Author's Notes:

Giving another shoutout to somebody else's OC, Retrospect Saxon, who came from this guy, Quillin Words! Hope you all enjoyed the chapter and I'll see you next time!

“I still cannot believe it.” Princess Celestia sighed, rubbing her temple with her right hoof as she slowly shook her head. When she had called the meeting, the older princess had called on the Wonderbolts to join her, along with her sister and the Element Bearers with Daring Do.

Twilight had kept a constant gaze on her former teacher ever since they had discovered the Prince Blueblood’s journal hidden in his dresser. Although she had seen the princess down before, she couldn’t comprehend the feeling of betrayal that her mentor must have been experiencing. Her own nephew, whom she had taken care of since he was a colt, had turned against her and had possibly planned to use the Xenomorph inside Rarity against Celestia and Luna, not to mention Twilight and even Cadance. “Why was he trying to gain power? We tried to give him a home after his parents disappeared. I could not have imagined such treachery from him.”

“It is not your fault, sister. Nopony could have ever predicted that Blueblood would try to gain power in the first place. We were all blind to his ambitious goal of seizing the throne for himself.” Princess Luna wrapped a hoof around her sibling’s shoulders.

“Still… there may have been something that I could have done to prevent all of this from happening,” Celestia murmured. “Losing his parents at such a young age, I thought I could fill that gap with a loving presence, but he drove himself away from other ponies and shut them, including me, out.”

“Even so, there was nothing you could have done to prevent him from trying to plan a way to dethrone you and your sister,” Rarity said.

Celestia let out another sigh before saying, “You’re right, Rarity.” Her gaze moved from Rarity to Daring Do. “Have you discovered any information on the location of where this Neighland-Yupony facility might be?”

Paper flipping by quietly echoed in the conference room as Daring scanned the pages of the journal, her eyes stopping on a certain area. She looked up to the two princesses and reported, “There’s this section here in his journal where he says that one of his spies is established on an island near the Crystal Empire and Equestrian borders just off the eastern coast.”

“That island is not too far away, although it would still take some time to fly out there.” Luna looked down at the table below them, her eyes scanning across the map of the continents. Twilight took the time to examine the atlas as well, looking to the eastern side of Equestria. Sure enough, there was an island that Blueblood’s journal had described. “The flight from here to there may take up to four hours, three if we are quick about it.”

It went quiet, until Rainbow said, “How have they been hiding all of that for this whole time?” She crossed her forelegs as she floated above Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy.

“It may have been one company that my sister and I saw in some of the papers that established said facilities around Equestria, but we did not think much of it at the time,” Luna admitted.

“But it wasn’t really your fault,” Pinkie Pie said. “Sure, you may have given permission for this facility to run, but that doesn’t mean you were totally aware of every single silly piece of paper.”

The two princesses smiled. Twilight couldn’t help but smile as well, seeing how Pinkie was right.

“I agree with Pinkie Pie,” Fluttershy said. “What you two did was an honest mistake. Nopony here resents you for that. It's not as if you knew of this beforehand. Those ponies were just good at being really, really quiet.”

“Thank you… both of you,” Celestia murmured.

“So why would Blueblood sneak off to a Neighland facility?” Twilight asked. Everypony turned to her. “I mean, what’s so important about this island that he snuck off without telling anypony else?”

“Maybe he figured we’d all eventually find out what he was up to,” Daring explained. She continued, “I mean, he isn’t here in the castle anymore. That much is obvious.”

It was definitely a strange reason to leave the castle, Twilight thought, seeing as how she and the others hadn’t even known he was involved with trying to obtain the Xenomorph in secret until now.

“Is there anythin’ else in that journal there that can explain what the hay is goin’ on over on that island?” Applejack asked.

Daring skimmed the pages, stopping as she held one of the pages up. She looked over the information, then up to the others. “He seems to think that there’s something very important on the island, but I haven’t found what it is yet.”

“Could you possibly guess from what you know of the other Neighland-Yupony facility?” Celestia asked.

Daring brought a hoof up to her chin, rubbing it thoughtfully before saying, “Neighland-Yupony had an arsenal of weaponry that I’ve experienced firsthoof. The guards have automatic crossbows, magic and possibly even some other advanced pieces of technology.” Twilight herself was surprised that this company even had advanced items, even going as far as to make a crossbow fire bolts automatically. “They, of course, had that one… creature… but I was certain it must have died in the explosion.” The adventurer’s eyes widened a little before she spoke again. “Come to think of it… it’s odd that these Neighland ponies are kidnapping other ponies. If they need them, and with what happened last time...” She went dead quiet. “...Oh.”

“Oh no! We’re all doomed!” Pinkie Pie yelled, jumping into the air before slowly floating back down. “What’s with the ‘Oh’? Is something bad about to happen?”

Daring Do flipped through the journal again. “Blueblood mentions here that his spies heard talk about a… ‘bioweapon’. What the heck is that?”

Something clicked in Twilight’s mind as she heard that term again. It felt familiar; she remembered that the word had been said by the deranged scientist, Dr. Makoy Markovich, when he was describing the... “Oh no… you said a bioweapon, correct?” She watched Daring nod and felt a terrible gut-wrenching feeling as she realized what happened the last time ponies began to disappear. “That’s what Markovich called the Xenomorph! Then… that means that Neighland-Yupony may have--”

“Don’t you dare say that it is that creature!” Rarity quickly interrupted, yet Twilight could see that her friend was holding something back.

“How did they get the--”

“Everypony, remain calm!” Celestia spoke in a higher tone, her voice rising above everypony else's as she interrupted Rainbow Dash. “We have no solid evidence that what they have is indeed the Xenomorph.”

“But--” Rainbow tried to interject, but Celestia held up a hoof to silence her.

“Daring Do, are you certain the Xenomorph is dead?” Celestia asked.

She thought for a moment, looking unsurely at the table before her, until she said, “I can’t confirm the kill. I thought for sure that it must have gone up with the rest of the facility, but I didn’t see it die with my own eyes.”

Wearily, Celestia sighed and said, “I know that I have told everypony here that the Xenomorph is most likely dead… but if what Daring Do says is true, then I was wrong. The Xenomorph is alive, and this means more than a matter of national security. The entire world is in danger!”

“Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go and bash some heads in!” Rainbow Dash shouted, eager to put Neighland-Yupony in its place.

“I’m afraid it isn’t that simple, Rainbow Dash,” Celestia told her.

“My sister is right,” Luna said. “We cannot just go bursting into private facilities and arrest ponies on the spot, especially with such dubious evidence. However, an investigation is in order. That way, we can see what this Bishop Neighland has planned.”

It was quiet for a moment as the group simply sat in silence. Twilight looked to the ponies at her left and right before speaking up. “So, who is going to go on the trip to this Neighland-Yupony facility?” she asked. “I’ll definitely go with anypony else who is willing to go with me.” She knew that if the Xenomorph was alive, then she would need to be there to serve Equestria.

“Yah can definitely count me in, Twilight. If that monster is there, then I’d like to get some closure for mah brother.”

“You can count on me. I’ve always wanted to give that freak another go. It got the better of me before, so I owe it one,” Rainbow Dash joined in, landing next to AJ, tucking her wings in.

“I shall come along as well,” said Rarity, much to Twilight’s surprise. Ever since the possibility of the alien’s return was first mentioned, Rarity had quickly made it known that she didn’t want any part in discussing it. She didn’t even want it mentioned by name. “I won’t stand by and let my friends face all the danger alone. That and I want to make sure that the… ‘creature’ that grew inside of me is truly dead.” Rarity frowned as she placed a hoof on the scar hidden beneath her white fur.

“I’m joining the party as well!” Pinkie Pie cartwheeled over to Twilight and hugged her. “If you all are going, then I’m going!”

“And, although I’m extremely nervous about this, I’ll definitely come along with you all.” Fluttershy moved up next to Rarity with a smile on her muzzle as well.

Twilight smiled, happy to have her friends alongside her for this adventure. She looked over to Daring Do and asked, “What about you? Are you okay for another adventure?” Remembering all the bandages Daring had on, she had to make sure that the adventurer was in a good condition to travel.

“Of course. I’m not going to let you all have fun without me.”

“We’ll come along, too.” A pony spoke up from the other side of the table. Twilight smiled as she saw Spitfire and a few of her Wonderbolt friends by her side.

“Yeah! Spitfire! Soarin! Fleetfoot!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed as her idols stood at the end of the table.

“Cloudchaser, Thunderlane, and Bulk Biceps are a part of the Wonderbolts Reserves, the same as Rainbow Dash. If she goes in, we go in. In the Wonderbolts, we never leave a pony behind.”

“I shall go along as well. I want to be there to make sure that this Bishop Neighland is telling the whole truth,” Celestia said, her gaze focusing on the Element Bearers as they all turned to face her.

“If you are going, sister, then I shall come along as well.” Luna smiled up to her bigger sister.

Celestia looked to her sister and frowned. “I’m afraid not, Luna. I need you to stay here in Canterlot.”

“What?” Luna’s eyes widened as she took a step back. “But why? I want to come along with you to see this facility and help if the situation becomes drastic. You will not deny me that ri-”

“Luna!” Celestia raised her voice, and Luna flinched at the tone she used.

Twilight opened her mouth to say something, but thought better against it. ‘It’s their problem alone. I can’t intrude on their conversation.’

“I understand your concern, sister. But I care for you and don’t want to see you become hurt if worse comes to worst.” Celestia moved closer to her younger sibling. Luna looked away, but Celestia gently lifted Luna’s muzzle up with a hoof and murmured, “I know that you can handle yourself in a situation if events ever became chaotic, but if we were to leave Canterlot and something were to happen to the both of us, there would be nopony to watch over the rest of our subjects. I need you to do that for me while I am gone, so that the public does not become afraid with the absence of their leaders.”

Luna slowly returned her gaze to her sister and nodded, sighing before she said, “Just… do be careful, sister.”

“Of course, Luna. I will make sure not to leave you ruling Equestria alone.” The two sisters hugged afterwards, separating moments after. Twilight smiled, although this little moment would only last for so long. Her friends, along with Daring Do and Princess Celestia, left the conference room with Princess Luna walking by her older sister’s left side. Twilight began to move forward, glancing behind her to take one last look at the sunlit conference room.

‘What if something awful happens to us while we’re at the Neighland-Yupony facility? Will this be the last time I ever see this place?’ She shook her head, moving those negative thoughts to the back of her mind. She felt a pressure in front of her chest and fell onto her flank as the force of whatever she’d run into pushed her back. Shaking her head, she looked up to see who it was only to blush when she realized that she had run into one of the guard members. “Oh… sorry,” she murmured, smiling as she looked away.

“We’ve got to stop meeting like this,” the stallion replied, lending a hoof to her own.

She accepted his help, rubbing the back of her head as she stood up. “Sorry, Flash. I didn’t see you there… again.” Twilight couldn’t help smiling as she gazed at the stallion in front of her, her eyes unmoving from his own cornflower blue pupils. His brilliant orange coat shimmered in the natural sunlight. Twilight glanced away, breathing in before returning her attention to him. “So, how’s Cadance doing?”

He sighed. “She’s… getting better. But I’ve been noticing that she’s still trying to cope with the loss.”

That was exactly what she was worrying about. Her sister-in-law, Princess Cadance, was struggling to get by each day. She was not only dealing with running the Crystal Empire on her own, but she also had a foal nearing its birth expectancy; the doctors told her that it could be sometime this week. Twilight looked up, smiling as she said, “Thank you for telling me this.”

“It’s okay. Besides, I was hoping to find you here,” Flash said. He sifted through the saddlebag on his back.

“And why’s that?” Twilight asked, tilting her head as she waited for the stallion to show her whatever it was he had inside those packs.

A gleam of light blinded her for a moment, and she shielded her eyes, bringing her hoof down when she saw a silver trinket dangling in his mouth. He gave it to her, and she saw the silver emblem engraved with the words, ‘Triumph over the Wicked.’ Twilight covered her mouth with her right hoof as she quickly recalled who this had belonged to before. ‘Shining Armor… he wore this.’

“The Royal Guardsmen appointed me as Captain a week after… well…” The stallion muttered something she couldn’t pick up, his gaze dropping from her own as he looked to the ground. Although she couldn’t hear him, she guessed it was probably relating to her brother.

But why did he have to tell her that? If he had got it only a week after her brother’s death, than did the Guard really care that Shining had died? Did Flash Sentry care for Shining Armor at all? “Oh… that’s, um… great.”

“Yeah. Now I’ve been promoted to Captain of the Guard. So… yeah.” A silence loomed over the two ponies, Twilight looking away as he did the same. “Well… I better get going. I’ll see you later on the trip,” Flash said, walking down the opposite hallway.

Twilight looked up to him, then back down to the ground as she thought of what he had said. He was now the captain of the Royal Guard, and with that title, he had replaced her brother, Shining Armor. A heavy feeling had replaced those potential amorous thoughts, although they were still floating around in the back of her mind. But the ache that had been constant since the day she had watched her brother’s coffin go under returned. She shuddered and let out a tiny whimper as she wondered why he had to take her deceased brother’s position. ‘Couldn’t they have waited a month or more before deciding?’ Though, she supposed, the Royal Guard did need a captain. This trip, she thought, was definitely going to be a long one.

Hoofsteps echoed down the elongated hallway. Princess Luna stared at the end of the corridor with a deepening frown. She closed her eyes, breathing out through her nose to keep her anger from showing as she passed by a couple of guards. Opening her eyes again, she looked to the second-farthest door on the left, made her way to the opening and walked through. A brief gust of wind greeted her as she made her way to the edge of the courtyard and slowly scanned the city of Canterlot below their castle.

It was unfair, Luna thought, her frown growing as she slowly shook her head. “Sister… why must you treat me this way? If anything were to happen to you on that island…” The frustration she tried to hold back grew and grew as she turned towards the city below their palace. Her sister was there with the Element Bearers, and after that, she would go to the island once everypony was ready. A growl emanated from her that turned into a yell that echoed the courtyard. “If you were to die, I would be left alone to rule Canterlot. But I would just feel even more alone than my imprisonment on the moon!” She stomped her right hoof down, cracking the marble beneath her hooves.

No matter how horrible her time on the moon had been, nothing would ever compare to the possible feeling of permanent isolation without her sister. The idea of it forced a couple of tears out of Luna, who slowly lowered herself to the ground, hiding her eyes behind her forelegs. “Why… I want to be there to make sure that nothing hurts you. You are the only family I have left that is tied by blood. Our parents… we both know what happened to them... their too-soon demise.” Luna could only wish for a memory wipe about the fire that had started when they were only just fillies.

She heard hoofsteps behind her. “Your Highness, are you alright?” She glanced back to see a member of the Royal Guard bowing down.

Luna closed her eyes, taking a couple of deep breaths before turning to face the stallion, looking composed as she always was. “Yes, I am fine. Thank you for your concern, but now is not the time.” Walking up to the guard, she said, “I want you to find the First Lieutenant of my Lunar Guard.”

“Yes, Your Highness.” The stallion quickly stood up, ran back into the castle and disappeared in the entryway. Luna watched him go for a moment before returning her attention to the distant forest on the horizon. Even if she was not allowed to go, that did not mean that she couldn’t let a guard keep a watchful gaze over Celestia to make sure she was safe. ‘I do understand that you are powerful, dear sister. But I know that you even have your limits.’ She just hoped that Celestia would appreciate the extra help, just in case she did find herself in trouble.

Another set of hoofsteps echoed behind her, but at a quicker pace than the previous guards. She heard the pony skid to a halt and turned to see a stallion in dark grayish-green armor, a white coat of fur exposed on his back legs. He stood at attention with a hoof in salute. “First Lieutenant of the Lunar Marine Corps, Retrospect, reporting for duty, Your Highness.”

“Good afternoon, Retrospect. It is nice to see my best Lunar Marine before me,” said Luna. She only received a nod. “There is something that I wish for you to do. I want you to take one of the guard positions that are accompanying my sister to an island. Make sure she is safe.”

“Of course. I’ll do whatever it takes to keep Princess Celestia safe, Your Highness.” With a clatter of hooves, the stallion left Luna to her lonesome self. As she looked out to the city, she could already feel her heart ache with the burden of watching over this city alone. ‘Celly… please, do come back safely.’

Crystal tapped her hoof on the desk they had put in her room, resting a hoof against her chin as she continued to stare at the oak surface below her hooves. “Ugh… if their plan is to get me to talk through boredom and isolation, I’d say that it’s beginning to work.” Groaning out loud, she leaned back in the chair and gazed up at the ceiling, blinking as the room reverted back to a still silence.

There was nothing to do. No books to read, no objects to play with. The only source of fun she knew was talking to Aquafrost, and she was somewhere else in the facility, however big it was. All she had other than that was watching the doctors fume over her reluctance to tell them what they needed to find out about their ship, the Nostromo, and if she was on it. She chuckled to herself as she reminisced on her last encounter with one of those stuck-up snobs, smiling at the echo of a hoof hitting the wall.

She swiveled her ears and glanced over her shoulder as the same doctor from before entered the room. “Good afternoon,” he said to her as he walked over to her bed, looking to the hallway out the door and nodding. Crystal stared at him and saw a shadow move underneath the door before the pony came into view.

It was another guard. She raised her eyebrow at the difference of this pony. He was small, strikingly different from those super-brawny ponies that Neighland seemed to love hiring. But she knew it wasn’t good to underestimate a stallion like this. Crystal lowered her eyes to a glare as she stared at the black visor hiding the pony’s eyes, muttering, “And who are you supposed to be? Some kind of security guard? Are you here to fix the clocks?”

“No… aside from your petty remarks.” Crystal leaned back as the stallion took a step forward. “You’re addressing your new interrogator. The pony that is going to get the information out of you, one way or another.” The stallion smiled as he boasted. “You could also understand that I am one of Neighland’s elite ponies. The stallions and mares who guard Bishop himself.”

“That’s quite a pedigree there.” Crystal frowned at the doctor, returning her attention to the guard. “So… you think you can make me tell you what this doctor here has been trying to find out?”

The stallion chuckled, shaking his head and taking another step closer. “What you fail to realize is that I’ve been tasked to get the answers we’re all looking for, and quite frankly, I couldn’t give two pony feathers about how I acquire that information.”

“Now, now, there’s no reason to get too hasty,” the doctor said, rubbing his right foreleg as he shook where he stood. “Please… just give us the information, ma'am, and we can forget this ever happened.”

Crystal stared at the two, blinking once before turning her attention to the desk. The doctor growled as he fumed. “I’ve been as patient as I can! But I cannot wait for you to tell us on your own terms anymore when something important to me is on the line.” He looked to the guard, nodding shakily.

Crystal raised an eyebrow at the doctor, returning her attention to the guard. He cracked his neck and moved closer to where she sat. As she opened her mouth, a pain stung the side of her mouth as the stallion’s hoof met her muzzle. Her forelegs hit the ground first, and she groaned and rubbed the area where the stallion had hit her. Her eyes widened as she grabbed at a pressure surrounding her neck, grasping at the stallion’s hoof as he raised her up into the air. “You had better start talking; otherwise, the consequences will be dire.” He smirked, smiled and laughed. “Sadly, it’s going to be more fun for me in the end.”

The breath left her, and she gasped for air, feeling the cold surface of the wall against her back as the stallion slammed her against the wall. Grunting, she kicked and swung her hooves; the stallion in front of her kept smiling. “L-let go of me, you piece of--”

Crystal yelped as the pain of the stallion’s hoof met her muzzle again. “Please,” said the doctor, his eyes widening at the scene before him. “Please just tell us what we want. I don’t want to make this situation any worse than it needs to be.”

Trying to swing her hoof at the guard, she hissed. “S-screw you!”

The doctor closed his eyes, sighing at the sight. He moved his gaze to the guard and nodded. Crystal swiveled her ears at the sound of metal sliding along metal, glancing down to try and find the source.

She cried out as an extreme pain shot up and down her nerves. Looking down to her side, her breath stopped as she saw a trickle of blood down her side, a glint of light flashing in her eyes. She whimpered at the sight of a sword in her side. “So…” Crystal returned her attention to the stallion, her breathing coming out in erratic gasps. “Maybe you’d like to reconsider that offer? How about you start talking and keep this from getting any worse.”

She glared at the stallion and moved a hoof down to the blade. She screamed again as the sword twisted inside her body. “You know, I can keep at this all day long. Unfortunately for you.” He smirked and twisted the blade once more. “You’ll be out of blood if you don’t answer the questions that this doctor has been searching for.”

The doctor slowly walked up a few feet from the mare, shaking as he said, “Please… just tell me what you know. My family is on the line here…”

Crystal whimpered as she squirmed around, closing her eyes as her breath came out in erratic gasps. She gulped, opened her eyes and let loose a trickle of tears down onto her muzzle. “C-Crystal R-Rune…”

“W-what?”

“M-my name,” she said, looking up at the doctor. “I am… o-or was a mercenary. I had o-operations in Canterlot and-”

She screamed again as the blade dug farther inside her body. “I don’t care about your past. What were you doing on the freighter?” the guard asked.

“I boarded the ship… after me and a team broke into t-the facility to de-destroy the Xenomorph… p-please, I d-didn’t take anything, I swear.”

The guard turned his attention to the doctor. “She’s not lying. The whole cargo was destroyed when the ship made impact on the beach. There was nothing left to scavenge.”

He chuckled, returning his focus to the mare. “Alright then... “ He pulled the sword out, letting go of Crystal’s neck. She dropped drop to the floor onto her side, the blood pooling out as he stepped back.

“We… we should bring her to one of the medical rooms. I could fix her up and-”

“Nah. It’s okay, doctor. She’s not useful anymore, so there’s no reason to keep her alive.” The guard grabbed his shoulder and turned him around, pushing him out the door. “If she somehow survives the blood loss, then maybe she might be useful after all.”

The door closed shut. Crystal reached out as she tried to pull herself forward, whimpering and crying quietly as she felt the room blacken slightly. She lifted a hoof up, gasping at the small droplets of blood dripping onto the ever-increasing puddle. “Please… oh, g-goddess… s-some… pony… please…” she whimpered out. There was no hope in the words she spoke, only a reality that would never come true.