Mayor Mare was just finishing up the last of the day’s paper work. It had been a bit of a dozy to say the least; dodging questions about the recent crate from Canterlot, explaining that they would just need patience until the situation was resolved, trying to fathom why Twilight was so desperately insistent on them waiting until she talked to the princess... and all the while trying to handle a normal day’s work load as well.

Not to mention Derpy was having a particularly clumsy day, even for her. She of course couldn’t stay mad at the girl, nopony could; but that didn’t remove the cleanup required afterwards.

‘How she does what she does on the field when she acts like that off of it I’ll never know’

She signed the last budget report and dropped it in the out box before standing and stretching. The work day wasn’t quite over for her yet, but at least she could relax a bit more through the rest of it.

‘Yep, easy going for the rest of my day!’ she thought happily.

At least until an explosion outside shook the whole town, knocking her on her plot and sending her good vibes down the drain.

‘I swear to Celestia, if that was Dash AGAIN…’ she stomped to the nearest balcony to find a great ring burnt into the buildings courtyard, a rather mangled guard vehicle barely visible through the smoke. She stared on befuddled even as one of the last ponies she expected stumbled out of the smoke.

“Ms. Heartstrings?!”

“MAYOR! Activate the Phalanx protocol! NOW!” the aquamarine mare yelled up at her, the elder pony taken back by the sudden demand.

“Ms. Heartstrings, I do not take orders from fugitives! To even think of you exploding into town and expecting-” she started before another familiar voice cut her off, Twilight Sparkle now stumbling from the smoke as well.

“MAYOR! THERE’S NO TIME! START IT NOW!” the element of magic shouted.

“Twilight? Just what in Equestria is going on?!” she exclaimed as the smoke began to clear, showing the rest of the party; Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Bonbon and a sandy haired guard pony flanked by a changeling holding what looked like a passed out Trixie. Finally she saw the last, notably taller alicorn pony- “Pr-Princess Luna?!”

“Lady Mayor! While I am certain I understand your confusion, time is of upmost desperation! I must insist you activate this Phalanx with the greatest of haste!”

“Uh, Yeah- I mean Yes! Yes of course your highness, right away!” she stammered out before dashing back inside. Twilight quickly turned back to the other bearers, snapping off the key tied around her neck and handing it to the blue pegasus.

“Dash, go get the elements. Fluttershy take the others inside and help the mayor with the startup while I go get the girls” she spouted rapidly before disappearing in a strobe of violet light while Dash took off in a blur.

“I can help with the activation too” Lyra announced as they rushed in after the yellow pegasus, through the auditorium to a stair case leading into the hall’s basement. There they found a large contraption that pretty much WAS the room, dominated by a central spike jutting through the ceiling. The yellow and aquamarine mares rushed over to help the mayor frantically twisting dials, flicking switches and inputting codes.

“WA-HA!” an abrupt yelp escaped a white unicorn falling from a purple flash above them a moment later, now rising indignantly rubbing her plot “Wh-What in the?! OH! Princess?! I certainly didn’t- not that I mean to say-”

“WHEE!” a pink pony popped in with another violet flash, saving Rarity from her bubbling. A third violet flash soon followed as both Twilight and the bearer of honesty appeared, the latter still holding a crate of cider.

“What ‘n Tarnation?! Twi?! What’s got yer tail inna twist?!” AppleJack exclaimed as Rainbow barreled through the door with the chest, already passing the elements out as the apple farmer finished talking.

“NO TIME!” Twilight shouted, rapidly donning the necklace and taking her position by the machine with Rainbow and Fluttershy “Just trust me girls! They could already be on their way!”

The other three quickly took up their own positions, completely lost but trusting their friends wouldn’t lead them astray. The six rose slowly from the ground, their elements shining brightly about their necks as they prepared the cascade of harmonious magic.

“I sure hope this actually works” Lyra muttered amongst the bystanders, earning several worried looks “What?! You think we’ve actually done this before?!”

Rainbow streams erupted from the necklaces, swirling in a great tornado as the contraption whirred and whined with exertion. Before anypony could ask if it was working the tornado streaked straight into and up through central spike, burning through the roof as it continued upwards.

They all quickly ran outside, craning their necks up to just in time to see the multi-colored beam fire from the hall’s spire, shooting straight up into the sky before bursting high above them. Great waves of magic poured down over the town like a fountain and surrounding country side in a great dome.

“WHOOOOOOOOOO!!!” Lyra cried, throwing her hands up in victory. The others simply stared in awe at the protective barrier. It carried the appearance of countless, hexagonal shields overlapping and stacked several layers thick, all shimmering in a very faint, translucent gradient of colors. It surprisingly left barely even any distortion of the sky, save for the now pure white beam still feeding into the field.

“It may be a bit premature to celebrate Ms. Heartstrings” Luna stated, examining the magic and seeing a fluffy white blob pass lazily through “It would appear that it cannot stop even the clouds.”

“No that’s the beauty of it!” Lyra exclaimed excitedly “It’s a HARMONIOUS barrier! I only blocks against what it deems threatening! Enemies will smash against it while friendlies can pass right through! AND IT WORKS! IT ACTUALLY WORKED!”

“At least with clouds…” Dash commented, Lyra’s excitement faltering a little in response “it’s not like somepony is trying to force through make sure of that right now.”

“Well… no” the unicorn admitted “But it’s the best we’ve got without somepony powering something all the time. Just the fact that it didn't explode means the theory has value.”

“Yes Lyra, it is a grand achievement that may or may not last,” an exasperated Mayor Mare began “but can somepony please explain just what in the name of Celestia is going on now?!”

“I fear my sister is precisely the problem dear Mayor” Luna stated sadly “Gather your ponies, and not merely the militia. They will all need to hear this firsthand to understand, nor should this be hidden from a single one.”

“You can’t be serious!”

“Celestia would never do a thing like that!”

“But this is Princess Luna! Why would SHE lie to us!?”

“Maybe she’s Nightmare Moon again!”

“Yeah! Maybe SHE’S the corrupted one!”

“Ponies! Ponies Please! We must have order!”

Luna stared on amazed as the mayor tried to bring order to the unbelieving masses. Did her sister truly incite such blind faith? Did she actually bend the kingdom to one where so few dare even think of questioning their leader? She struggled with the thought and the implication of just how long she may have been under the guise of sanity as Twilight stepped forward on the balcony.

“I was there! She has lost herself to madness! I’m her personal protégé and I'm still telling you that she is no longer the Princess she once was!” the lavender unicorn pleaded with the crowd, making little head way.

“How do we know you’re even the real Twilight?!”

“Yeah we’ve already been fooled once! There’s a changeling right there!”

“Why should we take the word of fugitives!”

“They’re as bad as the Bloodletter!”

“ENOUGH!”

An arc of black lightning shook the ground, sending some ponies ducking for cover as Luna’s aura exploded out to darken the entire town. Stalking forward she slammed the broken sword through the railing as the hilt clicked on once again.

“Beginning Playback”

The crowd stood deathly silent as the recording rang through the courtyard. Ponies grew pale and fillies clutched to their parents, burying their faces as they tried to shut out the sounds of battle and the insane alicorn’s rant. The motley crew of fugitives stood in pained horror, Lyra soon leaning on Bonbon for support. Even they had not imagined their friend and leader’s last moments being so torturous.

The recording ended but nopony dared to speak yet. The light slowly returned to them as Luna’s aura receded and she spoke again.

“The one you call the Bloodletter, that ‘monster’ as you name her is the only reason we have this piece of truth. Even as she was being brutalized, even as she was DIEING! She made sure there was something left to warn us against this threat!” Luna scolded, the royal voice carrying through the town “And these fugitives?! Not only have they spent the last half year pursuing one of the greatest threats against Equestria as we unknowingly tried to stop them, but half the elements nor even myself would be standing here had it not been for their actions this day!”

The crowd stared in frightened awe to the balcony; at the princess, elements and unsung heroes. The princess continued, her voice falling to a more even, and deeply saddened tone.

“I will not lie to you my little ponies. These are truly dire times we are now facing, and now we must face them after the loss of a champion who did not deserve such a fate” she delivered remorsefully before straightening with determination “But we cannot let her sacrifice be in vein! We cannot let this madness that has possessed my sister spread any further! We must-”

Several distant explosions drew the crowd’s attention, ending Luna's speech. Several cloudy streaks now arched from the distant capitol hanging from the mountain side in all directions amongst the darkening sky. Several soared over and past the dome headed southbound, save one that passed right through the barrier before hurtling straight toward the gathered masses.

Ponies ran stumbling away from the impact zone, a massive spike driving its way into the ground in front of the hall. They slowly stood and regathered themselves, warily approaching the town’s new feature; a large metal pillar adorn with what looked like television screens and speakers on all sides.

“How could it get through the barrier?!” Lyra asked confused “It should have stopped-”

“It is not an attack” Luna stated simply, eyes narrowing at the multitier display.

“But why would she send these out?” Twilight asked “It’s not like televisions are rare anymore… We even have the giant screen right above us here…”

Another much louder rumble drew their attention to the distant mountain range again, only this one turned into a dull roar heard from even so far. A single much larger streak slowly launched up into the heavens until it appeared as little more than a star.

The sun finished setting, plunging the sky into night as the speck flashed and at least a dozen beams shot out across the darkness in all directions until abruptly stopping at different points above the horizons. Small lights shined in these new spots, distinct from the stars now twinkling into view.

“…They’re satellites!” Lyra gasped from the back of the group, they couldn’t even ask what that meant when the screens of the large pole as well as the halls public screen turned on and the speakers crackled. Several Celestia’s now looked out upon the town, flanked by none other than Princess Cadence and Shining Armor. The sound system blared as the solar monarch spoke.

“Do not be alarmed my little ponies! I, your humble princess, have now bestowed upon all of you the first step in us ensuring global peace and harmony!”

The crowds watched in confusion as the group glared from the balcony at the mad royal's image.

“You have no doubt seen the streaks of light across the sky after these wonderful devices landed among your cities and towns. These are the newest satellites of the Perfect Harmony initiative! No longer will we be bound to a smattering of astral aids and spotty communication towers, no! We will soon be able to communicate and bring one another together as never before! And that, my beloved subjects, is only the beginning! Within the coming weeks and months, even more wondrous new developments in both technology and magic will begin easing lives and thoughts universally! This is a time of revolution my dear ponies, for the new age is upon us and we will all have our part to play”

“Mother fucker…” Crystal cursed “She’s going to try to infect them all without giving them even a hint of what it means, let alone giving them a choice...”

The others frowned at the concept, even a few of the townsfolk glancing up in worry as they heard the announcement. Their attention quickly detoured however as the princess spoke again.

“But alas good ponies, it is not all good news I bring you” she stared as several pictures began scrolling across the bottom of the screen.

“Hey it us!” Pinkie cheered.

“That’s not a good thing Pinkie” the rainbow haired mare informed her.

“It would seem at the dawn of this new age we already have our detractors. Most of you are already aware of the Bloodletter’s allies, and it would seem even after the loss of their monstrous leader they still seek to sow anarchy through the kingdom. But I’m afraid they are no longer alone… it is with the greatest of sorrow to inform you that they have turned the Elements of Harmony against us in a twisted mockery of what they stand for… and yet even that is not the worst of it my ponies…” she trailed and looked away, selling her act with impossible ease “This is all only possible by the second betrayal of my dear sister… taken once again by the Nightmare.”

Luna’s eyes widened as she saw her darker self’s image displayed for all to see.

“But fear not my little ponies! These dark times we face will only make the end all the brighter! For we have already forced her and her treasonous supporters on the run. Her powers have proved far too weak to oppose the new world and our soon to be Perfect Harmony. This world will be without her kind and the pain they bring soon enough. I promise you, we will have peace.”

The screens went dark as the speakers clicked off. It did not take long for the crowd to start mumbling and grow frantic.

“Ponies!” Luna called out, all head turning to her with desperation “This was not unforeseen! They are but mere words we can easily weather! For her’s are hollow falsehoods holding no true merit!”

“But we ARE hiding! You DID run away!”

“If you couldn’t even stand against her, what in tartarus could we hope to do!?”

“We cannot let doubt cloud our purpose!” Luna tried “We must have faith in-”

“She can move the freaking SUN!”

“As soon as the dome breaks we’re all doomed!”

“Hey calm down! It’s not that bad!” one militia member called over the crowd.

“Eeyup!”

“Oh shut up you two! What do you know?!”

“Ponies please!” Luna tried “This in no time to be-”

“WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH ALL OF YOU!?”

Luna’s words faltered as a mare muscled past her, completely taken aback by the heavy hatted unicorn interrupting her to yell at the crowd.

“Where was all this coward talk when Trixie was here?!” the showmare demanded “The last time she saw you, a freaking Ursa Major attacked and you all barely bat an eye! You showed up even the great and powerful Trixie and drove that beast off like it was a damned teddy bear!”

A few mummers rumbled through the mildly abashed crowd.

“So she can move the sun! Big deal! Unicorns were doing it centuries before the princesses were even born! Trixie’s sure even Sparkle here could do it!”

“HEY! What do mean ‘EVEN ME?!’”

“This is freaking PONYVILLE for HARMONY’S SAKE! Trixie has no doubt rumors are true now! Celestia MUST have gathered all you weirdos and over powered ponies in one place to keep an eye on you!” Several ponies began to protest but she continued unhindered, and completely ignoring Twilight’s offence “And do you know WHY?! Because she’s AFRAID OF YOU! And she damn well should be! RIGHT?!”

“YEAH!” some of the crowd yelled in confirmation, one heavy muscled stallion in particular giving the word all he had.

“ARE YOU A BUNCH OF PANSY FOALS?!”

“NO!” more joined in this time.

“We will fight this tyrant! Like she said it’s time for REVOLUTION! WE WILL EXPOSE HER LIES! WE WILL BLOCK OUT HER SUN!” Trixie roared, riling up the gathered ponies with every word before issuing one final promise-

“WE WILL BE HER ECLIPSE!”

The whole crowd erupted into cheers as the Lunar mare looked on impressed, though Twilight was actually the one to state the shared sentiment aloud.

“She certainly knows how to work a crowd, doesn’t she?” she muttered, earning a chuckle from the changeling siss-prea next to her.

“You have no idea.”

“So we're really doing this then?” the gray mare asked in her cultured, upper-class accent, standing next to her far less talkative roommate “We are really going against Celestia and the royal military?”

The group stood in the halls meeting room with the mayor and a few of the militia’s ranking members as Luna looked over a map showing the projected borders of the barrier. The group looked to Octavia as she gazed back calmly, her question more one of confirmation than concern.

“Eeyup” the red stallion, the one pony in the room matching the princess’s height, answered simply.

“Ah don’ see that we have much of a choice really” the younger sibling added “Even if we weren’t inclined ta help anypony, we still couldn’ stay here forever… They’d find ah way through this fancy bubble eventually.”

“Indeed” the monarch spoke “Nor can we assume that we would be able to escape my sister’s grasp for long were we to let her achieve this ultimate goals of hers. If she hasn’t already that is.”

“She hasn’t” Lyra interjected “From what we learned only Canterlot has received the upgrades, and only the royal guard at that. It would seem she’s not able to rush the production.”

“Come to think of it, they did only send the one crate of injections here for the militia” Twilight pointed out “And there wasn’t even enough for every one of us.”

“You have a crate?” Lyra scrunched her brow at the purple mare before her eyes shot wide “A crate of the Nano Machines?!”

“Um, yeah…” Twilight stared back as Lyra got uncomfortably close “I noticed some weird effects so I locked them in the library basement before we left for Canterlot.”

“That’s perfect! We weren’t able to get a sample…” she muttered “We may even be able to devise some sort of defense or interference… I doubt we could come up with a reversal with just samples, not without Ma…ze…”

Lyra trailed off, her face falling dramatically. The princess took the moment to inquire something.

“Where did you get this information?”

“My sisters” Crystal stated simply, Luna blinking in mild shock in contrast.

“The changelings are willing to aid us in this?”

“Not exactly; my mother isn’t willing to take any direct action against Celestia or even support us openly” the shapeshifter explained before a small smirk graced her lips “Buuuut, as siss-prea, my sisters and I still have complete access to our undercover network.”

“Though that’s about it unfortunately, the other hives are even less inclined to do anything to risk their neutrality” Lyra added.

“Except maybe Queen Nagisa” Trixie commented, earning inquisitive looks from the others “Maze uh… she made a pretty notable impression on her…”

“And what about you?” Rarity asked of the grey woman.

“What about me?” Crystal asked in turn, before realizing the intention behind the question and snapping back “Hey don’t question my motives here! That bitch killed my friend and aim to see her answer for it! I figured your little friendship alliance would understand th-”

“Enough- we can’t start suspecting each other… now be it active support or just information, the changeling assistance remains a valuable boon” the lunar monarch shot her student a look “I do not suppose you’ve uncovered how my sister could have accomplished creating these impossible machines so quickly?”

“We didn’t have to; we know exactly how she’s done it” Lyra answered grimly “She has Maze’s body, or at least her arm. Even if she’s been preparing this for decades, she wouldn’t have been able to make this big of a leap in progress without it.”

“Her arm?” Fluttershy muttered as the princess’s eyes grew wide “Why would she need her arm?”

“Her data core…” Luna growled, ashamed of herself for not even considering it. The group jumped as the wood of the table suddenly splintered under the princess’s grasp “I’m such a fool! …it’s the catalyst all over again.”

“The Catalyst?” Twilight asked, her own visage growing frightened immediately after “You don’t mean-!”

“The very same,” the monarch answered grimly “The core that sent the synthetic wars into such disastrous new heights is now in the hands of my corrupted sister, and with a thousand years of progress to push it even further… so long as she holds that our obstacles will only grow in threat.”

“Then we get it back!” Bonbon suddenly announced.

“Bonny we’ve been over this,” Lyra sighed at her partner “Not only do we have no idea where it is but even if we get it back we can’t make her unlearn what she already has.”

The earth pony scowled as she held her eyes tight, fighting with herself over the decision. Ignoring her lover she stepped forward; she’d held back for long enough.

“Princess I-”

“No.” the alicorn cut her off.

“Princess I can do this! It may take some time and sacrifice but-”

“Sacrifice?! It is a suicide mission! One I wouldn’t even send Maze on with any expectation of success!” the group stared on at a complete loss at the two argued.

“And I know my duty! I have more training than half this militia combined! I-”

“WHICH IS EXACTLY WHY I NEED YOU HERE! NOW STAND DOWN AGENT!” Luna roared back, the mare quickly shrinking under her authority.

“...Agent?” Johnny piped up.

“Oh I fucking knew it...” Crystal snarled, the unicorn next to her numbly stepping forward.

“B-Bonbon?” she asked meekly, the earth pony not meeting her gaze. The silence lasted a few beats too long, Bonbon finally deciding the secrecy wasn't worth what she could offer without worry of exposure.

“…My name isn’t Bonbon” she began “It’s Sweetie Drops; Special Agent Sweetie Drops of the Equestrian Secret Service.”

“This isn’t funny Bonny!”

“I was assigned here to keep an eye on the town's inhabitants and passively investigate the high number of unusual events” she finished before finally glancing at the aquamarine pony. The mare took a few steps back, shaking her head as tears welled in her eyes. Next thing anypony new she had already stormed out into the night.

“Lyra!” Pinkie moved to follow when an orange hand caught her shoulder.

“Let ‘er go sugar cube, ain't nothin' any of us could say to her... we’ll just have to catch’er up later” she said solemnly before turning the two of them back to rest, Sweetie Drops struggling to hold her poker face.

“So the rumors are true then? Celestia really did collect us all here intentionally?” Octavia proposed.

“I have no idea, that was never a part of my assignment” the agent answered quietly “Either way, you can’t deny the unusually high number of ponies that, even our culture, have unique talents and abilities here... it would be foolish to let something like that go unobserved.”

The majority of those present all begrudgingly relented. Whether by their own volition of not; they all agreed Ponyville was hardly normal, and it had certainly stood out in the world as of late. The monarch that had stayed relatively passive since the exchange now spoke, still pouring over the barrier map.

“This extends a fair amount past the town’s borders, which will be useful in temporary shelters for refugees if the time comes for that” the lunar mare noted, guiding the group back on topic “But with the exception of this bit overlapping the Everfree here, I see little cover for anypony against agents of my sister that will surely be waiting. The fact they will be able to observe us is troubling enough without them laying in ambush.”

“Actually” Twilight cut in “I had the idea of leaving the outer most layer of the barrier without a lighfilteross sync.”

“Oh” Luna stood impressed “That’s… incredibly clever. Though I suppose you are her student after all.”

“Um” Rainbow interrupted “Can we non-unicorns get a translation?”

Twilight blushed slightly as rubbed the back of her head, about to explain when Trixie spoke up.

“It means ponies can see out but not in, while also saving a tiny bit of power to reinforce the shield. On a small scale it causes instability, but in such a large field the matrix gets stretched and flattened, fixing the problem…” she explained, before begrudgingly adding “it actually is a pretty decent idea…”

“Lyra said we should still be able to use teleportation as well” Crystal added “Though considering our opposition, that also carries its own risks; namely someone tracing or even hijacking the spells.”

The princess stood straight and moved to the window, looking out over the town as she thought. A small sigh escaped her as she realized another small oversight and glanced up to confirm. The moon was off course and behind schedule in a half blank, disorganized sky. It was true that they didn’t technically Need to move the sun and moon, but their effects on life and the weather could become quite unpredictable without guidance.

“I have neglected the night” she delivered, the ponies now hearing just how tired she was for the first time that night “I do not wish to reinforce my sister’s accusations by leaving the sky in such a state. I will return shortly so we may continue thinking of methods to out fox my sibling’s hounds.”

The others didn’t balk at the chance for a break, nor did they begrudge Luna taking the moment as she exited with her horn already aglow; they knew her burdens were now the greatest of any of them.

Dash however stalked toward the retreating Sweetie Drops, ready to demand answers. She faltered however when the outted pony turned to a chair in the corner and collapsed with her face in her hands, streams escaping her grasp as her composure finally began cracking. Vinyl shouldered past the pegasus and took the seat next to the agent, placing a hand on her shoulder.

Dash shook her head, regathering her intent only to falter again as the posh unicorn spoke behind her.

“Hounds…”

“Rares?” Dash asked in response to the designer’s mutter “You got something?”

“I may…” she answered, then flashed her friends a victorious grin “But we’re going to need a lot of gems.”

~“What are you doing?”~

~“Sitting on a bench. What does it look like?”~

~“…Upside down?”~

~“Just trying to get a new perspective!”~

“Stupid Lyra…” the pony sitting with her knees to her chest whimpered to herself “Why did you come back here…”

The unicorn buried her face deeper, trying to will the memories away. She didn’t even think as she ran from the town hall, she just kept going until she found herself here. Not at her home, not at the edge of town, but right here to the bench; their bench.

“You are quite lucky to have such a lovely comfort spot” the well-known voice caused her head snap up to the alicorn surveying the surrounding park as the sky slowly shifted behind her glowing horn “Sorry, I did not mean to intrude.”

“Princess! No I-”

“Please, no need to get up” Luna quickly stopped the mare now slowly shifting back into her curled stance. Taking the spot next to her, the taller pony looked to her work above as she continued “May I surmise this is the place of your first meeting?”

Wide, teary eyes stared at the princess, who warranted a glance at the silence. A giggle escaped her at the mare’s confusion.

“My apologies, but I have been alive for quite the long time young Lyra. In that long life I’ve learned that, while there are of course exceptions, many ponies tend to follow patterns in matters of the heart” the leader explained “I take it I was right then?”

“Yes… Over four years ago…” Lyra confirmed before burying her face again, a fresh wave a tears escaping “and she’s been lying to me the whole time!”

“Four years…” Luna muttered “is that right…”

“Mm-hmm” Lyra nodded from behind her personal barrier.

“After her betrayal I looked into her service history; I already knew a good deal, having taken over some of the kingdom’s more… covert affairs, but I was still absent for quite a while” Luna stated somewhat cheerfully, confusing the young unicorn “I knew she had worked with our late Blade Wolf on a number of occasions; some of the guard surmised he may have played a role in her treason. Though they neglected to take her record of the past few years into account.”

Lyra sat listening to the royal pony, her heart aching yet still yearning to learn the truth about the mare that held it for so long. Luna kept her gaze pointed up, still crafting a sky that grew steadily more beautiful.

“Agent Sweeite Drops had a virtually flawless record; one mission after another completed, perhaps not Always without issue, but completed all the same. From shortly after her enlistment, which we later learned she lied about her age to join early, she was always among the best of the best and simply flew through the ranks. Then seemingly out of the blue her record started to plummet.”

“What, did she snap under the pressure?!” Lyra spat bitterly, glaring down at the grass “She obviously didn’t stop wanting to lie to everypony!”

“She started turning down missions” Luna stated calmly “You know how in spy stories they say ‘Your mission, should you choose to accept it’? We truly do ask that, and she began declining more and more. We of course managed to coerce her into some, she did work for us after all. But she’s been taking less and less over the past four years, all to the determent of her service record…”

Lyra’s pupils shrunk as she realized where this was going. She shook her head and scowled.

“It doesn’t matter… she still lied to me, the whole time! I knew she was hiding something, even before that gas mask wearing psycho said anything… but I just.. I didn’t want to… I didn’t think it was…” she retreated deeper behind her knees again. “I don’t know anything about that mare, that Agent Sweetie Drops… She’s not my Bonbon…”

“I’m not saying it shouldn’t hurt or that things can just go back to how they were, even with time; but what I can tell you, is that you’re wrong” the princess said bluntly “That pony knowingly risked everything to help you, committing high treason in the process. She didn’t even deny it when we confronted her before the banquette; she met our gazes and without a single doubt declared she’d do it all again in an instant. The service was her entire life, her singular purpose… until we sent her to Ponyville…”

With a small chuckle Luna stood and finally looked to the unicorn, Lyra staring back at her with conflicted pain in her eyes.

“You may not know everything about her Ms. Heartstrings, and her name may not be Bonbon…” Luna told her, an amused smile on her lips “But she is most definitely yours.”

Lyra’s sight fell to the grass again, her eyes shifting and glazed. Her head snapped back up to the princess, mouth open in question before freezing. Luna was completely still, her entire body tensed.

“Something’s coming” she said sharply, immediately sprinting back toward the town hall. Lyra leap from the bench, giving chase as the powerful alicorn easily outpaced her. She stumbled up to the courtyard panting, seeing the princess standing with a mass of dark magic swirling before her.

“EVERYPONY GET OUT HERE! SOMETHING’S COMING!” Lyra yelled at the hall while Luna stood fast as the energy flared and grew.

The others barreled out of the double doors as the shadows coiled into a small dome. They all braced and summoned weapons as the dark mass suddenly burst, a shrouded figure crouched in its stead. He slowly rose, leathery wings unfurling as his eyes panned over the group leveling their weapons at him.

“Your Highness!” the figure fell into a quick bow the instant he spotted the princess “Thank the makers! We feared the worst!”

“Lieutenant!?” Luna exclaimed, making a quick motion for the group to stand down.

“Yes ma’am, very good to see we didn’t misjudge your magic's signature-” the thestral delivered rapidly “But forgive my urgency, with the barrier up the rest are trapped outside and we are already being pursued! We must-”

“The barrier should not impede them, instruct them to proceed" the princess cut him off, suspecting their hunters would not hesitate once they arrived. Within moments of the lieutenant giving the order on his codec, dozens of the bat-winged soldiers began descending through the phalanx.

“The thestrals are with us?” Twilight asked surprised, turning her attention back to the night guard “You weren’t given the nano-upgrades?”

“Upgrades?” he met the princesses former pupil with confusion "Is that the cause of all this?"

“The thestral’s maintain their own cybernetics and nano-facilities separate from the military’s other branches” Luna informed Twilight “There is much to explain lieutenant, but it is very good to see we have more support than first believed.”

The bat pony stood slightly ill at ease as Luna strode past him to rejoin the group as they headed back into the hall. Lyra choosing to remain on the opposite side of the group as her partner.

“Support for what exactly?”

“You'll see soon Darling…” Rarity began as she gave a quick glance back to the heavy hatted mare moving through the doors before returning her gaze to him

“Welcome to Eclipse.”

The bed creaked slightly under the weight of the alicorn now seated on its edge. Her form stood out amongst the rooms pale pink walls and swirling hearts designs. The young Sweetie Bell was currently sleeping over at the Apple family's farm, freeing up the room for the night. Luna had been hesitant to stay with her new pupil, though the arrangement was only for the day. Even then it took some convincing to have Rarity not give up her own room, Luna felt enough of a burden as it was.

She at least took solace in seeing Lyra return home with Agent Sweetie Drops. Granted, she was still rather hurt looking and silent as death... but it was something at least.

The night princess let out an exceptionally tired sigh; she’d been awake for nearly four days, with only a smattering of short naps to keep her going. She desperately wanted to sleep but her mind objected, still looping the recent events again and again.

‘Eclipse…’ A weak scoff escaped her as she looked down to the broken blade in her hands. ‘Sounds like something you would have come up with…’

Her fists clenched against the hilt and now thankfully wrapped metal as her shoulder’s hunched and began to tremble.

‘Maze… Tia…’ The day had been distracting and the rage had long since dwindled, but now there was nothing but her and her thoughts. Struggle as she may the dam still began to give, its streams now staining her coat. For all her power and strength, all she had experienced in her long life, she never managed to rise above the burden of her emotions.

A couple doors down Rarity sat up I her bed with her knees to her chest, trying to stay strong as she listened to the royal’s repressed, choked sobs drifting down the hall…

Author's Notes:

ONE THOUSAND VIEWS!!!!! ONE THOUSAND!! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! Pretty sure number one thousand was a favorite too! Thank you all so much! Yes I realize that doesn’t mean a thousand people have actually READ the story but still! This is my first story and it’s gotten at least enough attention for a thousand people to at least glance at?! You, readers = awesome - end of statement!

Okay, now that That’s out of the way lol- I think things are still looking good on the crossover front; the other author’s still working on their couple chapters (as far as I know) to avoid an oversaturation and then we’ll be good- so hopefully that’ll get rolling soon! Still got more I can do in the meantime though, so stay tuned.

Sorry about the lack of action this time around, but other than that readers as always; Thanks for reading and I hope to see you for the next chapter! Have a good one!