. The former student moved with a hearty laugh, and bit into the apple he had in his right hand.

"To what do I owe this immense pleasure, Mr. Malfoy?"

"Harry...." Suddenly the blonde haired man did not seem to be any kind of cheerful, "His mum...."

"I know."

"I didn't think it was possible. To lose his father just last year....and now..."

"That will do, rest assured....I will be attending the funeral."

"Well...Harry and I never were too fond of you....but you were close friends with his mother. I know that. Harry would come himself, but, err, he's tied down out of the country at the moment. He gave me a list before he left though. He wanted to personally invited you. That's why I'm here."

"Thank you. If that is all, please leave."

"Actually, that isn't all."

Snape had turned in the chair, looking back into the many portraits on the wall behind him whilst Malfoy spoke to the backside of the chair.

"Harry's mother, she wrote a few letters...on her deathbed. This one's yours."

He flung the message in the envelope over the chair with his wand, and Snape snatched it from the air at once, but remained hidden behind the grand seat.

"Thank you..." He at last replied.

"I know," Draco said, reading the mood without effort, "I'll leave in a second it's just....I can't quite explain it. The bond between you and Mrs. Potter, it's...remarkable."

"To the point, please."

"Professor...."

"Headmaster!"

"Oh forget it, you dreadful old man.......how could anyone grow to like you?"

Malfoy's disappearance via apparition was sudden, but took entirely too long to occur.

Snape guarded the letter by his chest for a while, but soon found himself eager to open it, devour the contents. His heart was beating like the wings on a quidditch snitch. Was this a last note of love? A scornful final curse of the fallout they had ten years back? Perhaps even something beyond his imagination. He had been chasing Lily's affection for almost ninety years, counting his time in this world as well as the previous two. Still he could not fathom her complexity and beauty in its entirety.

The funeral was tomorrow night. Harry, Draco, Ron and Hermione, all the young ones from his earlier years teaching, or his final ones if one looked in the right lifetime, would no doubt be in attendance. Perhaps even old Hagrid could muster himself up to attend. In fact, he wouldn't miss this funeral for the world, he was sure to come. Remus and Sirius, having outlived both James and Lily were likely leading the services. Peter Pettigrew hadn't been seen in years....but he may yet be alive. Would this be his resurgence occasion?

Did any of it matter? Weren't these all just figments? Wasn't Snape the willing sacrifice in a game of make-believe inside Lily's spirit? How could she die...again? How could things be so disastrous in life number three when he should have learned from the first two? How was it, that at this sad old age he was no closer to attaining the true affection of Lily than he had been at eleven? None of these wizards and witches were real, not as he knew reality as compared to the terrible fiction of this grandiose illusion. It was a dream inside a woman's yearning heart. If only he had been properly included.

Not to say that he wasn't. This was the life Lily wanted, but the one he wanted was so very from what happened. She and James grew old together and died not very far from each other. Harry had found a beautiful girl to marry himself, and all their three children were in Hogwarts or already graduated. Under Snape's watch, the keen eyes of a good friend. That was how it was supposed to go. Perhaps if he had not mettled, not tried to win her over again it would have been so. But no...he couldn't help it, could he? He broke a relationship he spent years amending, feeling the unforgiving curse of time ware down on him while his entire existence had yet to be fully justified. He was tired of proving himself. Tired of being the bad guy. Tired of making himself the bad guy. Tired of losing.

But of course he would attend. If Lily had left him again, he would remember her the same way he had in his first life, and then spend all the rest of this one finding her again. She was worth losing one hundred times to win just once. More than that even. One day he would become the man fit to be called her love. One day he would earn that crown. One day the name Albus S. would be Albus Severus instead of Albus Sirius. The name Lily Evans would evolve into Lily Snape. It must. It must. At some point in his wretched existence, something must once go right for him. Mustn't it?

Who was there to question besides himself? Always alone, always looking for the thing he most desired. It was status quo. It was normal in the lives of Severus Snape. Good God, why did he have to be Severus Snape?

The funeral service had ended an hour ago. Most of the attendants had gone to Diagon Alley to celebrate. There was no celebration tonight. There would be no celebration until Snape once again met Lily. Not until they once again locked eyes, face to face, would he allow himself the level of joy Harry Potter and all his many friends and family members were experiencing tonight. What could there possibly be to have fun with?

Snape was one of very few stragglers in the cemetery. He had avoided contact with almost everyone, especially Harry and Draco, and kept to the shadows almost the entire night. Only old Mr. and Mrs. Weasley still stood near the grave, readying themselves to part at last and leave for their home. By now even Remus was at the Alley.

The old Headmaster felt a disturbing numbness in his chest, and steadied himself on a nearby gravestone as the Weasley couple at last departed and apparated at the gates. Alone at last, Snape stumbled to the grave, eyes moist with many tears that were hidden behind the silver curtains of hair hung over his head. His knees hit the cold mud of the ground noisily, but nobody was about to hear him. He was free to confess his sorrows. He only hoped they were strong enough to carry themselves to wherever Lily was now. It was not this "paradise", and that was all that truly mattered at the moment.

"Lily....I have brought upon myself...a great shame. I have lived in the shadows of your affection towards other men almost my entire life. I have done many terrible, and perhaps a few good things. I have created spells, mentored great wizards, changed worlds. And it doesn't compare with my failure to treat you as you so deserved."

He let the tears fall and the numbness grow, unafraid to tear down that curtain that so many had told him to tear down long ago. Names like Dumbledore and Eileen Prince, even names he had all but forgotten like Twilight Sparkle or the long deceased Minerva Longbottom, who was but a child of twelve when she passed, came to mind. His three lives worth of experience had taught him only one thing in absolute certainty: the pain of unrequited love burned deeper after all this time than it did at its outbreak.

"I love you so very much. I have never not loved you. I count the day I first drove you away the absolute worst of my life. The day I failed to protect you the second. The day I let your son down and failed to protect him any longer the third. There is nothing I would not do to see you once again. There is nothing I would not give to meet you on a fair level and speak to you once more. Lily...."

The pain in his chest was unbearable, and for the first time in a very, very long time, Snape almost wished he were dead. Deader than he was at current time at least. This paradise was now a prison. Death could not come fast enough.

"Lily....Lily....Lily, dear Lily....."

Death could not claim him soon enough.

"...Lily."

Death could not fix things........but perhaps it would let him try again?

The Daily Prophet had a very unusual headline the next morning, and Harry could scarcely believe it as he read it. He wondered how Uncle Sirius would react. What about Draco? How did he feel? He couldn't imagine. It was so hard to believe he almost refused to accept it as truth. And how odd it was that another grand figure from his youth should so quickly vanish?

HOGWARTS HEADMASTER DEAD UNDER MYSTIFYING CIRCUMSTANCES

Hogwarts Headmaster Severus Snape was discovered dead at a friend's grave, the funeral for which he had attended the night before, according to initial reports. The discovery was made late last night by the groundskeeper, who was looking for anything left behind from the funeral service. The Headmaster, aged 69, was reportedly found hugging the gravestone of one Lily Potter. It is unknown when he died exactly. The cause is believed to be sudden and debilitating heart attack. He had no written will and if he made final requests they were not recorded. His body is currently in the Ministry Morgue, and anyone who was close to him is asked to come and speak with officials on his behalf regarding belongings, possible memorial and/or burial, etc.

The article went on, but Harry didn't bother reading the rest. It was so odd a sensation. One minute he was watching Snape at the funeral, observing the strange man he never much liked or cared for at school, who he always felt uncomfortable around, especially if his mother was there. The next the man was gone. He was always a sort of enigma to Harry, but his mother did care for him. More than he knew. She didn't know it, but Harry had seen the letter she wrote to Snape. He didn't blame her, nor did he hate him, really. He almost pitied the man. Snape, or perhaps Severus, must've been a cursed name. Maybe they both were. Life was funny that way. One could live it out in its entirety, maybe even two or three, and never catch a break. Life was peculiarly funny that way. Harry almost wished he could have one more to make up for the terrible one this last one must've been. But even wizards couldn't change death. The big question now was did he read the letter? Did he open it up, or keep it hidden from himself after the shame and anger of the big fight they had a decade ago? How did Snape react to being vulnerable? How would he have taken those words....those crucial first words?

"Severus...if you had asked me at a certain time in my life, I would have married you."