Prologue

It had been six months since the forgotten events of the Overlord. Half of that time Princess Luna had been locked away in her quarters after a horrifying revelation.
The great deity, Guardian, had lost his memory of Equestria to The Overlord, also taking all the time Guardian spent raising the royal sisters in the midst of a bloody war. The sisters were devastated, they owed their lives to him for all the wars fought against stronger foes. He had always been there to save the young Equestria time and time again. There is no pain greater than being forgotten by someone you love.

It was month three. Luna was still hidden away and Celestia was going through a stack of documents, stamping one after another. She always tried to bury herself in her tedious royal duties. Celestia kept a steady pace, stamping one after another. This was one of the things Guardian taught them to do, how to keep from going mad by stamping one after another. Thoughts of her mentor crept into her mind. Celestia's pace quickened, stamping one after another. Everything she stood for was created by Him, and now she tried to hide her grief, stamping one after another. Anger was overcoming the princess, these tasks were utterly pointless. She was going at a furious speed now. Tears were forming at her eyes and she uttered small sobs. Why them, why here, how could the only other family besides Luna not remember her? Celestia threw the stack of papers across the room with a furious scream. She collapsed on the floor sobbing uncontrollably. She was just another life to Him, not meaning anything special. She was small and insignificant to his great power.
When she heard footsteps behind her, she whirled around ready to blast the intruder out of blind rage. She stopped herself when she saw the two-legged metal being approaching her. Guardian had a sorrowful look, he was moving cautiously, as if he feared the white alicorn in front if him might not be real. He stopped a few feet away from her and gently placed a robotic hand on her cheek. Celestia leaned into his hand. Closing her eyes she cherished the gesture, despite being mostly metal, Guardian gave off this warm and comforting aura. A sensation she hadn't felt in centuries. When she opened her eyes Guardians expression changed to one of a loving father. Hope flared in Celestia. The impossible chance of His complete return seemed to be happening right in front of her.

His next words gave Celestia the strength to fly to the moon and back,

"I remember."

Author's Notes:

Nothing like some feels to start this off.

For those who so desperately wish it to be so, no this is not actually romance. Guardian's love for Celestia and Luna is that of an adopted father, I've tried to make that very clear. If you haven't read the first book please do so now, it'll make a lot more sense. I hope you enjoy this next installment.

Lingering Past

It was now the sixth month after The Forgotten Crisis, and in that time, Twilight Sparkle had befriended Guardian. It was at first, very awkward with her first meeting. She couldn't help but see the Overlord in him. But with time the tension faded and Twilight had grown to like the deity. He wasn't like some royal stiff, but had an adventurous and humorous personality. Eventually, Guardian was introduced to the rest of her friends, each of them slowly forgetting about The Overlord.
It was about the fifth month that he was known through all of Equestria. Guardian was traveling around the planet, making his presence known throughout the world.
The day came when Guardian was to cross the border out of Equestria, and he promised his students to show them what lay outside their kingdom.

-----------------------------------

Guardian, Luna, and Celestia stood in a clearing facing a range of hills. Beyond the hills were the lands beyond Equestria. As soon as they went over the hill they would be in a completely new land. They were all excited, none of them knew what awaited across the border.

"What do you think the culture would be like?" Asked Luna.

"I have no idea. I've never even looked past Equestria." Replied Guardian.

Their job was to find any civilization that might be there, and form an alliance with them, of possible. They all glanced at each other, and started forwards up the hill. The anticipation was rising in their chests. They reached them top of the hill and almost cried out at the sight before them.
The land was completely flat and the ground was blackened and charred. Guardian desperately reached into the flow of magic, but there was none. Magic flowed through everything, in life, in the ground, even in the air, but where the grass ended and became barren dirt was also where Guardian couldn't feel the magic. He went farther, expanded his mind to the magic, but it stopped at about a hundred miles. It just stopped, like an imaginary wall had been erected, surrounding this wasteland.

"I don't understand..." Celestia whispered in disbelief. Also shouldn't the eastern ocean be here?

Luna however, was trying to focus on something in the distance. Guardian followed her gaze and saw what looked to be a structure of some kind. Celestia had also spotted the strange speck in the distance.
Guardian closed his organic eye, and used his robotic one to zoom in on the object.
It was a structure indeed, four stone pillars sat around a circular pit in the stone floor. That was all there was, no walls or anything just those pillars and the pit. But Guardian recognized this structure and knew it's purpose all too well.

"Send a message to every major city in Equestria calling the leaders for a meeting in Canterlot immediately."

His serious tone alarmed the sisters, Guardian was obviously frightened by whatever he saw out in the wasteland.

Celestia looked at him with worry in her eyes, "What is it, what's out there?"

"That structure is a portal to another world, a hostile one. Equestria is about to be invaded, we need to prepare for war."

Author's Notes:

Jumping right into the plot seems to be a habit of mine.

Alright I admit this isn't the best chapter ever written but I promise to improve my skills in the future.

Rally the Hive

The next morning, Twilight received a letter from Guardian saying to gather her friends and wait for him at her house. So now Twilight and the rest of the gang sat in the council chamber of Twilight's home.

"Now where do y'all suppose he is?" Asked Applejack thirty minutes after the meeting should've started.

They all turned their heads to the sound of the door opening and footsteps. Some of them were ready to question why Guardian was late, but the grim expression on his face silenced everyone. Guardian walked to his seat, marked by the insignia that took the form of Guardian's gem. No one dared to speak, even after he sat down. There was a heavy silence in the air that if broken by the slightest sound, they might find themselves dead. When Guardian did finally speak, it almost gave them all a heart attack.

"How many of you are familiar with the concept of war?" Asked Guardian.

They looked at each other with complete confusion, except for Twilight who halfway raised her hoof in the air, "I've read about it a little, but not too much."

Guardian didn't look at any of them, he just kept his hands clasped in front of him on the table. He looked at his hands, his eyes full of pain and sadness. No one knew what to say. Something was very wrong, and Twilight wondered if it had something to do with the expedition the day before.
Guardian finally let out a long sigh, he knew he couldn't keep it from them.

"The way it works is that an independent nation like Equestria declares war on another country. Then the two sides use their military to capture locations from the other side such as trade routes, resource deposits things of that nature."

Rainbow Dash spoke with a frightful tone, as if she already knew the answer, "What exactly do you mean 'use their military'?"

"I mean they send their troops into bloody battles to the death." Guardian replied with a grim tone.

Twilight's suspicions were really bothering her now. She had to say something, "What happened on the trip yesterday? Are you saying we're going to war with another country?"

They all looked at him with pleading in their eyes, the thought of something so horrible coming to Equestria was too much to bear.

"Not another country, no..."

His next words almost matched those of The Overlord's final threat to Twilight,

"But a force more powerful than you can imagine"

-----------------------------------

He hoped He was making the right choice. He knew that Equestria would need all the help it could get but-

Stop that irritating concern! It's giving me a headache!

"Odd considering this isn't your head."

You watch your tongue with me. I may hate Malcan and Denthar just as much as you do, but that does not excuse that kind of attitude with me.

"Fine, but remember when I send you back it may not be a very pleasant experience if you keep ordering me around."

Silence! I didn't come back here to pointlessly argue with you! We have an appointment with a Queen don't we?

He stood inside the mouth of a small cave. The back of the cave sloped downwards, then turned left. At the corner there was a soft green glow. Guardian didn't have any experience with this new Queen. The one he had been acquainted with was assassinated in the Old Wars, he hoped that they didn't hold grudges.
Guardian took a deep breath and made his way down the slope. When he turned the corner there was a long tunnel with glowing green holes in the walls. In the middle of the corridor was an unconscious, brown unicorn stallion with a yellow mane. As Guardian approached him the stallion's eyes snapped open and he scrambled to his feet.

"Please help me, I was attacked by these...things!" The pony begged frantically.

Using the their prey's natural instinct to help someone in need against them. Now there's a strategy I could use.

Guardian reached into his interior cloak pockets and pulled out a green, slimy egg.

"I have an appointment." He said with a serious tone. He was secretly hoping that they didn't change their customs these past years.

Fortunately, the stallion stood up straight and looked at Guardian with a hardened expression.

"Follow me."

The unicorn lead him through a series of corridors. The twists and turns made Guardian wonder just how these creatures navigate through these tunnels.
They finally came to a stop in a pitch-black cavern. Guardian didn't know how big the cavern was, it was too dark to see anything.

"Her Majesty shall speak to you now."

Guardian had no idea where the raspy voice came from, but he wasn't given any time to think about it when a candle flickered in between him and the Queen sitting across from him. The candle wasn't enough to light the whole cavern, all he could see was the face of the Changeling Queen sitting across from him.

"Have we met?" Asked Chrysallis, looking bored as if she had meetings every day.

Guardian gave an honest and foolish answer, "I am Guardian. I am the mentor of Celestia and Luna, I was the one who ordered your mother assassinated in The Old Wars."

WHAT?!

The Queen's eyes went wide with shock and fear, then it changed to a thoughtful one.

"I never did like Mother. She always tried to send me into battle...I suppose I owe you my thanks and my attention."

Seriously!?

Guardian breathed a quick sigh of relief, then turned to Chrysallis. This is where He was needed, He had to convince her to join them in the upcoming war. But this would be no easy task. He was asking her to join her worst enemies. But if they didn't form an alliance here and now, the Changilings may actually become part of the darkness.

Author's Notes:

I've always enjoyed the idea of an Equestrian-Changeling alliance to fight against a common enemy. Plus with The Overlord as Guardian's adviser, how could this possibly go wrong?

You will all die you puny mortals!

Training Day

"I'm sorry, what?!"

When Guardian proposed the alliance, Chrysallis was shocked that anyone would suggest such a thing.

"Please, without your army Equestria doesn't stand a chance." Guardian was pleading now, He couldn't afford to lose this asset.

"Even though I owe them compensation for my attack on Canterlot, I will not be dealing with those racists!"

Tell that infernal woman that if she doesn't join us then she will not even survive their first attack.

Guardian repeated his "advice" from The Overlord to Chrysallis, leaving out the insults of course. Chrysallis still wasn't giving in, "How could you possibly think that they would accept me after what I did?"

The Queen looked down at the ground, regret and sadness filled her eyes, "What I did was unforgivable and just utterly idiotic! Why would they trust me after all that?"

Guardian reached out and gently placed a hand on her shoulder, "I've done my own atrocities against Equestria myself," Chrysallis looked up in surprise, "Although I'd rather not speak about it, everything worked out in the end and they forgave me." Chrysallis thought hard about this. He was right about one thing, the Changelings were in no position to go to war by themselves, only by aligning with Celestia would they have a chance at survival.
Chrysallis straightened and looked Guardian in the eyes, "Very well, I will meet you along with whomever else you've invited, at the castle in two days time. You are dismissed."

He drew his hand back, breathing a sigh of relief. A Changeling guard appeared and began to escort Guardian through the darkness. Before they stepped back into the tunnels Guardian turned around,

"It's not going to be an easy day, I'm not going to be as friendly as I am here. And don't worry I'll make them trust you,"

His next words were very unsettling to the Queen.

"No matter how harsh I have to be."

-----------------------------------

The next day was mostly spent on waiting for Guardian again. Celestia and Luna were already at the Castle of the Two Sisters when Twilight and her friends arrived. When they entered the throne room they were surprised to see Chrysallis and the princesses standing side by side facing the door. Just as Rainbow Dash was about to make a rude comment to Chrysallis, Celestia flashed her a very harsh glare.

"Fall. In. Line."

Twilight had never seen her mentor so worked up over something. Celestia wasn't angry, she was, frightened. By what, Twilight couldn't guess.
As soon as they took up position by Celestia, the group of mares turned to face the door like the alicorns were. They wore serious expressions, which even silenced Pinkie Pie. Then the castle doors swung open, Guardian marching through with a...critical stare. Twilight could have sworn she saw Luna stop breathing for a moment.
Guardian stopped a few feet in front of them, his gaze sweeping over them. The princesses stared straight ahead, not making eye contact nor speaking with Guardian, as if they already went through whatever this was. Twilight was confused about the whole ordeal. She desperately wanted to ask Guardian what was happening but kept her mouth shut. The silence was finally broken when Guardian gestured to Fluttershy and Rarity.

"When you entered this building, you were scanned and your physical capabilities have not met the training requirements."

Fluttershy and Rarity looked at each other, neither had the faintest idea of what he was talking about. When Guardian noticed this he gave a frustrated sigh, then assessed all of them.

"You have all been made aware of the threat that lies on our doorstep. An army is coming to Equestria with the intent to kill and nothing else. We need to strike back with a force of our own, that's why your here. You will each undergo a series of assessments that will test you to the limit. When I decide the right time, you will then be assigned a squadron and a specific role in that squad. Questions?"

Twilight stepped forward, but immediately fell back when Guardian answered her unspoken question, "No we cannot reason with them. War is what they want and it's what they shall get, but they will be denied victory. Anyone else?"

When no one came forward, Guardian continued, "Ground rules, I am not your friend as of this moment, but your commanding officer. I expect the utmost respect from all of you. You will respond to me with a yes or no 'sir'. Insubordination will not be tolerated and will be met with severe consequences. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes Sir!" The alicorns responded in unison, everyone else nodded their head out of fear.

It's going to be a really long day...for them at least.

For the Greater Good

"How long till they break through?"

I'd say about a month, mabye less. You're not going to have enough time to transform this pathetic world into a nation ready for war. You can hardly train one of them!

"Look she just needs to be...disciplined a bit more."

Or perhaps literally whipped into shape. Loyalty needs to know where her priorities are, you fight for the majority, if losing all your friends means saving an entire planet then so be it!

"She only acts by her nature, she just needs to learn what's at stake here."

Nature. Bah! There's nothing natural about this world. It can barley function on its own without the intervention of the ponies.

"We will get this figured out, we won't let them prevail this time."

We? No, this is as far as I take you, if they come and this planet is imploded then fine, not my concern.

"Very well then, it was...helpful."

-----------------------------------

After day three of training, the princesses and Rarity were sent to different locations to complete their assessment. Of course Rainbow Dash protested against it, but Guardian kept saying that "Remaining here to train would be pointless. Her talents would prove useless in combat so therefore she is being sent to Canterlot were her skills would be helpful."
As for training, it was rough on all of them, Rainbow Dash most of all. It wasn't the physical challenges no she passed those fine, it was the constant arguing with Guardian that put her on cleaning duty in the new training base he constructed. She was always fighting against his authority. She felt that Guardian didn't have the right to order them around. While Rainbow didn't fully understand the gravity of the situation, she still felt that the constant shouting and bossiness was unnecessary. Rainbow Dash had to watch Applejack and Twilight become so exhausted from the exercises Guardian makes them do. Pinkie and Dash could handle them just fine but watching Guardian push them so hard to their breaking point was too much for her to bear.

Then there was Fluttershy.

-----------------------------------

Fluttershy stood in the middle of a snowy plain. Explosions were going off all around her. Projectiles were falling from the sky and hitting the ground, throwing dirt and snow everywhere. Groups of unicorn soldiers were firing bolts of magic at an unseen enemy. Large metal things flew overhead, one getting hit by something and going down in a ball of fire. In the distance Fluttershy could see the Crystal Empire. Floating shapes surrounded the spire, enormous cannons firing at a massive, sinister looking airship approaching the empire from the west.
Fluttershy forgot why she was there the moment she was...deployed? She didn't even know what that means. She wore a nurses cap and heavy saddle bags containing medical supplies. She guessed she was supposed to treat someone, but so many ponies lay dead already.
She was frozen in place by fear, all the noise and death was maddening. Fluttershy couldn't remember why she was there.
The airship was directly over the city now, a faint glow was coming from its underside. The glow intensified and a beam of energy struck the Crystal Empire in a blinding flash of light. Somehow, Fluttershy knew it was her fault, she hadn't acted quickly enough. Her cowardice brought the death of over a thousand innocent lives.
The light expanded and engulfed her, then it was all over...

Again.

-----------------------------------

Rainbow Dash shot up out of her bed at the sound of an air horn. She looked around at the bare metal walls of her dorm and sighed. Her, Twilight, Applejack, Fluttershy, and Pinkie had eaten and slept at the training base, they hadn't stepped outside the facility in two weeks.
Rainbow Dash looked at the blank, depressing walls. Her room wasn't even that big. There was the bed against one wall, and a few feet of floor in between the bed and the door, and an inch from the other wall, and that was it. Rainbow was fed up with it. Guardian had no place to be ordering them around, keeping them in this building. It was practically prison. The worst was his boring lectures, Rainbow always fell asleep during those. At first she was afraid she missed something important, but now the pegasus could care less about what he had to say.
Guardian was shouting at them to get up now. Rainbow Dash could hear the others getting up, but Dash herself decided she didn't have to listen to that control freak anyway. In fact, now she wondered when was he put in charge.

He took charge because he has the most experience with this enemy. You are the most unbelievably idiotic individual I've ever seen.

Rainbow Dash was now fearing for her life. The voice she never thought she would hear again was back, and he was mad.

I think it's high time you learn what happens if you continue to fight like this.

Rainbow Dash had three visions of mass destruction. The first was of Canterlot, now a pile of rubble scattered at the base of the cliff. The second was of the Crystal Empire. The grand spire had collapsed and most of the city was on fire. The last and most horrifying vision was her friends lying dead in a burning Ponyville.

The first two visions had appeared in rapid succession, but the third and worst vision was still happening. The chaos of war was distant, giant floating shapes in the sky firing at each other, smaller shapes zipping around the massive ships.
Rainbow Dash stood on the edge of a ridge, with a perfect view of her friends unmoving bodies. They lay in a desert, Rainbow guessed they were near Dodge Junction. There wasn't anything else around them, just more bodies and piles of burning mechanical wreckage.

This is what your arrogance will lead to.

Rainbow Dash barley heard Him, her thought process had been almost stopped completely. The horror in front of her had shocked her beyond words. All she could utter was a small, short sob.

She hadn't cried very many times in her life. Only twice she can remember when she was a filly. There was the first loss, the soccer game that would've taken them to the finals. They were tied with the other team, then they slipped past defense and got in a buzzer beater. She cried then.
The other time was when her grandfather passed away. They had always been close. It pained her much when he died. So she cried.

Both times however, Dad had been there to comfort her. Dad was the greatest. He was the most important pony in her life right next to her friends. But this time he wasn't there. No one but the evil being showing her this terrible sight.

Rainbow was full on crying now. She lay face-down in the dirt, spasms wracked her body as she wept for her failure to save them.

The visions ended and Rainbow Dash returned to the real world, tears still fresh in her eyes. Sitting on her bed across from her sat Guardian, the look of a sad, old man in his eyes.

"I hope you understand now why I push you so hard." He spoke softly, his voice barley audible.

He looked down, unable to meet Rainbow's eyes, "This is what has to happen. Discipline is the key. You have to be ready for the road ahead, and it ain't a pretty one."

A single tear rolled down his cheek, "I've fought them before, defending other worlds against them. But I failed every time. The amazing people I've met during my existence burned along with their entire planet. I don't want that to happen again."

Niether do I...but for very different reasons.

Guardian looked back up and saw a smile spread across Rainbow Dash's face. Now that she fully understood what was at risk, she was willing to give her life to save them all.

"It's okay...I'm with you now."

Author's Notes:

Oh the feels...

Zero Hour

Equestria was almost ready. The plains in the south had been filled with refugee camps and factories constructing all kinds of instruments of war. Twilight, Applejack, Pinkie, and Rainbow Dash had successfully completed their training. The Pony-Changeling alliance had been formed and Celestia convinced the cities to turn their government power over to her. The Equestrian air-fleet had been established, consisting of Equestria's airships with Guardian's own personal air force. Army bases had been established in all corners of the country. But one problem still remained, the civilian population. Guardian had planned a meeting in Canterlot with all the princesses about where to relocate the people.

Must I attend this? I don't care about all the helpless weaklings, I simply want my revenge!

"This is when I'm going to disclose your involvement, which you've continued despite previous promises."

Do not speak of that. Yes, I said I wouldn't participate in this war anymore, but I was imprisoned by them for seven years! If guiding your every step like a toddler is what it takes to redeem myself, then I will!

"That entire incident was completely your fault, and you couldn't figure out how to escape a paradox so you got stuck until the next link."

Silence! I could easily overpower you any day with one miniscule crack in the barrier. Just remember that's all it takes to beat you.

Guardian made his way to the council chamber in the palace. When he arrived he found Celestia and Luna already seated. Luna looked busy with some sort of colored cube puzzle. She was in deep concentration, seemingly trying to match all the colors on the sides of the cube. Celestia acknowledged his presence with a comforting smile, something Guardian hasn't seen in ages.
When he moved his chair to sit, the sound caused Luna to hurl the cube across the room, bouncing off the wall and landing with a clatter. Her eyes darted around sheepishly, then attempted to appear relaxed as if nothing happened.
Guardian levitated the cube off he ground and into his hand. He turned the cube around, inspecting it and trying to find the purpose of it. When he could find none he tossed it back to Luna saying, "Wherever did you find this little trinket?"

"I found this thing buried in a storage closet, it's a tricky puzzle that I intend to solve!" Luna went back to her puzzle.

Guardian slouched in his chair, everything was gonna be fine. He hadn't felt so confident about this matter ever since the first encounter. Now this planet was ready, and they might just be able to repel the darkness.

Where are the others? My patience grows thin.

"You're not being serious are you? What else could you possibly have to do back there?"

My activities at none of your concern-

"They're my every concern! What have you been doing in there?"

When one is stuck in a place like this, and with a very vivid imagination like me. One must find ways to entertain themselves.

"You know what? You're right, they're none of my concern."

Guardian hoped he made the right choice to involve the Overlord. Guardian didn't have a problem trusting him, he would sense if the evil entity tried to manipulate or trick him. The others however, would not take kindly to this news. The Overlord's actions may have been reversed, but those who remember the horrors that were brought upon them will have difficulty trusting Him.

Half an hour passed, Luna was still absorbed in her cube puzzle, and Guardian was engaged in conversation with Celestia over how to issue command over the troops.

"Spitfire?" Celestia had a hint of uncertainty in her voice.

Guardian nodded his head, "Yes, the Wonderbolts have the skill required to run short, quick missions that can't be accomplished by mere vehicles."

"I have full faith in the Wonderbolts talents, but they're not prepared for combat. All they've done are simple airshows meant for sport."

Guardian knew the true reason behind Celestia's protests. She knows Spitfire personally, and the thought of sending her subjects to die out on the battlefield was hard to accept. Guardian didn't like it anymore than she did, but it had to be done.

"Celestia, nopony was prepared for war. I myself had doubts about Twilight and her friends, but they turned out to be fine soldiers, most of them at least."

Celestia narrowed her eyes, "What is that suppose to mean?"

Guardian sighed heavily, he really wished the others would show up soon, "Fluttershy unfortunately was discharged from training. But I am...persuading her to complete the final assessment and rejoin the military."

They way Guardian said persuade didn't sit right with Celestia. He didn't sound certain that was what he wanted to say, but did in order to not give something away.
Fortunately for him, Celestia didn't press the matter any further, but instead switched to a new topic,

"Where do you think they will strike first?"

Guardian materialized a large map of Equestria onto the table. Luna looked up for a moment, sensing the importance of the information he was about to give, "They will enter from the portal on the eastern border, and search for all key magical defense systems formed naturally, starting with the Tree of Harmony. If the Tree is destroyed...Well, it won't matter. As long as the Elements are in their physical state, separated from the Tree, then that shouldn't be a concern."

He pointed at the Crystal Empire, "The Crystal Heart will be their next target. They will attack Ponyville first, then they will divide and conquer.
"What will happen is they will launch an attack on Canterlot with about a quarter of their full army. This is intend to keep from sending reinforcements to the Empire, which the rest of their troops will proceed to."

Guardian became very sullen, "I wish I didn't know this for sure, but I've fought against them too many times to know that this is their move. It's going to be extremely difficult battle. We cannot allow the Crystal Heart to be destroyed, but our forces will be occupied with defending Canterlot, which we also cannot afford to lose."

Celestia has reviewed this part many times and understood the need for this repetition, but there was something that Guardian went out of his way to avoid saying, the name of their enemy.

"Guardian, there is something that has been troubling me," The deity looked at Celestia, "You haven't named the enemy specifically, only referring to 'them'. Why?"

These questions were getting more difficult to answer. He didn't what to discourage his students in any way, but he was about to do so greatly.

"I named them myself, for any other civilization that has encountered them never survived to name them."

He didn't have to say that, he really wished he didn't. Guardian continued anyways, "They are The Finis Nutricii."

"But what does that mean? It's not of our language." Luna wasn't fooled that easily.

Guardian took a deep breath, his word was law. Any names he bestowed were true in meaning, but this was the worst possible name he could give to anything,

"It means The End Bringers."

-----------------------

Same nightmare over and over. Fluttershy couldn't escape the hellish dream that plagued her every time she closed her eyes. She knew deep down she had to perform some action that would end the dreams, but the fear overtook her, leaving her powerless to do anything. No matter how hard she tried, Fluttershy failed to save the Empire. She was certain it was her fault, the light firing from the ship struck with the fury of a God, killing thousands of innocent ponies. All her fault.
She hardly slept, only when she couldn't fight the fatigue anymore would she succumb to the sleep that only brought her the horrible dream.
Fluttershy shot up in bed, the images of dead ponies and destruction still fresh in her mind. She waited for the panic to subside, then wearily got out of bed and dragged herself to the kitchen.
Yesterday she made the worst mistake of her life. When she realized she wasn't capable of taking care of her animals, and tried to make them leave, they refused. All the stress of being haunted by the nightmares was too much for her to bear, so she took it all out on her critter friends. She blamed them for all her problems, for her anxiety, for her lack of sleep, and even her paranoia. She hadn't released that much anger on anyone before, and the looks on their faces as they walked out the door made Fluttershy want to slap herself.
She looked at herself in the mirror. Her mane was beyond frazzled, it was untamed. She had wrinkles on her forehead and her eyes were of a mare who didn't care anymore. She didn't know how she was going to live through the dreams any longer, how she would live with herself knowing her animals all thought she was a monster. She wept and wept at what a failure she was to her friends. They would get slaughtered in battle, Fluttershy couldn't live through that.
Then it dawned on her, the answer to all her problems was so clear. She looked at the large kitchen knife laying on the cutting board. She often wondered how she was going to survive this war.

Now I know I don't have to.

Author's Notes:

Holy sweet potato this took a long time. Didn't even get all that I wanted in this chapter, so stick around for part two.

So I realize the last chapter wasn't very invigorating and this one took forever to write, but I'll do my best to fix both problems in future updates.

The idea of suicidal Fluttershy just kinda came to me, didn't really plan on it but whateves.

Also feedback is very much appreciated (so long as your not a d*** about it)

The Emergency Exit

I stared at the Knife. It was so inviting, so welcoming. I could almost hear it calling out to me, perhaps I've developed the ability to communicate with kitchenware too. So enticing, the exit to all this pain and suffering, one little slit of the throat is all it takes, unless pony anatomy has dramatically changed since collage.
All my friends will miss me, I know they care and only want to see me happy. I want to see them happy too, from above without my worthless self to get in the way. My friends, heh, whichever ones I have left anyways. I never really knew where Discord went, oh well I suppose it doesn't matter anymore, nothing will matter anymore! Now how to handle this...
--------------

Fluttershy lay on the floor, using both her hooves to hold the knife point right above her throat. Glee and anticipation was bubbling up in her. Then she became a train wreck and started sobbing.

Oh Celestia, what am I doing?! This isn't the answer! I've gotta see Twilight, no, Guardian! He's always been sort of a counselor for me! Yes! But wait... what about the nightmares? No! I can't do the nightmares anymore! Please somepony help me...SOMEPONY HE--

Fluttershy was cut off when the knife slipped from her hooves and plunged in her neck.

Author's Notes:

I just simply couldn't resist.

Made this short and sweet and just too anxious to get this posted.

What comes next will be emotional, yes it will be one of THOSE.

Regrets

Some might ask if I regret my decisions.

No, I'm no longer a burden to my friends, I don't have to face the horrors of the war, but most importantly, I don't have to face the nightmares. I haven't felt like this in a long time.

I'm at peace.

I'm happy.

I'm free.

-------------

Something was very wrong.
Guardian first found the absence of Fluttershy to be slightly odd, perhaps it was to be expected. However, Twilight and her friends showed up eventually with their report,

"The training of the militias have shown excellent progress so far." Twilight levitated a stack of documents in front of her, "The tests for the exo-suits have been successful so far, and the weapons and arms production rate have gone up by 35%"

Guardian leaned back in his chair, satisfied with the results accomplished in so little time, although since the economy has been thrown out the window and the resources are at their full disposal....well it was still quite impressive. Now it was his turn, he hadn't really been looking forward to it.

"That is the news I wanted to hear, good work Captain Sparkle."

Twilight beamed with pride at the compliment.

"Now unfortunately I bear some discouraging news, the Gryphon king has refused the treaty."

Celestia was stunned especially by this news, Guardian could be convincing on just about anything.
The map of Equestria appeared on the table again, the portal lying in the east glowed red and a dotted line traced from the portal to the Gryphon Kingdom.

"Without an alliance the Gryphons will fall in mere hours. Taking this new factor into account, I've recalculated their movement."

A large red X appeared over the Gryphons, then two dotted lines sprouted from the east, one line traveling back and hitting Ponyville, the other started towards the Crystal Empire.

"Their forces will separate, one will attack Ponyville then continue to Canterlot. The other will proceed to the Empire."

The lines completed their path as he spoke.

"With our forces occupied in Canterlot, the Empire will have to be sent reinforcements before the portal opens. We must deal with them swiftly, they won't send enough to capture the palace, but enough to keep us busy."

He stood up out of his chair, his voice echoing through the halls.

"Remember, this enemy is born purely from darkness. They do not live, they do not feel emotion, the very few sentient hive minds that exist are twisted beings and only wish to serve the one true enemy, Denthar. He has taken small portions of his power and used them to create legions of vile creatures that seek only destruction. I won't lie to you, there will be death all around you, the savagery of war will test your limits, but you will not break, you cannot break when your country needs you the most. This is what we live for, to fight the forces of evil so we may live in peace and tranquility. One day, we will all be free from the darkness."

It seems you've forgotten that I am a part of you.

"Silence, I'm in the moment."
All jokes aside, there is an urgent matter that has appeared with Fluttershy.

"What sort of matter?"
To put it simply, our methods had too much of an effect on her and she has...taken drastic measures to escape them.

"No no no this can't be, how did she-"

Well, she was reconsidering, until she dropped the knife.

Guardian felt sick, there was no way he could tell the others, they had come so far and the army couldn't afford the depression this knowledge will bring.
He turned his attention back to the ponies, "This meeting is adjourned, I thank you all for attending and have a safe trip home."

It was all he could do to not let any emotion show in his voice. He steeled himself and prepared for the worst.

"How do we cope now? We needed all the Elements to do this, and her friends will be devastated, because I made the foolish decision to let you handle her. You've pushed her too far and now she committed suicide, and the blood is on our hands!"

Guardian never felt so upset in his existence, he'd been so trusting of the darkest soul in the universe, only to have the guilt of what very well should be murder rested upon him.

Listen to me, with the power I've been granted, I may have a way of bringing her back. But without my full power, her own fate rests on her cooperation.

----

Darkness enveloped Fluttershy, and she welcomed it. It was like a cozy blanket on a cold winter night. She would miss her friends of course, but ultimately she was just a dead weight dragging them down. But now she was all snuggled up in darkness, never having to feel the pain again.

A low rumbling echoed on the edge of her consciousness, she didn't pay it any mind, why should she care about anything anymore? Then a short distant boom went off in her head and continued for a while. She wished it would shut up, it was disturbing her. Then, the relization came to her. How could she be feeling these tremors if she was dead?
Then suddenly there she was again, standing in the middle of the battlefield wearing a nurse's uniform and carrying medical supplies. It was the nightmare, the one that planted itself like a parasite in her mind, feeding off her sanity until she was nothing but a raving mad husk of her former self.

---

Rainbow Dash flew on her way to Fluttershy's cottage to hopefully find some answers on the timid pegasus' whereabouts. Dash hadn't seen Fluttershy since training, or in the town anywhere. She was concerned for her friend, the last time they spoke was after Guardian had just discharged Fluttershy from the military. She had a hopeless look in her eyes, and she hadn't come out of her house for weeks, that just wasn't a good sign in Rainbow's eyes.
When she arrived at the cottage she saw some black mist leaking from under the door. Her worry for her friend was growing rapidly.
Rainbow Dash knocked on the door, "Fluttershy? You in there? Is everything alright?"

No answer.

"Look I'm coming in okay? If you don't want-"

No! Do not interfere!

Rainbow Dash knew that voice all too well, she turned around and bucked the door wide open. When she turned back around, the sight formed a giant pit in her stomach.
It was the Overlord, surrounded by the black mist, sitting cross-legged on the floor with Fluttershy's head in his lap. A knife hovered precariously over her throat and The Overlord's hands rested on Fluttershy's temples.

"Get away from her!" Rainbow Dash lunged at the evil shadow, but passed through him like air. She whipped around and charged for another attack, but failed the second time.

Do not break my concentration! Fate must see that she must be saved!"

Rainbow Dash didn't listen, blinded by rage and fear for her friend she attacked relentlessly, but The Overlord was just a ghost. Her blows had no effect on Him. She kept at it, trying again and again but to no avail. Finally, the spirit decided that he couldn't keep at it for much longer if Dash persisted, so he used the faint control he had to put her into a deep sleep.

Someday You may realize just how much I've done for you.

---

Fluttershy curled into a ball on the snowy ground, not feeling the icy cold. There was no escape from the nightmares, even after death they continued still. She felt hopeless, she couldn't get away from this horrible scene no matter how far she ran, despite every attempt to escape.
The thunderous booming of the artillery threatened to burst Fluttershy's eardrums. The roar of the airships overhead was deafening. But the sound that drove Fluttershy to the brink of madness were the screams. The screams were always the loudest, the screams of pain as ponies were mutilated by these muscular two-legged monsters, the agony coming from the tents as surgeons had to amputate limbs. The despair echoing through the battlefield as the living recognized the dead. Fluttershy felt it all, not just from her position, but the whole frozen tundra was a battlefield, and she felt it from everywhere. She thought she had found the emergency exit off the train wreck that was her mind, but the horrors of war are inescapable, and undoubtedly maddening.

Author's Notes:

Yes the meeting didn't go at all as planned, the Overlord has still been kept a secret...until now.

Yes I am aware of the unpopular idea of suicide in these stories, but when one is teeming with such ideas they must release them into the world like so.

The End of Peace

Guardian had provided each of them with a device that would project the map of Equestria, now Luna stared at it in her bedroom, disbelief and confusion spreading in her mind. The blinking red dot marking where the portal was shouldn't be in the east, that was impossible. Luna ran all the geography lessons Guardian gave them and remembered enough to know for sure that the OCEAN lies in the east.
It was just impossible, Luna distinctly remembered the valley and could point it out on the map, and there it was in the east. How could the portal be where the ocean is supposed to be? Luna had no answers, she decided to bring it up with Guardian later.

---

Get up! This is no time to act cowardly! The fate of this battle rests on you.

"I can't! Cowardly is what I am! I'm not a soldier, I'm worthless."

There is a station in front of you. It has been almost completely demolished by enemy artillery, but the control room remains.

"What does this have to do with me?"

Only a single crew member survives, but he is injured. You have to revive him so can input coordinates and fire a missile that will stop the enemy destroyer. Now get up!

Fluttershy remained a little ball in the snow, the booming of cannons echoed all around her.

"Why me why me why me why me why me."

Because fate has deemed it so. Now get up or everyone will die! And it will be all your fault!

Fluttershy was in tears, she tried to block out the world and the demon's voice. This is too much, she was never ment to handle a situation like this. Why did it have to be her?

So be it. When the time comes you will fail, and the consequences will be great.

"I'll be dead anyway."

That is the worst part. You won't die, you'll live to see the horrors you caused just because you couldn't overcome your fears. You'll realize that even though you'll be free from the nightmares from now on, it will be at others expense

One that your friend Twilight holds very dear.

---

Fluttershy woke up on the floor of her cottage, still on her back with a despaired Rainbow Dash standing over her.

"Fluttershy! What in Celestia's name were you doing?!"

Fluttershy felt tears coming to her eyes once again. She sat upright and threw her forearms around Rainbow Dash, crying into her shoulder. Rainbow returned the embrace crying herself.

"Oh Rainbow Dash! I didn't know what I was thinking! I was just so scared! Everything was just a big mess and...and...oh I'm so sorry!"

"It's okay...just promise me this."

"Anything."

Rainbow backed up into where she was looking into Fluttershy's traumatized face.

"Don't ever, EVER try something like that again!."

Fluttershy broke into a smile, "Okay...I won't."

Neither of them noticed the shadow watching outside the window.

It's a shame neither of you will remember me, or the nightmares. It could've taught you a valuable lesson.

---

Guardian sent the letter to Twilight notifying her of Fluttershy's re-enlistment. He was uneasy, he suspected that The Overlord's attempts to help Fluttershy had been in vain, but hoped the skittish peguses would come around eventually.
The darkness that had formed a presence in the atmosphere frightened him greatly. Almost as if they were here.
Guardian shook his head, no that was impossible, The Overlord would've notified him. But Guardian couldn't help feeling that he had been deceived, that both of them were being fooled.

"How exactly are you monitoring the portal?"

By keeping a close eye on the energy levels. When it hits a certain level then they are here, we would know.

"But it feels like they're here now."

I'm looking into that now but I think it's just-

"What?"

No...no no NO!

"What?!"

I've been monitoring false signals this whole time! I picked up readings that they set up to fool me!

"Okay can you locate the real signal? What is its strength."

It's too late! They're here, occupied in the Gryphon Kingdom but not for long.

A deep, deep pit formed in Guardian's gut. They were here. The most destructive force in the known universe invaded this realm and they weren't ready. He had to fire the signal.
Guardian found the nearest window and flew through it. He spiraled around the palace and came to rest on the tallest spire. He raised his hand, palm facing up, towards the sky. A ball of red energy formed in his hand. He built up the energy and released it into the heavens. The orb exploded in mid-air and cast a red glow across the sky.
The sirens began to wail. Every town in Equestria went into panic. The streets below were swarming with ponies trying to get to the evacuation zones.
This was it. Guardian had fought this war many times and failed every time. This was hopefully going to be different. This was the moment. Equestria was in chaos.

Equestria was at war.

Author's Notes:

I haven't been getting too many views on this story. Oh well

If y'all want to say something in the comments please do so (as long as its not offensive of course.)

The offshoot story has been completed and can be viewed here (or here)
So have fun with that and keep on read on reading my friends.

Mistakes were made

Guardian paced around the war room with his hands behind his back, deep in thought.

"The Empire's on their own, the reinforcements were never sent!"

Enough of the accusations! We are doing nothing but wasting time!

"I hope you have thought up a brilliant plan for this! You've got a lot to compensate for!"

I'm trying to be the rational one for once!

"It isn't helping!"

Just then Celestia and Luna walked in. Guardian stopped his pacing for a moment and turned to look at them, "Please, take a seat," then went back to thinking.
The princesses sat at the round, crystalline table in the middle of the room, casting worried glances at each other.

Bickering will get us nowhere, we need a plan.

"Fine, what do you propose we do then?"

Listen closely

Guardian listened intently for a couple of seconds, then took a deep breath and prepared to repeat The Overlord's idea, "I admit we got caught off guard. This is entirely my fault-"

"We know you made a mistake, we all have had our fair share," Luna interrupted, "You have nothing to apologize for."

"I agree," Celestia rose from her seat, "You messed up and there's nothing to do about it now." She gave her former mentor a comforting smile, "But you are still like our father. No amount of mistakes will change that."

Guardian shook his head and gave a slight chuckle, "I'm impressed on how much you've both matured these past centuries. Seems we have a case of role reversal."

He looked down at the floor for a moment, pride swelling inside him.

"After all..." Luna strode up to him, "We had a great teacher."

Guardian looked her in the eyes and saw great admiration in them. He had almost forgotten how much they look up to him.

"Very well then," He continued, "The Finnis Notricii have outsmarted us this one time, but it won't happen again. We have a decently sized army heading our way. The civilians have already been evacuated to safe shelters in Los Pegasus."

"And what of the outlying villages?" Asked Luna, "They've been evacuated too?"

Guardian stopped, despair filling him once more, the sisters' expression falling with his.

"Your not saying..." despair was spreading within Celestia.

No matter how hard you try you just can't get it right.

"I'm very sorry but..." He trailed off, his whiskers twitching in anxiety, "But the smaller...insignificant villages are on their own."

"Insignificant!?" Celestia shouted in disgust, "Your saying my subjects lives don't matter?l

"You don't mean to tell us your leaving them to fend for themselves?" Luna looked at him with pleading eyes.

Guardian couldn't bring himself to look at them.

"Listen to me, please-"

"Insignificant!?" Celestia repeated, "Don't tell me you just forgot!"

"I didn't forget..." He said through gritted teeth.

"Then what!?" She cried, "That they weren't important enough? They didn't have the status to be saved!?" Rage was growing faster and faster within her. Luna looked on in disbelief, the great being who taught them everything about protecting their people, just turned his back on half the country.

"I trusted you..." Sadness quickly turned to alarm as Luna devoted distortion in her sisters voice. She had said nothing so far, but was beginning to panic as shadows emitted from Celestia and Guardian, who was eerily quiet.

"You are supposed to be a protector, aren't you?" The white alicorn sneered.

Celestia's eyes began to turn black as darkness took it's hold. Luna could do nothing but stare speechless as her once elegant white pelt turned darker.

Guardian raised his head to look at her, his appearance similar to the corrupted alicorn, "How dare you accuse me you ungrateful whelp!"

Well, this escalated quickly

"I have done nothing but sacrifice! You think I wouldn't save everyone if it was possible?" He continued, "We simply don't have the resources to evacuate those villages! If we were to waste our valuable assets to rescue those people, the enemy would cut us down when they get here! Why can't you simply deal with the fact that innocent ponies will die no matter what!"

The palace shook with the combined anger of the two deities, "Open your damn eyes Celestia and see what real war is!"

"Please..." Luna squeaked. Guardian's hands were glowing with red energy, and Celestia was charging her own spell. The two people that Luna loved the most, and she was about to watch them destroy each other.
Her heart was racing, her mind went through all the spells that were used to expelled darkness, but all those spells needed the Elements to work.
Mentor and stundent slowly circled each other, locked in brutal eye contact. Their eyes were pitch black and the weight of the darkness in the room was crushing. Now it was only a matter of who shot first.

"If you would just listen to me!" Luna screamed. Both their heads to look at her. Luna locked eyes with Celestia's killing gaze.

"This doesn't involve you, little sister." Her voice barley recognizable through the distortion.

But when Luna turned to look at Guardian, his gaze had softened and the shadows cleared his body. His eyes returned to normal and the red glow faded from his hands.

"You bastard!" She cried and released a ball of energy from her horn aimed straight at his head. Without breaking eye contact with Luna, Guardian raised a cybernetic hand, palm facing Celestia, and slowed the incoming attack to a stop, then dissipated the orb of lethal energy. Celestia roared in blind fury and charged across the room. She vaulted over the table and lowered her horn at Guardian. All the while he kept his calm, straight posture, still looking at Luna. Just before the horn punctured his chest he side-stepped and shot out his arm to bring his two fore-fingers to the corrupted alicorn's forehead. There was a blinding flash of light and Luna had to shield her eyes under her wing. When the light faded, Luna lowered her wing to see Celestia a sobbing heap on the floor. Guardian kept his gaze on her, his face devoid of any emotion.

"Until further notice, you, Princess Luna, are the commander of Equestria's military." He lowered his head to look at a distraught Celestia, "It seems your sister is not mentally fit for duty."

With that he turned and strode out of the room in a hurried manner.

"And neither am I." He added before forcefully pulling the doors shut.

Author's Notes:

Apologies for the wait.

After months of writers block I'm finally back in action! It's time to get this story back on track and out into the world!

The Calm

Twilight sat on the balcony outside her room in the Canterlot palace and looked out towards the eastern horizon, where the military was currently fighting against the enemy. She breathed a long sigh and glanced at the helmet set on the ground next to her. She always knew being a princess would come with responsibility, but she never in her wildest dreams expected to lead ponies into battle. She turned around at the sound of small footsteps and saw Spike in the doorway.

"Thought you might like some company." He said as he sat down beside Twilight.

She gave him a half-hearted smile, "Thanks Spike, it's appreciated."

He took a seat next to her and the two gazed into the distance.

"Twilight, we will win right?" Spike asked. Twilight didn't know how to answer him, in fact she thought about making a list of the things she didn't know. But rather than alarm the baby dragon she decided to give him the most logical and honest answer she could think of.

"I'm not real sure of anything at the moment, but we've survived Changelings, King Sombra, Discord, Tirek, if we can beat them I'm sure we can beat this Denthar."

"And besides," Spike added, "We're the good guys. And the good guys always win."

Twilight felt slightly elated at his optimism, it sure was more than she could muster. She has been letting the pressures of the war get to her.

"Hey Twi,"

"Yes Spike?"

"The rest of the girls are stationed in town. Who's to say we can't have one last little gathering before whatever's supposed to happen?"

Twilight loved the sound of that. Just because Equestria's at war doesn't mean she and her friends can't enjoy themselves.

"That'd be great Spike."

---

"Spike, we have to wait for the others to get here first."

"But I'm really hungry!" He groaned

Cantorlot's streets were empty. All civilians had gone to the evacuation sites and charted off to the far north. Since military personal were allowed outside they had no problem getting out of the castle. They chose the first outdoor cafe they could find and set up there.
Twilight put in a call for the rest of the girls about ten minutes ago, and Spike was already complaining about his hunger.

"Spike it's rude to start eating before everybody arrives." Twilight said in her manner-teaching mother voice.

Before Spike could respond his ears caught the faintest sound of a pony breathing in his ear. He turned his head but saw nopony behind him.

"What was that?" He asked in a shaky voice.

"What was what?" Twilight didn't even bother looking up from triple-checking the picnic basket they packed. It was then she felt a hoof flick her ear. The alicorn yelped in surprise and looked around in bewilderment.

"Twiiiiiillliiiight" an eerie voice seemed to resound from everywhere at once.

"Spiiiiiiiike" the two dived under the table and clutched each other in terror.

"W-who are you?" Twilight asked as she prepared a spell to defend themselves.

"It's the pony of shadows!" Spike wailed.

Th supposed "ghost pony" let out a very familiar chuckle.

Twilight recognized the voice immediately and quickly switched spells.

RAINBOW DASH!!!!

Twilight released the spell and everything within a twenty-meter radius became lit up with a purplish hue, including the pegasus hovering above the table. Rainbow Dash cursed under her breath and landed. When everything returned to its normal colors, Twilight crawled out from their hiding place. Rainbow Dash was visible and in her full combat armor helmet included, and wore a smug look that Twilight was ready to wipe off her face.

"What's up?" The pegasus asked casually, keeping the same victorious expression.

"What's up?!" Twilight, however, was not at all amused with her stunt.

"Rainbow Dash I was ready to hit you with ten tons of lethal magic! And your response is 'what's up?'"

"Yep."

Twilight gritted her teeth. This is not what she came here for. Not to be played yet again by the infamous multicolored prankster before her.

"Oh lighten up Twi." Rainbow Dash moved to her side and wrapped a foreleg around her, "I'm only trying to have a little fun."

Twilight took deep breaths to calm down. Fun, that's why they were here.

"You're right it's only a joke. No need to get so worked up about it."

Rainbow Dash hugged her tighter, "That's the spirit!"

She took a seat at the table and looked under it to see Spike still recovering.

"You okay little dude?" She asked trying to suppress a laugh.

"I........ah.........why......" too out of breath to form coherent sentences, the dragon walked out from under the table with eyes the size of saucers, and hopped up back into his seat. Rainbow Dash was trying her best not to keel over at the display.

"Although Rainbow Dash I do have to ask..."

"Mhm." The pegasus began rummaging around in the basket.

"How in Equestria did you do that?!" The excited alicorn pulled back Rainbow's chair to look down at her.

"Invisibility spells are one of the most complicated spells in history. It took Starswirl eight months to develope it." She began to dive into a detailed explanation of light reflecting, rambling on and on about the workings of the spell. Rainbow Dash simply closed her eyes, waiting for a break in the lecture. When none were to be found she attempted to make one.

"Twilight."

She continued on with her speech, not even paying any attention to the pegasus. Rainbow Dash still had yet to fully grasp the concept of patience, but her friends were a special case. Almost all of them got excited over some topic from time to time, Pinke Pie being the most frequent.

Rainbow Dash's eyes snapped open when Twilight suddenly gasped.

"But you're a pegasus!" She exclaimed.

"Yes, Twilight I am."

"That's impossible then!" Still holding the chair, Twilight stared intently at Rainbow Dash, her eyes pleading for an answer.

"The suit." She simply replied.

"What?" Twilight blinked in confusion.

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes and scooted out of her chair, of which Twilight then lowered to the ground.

The pegasus proceeded to gesture to the combat armor she was wearing.

"It's the suit that casts the spell not me."

Twilight processed this information slowly. Everything she read about the laws of magic screamed that was impossible.

"Really?"

"Yep."

Spike had recovered and was staring in amazement at her.

As to prove her words, Rainbow Dash activated something on her foreleg and quickly faded from view.

Twilight's head reared back in bewilderment. Spike, however, actually began to clap and cheer.

The alicorn yelped when Rainbow Dash reappeared beside her.

"Our good friend Guardian whipped up a batch of prototypes and I was one of the few honered to test them."

"Who were the others?"

"Why me, of course!" Twilight jumped once again as a pink earth pony manifested on her other side.

"Yay! Pinkie!" Spike cheered.

"Pinkie please! I've had enough scares for one day."

"Sorry Twilight but that is so much fun!" The party pony was also dressed in full combat gear.

Twilight began to wonder why she hadn't gotten one of these prototypes.

"Please tell me Applejack isn't suddenly going to appear behind me."

At the name, both Rainbow Dash's and Pinkie's smiles simultaneously disappeared.

"Actually Twilight that's the bad news."

The alicorn looked back and forth from her two friends with a worried look.

"Only we could make it." Pinkie said in a dejected tone.

Twilight's jaw dropped, "What?"

Rainbow Dash put a hoof on her shoulder, "All of Equestria just went berserk when the sirens went off, Applejack especially."

Twilight still didn't understand, "What do you mean?"

"Applejack has been training super duper hard everyday. Like, even after Mr. Drill Sergeant gave us break time. She didn't want to come." Explained Pinkie.

"But what about Rarity and Fluttershy?"

Rainbow Dash shrugged, "Nopony knows what they've been up to."

"But there in Cantorlot, aren't they?"

"Nopony knows." Rainbow Dash repeated.

The pegasus debated wether or not to tell them about the incident with the knife. She decided against it, that there was enough sorrow right now.

Twilight took a deep breath, she wasn't letting this time go to waste. They were going to enjoy themselves whether they were all here or not.

"It's alright you two, we can still enjoy ourselves while the moment lasts."

The other two ponies perked up at this and were filled with the same determination.

Yes, they would enjoy this moment.

---

The command centre was in full panic. Luna was having to hold up everything on her own. She was frantically shouting orders, ponies dashing left and right to fulfill them. The princess could barley keep up with the reports coming in. But she did know that bases all over Equestria were falling within seconds of each other. She had learned that the main front to the east has been overrun, and their forces were falling back to Cantorlot, bringing the enemy with them.

Luna didn't know what to do. Her subjects were dying rapidly and she struggled to keep up. She desperately wished either Guardian or Celestia would walked through the door and take control. But as desperately as she wanted it, she knew it wouldn't happen. The events that transpired earlier that day put an emotional strain on Luna, left Celestia a sobbing mess, and Guardian missing in action.

She had a moment of clarity to give the order for every base still in contact to fall back to the capital. Since as many civilians as possible had been evacuated from Equestria and into the mountains, there was no need to hold those stations.

With the worry of the bases lifted, Luna could focus on the biggest problem, defending Canterlot.

Cantorlot, the Crystal Empire, and the safe shelters are all that matters. If any one of those are eliminated we've already lost. She remembered Guardian's words from this morning. If that was really the case, and Luna had to believe it was, then it was time. They had to be ready.

"Give the order General." The General saluted and pushed a large red button on his console.

For the second time that day the sirens started up.

---

Twilight was in the middle of hounding Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie about the stealth suits when the sirens began to wail. The four ponies plus baby dragon all snapped out of their conversation.

"Oh Celestia..." Rainbow Dash whispered.

Twilight's leader instinct kicked in almost immediately.

"Rainbow Dash fly up and give me a full report of the situation. Pinkie, take Spike to the command centre to the princesses. Find Applejack and bring her here on the way back."

The party pony put on a stern face and gave a quick salute. But before she could grab him, Spike rushed forward, "But Twilight," he protested, "I wanna help!"

Twilight shook her head, "Spkie this is very serious. I need you to cooperate with me and go with Pinkie."

"But-"

"Twilight, you got to see this!" Rainbow Dash called from above.

"Spike please, you have to go."

Spike refused to give in, "But I can help! What if you need to send a message to the princesses?"

"Spike!" Twilight yelled, "This is a life or death matter. I need you to go now!"

The baby dragon looked as if he were stung. But he looked down and nodded sadly. Taking that as her cue, Pinkie grabbed Spike and zipped off in the direction of the palace.

Twilight's face softened. It broke her heart to be so harsh, but she needed to know he would be safe. She couldn't bear it if Spike got hurt.

"Twilight!" Rainbow Dash called frantically.

The alicorn took to the air and came along side her. When she got there, she saw pure terror spread all over Rainbow Dash's face. The same happened to Twilight when she saw what the pegasus was looking at.

Out towards the east on the ground was a giant black mass stretching as far as she could see that was slowly making its way towards the base of the mountain. High in the air above the infantry was three massive, sinister airships. Surrounding the ships was a swarm of what could have easily been mistaken for bats. But Twilight remembered studying them and knew that those were black dragons. Twilight could feel the evil radiating off the dark army. She blinked a couple of times and regains her focus.

"Okay back on the ground." She ordered Rainbow Dash.

As the two made their descent Twilight saw that Pinkie had returned with Applejack. She noticed that the farm pony was standing at full attention, and realized that Pinkie and Rainbow Dash may have not been exaggerating about Applejack's excessive training. The pair touched down and Applejack immediately snapped even more upright.

"Sergent Applejack, reporting for duty sir!"

Twilight.looked on in bewilderment, "Applejack, there's no need for that." However, Applejack refused to relax.

Twilight decided that there wasn't any time for it and addressed all of them.

"Okay girls.this is it, the moment we've been preparing for. Just remember your training and you'll be fine. Understand?" Four of them simply nodded their heads, Applejack shouted "Sir yes sir!"

"Then move out!"

Author's Notes:

Ugh that took way too long.

Okay I'm done lighting the candles, done icing the cake. It's ready. Time for the real show to begin.

Battle of Cantorlot

It has begun.

"I'm aware."

Are we going to sit around mewling helplessly like a kitten for its mother?

"I almost killed my adopted daughter, and sent hundreds of ponies to their deaths."

That you almost did. You also almost made a pony kill herself. Remember when I had to clean up that mess?

"Are we doing the right thing here?"

When you are fighting against a legion of pure evil, there is no right or wrong. Only survival. You abort all honor, all fear, and all pride. For the only thing that matters to you now is saving this planet.

"We took it too far, we are dealing with a world that has not seen war for over a millennia."

You've seem to have forgotten that I don't exist for emotional support and pep talks. I'm here to tell you to get up off your sorry ass and fight until Denthar lies dead at your feet.

---

Twilight and her team retreated to their designated position at the palace gates. She kept shouting motivational things to her friends, but she was just as panicked as they were. So far the Anti-Air guns on the outer wall have kept the dragons at bay. The enemy airships kept their distance from the city. Everything was going well.

Until a single dragon broke through the guns and launched a fireball from its mouth into the middle of the town. While Twilight and her team were a good distance from the explosion, they could still see body parts sail through the air as the fiery ball tore ponies to shreds.

Nothing, nothing could have prepared them for such chaos. Discord would be in paradise here. The noise was too much. The sirens, ponies shouting orders, the roar of jet engines as the Air force swooped in to intercept the dragons.

"Twilight!" Rainbow Dash called over the radio. "What do we do?"

Too much, it was too much. Twilight didn't respond to any of her friends. Her legs locked up and she shut her eyes tight, trying to block out all the noise.

She finally managed to look up to see the air force had diverted the horde to the side, away from Cantorlot. One problem solved. The whole city fell deathly quiet, which Twilight embraced the silence. She looked back towards her friends, each one of them badly shaken but not injured thankfully.

"Is everypony alright?" She asked to be sure.

Her friends gave a shaky nod. Twilight herself was breathing heavily. Rainbow Dash trotted up to the alicorn.

"It's alright Twilight, we're all alive. Scared out of our minds, but alive." She said reassuringly.

"So what now?" asked Applejack.

Twilight was clueless as to what to do next. The attack had gone as quickly as it had came. She gave a final sigh of relief and looked towards the aerial battle that was now far in the distance. Streaks of blue against jet black.

Right now Twilight wanted to fall to the ground and sleep for three months, but she knew that wasn't an option when orders came through the radio.

"This is Command to all units, enemy ground forces are making their way up the mountain. Do not let them enter the palace at all costs."

---

"Orders have been sent ma'am."

Luna breathed a sigh of relief. The first wave hadn't done that much damage to the city and the last shipment of refugees had been sent to the northern mountains, avoiding the legion of Hallowed destined for the Crystal Empire of course. With enemy air support occupied away from the city was a plus, so far everything had gone their way.

The princess looked out the viewports and down towards the city. She desperately wished she could go out there and comfort her subjects, she could only imagine the Tartarus that had descended upon them. Luckily, casualties were at a minimum. Though the thought of any of her ponies dying was enough to make Luna sick.

She went deep into thought. There was a small window of time to talk to her sister and Guardian. She pondered for a moment as to what to say to them. When she was satisfied she turned to the pony next to her.

"I have important business to conduct with Guardian and my sister. You have full command now General Stormchaser."

The stoic general fired off a salute before giving orders for squad rearrangements.

Luna exited the room and strode quickly down the palace halls towards her sister's bedroom. When she reached it she raised a hoof to knock but hesitated. The distress Celestia was in had frightened her. Never had she witnessed her invincible big sister break down like that.

The Night Princess breathed deeply and knocked on the door. It was now or never.

Luna waited patiently for a response. When one wasn't to be found, Luna slowly opened the door.

"Sister?" She called out, and gasped at the state of the room.

The left wall had a huge hole in it, at the base of the hole were the splintered remains of a dresser, as if the wardrobe had been repeatedly smashed into the wall. The covers and sheets had been torn off the bed and lay a smoldering heap on the ground. The grand chandelier that used to hang above the bed had been decimated, shrouding the room in darkness But the thing that caught Luna's eye the most was the alicorn that lay silently sobbing into her pillow on the bare mattress.

"Tia..." Luna approached very cautiously, should she anger the destructive force that was her sister and share the fate of the dresser.

"Luna, please I beg you, leave now."

All hope had faded from the younger alicorn. There was no way Celestia could lead an army like this. To see the all mighty Sun goddess in such a way put a nail in Luna's heart. A look of of utter defeat crossed her face, "Very well." She said closing the door behind her.

The fact still remained that Luna couldn't keep leading solo. Perhaps Guardian was in a much better state. However, seeing Celestia had planted seeds of doubt in her mind. But she had to at least try.

---

Guardian didn't really have a bedroom, but he instead turned a guest room into an office of sorts. It wasn't hard to find, the room was close to the library. Guardian had been brushing up on the one-thousand years he wasn't around. She quickly found the office and knocked on the door.

"Guardian? Are you in there?"

No response. She knocked harder.

"Guardian, please I understand you may be distraught but this is important!"

Still no answer. She tried the door but it was locked with magic far more powerful than her own.

She stared at the door, trying to figure out a way to open it. There wasn't anyway to break it, who knows what enchantment were installed.

"Please! I can't do this alone!" She screamed.

The door still stood, unmoving, it's stillness mocking Luna's despair.

Fine then. The only option left was to suck it up, command alone, and hope they didn't all end up slaughtered. As Luna turned around to leave, she came face to face with Guardian. Her eyes widened with surprise. She was used to him popping in unannounced but it was his eyes that were startling.

His eyes were cast down, unable to meet Luna's. His face bore the look of a farmer who lost his entire crop to parasprites. "Hello Luna." He mumbled. The princess knew he wouldn't be any help either. But she had to try.

"Guardian, please I need your help. Commanding solo has proving to be more than difficult and I need...."

Her voice died in her throughout as Guardian raised a single, metal hand to silence her.

"I'm afraid I won't be of any use to you now. Please reassume your position."

Luna was fed up with this. The world was being overrun with evil and this is what deities do?

"Now you listen here. I know what happened this morning was certainly unpleasant but-"

"Unpleasant?" Guardian snapped, "Try almost killing my own family!" He looked Luna right in the eye. "You and Celestia are like my daughter's, the closest thing to a family I will ever get! And twice now I almost threw it all away."

"Neither time were your fault!" Luna insisted.

"Not my fault?!" Guardian said through clenched teeth. "I am held responsible for my actions. Releasing The Overlord was my doing and I let my emotions get to me!"

He paced back and forth, waving his arms in the air, "I have never been happier than the Times I spent with you two. When the Changeling Wars began I almost lost you two! That make it three times!"

"Enough!" Luna shouted in the Royal Cantorlot Voice, "What happened prior to that war was something nopony saw coming! You cannot possibly blame yourself for that."

Guardian shoved Luna to the ground. The alicorn was taken aback by the action. The deity proceeded into his office and slammed the door loudly behind him.

That was that. If Luna had to save the world on her own then so be it.

Author's Notes:

Tension, it's all about the tension.

I suppose the reception this story has been getting is pretty bad. It's getting there though I promise.

Atone for your sins

Luna returned to the Command deck fuming with anger. Celestia and Guardian's behavior was unbelievable. Two of the most powerful beings in existence and they were moping? She didn't have time for this, the next wave of monsters would be coming any minute now.

"Ma'am" General Stormchaser greeted her with a salute.

Luna took a seat in the makeshift throne overlooking the entire war room.

"What's our status."

The General took a clipboard off a nearby table, "All squads have been repositioned into their designated formations. The air force has eliminated all enemy air support and is waiting to engage the airships on your command."

"And what of enemy infantry?"

The usually emotionless Stallion began to tug at his uniform, and Luna noticed sweat forming at his brow.

"What's the problem?" She asked.

"Well...you see....um" The General took a deep breath and regained his composure. "We don't know."

The alicorn raised an eyebrow at this, "Beg your pardon?"

"It seems all enemy ground units have...simply vanished into thin air. Even the pegasi scouts we sent couldn't find anything."

Luna began rubbing her temples. The frustration just kept piling on. "You're telling me, that you lost an entire legion of enemy troops?!"

"Please your highness, " the general pleaded, "we've searched the whole mountain top to bottom, and haven't found a single thing on radar! Besides the airships of course."

Luna pondered on the revelation. An entire army...gone? None of it made any sense. Then again in these days nothing did. But if they really did just vanish...

"I suppose that means one less problem." She concluded.

Stormchaser seemed to finally relax at this. "Now then as far as we know-" he cut short by the sudden uproar that engulfed the room. "Princess!" A Pegasus operator called out, "we got activity from the airships!" Luna's eyes snapped up towards the three behemoths, and saw a light glowing on the underside of the lead one. The light was steadily growing in intensity. "We're reading high energy levels coming from the ship." Luna knew that alright, she felt the disturbance of magic in her bones. It wasn't just energy, it was raw power, and it shook her very soul. Luna found it was getting harder to concentrate on it as the light grew brighter.

"I'm afraid I don't understand." Stated the general.

"Nor do I." She replied

Everybody in the room fell silent, all trained their eyes on the glow, mesmerized.

Luna was just as baffled as they were. Her head was beginning to ache from the massive amounts of energy being poured into one spot.

"But why..." The gears in her head were turning. Then they finally locked into place and the realization hit her like a comet.

"Stars above..." She whispered in disbelief. It was a weapon. The ship was about to fire enormous amounts of pure energy at the city.

Her migraine was splitting now. She shut her eyes tight and gritted her teeth. General Stormchaser looked towards the princess with concern. "My leige are you-"

"Fine!" She screamed in agony. "It's a weapon! They're firing a weapon at us!" Luna keeled over out of her throne, screaming in pain. Most of the operators relayed the message to the troops, while the others began to panic at the sight of the screaming princess. And just when the light was almost blinding, the ship exploded.

Gasps resounded throughout the room as one by one the airships fell from the sky in a glorious blaze.

---

Twilight could hear somepony very distant calling her name. She couldn't feel, speak, or move. The last thing she remembered was pain. Unbelievable pain. She was slightly moving as if something was shaking her. The voice grew louder and the veil of darkness was lifted, revealing Rainbow Dash who was on the verge of tears.

"Twilight!"

"Wha-" she didn't have time to finish her thought before all of her present friends embraced her into a group hug.

Twilight sat unmoving and very confused, "Um...where's the fire girls?" She chuckled nervously. The three ponies moved back from the hug.

"Number one!" Rainbow Dash hovered above her, "That's not how the expression is used." She said disapprovingly, "Number two, what in the name of Celestia just happened? First you start screaming bloody murder, then the ships explode in midair?! And you just fall to the ground unconscious!"

Twilight looked towards the ships and they were indeed falling from the sky in millions of pieces.

"When did that happen?!"

Rainbow Dash just looked at her in disbelief, "Seriously!? You don't remember?"

Twilight shook her head, earning an eye roll from the pegasus.

"Okay," Rainbow Dash said while scratching her chin. "I'll try to explain this as best as I can." She went on to explain the events from the glow igniting to Twilight blacking out. "So you wake up and now we're here."

Twilight simply blinked a couple times, only bits and pieces of memory returning to her.

"What are your orders ma'am?" Asked Applejack.

All three ponies turned to look at the farm pony.

"Hey AJ, you feel alright?"Asked Rainbow Dash

"Yeah! Ever since boot camp you've been nothing but a sour puss!" Pinkie said with a frown, something the party pony hardly ever does.

"I can assure you all that I'm in perfect condition." She replied plainly.

The absence of her usual (almost stereotypical) southern drawl was certainly startling. Her facade was failing, and Applejack knew it.

"You are most certainly not alright!" Exclaimed Twilight, "You haven't been your usual self, acting so formal and reffering to me as ma'am?"

"Yeah Aj what gives?" Prompted Rainbow Dash.

Applejack remained silent, her eyes darted back and forth and sweating profusely from her brow.

"Applejack, we're here for you." Twilight insisted "You can tell us what's wrong."

Finally, she broke down, "Oh girls ah'm so sorry!" Applejack cried, her accent returning, and buried her head into Pinkie's shoulder, who went along with it and comforted the country mare.

Twilight and Rainbow Dash exchanged confused glances, "AJ?" The pegasus asked cautiously.

"They're gone! All gone!"

"Who? Who's gone?" Asked Twilight.

Applejack didn't respond, only continued to cry.

"There there, it'll be alright." Pinkie cooed.

"No!" Applejack pulled away from her, "Didn't you hear? Ponyville's gone!"

---

Luna awoke in the infirmary laying in a hospital bed. The princess took a moment to purge any sleep from her and take in her surroundings. It was a standard hospital room, with bare walls and medical machinery surrounding the bed. She slowly sat upright and attempted to recall recent events. She could remember up until seeing the light from the airship, and only bits and pieces after that. She could, however, remember the unforgettable explosion that the ship's suffered.

Luna looked out the door window and could make out the silhouettes of Guardian and Celestia outside her room. They seemed to be arguing about something, and while Luna did her best, she could not make out what they were saying. After a good thirty seconds, it appeared that Guardian had won and the two entered the room.

Guardian had a warm smile while Celestia looked down at the floor.

"How are you feeling?" The bipedal deity asked as the two took up opposite sides of Luna's bed.

"Fine." She replied.

"How much do you remember?"

"I can remember a light coming from the underside of the airships. Only fragments after that."

The airships.

"And the ships, they just exploded? How?"

Guardian continued to smile while he held up a small metal disk with a tiny red light in the center.

"Dev charges. These babies are packed with raw power. All condensed in the center. And when that power is released, it's effects are devastating, " he winked, "hence the name."

Luna looked over at Celestia, who'd remained silent the whole time.

"Tia?"

"Oh Luna," Celestia began, "Words cannot express how sorry I am."

"Sister please, spare me." Luna said a little harsher than she intended.

"Hey," Said Guardian, "I know what I and your sister did was unacceptable-"

"Unacceptable?! Try pathetic!" Luna was still enraged at their previous behavior, she was not going to let it go anytime soon. Celestia cringed at the insult and Guardian felt as if a nail had been driven into his heart, but he did not break his stern glare.

"Yes okay I know we let our emotions get to us, and we left you to command an entire military force, and I promise you we will atone for our mistakes in the future!"

"How could you possibly atone for that?! I could've easily panicked and got everypony killed!"

"But you didn't, only because I raised you to know how to deal with unplanned situations!"

"Fat lot of good your 'teachings' did us. Haven't you the slightest idea of what's been happening since you left?"

"Stop!" Cried Celestia, "What is happening to us?" She looked even more distraught than before, "This family is falling apart! Just look at us now, we used to be so happy," she turned to Guardian and looked him dead in the eye, "Yes it's true ever since the day you left Luna and I have been struggling to keep this country together, a civil war broke out only weeks after your absence had begun." Luna looked down in shame, knowing full well that war was her fault, "Equestria has been bankrupt, invaded, and almost burned to the ground several times. Then the Overlord came."

My, My, bringing me into the conversation are we?

"Just go with it for now."

"Never has this world seen such pure evil," Celestia continued, "When Luna and I felt your presence for the first time in centuries, well saying we were overjoyed is a severe understatement."

"We could hardly believe it." Luna added quietly.

"But then it turned out to be the single most malevolent force in the universe, we thought it was over for us." Celestia continued.

"What is your point exactly?" Guardian asked.

"Let me finish." She replied.

Celestia placed a hoof under Luna's chin and lifted it up to look her straight in the eyes, "Dear sister, I was slain before your very eyes and yet you managed to pull the Elements of Harmony together and brought The Overlord down."

I swear if she brings that up again...

"Quiet."

Celestia removed her hoof and proceeded to finalize her speech, "We all have faced challenges that almost destroyed everything we know and love, yet we stared down our enemies and slammed their demise upon there heads, time and time again. And while we're tearing at each other's throats, those monsters out there are tearing out the throats of our precious ponies, the ones that you Guardian, raised from the ashes of the Alicorn Wars and built them a great civilization," she stopped to catch her breath, "my point is we will mend our wounds, uncover our heads from the past, and look towards the future."

"For Equestria will not be brought down so easily." Guardian and Luna finished simultaneously, "After all this time you both still remember that cheesy, post-war speech." Guardian shook his head in embarrassment.

"Can't we just learn from our mistakes?"

"Apology accepted." Luna said.

---

I grow weary of these touching moments.

"Not much longer now, fortunately the Empire hasn't been hit yet, there's still time."

We must make hast then, if we can draw out Denthar then we can end this once and for all.

"Can you imagine it? It being all over."

Lets not be too cocky now. Remember this could go to hell just as easily as the times before.

End of an Empire

Guardian looked at the eight ponies in the now empty war room, each one eager for an explanation to countless things.

"I suppose I'll start with Ponyville." As soon as said this the Element bearers or 'Team Harmony' immediately snapped their complete and undivided attention to him.

"We have yet to complete a full census, but we can confirm that all of your families among the ten percent have successfully evacuated to Apploosa."

The six relaxed as their first reaction. Guardian was almost hopeful they missed it, but no such luck as Twilight's expression went from relieved to horrified in the blink of an eye.

"Only...ten...percent?" She said, her voice wavering.

"Yes." He replied plainly. "Ten percent."

All six just stared at him in shock and disbelief. "But...all my friends...." Pinkie said in a barley audible whisper.

The silence was the worst for Guardian, he was expecting them to blow up in his face, just like Celestia did. Instead they just sat there, completely unable to move or speak. Finally he had some guards escort them out into their barracks. He turned to address Luna and Celestia. They already knew about Ponyville, he had informed them earlier. But saying it all a second time wasn't any easier.

Celestia sighed, "Any news of the Crystal Empire?" She asked.

"It's still standing as far as we know," Guardian replied, "The Hallowed have yet to reach them. If we hurry then we can send the rest of the reinforcements. To intercept them."

"What exactly is your plan here?" Luna said almost accusingly.

Guardian gave her a subtle glare, but otherwise continued on, "Their dreadnought airships will most likely be at the front of the line," A 3D map of the Crystal Empire, along with the frozen tundra around it, appeared on the table. In front of the city was a large, dark mass with about two dozen airships flying high above it. "We move in from the east while Shining Armor's own forces engage them from the north."

A blue group of lined up dots appeared on the eastern side of the Dark Armies, while purple dots formed a barrier on the outskirts of the city.

"I will be leading our forces. That for sure will draw Denthar out."

The dots converged on each other, creating one giant multicolored blob on the center of the map.

"When I find him I'll send you the signal, that's when you two bring the remaining troops here in Cantorlot and provide additional support."

More blue dots approached from the south and joined the swirling mass.

"That will weaken Denthars forces, and we'll be able to round up Team Harmony and use the Elements on Him."

With that the map disappeared, leaving the subject open to more bitter questions from Luna, "You mean to tell me we are to leave Cantorlot completely unguarded?" She scoffed a bit harder this time.

Guardian gave her a stare that rivaled Fluttershy's, "If we fail at the Empire then it won't make a difference if Cantorlot's unguarded or not."

"Doesn't matter? Are you saying you're throwing more lives away?! To settle some ancient grudge of yours?"

Why did every single one of these meetings end up in a falling out, "Luna, if we have the additional support, there's a better chance that we'll succeed!"

The Night Princess wouldn't back down, "You're asking us to basically gamble the lives of our subjects on a chance that we'll win?!"

"I'm asking you to trust me!"

Luna was taken aback at the outburst, "All I ever wanted was your trust!" He repeated, his voice shaky.

Guardian looked at her with tears in his eyes, "Where has your trust in me gone? I'm still the same person from one thousand years ago. I'm still your father. Why don't you believe in me anymore?"

Luna's eyes softened. All previous fire in her had been drained out, leaving only guilt. She didn't speak for a moment, her eyes refusing to meet her father's. Celestia just looked on, praying that the two would end their bickering right here and now.

"Of course I do." The Moon Princess finally answered. "I just can't bear the death of anymore of our subjects.

Guardian moved around the table to rest a hand on her shoulder. "I just need your faith, if we pull through this, nopony else has to die."

---

The main square of Cantorlot has been packed to the limit with ponies. A military official stood atop a podium, reading names off a list in front of him. The soldiers from Ponyville sat up front, Twilight and her friends in the very middle.

Just with almost every name listed, somepony burst into tears. The list was of all the ponies that lost their lives when Ponyville was attacked.

Applejack was the most anxious of all, living on the outskirts of town gave her family the advantage of time when the Hallowed arrived. But the moment was nonetheless terrifying.

Rarity, who had finally been able to join them, also feared for her sister, who was left in the care of the Apple Family when the war started. As was Scootaloo. Pinkie, knowing every single pony in town, was the one it was most painful for. Each name said was a shot to the heart. At this point she was curled into a ball on the ground, unmoving, and not even making a sound. Fluttershy (who had also been relieved) was doing her best to comfort the former party pony, but no response has been given.

"Lyra Heartstrings."

The names went on and on. Twilight was sure they had been there for at least an hour.

"Berry Punch."

They were all on edge. Nothing is worse than waiting for somepony to say everypony you know and love is dead.

"Cheerilie."

Every parent just drew a sharp breath. The school teacher was well known throughout Ponyville and was loved especially by the children.

"Big Macintosh."

That did it for all of them. Applejack began hyperventilating. Rarity and Rainbow Dash had to move to her sides so she wouldn't fall over. The earth pony stared at the ground, breathing heavily and tears were.forming in her eyes. Twilight ushered the three out of the square. Once they had left she turned to Fluttershy, "Do you think you can get Pinkie up?"

Fluttershy shook her head sadly, "She won't be going anywhere for a while. Besides, somepony has to stay to hear the rest of the names."

"Are you sure?" Twilight asked.

"Positive." She replied confidently.

Twilight left the square to find the rest of her friends. As she walked she saw others in the same situation as they were. Most were lucky enough to have friends there to support them. Others were less fortunate and were either wailing uncontrollably or completely motionless. When she finally found the others, the scene almost broke her heart. Rarity and Rainbow Dash stood off to the side, the pegasus crying softly to herself, the unicorn just stared sympathetically at Applejack. The farm pony herself was an absolute wreck. She was continuously driving her hoof into the ground making dents in the earth around her. Her eyes were streaming and she cried in grief and anguish.

Twilight joined the other two, "Shouldn't we help her?" She asked.

"It's best not to." Replied Rarity, "I've delt with breakdowns before, and its better to allow her to let it out first."

Twilight desperately wanted to help her, but she trusted the fashionista and proceeded to watch the agonizing sight. A royal guard carrying a large wooden box on his back was attempting to approach Applejack, but Rarity motioned form him to stop. He obliged and walked over to join them. He took a seat next to Twilight and set the box on the ground. "You friend's of Miss Applejack?" He asked. The three nodded.

"Sergent Rainy Day, I've come to deliver something to Applejack," he indicated the box, "Celestia's orders."

Twilight gasped when she saw what lay inside. She looked back and forth from Rainy Day to the box a couple of times, then at Applejack who had fallen silent and stood up with her head hung low.

"Let me see it." She said softly.

"The survivors say he fought with the strength of a thousand Royal guards." He said as he pushed the box in front of her.

She almost burst into a second wave of tears. The top was transparent and the inside was lined with velvet, displaying Big Mac's work harness. Applejack remained still for a moment, then turned around away from them and vomited onto the ground. Rarity decided now was the time to comfort her, and moved to her side while she heaved her lunch onto the floor.

"I'll take my leave then." announced Rainy Day.

"Thank you Sergent, this was too kind of you." He fired a salute before trotting off back towards the palace.

Applejack had stopped spewing and was being put through some breathing exercise by Rarity. The unicorn spoke a few words to her, and the two walked towards the group.

"Applejack? You with us?" Asked Rainbow Dash.

The farm pony nodded without looking at her. She seemed too focused on the ground.

Before they could say anything the loudspeakers blared to life, "All units, report to the hanger immediately and to your designated drop ship. This is not a drill, we are being mobilized."

Fluttershy and Pinkie had returned from the assembly. The pegasus was subtly keeping her distance from the earth pony, whose hair was now deflated and her coat was several shades darker.

The announcement continued, "All Alpha squads are to remain in Cantorlot until further notice, Team Harmony report to the war room for debriefing by Celestia. All other squads proceed to the hanger."

"Alright girls." All five turned to the farm pony, who spoke with the most venom and hatred she ever had in her life, "I'd say it's time to avenge Ponyville."
---

Shining Armor stared through his binoculars at the dark mass approaching the city. The army stretched for miles, with at least twelve airships flying above surrounded by a black cloud that could only be dragons. His own forces sat behind a wall constructed around the city, ready to defend it.

He turned to his Sergeant, "Any word from Cantorlot?"

Spitfire shook her head, "We know that it had been hit by the Hallowed earlier. Whether they survived or not is unknown."

Shining cursed under his breath. They had a limited fighting force and almost no air support. Since no reinforcements had come, he could only assume the worst for Cantorlot.

His soldier instincts didn't let him dwell on it too long, though his heart ached for Twily.

The lead airship was massive, the length was maybe more than the radius of the city. Their flak cannons wouldn't be nearly enough to take down the behemoth.

"Sir, we don't have the firepower to destroy those ships," Spitfire echoed his thoughts, "At best we could hold off the dragons for half an hour."

Shining Armor closed his eyes tight. All he ever dealt with in his career was a Changeling invasion, a dragon attack, and the occasional skirmish with the Gryphons. It wasn't to say he nor any soldier was out of practice, the Equestrian military was not something to be toyed with.

Then again neither was the army in front of him.

"Just prepare what we have." He replied. If they went down, they'll go down fighting.

He glanced up towards the top of the castle, where Cadence and the Crystal Heart were. If the main force fell, she was the last line of defence. During their short time in Cantorlot for debriefing and planning, Celestia taught Cadence a few spells that would at least make a dent in enemy forces.

He didn't even want to think about it. He had to see Twilight again, he had to see his wife again, his parents, his friends. And he had to see them alive. Those thoughts is what drove him through this war. And it'll carry him all the way to the end.

"Captain!" Called one of the scouts, "There's something approaching from the East."

"Can you tell what it is?"

"Whatever it is its kicking up too much snow to make out. It could be stray w--"

He stopped mid-sentence, his eyes grew wide through his binoculars and his jaw dropped open.

"I don't believe it..."

Shining just stared at him confusion, "What is it soldier?"

"It's reinforcements."

"What?"

"It's reinforcements!" He shouted in joy.

The outburst had drawn the attention of other ponies, now they were taking out their own recon devices and gasping in awe and disbelief.

The Captain was looking through his own binoculars and almost leaped for joy at the sight.

A legion of battle tanks was speeding through the snow, mains in the front, AA in the middle, and heavy artillery in the back. Jets soared above the front line with drop ships following close behind. Shining Armor was amazed at the shear numbers. He had no idea Cantorlot had that many units in reserve. A voice came on the radio, "This is Guardian to Captain Shining Armor do you copy?"

"Yes! Yes! This is Shining Armor!" He could barley contain his excitement.

"Captain, are your troops ready?"

"Affirmative, we are ready and awaiting your command."

"Give the order, engage the enemy."

---

The booming of the artillery tanks had begun and the first shells were landing. The tank battalions were dispersing into formation, and the jets went headfirst into the fray. Guardian was riding atop the lead fighter, were a proper assessment could be done. The lead enemy airship was no doubt a flagship, and Denthar no doubt was aboard.

Any minute now, they got closer and closer. Just before the dragons and jets intersected, Guardian did a flying leap off the plane, drew his swords and impaled an unlucky dragon through the head. He was now free falling through the air, bringing the dead dragon with him. Unfortunately, the rider was still alive. But before it could take aim, Guardian pulled one of his blades out and decapitated the rider. He sheathed his swords and gathered energy in his hands. He dived headfirst into the black mass beneath him. Just before he hit the ground he released all the energy in a blinding flash.

He stood in the crater with his head hung low. Surrounding him were Hallowed with guns, all pointed right at him. They fired away, only to hit a bubble shield surrounding him. When the volley stopped, it exploded outward in bolts of lightning that struck each Hallowed square in chest. They all fell to the ground, dead.

Guardian wasted no time, he drew his blades again and leaped out of the crater. He landed in a particularly condensed area, slicing all of them in halves. More and more approached, and he cut them down like trees. His blades flew, cutting and slicing every Hallowed unlucky enough to get too close. He blocked every blow, dodged very shot. One monster came at him with a spear. He twirled around, grabbed the shaft and yanked it back into the abdomen of an Emmy behind him. He blasted the spear wielder in the head with a shot from his hand. He yanked out the spear and threw it at a passing dragon. The javelin went into the beasts heart and it fell, crushing several Hallowed beneath it.

He twisted and turned, mowing down the waves of darkness. He was untouchable. He disarmed, dismembered, and decapitated every Hallowed that came into close proximity. Maybe this time, he thought.

"Maybe this is the day it all ends."

---

Shining Armor was engaged in a sword fight with possibly the ugliest creature he'd ever seen. The savage beast was easy to dodge, it's movements were sloppy with no stance whatsoever. He just had to wait for the right moment.

There. Shining's blade was embedded in the monsters heart. It made a gurgling sound before collapsing. He pulled his sword out of it and took in his surroundings. Several ponies of all races were fighting the monstrosities, several others lay dead or dying, their blood staining the snow red. He looked up towards the airship that was now above him. The enormous ship had shot down all squadrons so far sent to engage it. It got so bad all fighters were ordered to withdraw and focus on the dragons.

The ground fight was going well. They were able so far to keep the Hallowed at bay on the ramparts. Thought the flagship was getting too close to the city for his liking. This weird light was pulsating in the center of its under side, and his head was starting to hurt.

---

"This is Captain Shining Armor reporting!"

Guardian was still in the fray, hacking away at the enemy.

"Go ahead."

"The lead airship is almost over the city, and this weird light is coming from underneath it..."

Guardian's eyes went wide. How did he forget.

"It's giving me a headache..."

Guarding cried out in fury. Energy exploded out from under him, vaporizing all Hallowed in the vicinity. He sailed through the air, landing on the back of a dragon. He threw the rider off and took hold of the reigns. The dragon soared but only for a short time, as it was quickly shot down by enemy riders. Guardian leapt off and returned fire with bolts from his hands.

He took the moment to look towards the city and cried out in anguish along with the screams off the unicorns coming through the radio. The light under the ship was almost blinding now. When he hit the ground the weapon fired and the Crystal Palace crumbled to the ground.

The Fall

The cycle never ended. No matter how hard he tried, how he approached it, what strategy, military strength or leadership there was. It was never enough. Guardian watched helplessly as the the citadel tipped over onto the ground, possibly crushing a little under a hundred ponies beneath. The Empire had fallen within hours.

That is how Denthar operates. Remember, some worlds fell within a single day.

"How...there were several missile stations on the outer perimeter that should've at least kept it at bay."

Oh you remember. Clear as day.

"I thought for sure she would've come through."

You forget my "prophecies" are extremely accurate.

He was still falling through the air. He tucked in his extremities and somersaulted forward. He began falling diagonally, landed on the ground and took the head off an unsuspecting Hallowed soldier with his swords. He blasted his way through the lines, bolts of lethal energy spewing out his hands. He had to reach the fallen castle.

It will take a miracle to last that long.

"I put the call in about ten minutes earlier, if we can last long enough for reinforcements to arrive we can push them back."

That's a very big "if".

---

Celestia had given the order. Twilight and her friends were headed for the Crystal Empire along with several hundred other squadrons. A whole fleet of drop ships had departed from Cantorlot along with several tank battalions from stations positioned at the base of the mountain.

The drop ship wasn't exactly comfortable. Six seats were set along the interior walls, with only the door to the cockpit and the bay doors. The ship rattled and shook, the noise from the engines was so loud they had to speak over the radio.

"So how long we got?" Asked Applejack.

"Shouldn't be too long. I think our rear forces should be directly below us." Replied Twilight.

The atmosphere was tense. Everyone was shaking in anticipation for the coming battle. Since Cantorlot never saw any real action, this would be the first time to fight the enemy face to face.

Little was said on the trip. Twilight's concern for Pinkie Pie was ever growing. The formerly cheery pony hadn't breathed a word since the memorial. Not to mention the rest of her friends also being unusually silent. The pressure of the war had reached a deadly peak.

Twilight had tried to prepare as best she could for what they might face at the Empire by studying the First Encounter, but every time she tried talking to somepony who was there she earned little success. Soldiers, air ponys, and operators alike had refused to speak of the battle. Many she had spoken to had been drowning themselves in whatever alcohol they could get their hooves on. The sober were even worse. She manage to catch that most soldiers who returned were immediately relieved of duty due to PTSD or crippling injuries. The survivors in the military spoke of unimaginable horrors,

---

"They burned my eyes..." Grumbled the tan earth pony, "Black, monstrous claws. They put something in my head. Can't get it out."

Twilight sat bewildered. She found, from some poking around, that the pony before her had been in the First Encounter as they called it.

She had been searching for somepony who fought in the battle when the Hallowed had first entered Equestria. So far her efforts had met with little success. But after some asking around and digging through records she managed to find sompony that survived and was still in service.

Noting the empty bottle of whiskey on the floor, Twilight concluded he was drunk but she had to try.

"Major. Lemon Drop, I need to know what exactly happened during the First Encounter."

"Tis but lies," he drunkinly replied, "make us feel all safe an cozy. Butter us up and serve us for dinner."

Twilight looked around the barracks she was in. Most of the other ponies were trying to keep as much of their attention away from her conversation as possible. Realizing she wasn't going to get help from them, she tried changing the subject.

"So uh...Lemondrop...where might a pony get something to drink?"

He just looked at her blankly, her words going in one ear and out the other. This was going absolutely nowhere. All she could do now about Lemondrop was alert his CO of his condition and have him discharged.

Twilight sighed. She thought talking to the survivors would've been more helpful than reading some written report, but that had proven to be more trouble than it's worth. She would have to resort to finding some report of the battle.

---

Those field reports were horrifying. The ponies that wrote them had been driven mad by what they saw. It was mostly indecipherable scribblings, but what she could make out terrified her more than helped her. She was contemplating whether to tell her friends about her findings when a commanders voice came on the radio.

"All squads prepare for drop in two minutes."

It could wait. Her friends were already stressed as it was.

"All right girls, here we go." Twilight said, the unease clear in her voice.

They all double checked their gear, prepared the release mechanism on the seats, and faced towards the rear bay doors. The ship suddenly lurched to the side and spun around one hundred-eighty degrees and stopped. The noise died down as the engines were cut and the ship fell through the sky. Twilight felt like she was going to turn inside out.

Finally the ship lurched upwards as the underside engines fired. It came to a slow descent and as soon as it touched the ground Team Harmony launched out the open doors and into the fray.

Tanks and other squadrons were rushing alongside them as they galloped towards the battle. They came upon the outer perimeter were several missile and artillery stations were set up. They weren't anything spectacular just a one by one meter control box with either an artillery cannon or missile turrent set on top.

Jets and pegasi fought against dragons for supremacy in the sky. In front of them was the astronomical black mass of beasts. Beyond that was the Crystal Empire with a massive, ominous airship looming above it.

They galloped through the battle, each wielding their own unique weapons.

Twilight, Rarity, and Applejack used raw magic and strength, the farm pony had retractable spikes on the bottom of her hooves. Rainbow Dash had blades made from refined magic that materialized into extensions of her hooves. Pinkie Pie possessed a rifle that clamped onto her foreleg and lobbed explosive orbs of plasma, she named it Pow-Pow.

The monsters were in a small cluster that was separated from the main force, a good kilometer lay between Harmony and the city.

They cut, slashed, and blasted their way through the Hallowed, eventually killing all of them. They all paused to catch their breath. Twilight looked around at her friends, each one of them was breathing heavily and had a bewildered expresion, but they were otherwise largely unscathed.

"Well that wasn't too hard." Boasted Rainbow Dash.

"We ain't done yet sugar cube." Replied Applejack.

They took in their surroundings. The battle was distant, echoes of explosions and gunfire rang through the mountains.

Around them were the ruins of several tanks and missile stations. Most of them were completely decimated, but one stood out from the others.

"Girls, look!" Rarity pointed a hoof towards a station ahead of them that wasn't too badly damaged.

"There might be sompony alive in there. We have to check it out." Twilight stated.

They trotted over to the station. The outside had blast marks on it, but the rest of it was intact. They slowly opened the door. While they thought they were ready for anything, the sight that greeted them threw them off completely.

A single pony was leaning against the wall with his own entrails spilled before him. He had cuts all over his body and his left eye was gouged out.

Flutters by screeched, Rarity fainted, the rest backed out of the station vomit rising in their throats.

When the initial shock passed, Rainbow Dash went back inside to see if was still alive, which in fact he was.

"Girls, he's still breathing, but I'm not sure for how long."

"The missile..." He gasped heavily, "You have to..."

"Buddy listen it's gonna be fine we'll call for help."

Suddenly a howl sounded, and Hallowed crawled out of the wreckages and began to circle them lack a pack of starving was wolves. None of them had weapons, but had long, menacing claws that glinted in the sunlight.nTwilight counted maybe fifty of them. Although she wasn't sure how accurate that was, it was getting hard to focus with this oncoming headache...

She gasped as her legs gave out and her migraine intensified. The ship over the city was charging the same weapon as the ships at Cantorlot.

"The missile..."

Rainbow Dash turned to Fluttershy, "Listen to me Fluttershy, your gonna have to get in there and fire that missile ."

"What?!" She replied with shock, "Why me?"

"The rest of us will hold them off and protect Twilight, you gotta stop that airship from firing."

"I-I-don't think"

"Fluttershy!"

One monster pounced on Rainbow Dash who fell flat on her back with the beast on top of her.

The horde charged forward, claws ready to tear them apart. Team Harmony fought back in a defensive half circle around the station.

Twilight had lost it, screaming and flailing around trying to shake the agony out of her head. The rest of the team were occupied fighting off Hallowed. Fluttershy looked back and forth between her friends and the launcher controls.

"Hit the button girl! Launch it!" Applejack cried.

Why her? Why now?

Twilight went still and silent, the pain finally knocked her out. Fluttershy turned just in time to see a beam of light shoot itself from the the ship to the base of the palace.

---

Shining Armor watched in horror as the Castle collapsed with his wife still inside. A line of squadrons had been positioned were the remains of the palace now lay. Concern for Cadence overran his thoughts and he suddenly bolted towards the ruins.

He galloped on and on, when he reached the top of the spire, he searched desperately for a way in. He tried bucking the wall with his hind legs, the surface wasn't even scratched. He then attempted to blow a hole open with his magic, but only managed to scorch the crystal black. He let out a blood curdling scream and began beating the wall with his hooves, tears streaming down his face. After going like that for a while he lost the strength to continue an just collapsed on the ground sobbing weakly. Deep down he knew nopony could've survived through a billion ton crystal tower falling on top of them.

Guardian looked on at the scene, unsure of what to do. When the ship fired the Hallowed and the airship retreated back towards some base camp twenty kilometers away from the city.

Guardian remembered every detail of the Empire's construction, the palace was built to withstand an apocalypse, should it ever happen. So instead of debri and dust, the palace simply laid on its side still intact.

While he knew nothing good could come of it, he drew his swords and moved to the part of the wall closet to the fading life inside. He stuck his blades into the wall and began cutting in a circle, starting at the bottom and going up. When the blades met at the top he withdrew them. He levitated the circular chunk out of the wall and set it on the ground.

Shining Armor immediately rushed into the newly created hole, letting out a cry of anguish a few seconds later. Guardian stepped inside to join him.

Furniture was thrown about everywhere, it wasn't even possible to figure out what room this was. Cadence lay on her back with Shining kneeled down next to her.

The princess was in horrible shape, Guardian analyzed her and saw that her spine had snapped in two, she was paralyzed from the neck down. Her rib cage was shattered, the bone puncturing her vital organs. Her skull was fractured and she had brain damage to the extent were she couldn't speak, see or hear. He stopped there, it was obvious she wasn't going to survive.

Shining clutched her hoof in his, stroking her hair and whispering comforting things in her ear. The stallion was shaking all over and sobs racked his body.

Guardian looked around for the Crystal Heart, and found it a few meters away cracked in two.

"Guardian!" He turned around at his name and saw Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Rarity running in through the hole.

"Lieutenant Dash? What are you doing here?"

The pegasus stopped for a moment to catch her breath, "We...saw the tower fall and I called a drop ship to come bring us here. I had them bring medical supplies in case-" she stopped when she saw the princess and Shining Armor, "Oh Celestia...we're too late?"

Guardian nodded sadly.

"And the Heart?"

"Destroyed..."

Rainbow Dash fought back tears, this couldn't be happening. She had dealt with family deaths before but this...

"Where are the others?" Guardian asked.

"I-In the drop ship." She stuttered. "Twilight passed out when the ship fired, Fluttershy is tending to her. Pinkie is with them."

He nodded and began walking towards the opening.

"This is the worst possible thing." Rarity whispered.

"Believe me Rarity," He said as he walked past her,

"This is far from the worst."

Danger Line

Guardian exited through the opening to the drop ship landed outside. Inside were Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Twilight out cold. Pinkie was sitting on a seat with an dark look that could make a pony drop dead, while Fluttershy tended to Twilight. As soon as he walked in the traumatised pegases gave him a blank expression, she hadn't the words to describe how it was her fault the Empire fell, and how this was so familiar.

Guardian picked up the radio frequency and silently listened in. The Hallowed have fully withdrawn, likely preparing another attack. Contact had been lost with all artillery stations on the perimeter. Casualties were heavy as well as the number of missing soldiers. When he believed he heard enough he ordered every single unit to retreat into the mountains, were the largest military complex was located.

He tuned out of the comms and walked over to Twilight and placed two fingers on her forehead, she awoke with gasp and looked around wildly trying to discern where she was. When her gaze fell on Guardian she looked at him expectingly, as if he would answer all her questions at once. He merely shook his head and gesturing towards the opening. She gave him a confused look but proceeded to stand up and walk towards the gap. About two seconds later came a screech and then sobbing, she had found Cadence.

Fluttershy just proceeded to pack up the medical supplies she was using, trying her hardest not to burst into tears. She hadn't the guts to tell him she was to blame. But she wasn't aware that he already knew.

A tragic day indeed, looks like this is how your favourite world ends.

He didn't bother to reply to the mocking voice in his head. He strode out to the top of the spire and gazed into the distance in the direction of Denthar's forces.

You should just take your daughters and run at this point. This world is done for.

"I'm not leaving them behind. I'll fight till the planet implodes."

You know as well as I do that that may very well become a reality. Unless you tell them of the last resort you installed.

"If I do that they will use it instantly without hesitation, the plan won't work if that happens."

Their lives shouldn't have become a higher priority, we have the means to end this war right here right now. If you weren't as so ignorant to listen to me you'd know that one life is worth sacrificing for the sake of many."

"The consequences would be tremendous. The time it would take to rebalance the Aether, I'll have other places to be.."

Do you think It'd be that easy to fool me? We both know there are quite simple ways to restore equalibrium. You're just afraid of losing them.

You've become attached to them all.

---

A swarm of dragons was approaching, most likely to finish off the remains of the city. Fortunately, evacuation has almost been completed, the last transport ships were on their way to the mountains. Once there, the shield and AA defences would give them enough time to formulate a plan to destroy the Dreadnought.

Harmony's trip to the mountains was silent. The loss of their home and Cadence was almost too much to bear. Guardian spent most of the time quietly formulating a plan to destroy the Hallowed air fleet.

The drop ship passed through the energy field protecting the mountains. Behind them, dragons lay waste to what remained of the Crystal Empire. Twilight reached a small balcony outside and watched the burning city. The grief and guilt weighed heavily on her mind. Memories of Cadence and the time they spent together flashed through her head. She didn't deserve to die, nopony did.

"Why?" She whispered to herself, "What caused this hellish nightmare to be brought upon Equestria? What have we done to deserve this?"

Her will completely devastated, she walked back inside.

---

Spitfire, Soarin, and Rainbow Dash stood at attention per Guardian's request. They stood in the hallway outside the war room, awaiting their order.

Under normal circumstances, Rainbow Dash would've completely flipped out being in the presence of two of her idols, but she'd been devoid of emotion since the Empire. All she could think of was hatred towards the Hallowed for causing them so much strife and misery.

Guardian stepped out of the war room, Celestia and Luna flanking him.

"You three have been selected for a special assignment," he started, "we are beginning our final stand against the enemy. Any craft we have will get instantly obliterated if it gets too close to the flagship, so while our main forces will be engaging the enemy, you will be responsible for taking down the Dreadnought airship." He used telekinesis to hover three small saddlebags in front of them, "These are dev charges. Your task is to plant these in specified locations on the ship. If done correctly, the ship will go down in flames." Rainbow Dash could picture the glorious scene in her mind. "However," Guardian continued, "Time is of the essence. If that ship gets into firing range of this base, it will destroy our last line of defense. Our forces will scatter and be slaughtered by those monsters, and Equestria will fall.

"You must be prepared to lay down your life for your country, your friends and family, and do whatever it takes to bring down that airship. Is that clear?"

"Yes Sir!" The pegasi shouted in unison.

---

"This is Spitfire of Blue Angels calling in ready to drop."

All three pegasi had there wings spread, ready to launch out of the drop ship and into the fray. The gunfire could be heard even over the noise of the engine. Drop Ships didn't have interior windows, but from the chatter on comms and constant booming of cannons suggested they were in the thick of the raging battle.

"Copy that," came the response on the radio,"You're clear for drop"

The bay doors swung open and the trio propelled out of the ship. Dragons, jets, and the occasional heavy gunship flew about in all directions. The airship fleet of both sides became one mass of metal and fire, only the Dreadnought remained alone.

They manuvered through the warzone in the sky, their pre-war training helping them through the frenzy.

Explosions from flak cannons surrounded them from all sides. A squadron of dragons had taken up position behind them.

"Soarin, they're on our six, see what you can do about them." Spitfire ordered. Soarin gave a grin and saluted before breaking off the formation and flying towards the dragons. He made it look as if he was just another pegasus. He banked and swerved until he was directly above them.

The pegasi weaponry were very similar to the crossbows used by the guard before the war. A saddle with a firing and reloading mechanism wasn't extremely difficult to use. The new Arsenal was simply lighter and fired bolts of energy. But had a similar design and control. The Wonderbolts sometimes used them for their shows, hitting targets while doing near impossible stunts.

Using the interface in the suit, Soarin charged the guns and fired right in the middle of the cluster. The blast incinerated the ones closest while scattering the rest. Soarin let out a victory whoop them increased speed to join with the others. Little did he know the trap had been sprung.

He almost made it back to them before a shot from a dragon rider went clean through his abdomen.

---

A memory of his family flashed through his head as he plummeted to certain death. He saw his house in Cloudsdale, he was coming home from training, before the Hallowed. Soarin landed on his porch, excitement and anticipation bubbling inside him. He gathered his composure and knocked on the door.

"For the last time," the voice of the most beautiful mare in the world came from inside, "I don't want your bloody-" she stopped when she opened the door and saw who was knocking. Soarin drank in the sight of his wife, Cotton Candy. Her coat was the pink of the fuzzy treat that bears the same name, while her mane was of the blue variety.

"Hello! Do you have the time to talk about our great and benevolent ruler Celestia?" He mocked the fanatical priest solicitors that were a bane on family dinners.

"SOARIN!" The light pink mare threw herself at the grey stallion, knocking him to the ground and holding him in a deadly bear hug.

"Hey Candy." He replied through the choking grasp of his wife.

He had been away for months, training and organizing for the upcoming war. His days had been spent in a facility on the outskirts of Las Pegasus. He wrote and received letters to his family while he was there. But nothing compared to being in their presence.

"Mom?" Called out the filly standing in the doorway, wondering what all the commotion was about. When she saw her father her eyes lit up like fireworks. She too flew like a missle and joined the embrace.

---

That was the last day he'd seen them. It was back to training for another month then the portal opened.

He couldn't feel anything anymore. He didn't even remember hitting the ground. He lay on his back, the tundra around him completely deserted. He was alone, and paralyzed. While the snow made it where he didn't go splat, he was still slowly dying. His spinal cord damaged and most of his internal organs incenerated, he didn't have much time left.

"Soarin!" Spitfire's voice called desperately through the radio, "Soarin! Respond! Where are you?!"

He had just one request. "Tell my baby filly it's all right." He forced out the last of his breath.

"I've sung my last song today..."

---

"Nothing" Spitfire replied.

"What do you mean?" Asked Rainbow Dash.

"I mean there's no response." Spitfire was lying through her gritted teeth. She heard Soarin's final words and knew exactly what they meant. But she refused to let her emotions overtake her. Not yet.

"But...he could be hurt! He might need help!" Called the cyan pegasus.

"Unless you saw where he landed, there's nothing we can do for him. We still have a mission to finish, and I'll be damned before I allow him to die in vain."

Rainbow Dash was silent after that.

The Dreadnought was close now. They kept out of the range of its cannons and drew up behind it. The engine were exposed and vulnerable. They went in for the kill.

---

Celestia watched the flagship go down in flames. The sight was spectacular, but she had no time to marvel in its beauty. She flew ahead of the drop ships in formation behind her. Dressed in golden ornate battle armor with a matching battle axe strapped to her back. She was to join up with Luna and her forces, who had already engaged the enemy. She had fought life and limb for her country more than once. This was different, Guardian was here. Commanding, planning, giving the orders. This time she was a soldier. But she would give everything she had to protect her subjects. She gave a bloodcurdling war cry before diving headfirst into battle.

Author's Notes:

I'm back from my 'exile'

Writers block and depression seriously suck. I hope this chapter was worth the wait. There isn't much left now.