Chapter 23

"Have you bloody lost your mind?!"

Desert Sun cornered Lapis away from the others. "You were going to erase her memory? Last I checked, that's not how you lift curses....."

"I-"

"I don't want to hear an excuse this time," she threatened. "You HAVE been stringing her along a bit, with all the attentions you've given myself, the other unicorns, and Hatchet! I'll never say I wasn't grateful, but there'll be no more playing favorites under my watch!"

"Your watch?" Lapis' befuddled query. "I told Slurry when she gave me the idea that the necklace was at least a temporary solution. She knew that all along, and now she loses her temper?"

"You started erasing her memories, sad as they are. That won't cure her."

"I don't want her to think I was stringing her along. I've shown you the notes...." his horn once again flickered to life, snuffed under Desert Sun's gaze.

"I've seen the notes as well. You could have done this so much sooner. You've been training Night Ash and I, and what of your prize pupil Morning Star? I'm sure between the four of us we could have taken care of things." Her expression softened when he didn't answer, his defeated glances reflecting in her eyes. She took a deep breath to soften her tone to him. "Luv, if she'd not left by now, she wasn't about to. You're too close to curing her, and jumping from one project to another isn't helping the idea that a permanent cure is even close."

"I don't want to see her cry. That could damage my casting...." the weak excuse.

"There's good crying too," Desert Sun reminded him. "Think of the tears of joy if you were to unravel all the curses. Make her look like she wants. For the rest of her life. You can't be skipping around projects when you've made a promise that binding to her. Had I actually the wings I would slap you for the thought."

"So you don't want them...?"

"I'm not going anywhere, luv. If anything, let the three of us at least try. I know you've an armor fitting to attend, but you've also got a lot of apologizing to do to Slurry." Desert Sun almost suggested an apology to Twilight, but finally breaking through this tension was a battle in itself.

"Yes... that's right..." he shakily stood.

"What are you so worried about? Did you honestly think all of us would have walked out over this?"

"A broken promise is a very strong motivator....." Lapis distantly replied. "And I also think what you would do if you left and keep going. Any of you could simply walk into Canterlot, speak to my sisters, tell them about me. You might be detained, but they wouldn't be merciful to me."

"We're not leaving. But you WILL apologize to Slurry."

Lapis nodded. "If you wish me to attend the dispell, I will come. Otherwise, my notes are yours to peruse." He slowly walked from the room, head lowered.

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"We have spoken with two of them, Princess Luna," Dreamcarver grumbled. "Yet you insist on seeing Princess Cadance in this realm?"

"If to confirm and unite their cause," Luna sharply replied. "While they are family, good friends and tamer than Phalanx soldiers, speaking to them all in this manner will ensure a clear message when they awaken."

Both were airborne now, as the din of dreams calming and daybreak drew near. The swirl of the aether had slowed, and what dreams remained in the realm shone or dimmed within their view. Luna nodded to the giant storm far to their left. "That is the storm I warned you of before," she growled. "I dare not return there lest war break out in this realm."

Dreamcarver slowed to examine the nightmare in the distance. While only a few miles away, he could see the churning, frothing clouds and silent flashes of lightning in blue and red. The clouds blanketed the "ground" and mushroomed in continued turmoil, cursing back at them and taunting the rest of the realm in challenge. He wondered if Luna's reaction to it likened to her own "nightmare", but knew well not to ask. She was gentle and playful around the general population, but there was no "Joy" or "Fun" to her Phalanx. Her regiment her most arduous undertaking, and her pride shone at how well they intimidated without raising a hoof.

"With me, Dreamcarver!"

The soldier snapped out of his distraction as Luna banked hard toward another nightmare - this one sheathed in a glowing, sickly green. Through its haze he recognized the spires of the Crystal Empire, the populous going about its business. Yet Luna's concern of it told him this was no simple dream. The smog parted as she swooped through the city, watching the populous not reacting to her. Dreamcarver kept close, scanning for danger. The glow seemed familiar, but he could not place it. His query lost as a chorus of screeches and hisses erupted below.

Luna's eyes began to glow, and the facades of the smiling earth ponies fell away to angry changelings. "THIS is her nightmare," she confirmed. "The wedding day still scares her despite their victory. We must find her at once!"

Dreamcarver wanted to agree, but the changelings swarmed after the pair. Luna didn't want to "break" the nightmare, but time was running short in the realm. "They can be destroyed!" She ordered Dreamcarver. "I will fly ahead to the castle. Let none pass."

"Princess Luna, I-"

"This is a dream realm, do you forget your power here? Your dreams are stronger than these." She accelerated toward the castle, leaving him to the horde of airborne changelings.

Dreamcarver wheeled, the horde demanding his surrender. Hundreds of the beasts swirled around him in a gray-black storm of their own, determined to dispatch him before pursuing Luna. Thankful he was the distraction but still worried for his safety, he snapped his wings as wide as they would stretch. The winds began to pick up around him, confusing the crowd of creatures.

"BEGONE!!" He bellowed, his voice a thunderclap, an earthquake in the sky. The swarm destabilized around him, pleasing the pegasus. He rocketed into the throng, sharp wings slicing through dozens of the creatures.

"I SAID BEGONE~!!" he erupted again, the sheer volume of his voice shattering dozens more. They continued to close, the numbers preparing to overwhelm him. His winds and his wings could only hold them for so long. He had one last "trick" on hoof, but dared not show it in Luna's presence. He had to buy her time, she was almost inside the castle.

"This Nightmare ENDS, and MY Dream begins!" He announced, stunning the changelings. Uncomprehending stares did not faze him as the strong lucidity of his dream started to take over. With a haunting roar his body sheathed itself in eldritch flames, purplish black with flashes of red. The changeling horde slowed, glowing eyes widening as the energy burst away from Dreamcarver.

The soldier grinned back at the hesitant throng, feeling the strength in his wings and a trickle of magic before him. "COME! YOU CLAIM YOURSELVES ALICORNS, I AM MERELY ONE BY THE GRACES OF THIS REALM! ALL OF YOU AGAINST ME? DO YOUR WORST TO ME IF YOU DARE!"

The changelings charged. Dreamcarver could only laugh at them before meeting them midair.

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Luna propelled herself through the balcony entrance of the Empire castle. She expected resistance, yet each soldier stood at attention at her arrival. Knowing there were changelings among the soldiers, she kept an ear in their direction as she swooped through the hallways. Deeper in the facility she started seeing signs of the colony's fortifications. That sickly green glow intensified, Crystal Empire natives locked away in unconscious stasis. She paused only briefly, seeing that each captive smiling faintly in their forced slumber; evidence enough that this "nightmare" weighed heavily on the Crystal Princess' mind despite her main concerns with the railroad and the Games.

She slipped into the throne room, seeing Shining Armor kneeling at the base of the two thrones. One throne completely soaked in the Changelings' cocoon materials, the other shattered under the bloated form of Queen Chrysalis. Her jagged horn glimmered as more energy wrapped around it, one extended hoof tended by the mesmerized stallion. She did not acknowledge the presence of the Princess of the Night, too wrapped up in her absorption of love from Shining Armor and the nearby Crystal Heart. Her smug smile locked on the poor unicorn before her, talking to him in Cadance's voice. The stallion so lost in the spell she did not bother disguising herself anymore! Luna marched toward the throne, the corpulent queen finally looking away from her puppet. "Can I ... help you?" She mockingly asked, still in Cadance's voice.

"Cease this morbid vision!" Luna demanded. "This is not how the Crystal Empire exists!"

"The possibility was there," the changeling queen cooed. "There is happiness here. All is at peace, and all of my subjects are happy. If they are happy, I am happy, and that was all that was ever asked of this kingdom." She paused, a slight burp escaping her.

Luna quietly gazed up to the cocoon, where Cadance lay curled up in a ball. Her gaze vacant, her mane messy, her tail in her forehooves, talking to it like a child. "You'll not find me as simple an opponent as my sister was in the waking world," Luna warned one last time.

Chrysalis somehow pushed to a standing position. "You underestimate me," she hissed. "Here I have been gathering power in anticipation of this battle! What you see before you will be the last pony you'll speak with in ANY world! This is MY castle now!"

The room erupted with brilliant green energy, electrocuting the royal couple as the folds of fat rolled back into the Changeling's body. Her grayish black frame slimmed, growing in height and wings shimmering with the gathered power. Bright green cracks arced up and down her body, casting a more sinister glow on the hall as Shining Armor collapsed at her hooves. "You were once a nightmare," the queen cackled, her true voice returning, "But you cannot loosen the grip I have on the mind of this poor little princess."

Luna stood motionless, expressionless to the display. Chrysalis only grew taller and more menacing, green lightning reaching for the Princess of the Night. What the queen did not realize from her own histrionics that the rest of the room had frozen in a timeless proximity. She leered toward Luna, ignorant of the rest of the room for that moment. "Something troubling you, Luna? Am I indeed too powerful for you now that I have broken the Royal Family of the Crystal Empire?"

"What you forget," Luna finally spoke, 'Is that while you have a castle in this realm, I am the RULER of this realm! I allow things not possible in the waking world! This is what you call an accomplishment? I'm afraid all this building is a sand castle full of deep worries of events that did not occur.

"This castle exists because I allowed it thus!" Luna met Chrysalis' gaze. "I will not allow doubts and worries undermine the potential of Princess Cadance!

"Fear and Doubt shalt melt away
As the end of Night and the coming Day
Cast aside this unfounded blunder
Nightmare's end, I say thee SUNDER~!"

The screams of the nightmare pierced Luna's ears as the nearby dreamscape erupted in plumes of sand and dust. A breeze pushed the clouds away as Cadance's dazed form drifted to the ground like a multicolored feather, body wracked in heaving sobs of relief. Luna then carefully approached Cadance, wings closed and expression softening.

Princess Cadance couldn't look up from her predicament- she had all four hooves wrapped around her tail, disheveled mane over her face to hide the tears. The explosions had startled her, the reality melting away too much for her already overburdened mind. Flinching under the mere shadow of Princess Luna, Cadance only curled up tighter in exhaustion and shame. Her attempts to speak gently shushed as Luna lay next to her.

"Your Empire is safe," she reassured. "Your husband is safe and awaits you. Your dearest friend Princess Twilight needs you more than ever in this time. Please, cease this unneeded faltering."

Cadance finally raised her head, eyes still clouded from the nightmare. "He didn't see... didn't know..."

"He worries almost as deeply protecting you as you fear losing him. This is the strength of your bond. It cannot be broken by force, distance or time."

Cadance huddled up against Luna, feeling like a child for her fears. With a glance to the dreamscape Luna fueled more optimism toward the Crystal Princess, allowing the kingdom to appear as it was now, including a simple meal and a clear view of the Crystal Heart in the near distance. "When you are ready, Princess Cadance, this will be the dream you remember. Shining Armor wll explain the rest to you." Luna rose from her place as Cadance looked to the food and the sights around her.

"You're not staying?" she asked.

"Our work is done here," Luna proudly responded. "Your strength will return in what remains of this place. Your nightmare dispelled this night."

Cadance blinked at the advice and the returning Dreamcarver, who landed solidly next to Luna. "The battle ended suddenly," growled the soldier, "But I see Princess Cadance is safe." He bowed to them both.

"Dreamcarver, what is that on your helm?" Luna asked warningly. The soldier stood and glanced up, forgetting that he had let his "dream" get away with him. Hastily dispelling the false horn, he kneeled anew to the giggling princesses.

"Forgive my assumption in this world," his apology.

"You'll have to try harder with that form. Your wings were still too small."

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Hatchet's eager grin to his boss was little solace for Lapis' miscalculations. Inwardly, his pride for the pegasus' armor work could not be greater. He'd heard Hatchet's laughter and the ringing of metal, the hiss of steam, the occasional roar of flames. Other odd metal sounds had caught his ears between the myriad of tasks and planning, perhaps the specific needs of the osmium brought back from the new mine.

He was not surprised to see his smith in full regalia- his modified Phalanx armor dusted with soot, his necklace almost glowing with the red and blue tints of the two forges. His golden eyes flickered with pride, his grin twisted into a euphoric scowl. "Been lookin forward t' showin you this, boss. Those bone-pony things brought up more than enough t' work with."

"And why are you dressed for war so soon, Hatchet?" Lapis asked with the faintest amusement.

"Osmium's a buck to work with!" Hatchet replied without a hint of frustration. "Ya gotta fight with it to do what ya want it to do, then fight it some more t' stay still! B'sides, these give me all kinds of ideas." He tamped at his armor and pointed to his Fear necklace. "Heck, the armor might scare you if ya wear it wrong!"

"An odd thing to say to me, Hatchet. You talk as though I've never fought in a war."

"We were in one t'gether, boss, I remember!" And Hatchet savored every moment of his aerial battle against that gray pegasus. He had flown that soldier into the ground, and with the new armor could do it again. "But yeah, used some of the Phalanx armor tricks to put this t'gether for ya!"

Lapis then appraised the new armor for Hatchet's wild ego. It startled the alicorn at first; the design struck a deep chord in him. "You researched this..... thoroughly."

"Found a picture or two in the library since you were busy. Thought it'd be a good tribute." Hatchet's pride slid quickly to worry. "I can get that modified for ya real quick...."

"No, Hatchet. Thank you. If there would be any way to make them Remember, this is the armor to wear."

Indeed, the armor appeared a near-replica of the stormcloud armor he wore when he stood at Nightmare Moon's side - muted grays and blues from the blending of the osmium and iron, the frame of the helm shaped like crescent moons crossing directly under his horn. The chestplate resembled the overlapping plates of a dragon's belly, stylized wings pushed back over the shoulders. The wingblades serrated and sharp, reflecting only age and destruction. The croupiere had distinct crescents, solid osmium, right over his own cutie marks. The greaves shimmered a deeper, frothy gray, lower hanging clouds beneath the storm that he would wear to the most important war in a thousand years. Again, faint twitches skipped around his mouth, almost to speak - or emote?

"Gonna try it on?" Hatchet leered. "Gotta make sure it fits ya right."

Lapis walked around the armor a couple of times, admiring its color, its curvature, its detail. "Most exquisite," he replied distantly.

"Come on, boss, gotta slap that on and see how ya look in it!"

"Rather insistent," Lapis observed as he turned away from the armor. "You said you used some 'Phalanx armor tricks'. I think I need more details."

"I know ya don't like me playin with other stones and the timberwolf ash, but since I had to work with powders anyway I put a bunch in there. Oughta really scare em when you swoop down from the clouds - gotta hear that roar!"

Lapis gathered a few pieces of the armor with his magic. "You did write down the formula?"

"I think I got everythin here....." he read over the list. "Iron, Osmium, Timberwolf Ash, powdered moonstone shards, and some bone dust."

"Bone dust?" Lapis facehoofed. "Were you smashing Ichor's guards again?"

"Just a couple of em - and he knows, his little zombie filly laughed every time I did it. So, yeah." The pegasus shrugged, nodding to the completed work.

It almost amazed Lapis to Hatchet's nonchalance of this experiment - the fact that this armor was a complete blend of metallurgy, alchemy, necromancy and "Wild" magic, yet nothing more than a routine smithing. Perhaps pegasi are inclined to not worry much about consequence in their work; a unicorn would still be researching and an earth pony would otherwise refuse. He read over Hatchet's scroll at least three times, hoping he accurately measured as he worked. All the ingredients listed in their various capacities, split-forged and...

"...folded after sinterin, twenty-eight times, an no moon t' see me do it!"

The alicorn's eyes could only reflect astonishment; again, casually talking about a complex armoring as if making himself a sandwich. Setting the scroll aside, he carefully levitated over the greaves. Each one had some heft to them but once in place, did not limit his movement. Careful steps were taken around the forges as Hatchet blathered on about how the osmium and moonstone blues inspired him, or how he had to beg Morning Star to find an image of the old suit. Lapis half-listened as he reverently draped the croupiere and chestplates on, feeling an interesting twinge of the combined magics. The wingblades sang a similar song, a distant, lonely ballad of half-formed words and emotions. Steel was still steel, but somehow the osmium only magnified its magical call. He turned to gather the helm, only to find Hatchet balancing it in his hooves, grinning.

"I GOTTA see this- have fun!" The pegasus dropped the helm in place. Before Lapis could protest, he saw a hoof reach for the Fear necklace's gem.......

And the world around him turned stark white.

Blinded by the comparitive light, two or three disoriented steps only told him of the void he now belonged. Vague memories of wearing Phalanx armor crept through his mind, flooding the area in an earthquake of sound.

Lapis was not alone.

Eyes finally adjusting to the brilliant white, his first glance downward. No shadow cast- or had it moved already? The cacophony made it difficult to orient himself further,head raising to a group of shadowy figures around him. Indistinct pony shapes, each with hollowed eyes and gaping maws, magnifying the noise and defining it in voices - queries of who he was and why he had come. Nothing there knew who or what he was, did not know his name. "SILENCE~!!" He roared over their din. "Woe to every shadow who has forgotten the name of Lapis Umbral, the very Shadow of the Moon! I freed you from Sombra after he stole you and hid you away in the cold!"

"Who?" one deep voice asked again. "You are new to us....."

"You ceased to exist," a female voice added mockingly, "once we were taken away. You chose to Forget as much as you want them to Remember!"

"What have you done in this time away?" a distant male voice requested. "Have you helped or harmed Equestria in your exile?"

"I brought Luna home! I Remembered who she was! I did not demonize her as she was so demonized by her own executioner! I seek restoration to the Family because I REMEMBERED!"

"So did they," a familiar voice interrupted. "and that's why they chose to Forget."

He wheeled to the voice, horn blazing with energy. "You DARE!"

The last voice came from a hovering shadow, distinct by its wings and horn. He noted some of the other shadows dared to make themselves alicorns, while others became griffons, regular ponies, a diamond dog. But this one last shadow closed in on him, its gray hues paling to a distinct purple.

"I exist," she announced, "So that they could Forget!"

"BLASPHEMY~!!" he roared. "YOU ARE NOT WORTHY OF THE POST, LEST YOU MAKE THIS SUPPOSITION!"

'Why else am I here?" she jeered. "The Family is sundered. so I guess there needs to be a new Family."

"CURSE YOUR EXISTENCE!! CURSE YOUR VERY WORDS AND THE WINGS ON YOUR BACK!! HOW DARE YOU INVADE THIS REALM!!!"

He lunged at the shadow, only to feel it dissipate. The other shadows around him laughed and taunted at his clumsy attack.

"That's not how a warrior fights!" one shouted.

"Who's the unworthy one here?" Another called. "At least SHE seems to understand what she's got!"

"And all you have," an elder's voice finished. "Are the sounds of your voice, tiny bells in a canyon!"

Lapis shuddered as the faint ringing of decoration bells silenced every other sound around him. "Tiny bells in a canyon," the voice echoed. The shadows around him melted into a violet cloth that swirled around the remaining shadow, who repeated the mantra as the cloth then draped around "her" as she started to laugh again. He tensed as he saw the shadow's mane grow longer, bouncing in the unfelt winds.

"I will be Remembered because you are nothing but tiny bells in a canyon! My voice has been heard through the lights of the Sun and Moon! I am the new Beacon of Equestria!"

"ENOUGH~!!!"

Her last statement had broken every single thought in his mind, the white now suddenly brilliant red around the purplish shadow. He lunged at her anew, cursing her in Ancient Equestrian and condemning her deeper than the roots of Tarterus itself. Each lunge less and less effective, each wing thrust parried, every cast dissipated in a shower of amethystine sparks. Each kick found only air, his foe dancing backwards in perceived glee. He chased, showering her with words as he could not land a physical or magical blow. Fuming, he teleported around her, closing with each thrust, each wingbeat. Her expression panicked as he closed, his confidence growing. She summoned other shadows to slow him, but they would be easily swatted aside. "No more," he snarled. "No more will you be a thorn under my armor! The bells you shake at me in jest will echo throughout EQUESTRIA in angry tolls of storm warning!"

He stirred up the winds around him, horn and eyes glowing brilliant cobalt. "AND YOU WILL BE THE FIRST TO FALL!"

She attempted to teleport away, but the rage and fury in Lapis' heart focused him squarely on her destination. They collided midair, the shadow solidified by its fear. She bounced off the ground only once before he landed solidly above her. Roaring a final curse, his horn thrust down-

He froze. The scream was not his target's. Shaking off the blur of white, red and purple, he awoke to his horn dangerously close to piercing Desert Sun directly through her throat. Her eyes wider than even their first encounter, fear and paralysis holding her in place. He tried to back away, only tripping over an unconscious Hatchet and nearly falling on a dazed Sandstone. Night Ash and Morning Star slumped from their casting, singe marks on the chestplate and sand all around. He noted other singe marks from lightning bolts, storms dragged inside by Slurry. Violet Force and Silver Shimmer arrived too late; they chose to grab their armor first, hoping the others could hold him off.

Dustmite faded into view. "You ok, boss...?"

Lapis looked to each of them in turn, speechless. How close had he come? Two stallions down, three unicorns unable to slow him with magic. Three pegasi staring at him with mixed emotions as their weather attacks barely slowed him as well.

"And they say magic can help Equestria," a stallion's voice cracked the silence.

All turned to the entryway, where Strife peered from the hallway's shadow, the flicker of his Lyrium whip casting his silhouette back at them. "Yes, most helpful. Do you understand now? Do you even comprehend what I have tried to explain from the outset?"

"Strife," Lapis whispered, "this is not the time-"

"It's never THE time, for a creature who has nothing but. You rewarded your talented smith with a concussion that he won't feel until he wakes! Will your blessed bride ever stand beside you with the comfort she had with you in the last three years? Can your soldiers even trust you after that display of power? Typical alicorn."

"Strife," Lapis repeated, "My trial with the armor is complete. There will not be another outburst like this again." He turned to the others. "When Hatchet awakens, give him another concussion for me. He will thank you."

Strife stomped a hoof in mock-applause. "A grand reward for a weatherpony who thinks he's a magician. Your cursed armors and magical nonsense will be in vain if you choose to test your skills on your own allies."

"Strife, that's enough...."

"Oh, I'm not done." He entered the room, the whip twitching in anticipation. "Care to test your armor against me? I think I will fare better than a weak-bodied wizard and an addlebrained zebra."

"I said that's enough....."

"Silencing me only proves my point, and I don't need a horn to make one!" The whip cracked in challenge. Lapis responded with a warning bolt.

"Enough."

Strife gave the alicorn a showy, almost comical bow before departing. The entire room seemed to exhale with his departure.

Lapis wearily turned to his allies. "This is as much my fault for not preparing for what this armor is capable of as is Hatchet in his proficiency. You who wear the Phalanx armor, my trial came without chains or warning to anypony else. I swear to you on my own heart and horn that you will NOT see me this way again. Hatchet was foolish to use his necklace against untested armor, nearly costing lives." He kicked Hatchet's head once more in disdain. "I will restore the damage done. I will understand if you leave."

Slurry marched up to him, defiant. "So what did YOU see?"

"I was... Forgotten." He could not meet her gaze. "Thanks to Hatchet's lack of understanding, he intensified what the armor would do in my mind." A growl traced into his next statement. "She was in there, only confirming this fear......"

"'She'?" Slurry glanced back at Desert Sun.

"Not her." He nodded toward the dungeon. His form bled away from the armor and left it to collapse on the floor, splayed like a corpse.

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Rainbow Dash did not want to wait for the train. Heck, she didn't want to wait for Princess Cadance and Shining Armor - what was taking them so long? The pegasus rarely woke this early, still a little tired from her dream being interrupted by Princess Luna. She could have been halfway to Canterlot by now, even with the blizzard blowing at its hardest. She winged around the camp impatiently, knowing that her friends were likely in Canterlot already.

"Hot date in Ponyville?" Snowcatcher quipped as she continued reading over her clipboard. "You didn't last long, heard you were leaving."

"I'm not going home. I'm going to Canterlot."

"Of course you are. Hope you have a nice comfy cloud waiting for you."

"I've been summoned by Princess Luna herself!"

"Is that why you're up with the sun this morning?" Snowcatcher didn't look up once from her roster. "I thought Wonderbolts and fresh cider were your only motivations."

Rainbow would have protested again if the clamoring of hooves drowned out her response. A crystal chariot, pulled by several natives in Solar Guard gear, slid to a stop just outside the encampment. No fanfare or escorts flanked the vehicle, the guards at stoic attention as Princess Cadance and Shining Armor emerged. The entire camp stopped to see their rulers exit their vehicle wearing nothing but saddlebags. They exchanged worried glances before facing the gathering workers.

"Good Morning," Shining Armor unsteadily began. "We, along with Rainbow Dash, have been asked to return to Canterlot regarding a family emergency. Snowcatcher will assume oversight of the camp in our absence. All will be explained once we return."

"Such an easy decision," a voice erupted in the otherwise silent crowd. "Leaving a cold leader over those whose backs carry the most burdens?"

The crowd parted, Siren Song striding through. "She can run all that paperwork in front of her well enough, but she has the interpony skills of a stone."

"This isn't up for discussion," Shining Armor impatiently replied.

"Of course not. A camp mostly comprised of earth ponies certainly cannot hold its own without an earth pony in charge. Snowcatcher has billions of her little snowflakes to craft while the rest of us are actually getting things done." Many in the crowd murmured agreement.

The unicorn was already losing his patience. "Siren, this is a family emergency and the decision is final."

"And what of the evening staff?" Siren continued in defiant nonchalance. "Unicorns need their beauty sleep."

"We dont have TIME for this!" Rainbow Dash interjected. "Snowcatcher can keep track of the weather AND the rest of you guys during the day and some of the pegasi can pick up the evening shifts! Can we go now?"

"If you must," Siren dismissed.

"We'll return as quickly as we can," Princess Cadance tried to assure the group. "We need work to continue on the railroad in our absence. I would prefer to remain here to oversee but this is a very important gathering. Please understand."

"Understand, nothing," the light blue pegasus groused. "I'd have been there by now."

Shining Armor herded the other two mares aboard the train. "Keep up the good work, everypony!" he shouted from the window as the train eased away from the station. Siren simply rolled her eyes.

Snowcatcher finally looked up from her clipboard. "Well? You've pretended up to this point I wasn't here and you still worked, get moving."

"Not until we know who the evening designated leader will be. I nominate Night Watch, who came with me to the camp. She consistently works evenings and has a hoof on the goings-on."

"I'll consider it, but I've got all day. You don't."

Siren's knowing glance to the rest of the earth ponies spurred some mumbled complaints. She nodded to herself, well aware how this could quickly turn in her favor.

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While one train would fight through the snow, another quietly chugged west, four ponies and a small dragon seated in silence in their own car. Each mare felt alone despite their friends' proximity; without Rainbow Dash's bravado and Twilight's insights, these were simply four mares who knew each other and lived in the same town. Rarity tried to occupy herself with her sketchbook, only to doodle rainbows and stars. Applejack could only pace, looking out the windows as the train heaved westward. Fluttershy backed herself into a corner and curled up, already missing her animals. The mayor's reassurances did help, but she already had plenty to worry about. She could see the compounding of worry on her friends' faces..... and then there was Pinkie.

The pink earth pony had not moved from her seat, staring out a window at nothing. Her mane somewhat deflated from normal, dangling deeper into her usually bright blue eyes. Her tail flopped off the edge of the seat, lifeless. Her body may have boarded the train, but it was more an autonomous motion. There was no bounce, no smile; her voice lost with her thoughts. Applejack paused in her pacing to seat herself next to her usually enthusiastic friend. "Whatcha thinkin about, Pinkie? Ah know you're as worried as we are 'bout Twilight....."

Pinkie imperceptibly nodded, offering no further response. "Well, we're still together - and Rainbow Dash is probably racing the train from the Crystal Empire back to Canterlot. Don't you worry, we'll help Twilight."

Pinkie slowly turned from the window to meet the farmpony's concerned stare. In almost slow motion, the distance and worry faded from her face, if only for a few moments. "I know she's okay," Pinkie began. "I know she's still out there, just that I'm hoping they haven't tied her up to put under a giant sawhorse! Or she's tied up on the tracks somewhere waiting for us to - "

Applejack's hoof ended that conversation. "Ah don't think she's in that much trouble.... ah hope...."

Pinkie's eyes watered as she glanced at AJ's hoof in her mouth. The orange mare pulled away. "Sorry, don't like thinkin that way."

"Maybe she's just lost in some mysterious cavern, where the walls are covered in pictures and writing! She's reading and trying to translate when all the bats swoop down and try to scare her outside! She keeps reading anyway and then the bugs start crawling on her legs! It'd be creeeeeeeepy..."

Rarity slapped her sketchbook shut. "Really, Pinkie, I think that Twilight's situation might be a little more dire. She didn't say she was going anywhere to Spike. And I worry for the other unicorn who had come to visit."

"Just want to see Twilight again," Spike moped. "Nopony's been by the libary short of the mayor and Cherilee. And those that have won't come inside. All they do is drop flowers and stuff out on the bushes under the windows and walk away - like the library's a morgue!"

"At least they're still visiting the library, Spike," Fluttershy whispered from her corner. "Ever since we found out that Twilight was missing, most of my animals have been really restless. It's like they know something's wrong."

"It's not hard to know when it was shouted up and down the main thoroughfare," Rarity nodded to Pinkie and Spike. "I can only imagine how worried Princess Celestia and Princess Luna are about this. And trying to keep this quiet might be short of impossible outside of Ponyville."

"I've been quiet," Pinkie's unexpected interjection, "after my Pinkie sense told me she had disappeared and I get these weird little twitches in my ears and eyebrows and then my mane went 'floop' and it's still flooped."

"We all need t' stop worryin. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna both trust all of us, and we'll get Twilight back."

"Maybe, since everypony thinks Twilight is a really strong and powerful alicorn, that some stronger and powerful-er alicorn's got her! Maybe she's going to feed Twilight a weird apple to make her sleep until somepony comes to rescue her! Oooh, maybe it's a MALE alicorn, and he wants to marry her!"

Rarity gasped at the thought, then calmed. "Pinkie, I can be a helpless romantic at times but I don't think either of those scenarios are what Twilight is facing."

"So it might REALLY be the ninjas?"

"PINKIE!!!!" the rest of the car erupted.

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

Twilight shrank against the back wall of her cell as a roar of smoke and shadows erupted in her cell. The mare once again fell over her shackles, the Lyrium shocking her startled casting. The shadow consolidated directly above her fallen form, midnight blue eyes pinning her down with their intensity alone.

Twilight summoned what little courage remained. "What happened up there? That's not the first time I've heard crashing....."

Lapis Umbral growled down at her before he spoke. "Nopony badly hurt.... yet."

"'Yet....'?" the alicorn repeated nervously. Were the others coming? More torture? She didn't want to ask. Umbral answered her questions, as if he had paused to read her mind.

"You are still safe for now." His words hardly reassuring as he started to flow around her like a black ghost. "I apparently have an overzealous soldier or two in my ranks who'd rather start a war under this roof than save it for Canterlot."

"Why do you WANT a war?" Twilight whispered. "Princess Celestia has kept peace for a thousand years, why should there be a war now?"

"Don't think you're worth fighting for?" he snarked. "One of the few things I will agree with you upon. I've heard humility is one of your strong suits. That won't save you in the end. I fully expect another throng of mesmerized ponies singing your praises, in lock-step with love for you and nothing but pitchforks and torches for me."

"Have you communicated with Canterlot? Do they even KNOW where I am?"

"All they know is that you're still alive." Shadowy tendrils floated over her head, not touching her. "The response to my demands sounded more like a request to surrender. We've come too far to just 'surrender'."

"I still don't understand," Twilight's confusion apparent. "You're angry about me becoming an alicorn. You're angry that Luna doesn't visit you. You're angry that Cepheid was imprisoned. Do you even understand what's really going on in Canterlot? Send somepony there to see for yourself - advice from your enemy...."

"'Enemy'?" The shadow's unamused response further frightened Twilight. "You think it's all that simple? This has been going on longer than you or any of your friends have existed. This goes back to the surfacing of Nightmare Moon. This goes back to the disbanding of the Phalanx. This goes back to a lot of things your dear teacher swept under the rug after banishing her sister.

"You chose to endanger yourself through a conduit that you should not have access. I will warn you only once, do not interfere in our business until the mission is complete."

"I can't do ANYTHING with your stupid anti-magic shackles on - I get reminded multiple times a day."

"I have somepony else to discuss this with.... when he awakens. But you were there - a purple shadow mocking my past, mocking my quest, trumpeting your existence. How DARE you-"

"That wasn't me! I told you I can't do an-" Her protest doubly silenced from his magic and the Lyrium.

"Oh, I'm sure you've figured out a way to work around the shackles. I did not mistake what I saw - a purple shadow telling me that she is the 'New Family' and because of what Tia and Luna have seen of me would prefer that I be Forgotten because perhaps they Remembered too much!" The shadows swirled around her in silent threat. "You have already been immortalized by my sisters despite your short tenure in this new 'form'. You as a 'beacon' of Equestria is overstepping your bounds."

She tried desperately to respond, but the shadows kept her distracted. "I'll have no more interference from you," he snarled, eyes glowing a hellish green and red. "You are merely one thing on a long list of grievances that will be resolved when I arrive in Canterlot. You will remain here until the arrangements are made that you will become a unicorn once more, and do whatever you wish with your life. If you are to be a Princess, stay so - if you are to be a librarian, stay so."

"Then.... just talk...." she weakly added. "No need... for ... war..."

"This 'war' isn't just about your arbitrary gift. This is a response to a thousand years of erased history. Luna was slandered for centuries because of her 'choice' that cost her time in Equestria. Her regiment sundered, nearly all traces destroyed! The only Phalanx names that anypony remembers are Starwatch and Tower Shield from the history books. Names such as Midnight Pale, Cloud Echo, Amber Stars, StormPath, Nightbow - lost to time.

"Lost to time also were the names of those who once aided Celestia in her 'tireless' duties - Aphelion of the tides, Solaris of the Trees. Cepheid of the Seasons driven mad by his family deserting him, much as Luna driven mad as her Generosity never appreciated by the populance. Did Celestia notice? She was too occupied having adventures with Star Swirl the Bearded and ignoring her duties, leaving the rest of us to take care of things in her stead. Now, I return to Canterlot to relieve her of her duties. I am doing YOU the favor of you giving you a full-time teacher."

"But how do you KNOW that.....?" Twilight asked again.

"Because I never Forgot. Perhaps that will occupy your ever-spinning mind while we finish cleaning up things upstairs. Be thankful you are more valuable to me alive. Once my armorer is conscious again, he'll wish he'd stayed concussed." The angry shadow swept over her like an icy wind before vanishing into the caverns nearby.